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Lilith always looked forwards to her training sessions with Amity. Teaching young minds about magic had always been a passion of hers; she was secretly sure that if the Emperor’s Coven hadn’t snapped her up she would have ended up teaching at Hexside; and she had never seen a young mind quite like Amity Blight. The girl matched raw skill with a fierce drive to be the best, and Lilith relished their time together as a result.
Which was why she was so worried when Amity arrived that afternoon two minutes late and with all of that drive seemingly missing. Instead the girl was quiet and sullen, her mind clearly elsewhere as she entered Lilith’s office. Her hands clutched protectively at the leather schoolbag hung from her shoulder, and she shifted uncomfortably under her teacher’s gaze.
“Ah, Amity.” Lilith forced a smile, hoping her concern wasn’t obvious. “I hope you’re ready for another session. You’ve been showing good progress lately.”
“Yes,” Amity said quickly, her gaze firmly on the floor.
“How has this week been?”
“It’s been fine.” She still didn’t look up.
“Then to start, let’s see how you’ve been doing.” Lilith circled one finger in the air, feeling the tiniest surge of magic through her hands. Amity’s bag glowed blue, the cover snapping open and the bag’s contents, a week’s worth of tests and assignments, three papers in all, floating gently over to land on Lilith’s desk in a neat pile. Amity fidgeted nervously, eyeing the papers as they went.
“Let’s see,” Lilith began, looking down at the first paper. She didn’t really pay any attention to the content; what mattered was the mark circled in red pen at the top of each sheet. The first had a ninety-eight, and beside that the teacher had scrawled ‘Excellent’ in more red ink. “Impressive,” she said quietly, shifting the first paper aside with a magical flick of the wrist.
The second paper had been awarded ninety-three, impressive if slightly below Amity’s usual standard. A quick glance up revealed Amity was tense, almost as if she was afraid of what was coming next; Lilith kept that thought to herself, flipping over to the final page.
A mark of seventy-eight greeted her. She blinked in surprise; objectively it wasn’t a bad score but compared to Amity’s track record it was sub-par. Throughout the entire time she had been Lilith’s apprentice, she had never gotten less than ninety on an assignment.
The witch quickly buried her surprise and the spike of worry that came with it, looking down over the paper before turning her gaze back to her student.
“What happened here?” she asked, levitating the paper up off the desk. Amity blanched for a moment, before her jaw clenched and her hands balled into fists.
“Nothing,” she quickly rebuffed, “I got distracted. It won’t happen again.”
“Distracted by what?” Lilith challenged. Amity went silent in response, involuntary stepping back.
“It’s not important,” she said after a moment’s pause. “It doesn’t matter; I’ll work harder next time and make sure I focus.” Lilith sighed; it was clear that her apprentice didn’t want to talk about it, but if she didn’t know then what could she do? Besides, she had a growing hunch as to what the root issue was.
“Amity, look at me,” she said, gentle but firm. Reluctantly the girl met her gaze, apprehension in her eyes. “Just saying it won’t happen again isn’t enough; if you want to actually resolve this, you have to address the cause of the issue. I can’t help you do that if you won’t tell me what’s going on.”
“Nothing’s going on!” Amity snapped, only to immediately freeze up as she realised what she had done. “Sorry.” She gritted her teeth, averting her gaze again. “But you don’t need to help me fix it. I don’t think there’s anything you could do, anyway.”
That gave Lilith pause. It also just about confirmed her hunches.
“Is this about my sister and her apprentice?” she asked cautiously.
“What?” Amity practically jumped. “No, no it’s not. Why would you even…” She shook her head violently, throwing her hands up in frustration. “Gah! It’s got nothing to do with the human! And I can deal with it myself!” With her hands raised, the sleeves of her uniform slipped down. It wasn’t much, but it exposed a smudge of dark colour that instantly caught Lilith’s attention.
She glanced over, eyes going wide as she realised the exposed skin of the girl’s right wrist was stained dark purple. Amity followed her gaze, suddenly growing pale as she realised what her teacher had seen. She immediately pulled her arms down, her other hand wrapping protectively around her wrist.
“What was that?” Lilith asked, unable to keep the concern from her voice. She stood up in her chair, stepping around her desk to get a better look. Amity shrunk back involuntarily. “Amity, show me.” The girl didn’t reply, taking a second step back instead. Her jaw was clenched, and her grip on her own wrist tightened.
“Amity Blight,” Lilith said sternly, concern overriding all else, “Show me your wrist.”
