Night of Feelings
I’m no stranger to embarrassing situations. When I was sixteen, I unintentionally shattered the live lobster tank at a grocery store, freeing hundreds of angry crustaceans. It probably wouldn’t have been a big deal if they had just flailed helplessly on the floor, but instead they organized into a coup and attacked every human in sight, myself included. You would think the lobsters would have spared me since I freed them, but alas, they did not. Even living in the Boiling Isles, being covered head-to-toe in writhing, pinching seafood is the strangest and most painful thing I’ve ever been through. Which is definitely saying something, given the past two weeks. I still have scars from that day, and Mami and I are forever banned from that store. Super embarrassing.
Or there was that one time the cheerleaders stole my clothes after PE, forcing me to chase them across the busy campus in only a towel to get them back. And then I got suspended for it, which was completely unfair. Although, I did deck the head cheerleader in the face once I finally caught up to them. That was the first time I actually stood up for myself. It had been extremely satisfying, even if her boyfriend did beat me black and blue a week later. Worth it! Nevertheless, it was a very degrading experience. But evidently I hadn’t been through enough yet, and I found that laying in my bed as Amity humorously judged my clothing was an entirely new kind of humiliation.
I had my hands tucked behind my head as I anxiously watched her go through the drawers, looking for clothes that would fit her. It honestly shouldn’t have taken this long, as Amity and I are fairly similar in size, though she is taller and has broader shoulders and hips than I do.
Amity chuckled, pulling out the light blue Azura shirt I had been holding earlier. “This is cute,” she told me amusedly, eyes crinkling in laughter, “Did you make this?”
“Yep,” I said, smiling self-consciously at her, “A long time ago. It’s a miracle it still fits me.”
She raised an eyebrow delicately as she looked me up and down, her eyes quickly returning to my face. “I don’t know,” she told me doubtfully, “It doesn’t look like you’ve grown in a long time. You’re pretty short.”
“Hey!” I protested indignantly as I bolted upright, glaring up at the smug witch. “Five-ten is not short. I’m actually quite tall for a human, I’ll have you know.” I snatched the shirt away from her and threw it back into the drawer as Amity outright laughed me. I turned to back to her with a scowl, poking her side with a finger and making her flinch away from me, still giggling. “Tu bonita pinche pendejo. It’s not my fault you witches are skyscrapers!” I grumbled with a scowl.
Amity’s merriment subsided, and she tilted her head curiously. “Was that a human language?” She asked.
I froze. “Yes?” I squeaked, praying she didn’t ask me to translate what I had said. “Though technically English is a ‘human language’ too,” I added as an afterthought.
“Oh please,” Amity rebuffed with a scoff, “We introduced English to your people thousands of years ago. There was a plague, and many thousands of witches migrated to your realm to escape it.”
I grimaced, hissing through my teeth at her ignorance. “Not my people,” I corrected hastily. “Those people actually slaughtered and enslaved my people, as well as countless millions of others.”
This seemed to be new information to the witch. She went stock-still, brow furrowing as she frowned at me. “Why?” She asked in genuine puzzlement, “You’re the same species, that doesn’t make any sense.”
“They didn’t like our cultures,” I said with a dull shrug, then paused and gestured at myself, “nor the colors of our skin.”
“That’s stupid,” she growled, ears setting back in agitation. She stood straighter as if a thought had occurred to her, and something akin to worry crept across her face. “Is it still like that?” She pressed in a small voice.
“Kinda?” My voice faltered. “I mean, it’s definitely a lot better than it used to be. The slavery and genocide are just more subtle now. And there are still quite a few racist people, especially where I live.” I took a moment to think, then added, “And there’s always a chance I’ll get murdered, or worse, but that has more to do with me being a girl.”
Shock flitted like a bird across her face, and she snarled angrily. I tensed instinctively as my brain recognized that the sound belonged to a predator, an evaluation that was at odds with my perception of the soft-hearted witch. “What the fuck, that’s absurd!” she protested heatedly. “Why doesn’t someone do something about it?”
I shrugged helplessly. I had no idea how to explain the convoluted concept of politics to someone who lived under a despotic dictator. I wished she would just drop the subject; I didn’t want to have to struggle to justify the prolific faults of humanity to the woefully oblivious witch.
Amity shook her head, scowling darkly. “Your world sounds awful,” she told me seriously. She studied my face intently. I don’t know what she saw there, but she closed her eyes tightly and let out a long breath. When she opened them again, the anger had mostly faded, now shimmering in the background as she forced an, albeit pained, neutral expression onto her face. “So, what’s a skyscraper?” She asked pleasantly, her voice tight with repressed emotions.
