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sergeantsporks · 4 days

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Gilded Family

Rating: Teen and Up, Gen

Ch 39/39: Closure

Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6 , Ch 7, Ch 8, Ch 9, Ch 10, Ch 11, Ch 12, Ch 13, Ch 14, Ch 15, Ch 16, Ch 17, Ch 18, Ch 19, Ch 20, Ch 21, Ch 22, Ch 23, Ch 24, Ch 25, Ch 26, Ch 27, Ch 28, Ch 29, Ch 30, Ch 31, Ch 32, Ch 33, Ch 34, Ch 35, Ch 36, Ch 37, Ch 38, Ch 38.5

An alternate universe in which Evelyn managed to save Caleb after his confrontation with Phillip. The two of them escaped to present day through time pools, and have been using time pools to secretly rescue grimwalkers just after Belos attempts to kill them. The story follows Darius' mentor as he adjusts to his new life, as well as changes to the course of canon.

Ao3

Xxx

“I don’t know about this.”

Cyrus tried to turn around, but A.T. caught his shoulders, turning him around, and Phoenix gave him a push towards the townspeople cleaning up wreckage and graffiti. Most importantly, towards the blue demon boy stabilizing a broken wall.

“Do you like him, or no?”

“I mean, yes,” Cyrus replied, “But we went on one sort-of date ages ago, before everything went screwy! What if he doesn’t like me anymore? What if he doesn’t even remember it?”

“You were halfway through a date before you were suddenly interrupted and dragged off by your family, and then a wild witch showed up and was chased through the streets,” A.T. reminded him, “How could he forget that date?”

“Yes, but what if the whole concealment stone thing drives him away? What if—if—”

“What if he’s got terrible amnesia?” A.T. suggested, “What if he’s got a new boyfriend? What if I unhinge my jaw and swallow him whole before you have the chance to speak to him?”

“What?” Phoenix and Cyrus asked in unison.

“Exactly, it’s all impossible. Go talk to him.”

Cyrus didn’t look too convinced, but he also seemed too startled by A.T.’s statement to protest, and made his way towards his one-time date. He waved awkwardly, saying something Phoenix couldn’t hear. The demon left his work, dusting his hands off, and tilting his head in a question. Cyrus pulled out his concealment stone, put it on, transformed, then took it off when his partner’s eyes lit up with recognition. He put the stone back in his pocket, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

“I’m actually super terrible for lying and you should never even look at me again,” A.T. mimed in a terrible imitation of Cyrus—a truly impressive feat, given how much his natural voice already sounded like their sibling. “I don’t think I’m worth it, even though I totally deserve a spectacular boyfriend!” He switched his voice to a lower pitch when the demon spoke up. A.T. even imitated his tentative hand one Cyrus’ arm.

“Wow, you look so much better without the concealment stone! Let’s get married forever!”

“I don’t think that’s what he’s saying.”

“Could be. You don’t know.”

Cyrus said something else, glancing back at A.T. and Phoenix. A.T. waved when the demon looked over, but the demon barely seemed to see him, his eyes latching onto Phoenix and sparking with something that was almost recognition, but fogged over by confusion.

Right. I ran into him when he was a puppet.

Phoenix wondered how many other former puppets would look at him with that unease, that sense of not quite remembering why he made them uncomfortable, but knowing somewhere in their unconscious mind that he’d played with the Collector, stood by while they were paraded around helplessly.

But Cyrus’ date shook himself, waved back at A.T., and turned back to Cyrus, enthusiastically explaining the work he was doing with a lot of arm waving. Cyrus went along with him, a small, happy smile blooming on his face.

“Aw, well, that’s sweet.” A.T. tugged his hair. “Boy, this place looks different. I hope they don’t rebuild it the exact same. I’d like to see something new.”

“Well, for one thing, there won’t be specialized cells for wild witches,” someone said behind them, “Thank the titan for that.”

A short witch grinned at them. She looked familiar, but Phoenix couldn’t quite place why until she nodded at an alleyway. “Seems like just yesterday you lot helped me out of here, and now, well, I’m back! This time without the chasing, hopefully. Where’s your little friend, the one with the jokes? And the older one?”

“Oh!” Phoenix blurted out. “The witch at the coven day—hey! You made it past the day of unity?”

“Mhm. One of the Collector’s little spies picked me up later, but I’m back now. You would not believe all the apologies I’ve been getting. It’s going to go to my head if I’m not careful. Maybe I should set some scaffolding on fire and give them a new reason to chase me out of town, for old times’ sake. Or at the least to test how far their ‘we’re so sorry, wild witches were right’ sentiments go.”

A.T. reached into his pocket and wordlessly held out a box of matches.

“Did you just have those on you?” Phoenix asked.

“You never know when you’ll have to light a fire,” A.T. remarked serenely, “Just ask Frank.”

The wild witch barked a laugh. “I like you. I’m Annette Thompson; what do they put on your wanted posters?”

A.T.’s face burst into a wide grin. “Matching initials!”

“What’s yours stand for, then?”

“I’ve been told not to ask,” Phoenix told her.

“Oh, a mystery?”

A.T. wiggled his eyebrows up and down. “One that is unlocked after we light enough fires together.”

Annette laughed again. “I suppose we better start, then.”

“Please don’t light anything too important on fire,” Phoenix called desperately after them, “Or better yet—no fires!”

Cyrus jogged over just as A.T. and Annette disappeared into the construction. “I think I need to quit distracting Raphael right now, but he told me when he gets off of construction work, and… where’s A.T. gone off to?”

“To light a fire? I think? He’s made a friend. Or… partner in crime? Possibly both.”

Alarm flashed across Cyrus’ face. “We should be worried, right? We should stop them? They’re just rebuilding.”

Phoenix waved a hand. “I’m sure it’s… fine. Ish.”

“Mm.” Cyrus squinted at the bustling streets. “I guess as long as he doesn’t light anything huge on fire in the middle of my second date.”

“On second thought, I think I’ll go find them.”

Xxx

“I’m leaving.”

Caleb glanced up at Joseph’s declaration, still mostly-engrossed in kneading bread dough for dinner. “Thanks for letting me know. What time do you think you’ll be back?”

“No, I mean, I’m leaving. To go do something else. I won’t be around for… I don’t know how long.”

Phoenix and Frank glanced at each other, but quietly kept chopping up vegetables, pretending they weren’t listening to every word.

“Oh.” Caleb struggled for words, finally managing a simple “I see.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong!” Joseph said quickly. Despite the confidence he’d originally announced himself with, he brimmed with nervous energy, turning a loose griffin feather over and over in his hands, “I love you, and I love the family, and I’ll definitely come back to visit, I just think…” He took a deep breath. “I want to go somewhere else. I’ve been in the same place for so long—and before that, I was with Belos. Now that our home is gone, and we’re rebuilding, and everything is changing anyway… I want to go up to the hand.”

He waved his hands, his nervous energy transforming into excitement. “I mean—the arm is sticking straight up! It’s taller than the Knee now—there’s no telling how the ecosystem up there is going to shift. Plants are going to change to fit the new shape, and the animals are going to have to adapt—and I want to see it. I want to see all the new creatures this brings, I want to see how the old creatures adapt or move somewhere new, or just fail… and I just want to get out and see everything the Isles has. I want to study beasts where they are, out in their natural environments, and I can’t do that if I stay here. I need to go. Please.”

“Okay,” Caleb said slowly. He wiped flour off his hands. “You don’t need my permission, you know that, right?” A wobbly smile appeared on his face. “I gave all of you the choice to leave or stay, remember? I never said that choice had to be permanent.”

Joseph’s shoulders visibly sank in relief. “Thank you.”

“What about the griffins?” Frank asked, finally breaking the unspoken treaty of silence between he and Phoenix.

“I thought—” Joseph rubbed the back of his neck. “—that is—if it’s alright—I thought I’d take Lucy. That’ll make the space restraints with moving closer to town less of an issue. The other griffins I think will be alright as long as they’re fed and exercised, but Lucy… anyway, this—it means the world to me.”

Caleb gave him a small, sad smile. “Permission to…?”

Joseph grabbed Caleb in a bear hug, squeezing so tightly that Phoenix thought he heard Caleb’s back pop. “Thank you, Dad,” he mumbled, his voice thick, “Thank you for everything.”

Caleb hugged back just as tightly. “I’m going to miss you. But I hope wherever you go—I hope you’re happy. I hope you find what you’re looking for. I hope… I hope…”

He didn’t finish his sentence, instead giving Joseph one last squeeze and letting go.

“Say goodbye to your mom, too, okay?”

“Of course. And everyone—I wouldn’t just disappear. Of course not.”

Joseph wandered out of the kitchen, searching for Evelyn, and Caleb sat down with a whump.

“Are you okay?” Phoenix asked quietly.

He managed a tired smile. “Of course, of course. I always knew that someday… I mean, I hoped that one day the world would be safe enough for you. I think I always sort of knew that the house was too small, and that one day some of you might want to leave.” He ran a hand through his hair. “But I don’t believe any amount of time would have actually prepared me for it.”

Phoenix thought of the first time he’d seen Darius after Belos’ attack—how he’d suddenly looked so grown up, how the realization that he didn’t need a mentor anymore had punched him in the gut. “No,” he agreed, “I don’t think it would.”

Caleb took a deep breath. “Things are changing right now,” he admitted, “We’ve been… living in a bubble. The only surprises were when one of you would join the house. But now… now the world’s opened up to us, and nothing will be the same.” He gave Phoenix and Frank a tired smile. “At risk of sounding like my brother, I’m not quite sure I’m ready for the change.”

Frank chuckled. “Now you know how we felt when we woke up in a different century.” He shrugged and chopped furiously at the vegetables on the board. “Things are going to be different. But some things are going to be the same, like—” he yanked back from the cutting board with a short scream.

Phoenix dropped his knife, and Caleb jumped up immediately. “Are you okay?! Did you cut yourself?!”

