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madre sólo hay dos
Camila Noceda was having a day, to say the least.
Not that her life had been a bed of roses ever since she had adopted five witch teenagers overnight, aside from getting her own daughter back home; however, the chaos of the last twenty-four couldn’t compare to anything she had endured in her significantly well-lived life.
Because, ever since walking through a portal to the demon realm — life, as she had known before, was no more than a memory in the back of her mind.
The Boiling Isles that her six kids had so warmly told her about was nothing like she had imagined; the skies weren’t beautifully pink, the air didn’t smell like candy, and magic surely didn’t make everything more interesting.
That was okay, though, she could get past that. She could get used to the gray fog obscuring the pink sky, she could get over the smell of ash, she could adapt to the random bursts of magic that somehow made everything scarier. She would get over that; she had already told and been told too many child tales to know better.
However, and this she did not think she would ever recover from — the look on the face of the five kids that had come with her; a look that showed they had not been expecting to encounter that, either — that was heartbreaking.
Scavenging for any familiar face had been no less of a challenge. They had walked the entire day, with no food or water on them, going from place to place where there was even a remote chance of finding one of their loved ones. And every time one of her kids faced yet another heartache, she could do nothing more than hold them tight as they cried against her chest, knowing that, sure, she could be enough for them, but she would never be the real thing.
And then, it all changed.
Everything changed the moment they heard a night beast’s deafening howl, followed by a crash not so distant from them.
Camila didn’t pay too much attention to it; in fact, after everything they had seen that day, an animal falling in the distance was the least of her concerns, despite her being a veterinarian. She had no intention of going after it if it weren’t for Luz’s sudden gasp and immediate taking off.
Back on Earth, she would have screamed at her daughter, screamed at her for being so imprudent and rushing off towards the unknown; however, there, in that brand new world, she was out of her element, and she could do nothing but run off after all of her kids.
She had been right, at last, about the night beast. Though its form was beyond her imagination, with gigantic wings like she had only seen on television and still some human features here and there, Camila didn’t dwell on that. She could see that it was wounded, having fallen unconscious, maybe dead, during the crash. She felt for the creature, and that was it.
What she failed to understand was Luz, kneeling next to it, sobbing as she had only ever seen after the death of her father. She wailed words and pleads that Camila could not understand, but she thought that her witch children did, as they were all sat next to Luz, in equal sadness.
It seemed that that beast, whatever it was, held some importance to them, so she gave them their space; she had learned a long time ago that, most times, people just needed to mourn for what they had lost.
She was nonetheless surprised when one of the kids, Gus, turned to her with droopy eyes and creased lips.
“Can’t you save her?!” he begged, and suddenly all of them, save for Luz, were looking at her with expectancy. “You’re a doctor, you save everything. Can’t you save Eda?”
If anything, she might have stumbled back a little and choked on her own breath. Eda ? That was Eda? The woman who had, by all means, adopted her daughter and cared for her as if her own offspring? Had the kids simply forgotten to tell her that she was some sort of — anthropomorphic bird?
Focus, Camila , she wordlessly lectured herself, clearing her mind and setting into action. Gus was right; she was a veterinarian, she had dedicated her entire life to tending wounded animals, and this — although a little bit more gigantic than what she was used to — was no different.
No, it was different. It was different because that was the woman who had kept her daughter safe. She owed her to keep her alive; she owed Luz to keep her from losing another parent.
“Okay, children, step aside,” she imposed, grabbing her bag. As of habit, she always carried a first aid kit with her, since she and Luz would often tend to wounded animals in the woods that ended up getting caught in hunters’ traps; she was incredulously relieved to have it on her at the moment they crossed the bridge to the Boiling Isles.
She pulled out some cloth.
“Her wing looks injured. If it’s broken, that’s most likely why she crashed. She must have tried to take flight and the fracture brought her down. Amity, corazón , give me your cloak. Injured birds feel so much better when they are wrapped in something protective. It eases them, helps them stay calm.”
“She’s not actually a bird, Camila,” Willow pointed out, hugging herself.
“She still has wings. Sí ?” she smiled discreetly, trying to ease their spirits, not failing to notice that Luz was still holding tightly to Eda’s hand. Taking a deep breath, she gently tucked the giant wing against her torso. What she hadn’t been expecting — and she doubted any of the kids were, too — was for the growl that escaped the bird lady the moment Camila touched her wound, only for her wings to magically disappear and the rest of her body to transfigure into a more humane form.