“What?” I blinked at the sudden change of topic, quickly rewinding the conversation in my head. “Oh,” I realized, scrunching my nose as I tried to think of how to describe it, “It’s a really tall, narrow building. Like, super tall.”
Amity hummed softly in understanding, then cracked a strained smile. “If you’re tall for the human realm,” she said, chuckling forcibly as she tried to lighten the mood, “Then I doubt it’s as big as you say.”
I was incredibly grateful for the distraction, latching onto it tightly as I shoved the depressing thoughts of society back into its dark cage. “That’s it!” I announced dramatically, slamming my dresser’s drawers closed. I spun back to face Amity, who was struggling to stifle a grin. I crossed my arms and glowered at her. “Mean witches don’t get clean clothing,” I informed her haughtily, “So you can enjoy your slobber-clothes.”
She shrugged. “It’s not like you can stop me,” she said with a smirk, drawing a fraction of a spell circle in example.
I refused to back down, my scowl deepening. “I’ll set Tenebris on you,” I threatened in return, “She doesn’t really like you. I’m sure she’d be happy to do it.”
She narrowed her eyes and studied my face, trying to tell if I was serious. I puffed up my chest slightly to try and appear more intimidating, though I was fairly certain it was too late for that. Amity knew too much. After a few tedious moments of the standoff, she huffed a sigh and wiped away the spell. “Point taken,” she muttered lowly, putting her hands up in defeat.
“Good,” I replied warily, wondering if her surrender was a trap. “Now apologize.”
She shook her head in exasperation, flashing me a small, indulgent smile. “I’m sorry, Luz,” she drawled semi-sincerely, “for making fun of your lacking height.”
I raised a brow skeptically. “I think that was one of the shittiest apologizes I’ve ever heard,” I stated drily, then shrugged indifferently. “But I’ll accept it anyways.” I stepped back from the dresser, gesturing back to it with a flourish. “You may proceed,” I told her in a corny accent.
Amity rolled her eyes in a long-suffering way, moving back to look through my clothes again. This time, she made her decision quickly, picking out the Azura shirt once again and set it aside from herself.
“You really want to wear that?” I asked doubtfully, gawking at the witch.
She glanced at me, her expression neutral as she shrugged. “Like I said, it’s cute.”
I snorted. “I didn’t think you were being serious. I figured you meant it as an insult, actually.”
Amity frowned at me disapprovingly, then shook her head and turned back and started riffling through the pants drawer.
I watched her for a moment, then strode up next to her, looking through the drawer. “Here,” I told her, pulling out a pair of black leggings, “These are a little long on me, so they should fit you good.”
She took it from me with a grateful nod, cradling it and the Azura shirt against herself as she stared down at me, some foreign emotion tightening in her eyes.
I shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. After our history session, and especially after her seeing me half-naked less than an hour ago, the last thing I wanted was for Amity to be studying me that intensely. I cleared my throat awkwardly and looked away, searching my mind frantically for an escape. “Follow me,” I told her, mentally congratulating myself for not stammering, “I’ll show you to the bathroom.”
I set off down the hall with Amity following close behind. Stopping in front of the open bathroom door, I turned back to the witch. “Here we are!” I chirped. She scooted past me and into the small room, looking around as she set the clothes down on the sink. “Towels are in that basket,” I pointed towards the one in question, “The shower’s a little tricky to turn on, you gotta pull the knobs out and wiggle them around as you turn them.” I mimed the actions, foolishly demonstrating what I meant.
Amity nodded, and promptly closed the door in my face.
I huffed in irritation. “You’re welcome?!” I called exasperatedly through the door. There was no response. Rolling my eyes, I continued down the hall to Eda’s room, where King plotted with Tenebris and the Owlbeast keeping him company.
Turning the corner, I entered the room. Eda was still pacing in her magic cage, prowling back and forth in front of King, who was sitting on the floor quietly talking to her. Tenebris was nowhere to be seen. I made my way over to King, scuffing my feet lightly against the floorboards so that he heard my coming. His ears twitched at my approach, but he didn’t acknowledge me as I sat down next to him, staring up at the growling Eda.
It was a few minutes before King finally talked to me, and when he did, his voice was as thin and broken as shattered glass. “I miss her,” he said miserably, climbing into my lap and burying his face into my chest. “I hate seeing her like this.”
