Eda set up a sleeping bag in the attic for Camila to sleep in. The human complied and didn't dare to question the witch before her. Eda notices her discomfort and tries to strike up a conversation "So, how old is your son? Hugo was it?"
Camila nervously laughs "Yes Hugo. He's turning two today actually." Camila looks down at her feet, sad she missed her son's second birthday.
Eda grows uncomfortable and tries to make her feel better "Hey, chin up. He'll have plenty more where that came from!"
"Yeah... plenty more." A tear falls from Luz's mom's eye. She quickly wipes it away and looks up towards the witch "I thought that with Luz too. But- obviously not."
Eda sighs "Well, Luz has grown up into an amazing kid. She's actually the empress here." Eda laughs at the fact the Boiling Isles is currently being ruled by a human who's fourteen.
Camila's eyes shoot wide open "Empress?"
"Oh yeah." Eda rubs the back of her neck "Yeah you guys will have a lot to catch up on!"
Eda is interrupted when Lilith knocks on the door "Edalyn." Her voice sounded shaky. The older Clawthorne sister turned to Camila "We have to step out for a bit. Do you think you will be alright here by yourself for a while?"
Before Camila can answer, Eda yells while drawing a circle "SLEEP SPELL!" With that, the human falls onto the sleeping bad, out cold. Lilith scolds Eda, and the Owl Lady just shrugs "Now why do we have to step out for a bit?"
The two sisters walk out of the room and head down the stairs. Lilith is visibly on edge "Kikimora herself is here to take us to the castle. Direct orders of Luz."
Eda stops in her tracks "Really? Why? You think it's anything serious?"
"I'm not sure." Lilith continues to walk and Eda beings to walk along "But by the way Kiki is here personally, I don't it's anything good."
Eda rolls her eyes and laughs "Oh relax Lilly! I'm sure the kid just wants to apologize for her lashing out on us at Grom."
Lilith forces a smile but still has an uneasy feeling "I'm sure you're right. I just don't like the way Kiki is acting. She seems... Terrified."
"Eh she was probably being rude and Luz may have snapped on her. Don't worry. Not like she knows we have her mother right?" Eda laughs and reaches the door, revealing Kikimora and a few guards by her side.
Kiki swallows the lump in her throat and puts on an official voice "Edalyn and Lilith Clawthorne, Empress Luz has requested your immediate presence at the castle. I am here to personally escort you."
Lilith gives Kiki a worried glance and Eda just walks past the petite creature "Alright, we'll meet you there. OWLBERT!" Eda summons her staff and hops on. Lilith decides to staffpool with her sister. "Meet you there Kiks!" Eda flies off with her sister leaving Kiki and the few guards behind.
"Titan help them." Kiki says out loud to the guards "I've never seen Luz that angry. And the Titan himself possessed her." With that Kiki orders the guards to make their way back to the castle.
After a long journey, the sisters finally arrive at the castle. Immediately, Lilith could tell something was off. Odalia waited at the gate, with a nervous expression "Lilith, Eda, the empress is waiting for you in the throne room."
Before they made their way Lilith stopped and turned to the Blight "Is everything ok Odalia? Something seems off."
Odalia only looks at her co-worker with empathy "Just-" She hesitates, worried that somehow Luz will hear her. She then grabs Lilith's arms coming close to her trying to warn her "Lilith if I were you just tell the truth and don't lash out. I've never seen the human like this."
Lilith and Eda glance at each other worriedly, and the wild sister steps close "What do you mean? Is Luz ok?"
"Just prepare yourselves. And DON'T lie!" Odalia lets go of Lilith and steps to the side, motioning for the sisters to make their way to the room where Luz awaits them.
The two slowly make their way through the halls, feeling the vibrations of the bile sac in the distant room. Lilith begins to sweat, never recalling the bile sac vibrating the whole castle before. Not even with Emperor Belos. Eda elbows her sister and whispers "You don't think Luz knows about Camila, do you?"
