The Harrowing Adventures of Luz the Human

“But Eddddaaaa,” I whined pitifully, pouting as I tried to convince the stubborn witch.

“Luz, no!” she snapped back, exasperated, “Do you know how expensive scrolls are? I am not going to bankrupt myself just so that you can chat with your friends!”

“So, get me cheap one!” I pleaded, “What if I get lost? Or hurt? Or die! You’d be sitting here,” I gestured to the table where Eda sat, “wondering, ‘where’s Luz? What could have possibly happened to my beloved kid?.'” I postured, dramatically acting out the scene, “and then you’d find my decaying, maggot-ridden corpse after months of searching, and cry out, ‘Oh! Woe to me, having lost my dearest Luz. She was so young and full of life! If only I had gotten a scroll as she asked…’” I fell on my knees in front of Eda, my arms raised beseechingly as I noiselessly wailed future-Eda’s grief.

There was a loud flap of wings, then Tenebris landed on my shoulder, peeping lightly in concern as she tried to soothe me. After a moment her head snapped forward to glare at Eda, silently scolding the witch for upsetting me.

Eda rolled her eyes, then stood, throwing up her hands in defeat. “Fine! But only because I’m sick of all… this,” she waved a hand disgustedly in my direction. "And we’re getting the cheapest one available, I don’t care if it already has one foot in the grave; you’re dealing with it.”

I quickly stood, dropping my dramatic veneer and grinning at Eda. “Thank you!!” I squealed, rushing to give her a hug, making Tenebris take off with a protesting squawk.

Eda stiffened as my arms closed around her, allowing the hug to last for a couple moments before shoving me away. “Yeah, yeah,” she muttered, “you’re welcome. Now go away.”

I cleared my throat, clasping my hands behind my back and slowly rocking on my heels. “Eda,” I implored, “Wouldn’t you like to go now? After all, it would be best to get this done as soon as possible. You never know what horrors may befall me…”

She groaned, scowling at me like the grumpy owl she was. Wordlessly, she stomped around me and towards the door, violently throwing it open, making me wince as it banged against the wall.

“Thank you!” I called brightly after her, quickly following. I paused in the doorway, looking back over my shoulder and checking my pockets to make sure I had my paper and pen. “King? Tenebris? Eda and I are going to the market. Want to come?”

King didn’t even bother to look up from where he was napping on the couch, but my hawk gracelessly hopped into the air, swooping above me and out the door. Closing the door, I got on Eda’s staff behind her, holding on tightly as we took off.

We landed in the market after a few minutes, Eda marching off as soon as her feet touched the ground. I rolled my eyes at the grouchy witch, Tenebris landing on my shoulder as I walked after her, moving quickly in order to catch up. Drawing level with her, I looked around curiously, my eyes flitting from stall to stall as we navigated the disordered chaos that was the market.

A bright poster caught my eye, and I slowed, grabbing onto one of Eda’s feathered arms and pulling her to a stop to point it out excitedly. “Eda, look! There’s a wanted poster of me!” Freshly printed, it showed me standing smugly in the foreground, Tenebris on my shoulders with her wings spread menacingly. At the bottom it read, “Human of the Owl Lady.”

Eda studied it briefly before looking down at me, beaming with pride as she ruffled my hair fondly. “Great job, Luz! You’re officially a criminal of the Boiling Isles.” She reached up, carefully peeling the poster off the wall before rolling it up and putting it in her hair. “We’ll hang it up right next to mine at home.” I grinned up at her happily.

We set off again, Eda now in a much better mood as we continued through the market. Finally, we arrived at a stand scattered with stacks of rolled-up scrolls, each with a price tag pointed out towards onlookers. Eda came to a stop in front of it, scanning the selection with eyes narrowed in thought.

The shopkeeper, a stout, balding witch with long tusks protruding from his mouth, cleared his throat. “Is there a particular scroll you are looking for?” he asked Eda in a thin, reedy voice.

She glanced up, examining him for a moment before returning to her search. “No,” she said shortly, pausing for a moment before returning her attention to the witch. “Actually, what do you have for used scrolls?”

He drew a spell circle, causing several scrolls to lift into the air, each hovering a few inches off the table.

Eda looked over them, muttering slightly under her breath as she debated with herself. A minute went by, then two. I started to shift impatiently, but the shopkeeper stood still, his face perfectly neutral as he waited for Eda to make a decision. Another couple minutes passed by before Eda finally nodded, pointing towards one the floating scrolls. “I’ll take this one.”

He nodded, floating it towards himself as the other scrolls dropped back onto the table. “Excellent choice. That’ll be 80 snails.”

Eda counted out the money, her expression pained as she handed it over in exchange for the scroll. She turned to me with a huff, tossing me the scroll, which I frantically fumbled to catch. “There you go kiddo,” she grumbled, “don’t break it, ‘cause that’s the only one I’m ever buying for you.”

“Thank you, Eda!!” I crowed, struggling to unravel the scroll. I got it at last, the screen lighting up as I opened it. I blinked in bafflement at the unfamiliar interface. “Umm,” I began, looking up at Eda, “how does this work?”

Eda shrugged. “I dunno. I’ve never bothered getting one of those things before. You’ll just have to figure it out.” She spun around and started back the way we had came, fluidly slipping her way through the crowds.

I stood there for a moment, trying to get it to work before giving up and rolling it back up, shoving it in my pocket and running after Eda, Tenebris taking off to soar above me. I caught up quickly, and we walked silently back towards the empty space reserved for staff takeoff and landing.

“Hey, you there! Halt! In the name of the emperor, halt!”

We froze, turning as one to find two members of the Emperor’s Coven walking quickly towards us, their glinting, beaked helmets revealing nothing of their intent. Eda shifted, positioning herself partly in front of me, her staff planted diagonal on the paved ground as she held the top away from herself, clearly preparing for a fight.

They slowed their approach, their stances lowering to a near crouch as their arms raised, readying to protect themselves against the defensive witch. “Owl Lady,” came a feminine voice, though I couldn’t tell which figure had spoken, “we are not here for you, stand down. That human is wanted for two accounts of robbery against the Emperor himself. You will turn her over to face Imperial justice.”

My breath caught in my throat, dread seeping through me. Eda didn’t respond, her only reaction was to bare her teeth in a silent snarl, staring them down threateningly. Above us, Tenebris circled, spiraling lower and lower, her piercing eyes fixated on the guards.

“Eda…?” I murmured shakily, shrinking behind her. They were only twenty feet away now, and steadily closing the distance. Tenebris screeched her anger shrilly, making the guards flinch and glance up. That’s when Eda struck. Twirling her staff, she took a step forward, grounding herself as she opened the spell circle created by the staff, sending thin shards of ice firing towards the distracted pair, whistling through the air as they dipped to knee level.