“My arm!” Frank yelped, “I’ve chopped it in with the vegetables! I didn’t even notice! The whole thing’s gone!”

“Terrible,” Phoenix told him, picking his knife back up, “You are just awful.”

Frank grinned, cheerfully resuming his chopping. “And that is something you can count on never changing.

Xxx

The front of Darius’ house buzzed with activity. Lake and Locke even managed to drag Sam out, although he still fidgeted with that strange box Ghost had found. Joseph paced nervously back and forth, and Lucy eyed him like she might be on the verge of sitting on him. But despite the nervousness, the saddlebags on Lucy and the backpack on Joseph looked natural. Right, even. Even his clothes—he’d bundled up for the likely lower temperatures—seemed to fit him better. His eyes shone with a healthy, excited glow.

“I’ll miss you.”

Joseph tousled Jason’s hair, grinning when Jason pushed his hand away. “Don’t get too mopey over me, or Lucy might turn around midair just to squash you.”

“Yeah, yeah. Come back soon, okay? I want to read about all the new things you find up there.”

“You’ll be the first to see the notes,” Joseph promised. He glanced over Jason’s head at Cherry. “Take care of them, yeah? Especially keep your eye on this one. He’s trouble. He’ll get another concussion if he can manage it.”

Jason stuck his tongue out.

“Always.” Cherry’s one eye flicked back and forth nervously, glancing up at the sky like he was hoping for some sudden terrible weather to appear and delay Joseph just a little longer. “Stay safe.

“Always,” Joseph echoed, “Don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine.” He turned to Evelyn and Caleb. “Thank you.”

“You’ll always have a room with us,” Caleb told him, “You know that?”

“I know.”

Evelyn straightened his scarf. “Go find some new wild things. I just know you’ll figure out some way to befriend them.”

“Will do, ma’am.”

Joseph hugged Evelyn and Caleb, climbed on Lucy’s back, and clicked his tongue. The griffin sprang up into the air, her huge wings beating massive gusts of wind onto their heads. Soon, the two of them were just a speck in the sky, sailing towards the raised arm of the titan.

Xxx

“I can’t do it.”

Evelyn gave Auric a gentle shove towards Hexside’s doors. “Yes, you can.”

Auric scratched at the scars on his neck, balking. “I’m too old. Hexside stops at eighteen, and I’m twenty. They won’t let me.”

“I talked to Bump,” Phoenix reassured him, “He and I go back—and Darius talked to him about it, too. You’re not going to be a regular student, no, but the healing teacher agreed to take you on after school, and help you transition into healing-specific schools for graduates. Like an apprenticeship.”

“I don’t have magic,” Auric replied, changing tack, “I can’t do the kinds of… I can’t do it. I’m never going to be as good as them, so—”

“Hey,” Evelyn said sharply, “Who kept Caleb and I from bleeding out?”

“You would have died without the pain sharing spell, I—”

“Who patched up all the refugees when I couldn’t heal anyone?” Evelyn demanded.

“Those weren’t life-threatening injuries, it wasn’t even—”

“You splinted and casted Clara’s broken bone and kept her cheerful,” Phoenix offered, “You were the first one to realize something was wrong with my arms.”

“You stitched Matt up when he came home injured,” Evelyn added, “Face it, Auric—you’re as good a healer as anyone. Magic or no. Magic healers have it easy—we draw a circle, and the wound disappears. But you? You have to put so much thought into what you’re doing, and you have to do it quick. You are incredible, Auric.”

Auric scratched at his neck again. “I’m just not sure.”

“If you really don’t want to do this, then we can go back home,” Evelyn said softly, “But I want you to look me in the eye and tell me with absolute certainty, that going to healing school is something you don’t want.”

Auric took a step back, then a step forward, hovering between Evelyn and the door. “You think I’ll really be able to do it?”

“Would I have put my life in your hands if I wasn’t absolutely certain?”

Auric took a deep breath, taking a decisive step towards Hexside’s doors. “Okay. I’m ready.”

Xxx

“Hey! Over here!”

A hand closed around Phoenix’s arm, pulling him into the empty kitchen. “Phoenix.” Matt laced his fingers together. “You were part of the emperor’s coven when it was actually, you know, a coven.”

Phoenix winced at the reminder. What was this about? “Yes?”

“So you were around a lot of people.”

Where was he going with this? “Yeeessss?”

“Do you know how to plan a party.”

Phoenix stared at him. “What.”

“A party. Do you know how to plan one? Cyrus and I were in town, and his boyfriend invited him to a housewarming party for one of the newly rebuilt houses—well, he invited me, too, but that was just to be polite, I’m not going. Anyway, the point is, I think a housewarming party sounds nice. We could have one for our house, once we’ve actually built it. It would be…” Matt waved a hand. “You know. A normal thing.”

“A normal thing,” Phoenix echoed.

“Something other people do. I think it might help us settle into the town better, you know? Break some of the tension.”

“Have you run this by Caleb and Evelyn yet?”

“I sort of wanted to surprise them. I’ll warn everyone else, of course, but if we’re going to get anywhere with this, first I need someone who can actually plan a party.”

“A party?” Like the word had summoned him, Darius seemed to materialize behind Phoenix. He arched one eyebrow at Matt. “And you asked Phoenix to help plan it?”

“Hey, I planned social functions.”

“The very fact that you just called a party a social function is proof that you aren’t up to the task. What party?”

Matt explained his plan, and Darius nodded slowly. “Doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Who would you invite?”

“You, obviously.”

“Obviously.”

“Um… Cyrus’ boyfriend Raphael? Maybe that woman A.T. started hanging out with… I bet Jason will want to invite the kids. I guess we could invite the refugees who stayed with us, if anyone knows where they went.” Matt scratched the back of his head. “Do we know anyone else??

“Oh, titan,” Darius murmured under his breath.

“Eda and Lilith,” Phoenix volunteered, “Eber. I think that’s everyone.”

“Small party,” Darius commented.

“There’s over twenty of us, any party we host is already huge.”

“Fair enough.” Darius twirled a finger in the air. “If you’re after goodwill from the townsfolk, shouldn’t you invite some of them? Other than Cyrus’ boyfriend, that is.”

Matt winced. “Inviting strangers isn’t the best plan. I don’t know if you’ve realized this, but most of us aren’t exactly the trusting, openly friendly type.”

“I had noticed something of the sort, believe it or not,” Darius said dryly, “Why don’t you go people watch? Pick guests you don’t find threatening. People who aren’t likely to cause friction, accidentally or on purpose.”

“Reconnaissance. We can do that.”

Darius squeezed his eyes shut. “Reconnaissance. Oh, heavens. Please take Jason with you.”

Xxx

“Not that one. Not that one. Ooo, that one gave me an apology basket, let’s invite him.”

Phoenix glanced over at Annette. “You don’t have to help us.”

“Hey, if they’re not friendly towards a wild witch, they won’t be friendly towards your lively bunch either. My insight is incredibly valuable.”

“Hm.”

“Now might be a good time to test that elixir,” Jason commented mildly.

Phoenix glanced down at his arms. Matt had chosen the top a construction crane, of all places, to people-watch from. It had been a miracle—and Annette’s magic—that he’d gotten up here in the first place. And being out in the town without a concealment stone… it made his skin itch. The curse shifted uneasily, reacting to the stress. It was so ridiculous it almost made him laugh; he’d gotten through the Collector’s “games, the apocalypse, and attempted possession, but being up a little too high and getting a little stressed was making the curse react?

“Here goes nothing.” Phoenix tilted the golden bottle back. Eda had warned him not to let it sit in his mouth, but she hadn’t prepared him for the explosion of terrible flavors that washed over his tongue. He swallowed with a gag. “Tastes like burned animal hair,” he said with a grimace.

“But look.” Jason pointed at his arms. The curse settled back into his normal flesh. He could still feel it curled up inside of him, throbbing in time with his heartbeat, but it seemed… passive. Dormant. Almost like it was taking a nap. Some of the bone-weary exhaustion that seemed to stay no matter how long he slept faded into a background numbness.

“Huh. I guess… I’ll be asking Lilith for her recipe.”

“You think it’ll help long-term?”

Phoenix shrugged. “I know the curse has been useful sometimes, but… it’s a little hard on my arms.” He flexed his fingers, wondering at the difference that slight lift from exhaustion had made. “And I’m starting to think it might have been taking up a little more of my energy than I realized.”

Jason nudged his shoulder. “Sam could have told you that.”

“Yeah, yeah. He’d probably love to run a thousand tests on my day-to-day fatigue levels with and without elixirs.”

“Nah, he’s too busy with that box. Potion-brewing lessons for Phoenix, then. Mom will be ecstatic.” Jason kicked his legs aimlessly, watching the people down below. “You guys ever think about what you want to do now that we’re not on the run?”

“Mix as many kinds of magic together as I can,” Annette answered immediately, “Let’s test the ‘wild magic is dangerous’ theory. I bet some of it could be.”

“Oh, wow, you and A.T. really are perfect for each other. Matt?”

“Something normal.”

“What’s that mean?”

“I don’t know. I just want to live a normal life. Make some friends. Get a job. Maybe fall in love, start a family. Do something stupid and young.” Matt shrugged. “I lost my childhood and my teen years to Belos. Everything was one nonstop, horrifying adventure. Everything was some grand purpose. I kind of want to just have a boring life now.”

He heaved a sigh. “I had a choice, you know? Belos just sort of ditched me in the middle of the boiling sea, so when Caleb found me, I was dehydrated and exhausted, but not… dying. I chose to go with Caleb forward in time. I thought if Belos was already destined to be alive for centuries, there wouldn’t be any escaping him in my time. Now that we’ve actually finally gotten away from him… I just want to leave all that behind.”

Matt gave them all a quick smile. “Not that I’d leave the family behind, of course! I still want to be with you guys, I just…” He fell into a pensive silence, staring out at the people below. “I don’t know. I guess Joseph wasn’t the only one with an itch to get out there. This party, getting our foot in the door and helping Mom and Dad get back in the social life of the Isles… it just feels like the right thing to do before going. Not that I’d leave right after. I still don’t have any solid plans. But someday.”