It felt like my chest was freezing up again. I wrapped my arms around him, trying to comfort the little demon. “I know,” I told him, my own tone as sad as his, “We’ll get her back, King.” We have to…
He sniffled. “But what if we can’t? What if the potion doesn’t work?” His words were muffled by my sweater, but the fear was unmistakable. “What if this time, she’s gone for good…”
The thought had occurred to me too, festering unwanted in the back of my mind. I had for the most part been ignoring it, hoping that it would simply fade away. Behind the barrier, Owl-Eda bared her teeth hungrily at me, red-flecked foam oozing from her jowls. Her pink-tinted plumage was bristled, making her appear twice as big as she stalked around the encloser, dark eyes always focused on King and I.
I couldn’t imagine it. What was the Owl House without the Owl Lady? King and I would be fending for ourselves, and there would be no Eda to protect me from the Emperor. I might even have to go back home to the human realm and continue the lonely, dead-end life I had left behind. Though Mami would be happy to have me home, and I’d enjoy spending more time with her again. But losing Eda…?
“No,” I decided, gently pulling King back so I could see his face. “We’re not losing Eda,” I told him firmly, “Even if Amity’s wrong and this potion doesn’t change her back, we will find another way. I promise.”
King nodded, sniffling as he collected himself. He got off my lap, walking until he was in directly front of the cage. Eda was snarling and snapping at him, throwing herself against the cage as she tried to get to him. “You hear that, Eda?” He said, placing a paw on the pink light. “We’re going to fix this.” Eda seemed to settle down a bit, though a growl rumbled through the floor as she crouched in front of King, her lips pulled back as she stared back at the demon.
I stood, reaching out a hand to King. “C’mon,” I murmured softly, “Let’s go get ready.” Moments passed in silence, then he turned his back on her as he took my hand, letting me gently tug him out of the room.
Back in my own room, King napped on the bed as I dug through the piles of dirty clothes scattered across the floor, searching for his carry harness. Finally, I found it jammed under the dresser, the pink straps grey with dust. I shook it out, immediately coughing as the dust exploded into the air, seemingly directing itself right into my lungs. There was a twinkling laughter behind me, and I spun around, blinking rapidly to clear my watery vision.
Amity stood in the doorway, and my brain froze. It was totally unfair how cute she was. Her hair was down, the teal waves framing her face as if they were reluctant to hide her golden eyes and soft smile. My shirt fit her perfectly, even though it should have been too small. Of course it did. I focused on the amateur drawing at the center of Azura proudly holding up her staff. Seeing my childhood obsession-artwork on display was uncomfortable, I couldn’t remember the last time I had shown anyone my art. Amity and I are basically still strangers, I realized as self-consciousness crept in, why did I let her wear it?
“Luz?”
My eyes darted back up to Amity’s face. She was frowning now.
“Are you okay?”
I nodded quickly, mentally scolding myself for staring. Don’t be weird, Noceda, I chided. “Yeah.” I smiled weakly, scrambling to think of an excuse. “I was just… wondering how that shirt fits you.” I bit back a groan. That was the worst thing I could have possibly said.
She eyed me suspiciously for a moment, then glanced down at the shirt with a shrug. “It didn’t, I had to resize it.”
I blinked stupidly. I don’t know what answer I was expecting, but that was definitely not it. “You… resized it?”
Amity rolled her eyes at my eloquence. “Yes, Luz,” she said patiently, “with magic.” She waggled her fingers dorkily at me.
“Oh,” Once again, I dazzled her with my way with words. I shook my head lightly, trying to get myself back on track. “We’re almost ready,” I told her, “Have you seen Tenebris?”
Amity winced. “Yeah. She almost took my head off on my walk back here from the bathroom.” She grumbled incoherently, then sighed, staring at me pleadingly. “Why doesn’t she like me? She was sitting on my head earlier, but now she’s trying to kill me! I don’t get it.”
I shrugged lazily, skillfully dodging the question. There was no way I was telling her what set off my overprotective bird.
She huffed in frustration, narrowing her eyes at me. Clearly, she needed to be distracted.
“Wanna help me get King in his harness?” I asked, holding up the object in question.
Amity didn’t reply, still eyeing me as if I was hiding something from her. Which of course, I was, but she didn’t need to know that.
I put on my most innocent face, which coincidentally makes me look super guilty. Something about the pout, the head tilt, and the wide, begging eyes. I really have to stop trying it, it never works.
Her eyes widened fractionally, and her mouth dropped open as she sucked in a low, shaky breath. I steeled myself for her accusations, but to my surprise, they never came. Instead Amity looked away, her suddenly nervous gaze dropping to the floor. “Sure,” she told me softly, her voice wavering slightly as she gazed shyly at me through her eyelashes.