Camila wished she hadn’t shrieked and recoiled at that abrupt shift, though it seemed to surprise no one but her.
“Eda!” Luz screamed, “Eda, can you hear me?! It’s Luz, I… I’m back. I came back for you and King and… and Lilith and… and Hooty, and… Please, wake up, Eda.”
Hunter came running from within the thick brushes, and Camila deemed herself like a terrible mother of six to not notice that he had left.
“I found a cave,” he gasped, out of breath, hands on his knees. “It’s stocked with—with some food and lots of apple blood. I think it’s Eda’s hideout.”
Camila nodded. “Okay. Good, good, we should take some shelter. It’s not safe out here in the dark,” she affirmed, although, in her humble opinion, it hadn’t been safe ever since they first stepped there. “Everybody, help me carry her. It should be easier now that… now that she’s not an enormous eagle anymore. Hunter, you lead the way.”
“Owl.”
Camila froze for a second, tracing the voice back to her daughter. “What’s that, mija ?”
“It’s not an eagle, she’s an… She’s an owl.”
Camila smiled a little, even though she didn’t know if it was safe to. “That’s good to know. Owls are rather resilient, you know. Both in mind and body. Back on Earth, so many cultures paint owls as some sort of bad omen, and yet, they continue to thrive. Will you help me carry her, Luz?”
Setting her shoulders back, Luz nodded.
The moment Eda’s eyes shot open, Camila was taken by a sudden fright all over again.
“Who the heck are you?!”
Her voice was weak, and she barely moved an inch, but Camila instantly recognized a force of nature, as she had often seen in the animals that had miraculously recovered from humans’ most evil atrocities.
Little did the witch’s confusion upon the stranger tending to her maimed arm matter, though, for as soon as she uttered a sound, there was a teenager pushing Camila out of the day.
“Eda!”
The owl lady met the kid clashing into her with a humph, and Camila was going to pull Luz back and warn her to be careful — after all, the bird woman was hurt — but Eda soon wrapped her arm around the girl.
Camila stepped back, lowering her glance and giving them space. She supposed she was a little envious; when Luz came home, she didn’t meet her with that same enthusiasm. Chastening herself, she pushed the thought aside.
“Luz…!” Eda cried, and Luz finally disentangled herself from her mentor. “I thought—I thought you were dead. I thought all of you were dead.”
All the kids were now surrounding her, and Camila could easily see the genuine admiration and respect they had for her. It didn’t escape her that the bird woman looked at them with the same affection, despite her clearly exhausted features.
Luz helped her mentor into a sitting position, and Camila could see that Eda was putting a brave smile on her face and suppressing any moans of pain, even though she was clearly in distress. Camila yearned to go back to tending her, as her heart had never allowed her to sit back when there was a being, human or animal, in agony next to her, but she recognized the delicacy of the situation and how much her children, all of them, needed this moment of contentedness with the one they so deeply cared for.
So, she stepped back.
“We thought you were dead, Eda,” Amity said, holding her girlfriend’s hand. “It’s been… such a long time since we’ve been stuck in the human realm, and finally having made it back to the Boiling Isles… Everything is changed. Everything is… dead.”
“I know,” Eda whispered sadly, and that single remark stole all the strength of her smile. She wrapped the arm she still had left around herself. “There are some of us left, but Belos’ draining spell… Even though it was broken at the last moment, it was too severe for so many witches, especially those with a sigil.”
“You said you thought we were dead,” Luz spoke up, still looking down, “But King knew where we were. He sacrificed himself to the Collector so all of us would get safely to the human realm. Why didn’t he tell you where we were? I don’t… I don’t understand.”
Camila crossed her arms, feeling a knife digging at her heart. Luz was the smartest kid she had ever known, she understood exactly what her own words implicated, but her mind was still trying to shield her. Camila knew as much; it had been the same after the death of her husband.
“I… I haven’t seen King ever since the day of Unity, kid,” Eda lamented morosely. “I don’t know where he is.”