Phoenix didn’t respond. He didn’t know how. It had been enough of a shock when Joseph had left. He’d known, of course, that things would change. Phoenix himself wouldn’t even be at the house on weekends anymore. But between Joseph leaving, Matt’s plan, Auric’s apprenticeship, and the appearance of new people in Cyrus and A.T.’s lives… everything was moving so fast. Maybe they’d stopped running for their lives, but their lives still kept running. He’d barely had the time to get used to the quiet life in the woods before it was completely overturned.

“Wow,” Jason said finally, “Have you told Mom or Dad yet? What about Ash?”

“I don’t want to spring this on them right now. I mean, with the house building, and everyone still healing, and Joseph just leaving… it’s not right. I don’t have a solid plan, and even if I left right after the party, that’s still months of house-building away.” Matt brushed his hair out of his face. “So… don’t tell anyone just yet, yeah?

“My lips are sealed,” Jason promised. He pointed down at the street. “That one, Annette, they stopped to feed a stray, put them on the list.” He sighed. “Wish I had a plan.”

Phoenix ruffled his hair. “You’re eighteen. Give yourself a minute.”

Jason pushed at his hand. “Hunter has it all figured out, and he’s only sixteen! He already knows he’s going to be a palisman carver!”

“You’re not Hunter. Most of us don’t know what we’re going to do. I don’t. Eda offered the idea of mentoring, but I don’t know if I’ll take it.”

Jason looked up at him with big, sparkling eyes. “Awwwwwwwww, but you’d be so good at it!”

“We’re not talking about me, we’re talking about you. Nice try.”

“Hey, I meant it. I wasn’t just trying to distract you.”

“Sure. Anyway, take it slow. Joseph knew what he wanted. Matt kind of knows what he wants. But you don’t have to have your whole life figured out just yet. I mean, everyone on the Isles is a bit displaced right now. There are tons of scouts who have no idea what they’re going to do with their lives now. Everyone’s shaken by what happened and wondering what we’ll do without the covens. So just… take it easy. Forget your entire future, let’s plan small. What do you want to do in the next few weeks?”

“Hm. I sort of want to go back to the human realm. Visit Camila. Maybe go back to the library there. Oh—and I want to take Novus. Phoenix, they have so much mechanical stuff there. I think he’ll explode. And I want to help look for where we’ll build the new house. Of course I’m going to help Matt with his guest list and party planning. And… why are you grinning like that?”

“No reason,” Phoenix said lightly, “It just sounds to me like you’ve got plenty of plans for the future.”

Jason wrinkled his nose at Phoenix. “Alright, point taken. But hey, there goes my point. You’re a great mentor.”

“Thanks.” Phoenix tousled Jason’s hair again. This time, he let him.

Xxx

Caleb eyed Phoenix critically. “You’re supposed to be resting your leg.”

He was, in fact, supposed to be sitting back at Darius’ house doing nothing, but Darius had left to deal with some Terra sighting, and almost everyone else was out close to their old home scouting for a new place to build. The whole place had been quiet, except for occasional mutterings from Sam while he fruitlessly searched for a way to open that stone box.

Phoenix sighed. “If I’m stuck sitting around resting my leg for five more minutes, the curse is going to take over from boredom and I’m going to run back into the woods.”

Caleb blinked twice. “Could that actually happen? Your curse activating from boredom, I mean?”

“I doubt it. Besides, I took an elixir today, it should be fine. I won’t move too much, I promise. I’ll find a spot to sit around out here. I just needed to get out.”

“Did you tell Sam you were leaving?”

“He’s not going to look up from that box for at least another twelve hours. He won’t even notice I’m gone.”

“He should just pour some explosive potion on that box and be done with it,” Novus suggested as he walked by, arms full of levels and angle-measurers, “Or cut into it. That’s the pragmatic thing to do.”

Caleb laughed. “It’s not about getting what’s inside for him, it’s about solving the puzzle. If he gives up, then I’ll let you at it with your tools.”

“That’s all I ask.”

“Anyway—you’re probably right, Phoenix, but still.”

“If Sam figures out I’m gone, he’ll probably just shrug and go back to the box. I don’t think he’s desperate to always have someone around. Unless he solves the box, in which case, he’ll tear over here immediately and demand to know why I wasn’t there to witness his moment of triumph.” Phoenix sat down on a log with a sigh. “I messaged Darius to tell him where I was going. Hopefully that’s enough.”

“Hopefully.”

Caleb wandered off, apparently satisfied that Phoenix wouldn’t rebreak his ankle. Phoenix sat on the stump watching his family. Novus kept laying out string where the house would be, testing different spots with his tools, while Lake casually picked the rope up and moved it just a couple inches to the left whenever he wasn’t looking. Matt wrote furiously in a small notebook—party plans, if Phoenix had to guess. Evelyn drew small circles, testing out her construction magic. Everywhere bustled with movement. If someone wasn’t actively making house plans, they were transporting construction materials, or overseeing everyone else.

“They don’t know how to sit still, do they?” Alex plopped down next to Phoenix. “Neither do you.” They shrugged. “I guess it’s good when we’re trying to build a house. What do you think they’ll find to do afterwards?”

“What do you mean?”

Alex gestured at the busy family. “When the house is finished, what do you think they’ll do? What will you do? None of us are good at stopping and staying still for a moment. We just keep going and going and going. So what are we supposed to do once we finish building the new house?”

“We just… live in it, I guess,” Phoenix answered slowly.

“Hm.”

“Do you know what you’re going to do?”

Alex shrugged. “Keep my feet on the ground, that’s the only thing I know for sure. Stay away from heights.”

“Seconded. How are the falling dreams? Have they gotten any better?”

“Careful, you sound like Dad.”

“Sorry, I just… you know, I don’t think I ever thanked you.”

“For what?”

“When you told me where you died—that’s how we found Ghost. So… thank you.”

“Oh. You’re welcome.” Alex went very still, staring pointedly at anything but Phoenix. “Hey, can I ask you something? And… do you promise not to tell anyone what I said?”

“Sure. But, uh… why me?” Surely there were other grimwalkers Alex was closer to. Phoenix had only ever spoken to them the once.

Alex eyed him critically. “Because you’re the only one who backed off, no questions asked, when I told you I just wanted space to process. I don’t know, I feel like I can trust you to understand. Um. Do you think it would be weird if I moved out of the house really soon?”

The question shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise. Joseph had already left, and Matt was planning on it—the moving fever was contagious. But still, Phoenix flinched at the idea of one more grimwalker leaving. “Well,” he said carefully, “I don’t think it would be… I mean, Joseph already broke the ice on that one.”

“I know.” Alex combed their fingers through their hair. “But Joseph was… Joseph. He was big. He was determined. He was capable of wrestling beasts and winning. He… well, he didn’t have a panic attack every time he tripped. What if Mom and Dad don’t think I’m ready?”

“They’ll let you anyway.”

“Right. But would it be weird? I mean, we’re building this house together, and then I… I wouldn’t be in it. They’d build a room for me, for what? For me to leave right after? I don’t want them to think I’ve wanted to leave this whole time and was just waiting for the all-clear.”

“Well, why do you want to leave?”

“Excuse me?”

“Why do you want to leave? Because you want space?”

“Oh. Yes. Something like that.” Alex twisted their hair and let it go. “Time. And space. And I love Mom and Dad and everyone, don’t get me wrong, they’re just… sometimes a little much. So. Um.” Alex gestured towards the town. “You know. Maybe I’ll leave. But I don’t want it to be…”

“Awkward?”

“Yes.”

“You should talk to them about it. I know that’s not your strong suit, but… give it a shot?”

“They’re busy right now.”

Phoenix watched as Novus gestured to Evelyn. She drew one glowing finger in a wide circle, and huge stone walls rose out of the ground where he’d laid out string, her eyes on his blueprints. Her free hand directed another circle, and abominations sludged their way towards the neat piles of tiles, shingles, glass panes, scooping them up and using the stone walls as a base to build windows and roofs.

“Not for long.”

Xxx

“Wow.” Phoenix’s voice echoed in the empty space. He hadn’t realized how everything in the old house had muffled sound until he stood in the empty rooms Evelyn had built. “This took two days?”

“And Evelyn will be passed out for about five,” Caleb said disapprovingly, “I wish she’d taken it slower.”

Lake bounced down a set of stairs, each footstep echoing off the walls and turning into a marching army. “Is Sam getting two rooms again? Because he’s already claimed one of the empty ones up there for his lab.”

“Oh, no,” Novus said casually, “I gave the house a couple of extra rooms for Ghost and Hunter, but I’m taking over the lab space for my work. Machinery will be far more useful than the glyphs now.” He laughed at Caleb’s stricken face. “I’m joking. There’s enough rooms for both. He can have a lab.”

Lake tilted their head. “Seems kinda… bare.”

“We’ll paint the walls,” Caleb promised. He moved through the space with a twinkle in his eye. “The kitchen will be here. Dining room right next to it, of course. What do you guys think of getting a family picture? I’ve always wanted one.”

“What about Achsah’s room?”

Caleb froze.

Lake scratched the back of their neck. “I mean… we saved some of her stuff. Some of the photographs were okay. We could try to set it all up again. But it won’t really be her room anymore. We’ll just be recreating it. Is that something you and Mom want?”

It was like in the absence of Locke, or Sam to bother, Lake had lost their usual goofy demeanor. Phoenix had never seen them be serious for more than two seconds—to drop this reminder on Caleb shocked Phoenix almost as much as it did their ortet.

“Um,” Caleb said in a strangled whisper, “I don’t know. I don’t…”

The kitchen and dining room area held a startling similarity to the old house—Novus had probably designed it that way on purpose. Caleb turned and wandered, half dazed, into the room that would have been Achsah’s back at home.

Lake watched him go passively. “That went well. Do you want to check out the rest of the house? Novus put a state of the art hidden room behind the dining room. The wall slides out and everything.”