The sound caught their attention, their beaks snapping back down to focus on Eda. Then they caught sight of the ice, and one of them froze, the whites of their eyes in stark contrast against the silver of the mask. A mere second later, the ice tore through them, causing a keening scream to rise from the victim as their legs were peppered with holes, blood shooting out the other side and painting the cobblestone. They collapsed in a bloody heap, the pained cry reaching a new pitch as their legs hit the ground with a crack, marking the exact moment their kneecaps gave way under the stress and shattered.

The other guard, however, had reacted faster and jumped out of the way, rising quickly and charging towards us, already drawing circle after circle as she pounded Eda with attacks with one hand, the other summoning large, goopy humanoids that lumbered towards us, protecting the witch from Eda’s counterattacks and forcing the snarling Owl Lady to divide her attention. More guards began to materialize out of the dispersing crowds, shouting as they moved to help the beaked witch.

“Luz!” Eda ground out through clenched teeth, blocking a particularly lethal spell with a twirl of her staff, “Run! Meet me at home. GO!”

I remained frozen for another awful moment, horror and terror stopping my legs. Then the adrenaline kicked in, and I spun around, taking off at a headlong run as I tried to escape unscathed. Tenebris swooped down in front of me, guiding me towards the edge of town.

The forest came into view, the dense trees rapidly growing taller as I drew near. Suddenly, I felt heat on my neck, accompanied by a deathly crackling. My heart leapt to my throat in renewed terror, and I threw myself toward, slamming hard into the ground as Tenebris shot upwards, a purple fireball crashing into the spot I had just been. I recovered quickly, rolling over and heaving myself shakily to my weary feet. Behind me ran a guard, snarling curses as Tenebris mobbed them; viciously raking and biting at the seething witch, their once-pristine uniform getting torn to shreds and stained as blood slowly soaked through the fraying fabric. Still, they kept on running towards me, holding a hand close to their body to draw a trembling circle as the other swatted unsuccessfully at the screeching hawk.

I quickly spun back to the forest, staggering as I resumed my desperate run. I darted through the trees, pulling sudden, sharp turns in an attempt to dislodge my follower. My breath came in rasping gasps as I struggled to pull oxygen into my pleading lungs, unwilling to slow to catch my breath. The witch behind me sounded like they were in even worse shape, their fast, heavy breathing echoing around me, enunciated every so often by sharp gasps of pain whenever Tenebris struck a particularly soft spot.

Okay, I thought, trying to get my fear-fogged mind to work, how do I lose an angry witch? Through a gap in the dense trees, I glimpsed a yawning stretch of blackness. I turned abruptly, nearly falling as my feet skidded over the pine-coated earth. I slid a few paces, eventually righting myself and taking off again, throwing myself towards the dark, pitted cave I had seen. Behind me, branches snapped as the guard mimicked my sudden turn.

I dove into the cave, frantically windmilling my arms through the air to keep my balance on the sudden downhill. After a few heart-stopping moments, I hit level ground again, slowing to a walk as I carefully toed my way through the pitch-black cavern, straining my ears for any sound from the witch. Suddenly, my head slammed into a wall of hard rock, knocking me flat on my ass with a strangled yelp.

I sat up quickly, breathing shallowly as I listened for movement in the dark. After a minute of silence, broken only by the sound of dripping water, I dug into my pocket, pulling out the paper and pen. Fixing an image of the light glyph in my mind, I struggled to draw it accurately, blindly running the pen over the paper.

After many attempts, I finally got it, the sudden light making me hiss sharply in pain and close my eyes. Opening them again cautiously, I waited until it didn’t burn my retinas before looking around, scanning the dimly lit cave for another exit, as well as for my faithful pursuer. There was nothing. I stood, wandering deeper into the dark. Unease crept in, pushing out my lingering terror and staking its own claim on my mind. It was a certain kind of unease, the kind of trepidation passed down thousands of generations, originating from the basest animal instinct; the fear of unbroken darkness and what it holds.

I shivered, the thick, damp air doing nothing to ease my fraying nerves. I shuffled along, my tiny sphere of light only lighting a foot in each direction. In the distance, I heard the whistling of air moving. I angled myself towards it, hoping it would lead me to an exit. Any exit, at this point. I was so thoroughly lost that I’d rather face the guard again than die trapped in a cave.

Something massive materialized out of the dark in front of me, and I stumbled to a stop just in time. Guiding my light over it, I inhaled sharply in shock and fear, my heart skipping a few beats before surging into a rapid rhythm. In front of me lay a sleeping demon, a black beast even darker than the cave, more resembling a thankless void than a living creature. At least ten feet tall, its back brushed against the ceiling with every breath it took, a whistling pitch harolding its exhales.

I lost a few moments standing there, shaking like a leaf as my wide eyes were stuck on the demon. I shook my head sharply, pulling myself out of the trance and backing away carefully. Once I had gained a bit of distance, I turned, walking only a few paces before the beaked helmet of the guard came into view, the shiny metal reflecting my dim light. I froze, completely caught off guard. Then I raised my hands, frantically gesturing for them to be quiet. They watched me for a moment, and I noticed narrowed, golden eyes behind the mask, calculating my next move.

Hope rose in me that we’d make it out of the cavern alive, only to be quickly squashed as the witch drew a spell circle, violently blasting me back towards the slumbering beast. I rose to my feet just in time to jump out of the way of another bright, purple fireball, the heat licking hungrily at my legs as I dove away. I turned back to watch in growing horror as it slammed right into the demon, searing a large, purple burn into its side. It woke with a screaming roar, making me cringe fearfully and duck out of its sight. There I slumped against the cave wall, subconscious tears trailing down my face as I heard it give chase to the offending witch, still screaming in its pained rage.

I sat there for a moment, trying to gather my wits and think of something to do. A distant scream made me flinch, and I stood, running back through the cave to save the witch from getting eaten alive. Trying to kill me or not, I thought grimly, no one deserves that. After a few tense moments, I finally burst from the cave, the bright daylight blinding me. I came to a stop, blinking my watering eyes rapidly to get them to adjust faster. There was a flapping of wings, then a weight landed on my shoulder, peeping lightly in worry.

“I’m alright,” I told Tenebris somberly, “but we need to help that witch, or else they won’t be.”

I could finally see, though the sight in front of me made me wish I was still blinded. The demon was even more intimidating in the sunlight; it had six thick legs, and its opaque pelt appeared to be made of shadows; the fur writhing against the light, giving it the same movement as wind cutting trails through tall grass. Only thirty feet away, it crouched with its back to me, pinning something between its front paws, a continuous, thunder-like growl rumbling from its chest.