“What?! That can’t — That can’t be—”
“I’m afraid it is,” Eda said. “I’m not saying he’s dead. No, he’s not dead, but… He’s under the Collector’s grasp. I’ve been trying to get to them relentlessly, but… The Collector is remarkably strong, and he holds the last Titan under his grasp, and the magic has been all weird since Belos’ draining spell, and… I fear all my attempts so far have failed miserably.”
“He’s alive,” Luz reiterated, having Amity squeeze her hand. “What about Lilith? And Hooty? And Raine? And everybody else? Are they—Are they alive, too?”
“I don’t know,” Eda answered earnestly, “I haven’t found anyone, yet. Most of those who have survived have been hiding ever since, and it’s very hard to build trust. It’s been… It’s been rather lonely.”
The owl lady chuckled, as if to dismiss the weight of what she had just said, whether to protect the kids from reality or for her own sake. Camila lowered her head; it was both, she knew. She understood .
“We’re here now,” Hunter said soberly, as he had suddenly aged years in a day and grown into an adult. Or, he had simply reverted into the person he was before he had met her daughter, as Camila had only heard of in whispers. “You’re not alone in this. We’re going to help you, to save everyone.”
Eda raised the stump of her arm as if to reach him, only to be reminded that it was no longer there and lower it back. Still, that didn’t bother her, or not as much as what he had said, for her next words were as sharp as a knife.
“ No .”
All the kids wince a little, and it was Gus who uttered first, “W—what?!”
“I said no ,” Eda restated, using her good arm to build momentum and lean herself just a little taller, resembling authority over all of them. “Go back to the human realm, all of you . You’re not safe here! It’s not that I’m not happy to see you, I am so relieved to know that you are well, but you don’t belong here anymore, none of you do. Go .”
Luz wrapped her arms around herself, having dropped her gaze down once more.
“We came back for you, Eda,” she whispered, her voice weak. “We came back to help .”
Eda eased her composure, extending her good arm to ruff Luz’s hair. “I know you did. And I’m so damn lucky to have such a brave kid, all of you are very brave for having come back. But… Look around yourselves. The Boiling Isles is gone, it’s just — pain and horror everywhere. And while you may be very brave, and very strong, too, you’re still not strong enough to face the Collector. Nobody is. That’s why you have to go .”
“We can’t go back, alright?!” Luz raised her voice, a little angry. “Not even you can’t make us.”
“Luz—”
“We’re out of Titan blood, Eda,” Willow explained with calmness. “We just had enough to come through so… Even if we wanted, we can’t go back.”
“Oh,” she uttered, defeated, and Camila saw all that gallant sheer will disappear like it had never existed at all. “Oh.”
Silence became them, the kids not daring to say a word and Eda having retrieved into the forceless being they had found unconscious not so long before.
Camila decided — it was time she stepped in.
“Alright, kids, why don’t you step aside for a moment while I tend to Eda’s wounds,” she requested, with that gentle tone that established an order nonetheless. “We could use a moment, and—you’ll be safe out there, right?”
They took their time to respond, and Hunter was the first one to rise. “Of course, Camila. We’re together,” he extended his hand to Willow, helping her up. “We’re together, so we’ll be safe.”
One by one, they stood up and left; even Luz, the most reluctant one, accepted her girlfriend’s invitation and stepped out in her embrace. Finally alone, Camila gathered her stuff and approached the witch.
Eda glared at her with narrow eyes.
“Who the heck are you?!”
This time, Camila wasn’t afraid nor startled, instead offering her a gentle smile.
“I’m Camila,” she introduced herself, kneeling next to her. “Luz’s—”
“—Mom,” Eda said. “Oh.”
Camila did not want to know what her silent dazzle meant, neither did she want to know what Luz might have told her about her — after all, she recognized she had messed up in her desperate attempts to mend Luz’s heart — so she simply grazed her with a gentle smile, settling next to her.
“That’s a bad laceration,” she nodded at the stump that was left of Eda’s arm. “How long has it been like this?”
Eda shrugged, not providing her any answer; as Camila approached her, Eda’s instinct led her astray, out of irrational fright, and Camila noticed that she forced herself to accept care from a stranger, even if she might have heard of her before.
“I’m just going to apply this little balm, it helps with cicatrization,” Camila said, narrating her every move, “And wrap it up with some bandage. It’ll feel better.”