I frowned, wondering if she was okay. This was not Amity-like behavior. After a moment, I dismissed it with a shrug. Whatever it was, she probably did not want me to pry. “Alright!” I chirped, smiling up at Amity. “King gets… aggressive whenever someone wakes him up from a nap, so I’ll put him in the harness. I just need you to hold it open for me while I wrangle him.”
She nodded mutely, that odd expression slowly fading into a small smile.
I quickly strapped the harness on over my sweater, double checking every buckle to make sure it was secure. Then I turned to King, smiling fondly at his adorableness. Amity appeared beside me, eyeing the demon a bit more warily. I nudged her gently, gaining her attention. “Hold onto this,” I whispered, pulling out a strap that opened the harness.
She took the strap from me, keeping it taunt as I rolled up my sleeves in preparation.
“Hey carino,” I murmured, stroking his back, “I’m gonna put you in your carrier, okay?”
King grumbled and stretched, hiding his eyes behind his paws like a cat. “Go ‘way,” he mumbled, lazily kicking at my hands with his back feet.
I ignored the claws scraping against my skin, instead gently wrapping my hands behind his shoulder blades and lifting him off the bed.
Immediately, King began to fight. “Nooo!” he squealed, thrashing wildly as he tried to escape. I winced as his claws tore into my arms and hands, opening narrow gashes in my skin. I quickly pulled him towards me, sliding him into the harness and wrestling to get his limbs in their proper holes. The little demon was writhing like a speared worm, still shrieking as his short arms pushing against mine, his legs pulled tightly against his belly as he tried to defy my efforts. I gritted my teeth against the pain, slowly shoving King further into the harness.
Thankfully, Amity intervened. She pulled King’s hind legs through the bottom, making him fall the rest of the way down. His protests subsided as he switched his focus to freeing his arms out the sides, relaxing until he was dangling limply.
I exhaled sharply, relieved it was over. “Thank you,” I told Amity sincerely. “He’s always such a butt about it.”
Amity smiled, carefully clipping the straps she had held onto the top, effectively pining King in place. “No problem,” she said softly, putting a cool hand on my arm. She drew a spell circle with the other, and the throbbing pain faded as the scratches King had carved closed.
I beamed at the witch. “Thanks!” She nodded slowly, her ears going down as red crept across her face. I opened my mouth to ask her about it, but paused when King’s small voice reached me, making me glance down at him.
“I’m cold,” he complained sleepily, staring pitifully up at me.
“I got it,” Amity muttered to me, releasing my arm and moving towards the dresser. Halfway there, she turned back to me, frowning. “Do you have a cloak or something that fits over him?” She gestured to the fuzzy, grey lump sticking out from my chest.
I chewed my lower lip uncertainly. “I usually borrow one of Eda’s cloaks,” I told her hesitantly, my shoulders slumping. “But I don’t really want to wear those now. I don’t need a reminder of what’s at stake.” I shivered as cool air from the window hit my bare arms, and quickly pulled my sleeves back down.
Amity nodded, her eyes sympathetic. “Here,” she offered, fishing a bundle out from under the pillows on my bed. “You can use mine.” It unraveled into a pristine, white cloak, the clasp a shining bronze triangle; the symbol of the Emperor’s Coven lackeys. She walked back towards me, holding it out for me to take.
I reached out a hand, then paused. “Do you think I should wear that symbol?” I asked, raising an eyebrow doubtfully. “I’m kinda a criminal, if you haven’t noticed.”
“Yes, Luz, I’ve noticed,” she said drily, rolling her eyes at my idiocy. She stepped closer, throwing the cloak around me so that it draped across my shoulders. Amity gripped the loose material at the hood, using to it tug me face-to-face with her. She straightened the cloak so that it hung down properly, then began to work on closing the clasp. “It’ll be fine, as long as you stop announcing that you’re a criminal.”
I winced. “Yeah,” I agreed, smiling sheepishly up at her, “That would be wise.”
Amity rolled her eyes. “I’m so glad you understand,” she remarked drily.
A thought occurred to me. “Wait, why do you even have this cloak with you?” I asked perplexedly. “I thought you’re off shift right now.”
“I am,” she assured me distractedly. “It’s just soft and has lots of pockets.” Amity scowled down at the clasp as she missed once again, pulling me even nearer as she struggled.