Finally, Amity conceded. She swallowed hard, seeming afraid. Gingerly she released her grip on her wrist, raising her arm up. She flinched as she felt Lilith’s fingernails brush her skin, the witch carefully pushing her sleeve up to reveal what lay beneath.
Angry purple bruises ringed her wrist. Lilith breathed in sharply, unable to hide her shock. Immediately she bent down, concern twisting through her insides, all thoughts of assignments and marks and training forgotten.
“What happened?” she breathed, not thinking. Amity swallowed again, as if trying to get rid of a lump in her throat.
“Edric and Emira,” she said rapidly, a barrage of words tumbling from her mouth. “It was a prank gone wrong, nothing serious, and mother already punished them for it so it’s not a problem anymore.” Lilith saw through the lie immediately, but she didn’t want to have to force the issue any further so she didn’t press.
“Does it hurt?” she asked instead, shifting to the gentle tone she normally used with younger children. Amity froze, emotions swirling in her eyes. She seemed to weigh her options, before finally speaking.
“Not much.” Another lie. Lilith sighed.
“May I heal it?” She could already feel the magical energy coursing through her. Amity gave a reluctant nod, unsure of what to say. Lilith reached down and carefully rolled her sleeve further up, trying to expose the whole wound.
A flash of panic immediately crossed Amity’s face, and she instinctively tried to jerk her arm away. Lilith caught the limb before she could, making sure to avoid touching the bruised skin. She looked down, and her stomach churned at the sight; she had exposed another bruise, this one a few days old by the colour.
She looked back up, seeking an explanation; Amity’s face was frozen with fear, her eyes starting to water and her mouth open as if she wanted to say something, but nothing would come out. Lilith released her grip immediately, and the arm fell limply to her student’s side.
“How many more are there?” she asked gently. Amity’s expression twisted, fear overridden by hot shame as she realised the jig was up. Wordlessly she gingerly rolled her sleeve up all the way, revealing almost a dozen spots where more bruising marred her skin. Lilith couldn’t help wincing at the sight. The worst spot was another ring just above the elbow; it was now a dirty brown smudge, but it would have likely been twice as thick as the one around the wrist. “And the other arm?”
“It’s not as bad,” Amity admitted, no more dishonesty or evasion left in her voice. “There’s only a few.” She gently rolled other sleeve up, revealing four more isolated marks and a matching ring to the one above the elbow on the right.
“Your siblings didn’t do this, did they?” Lilith asked softly. When Amity didn’t reply, she let out a deep sigh. “I’m not upset at you,” she explained. “I don’t want to see you hurt like this; you’re my apprentice, and it’s my responsibility to keep you safe. You can trust me with anything. So please, tell me who’s hurting you?”
“Nobody’s hurting me,” Amity rebuffed, hands clenching into fists. She blinked several times, willing herself not to cry. “Sometimes, but only when I deserve it, mother punishes me.”
“Oh Amity.” Lilith felt a lump forming in her own throat. She wanted nothing more than to step forwards and embrace the girl, to hold her close and tell her she wouldn’t be hurt ever again, but she forced herself to hold back; the last thing she needed was to scare her back into her shell. “You haven’t done anything to deserve this.”
“I cheated in the duel against Luz,” Amity said dryly, glancing down at the fading marks above her elbows. “Everyone saw.”
“That was my doing,” Lilith protested. “You weren’t even aware that power glyph was on you until my sister discovered it. And even if you had that doesn’t warrant this.” She paused, trying not to sound choked up. “She doesn’t do this with your siblings, does she?”
“No,” Amity admitted after a moment’s hesitation, a hint of bitterness creeping into her voice. “She lets them do whatever they want, because they never showed any promise like I did. The Blights’ reputation won’t be tarnished by their actions, so she doesn’t bother.”
“And the most recent time she did this, what did you do?” Lilith asked gently.
“Edric told mother about how I read to children at the library,” Amity explained, her tone sour. “I think he only wanted to embarrass me, but she said it was a sign of weakness, and that I should be focusing on my studies instead of ‘cavorting with weak witchlings’. She forbade me from doing it again.”
“Inspiring young minds isn’t weak,” Lilith said, gentle but firm. Her heart ached for the girl before her. “It’s one of the greatest things a witch can do! I mean look at me; I choose to spend Coventions showing children around. Am I weak?”
“No,” Amity sniffed, barely shaking her head.
“Exactly,” Lilith said firmly. “What your mother is doing is needless cruelty, and I won’t let it happen any longer.” There was a soft gasp from her student, and when she met her gaze she saw faint hope mixed with all the sadness and shame in those yellow eyes.