"How would she know? No, maybe- maybe something happened and she is frustrated." The words left Lilith's mouth, but neither she nor Eda believed that for a second. The sound of the pounding bile sac grew louder the deeper they made their way into the castle.
The two sisters finally made it to the door, nervous to open it. Then suddenly, the door swung open, revealing Luz on the throne with her leaning on the arm of her throne with her hand on her forehead, breathing heavily. Her eyes were covered which piqued Eda's interest, wondering what color the human's eyes were. The Clawthorne's walked silently down the aisle, getting an off feeling about the guards who seemed to be on edge. The doors slammed behind the two producing both of them to jump a little.
Lilith cleared her throat and spoke with the most delicate voice she could produce "You requested our presence?"
Luz stayed in her position, not even glancing at the two before her "Yes. I wanted to apologize for my rash behavior the other night. I'm getting used to these new powers and lost control. I'm sorry." The human sounded a bit, too calm.
Lilith and Eda both looked at each other with confused expressions. They both look back at the human and Eda spoke "It's fine kid. We understand."
"Good." Luz stayed in the same position but now started to rub her temples, keeping her eyes shut "I've been embarrassed and I was ashamed of myself for losing control. I know you two only want what's best for me. You would never go behind my back and betray my trust."
Lilith instantly goes into her own thoughts "She knows..." Lilith once again clears her throat "Never." Sweat begins to fall from the witch's forehead.
"Never! Good..." The bile sac never faltered from its rough beat "What do you say we have a nice family dinner? My treat!"
Eda nervously smiles at the word family, however, not noticing her sister's anxiety "Thank's kid but we already ate. I think we should get going!" Lilith stays in place, trying to silently signal Eda to stop talking.
Luz scoffs and turns from her voice from Lilith to the Owl Lady "Eda! How's your stand going? Any interesting human finds lately?"
Lilith's heart drops "She KNOWS!" But Eda didn't pick up on what her sister was thinking "None that I can think of!" Eda starts to feel a little on edge now with all the 'family' and 'human' talk. "Now I really need to head home. King cant be left alone for long."
Luz smiles unnervingly "Lilith. What about you? With your time off, anything interesting?"
Eda looks at her sister who is silently having a panic attack. Eda elbows her sister which snaps her out of her thoughts "Um." Lilith is lost in the sea of her thoughts "There's no way she knows! How would she know? But Odalia said not to lie. Is this a test?"
Eda clears her throat, trying to get her sister's attention. "Lilly, you ok?"
Lilith sees all of the guards shifting uncomfortably like they're scared. Lilith only listens to the pounding sound of the sac above the throne. "Um." "Don't do it, Lilith. She knows!" "Um," The pounding of the bile sac only grows louder, Lilith abandons her rational thoughts and answers, "No... Nothing interesting."
Luz bursts out into laughter. Eda and Lilith look at each other again, nervous and confused. Luz then throws both of her hands down on the arms of her throne in fists. Her eyes now wide open, illuminating the two sisters in crimson red. The fire in the torches flame up in the same color, making the room five times brighter than before. All of the guards jump but quickly go back to being statues, not wanting to set their ruler off any more than she already is.
Eda and Lilith are frozen, not knowing what they've done to set Luz off this much. Luz then starts to yell "LIAR!" Her voice echoes throughout the whole castle, sending a shiver down everyone's spine.
Lilith shakes, knowing she just made a huge mistake "Luz-"
Luz cuts the head of her coven off by slamming her fist once again "SILENCE!" Lilith follows her empress's command and bows her head, while Eda looks at her terrified sister and furrows her eyebrows, and turns her gaze to the angry human. Luz notices Eda's stare "What are you staring at?"
"I don't know. You tell me?" Eda holds Owlbert tightly, scared she might have to use her staff. "Because what I'm seeing, is not you."
"Not me?" Luz stands from her throne, standing in place "Not me? Tell me Edayln, if this isn't me, then who is standing in front of you?" Her eyes glowing a familiar red.