That sight kicked me into motion. I ran forward, Tenebris flying in front as she angled to attack the beast’s head. I grabbed my paper as I went, quickly drawing as big of a light glyph as I could on the small page, finishing just in time to slam it against the demon’s haunch. There was a low sizzle, and when I pulled back my hand there was a charred gap in its fur, an angry, golden light glyph branded into the skin underneath. It roared in fury, releasing its catch to swipe at Tenebris, who quickly flew out of reach. Apparently it blamed my assault on the poor hawk, because it followed, leaping up to catch her between its front paws, only for Tenebris to swoop away at the last second. She shot away from us, leading the demon deeper into the forest.

I cupped my hands over my mouth, calling after my palisman, “I’ll meet you back at the Owl House. Don’t die!”

A faint screech reached my ears in response, and I nodded to myself, already walking over to the now-visible witch, who had been the thing trapped under its claws. I cleared my throat as I neared the guard, not wanting to scare them. “Hey, are you okay? That was quite a nasty hit you took,” I began, crouching down beside the witch, who was lying flat on the ground, their cracked helmet thrown to the side as they rubbed their face, groaning.

“Hello?” I said again, a little concerned, “can you hear me? I-”

“Yes!” the witch exclaimed furiously, throwing her hands down from her face to glare at me, revealing a fine, pale face with angry golden eyes and teal hair, ears pinned down. “Yes, I’m alright. Now will you please shut the fuck up?!”

I took a surprised step back, my mouth dropping as I recognized her. “It’s you!” I stated, unable to think of anything else. “From the outpost! Ay dios mio, I’m sorry I stole from you!”

She stood up suddenly, moving quite fluidly for someone who was just on the brink of death. She marched into my space, getting in my face as she poked a finger into my chest, following me as I flinched and stumbled back. My dark brown eyes darted between her shining golden ones, her scowling face only inches from mine. “Did I not just say to shut up?! I meant it human. I have no problems killing you,” she snarled viciously, leaning further towards me. “Really, after the day I’ve just had, I might even enjoy it.”

My heart stopped, fear trying to overwhelm my senses, only for fury to rapidly build, taking its place. I shoved her hand away from me, pushing her back a step so that I could think. A scowl to rival hers grew on my face, and my eyes bored into hers, making her eyes widen slightly. “No,” I said coldly, “you attacked me first. And then I saved your life after you nearly got both of us killed. If anyone gets to be mad, it’s me. So step off, witch.”

Surprisingly, she did, granting me a brief sense of victory before she snatched it all away with a single spell circle. I yelped as my feet left the ground, trying in vain to return to earth. Without another word she spun and walked off through the trees, towing me along behind her like I was the most realistic stringless human balloon ever.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” I called out indignantly, still flailing my limbs around wildly, trying to reengage gravity.

“Arresting you,” came the monotone reply, the witch not bothering to looking back.

“Well, you’re going the wrong way then. Bonesburough’s back the other way.”

She spun to face me; teeth bared in a snarl. “You think I don’t know that?” she hissed, “I’m not taking you there, since you and the Owl Lady can clearly break into the Conformitorium whenever you want.” She closed her eyes, sighing as if trying to calm herself. “No,” she continued, opening her eyes, her voice neutral once again, “I’m taking you somewhere I can watch over you until I report to the Emperor’s castle tomorrow morning.”

Stopping my struggles, I blinked. “Oh,” I said dumbly. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

She rolled her eyes in response, turning and pulling me along to our mystery destination.

“Soooo,” I began, crossing my legs and twiddling my thumbs, “any chance you’ll tell me where we’re going?”

“No.”

I frowned at her abruptness. “What about your name, then?”

“No.”

I rolled my eyes with a huff, perking up quickly and smiling at her back. “Okay, that’s fine! I’m just gonna call you Butthead, then!”

There was a long pause, then just as I thought she wasn’t going to respond, she spoke up. “It’s Amity. Now for titan’s sake, shut up!”

I chuckled. “Absolutely not, Amity! That’s the one thing I do not do. I’m Luz, by the way! Eda once said I talk more than Hooty, which I personally don’t think is possible. And honestly the fact that she would even compare me to Hooty hurts. I swear, he’s the most anno-”

Amity stopped abruptly, cutting off my ramble with a raised hand. She took a deep breath, then turned to face me, her expression perfectly blank with only her twitching ears to betray her concealed annoyance. “Human. If you don’t stop your chattering, we could very well be demon chow before we make it to my house-”

“Ha!” I crowed, “So we’re going to your house then?”

“-so,” she continued, ignoring my outburst, “I am gonna need you to stop talking.” Amity hesitated, letting out a low sigh before resuming. “If I let you walk beside me, will you be quiet?”

I thought it over, tapping my chin. “Hmmm…” I pondered, making Amity’s face contort into a scowl. I laughed, raising my hands in defeat. “Alright, fine! But,” I crossed my arms smugly, looking down at the annoyed witch as I fought to keep a smile off my face, “you have to call me Luz, not human.”

Amity nodded immediately. “Deal.” She snapped her fingers, and I fell down to the ground, letting out a little shriek of surprise.

Hopping to my feet, I dusted off my clothes, straightening after a moment and catching Amity’s eye. I walked jauntily towards her, swinging my arms and smiling at the disgruntled witch.

She muttered something under her breath, falling into pace beside me as she guided us through the trees. We walked in silence for a while, as requested, until Amity turned her head to face me, frowning.

“I don’t get it. You were so mad just fifteen minutes ago, and now you’re… happy? To be my prisoner? Why?”

I blinked slowly, taken off guard by the sudden question. Then I grinned, swinging in front of her and walking backwards so that I was facing the witch. Amity eyes narrowed at this sudden change, and although she kept walking, her eyes were wary as she tried to figure out what I was up too. “Well, I’ve lived with Eda for like, a week now, I think? She uses magic against me at least twice a day. It’s a miracle I haven’t died yet! Anyways, what I mean is that I’m used to it, it doesn’t faze me in the slightest.”

A small, exasperated smile appeared on Amity’s face, her amused eyes silently letting me know that I was an idiot. I paused, unable to get my thoughts in order, the only thing going through my mind was prettywitchprettywitch…say something estupido! I shook myself out of my head, deciding to push my luck with Amity. “And, I guess you just swept me of my feet,” I told her in a low, flirty voice, shooting her finger guns with a wink.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she studied me intensely, holding my gaze for a few still moments before her eyes widened in realization. “Oh! You mean the spell. Yes, it did lift you off the ground. But that should have made you more angry at me, not less.”

I stumbled back a bit as I tried to process what she said. “Wait, what?” Amity frowned again, opening her mouth to speak. Then my foot hit a rock, and I went sprawling backwards, landing hard on the forest floor. I laid there for a moment, throwing an arm over my eyes and letting out a huge sigh of disappointment at my clumsiness.