“You’re not going to go check on him?”

“Nah, he needs a second by himself.”

Lake wandered through the empty halls, and Phoenix followed. “I don’t get it.”

“Don’t get what?”

Phoenix struggled for a moment to find the right words. “Why you?” he said finally.

“Because Cherry already took one for the team and yelled at Dad for sacrificing himself.”

“Really? That’s it?”

Lake shrugged. “Locke and I overheard Cherry and Novus talk about it when they first showed us the plans—you know how we like to lurk. Lurking is our favorite. Anyway, Cherry told Novus to just leave it in the plans, and we’d get there later, but, well, like I said, Cherry already did the lecture. Someone else’s turn to be the bearer of unwanted news.” Lake blew a strand of hair out of their face. “Would have loved for it to be Sam, Mr. Logic of Logics, but, well.”

They opened a door. Sure enough, Sam had claimed a space for a lab. Right now, he sat on the floor, twisting pieces of the box. He looked up.

“The box is a gridded cube!” he called excitedly, “Jason has compared it to something in the human realm called a ‘rubik’s cube’ and promised to find me one whenever he next visits. I just have to find the right combination…”

Lake closed the door. “You see the problem. Anyway, Locke and I rock-paper-scissors over it, which he ALWAYS wins, you would not BELIEVE how effective it is when he yells out his choice after I’ve already put my hand out. So I was Mr. Logic of Logics today.” They scratched the back of their head. “Not my favorite of jobs. I tried to channel Sam energy, how’d I do?”

Phoenix shook his head. “How do you do that?”

“What, channel Sam energy? It’s very easy, I just think ‘books, books, books’ in my head over and over again until I’m sufficiently stuffy and sneezing out big words.”

“No, I mean you and Locke—how do you stay so…”

“Charming?”

“…upbeat,” Phoenix finished.

Lake shook their head sadly. “It’s all a coping mechanism, we’re so sad and we cover it up with jokes so that no one will see the empty pit of despair welling up inside.” They grinned, immediately dispelling any thought Phoenix might have had that they were being serious. “Look, Phoenix. You just have to stop taking everything so seriously. We beat Belos! We survived! You’re on track for managing your curse! We’re building a great big house! We fought hard. Now enjoy the spoils.”

Loud banging echoed through the house, metal on wood. Lake glanced at an imaginary watch. “It appears to be checking on Dad o’clock.”

Caleb had left “Achsah’s” room. Instead, he sat in the empty place where the kitchen would be, building a table. He gave Phoenix a cheerful grin. “Been a while since I’ve done any woodworking.”

“You seem… chipper,” Phoenix said cautiously.

“Oh, for Titan’s sake, I can’t do this,” Lake whispered under their breath. They disappeared, and came back with Sam. “Go,” they ordered, pointing him towards Caleb.

Sam blinked, as if disoriented by how fast Lake had separated him from the cube and dragged him here. “Nice table. Avoiding our problems again?”

“I’m not avoiding anything. We need furniture if we’re going to live in this house. I’m solving problems.”

“Very reasonable,” Sam agreed, “How about that problem of Achsah’s room?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Phoenix sighed. This was going nowhere. “Are you okay?” he asked Caleb, “I know this can’t be easy. I know how much keeping her room meant to you.”

Caleb’s hand shook on his hammer. “I knew she wasn’t coming back. I mean, Eda and Lilith existing made that painfully clear. I guess I just hoped… But Lake’s right, aren’t they? It’s not her room anymore. The room’s gone, she’s gone…”

“It’s not wrong to want a reminder,” Phoenix said quietly, “You don’t have to forget her.”

“I don’t think I ever could.”

“You don’t have to decide now,” Sam chimed in, “You can leave the room empty for now. Leave it for last. Besides, you should probably talk to Mom before making a decision.”

“Yeah. Yeah, of course.” Caleb gave the three of them a wan smile. “Thank you.”

“Except Lake for bringing it up,” Sam added.

“No. Lake, too.” Caleb took a deep breath. “I’ll think about it.”

He turned back to the table, but the hammering seemed less desperate now. Phoenix swung out at the obvious dismissal, followed closely by Lake.

“Nice handling,” Lake told him, “Next time, I’m leaving the hard discussions to you.”

“No, thanks. I’ve had enough difficult discussions recently, and I don’t need one more.”

Lake gave him a lopsided grin. “Loosen up, remember? Makes the hard stuff easier.”

They disappeared back up the stairs, leaving nothing behind but the echo of their footsteps.

Enjoy the spoils.

Phoenix took a deep breath, looking around the new house with a small smile. They still had plenty to worry about—making this place home, what to do about Achsah’s room, Matt’s upcoming plans—but for now… maybe Lake was right. Maybe it was time to let go.

Days blurred into weeks of painting and building, moving one room at a time. Kitchen and dining room first, so that they’d have somewhere to cook and eat. Caleb set chairs and tables he’d built in the dining room, beaming with pride. Then came the bathrooms, and the common rooms, and finally, Evelyn declared that they’d picked over the ruins enough, and they wouldn’t find anything else, so they might as well start on their rooms. Phoenix still made the commute back to Bonesborough every weekend to see Darius and catch up on the Isles-wide reconstruction efforts.

Phoenix stared at the blank canvas of his wall. While Jason lined his room with books, and Mole lovingly set potted plants, Phoenix sat on his bed, wishing he could do something besides paint. Even before the house had been destroyed, he hadn’t been there long enough to make the room his own—and the time he did get was so hectic, he wasn’t even sure he’d had anything in the house to salvage.

“Going for the minimalistic approach, are we?” Darius asked from the door.

“Darius!” Phoenix jumped up from the bed. The cast had been cut off yesterday, but his ankle was so weak it almost folded underneath him immediately. “Hey—what are you doing here?”

“Getting all the stuff out of my living room. And having a top secret meeting with Matt about his party. You know, I’m not entirely certain he’s separated the idea of a party from coven work.”

“That sounds right.” Phoenix waved a hand at the walls. “What do you think? Bright purple for the walls?”

“Don’t you dare.” Darius looked around the room. “I know just about everything of yours was confiscated when you… disappeared… so I thought… ah, just take it.”

He handed Phoenix a photograph in a simple wooden frame, a photo of he and Darius during the mentorship. Phoenix gently brushed one hand over his photographed face. He’d gotten so used to the scars from Belos’ attack that seeing this photograph without them now felt strange and foreign. His face looked so… young. But even with the great grin plastered across his face in the photo while he headlocked Darius, a tired sadness seemed etched in his face.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, “I don’t remember this being taken—where did you find it?”

“My memories,” Darius replied casually, “I had a copy made.” He sighed. “I know things weren’t rosy perfect back then. I know so much happened to you that I never saw. And I know—or at least I hope—we’re headed towards a better chapter of our life now. But don’t forget the last chapter, eh?”

Phoenix set the photograph up on the dresser, sweeping elixir bottles to the side. “Never. And—Darius? Thank you. For the photo. For letting us stay with you. For… everything.”

“Anytime. Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s a top secret party meeting I must attend. I believe we are discussing snacks.”

Xxx

“I see someone—wait, no, that’s just someone’s abomination that’s gotten loose.” Jason all-but had his face pressed against the glass of the front window, watching out for incoming guests. “They’ll come, right? I mean, of course our friends will show, but given that half the point is to get the townspeople used to the look-alike family that wandered out of the woods, we really need some people we don’t know.”

“I’m sure they will,” Phoenix assured him, but he watched equally carefully.

“Oh!” Jason yanked back from the window, opening the door and sprinting down the careful garden path, currently devoid of an actual garden. “Willow! Gus! Amity! Luz!” He bowed to Willow with a flourish. “Lord of Bats.”

She returned his over-the-top bow with one of her own. “House of Crows. How lovely to see you again.”

“It’s been three days,” Amity reminded them.

They both laughed, and Jason led the kids towards the door.

“Eda and Lilith are on their way with King,” Luz told Phoenix, “They’ll be here soon. I might take King home at some point, though. Don’t want him up too late and all.”

A loud gasp sounded from the path, and a witch from town clutched her chest. “I—I just thought I was meeting the new neighbors,” she stammered, “I didn’t know that Luz the human would be here—and did you say the owl lady was coming?”

“Yesssss?” Luz said uncertainly, as if unsure whether this information would scare the witch off or not.

“Oh. Oh, my. Excuse me. I’ll be right back.”

She dashed off back towards town, and Luz winced. “I think your guest list might have just gotten a bit bigger.”

That didn’t bode well. They’d kept the invitations small on purpose—not that anyone but Matt and Darius really knew who was coming, but still, Phoenix thought some of the others might notice if too many people showed up.

Eda, Lilith, and King arrived in a rush of feathers and a bag of elixirs pushed into Phoenix’s arms. He answered Lilith’s seemingly endless questions on their effects, wondering vaguely if anyone had warned Caleb and Evelyn they were coming, but mostly focused on the steady trickle of strangers now coming towards the house.

Caleb and Evelyn wandered into the living room, stopping dead when they spotted Lilith and Eda. Phoenix winced. Caleb didn’t look much like his descendants, but their resemblance to Evelyn was impossible to deny. He could practically see the wheels ticking in Eda’s head. But before she could say anything, the other guests reached the house and she was swept away in a tide of questions and admirations. Luz looked similarly swamped.

“Well, this wasn’t in the plans.” Matt stood on the stairs, chewing thoughtfully on a pen. “I should have guessed something would go wrong. I need to warn Silver.”

The mobs around Eda and Luz split into a third group, buzzing around Darius the moment he walked through the door. He arched one eyebrow at Matt, who winced and shrugged.

“Well, we’re getting a reputation for being well-connected,” Locke said at Phoenix’s elbow, “Fantastic, I’m sure this will hold no negative consequences.” He grinned. “We should invite celebrities over more often.”