“We aren’t going to do any training today,” she said firmly, leaving no room for argument. “You’re in no state to conjure right now, and that’s not your fault. We can discuss your Abomination progress later.” She took a deep breath, gently reaching out to place a hand on Amity’s shoulder. “Right now I’ll do what I can to heal your injuries, and then I want you to come with me; I need to have a discussion with your mother.”
The air itself seemed tense as Amity stood on her own doorstep. She shivered, looking up at the woman standing beside her. Lilith had presented a gentle, if forced, smile while healing her bruises. But now she wasn’t Amity’s teacher and confidant: she was every inch the leader of the Emperor’s Coven, fury openly brimming in her eyes.
She raised one hand and briskly rapped on the door. There was a shuffling of feet from somewhere inside, before the door swung open to reveal Emira standing there with a familiar smirk on her face. She glanced down at her sister, before up at her companion.
“Hey Mittens, who’s…” she trailed off, the smile disappearing from her face the moment she met Lilith’s icy stare. “You’re here to see mom, right?”
“Yes,” Lilith said bluntly, “Is she in?” Emira just nodded, before stepping back and turning to look further into the house.
“Mom! Amity’s tutor is here to see you!”
The sound of heels clacking against floorboards suddenly echoed. Into the hallway stepped a tall witch in a dark purple robe, dark green hair pulled neatly into a tight bun. Her yellow eyes narrowed with frustration even as her thin mouth forced a pleasant smile. Amity involuntarily shrunk back, glancing again to Lilith for support. Emira quietly excused herself, ducking out of the hall without a word.
“Odalia Blight,” Lilith said flatly.
“Miss Clawthorne,” Odalia greeted, clearly forcing herself to be civil, “It’s been a while; remind me, when was the last time we met?”
“When I visited to propose your daughter’s apprenticeship.” Lilith was in no mood for pleasantries and it showed. “This is no different; we need to have a discussion about her further studies.”
“Very well.” Odalia dropped her forced smile, stepping back. “Come with me.” She started walking briskly away from the door. Lilith strode stiffly after her, followed finally by Amity.
As she walked through the hall she was sure she heard whispering from one side. She looked over to see Edric and Emira watching through one of the side doors, mocking grins on their faces; she realised with a start that they probably thought she was in trouble. Did her mother think the same? She swallowed, trying to ignore how the hairs on her neck were now standing on end, and walked on.
Odalia led her guests into the dining room, pausing by the door and pushing it shut once Amity had stepped through. The girl jumped at the sound, quickly stepping away from her mother and to Lilith’s side. Odalia raised an eyebrow at that.
“Does she need to be here?” she asked, gesturing to her daughter.
“Yes.” Lilith left no room for argument. Odalia looked like she wanted to protest, but quickly thought better of it.
“Have a seat,” she offered instead, gesturing to the old dining table. Lilith nodded, easing herself onto one of the hard wooden chairs. Amity perched on the chair beside her, hands clasped nervously in her lap. Her mother sat opposite them, staring her down. “So, what has Amity done this time?”
“Nothing.” Lilith sounded almost offended at the suggestion. “Your daughter is far and away the best student I have ever had the pleasure of teaching, and she has the potential to be an incredible witch. To which end, I believe she is ready for the next stage of her studies.”
Amity blinked, not sure where this was going. She had been expecting Lilith to chew her mother out, and had prepared for everything from a tense conversation to an all-out screaming match. But this was something else entirely. She wasn’t even sure there was a ‘next stage’ to her apprenticeship, and she definitely didn’t feel ready for whatever it entailed.
“Which is?” Odalia challenged.
“I want Amity to move in with me from now on,” Lilith explained. Odalia blanched, but she went on. “She needs a productive environment where she can continue to learn and improve, and this way I can watch over her progress.”
“You cannot be serious,” Odalia let her facade drop, mouth twisting into a sneer. “Frankly, I’m not sure what progress you’re seeing. Yes, Amity has the potential to live up to the Blight family name, but she’s barely approaching passable as it is. There are still far too many weaknesses holding her back.” She spoke as if her daughter wasn’t sitting right in front of her. Amity felt a lump form in her throat. She looked down, trying to ignore how much the words stung.
“What she needs is a firm hand.” Odalia punctuated her point by slapping the back of her hand into her palm. Amity flinched. “It’s all she’ll ever understand. The biggest thing holding her back is a concerning lack of discipline, and I fear you won’t be able to provide that, if the utter disgrace that was her duel at the Covention was anything to go on. Did you punish her at all for that?”