A shadow blocked out the little bit of light that made it past my arm, making me move it slightly off my eyes so that I could see. Amity stood above me, fighting back an smile as she offered down a hand. I reached up and grasped her wrist, letting the taller witch pull me to my feet with a faint huff of effort.

She let go as soon as I was upright, releasing my hand as if it were burning her. Taking a step back, she sighed, rubbing her eyes wearily. “Come on,” she muttered, setting off again, “let’s just get this over with. The sooner I never have to see you again, the better.”

I quickly followed, remaining quiet as I observed Amity out of the corner of my eye, studying her curiously. She really is beautiful, I thought wistfully to myself, tripping over another rock in my distraction. This time, I managed to catch myself, instinctively grabbing onto Amity’s arm to regain my dubious balance. She tensed, flinching away from the contact.

“Sorry,” I murmured, removing my hand.

Amity nodded shortly, glancing around the forest as if searching for an escape. Her eyes stopped on something, and she exhaled slowly in relief. “We’re here.” She turned to glare at me, “So be quiet and do whatever I say.”

I gave her a half-assed salute in response, making her eyes narrow in annoyance before she turned and walked away. I followed close behind her as she exited the forest and walked towards a large manor perched on a hill. We climbed up to the door, Amity cracking it open carefully and peeking inside. After a moment, she opened it wider, gesturing for me to enter.

I did, my jaw dropping in awe as I emerged into a grand foyer; it was void of furniture except for a sitting area positioned at the base of a wide staircase that curled up the far wall, a long, regal rug stretching the length of the room and the pristine, white walls trimmed with gold. I spun back to facing Amity, who wore a smug look at my reaction. “You live like this?!” I hissed lowly, reluctant to disturb the oppressive silence of the house, “this place is a fucking nightmare! I’d accidentally ruin that fancy rug in like, one day tops.”

Her self-important look dropped, eyes narrowing into a glare as her ears pinned down angrily. She opened her mouth to retort with what would no doubt be a scathing and hurtful rebuttal, but was cut off by a loud voice from the other end of the hall.

“Hiiii Mittens!”

Her jaw snapped closed, her glare intensifying as it swiveled over my shoulder to stare down newcomer. “Oh great,” she muttered irately.

I turned back around to see two witches bounding down the staircase. They looked exactly like Amity, except taller and with dark green hair. Naturally, they were both hot. Which is totally unfair.

“Wow, you look awful! Who’s this?” asked the leading witch, her golden eyes appraising me curiously, “she’s cute!”

“Mittens!” cried the other one, gesturing towards me excitedly, “did you finally get a girlfriend! Took you long enough!”

Heat rose to my cheeks, and I struggled to form a cohesive thought as Amity shoved past me, trembling with rage.

“NO!" She yelled, waving her hands around angrily, “just… no!” She took a moment to calm herself, ignoring the snickering witches. “She’s a criminal, I arrested her. It’s not safe to keep her at the Conformitorium, so I brought her here to guard until my shift tomorrow.” She turned towards me, her expression peeved as she waved a hand over her shoulder. “Luz, these are my brother and sister, Emira and Edric.”

I cleared my throat and offered them an awkward little wave. “Hi.”

They waved back, matching grins on their faces.

Amity frowned, swinging back around to face her sibling. “Are mom and dad home?” She asked worriedly.

The twins shook their heads in unison, Edric responding, “Nope! Mom’s at work, and dad had to go to a meeting.”

Amity’s shoulders slumped in relief. “Good. The last thing I wanted to do was explain this,” she gestured to me, “to them. Mom would have been furious.”

Emira winced, chuckling uneasily. “Yeah, no kidding. Better hide her before they get home.”

Amity nodded, drawing a spell circle in the air before marching off towards the staircase. I stifled a surprised shriek as my feet left the ground, my body once again floating along behind Amity.

“Really?” I complained, crossing my arms with a pout, “this seems completely unnecessary!”

She didn’t respond, making me huff and roll my eyes. Amused laughter rang from the witches behind us.

Amity took us up the stairs and down a long hallway lined with stern-faced portraits, candles flickering in the spaces in between, filling the narrow passage with soft light. We went through a door at the end of the hall, entering a large bedroom.

I looked around curiously. Compared to the rest of the extravagant house, this room was downright plain. There was a small, four-poster bed in one corner, a nightstand near the head and a dark, wooden dresser at the foot. In another adjacent corner, there was a desk that matched the bed and dresser in color and style. A walk-in closet filled the wall space between. The middle of the carpeted floor was empty, leaving plenty of room to walk around. The only light in the room came in from a closed stained glass window, the elegant, white curtains drawn open.

Amity guided me to the middle of the room, releasing the spell on me with a snap of her fingers. I fell gracefully to the floor, hissing lowly as my head slammed against the carpet. I sat up, rubbing my head and glaring at the witch.

“Um, ow?!” I protested, throwing my hands out in a clear what-the-fuck gesture.

Amity smirked, amusement rolling in her eyes at my pain. Raising a hand, she drew another spell circle, making me tense in wary preparation. Pink light rose around me, the faint lines weaving in an interlocking pattern as they rose up to the high ceiling. In moments, I was encased in a circular prison of light a mere six feet in diameter. I pushed on it curiously, the wall was warm and smooth to the touch. I rammed a shoulder against it, but the light remained stubbornly unyielding, leaving me trapped in its woven cell.

With a groan, I slid down the wall, drawing up my knees and leaning my head back, pouting at Amity. “You couldn’t have done this on the bed?” I asked her grumpily, “it would have been much more comfortable.”

She rolled her eyes at my childish moping. “Nope,” she shook her head, “that’s my bed. Human pests go on the floor.”

I scrunched up my nose, narrowing my eyes in a half-hearted glare. “I resent that statement.”

“Represent it, too,” she muttered, turning and walking back out the door.

“Hey!” I called after her, craning my neck in a futile attempt to keep her in my line of sight, “where are you going?” There was no response except the far-off sound of a slamming door. I leaned my head on my knees with a sigh, already bored.

Minutes went by slowly, and I found myself dozing off on the cold floor, exhaustion from my panicked run swamping my mind and closing my eyes.

“Hey there, human!”

I flinched at the sudden voice, my head shooting up to glance around wildly. Standing in front of me were the twins, tinted a flattering pink shade by my cage.

I eyed them warily, trying to control my racing heart. “Hi…?”

Emira cleared her throat, elbowing Edric in the ribs. “Sorry for this loat startling you. He has no manners.”