Babble surrounded Phoenix as people slowly got over their star-struck awe and spread out. They stuck in small packs, townsfolk interacting with their neighbors, and grimwalkers talking to other grimwalkers. Both groups eyed each other uneasily, skirting around each other and only occasionally exchanging brief hellos and ‘excuse me’s.

“Ah, yes,” Locke deadpanned, “I can feel the house warming up already.” He stuck his nose into the air, shaking his head back and forth. “Can you feel that, Lake?”

As if summoned, Lake seemed to materialize at Phoenix’s other side. “No, Locke, what is it?”

“The tension! It’s so thick it’s starting to physically manife—”

Thump.

Muffled murmurs. Evelyn’s immediate sprint, pushing through guests and grimwalkers alike. “Give him space,” she ordered.

“Steven,” Jason breathed, “He’s having a seizure—we need to move everyone away, there’s not enough space.”

More murmurs and exclamations. Across the room, Silver’s face was as white as a sheet, and they beelined for the nearest window, opening it and oh-so-casually leaning against the sill, prepared to leap out, if Phoenix had to guess.

This is bad.

It didn’t take Darius, party expert extraordinaire, to know that. People flocked naturally to a disaster—they’d crowd Steven, stress Silver, and probably panic themselves, which would only—

“Well, I think it’s time to move this party outside!” Locke hopped up on the stairs, raising their voice, “Do we have any plant witches in attendance tonight?”

Willow raised her hand, and a few others tentatively joined her.

“Who feels like a seed race?”

“What’s that?” someone called.

“Only the best way for a plant witch to show off their magical prowess! Winner gets to take home a rare human realm plant known as ‘mint,’ proven to thrive even in the Isles!”

A few ‘ooo’s rose up, and witches started to wander outdoors. Cherry had quickly assembled a circle of grimwalkers around Steven and Evelyn, blocking them from view while guests went outside.

Willow hung back, raising one eyebrow at Locke. “A seed race, huh? How come I’ve never heard of that before?”

“Because I made it up just now. Mole, you’ve got some seeds, right? Where did you want some of the plants in the garden to go? I’ll make it look natural.”

Caleb slumped against the banister. “Thank you, Locke.” Behind him, Steven slowly sat up, watched by Evelyn like a hawk.

“Hey, it’s what I do. Be a loud and annoying distraction. Just ask Sam!” Locke grinned, bouncing out the door. “Alright, three categories: speed, size, and healthiness! Line up!”

Caleb sighed, joining Evelyn and Steven.

Eda nudged Phoenix. “Hey, introduce me to your planner. We’ve been scheming up a quinceañera party for Luz, and so far, this party’s been a riot.”

“Wish it was less of one.”

She grinned and held out an elixir. “Bottoms up, kid.”

Phoenix glanced down. He hadn’t even noticed his arms had started to drip. Great. Another thing for the townsfolk to take home as a story. He gulped the elixir with a grimace. “Does the taste ever get better?”

“If anything, it gets worse. Ah, well, necessary evils and all that. Not to suddenly change the subject or anything, but do you mind explaining her?” Eda waved an accusing hand towards Evelyn.

“I think you’d better ask her. And Caleb.”

“Yeah, I kind of thought that would be your answer. Well, can’t blame me for trying the easy route.” Eda grabbed Lilith’s arm. “C’mon.”

“What? Where are we going?”

“Answer-hunting.”

Before they could approach Evelyn, Sam thumped down the stairs, puzzle box tucked under his arm. “Oh, is the party over already? Excellent, I didn’t actually want to go.”

Lilith gasped. “Ooo!” She pulled herself from Eda’s grip, reaching for the box. “May I? I love a good puzzle.”

“Be my guest.”

“Aaaaand I’ve lost her,” Eda muttered under her breath, “Right, just me then.” She squared her shoulders, and marched towards Caleb and Evelyn. Steven waved the two of them off with a tired smile, and the two nervously gestured towards Achsah’s room, still untouched.

“They are definitely going to botch the explanation,” Sam said cheerfully, “They always do.”

“Yeah…” Phoenix looked back at Steven to check if he was still upright. He was with Darius now, and the two of them spoke in low voices, occasionally glancing down at Steven’s burned-off sigil. Cherry stood only a few feet away, looking like he was desperately trying not to listen in and at the same time, straining to hear what was being said.

“You’re my WHAT?!” Eda’s voice squawked from Achsah’s room.

“Got it!” Lilith said triumphantly at the same time, “You were so close. I barely had to do anything.” She looked up. “What happened to Eda?”

Phoenix hurried to Achsah’s room, Darius and Steven forgotten. Eda jabbed a finger at him the moment he entered.

“You are not allowed to be my great uncle,” she told him, “Not allowed, do you hear me?”

“Sorry. I’ll try not to be.”

Lilith came in on Phoenix’s heels. “What’s going on?”

“They’re our ancestors, Lili. Our ancestors.”

“Oh,” Lilith said thoughtfully, “That makes sense. Fascinating.” She held out the box. “This is for you two, by the way. Someone called Achsah went great lengths to make sure it reached you through time.”

Caleb all-but snatched the opened box from her, his face pale. “Achsah?!”

Evelyn delicately lifted out a letter. Phoenix caught sight of a bracelet inside, hand-woven leather and beads. Evelyn scanned the letter, her eyes welling up with tears.

“Get Mole, please,” she whispered, and Sam was off. Mole arrived moments later, and Evelyn held up the letter. “Caleb, would you…?”

Caleb took the paper from her, his eyes devouring it like a starving man. “Dear Mom and Dad,” he read out loud, “I’ve buried this letter in a puzzle box under where the kitchen will be someday. I hope you finally get to work on that root cellar you always wanted, or else you won’t find it. Dad—” he choked up, and Evelyn took the letter.

“Dad, I know exactly what you’ve probably been doing since the moment the time pool washed away, and I want you to stop it. What happened wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t anyone’s. For a while, I was sad, and lost, and wanted nothing more than for you to pop out of another pool and bring me back home.” Evelyn took a deep breath. “But since then, I’ve met some beautiful people, including my partner.”

Caleb took the letter back. “You two would love them, just as much as I love them. I wish the three of you could meet. While I write this, your grandkid is tearing through the house like a tiny terror. He’s got your nose, Dad, and Mom’s eyes. And the healer tells me I’ve got twins coming—isn’t that crazy? I’d do anything to protect them, and I know if you could have come back for me, you would have. But I want you to know that I’m happy here and now. I miss you every day, but I don’t regret the people I’ve met since. Please don’t be sad I’m gone.”

Caleb smiled at Mole. “This next part is for you. Say hi to your lookalike for me, Dad. If he’s anything like you, the ‘don’t blame yourself’ bit goes for him, too. I don’t regret rescuing him. I only wish I’d gotten to know him. Bet he’s awesome. I made a bracelet for him. I know he was passed out, so he probably didn’t see me at all, but it’s just something to remember me by. His younger/older sister.”

Mole sniffed, delicately lifting the bracelet out of the box and slipping it onto his wrist.

“I know we were hiding. I didn’t realize it first, but now that I’ve spent my life here trying to pretend I’ve always lived in this time, I can see it’s the same. Mom. Dad. I don’t want you to keep hiding. Whatever happens, get out there. Show the world who you are. All the love in both dimensions, Achsah.”

Caleb folded up the letter, and they all stood there for a long moment, no one saying anything. Finally, Evelyn took Caleb’s hand. “No more hiding,” she said softly.

“No more hiding,” Caleb echoed, “No more grieving.”

“Are you ready to show the world who we are?”

“If you are.”

Evelyn smiled, and together, she and Caleb walked out to meet the Isles.

Xxx

“Latissa.” Evelyn said the word carefully, like it might shatter in her mouth. “That’s an interesting choice. Any reason?”

Steven rubbed his arm where his sigil used to be. “Darius mentioned something—I know it’s gone, but…”

“The sigil experiments,” Phoenix breathed. That had to be what Darius and Steven had been talking about at the housewarming party. He touched his own mark. The Day of Unity was over, and with it, the danger of the draining spell. The sigils didn’t affect him, but countless witches couldn’t access all their magic—Alador led the way in sigil removal research, and Darius was right there with him.

Steven nodded. “The sigil experiments. I don’t think mine is the same as the modern sigils, since it almost killed me instantly, but Darius said getting a look at the earlier attempts might help them understand the ones we have now.”

“But you said it: you don’t have yours anymore,” Evelyn replied, “How are they going to study it?”

“Questions. Anecdotes. And… the seizures. Darius thinks they’re related.”

“We knew that.”

“Well, yes, but this might be—I mean, if what I know can help them, and if their research can stop the seizures entirely… even if they can’t, I want to help.” Steven shook his head. “I used that glove on other people, even knowing what it would do to them. I can’t change that, but… maybe I can make up for it by helping witches suffering from those sigils now.”

Evelyn chewed on her lip. “Latissa is a bit of a commute without a palisman,” she said finally, “What’s your plan?”

“I’d be staying there.” Steven shrugged, as if trying to make it seem like nothing. “There’s space—they converted the old police station into their center. I’m sure we can fit a bed.”

“I see. Do you—do you know how long you’d be there?” Evelyn’s voice held a sort of desperate casualness to it, like she was trying not to scare Steven off, but also didn’t quite want to let him go.

“Not forever.” Steven’s voice matched Evelyn’s, somehow both intensely normal and strained at the same time. “I’ll be back. Um. I mean, how long could it take, really?”

“How much is Alador like Sam?” Evelyn joked. She rubbed her arm. “Will you be okay? I should go with you.”

“What? Mom, they need you here.”

“But the seizures—if one happens—will Alador know what to do?”

“I’ll tell him,” Steven promised, “And I’m almost certain healers will be involved—I’ll be in the best possible place if something does go wrong. Besides home.”

“Hm.”

Steven took her hands. “Mom, I’ll be safe. I promise. This could be… it could be huge for me.”

“It could be.” Evelyn sighed, wrapping him in a hug. “Oh, I knew you all would grow up. I just didn’t think it would be so soon.”