Eda grips her staff tighter "I see your worst fear."
"Well, I see a liar in front of me!" Luz also takes a step, "I see a wild witch who thinks she knows everything. I see a witch who can't mind her own business!"
Eda feels heat rise to her face and ears in anger, making Lilith grow more anxious "Yeah? Well, I see a broken human who thinks she can rule." Eda lashes out, "Bringing petrification back? What happened to it being barbaric?"
Luz snaps, her fists surrounded by red magic "I brought it back for criminals who deserve it! Murderers, serial killers, witches who threaten the peace on the Boiling Isles! I'm doing it to protect the witches! Who are you to question MY rule?"
"By scaring them into submission? Way to go, Luz, you're just like your father, a monster!" Lilith winces at her sister's comment. The guards now staring in fear at Luz.
Luz takes a step back, genuinely hurt by this. She's trying hard not to be a monster, but unfortunately, there's a little voice in her head telling her to show the sisters who they're dealing with. Luz unfolds her staff and slams it, freezing Eda while Lilith just stands in fear "I am NOT my father. I'm not condemning innocent people to death like him! And you have no right to mention my family! Especially when you bring one here from a different realm without MY CONSENT!"
Eda doesn't falter. She shows Luz no fear "How did you know about that! I'm trying to help you kid! You need your family!"
"That's not your decision to make!" Luz gripping her staff tighter, gritting her teeth. "You don't know what I need! I'm doing perfectly fine as it is!"
Lilith finally builds up the courage to speak "Empress?" Luz doesn't move her head, but only her eyes "How did you know about Camila?"
Silence consumed the room. The only sound was the intense beat of the Titans sac. Luz is hesitant to speak but fixes her posture "What does it matter! You didn't tell me! You two didn't respect my life! I was going to meet her when I was ready! You HAD NO RIGHT!"
Eda side-eyes her sister, suddenly getting her thought. Eda struggled by managed to yell out "LUZ! Answer the question!"
"I don't have to answer to ANYONE!" The voice in her head getting louder to the point where Luz releases Eda from her spell and drops her staff. She grips her head in pain, making her eyes only glow a brighter red.
Eda goes to step closer but is stopped by Lilith holding up a hand "Luz? Is the Titan controlling you again?"
"NO!" Luz grips her head tighter, not meeting Lilith's gaze. "He has no power over me! He's the only one who tells me the truth! He's the only one helping me with my powers! He's-" Luz releases her head and stands up straight. She furrows her eyebrows and what she says shakes Eda and Lilith to their very core "He's the only one I can TRUST."
Luz summons her fallen staff and raises it up, when Eda draws a big spell circle, throwing a big sleep spell towards Luz. Luz catches this and disappears into thin air. All the guards in the room hold their spears and point them towards the Owl Lady.
Lilith turns to her sister, frantic, and grabs her shoulders in a panic "EDALYN! WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?"
"Shhh!" Eda holds her staff in a ready position. "That Titan is doing something to that kid. We need to get him out before he makes her insane like her father."
One of the guards yells towards the Owl Lady "Edalyn Clawthorne. You are under arrest for attempting to cast an unauthorized spell on the empress of the Boiling Isles. Lay down your staff and surrender."
Eda only holds her trusty staff up, not giving up without a fight. Lilith however holds her hands trying to settle the situation "Wait! Guards stand down! Edalyn, just put Owlbert down and talk about this. No need to make a mess here!"
The guards hesitate. Then another one comes forward "Lilith Clawthorne. You are also under arrest for assisting the criminal Edalyn. Stand down."
Eda laughs "Ha! Hear that Lilly? You're a criminal now, just like me. So why don't you summon that trusty staff of yours and let's handle these bozos."
As if on queue, the door swings open, revealing an angry empress with Kikimora and Odalia Blight on each side of her, with a whole platoon of guards. The platoon surrounds the two sisters. They then clear a pathway for the human and her two companions who look terrified by her side. Luz speaks with traces of venom in her voice "This is your only warning. Take Camila home and erase every memory of me. She may have given birth to me, but she is not my family."
