Chapter 8
Alice is laying on the floor of the cabin in the third trial, wearing her usual clothes and not skeletal looking
Everyone bar Clea looked confused "what's going on with Alice?" Kamala asks
A hand runs down Alice's face causing her to open her eyes "it's time to go" Rio says with a shawl over her head, Alice stands up and looks at her body on the ground "that's all the time I get?" She asks which makes Rio chuckle "if I had a nickel" she says Alice goes on to say that she could do something with her life now that she had broken the curse "you're a Protection Witch, you died protecting somebody" Rio says she then asks if Alice is ready as the cabin doors open and the pair walk into green fog
"That is what happens when you die and also where Rio was" Clea says "where do you go when she takes you?" Kate asks "whatever afterlife you believe in" Clea explained
Jen pounds on the door of the iron maiden yelling for Lilia "what's going on?" Billy asks coming back down the stairs, Jen tells him that Lilia had stayed behind. The iron maiden door disappears.
"They've already lost Sharon, Alice and now Lilia. The Road is brutal" Peter says "well they all knew that going onto the Road was considered a death wish" Loki says
Agatha runs into Rio "your coven is shrinking" she says tauntingly "first Alice now Lilia good thing she took the Salem Seven with her, the bodies are really piling up" Rio continues that she thought there'd be a trick in all of it and she was right "you were distracting me from him" Agatha tells her that she'd knew that Rio would figure it out.
Clea's eyebrows shoot up "Agatha was trying to distract Rio from Billy" "why would she do that?" Wanda asked a little scared
"He is an abomination, he is disrupting the Sacred Balance" Rio states
"Our son is not an abomination" Vision says heatedly "is the Sacred Balance anything like the Sacred Timeline?" Clint asks everyone looks at Clea who smacks her lips in annoyance "no, the Sacred Timeline from what you told me was created by that Kang fellow. The Sacred Balance is something different it's far more important and natural" Clea says before conjuring a scale "imagine that this scale is the Balance, one side is Life the other is Death. Life and Death are perfectly balanced, so many creatures are born each day as many creatures die each day. It's what keeps the world in order, if the Balance is disrupted such as an apex predator disappearing then the prey animals that they feed on will become overpopulated and cause loss of plant life" Clea explained she only got confused looks "I'm trying to explain this the best I can, basically it comes down to this: if the Balance is disrupted Bad Shit will happen"
Rio tells Agatha that she watches her just as closely as she watches everyone else "I've seen the way you look at him" Agatha says she's only known Billy for two minutes "this walk your on with another woman's son. Down a road" "stop" Agatha says Rio goes on to say that Agatha has had special treatment unlike anyone else in history "you call what you did 'special treatment'? You gave me nothing, you took" Agatha says "that's usually your move right?" Rio asks "why do you let them believe those awful things about you? About Nicky" Agatha says it's because the truth is to awful
Clint looked confused "what's more awful than Agatha trading her child for the Darkhold?" He asked nobody had answer for him
Billy and Jen are still on the stairs leading from the third trial with Billy asking if Lilia chose to stay behind Jen confirms it and goes on to say that Rio told them who she was when they met her "Green Craft is about the cycle of all living things. Growth and decay in constant flow" Jen says "Agatha's ex is Death" Billy says and wonders where she is
"That would be a pretty toxic relationship" Kate says "well Agatha's a toxic person" Tony says
Rio tells Agatha that what Billy wants from the Road is a violation "finding his brother? It's borderline wasting the Road's time" Agatha says, Rio tells her that Tommy isn't in a body "not yet anyway"
"That's because he is in the Void" Loki said before rolling his eyes at the scathing glare Wanda sent his way
Rio tells Agatha that Billy stole a second life and she can't let him do the same for his twin "I have to take him" Agatha tells her to take him "you can't if Billy is killed he'll reincarnate again and you'll lose him" Agatha says in realisation
Clint whistled "damn boy's powerful enough to escape Death?" Wanda and Vision sat up straighter with pride upon hearing that
Rio says that Billy has to turn himself over to her so she can take him "I can arrange that, get him to the finish line and deliver him to you" Agatha says
"That bitch!" Wanda shouted her eyes and hands glowing red, Clea rolled her eyes she was starting to get tired of Wanda's theatrics
Rio asks what Agatha wants in exchange "if I deliver Billy, you let me go" Agatha says that she wants Rio to stop pursuing her and making her life hell "you will eventually die Agatha" Rio tells her, Agatha says that when she dies a long time from now "I don't wanna see your face" Rio has a hurt expression on her face as she agrees to Agatha's request, Rio walks off before pulling out her knife and cutting the background before exiting the Road