“It’s fine, most of the time,” Eda dismissed it, nevertheless hissing when her arm was touched. “It just affects my wing a little bit when I transform, which can be a nuisance when flying, but it’s fine,” she chuckled her trademark laugh, “Nothing I can’t handle.”
Camila fixed the dressing around her arm, a sad simper on her face. “From what I’ve heard about you, you’re very tough. Of course you can handle yourself.”
“ Thank you,” she said smugly.
“ But —” she emphasized, “—and these things you don’t learn until you have lived through a lot of mierda —just because we can endure a lot, it doesn’t mean that we have to. And we definitely don’t have to weather our agonies alone.”
Eda gazed at the gauze, mesmerized by it.
“That sounds just like Luz,” she whispered, smiling to herself. “I understand where her goodwill comes from now.”
“Hm. That’s definitely all her,” Camila remarked. “Does it feel better?”
“Yes. It does.”
“Good. Does it hurt anywhere else? And don’t tell me it’s fine. Maybe I can fix it.”
Eda humphed. “No, I… This is the best I’ve been in a while, actually. Both physically and… Ah, never mind.”
Sighing, Camila crossed her legs in front of her.
“I understand. She’s a beacon of light and hope,” Camila remarked. “Luz. It means light in Spanish. I don’t know if she’s told you that.”
“She didn’t,” Eda smiled faintly, “It’s not like her to boast about herself but… That is her. That’s what she brought to my life after I met her. She… She…”
Camila waited, not looking into her eyes to not frighten her into silence.
“She is very special to me. She changed my life, for the better, and… The witch that I am today, that I became, is all because of her. That said,” she hesitated, “I don’t want you to think that I replaced you, or tried to. No, you’re her mother, I’m just—”
“A kind soul who got to be her mom, too, when I wasn’t available,” Camila finished her. She took a deep breath and leaned back against the cave wall, next to Eda. “I don’t think that, and… I understand, too. I understand the feeling.”
Eda corked an eyebrow. “You do?”
Camila tilted her head towards the entrance of the cave, where they could see the silhouette of the kids.
“I understand,” she reiterated, “Now, I never expected myself to be a mother to so many teenagers at once, but I am, or… I was . I understand that I was never their real mom, and while I might have sufficed, I still couldn’t fulfill the hole in their hearts caused by the loss of their actual family. I will never be their real mother, but… To me, they were my real kids. They are , and forever will be. I’m not ready to let them go, just like you—”
“Wasn’t ready to let Luz go,” Eda lamented.
“For what’s worth, Eda,” Camila continued, “I will never be able to thank you for everything you did for my daughter. Our kid. I am forever in your debt.”
“There’s no debt,” she dismissed. “It was an honor . I am so — happy to see her, to have her here again, all of them, even though I know I shouldn’t be, because… They’re not safe here…!”
Camila merely shrugged. “They wouldn’t stay put while all of you are here, suffering, not even for their safety. It’s just not who they are. In the end, truly, we only have ourselves to blame, because we taught them to never stay back when others are in need. In the end, we can only be proud of them, and help them in their fight.”
Eda sniffed, running her hand against the corner of her eye.
Camila, at last, dared to look at Eda. “They have lost so much. Luz has lost so much. I don’t — I don’t want her to lose another parent again, Eda. I don’t want her to have to let go of a parent again.”
Eda let out a sound; a concoction of a decry and a sob.
“I was very used to being alone, before Luz came along,” she confessed. “I am so relieved I am not alone anymore.”
Camila gently placed her hand on Eda’s thigh; while she understood loneliness after the death of her husband, she still had her daughter to keep her sane. She couldn’t picture how it must have been like to be utterly alone, much less in such a devastated place as the Boiling Isles presented themselves to be.
Eda startled at the touch, so unused to showings of affection she was. Closing her eyes, she accepted it. She wasn’t alone anymore; she could finally put down her guard and rest.
“We’re going to take care of them,” Eda promised, “We’re going to make everything right again, and we’re going to get them back to their families. And if it’s too late… They’ll still have us. Right?!”
Camila smiled.
“Nobody gets left behind. Not even you.”
Eda smiled, too. Looking at Camila, she saw the same sheer determination that she so often found in Luz’s eyes.
She let out a breath of respite; having a family to stick together, no matter how unexpectedly they had all come together — she supposed she could abide by that.