Eda grits her teeth "Fine. On one condition!"
All eyes turn to Luz to wait for her reaction "You are in no place for bargaining."
"Tell me these are your own thoughts. Look me dead in the eyes and tell me that it's YOUR wish for me to erase your mother's memory of you." Eda lowers her staff, but stares at Luz, knowing what the real answer is.
Luz stands quietly but does not show an ounce of regret with what she says "It is the Titan's will." Luz turns with no regret and begins to walk out but yells one more thing "If you do not erase her memory and return her to her realm by tomorrow, I will arrest the both of you and petrify you for treason. Do not test me."
Then, right before Eda snaps, Lilith summons her staff, creating the biggest spell circle she could possibly cast, making all the guards fall asleep as well as Luz. Odalia and Kikimora remain awake, at a crossroads on what to do. Lilith then walks up to the two officials "We need to get that creature out of her mind before she becomes just like emperor Belos. Are you going to help us, or are you just going to get in our way?" Lilith holds her staff up, threatening the two witches.
Kikimora sighs "Just cast the spell on me. I will not be a part of anything if it backfires." Lilith nods and casts a spell over the creature, making her fall into a deep slumber.
Lilith turns to Odalia who sighs "I'll help. But if anything goes wrong, I want you to say you threatened me and my family."
Lilith nodded, agreeing with the Blight, and turned to Eda. "Ready to meet the Titan again?"
Eda had the biggest smile across her face "Lilly, I've never been more proud to call you my sister. YOU WERE AWESOME! I mean really, I thought we were goners there for a minute!"
"Edalyn..." Lilith rolls her eyes.
"Right!" Eda snaps back to the task at hand "Now, let's go kick this Titan's a-"
"Language!" Odalia cut's the Owl Lady's sentence off "That just makes you sound uneducated!"
Eda scoffs "You sound uneducated.-" She mutters a few other uneducated words that were inaudible to the two other witches awake.
Odalia ignores her former classmate's response and turns to her co-worker "Now what do we do? Luz is out cold and the Titan is in her mind? I'm still not sure what the whole situation is."
Lilith brings her hand to her chin and thinks of their situation "Well obviously the Titan has manipulated Luz into trusting him again, which is very bad for us." The witch takes a glance at the sleeping human and ponders more "We can't just force him out. Luz enchanted her own mind, so she's the only one who can break the enchantment. But who's to say he doesn't take control of her again or brainwash her?"
Eda perks up with an idea "What if we trapped him in someone else's mind?"
"No that wouldn't work" Lilith starts to pace "He would probably just manipulate them as well. We need a permanent solution. Something to stop the Titan once and for all."
The Blight spoke up with a question "Wait, can the Titan possess a body?" Lilith and Eda both nod in unison "What if he possessed a powerless body? One that's already dead and out of magic."
Lilith and Eda share a look like it was a good idea. Eda speaks up while drawing a mustache on one of the sleeping guards "That could work. But where would we find a dead body? It's not like they're just lying around. Oh, wait. Ha! That's kind of all they do, isn't it! HA! I crack myself up sometimes!" Lilith and Odalia both look at the Owl Lady unamused with her twisted humor "Ok I'm sorry, but seriously! Where would we get a dead body so quickly?"
Lilith sighs and bows her head. She happens to know where two freshly buried bodies are, on the castle ground "Actually." She grabs the attention of the two female witches next to her, both of them raising an eyebrow "I have the perfect host." A tear escapes Lilith's eye.
Eda goes to comfort her distraught sister, while Odalia sighs, knowing exactly what she's talking about. "Ok Clawthornes'!" They both turn their attention to the green-haired witch. She takes a deep breath and says something that gave everyone chills "Time to trap the Titan in Steve's body."
*****
ð³ I shocked myself when I finished writing this...