Edric squawked at the abuse, poking his sister sharply in revenge. “Excuse me,” he protested primely, “if anyone here’s a loat, it’s you, dingus!”

Emira gasped in hurt, placing a hand against her chest and the other on her forehead, miming a swoon. “Your words cut deep,” she whispered sadly, “almost as deep as how far down your intelligence is buried.”

I watched in silent amusement as their argument rapidly deteriorated into them making increasingly stupid faces at each other, using magic to further contort their features in a ferocious battle for dominance.

Eventually, Edric caved, throwing up his hands in defeat. “Fine!” he exclaimed exasperatedly, “you win. Now please fix your face.”

Emira fist-pumped her victory with a raucous laugh, releasing the spell that had been distorting her face into an unfamiliar male witch making kissing motions towards Edric. She turned to face me with a smile, ignoring her sulking brother. “Anyways,” she said cheerfully, “Mittens is cleaning herself up, and asked us to watch you while she was gone.”

I nodded slowly, standing up stiffly and stretching out my limbs. “So,” I began conversationally, “any chance of you guys letting me out of here?” They stiffened, glancing at each other uneasily, and I quickly continued. “Out of this bubble, I mean. Not, like, letting me go.” I chuckled sheepishly, rubbing my arms. “It’s really cold on the floor.”

They looked at each other again, silently debating whether or not they should grant my request. As one, they shrugged, turning back to face me with matching grins. “Sure!” Edric said whilst drawing a blue spell circle, “we don’t really care, today’s pretty boring. Mittens yelling at us would liven things up a bit.”

The light around me dissolved, leaving me free to wander the room. “Thanks!” I said with a grin, already moving towards the bed. I sat down, leaning back against the headboard and stretching out my cramped legs with a relaxed sigh, closing my eyes peacefully. “That’s much better. You’d think a carpeted floor would be comfy, but it’s really not.” The bed shifted under me, and I peeked open my eyes to see Emira and Edric sitting at the foot of the bed, facing me expectantly.

“We’ve never seen a real human before,” Edric said eagerly, “much less a criminal human. What’re you doing here?”

I chuckled, grabbing a pillow next to me and holding it on my lap. “It was very unexpected,” I admitted, “kind of a life-or-death decision, really.” I gave them a brief summary of my coming to the Isles, including an awkward retelling of me stealing from Amity. By the end, the twins were practically howling with laughter, apparently finding my many near-death experiences hilarious.

“That’s amazing!” Emira gasped out, still chuckling faintly, “no wonder Mittens has it out for you!” Beside her, Edric was weezing for breath, still not over Amity’s dumbfounded expression when she saw me.

I smiled weakly, a little embarrassed by their glee. “Yeah… she was not pleased. Eda was thrilled though; she loves that sword.”

Edric leaned forward excitedly, his eyes shining with mirth. “I can’t believe you live with the Owl Lady! That’s so cool, she’s great!”

I blinked, a little astonished by his reaction. “You like her?” I asked in puzzlement, “I thought every witch was scared of her?”

Emira shrugged nonchalantly. “Mittens has us stop by her stand at least once a week,” she explained, “for books and stuff, since she’d get in trouble with her boss if she got caught chatting with the Owl Lady. We’ve been doing it for years now, so she doesn’t mind us anymore.”

“Ah,” I said knowingly, “that makes sense, Eda loves her costumers.” I caught sight of movement over Edric’s shoulder and glanced up to see Amity appear in the doorway, slowing in surprise when she locked eyes with me. In the time she had been gone, Amity had mended all the little cuts and holes caused by Tenebris, and had changed into non-ruined clothes: a comfy-looking pair of purple leggings and a black long sleeve shirt. I felt an uncomfortable sense of déjà vu as her eyes narrowed with a scowl, reminding me of the first time we had met.

“Why is Luz on my bed?” She snapped, storming into the room.

The twins must have had some magical Amity-detector, because they didn’t look even remotely surprised at her sudden appearance, instead turning around to grin at her happily.

“The floor was cold!” Edric chirped, “we just wanted your poor guest to be as comfortable as possible!”

“Yeah, Mittens!” Emira chimed in, “you really need to be more considerate to your friends!”

I could almost see steam rising from Amity’s ears as her face reddened in anger. “She’s not my friend,” she snapped, taking a moment to glare at me before refocusing on her siblings, “nor my guest. Luz is a prisoner here! It doesn’t matter if she’s comfortable or not! Now get out!!”

“Ouch,” I muttered, slightly hurt by the venom in Amity’s voice.

Despite their sister’s wrath, the twins merely laughed at her. “Sorry Mittens!” they said as one, standing and walking out the door, ruffling Amity’s hair as they passed. Amity growled insults under her breath, slamming the door behind them before facing me.

The witch glowered at me, ears twitching faintly in her irritation. I shrunk down in her bed, trying to make myself less of a target and counting on the fact that she wouldn’t want to torch her own bed, no matter how furious she was with me. After a few tense moments, dropped eye contact with me, closing her eyes with a long sigh as she tried to rein in her temper. I remained where I was, watching her warily.

Amity walked towards me, making me tense up, ready to bolt at a second’s notice. But instead of attacking me, she flopped down face-first onto the bed beside me. I finally relaxed; confident she wouldn’t order me to move.

“They’re so annoying,” she groaned into the blankets, shifting a bit as she got comfortable.

“I thought they were quite nice,” I murmured lowly, smiling down softly at the teal-haired witch.

“You would,” came her muffled reply.

“So…” I began, struggling to keep the humor out of my voice as I nudged her leg with a foot, “Mittens, huh?”

Amity lifted up her head, propping it up on her arms so that she could glare at me, her golden eyes promising my death. “Don’t you ever call me that,” she hissed lowly.

“No promises!” I chirped, smirking down at her gleefully, “Since you asserted that we are not friends, I don’t have to follow any of your wishes!”

Her glare diminished, and something flashed in her eyes, softening her expression as she gazed up at me. My heart skipped a beat, struggling to function properly at the foreign look in her eyes. Seconds stretched by like hours before Amity seemed to realize she was staring, her ears flattening in embarrassment as she abruptly jerked her eyes away from me, rolling onto her back to look at the white ceiling instead.

I chuckled lightly at her reaction, watching in amusement as she tilted back her head to glare at me, wrinkling her nose cutely.

“Stop that,” she grumbled, halfheartedly swatting my leg, “don’t make me kick you off my bed.”

I raised my hands in innocence, trying and failing to wipe the smile off my face. “No need for that,” I told the grumpy witch, “I’m behaving myself.”

Amity rolled her eyes with a huff, opening her mouth to tell me off, only to pause when the door swung open.

“Mittens!” called Edric, standing beside his twin in the doorway, “can we talk to you? It’s important.”

