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Magenta orbs traveled across the charred landscape.
Bonesborough and most of the Boiling Isles were smoldering, buildings crumbled and left to be reclaimed by the land and sea. Ribbons of orange and blueberry created a haze which blanketed the battlefield where magic had clashed. Smoke tickled Hunter’s nose as he stood in the center to the wreckage. The battle had been blind chaos, unleashed by countless soldiers, witches and demons. Around the area, there were piles of bodies with blood steadily pooling beneath and these pools created streams of crimson which collected into one of the many deep craters caused by the aforementioned battle. Hunter stood frozen in place, unable to move as cries of agony could be heard in the distance.
His gaze was fixated on the crumpled form in front of him.
Luz.
His heart stopped and his eyes snapped open.
His whole body ached and his body was covered in a thin layer of sweat. Beside him, his girlfriend stirred and he clumsily reached out to touch her, to make sure she was real and that his nightmare had been nothing more than a vivid retelling of their battle against the Emperor. His long arm darted out and swatted at her head. She mumbled something and turned her body to face his. “Hunter?” She opened her eyes and sleep immediately faded from her mind as she leaned in closer, the terror etched upon Hunter’s face was easily noticeable even in the darkness of the tent. Luz pushed herself up and used her other hand to press the back of her hand to his clammy forehead. She made a face, “Another nightmare?” She knew the answer but couldn’t help but inquire. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Hunter frowned at her concern, unhappy that he had woken her up for the sixth night in a row.
It pained him that the nightmares were indirectly hurting Luz and causing her to worry on his behalf. He knew he wasn’t worth the trouble. And yet she stayed by his side when all others had abandoned him. He knew he didn’t deserve her energetic light but he seemed compelled to follow her anywhere. She was impossible to resist. He sat up as well and took her hand away from his forehead, holding it between both of his own. “Yeah.” He sighed, his heart rate now evening out to a less jittery pace. “Sorry Lulu.” He squeezed her hand.
Outside their tent, a sea of trees surrounded them from the falling snow.
They had managed to escape the battle against Belos with a doorway Hunter had created. The project had taken him months to complete in secret but it hadn’t gone exactly as planned. Once he and Luz crossed through it, the portal then shut and neither of them had a way to returning, as it appeared to be functional one way but not the other. So for the past two weeks, Luz and Hunter had stayed hidden in the wilderness of Connecticut, hoping that no one had followed them and tracked them down, while trying to find a way back to the Demon World. “What? Don’t be sorry.” Luz waved her free hand at the blond. She was smiling but Hunter knew she was worried about Eda and the others and hated that his invention had separated her from the life she adored.
“I am though.” Hunter stressed, his frown deepening as he let go her hand and rested his behind him, allowing him to lean away.
Luz was quiet for a moment before she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him. “We’re going to find a way home.” She declared as she pushed him to the ground. Even though she wanted to see her mother, she knew she couldn’t risk contacting her and having danger follow them. Luz wanted to keep her mother safe and that had to be done in the shadows. “Once we get back to Eda and King and Willow and Gus, we’ll rally a resistance and take Belos down for good.” She grinned as she planted a kiss upon his forehead. “No one is gonna stop us.” She then rested her forehead upon his own, staring into his eyes. Magenta locked with caramel. “We’ll figure this out together.” She whispered before she nuzzled their noses together.
Hunter sighed again but nodded, unable to defend himself against her positive determination.
“Together.” He agreed as he wrapped his arms around Luz’s hips.
“Let’s try to get some sleep.” Luz grabbed a blanket and covered them with it as she rolled off of Hunter and pulled him into her arms. Her back pressed against the cool ground as she brought Hunter to rest his head upon her shoulder while her arms kept him close. Hunter grumbled and twisted so he was laying on his side, now able to wrap his right arm around her torso while his left curled under the pillow propping up Luz’s head. He glanced up to her, the warmth quietly assuring him that he could rest easy and that they would continue to protect one another. He had acted as a double agent for Luz and Eda and once that betrayal had been uncovered, it prompted Emperor Belos to go on a rampage. And that rampage had haunted them both. “Please don’t blame yourself, Hunter.” Luz leaned down and kissed the top of his head. “I’m just glad you’re safe.”
It went without saying that she wanted to know Eda and her friends were safe too but she knew Hunter had enough souls weighing upon his shoulders.
While Hunter had been a double agent for Luz, Amity had been a double spy for Belos.
Luz and Amity parted ways during the battle when her alliances were also revealed.
Amity had been a good friend to Luz but it was now clear that Amity had just been using her. It strung. But it stung less because she had Hunter, someone she could fully trust and someone she was falling in love with. Over the last month as Hunter and Luz would exchange letters, they told each other secrets, things no one else knew. Only Eda, King and Hooty knew that Hunter was on their side. Not even Gus nor Willow or Amity knew. And now Luz was thankful that she hadn’t lost Hunter the way she had lost Amity. Amity’s family was tied to serving the Emperor and creating abominations and other monsters for his army. It shouldn’t have been a surprise to Luz but it was.
“I’m glad you’re safe too, Lulu.” Hunter replied softly and closed his eyes. Luz held him close and rubbed his back as he fell asleep. Luz looked up at the tent, seeing tiny shadows rain upon them as snow fell. She and Hunter weren’t able to use their magic to survive but for now it wasn’t needed. The only thing they needed was each other. The dark-haired girl sunk into the blanket and closed her eyes as well, knowing she would soon be reunited with the rest of her heart. For now, resting with Hunter was all her heart could yearn for.