My heart stuttered. I cleared my throat, rattled by her close proximity. “I do love pockets!” I chuckled nervously. “But aren’t you, like, rich?” I prodded, “Why don’t you just get a cloak custom-made for yourself?”
Her hands stilled, and her nose scrunched up cutely as she thought. “I guess I could, I never really thought of that before,” she realized, frowning slightly. Then she shook her head in rejection. “But my parents would never allow me to. They like me flaunting my position wherever I go,” she said bitterly, hands tightening in the fabric and pulling me infinitesimally closer.
At this point, her face was only inches away. My eyes darted instinctive down to her lips, then I frantically pulled my gaze back up again, desperately hoping she hadn’t noticed. She was still scowling at the clasp, thank fuck. “I’m sorry,” I told her quietly, faintly alarmed at how unsteady my voice was. “They shouldn’t treat you like that.”
Amity finally looked up from the buckle, her eyes meeting mine. They widened, and she jerked her head back sharply at how close we were. She dropped her hold on the cloak, stumbling back a step as red bloomed across her cheeks. Probably because she couldn’t stand the thought of me being that close to her. “Sorry,” she muttered, eyes fixed on the floor. “I can’t get that fucking clasp closed. I’ve never had to close it when I’m not wearing it before.” Amity cleared her throat, looking incredibly embarrassed. “You’ll probably have better luck at it.”
I shrugged, a little hurt by how fast she had backpedaled away from me. Looking down at the clasp, I tried to hook the one thing into the other thing, frowning at how hard it was. After my tenth attempt, I finally got it, the triangle clicking satisfyingly into place. “Finally!” I exclaimed, grinning victoriously up at Amity. “That was so much harder than it needed to be.”
She nodded in agreement. She stood awkwardly a few feet away, arms wrapped securely around her torso.
“Are you cold?” I asked. “You can take one of my sweatshirts, since I stole your cloak.”
Amity frowned at me. “You didn’t steal it, I gave it to you.” Then she hesitated, glancing out the window quickly before looking back at me. “Yes please,” she added quietly, “It’s cold outside.”
I nodded, waving languidly towards the closet. “Help yourself,” I told her jovially, “I’m gonna go find Tenebris. Meet you downstairs!” With that I left the room, not waiting to hear her response as I walked slowly down the staircase, trying to avoid waking King.
The main room was dark, and I fumbled in my pockets for my paper. Luckily, I had it on me this time. I pulled it out, leaning against the wall as I drew a light glyph. Immediately, bright light filled the room, making me wince and blink the spots from my eyes. The room was exactly how I had left it; jars scattered in piles around a large, black cauldron. I shivered at the memory. “Tenebris?” I called out, scanning the room for the hawk, “Are you in here?”
There was a low squawk, and Tenebris flew at me from the beam above the door, landing on my shoulder with a heavy thump.
“Hey, psicopata!” I smiled warmly at her, softly stroking her chest. “We’re just about ready to go, I just need to talk to Owlbert and Hooty.”
Tenebris squawked again, and this time a hoot answered her. Wingbeats echoed off the wooden floor, and Owlbert came flying into the lit circle of my small light, clutching his staff in his talons.
“Owlbert!” I greeted happily, “It’s good to see you again, pollito!” I took the staff from him as he neared, setting the end on the ground so that he could perch on the top. The owl cooed softly at me, watching me expectantly with his large, yellow eyes.
I paused for a second, wondering how to explain the situation to him. “Listen,” I began slowly, choosing my words with care, “Eda’s stuck in her Owlbeast form right now, and we think we have a way to change her back. Would you take us there?”
He eyed me somberly, then bobbed his head with a hoot.
I grinned. “Thank you, carino!” Owlbert closed his eyes lovingly, then turned to wood. Thumping sounded from the stairs, and I turned to see Amity enter the room, hands buried in the pockets of my purple hoodie and hair back up in its half-ponytail.
“I got us a ride!” I told her, holding out the staff. “This is Owlbert, he’s Eda’s palisman.”
She took the staff from me, looking it up and down critically before nodding shortly in approval. “Thank you, Owlbert,” she said solemnly. Then her eyes returned to me, and she gave me a small smile. “Ready to go?”
I nodded, spinning on my heel and striding towards the door, Tenebris flaring her wings to keep her balance. As we passed the cauldron, I slowed to a halt, peeking over the rim curiously. At the bottom sat a thin, circular purple stone no more than an inch in diameter. It was such a small thing to have caused so much trouble.