“Fine, but make it quick,” Amity sighed, standing and following them out into the hallway. She paused with one hand on the door, glancing over her shoulder at me. “Don’t move,” she ordered before slamming the door. Faint whispers reached my ears as they started talking, though it was too quiet to understand.

“Hmmm,” I pondered to myself, looking around, “Should I listen? ...No, I don’t think I will.” I hopped out of the bed, placing the pillow gently in my vacated spot before looking around the room for something to snoop through. I wandered over to the desk, opening the drawers and shuffling through their contents. Most of it was boring: pencil, paper, the occasional how-to book of magic, and other mundane objects.

On the last drawer, however, I hit the jackpot. On top were some notebooks, which I riffled through immediately, snickering at the pages upon pages of drawings, mostly of people and Amity herself. I set it aside, pulling out several more notebooks and adding them to the pile after a quick glance inside. Finally, I reached the bottom of the deep drawer, my eyes widening at what was uncovered.

“No way!” I murmured excitedly, pulling out the fourth Azura book. I skimmed through it, noting with growing glee that the margins were filled with writing and drawings, all in a neat, cramped style. The writing was all notes; deciphering meaning behind word choice and underlining sentences/scenes Amity had liked. I froze as the whispers outside grew into angry shouts. I couldn’t understand what was being said, so I tiptoed quietly to the door, clenching the book to my chest as I strained to listen, the voices now back down to their previous quiet level. I frowned, still unable to make out words from the hushed noises. Carefully, I put my head against the door, closing my eyes to listen better. Finally, I could understand the whispers.

“I don’t care,” hissed Amity, sounding very angry, “I need to take her in, it’s the only way!”

“It isn’t though!” snapped Emira, “the Owl Lady will kill you if you turn in her kid.”

Edric cleared his throat. “Or, at the very least, we’ll be banned from her stand,” he added helpfully. “Plus, Luz is cool! We like her! You shouldn’t arrest people we like, that’s just rude.”

“Trust me,” Amity sighed, “I know. But it’s my life or my career. I’d rather turn in Luz than made mom and dad mad.” Her voice was sad now. “Can you even imagine what they would do to me?”

There was a pause, then Emira spoke up. “Alright, fine. I don’t like your decision, but we’ll support you in this.”

“Yeah, Mittens. We got your back,” Edric said, “and when the Owl Lady comes for you, we’ll all die together!”

There was a loud smack!, followed by Edric complaining, “Ow!”

“Thanks guys,” Amity said, her voice wavering slightly, “I owe you one.”

It sounded as if they were wrapping up their discussion, as I quickly moved away from the door, heading back towards the desk. I got there just as the door opened, Amity stepping in and closing it firmly behind her.

She looked over at me, unsurprised to find me off the bed. “I told you not to move,” she scolded halfheartedly.

I grinned shakily, trying to look as if I hadn’t just been eavesdropping on their heartfelt condemnation of sending me to prison. “I know,” I began, “but look what I found!” I held out the book in my arms excitedly, showing her the cover. “I didn’t even know you guys had these here!”

Amity stomped over to me, red creeping its way down her cheeks from her ears. “Give me that!” she hissed, swiping it out of my hands. She shouldered past me, shoving the book back into its drawer and piling the notebooks in after, closing it with a decisive slam.

I laughed, returning to my spot of Amity’s bed. “Hey, no judgement here!” I told her after I got settled, cuddling the pillow to my chest again, “I love those books! I can’t even count how many times I’ve read them, and Azura and Hecate are my favorite power couple!”

Amity frowned, slowly taking a seat on the other side of the bed, leaning against the headboard beside me. “’Power couple’?” she asked me perplexedly, “but they never got together, book six ended on them still being rivals.”

“They do in book eight!” I told her excitedly, “Have you not read it yet? No spoilers, but it’s awesome!”

Her eyes widened. “There’s more than six books?” she asked breathlessly.

“Yeah! Book Eight is the finale,” I said, leaning forward in my enthusiasm, “I have them all back at the Owl House…” Then I remembered what was going to happen the next morning and slumped dejectedly. “Oh, right,” I said morosely, staring glumly down at the pillow I held, “I guess maybe you can ask Eda for them whenever she forgives you… if she forgives you.”

Amity stilled beside me, seemingly at a loss for what to say. “I-” she paused, clenching the blankets in her fists. “I am sorry, Luz. I really am. I wish I didn’t have to. But…”

I waited silently for her to continue, smoothing the fabric of the pillow to keep my hands busy. A minute went by, then two. I looked up then, meeting her regretful eyes as she stared at me, the small bed only leaving half a foot between us. She blinked, then shook her head slightly as if to clear it. Leaning away, she cleared her throat and put her hands on her lap, unclenching her fists and gazing down at her unfurled hands.

“Emperor Belos was not pleased that you stole the sword, and he issued me an ultimatum,” Amity continued, her voice wavering, “I have to bring him you, the thief, or the sword by the end of this week, so tomorrow, or I’m fired from the Coven.”

I frowned, “So why didn’t you take the sword instead of me? I feel like that makes more sense.”

Amity scoffed, “Not really. The sword is at the Owl House, I assume. That means it’s protected at all times by that awful house demon, not to mention the Owl Lady herself. Attacking it would be suicidal.” She glanced back at me. “You, on the other hand, leave the Owl House often. The plan was to surround you and Eda with guards at the market and arrest you in the chaos.” She chuckled lightly, shaking her head. “it didn’t work out exactly how I had imagined it, but I still got you in the end.” She hesitated, folding her arms across her stomach protectively. “I just… you’re not at all like I thought you would be.”

I took a second to absorb all that, trying to think of a solution that wouldn’t require me going to prison and probably receiving the death penalty. Moreover, I just felt bad for Amity; I had unintentional caused her a lot of pain. She still sat hunched over, as if to shield herself from all her troubles. Without any conscious decision, I leaned over and wrapped my arms around the miserable witch, hugging her tightly.

She immediately stiffened, her hands pressing against my chest, ready to shove me away. “Luz? What are you doing?” She muttered quietly, unease clear in her wary voice.

“It’s a hug,” I murmured back softly, “you looked like you needed one.”

Amity went still, her hands still pushing gently against me as she tried to figure out what to do.

“Give it a shot,” I encouraged, “I promise it’ll help.”

She hesitated, then slowly moved her hands around my back, leaning into me and laying her head on my neck. Her body was still rigid, however.

“It’s okay, Amity,” I whispered quietly, her ear twitching as I spoke, “just relax.”

Another couple seconds passed by, then Amity exhaled softly against my neck, relaxing into me as the tension left her body. “This is nice,” she mumbled, her arms tightening as she nestled her head into me.