“No,” Lilith cut in, “Because cheating wasn’t her idea. Amity didn’t even know the power glyph was on her neck until my sister found it. It was my own failing; I let my own rivalry with my sister get to me.” She took a deep breath, letting any traces of civility fall away. “And the fact you chose to punish your daughter for it tells me that either you chose not to listen when she told you the truth, or she didn’t feel like she could tell you the truth; both speak volumes.”
Odalia’s face went red with fury. Lilith ignored her, reaching over to gently place one hand on Amity’s shoulder.
“I’ve seen what you think is ‘discipline’,” she said coldly, “I’ve seen the bruises.” She made a circle with one finger on her free hand, and in a flash of pale blue magic a piece of paper appeared on the table between her and Odalia, covered with the neat typeface of a contract. “I hoped we could do this civilly, but I’m not letting Amity back into your care either way. Either you sign that and hand her into my care legally as an apprentice, and we never have to speak of any of this again. Or I go to Warden Wrath, and the entire Boiling Isles will hear that Odalia Blight was arrested for child abuse.”
Amity felt her blood run cold. She hadn’t even considered something like this, moving out completely, away from her mother’s control for good. She had no idea what living with Lilith would be like, and she felt like her stomach was doing somersaults with fear. But at the same time, she felt a strange relief, and she knew in a heartbeat which she would choose.
“You wouldn’t,” Odalia challenged, eyes narrowing. She looked over at Amity, who shrunk under her gaze. “This is ridiculous! You don’t really want to live with her, do you?” Amity swallowed, glancing up at Lilith; the witch flashed her the briefest reassuring look. “If you go with her, you’ll be throwing away your legacy as a Blight.” For the first time that evening, Amity spoke.
“So?” she asked, feeling the corners of her eyes sting and willing herself not to cry. “I’d be with someone who actually cares about me, instead of someone who only sees me as a pawn to make herself look better!”
A moment of silence passed. Odalia looked like she wanted to reach over and strangle her daughter, but she didn’t dare act. Instead she silently fumed for what felt like an eternity. Lilith ignored her, fingers gently brushing Amity’s shoulder in an attempt to reassure her.
“Fine!” Odalia suddenly spat, reaching into her robes and producing a quill. “If you want to throw away everything I’ve done for you then so be it!” She furiously scrawled her name on the contract; as soon as she lifted the quill the whole document lit up blue, then vanished in a puff of magical smoke. “Now get out!”
“Come on,” Lilith said softly to Amity, getting up from her chair. The girl seemed to move on autopilot, getting awkwardly to her feet and walking towards the door. Lilith made sure to keep between her and her mother, still wary of the older witch’s fury. Thankfully Odalia seemed to be keeping her distance.
The walk to the front door was silent. The twins were nowhere to be seen, mercifully leaving the three of them alone. Amity hesitated at the threshold, glancing back; Lilith gave her a reassuring smile, and she reached out gingerly and opened the door. She stepped through hesitantly, followed closely by her teacher.
“Amity,” Odalia spoke suddenly, the moment she was the only one still inside. Her daughter froze, slowly turning back to look through the doorway of her former home. “Don’t you dare call yourself a Blight after this,” she said darkly, one hand on the door, “You’re no daughter of mine.” She slammed the door.
“That’s not up to her,” Lilith said quickly, looking down at her charge. But any further words died on her lips the moment she saw Amity’s face. All the emotions she had been burying throughout the ordeal were finally brimming to the surface now that it was over. Tears glistened in her eyes even as she fought to restrain them, and Lilith’s heart broke.
Without another word she opened her arms. Amity didn’t care about hiding it anymore. She slumped forwards into the offered embrace, heaving a muffled sob. Lilith wrapped her bony arms around the girl, gently rubbing her back in comfort. Carefully she guided Amity away from the house and into the deserted street, letting her cry out all her woes.
Finally, she grew quiet, reduced to quiet sniffles, and she pulled away. She rubbed furiously at her eyes, trying to wipe the tear-tracks from her face. A million emotions seemed to cross her face, before she finally settled on a sort of grateful hope.
“Thanks,” she said softly.
“Oh Amity.” Lilith gently returned her hand to her shoulder. “You don’t need to thank me; you deserve so much more than this. I’m sorry it took me this long to realise that. I should have-”
“Can we not do this right now?” Amity asked, cutting her off. “Right now, I just want to go home.” It was clear she didn’t mean the house they had just left. Lilith smiled.
“Of course.”