Phoenix thought uneasily of Matt and Alex. Neither of them had announced their plans to leave yet, but maybe Evelyn suspected. Or maybe with Jason always off with the kids, and Auric always off at his new apprenticeship, and Phoenix gone every weekend, she just felt… lonely.

“I won’t be gone for long. Promise.”

Xxx

“Where was that you said? The wreckage of the keep? Again?” Darius pinched his nose, nodding along to the conversation on the other end of the raven phone. “I know—yes. No, we’ll look into it. I said we’ll look into it! Yes, lovely day to you too, goodbye.”

Phoenix winced, setting his weekend bag on the floor with a thump. “Bad time?”

Darius tossed the phone to the side, letting it fly to its perch. “It’s fine. Just Terra rearing her head again. Most of the scouts and coven heads settled in peacefully enough, but every couple of months…”

Phoenix shuddered. He doubted she’d come after him specifically, but part of him was tempted to start checking his drinks for poison. “Is it safe to leave her on the loose?”

“Unlikely. If anyone’s going to cause havoc, it’s going to be her. But the…” Darius heaved a sigh. “…CATs… are spread too thin. Between guarding the new palistrom tree, rebuilding what Belos and the Collector destroyed, and keeping the peace between disoriented and disillusioned citizens, we haven’t had a lot of time or manpower to spare towards tracking her down. And I don’t want to assign someone inexperienced to the job—we need someone who’s used to handling threats. Big ones. People who can corner her, and…” he tilted his head. “You have a thinking face on. You know someone, don’t you? One of your siblings?”

“Yes,” Phoenix said slowly, “Or—at least, I think so. Let me see that phone again?”

One short phone call and a griffin-flight later, Meleager, Horus, Hamlet, and Venari sat in Darius’ living room, studying pictures of Terra with matching frowns.

“Plant magic…” Meleager mused, “Fire and ice, then. I think I still have some leftover frost potions.”

“We need to get her off the ground,” Venari added, “The further she is from seeds and dirt, the harder it’ll be for her to get away.”

Hamlet scratched his head. “Coven head, though, so it’ll be tricky to separate her entirely—any capture method like nets or rope can’t be made of plant fibers, because she might be able to manipulate those.”

“Once we get her hands and feet immobilized, that won’t be as big of an issue,” Horus declared, “Focus on the capture—containment after should be comparatively easy.”

“Sounds like they’ve got this under control,” Darius murmured to Phoenix.

“They’ve been bored,” Phoenix replied equally quietly, “Oh, just—make sure you prioritize capturing Terra alive.”

Darius chuckled, then glanced at Phoenix and stopped abruptly. “Oh, you’re not kidding. They’ll—”

“Without hesitation.”

“Huh. Well, would it really be that much of a loss? Kidding,” he added quickly, “I’ll be sure to tell them.”

Phoenix shrugged. “I’ve got no love lost for Terra. But I don’t want them killing anyone, for sure. I don’t think that’s a path anyone wants them taking.”

“Hey.” Darius gave Phoenix a small smile. “Give them a little trust. They met Petro—I don’t think they’re in any hurry to go down the killing spree path.”

“Hm. I hope you’re right. They still might engage in some light torture, though.”

Darius squeezed his eyes shut. “Why do I feel like you handed me a bigger problem than the one you’ve solved?”

“They’ll be fine. Just…”

“Reiterate the capturing her alive part, yes, understood.”

“We’re going,” Venari declared, “We’ll see you in… what, 3 days at the worst?”

“We’re staking out the keep. We might come back to steal Dagger,” Meleager explained, “We got this, Phoenix, she’ll never poison anyone again.”

“Alive,” Darius warned, “Capture her alive!”

Horus gave him a thumbs-up, and the four of them disappeared out the door. Darius watched them go, the worry on his face shifting to a pensive, planning expression. “You know, if this goes well, I might have a few other hunts for them. Terra’s not the only one who’s clinging to her old power.”

Phoenix grinned. “I’m sure they’d like that very much.”

Xxx

“Oop—watch the root—”

Phoenix caught Mole’s arm at Jason’s warning, keeping him upright when he stumbled. “Maybe we should take off the blindfold?” he suggested, “The footing’s getting a little treacherous.”

“But then it wouldn’t be a surprise!” Jason protested, “Maybe you could carry him?”

Mole’s nose scrunched up at the suggestion, and Phoenix shook his head. “Yeah, I don’t think he wants that.”

“Well, we’re almost there anyway. Come on.”

Phoenix didn’t pick Mole up, but he held his arm out for Mole to cling to and guided him slowly over the forest floor. Mole gave him a brief grateful smile, jabbing one finger at the blindfold and heaving a fond sigh.

“He’s a bit excited,” Phoenix agreed, “He’s been taking trips out here with Hunter and Willow an awful lot, but they’ve been tight-lipped about it to me, too.”

“Okay, Phoenix, now you have to close your eyes, too!”

“I thought this was a surprise for Mole?” Phoenix protested.

“It is,” Hunter agreed, appearing at Phoenix’s elbow with Flapjack in his staff form, “But it’s a surprise for everyone. Don’t worry, I’ve got you two.”

Phoenix closed his eyes. Hunter’s hand closed over his arm, and he heard the tell-tale sound of a flash-step, his balance just ever-so-slightly thrown off at the sudden change in placement.

“Okay, open them,” Jason ordered.

Phoenix opened his eyes, and beside him, Mole took off the blindfold.

A massive blue tree towered over them, blooming with blue leaves and flowers. Phoenix had never seen a tree like this, but something about it seemed… familiar. His skin crawled with that feeling of just knowing something, deep inside, like how his curse recognized Belos, but more positive.

“Is that… palistrom?” he asked.

Mole stepped forward as if in a trance, putting one hand on the massive blue trunk. He nodded in answer to Phoenix’s question, pressing his forehead to the bark like it was an old friend. Silent tears streamed down his face, and Phoenix remembered just how long ago Mole had technically been born. He must have been used to seeing palistrom forests peppering the Isles, and had woken up suddenly in a world without them.

“The palisman this tree could make,” Phoenix murmured, “It grew so big so fast!”

“Willow had a lot to do with that part,” Hunter explained, “But, well, there’s a reason there was a shortage for so long.”

“Palistrom were kept strictly monitored by Belos,” Phoenix remembered, “You think he kept them small on purpose? Of course he did,” he answered his own question, “Why wouldn’t he? The more magic stifled, the better.”

Hunter fidgeted, twisting his hands around each other. Jason nudged him. “Go on,” he whispered, “Tell them.”

“Tell us what?”

“I’m going to be a palisman carver,” Hunter burst out, “Caleb’s taught me some, and I’ve been talking to Eda’s dad, Dell—he was a professional carver, you know—and he’s going to take me on as an apprentice.” He looked up at the tree, eyes shining. “With the way this tree’s been growing and flowering, we should be able to repopulate the Isles with palistrom in no time. Luckily, the palistrom is a self-pollinating plant. And even just a solid branch from this tree—anyone can have a palisman. Everyone can.” He scratched the back of his neck shyly. “I was thinking… I was thinking I could carve one for Caleb first. Since… you know. He carved my palisman.”

Phoenix smiled warmly. “That sounds like a great idea.”

“And… I could carve one for everyone in the family. Or you could adopt!” he added quickly, “The Bat Queen has dozens of palisman looking for a home. But yes. I could carve one. Hypothetically. No promises yet, I’m still learning, but—oh, okay, you hate the idea.”

“What?” Phoenix reached up to find tears running from his eyes. “No—no, Hunter, I don’t hate the idea, I…” he searched for the right words to describe how he felt. A palisman? For him? He’d never even considered it, not with the life he’d lived. The curse curled up inside him rumbled at the idea, but he couldn’t tell if it was the remnants of Belos protesting, the palisman eager for a palisman of their own outside of him, or something hungrier. “Is that a good idea?” he said finally, “I mean, with…” he gestured to his arms.

“Do you want one?” Jason asked.

“Yes.” The word slipped out of Phoenix’s mouth almost without a thought. He hadn’t realized he wanted one until now, but he knew it deep inside, watching Flapjack and Hunter. “I do.”

“Then we’ll find a way to make it work,” Jason said firmly, “Whatever that means.”

Mole nodded joining them. He pointed to himself, tilting his head in a question.

“Yeah, of course I can make one for you,” Hunter interpreted, “Any idea what you’d want? We can always go the egg route if not. Sounds pretty easy to carve, too.”

A mischievous grin crept over Mole’s face, and he pointed to himself again. Hunter frowned.

“I don’t know what you’re asking—sorry, we’ll figure it ou—”

Jason groaned. “Oh, no. You want a mole for a palisman, don’t you?”

Mole nodded vigorously, breaking off into peals of laughter. Phoenix groaned with Jason, but Mole’s laughter was infectious, and a smile took over his face despite himself.

Palisman for us. It didn’t seem right—not after all the palisman he’d handed over to Belos. Maybe Mole or Jason deserved one—after all, Belos had tried to kill Jason for protecting the little creatures. Phoenix? He’d never even considered another option besides giving them to their doom.

But Flapjack sat scarred and proud on Hunter’s shoulder despite everything, like a beacon saying it’s possible; you just have to want it enough, and the tree loomed over them, big, and beautiful, and strong despite what Belos had tried to do to its species, and right here, in this forest, Phoenix did want it.

We’ll find a way to make it work.

Xxx

Phoenix climbed out an attic hatch onto the roof—another holdover from the old house’s design. He didn’t quite join Cherry where he sat on the edge of the roof, legs dangling over, but he sat down close.

“I thought this was Jason’s brooding spot. Enjoying the view?”

Cherry glanced back at him. “It’s quieter than I thought it would be.”

“Hm?”

Cherry waved a hand at the town sprawling in the near distance. “I thought it would be noisy, living so much closer to other people. But in the evening, if I close my eyes, it’s almost like nothing’s changed. It’s like we’re still back in the forest, and we’re all together. No one’s left and gone where I can’t protect them. And then I open my eyes, and… it’s all so different now.”

