Chapter 11
Luz POV
This is not where I thought I’d end up when I returned to the Boiling Isles; sat on the cold stone floor of one of the Emperor's Coven’s many cells. Bringing my knees up to my chest, I struggle for breath, willing myself not to cry.
I’ve been gone for hours now, why hasn’t Eda come to find me yet? Did Willow and Gus even care when I didn’t show up to school this morning?
I can’t help but think I should never have come back to the Boiling Isles. I really don’t belong here.
My eyes sting with fresh tears, and I do not fight as they slip down my cheeks. With a sigh, I fold my arms over my knees and sob quietly, my mind a whirl of memories from two years ago. The views are all the same, and the Owl House hasn’t changed, but as each of my friends grew up, a part of them got left behind.
Amity’s smile haunts me like a ghost of my past as I think of the time we spent together last year. Each Azura book club meeting, each class we had together, even playing Grudgby against Boscha and Grom night when we danced under the stars. There are parts of those memories we will never be able to relive, time that we will never be able to get back. Right now, I’m not sure how much time I have left, and it doesn’t look like anyone is coming to save me.
High pitched giggles drag me away from my thoughts, and I lift my head just in time to see Amity emerging from around the corner. “Aw, don’t stop.” she taunts me in a sing-song voice as I wipe my face with the back of my sleeve. “I was enjoying the show.”
She brushes a green strand of hair out of her face as she turns to face me. The center of her eyes are glowing red as I realize she must be under the influence of some powerful magic. “What did they do to you?” I ask, standing up quickly.
She doesn’t flinch as I pace towards her, gripping my fingers around the bars that hold me hostage. Instead, she smiles, an unwelcome smile unlike the one I used to know. “Emperor Belos sent me down here to finish you off.” she tells me, turning slightly away from me, a smug smile on her face. I swallow the lump in my throat, refusing to look away. “But I convinced him to let me keep you. After all,” She turns back to me, gripping the bars with her hand and leaning as far in as possible, “you’re worth more to us alive than dead.”
Laughter erupts from her mouth once again as she moves backwards to open the barred doors. I lift my hands away from the metal as it creaks open, taking a few steps back while Amity moves in on me.
“The Owl Lady will be here soon enough to try and rescue her little pet,” she continues, the very mention of Eda making the redness of her eyes glow darker. “And when she does, we’ll be ready for her.”
“Why are you doing this?” I ask her as her smile falters. “There was a time when we would have done anything for each other. What changed?”
She steps away from me, her smile turning into a frown. “I changed.” she says, the irritation palpable in her tone. “I grew up. I came to realize that life is not an Azura book. We can’t just waste our days on a dream that won’t come true.” The volume in her voice grows as the red in her eyes glitches like a videogame. “You think it’s so easy here, making potions and casting spells at the Owl House, but what you don’t see is the blood and tears and sweat.” she takes a few strides towards me as her fists clench. She is close enough now for me to see the beautiful golden of her eyes break through the red in flashes as she keeps talking. “I’ve worked so hard to get to where I am, and I won’t let you take that away from me.”
“I don’t know what I did to make you hate me so much.”
She takes another step towards me, relaxing her fists. Her eyes have returned to their normal golden color, and for a moment I see her soften. Just as I think she’s about to retaliate, she lets out a cry of pain, falling to her knees in front of me. She clutches her arms around her stomach, her eyes tightly closed. I stand above her, stunned as she turns her head up to look at me.
“Don’t you get it?” she says, her voice strained with pain. “I loved you. And you left.”
For a moment, I almost don’t believe her, but as I watch her golden eyes begin to glow red again, I know that every word of it is the truth. I drop to the floor, holding my hand out to her for comfort. She takes it and squeezes hard as she writhes with pain. With another groan of agony, she falls against my shoulder, squeezing onto my hand even harder.
Her walls are rebuilt as quickly as they were broken down though, as the pain seems to end just as suddenly as it started. She kneels for a moment, breathing heavily, her eyes glowing red. One hand is still wrapped around her stomach, the other clutching onto mine like a lifeline.
“Amity,” I start softly. Her breathing hitches as she brings her eyes up to look at me. She looks like a child, beautiful and naive, waiting to be told some good news. I have none to give. “I don’t know what to say.”
A feeling of dread passes through me as I look into her eyes. She isn’t looking at me, but rather through me, as if I’m not even here. The center of her eyes glows a darker red than before, and she doesn’t seem to be hearing the words I’m saying.
“I’m sorry I left.” I whisper into her hair as she leans against me. “I know there’s a part of you still in there, and I know that you can hear me.” She lies still, blinking slowly. I can’t tell if she’s listening to me or not, but I talk anyway. “You don’t have to do this. You can come home with me, to the Owl House.” Her grip on my hand loosens, her eyes drooping closed. I can feel the rise and fall of her steady breathing against my chest. “I’m not leaving you behind again. I promise.”
She hesitates for a moment, before bringing her eyes up to meet mine again. “That sounds like a beautiful dream.” she whispers, and I can feel her warm breath against my neck.
There is a moment of stillness, a quiet that can’t be recreated as I hold her against me, our steady breathing falling in time with one another. It feels as though we are somewhere else, like in a dream, and there is nothing else but the two of us. A dream can never last forever though; we all must wake up.
She stands up quickly, pushing me away from her. My eyes widen as she leaves me alone where we both sat mere seconds ago. From the floor, I watch her move back towards the doors with determined steps. She looks so powerful, so confident as the Emperor’s magic courses through her veins, controlling her every move. As the doors slam closed behind her, she turns back to me with a cold unfeeling look in her eyes.
“It’s over, Luz. You’ve lost.”