I hummed an affirmation, thoroughly enjoying my unexpected hug with Amity. She smelled nice, and though I couldn’t pinpoint the exact smell, it reminded me of when I used to go camping with my mom, and we sat around the crackling fire making jokes and eating s’mores. I smiled at the memory, recall- Wait just one second, I thought suddenly, my eyes widening, I have the sword!

“Amity, that’s it!” I exclaimed, pushing her back suddenly so that I could see her face, which was deer-in-the-headlights surprised at my sudden outburst. “I have the sword! Let’s go get it!”

Her jaw dropped. “Of course! Why didn’t I think of that?” She hissed, slapping her forehead at the stupidity of it.

I laughed, my hands still on her shoulders as I shook her gently, giddy in my relief. “C’mon, let’s go!” I told her, grinning so big my cheeks hurt.

Amity smiled back at me, nodding quickly before dragging me out of her bed by my wrist, pulling me out the door and down the hall. She let go once we reached the stairs, and we pounded down them, eager to fix the kerfuffle we were in. Naturally, things had to go wrong.

Standing at the bottom of the staircase was an older witch, her lime green (an awful color, really) hair pined up neatly, a small frown set on her face as she glared at Amity disapprovingly, barely sparing me a glance.

“Amity Blight,” she snapped, causing Amity to freeze mid-step, “you know better to run down the stairs. Is that the human criminal you needed to capture?”

Amity nodded mutely, her posture perfect as she faced her mother.

“Very good,” said the lady primely, “but why is it not restrained? And what is it doing in my house?”

I frowned, already disliking her.

“Sorry, mother,” Amity said, her voice perfectly monotone as she turned to face me. Her eyes screamed apologizes as she drew a spell circle, purple lines binding my hands and feet as she did, loose enough so that I could move, but tight enough that I couldn’t escape. Amity faced forwards again, her hands clasped tightly behind her back. “Emira and Edric must have released her as I walked down the hall, as a joke of course. She is here because I judged that the Owl Lady would have her out of the Conformitorium in an hour if I had taken her there, so I brought her here instead. However, my Captain just sent me a message to take her there anyways, so I am going there now.”

Her mother watched her for a moment, eyes narrowed. Then she nodded in satisfaction. “Smart thinking. Now if it breaks out, the blame will fall on the Captain. Go on.” She gestured elegantly towards the door, then walked away, the clicking of her heels resonating in the vast room long after she left.

Amity marched forward, gesturing for me to follow without looking back to see if I would. I stumbled along behind her, muttering well-chosen curses; specifically targeting leg restraints and a certain lime-haired bitch. By the time Amity reached the door and turned back for me, I was only halfway across the foyer, hobbling pathetically as I tried to walk. A minute passed before I finally reached her, and by then I was scowling grumpily at the floor, my previous ecstasy long forgotten.

Amity already had the door open for me, so I shuffled my way out, stopping on the edge of the porch, refusing to brave the stairs while bound. I heard a sigh behind me, and the purple loops vanished, allowing me to stretch out my already cramped limbs.

Amity appeared beside me, gently grabbing my wrist and guiding me of the porch and down a gravel path winding towards the forest. “I’m so sorry about that,” she apologized, releasing my wrist to run her hand through her hair, wincing slightly as it was stopped by her ponytail. “I didn’t know she was home. If I had, we would have escaped out my window.”

I relaxed slightly, grateful that Amity had addressed the elephant frolicking in the meadow. “Your mom’s a bitch,” I told her matter-of-factly as I lengthened my stride, enjoying the returned freedom of movement.

Amity glanced at me in shock, letting out a disbelieving laugh.

I frowned at her, my brow furrowing. “You disagree?! She called me an ‘it!’” I protested, waving my hands around angrily.

She shook her head vehemently. “No! Sorry, you’re right. I’ve just never heard someone say it out loud before.” She smiled at me, amusement twinkling in her golden eyes.

“Really?” I wrinkled my nose. “That’s hard to believe. How old are you?”

“Eighteen.”

“Hey, me too!” I exclaimed. “But eighteenyears and you’ve never heard anyone talk trash about your mom? That’s sad, ‘cause she totally deserves it.”

Amity laughed, her eyes crinkling with mirth. “Yeah, she does. I’m glad someone finally said something.”

I nodded, nudging her gently with an elbow. “Now you try it,” I prompted.

She blinked, confusion seeping into her eyes. “Try what?”

“Insulting your mom!” I said, “having to deal with her toxic bullshit everyday… I’d imagine there’s a lot of pent-up anger in you. Let it out! Say, ‘My mother’s a fucking bitch.’”

Amity hesitated, unsure. “My… My mother’s a fucking bitch,” she said slowly, a smile growing on her face as she finished. “My mother’s a fucking bitch!” she exclaimed, laughter ringing in her voice. She grinned at me, clearly pleased with herself.

I grinned back, opening my mouth to congratulate her just as my body slammed into something, cracking my face on it before flying backwards onto the ground. “Mierda!” I hissed in pain, cupping my throbbing nose as I glared at the tree that had materialized in my path. Warmth trickled through my fingers, and I drew back my hand to find blood coating my fingers. “Great,” I groaned, sitting up and tilting my head forward to prevent the blood from seeping down my throat, “Just great.” I watched as blood dripped from my face onto the ground in a steady rhythm, my eyes watering as I resisted the sneeze that was building.

“Ouch,” came Amity’s sympathetic voice from above me, “you okay?”

“I hit my nose pretty good,” I told her grouchily, “but other than that, yeah.”

I felt a cool hand rest on my shoulder, then warmth flooded through me, and the stream of blood trickled to a stop. I felt my nose cautiously, relief flooding through me when I could do so without pain. I grabbed Amity’s hand from my shoulder, using it as a crutch to pull myself upright. “Thanks,” I told her, smiling gratefully.

Her ears went down slightly as red bloomed from them, and she stepped away from me, tearing her eyes away from mine as she turned to stare into the forest. “No problem,” she said shakily, studying the trees.

I frowned in confusion, but shrugged off her odd behavior as an aftereffect of magic. “So, which way to the Owl House?”

Amity gestured into the trees she was eyeing. “It’s just straight this way. About a ten-minute walk, maybe?”

“Great!” I chirped, stepping around the tree I had run into. I set off towards the forest, Amity falling into step beside me, leaving a two-foot gap between us.

The walk was silent, as we had nonverbally agreed to not become a demon’s supper once we had entered the confines of the trees. Still, it passed quickly, the whole trip was dedicated to me dry scrubbing the blood off my face as Amity looked on in amusement. I had just finished as we burst through the edge of the forest, emerging into the clearing where the Owl House sat.