Everyone had a look of confusion on their faces "did she do what Clea did, when her and Strange went to the Dark Dimension?" America asks "no, I have no clue what just happened" Clea says
Jen and Billy wonder how Rio and Agatha met "over corpses?" Jen says, Billy says that's just more proof that Agatha has feelings. Jen is astounded by Billy's loyalty to Agatha "it's not loyalty it's analysis" Billy says "well look who grew up" Jen remarks Billy tells her that he knows Agatha can never be anything other than a coven less witch
"Jen is also a coven less witch as were Alice and Lilia" Clea says "yes but Agatha kills every witch, she meets" Wong says "Agatha, from what I've seen and been told, is a Siphon someone who gains power from others and she was clearly never taught how to control her magic properly and not to mention when a Siphon uses their power it is extremely euphoric which is why she did what she did" Clea explained "still doesn't make it right Clea" Stephen said "did I say it made it right? No"
Their conversation is interrupted by Agatha who says it's time to finish the Road, "one last trial before the big score" Agatha says excitedly Billy says their back at square one with no Green Witch for the Earth trial "there's plenty of overlap between Earth and Potions right Jenny Kale?" Agatha asks mockingly Jen says there's some
"Yeah, there's overlap so they should be able to do the trial" Wong says
Agatha makes fun of Jen's last name and says that she didn't think Jen would've lasted as long as she did and that Agatha thought that Lilia would be the one at the end
"I would've thought that Alice would be the one to make it" Natasha says "why her?" Carol asks "Alice had fire in her and sometimes fire is good when needing to survive dangerous areas" Natasha explained
Agatha wonders what horrors await them at the last trial "get ready for fireworks, get ready for spectacle" she yells before she trips and lands next to her shoes. Billy realises that the Witches' Road is a circle
"Makes sense, I mean a circle is where everything starts and ends, so of course it would make a ton of sense for the Witches' Road to be one" Clea says
"And this is the finish line?" Jen asks, Agatha tries to summon her magic but can't, "that's it?" Agatha yells as she gets up of the ground. Billy suggests that maybe they passed the trial "then how exactly do we get off?" Agatha yells and then yells at him to be quiet
Wanda growled with what she saw while Vision was trying to not break his chair any further. "Has Agatha not been on the Road before or something?" America asks "judging by that I'm going to say no" Kamala says
Jen crouches down to look at Sharon's, Lilia's and Alice's shoes "we keep going" Agatha declares shocking Billy and Jen "we go again, it'll work a second time" "there is absolutely zero chance, I'm going to endure that experience again" Jen says Agatha tells her that she can stay there, she notices thst Billy is looking at his shoes and asks him if he's going to have them bronzed. Billy says that they took their shoes off out of respect for the Road "screw the Road" he declares putting his shoes on before he finds himself sitting up in a body bag
Everybody's eyebrows shot up "well I guess that's the way to get to the trial apparently" Steve says "and their in a morgue Billy's trial" Sam says ignoring the obvious flinch from Wanda
Billy calls out and drawer opens it and Agatha sits up in her body bag, a third drawer opens and Jen starts freaking out, Agatha tells Billy not to help her when he goes to, Jen sits up in her bag
"They're all in the trial now" Stephen says "I wonder what they have to do" Bruce wonders
Jen asks where they are "my basement, give or take" Agatha says pointing to the stairs, Jen runs to the stairs and says the door is sealed and notices the grow lights on the ceiling "are we supposed to grow something?" Jen asks "in a place with no soil or water?" Agatha asks "it certainly has the irritating sting of a Witches' Road trial"
"Can't they just conjure what they need?" Kate asks "Agatha has no power, Jen is bound and Billy doesn't really know how to use his powers so there goes that idea" Wong says
Agatha notices that they have their items, she puts her brooch on while Billy flips through his spell book but every page is blacked out "it's worthless" he says throwing the book into the drawer which closes and a light goes out "and now we have our countdown" Agatha says as another light goes out
"And the trial has begun" Tony says
Agatha notes that Jen seems relaxed as usually by that point she's either complaining or freaking out, Jen says that she's thinking "about what?" Agatha asks Jen replies on how to save them "I couldn't save Lilia, I didn't even try to save Alice" Jen says "I'll be damned if I let you two idiots die"
"Well Lilia chose to stay behind in the previous trial so" Clea says "our son is bot an idiot" Vision says with Wanda nodding