A shadow fell down on me as Amity caught up, and her hand entered my vision as she reached for the stone. Pulling it out, she cradled it in the palm of her hand as she examined it. I wondered if she was going to destroy it; just crush it in her hand or something equally dramatic. Instead, she drew a small spell circle, a slender length of bright, silver chain spilling through.
Amity carefully wove the chain through a small hole at the top of the petram, then looked back up to me, her face guarded. “The Owl Lady knew what she was doing,” she admitted, “This is a very well-made petram.” She leaned the staff against the cauldron, then hesitated uncertainly. To my surprise, she stepped behind me, lowering the necklace over my head. My breath caught in my throat as her hands skimmed my neck. It only took her a couple seconds to latch it, but those moments were the longest and shortest of my life.
Then Amity grabbed my shoulders, spinning me swiftly around to face her and making Tenebris caw in disapproval. “Don’t you ever take that off,” she ordered, her fierce eyes boring down into mine. “Petrams are serious magic. If anything will prevent you from getting killed, it’s that.”
She paused, squeezing my shoulders as if to make sure she had my attention. “But you’re not invincible,” she warned, “that will only protect you from harmful magic. Demons or weapons will still be able to eviscerate you.”
I cracked a grin, charmed by her concern. “Oh please!” I scoffed, “I run the second I see a demon, like a good human, and I haven’t seen any weapons kicking around here.”
Amity’s eyes narrowed, and she scowled irritability at me. “Just don’t be stupid, Luz.”
I laughed. “Me? I’m a certified dumbass! My being stupid is like you being pr-powerful!” My laugh turned nervous at my screwup. “It’s innate.”
“Let’s just go,” she huffed, rolling her eyes in annoyance. She dropped her hands from my shoulders. One hand picking up the staff again and the other grabbing onto my wrist, tugging me along as she marched towards the door.
The door opened as we drew near, Hooty stretching out to greet us. “Hiiiii Luz!” He called out. My eye twitched at his unpleasant voice. “Who’s thiiisssss?”
“Hello, Hooty,” I responded, my voice strained. I took in a deep breath. I need his help, I reminded myself, So don’t be an asshole, Noceda. “This is Amity. She’s a friend,” I told him, pleased that I sounded nicer this time.
“A friend of Luz is a friend of mine!” He crowed, blank eyes observing Amity. “Boy, it is good to meet you Amity! Hoot!”
Amity was still beside me, staring at Hooty in horrified disgust, her hand still loose on my wrist. I gently pulled my arm upwards until my hand slid into hers, giving it a soft squeeze. That snapped her out of it. Her expression turned startled as she glanced over at me.
Kindness, I mouthed, jerking my head pointedly towards the door-owl. Amity made a face, but faced Hooty again, forcing a tense smile. “It’s nice to meet you too, Hooty,” she said slowly, each word dragging in reluctance. She glanced down at me again, as if she was checking to make sure I approved. I did, and awarded her with a small, grateful smile for her efforts.
I faced Hooty again. “Hooty, we’re going out. Watch the house, Okay?” I told him seriously, staring into his creepy eyes to make sure he got it. “Don’t let anyone in, and if Eda escapes…” I trailed off, at a loss for suggestions. “Just… don’t let her kill you.”
“Hoot!” He cried in an odd parody of laughter. “Don’t you worry about me Luz, I cannot die!”
Amity shuddered next to me. “Lovely,” she muttered lowly.
I elbowed her. “Thanks, Hooty,” I said, smiling sincerely at the demented bird. This time I led the way, tightening my hand in hers as I pulled her past Hooty and out the door, which promptly slammed closed beside us. Tenebris took off from my shoulder to circle above us as she waited.
Ten feet from the house, I came to a stop. “Um, do you happen to know how to fly staffs?” I asked nervously. “Because I sure don’t.”
“Of course I do,” came her flippant response. “It’s required that witches learn before graduating.” She turned the staff horizontal, letting go so that it hovered a few feet off the ground. Then she dropped my hand and climbed on the staff, where she looked back at me expectantly.
I cradled my hands to my chest uncertainly, narrowing my eyes suspiciously at the self-assured witch. “Why do I have a feeling you’re gonna get us killed?”
Amity laughed softly, shaking her head in amusement. “I won’t, dummy,” she chided gently, smiling alluringly at me, “That’s what you’re here for. My job is to get us out of those situations.”
We were the same height now that she was floating alongside me, I appreciated not having to tilt my head to see her face. And it did seem like she knew what she was doing, although Amity is confident in everything she does. Still, I hesitated. I had the same bad feeling I always got before I was jumped by jocks looking for someone to torment; a tight, panicky sensation in my ribs, as if I was on the edge of a cliff about to fall into the roaring waters below. As if something were about to go terribly wrong.