I turned to Amity with a grin. “We made it!” I exclaimed, earning a small smile from the wary witch. High above us, a ferocious screech sounded, rapidly drawing nearer. Amity’s eyes widened, and she ducked down, covering her eyes and ears to protect them from Tenebris, who was diving towards us, her yellow eyes locked on Amity. “Mierda!” I yelped, leaning over Amity in an attempt to intercept the hawk before she could hurt her. “Tenebris, don’t!” I yelled.

Only ten feet above us, Tenebris sharply changed course, swooping around us to lose speed before landing heavily on my shoulder, her weight making me stagger. She peeped at me softly, preening her beak through my hair. I chuckled, reaching up and petting her chest lightly. “I missed you too, tu pajaro loco.” Amity slowly straightened beside me, her eyes locked on my now lovey palisman.

I cleared my throat, grabbing Amity’s hand and gently dragging her closer. “Tenebris,” I said softly, “this is Amity. She’s a friend now, okay? Can you be nice to her, please?” Tenebris turned to stare at the witch, hostility still gleaming in her piercing eyes.

Amity tightened her grip on my hand. “I’m sorry,” she told my vengeful bird nervously, “I regret chasing after Luz… and almost killing her. Several times.” She winced, pausing for a moment before forging on. “I was under strict orders, but Luz found another way. Can you forgive me?”

Tenebris’ glare softened, and she peeped at Amity, making the witch smile in relief.

“Thank you,” she said to my crazy, overprotective bird. “I promise I wouldn’t hurt her again.”

Tenebris peeped again, like, “yeah, you better not,” then flew off my shoulder and over the forest, drifting away until she was but a dot in the darkening sky.

Amity looked at me in confusion, making me shrug. “She's probably hungry.” I pulled Amity towards the house, motioning for her to be quiet when I saw the Hooty was asleep. We crept past him, stealthily slipping through the door and closing it gently behind us. “Eda!” I called out, Amity pulling her hand out of mine as I turned to look around, “I’m ho-”

Eda stood only a few feet in front of us, her teeth bared in a snarl and her feathered arms puffed up in anger. “You,” she seethed, her narrowed eyes boring into Amity, making her flinch and grab onto my arm again. “You stole my kid,” Eda hissed, stalking forward slowly, “I will kill you for that.” She raised a poofy arm and drew a golden circle, light streaming into it as it filled the air with a low hum.

My heart leapt to my throat, fear sweeping its twisted way through my mind. “Eda, no!!” I yelled desperately, lunging forward to intercept the eerie spell. Eda’s eyes widened out of her glare, and she closed her fist just in time to stop the magic from slamming into my chest. I stumbled, catching myself before I could fall and crashing into Eda, wrapping my arms around her as tears traced the lines of dirt on my face.

“Are you okay?” I asked her wobbly, my voice muffled by her shirt.

The tension drained out of her with a sigh, and to my disbelief she returned my hug, squeezing me briefly before pushing me back so that she could see me. “I’m okay,” she reassured me, a crooked grin on her face, “it takes more than the entire Emperor’s Coven to take me down."

I laughed, wiping away my tears with a trembling hand. Then I remembered the witch behind me and turned, grabbing Amity’s hand and pulling her forward. “Eda,” I began, “this is Amity. She saved my life.” I blinked. “Well, after she tried to kill me, of course.”

Eda scowled, glaring daggers at the shaking witch. “Of course,” she growled.

I rolled my eyes, smacking Eda lightly with my free hand. “Be nice,” I ordered.

Eda just shook her head, gesturing for us to take a seat on the couch. “Explain,” she demanded.

We sat, Eda perching on a chair a few feet in front of us, staring expectantly at Amity. Amity glanced at me, clearly uncertain on what to do. I smiled at her, gesturing for her to talk. And she did. Quickly too, it only took her half an hour to rely the whole event to Eda, who sat silently the whole time, listening carefully.

After Amity finished, it was silent for a minute as Eda thought over what she had heard, eyes unfocused as she mulled over the information. Finally, she smiled and brought her hands together in a loud clap, making Amity flinch.

“Well, Amity!” She said, standing, “I’ve decided that you’re okay. But if any harm befalls Luz with you around, I will destroy your whole bloodline.” She was still smiling, her pleasant expression more appropriate for discussions about the weather than one about mass familicide.

Amity stiffened, then relaxed with a shrug. “That’s fair,” she responded with a weak smile.

Eda nodded approvingly, then grabbed the Sword of Speculo off the wall, handing it to the startle witch. “Here you go,” she said reluctantly, “I hate to have to give this up, but losing my housecleaner would be so much worse. Bye bye now!” Eda left the room, thumping her way up the stairs, presumably to go to bed.

I chuckled, regaining Amity’s attention as she looked at me curiously. “Great job!” I told her, poking her gently in the ribs, “you survived being killed!”

She rolled her eyes at me, giving me an exasperated smile. “Gee, thanks Luz,” she retorted, standing and walking towards the door. “I should get going,” she said, turning back to face me, “my mom’s gonna be wondering where I am.”

I stood with a laugh, maneuvering past the furniture to reach the witch. “Remember,” I told her, waggling a finger in her direction, “your mom’s a bitch.”

Amity smiled. “My mom’s a bitch,” she agreed, drawing a spell circle and levitating the sword behind herself.

“Exactly!” I said, pulling her into a quick hug before drawing back, holding onto her shoulders as I grinned at her. Amity flushed, her ears moving down. Her teal hair shone in the dim light, reminding me as something I had promised her. “Oh!” I exclaimed, dropping my arms and spinning around, “stay there, I’ll be right back!”

I charged up the stairs and into my room, quickly drawing a light glyph to illuminate the dark room. A dark blob on my bed stirred, and King’s head poked up, eyes narrowed sleepily.

“Hi, Luz,” he said, yawning, “you were at the market for a long time.”

I stared at him, trying to determine if he was joking or not. “Yeah…” I dragged out, shaking my head slightly as I moved to my dresser, quickly grabbing the seventh and eighth Azura books before running back downstairs, sliding a bit on the turn into the main room. Amity still stood by the door, her wide eyes startled by my sudden appearance.

“Here!” I exclaimed, rushing over and handing her the books. “The seventh and eighth books. They’re sooo good!”

“Thanks!” Amity responded eagerly, her eyes hungrily scanning the covers. She looked back up at me, smiling softly. “Really, thank you,” she said, her gentle voice a near whisper.

I chuckled. “No problem!” I shot her a pair of finger guns with a wink. “Thank you for not killing me!”

She laughed, shaking her head at me in amusement. “Bye, Luz,” she murmured, reaching out a hand to touch my arm for a moment before turning and walking out the door, quiet as she crept past the faintly snoring door owl.

“Bye,” I whispered, a stupid smile plastered to my face.