Agatha asks how she's going to do that without magic "she saved my life, she saved you from poisoning" Billy says "all while bound" Billy tells Jen that maybe she doesn't need her magic "if that's true then I've just wasted the last century of my life. Maybe that doctor in Boston never did anything" Jen says, Agatha makes a noise
"Agatha is the one who bound her" Clea says "I did say that a witch had to be the one responsible for the binding"
Agatha says that she never knew that Jen had passed through Boston, Jen asks if she's the one who bound her "you non stop sociopath, you kept me like this for one hundred years?" Jen asks angrily "I didn't know it was you, I did the odd spell for banknotes. It was the 1920s the patriarchy really shelled out to shush a lady, it was bind or burn" Agatha says
Several people scoffed
Jen storms over and rips a lock of Agatha's hair out and then wraps it around their wrists Billy says its the unbinding ritual "you hold nothing" Jen says, Agatha tells her to say it with feeling. Jen keeps repeating herself when there's a gust of wind and Jen falls to the ground she summons her magic and disappears Billy asks where she went "the Road gave her what she was missing and now she's gone" Agatha says
"Jen's magic is pink, goes with her outfit" Peter says "question: why is everyone's magic differently coloured?" Bruce asks Clea shrugs "I don't know, people have different coloured magic"
Agatha tells Billy that it all can end right now, she came for power he has power and to juice her up "right so you get what you want and I'm left here to rot or worse you take all my power" Billy says Agatha tells him she wouldn't do that he calls her a liar as more lights go out
"My boy is damn smart in not trusting her" Vision says "as he shouldn't that woman is a snake" Wanda said in agreement
Agatha tells him to sit down "we're going to find your brother" she says sitting down she tells him that Tommy is not in a body "not yet anyway, it's what got Rio in such a tizzy because she knows you can do it for him" "do what?" Billy asks "give him another life, another spin around the dance floor" Agatha says, Billy tells her he didn't know how he did it "you never do, it's time to grow up" Agatha says, Billy sits down
Wanda leaned forward in her chair, her heart beating rapidly
Agatha tells him to close his eyes and think back to his last moments with Tommy "I don't remember" Billy says "you do, you were ten. You lived in Westview" Agatha says guiding him Billy hears Vision and Wanda saying goodnight to them "I'm about to fall asleep, I realise that I'm breathing the same time as him. He's not snoring it's heavy enough to listen to" Billy says he also hears Wanda and Vision saying goodbye. Billy says that the sound of Tommy stops because everything else does "it's your mother folding her world" Agatha says she tells him to breathe for Tommy and that he holds all of him inside. Agatha tells him to keep his eyes closed and puts her hands on his head which causes the lights to flicker "you can't keep him, so where does he go?" Agatha asks "I don't know" Billy says all he sees is black "he floats, he looks down. What does he see?" Agatha asks, the screen shows a black void "he's afraid" Billy says in a small voice "he has you with him now" Agatha says "so where does he go?" Billy says he can't find a place "don't give me that, a hundred and twenty bodies empty out every minute find one" Agatha instructs. The screen shows it coming out of water and a teen being pushed into the water by another "it's underwater, there's a boy, it's a prank they tricked him" Billy says as the teen is held underwater by the other teens "he's going to drown" Billy says in a small voice "it's a bad place" Agatha tells him it usually is. The teen is now floating face down in the water "the people, the family there's no one to love him, his got no one. Agatha am I killing this boy so my brother can live?" Billy asks as the teen comes to life as Tommy, Billy screams and cracks the floor as he leaves the Road and Agatha is left alone in the trial
"So I think Tommy's back" Clint says as Wanda released a breath she didn't realise she was holding, Clea rubbed her forehead "Rio is not going to like that" she muttered
"No Billy, sometimes boys die" Agatha says as another light goes out leaving only three left, she opens her brooch and pulls out the lock of her and runs it down her face
"Ah that was her son's hair" Natasha says "so she didn't trade her son for the Darkhold" Thor says "Clea did mention that ages ago" America says
Agatha notices a dandelion seed in brooch "out of death, life" she says as another light goes out leaving two, Agatha uses a tear to water the seed and plants it in the soil exposed by the crack just as another light goes out and the last one begins flickering "no I need more time, I need more time" Agatha says before she starts sobbing
Wanda couldn't help but feel compassion for Agatha as she helped her sons
A dandelion grows and all the lights come back on, Agatha stands and runs to the stairs as the room begins to fill with rocks "I played by your rules and I passed the last trial, now let me off the Road" Agatha shouts, the door opens and Agatha is let out in her backyard with sky green and thunder crashing