She drifted a closer, reaching down to pick up one of my hands and squeezing it reassuringly. “It’s okay, Luz,” she murmured in a soothing voice, “I won’t let you fall. I’ll always catch you- I promise.”
I stared down at my hand. Her thumb was tracing gentle circles on the back of it, though I was too deeply in my own head to really feel it. Nevertheless, I trusted her. “Yeah, alright,” I muttered shakily, flashing her a small, anxious smile.
Amity gently pulled me in, and I clambered onto the staff behind her, legs stiff with nervous anticipation. She watched me for a moment, making sure I was secure before turning back around. The staff started moving, slowly picking up speed and altitude until we were soaring through the starry night sky, Tenebris flapping steadily alongside us. It was a lot smoother than any of Eda’s takeoffs, that’s for sure.
My jaw dropped open as I gawked at the heavens, literally starstruck by wide array of celestials. “It’s beautiful…” I whispered in awe, “It’s like we are a part of the sky!”
Amity’s ears twitched as I spoke, and she glanced back to smile warmly at me. “It is,” she agreed, her voice equally soft, “We could fly away and visit the stars. Then nothing would be just as real as everything.”
I hummed in quiet agreement, tipping my head back so that I could see the rounded frame of space. The Cheshire-moon glowed brightly in the distance, shining down on us from hundreds of thousands of miles away. Tenebris glided alongside it, the hawk that chased the moon. I sighed as I let my body relax, my previous fears shoved aside. I leaned my head against Amity, closing my eyes and enjoying the wind blowing through my hair and the warm heater that was King.
Time passed, neither of us speaking as Amity guided us to our destination. It occurred to me that I probably should have asked where we were going. That seems like an important detail. I shifted forwards slightly, lifting my head to place my chin down on her shoulder. “Where exactly are we going?” I asked quietly, conscious of how close I was to her ear.
Amity tensed. “A girl I used to be friends with during school is in the Potions Coven,” she told me, angling her head so that she could see me. “She owes me a favor or two, so I’m going to get her to make this potion for you.”
“Oh,” I breathed, Amity shivering beneath my head. “‘Used to?’ What happened?”
She shifted uncomfortably. “I had a change of heart,” she said cryptically, “She’s… not a very nice person. You’ll see, we’re almost to her house.”
I nodded, wisely letting the subject drop. I removed my head from Amity’s shoulder, instead electing to watch Tenebris glide on the cool nighttime air. It was mesmerizing.
Only a few more minutes passed before we started to descend through the thinning trees. Up ahead- or, down ahead, there was a manor rising proudly from the forest, roof shining red in the light of the moon.
Amity slowed to a crawl as we got closer, circling around the large house until we came to an elegant balcony sticking out from the side. She carefully directed the staff onto it, waiting until I hopped off before stepping down as well, returning the staff to a vertical position on the ground. “Alright,” she whispered, handing me the staff. “Stay here until I call for you. And let me do the talking. You just focus on refraining from doing something stupid.”
My mouth quirked up in a grin as I shot the witch a cocky salute with my free hand. Tenebris landed heavily on my head, pitching me forward effectively ruining any chance of Amity believing I would behave.
She, of course, rolled her eyes at me in exasperation. Then she sucked in deep breath and turned towards the double doors. Our view of the inside was blocked by curtains, but I imagined we would enter into a dark, vampiric chamber. Or perhaps it’d be a mad scientist style potion lab, complete with sad, malnourished animals locked up in small cages. My anticipation grew, and I found myself leading forward eagerly to catch a glimpse. Tenebris hopped gracelessly down onto my shoulder to keep herself from falling off.
Amity rolled her shoulders, then threw open the doors, marching into the dark room beyond. “Wake up, Boscha,” I heard her snap, followed by a yelp and the heavy thunk of something hitting the floor. Purple light suddenly streamed out of the room.
A stranger’s voice spoke. “What the fuck, Amity?!” It yelled angrily, “What are you doing here?!”
“Cashing in a favor,” growled Amity. “Now.”
“Absolutely not,” the other girl, who must have been Boscha, retorted. “It’s the middle of the night! Go the fuck away!”
Amity’s voice lowered angrily. I could practically imagine how see looked: arms folded threateningly, a dark scowl on her face as she glowered at Boscha. “You owe me,” she repeated, “And this is important. So, wake your ass up and be civil.”