“It’s not a bad thing. They’ll be okay.”

“Mm.” Cherry stared out over the town again, his hair almost red in the light of the setting sun. “You ever think it was strange, how close to Belos we were hiding? I mean, the third rib? We might as well have been on his doorstep. But we weren’t discovered. Somehow, we were never discovered. Somehow, Mom and Dad managed to save every one of us, no matter how badly we were injured. Isn’t that odd? We didn’t lose a single person.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “Belos always said loss was so necessary, and I believed him. I saw it firsthand, how sometimes people had to be sacrificed. We were some of those people. But somehow, no one died. None of us—despite how many people we killed, not one of us went down. Why did we get to survive when so many people didn’t?” He chuckled, a low, humorless sound. “Doesn’t that seem so improbable, when you think about it? Belos might have been lying about the titan having plans for us, but sometimes it almost does feel like there’s some higher power out there who’s decided to keep us alive.”

“Or one determined human and witch.” Phoenix scooted closer to Cherry, eying the edge of the roof. “It does seem improbable,” he admitted, “People died—and we were responsible some of the time. But we all made it. Against the odds. I think this family is good at that.”

Cherry heaved a sigh. “But what’s the point, if we’re not going to stick together? What’s the point, if after everything, everyone goes their separate ways? We got so far, only to fall apart at the end.”

“We’re not falling apart.” Phoenix looked up at the moon and stars slowly replacing the sun as the brightest things in the sky. “You know… I used to see Darius every day. I’d take him with me on missions. I’d test his skills, but I was always there to protect him if something happened. But when I first woke up with Caleb and Evelyn… he’d grown. He was a capable adult who could handle himself. And that was a hard thing to accept. If he didn’t need me to protect him, if he didn’t need a mentor, then what use was I to him?”

Phoenix smiled. “But we haven’t fallen apart yet. Maybe he doesn’t need a mentor anymore. Maybe he doesn’t need my protection. But I think he still needs me. Just me, because I’m me and that’s enough of a reason.” Phoenix nudged Cherry’s shoulder. “It’s not going to be the same. They’re not going to be as close. They won’t always need your protection anymore. And that’s going to be difficult to get used to. But I don’t think they’ll ever stop needing you.”

Cherry watched the sun finally disappear completely over the horizon, silent until it was gone. “I don’t want our lives to change,” he said finally, “I think I’m glad for the others finding what they want, but I’m not sure who I am without them. I’ve been looking after them for so long, trying to forget the past for so long… I don’t want to be left alone with myself.”

“Hm.” Phoenix leaned back, finally kicking his legs over the edge of the roof and sitting fully next to Cherry. “Well. I can tell you some good news about that.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yes. Even if they all leave, even if we all go our separate ways, you aren’t going to be alone, Cherry. We will always have your back. We’ll only be one raven call away.”

A smile flashed across Cherry’s face. “You’re going to have to teach me how to use one.”

“Oh. Right.”

“But… thanks, Phoenix. For having my back.”

Xxx

Despite Phoenix’s late start, his room filled up over months of living. Mole commandeered his window space with new plants, human realm varieties that Camila shared. Light blue walls were quickly covered over with scribbles that Ghost had presented him, and photos Willow shared. She always seemed to be dropping by, picking up Hunter or Jason or both of them. Sometimes, even Mole went along to visit the palistrom tree. Little practice wood carvings that Hunter made with Caleb and Dell surrounded the photograph Darius had given to him. Hunter hadn’t carved any palisman for the family besides Mole’s mole, but one day, Jason came back from the human realm library with a massive book full of animal pictures that he and Phoenix pored over for hours, looking for a creature that felt right.

Jason tapped one foot. “We’re going to be late. Hunter and Willow are outside waiting.”

“Yeah, yeah, give me a second. We’ll have at least half an hour while Caleb and Flapjack catch up.” Phoenix drank an elixir. Today had been a good day for the curse, but he didn’t want to push it staying up late.

Jason wandered over to the window, peering into the garden. “He’s gotten taller than me,” he grumbled, “Traitor. I’ll be inconsolable if Ghost gets big like that. I cannot be the shortest in the family.”

Phoenix ruffled his hair, his arm braces clicking gently at the movement. “Aw, don’t you want to stay the baby forever? You don’t want to be Evelyn’s little snuggle buddy?”

“I will always be Mom’s little snuggle buddy, thank you very much, but that doesn’t mean I have to be the shortest. Ghost has to be shorter. They have to.”

“Do not.” Ghost wrinkled their nose at Jason from the doorway. “I’m gonna be so big. Gonna eat griffins. In one bite.”

“Don’t let Joseph hear you say that,” Phoenix joked, “He’ll disown you.”

Ghost squeaked, tugging on Phoenix’s arm. “Nee-Nee, it’s time to go,” they said impatiently, “I wanna see King.”

“Alright, I’m coming, I’m coming.”

Phoenix followed Ghost downstairs. Hunter chattered excitedly to Caleb about the palisman he was working on, and Willow gave Jason their customary bow and exchange of royal titles.

“I can just walk, right?” Phoenix asked Hunter.

“Low and slow,” Hunter promised.

“You never actually mean that,” Phoenix grumbled, but he sat behind Hunter anyway, picking Ghost up and holding them tightly in his lap.

Hunter did fly too fast and too high for Phoenix’s taste, but Willow and Jason still beat them by a mile, so he supposed Hunter had been taking it easy on him.

Ghost squirmed out of Phoenix’s lap almost before they’d completely landed, bolting to tackle King in a hug. The titan fell in mock defeat.

“Curses! You’ve defeated the king of the demons this time, little Ghost!”

“She’s coming!” Eda called, “Everyone ready?”

Luz walked through the door, and the quinceañera passed by in a blur of well-wishes and laughter. Phoenix exchanged smiles and hellos with what seemed like everyone on the Isles.

“You thought any more about the mentoring offer? The university’s really taking off.”

Phoenix smiled tiredly in response to Eda. “I’d need a way to get there. Getting Ghost to Hexside is going to be tricky enough.”

“Man. Get a palisman already, would ya?”

Eda’s grin dispelled any bite to the words, but Phoenix’s attention hung fully on the portal door hanging wide open behind her. He glanced around to make sure Ghost was safe—they chased happily after Flapjack, who Phoenix was relatively certain was one of the more responsible people here—and quickly pushed through into the human realm before he could convince himself not to.

Creak.

Phoenix’s eyes darted over furniture that formed monsters and familiar specters in the dark. Wait a minute…

“Petro?” he called, just in case.

“No,” Jason’s voice called from the basement, “Just me.”

Phoenix creaked his way down the stairs to the basement, wincing at every sound. He sat on the bottom of the stairs next to Jason. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Jason gestured out towards the mound where Phoenix knew Belos’ remains lay. “Do you ever wake up and just… forget for a minute that he’s gone?”

Phoenix rubbed his arms. A part of Belos would always live in him, in the curse—for him the problem was more remembering that he was gone at all. “Sometimes,” he admitted, “I’m guessing you do.”

Jason sighed. “I know it’s been years, but… sometimes it just doesn’t feel real. Sometimes I feel like he’s still coming for me. I mean, after all he’s survived, how can I even truly be sure he’s gone?” He rested his chin on his knees. “I don’t know if I’ll ever really believe it.”

Phoenix chuckled dryly. “Can you imagine how furious he’d be if he was still alive?”

Jason cracked a smile at that. “A university of wild magic?” he joked, “He’s probably spinning in his grave fast enough to generate the electricity needed to power this whole neighborhood. Not to mention us.”

“Not to mention us,” Phoenix echoed, “He’d be devastated if he knew we were happy.”

“Guess we better keep being happy, then. Just to spite him.” Jason’s smile faded, and he went back to looking over Belos’ grave.

Phoenix nudged his shoulder. “Hey,” he said quietly, “He’s dead. For real this time. He’s not coming back. But when it feels like he might, when it feels like he’s going to jump out of nowhere and sink his claws into you… you know where to find me. Or Cherry. Or Caleb, or Evelyn, or Mole, or anyone else. You’re going to be okay.”

“Yeah. I think I am.”

Jason got up, stretching and offering his hand to Phoenix. “Let’s get out of here.”

Phoenix happily obeyed, following Jason back into light and laughter. Ghost wandered over, their eyelids drooping. Flapjack chirped an admonishment, tugging affectionately on their hair.

“Hey, Ghost,” Phoenix said quietly, crouching down next to them, “You all tired out?”

They rubbed their eyes. “I’m not sleepy,” they said stubbornly, in spite of their giant yawn, “I just… want to go to bed and rest my eyes.”

“Fair enough.” Phoenix scooped Ghost up, holding them as easily as if they were still a toddler. “Come on. Let’s go home.”

#YAY WE FINISHED IT IN TIME FOR GILDED'S BIRTHDAY!!!! BARELY BUT WE DID IT!!!#toh #the owl house #gilded family au #toh fanfiction #my writing #caleb wittebane #golden guard oc #evelyn clawthorne #willow park #hunter wittebane

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sergeantsporks · 6 months

Text

Gilded Family

Rating: Teen and Up, Gen

Ch 35/38: And Watching

Ao3

The keep loomed in front of Phoenix, cold and sterile. His stomach tied itself in knots, his heart flip-flopping around like he was 13 and coming back from his first failed mission all over.

I never thought I’d see this place again.

Somehow, it seemed… smaller. Phoenix couldn’t quite place why, but even though seeing the place still filled him with dread, it felt… lighter. Maybe it was knowing that if he did all the right things, if he fought back, he could leave this place behind forever. Not that there was a place for him to go after with the house destroyed, but at least the people who’d made the house worth going back to were still alive.

Hopefully.

The star swooped closer to the ground, and Phoenix tumbled off the back, rolling to absorb the impact, and springing to his feet. He took a deep breath, let it out, then started thinking of all the worst possible scenario, of what would happen if he couldn’t get away. The Isles? Destroyed. His body? Taken by Belos and used to hurt the people he cared about.