"What's with the weather?" Loki asks
Agatha sees Rio on the rolf cackling "congratulations my love, too bad I don't have a ribbon for you to run through" Rio says, Agatha tries to summon her magic but can't "I want my prize" she yells "so do I" Rio says a flash of lightning turning her face skeletal
The teens shuddered at that "Rio has come to collect" Clea says
Agatha says she got Billy out as was agreed "and he's now where?" Rio asks "he was supposed to surrender himself, it looks like your coming with me" Rio suggests death by a thousand cuts, she uses her powers to shatter the windows of the house and slices Agatha's skin
"And that's why you never make a deal with Death or any other entity because they will come for you" Clea says everybody just nodded
Herb and several neighbours are looking at the green, lightning filled sky with apprehension "is it happening again?" Norm asks
Tony raised an eyebrow "I think that they should leave Westview because somehow it's a beacon for witches" Wanda scoffed "like how the people of New York City are leaving with all the destruction that happens there?" She asked
Agatha looks up at the sky and sees a waxing moon "fire phase" she says grabbing a bag of salt and making a protective circle around her while chanting "expel this evil, your calling me evil?" Rio asks "I am the natural order of all things baby and you love me" she blows a kiss which causes the wind to pick up and blow the circle away
"Well there goes that idea" Carol says
"You are a coward" Rio yells, Agatha remembers Lilia's words and she ducks as a sink comes flying through the wall "why don't you want me?" Rio asks using a vine to slash Agatha's heel when she stood up
Everybody winced "that's one way to stop someone" Natasha says thinking back to the times she's done that
Agatha grabs her hose and puts some water in her hand and starts chanting, Rio floats down and vines wrap around Agatha's throat and arms and she is dragged backwards to a bird feeder
"Damn she's getting her ass kicked" America says before Stephen sends a stinging hex her way "language"
Rio pulls her knife out but pauses when she sees the lights explode and she is tossed aside. Agatha sees Billy flying down dressed in a blue outfit with a red hooded cape and his blue crown with his hand glowing with blue magic
"Damn he looks good" Kate says, Wanda and Vision took in Billy with pride in their eyes "is just me or does that look a lot like his Halloween costume from the Hex?" Sam asks Vision tilted his head "now that you mention it, it does look like it a little"
Agatha tells him he looks good, he tells her she doesn't "don't take it all" Billy blasts her with his magic until Agatha is in the clothes she fought Wanda in before she cuts it off sparing Billy who was beginning to turn grey "glad your on the same page, so I'll let you decide. One of you comes with me, the other stays" Rio says before she blasts Billy into the greenhouse
"He just shared power with Agatha, he is going to need a minute to recharge" Wanda says "you really think a minute is going to let him be able to fight Death do you?" Clea asks
Billy quickly gets on his feet and watches Rio and Agatha fight, Rio knocks Agatha off her feet and he is able to send Rio into the house, Billy runs over to Agatha who tells him that fighting Death is futile
"Can't he you know just magic Rio away?" Kamala asks "you poor simple child, you can't get rid of Death just like Lilia's maestra said Death comes for us all" Clea says
Rio emerges from the house and Billy offers to go with her, Agatha stands up "you heard him the boy as promised" she says shocking Billy, Agatha tells Rio to put her yard back and plant some Azaleas
Wanda threw a Hex Bolt at the screen but it just dissipated on contact while Vision broke more of his chair "that duplicitous bitch" Wanda growled out
Billy manages to speak to Agatha telepathically asking if her son Nicky died this way, Agatha turns around and kisses Rio while absorbing her powers. Agatha falls backwards dead and turns into flowers, Rio half her face being skeletal tells Billy that he can go
"I can't believe Agatha did that" Natasha says "maybe she's not all bad" Clea says
Billy puts his hood up and walks out the front to his car where the residents of the street are gathered. He gets in his car and drives home. Jeff and Rebecca are worried about the cuts on his face and that his been gone for twenty four hours, Billy tells them he's ok. Billy enters his room after taking a shower and he quickly begin seeing things in his room that were on the Road and thinks back to things Agatha and the other coven members said while on the Road "it was me" he says in realisation as he hears a cackle from behind him. He screams when someone yells boo.
Everybody looked confused "I'm sorry but what was that?" Sam asks "it could be that the Road designed itself around him because he is the son of the Scarlet Witch" Clea says "you said that before, do you think that's it?" Wanda asks "positive" Clea says "also who yelled boo?" Shang-chi asks no one could give him answer
One more episode to go