If she got a reply, it was too quiet for me to hear it. The suspension was killing me, I had to know what was going on. One little peek can’t hurt, I decided. I snuck forward until I could see through the doors.
Unfortunately, the room wasn’t like anything I had imagined. Instead of being the evil lair of a deranged witch, it was simply a rather extravagant bedroom. The witch that was glaring daggers at Amity didn’t look particularly threatening either. She was shorter than Amity, though still taller than me, and had long pink hair. Her three eyes were all fixed on Amity as if she was trying to melt her with a scathing stare.
Even more unfortunately, her facing Amity meant that she was also facing me. Her eyes darted to me as I poked my head out, widening out of their glare to blink at me in surprise.
“Who’s that?” She asked Amity, as if I was squished roadkill she was trying to identify. Her lips curled into a nasty sneer. “A human? Amity… what are you doing with one of those things?” On my shoulder, Tenebris screeched in outrage, feathers fluffing up irately.
Amity whirled around to face me, the piercing glare now redirected towards me. “I told you stay outside,” she hissed lowly.
“You did…” I agreed, giving her a small, sheepish smile. “I’m sorry, I was curious!”
Her scowl lessened minutely, and she jerked her head for me to join her. I did with a grin, waving softly at the strange witch. Even if she is an asshole, that doesn’t mean I should be. “Boscha, this is Luz,” Amity introduced, “She’s a human I’m… assisting.”
“Hello!” I chirped.
Boscha did not return my greeting. She leered at me, blue eyes menacing. “Who cares,” she snapped, her gaze turning malicious as it darted back to Amity, “Does your mother know your consorting with her?” She asked sweetly.
A growl rumbled from Amity, and she took an aggressive step towards her. “Don’t you dare,” she hissed darkly.
The situation was escalating fast. This called for some good ol’ Noceda interventions. “Wow,” I said quickly, pulling Amity back, “Amity was right, you’re a massive bitch!”
Boscha’s face screwed up even more, her anger practically seeping from her pores. “Shut it, human,” she jeered, “I don’t care about whatever you have to say.”
I smiled at her winningly. “Oh, you should,” I assured her. “Whatever Amity has over you must be pretty big, right? So, that kinda means you have to do anything for her.” Amity relaxed slightly, and I dropped my grip on her arm. “Plus,” I continued confidently, “She’s a cop, and it’d be a shame if you got arrested for, say… insulting the Emperor.”
“What’s a cop?” Amity muttered to me in confusion.
I waved her off gently, still watching Boscha as she scowled at me, clearly thinking through what I had said.
“Fine,” she huffed irritably, the aggression draining from her body. She turned back to Amity, eyes flashing. “What do you want from me?” She demanded.
Amity smirked at her victory, then drew a spell circle. The potion she’d grabbed from Eda’s room fell into her hand, and she lobbed it at Boscha. “I need you to make me a case of those,” she told the grouchy witch, “As potent as you can.”
Boscha caught the bottle easily, eyes skimming over the label attached. Her eyebrows raised, and she glanced up at Amity. “A curse prevention potion?” She said doubtfully, “Why do you need those?”
“None of your business,” Amity snapped. “Can you make it or not?”
Boscha frowned, getting the dazed look of someone who was running tough calculations in their head. “Yes,” she said finally, “But I’ll need you to get some of the rarer ingredients for me.”
Amity scowled. “What do you need?”
Boscha hummed, tapping a finger against her chin. “A dozen vials of demon essence, and a couple bushels of oregano.”
I laughed shortly, gaining the attention of the witches. “Oregano?” I asked humorously, “You can’t be serious.”
Boscha glared at me. “I’m very serious,” she snapped. “It’s one of the rarest herbs in the Isles, so good luck finding it.”
Amity was watching me intently. “Do you know where we can get some?” She inquired softly.
I nodded vigorously. “It’s a very common plant in the human realm,” I informed her, “Mami will have some, so we can just stop by my house for it.”
“Oh,” Amity stated, a shocked look etched onto her face, “That is very convenient.”
“Yep!” I chirped, bouncing on my heels impatiently. “What about the demon essence? Where do we get that?”
Amity sighed, taking the staff from me. “My old school will definitely have some in stock,” she muttered grumpily, “So we’ll head there.” She looked back at Boscha. “We’ll be back in a few hours with the ingredients,” she promised.
“I hope you get eaten,” mumbled Boscha in return.
Amity rolled her eyes and grabbed my wrist, pulling me back through the balcony doors with her.
“So,” I said excitedly, “We’re going to your old school next?”
“Yep,” she replied unenthusiastically, “To Hexside we go.”