His arms shifted into mud and claws, and he twisted his fluid hand, snaking the claws to the ropes that held him tight.

Petro swooped back around, landing and dragging Phoenix closer with a wave of his staff. “Oh, no you don’t.”

“How’s possession?” Phoenix asked, desperate to keep his attention away from the slowly, but steadily fraying ropes. “Is it everything you hoped for when you went back to him? Does it hurt much?”

Petro’s jaw clenched, and he tossed Phoenix to the side.

Hit a nerve there.

The Collector’s star whirled out of control, crashing into the ground, and Phoenix winced, glad he’d rolled off when he did. Belos staggered off, twitching and lurching. The witch he was possessing must be fighting back—Belos wouldn’t be able to use their body much longer.

Phoenix slashed at the ropes quicker.

“I said,” the witch growled, “Get out!”

They whistled, a long, high, pure note, and Belos flew forward, repelled by a blast of magic that ruffled Phoenix’s hair and strained the ropes around him.

Belos snarled. “That’s fine. Only one vessel is big enough to do what I need.” He pulled up into a smaller, shriveled version of his monster form, his blue eyes latching on Petro. “Watch them.”

He disappeared into the castle. The witch watched for a moment, puzzled then gasped. “No.”

They glanced back, an agonized apology written on their face as their eyes met Phoenix’s.

“Go,” Phoenix urged them, “Don’t worry about me.”

They bolted, tearing through the front gates. Petro swore, starting to chase after them, but stopped, hovering between their quickly-disappearing form and Phoenix with a frustrated growl. Finally, he jabbed one finger at Phoenix. “Don’t. Move. I mean it.”

He leapt after the witch, chasing in bursts of magical gold that were always just a step behind the witch’s quick pace.

Phoenix finally tore through the ropes, leaping to his feet. He’d never catch up running, not with his broken ankle. Instead, he eyed the outside of the keep. He’d be heading for the throne room; Phoenix had spent enough time here that he could figure out where any room in the keep was from the outside, and he picked a likely window. He limped to Belos’ crashed star, tugging it out of the ground and kneeling on its glowing center.

Don’t think about it too hard.

Phoenix tugged the points of the star, and the whole thing shot upwards, flipping nearly perpendicular to the ground. Phoenix yelped, pressing his weight forward against the star to even it out. He slowly angled the star to face the window, then leaned forward, hurtling towards the window at top speed. He braced himself for impact, wincing as the window shattered and broken shards of glass slashed at his face and arms while he sailed through.

If I had a snail for every time today…

The witch from before faced off against Petro, whirling around and emitting sharp whistles that blasted Petro back every time he tried to attack. Bard magic. But Belos inched his rotting way towards the titan’s heart. Phoenix leapt off the star and onto Petro, tackling him.

“Stop Belos!” he yelled, “I’ve got your back!”

The world blurred gold just as the bard reached for their viola.

Petro warped outside, close to the top of the keep. Phoenix yelped, clinging to the staff while Petro kicked at him.

“You’re too much trouble,” Petro hissed, his foot narrowly missing Phoenix’s face. “We’re better off without you. Just—” Phoenix twisted to avoid a kick, still holding onto the staff with all his might. “Let—” another failed kick. “Go! Stop wiggling!” The staff slowly drifted towards the outer walls, dragged by Phoenix’s thrashing weight.

Before Petro could try to kick him again, before Phoenix could make another move, the keep exploded in green, what looked like a forest of mold and moss erupting from its center and covering the walls. Petro stopped kicking at Phoenix, staring slack-jawed at the ruin covered in growth.

Phoenix pushed off the staff while Petro was distracted, stretching his claws out and digging them into the keep walls as he fell. His momentum dragged him down in a hail of broken stone and popping, creaking joints and bones. He came to a halt a relatively safe distance from the ground, and leapt the rest of the way, landing in a roll and springing to his feet. He turned his face away from the keep, sick at the thought of what must have happened to the bard trapped inside.

Too late.

Petro circled above him like a vulture, waiting for an opening. Phoenix rolled his shoulders with a wince, shifting into a defensive position. “You’re really okay with this?!” he demanded, “He’s going to destroy everything! Are you so blindly devoted that you’ll let him wipe out everything you’ve known?”

“Even if I wanted to, what do you think I can do to stop it?” Petro snarled back. He gestured at the overtaken keep. Belos slowly crept outwards, his rot rooting itself in the titan’s very bones. “What do you think any of us could do against that?! Face it. You’ve lost. The bard lost, even without me slowing them down. Everyone but him has lost.” He wheeled around in the air, facing away from Phoenix and the keep. “Die now by my hand, or in a few moments by his, little bird,” he said gruffly, “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

He disappeared in a flash of gold. Phoenix stepped back, edging away from the growing infection. What could he do? He didn’t want to think Petro was right, but there were no more plans. Nothing left to try.

Belos wanted to get back to Caleb once he’d finished wiping out the Isles—but would Caleb even survive? Would Belos somehow be able to spare him?

Would the rest of the family survive even if Belos did manage to somehow keep Caleb alive in all of this?

The keep rumbled, and the infection shot outwards in throbbing, living spikes. Phoenix dove to the side, landing in a clear patch tucked in the shadow of a pillar. Before he could move any further, the rot had completely closed around. Bare patches dotted the ground, but nowhere Phoenix could easily jump to, especially not with his injured ankle—he was stranded in an ocean of waving green anemone.

The mass of green around the keep shifted and bulged, sprouting wings and arms and too many blue eyes to count. Phoenix’s breath caught in his throat, and he shrank back against the pillar to avoid the gaze of those icy blue eyes. His own arms shuddered and flipped back and forth between mud and flesh, as if his curse couldn’t decide whether to fight or to hide. Phoenix leaned against the pillar, his heart doing its best to spear itself on his ribcage.

This can’t be happening.

How do I stop it?

Blue flames arced across the sky, scorching the landscape, and despite himself, Phoenix let out a squeak. Belos had never been able to do that before.

A rush of wind ruffled his hair, and Eda landed next to him, closely followed by Luz, King, and the Collector.

“Phoenix?! What are you doing here?”

Phoenix flinched. “I… sort of got kidnapped? Sorry. I didn’t mean to leave the archive house.”

Collector tapped their fingers together anxiously. “Did you see Hunter? Is he alright? Did Belos get him, too?”

“Hunt—oh, you mean Petro. He’s… fine? But look, about him—”

“Is that Belos?!” Eda yelped.

Phoenix broke off his conversation with the Collector to answer her instead. “Yep. That’s him.”

Luz eyed him suspiciously. “Are you sure you’re not—”

Right. He could see where this looked bad. “I’m not the one who brought him here. I swear I wasn’t possessed, Luz. I promise. He… it was sort of a long line of possession, actually. But I wasn’t part of it.”

King waved a hand at the monstrosity that was Belos. “It doesn’t matter who it was! What do we do? There’s no way we can stop that!”

Phoenix’s heart sank. Of course he’d known he couldn’t do much—Petro was right. But he’d hoped… King was a titan. And Eda had whatever this feathery form was. But if they didn’t have any idea what to do either, maybe it was the end of the line.

Collector straightened up. “Yes, there is.” They started to glow, their feet lifting off the floor. “And I know how.”

A spark of hope flared in Phoenix’s chest as they shot through the sky like a star, flicking Belos’ attacks to the side like they were nothing. Last time, Collector had managed to turn Belos into a puddle—sure, he’d survived, but if they could do it again, it would at least buy enough time to figure out a better solution. And this time, they’d know to watch for him. No one would be taken by surprise again.

Collector seemed to collide with Belos in a blinding flash of light, but when the light faded, Phoenix saw that he’d actually stopped short of the monster’s face, floating serenely in the sky.

“No…” Luz murmured, “What is he doing?!”

“I get it now,” Collector said cheerfully, “You just need kindness and forgiveness, huh?”

Collector hugged Belos’ face. Belos seemed almost as surprised as the rest of them, blinking slowly at the child attached to his face.

Phoenix’s jaw dropped. “What did you three say to them?!” he asked frantically.

“Not this!” King protested, “Well—sort of, but Belos?!”

Luz winced. “I’d be so proud of him if it was anytime but now.”

Collector floated away from Belos, turning to face the rest of them. He waved. “Luz, look! We can all be buddies now!”

Belos opened his mouth, blue fire sparking.

“No!” Phoenix leapt forward, desperately dashing through clear patches despite the jolts of pain in his ankle, but he knew already in a sinking, sick feeling, that he wouldn’t make it in time.

“Collector!”

Luz whooshed overhead in a flash of purple and white, and Phoenix stopped to watch her, his breath stopping in his chest.

Belos fired.

Luz’s magic burst purple, dispelling the blue.

Phoenix hissed out a sigh of relief when he saw Luz and the Collector both floating in the aftermath. His legs wobbled, but he stayed up, watching. Something was wrong—he could feel it in an aching in his arms, a loss that hadn’t happened yet.

And Luz started to dissolve into light, green moss overtaking her body and changing her.

“No,” Phoenix whispered, “No, no, no.”

“Luz?” Collector asked in a small voice, “What’s happening?”

Luz slowly turned to look down at Eda and King, tears bubbling in her eyes. “Eda, King. Looks like we're gonna be split up again. I feel like I should be used to this feeling by now, but... I still don't know what to say.”

Every fiber of Phoenix’s body screamed do something, but there was nothing to do except watch. Watch as she disappeared, and her staff clattered to the ground. Watch as Collector grasped for her hand, catching a tiny ball of light. Watch as Eda and King stared in horror where Luz used to be. Collector slowly drifted down next to them. “Where’d she go?”

Phoenix stumbled his way back to the rest, wishing he could say something to Eda and King, but his voice died in his throat. What could he say?

It should have been me.

I should have stopped Belos earlier

If I’d gone for him instead of Petro

If I’d tried to push him off the star on the way, something

“Luz?” Collector said with a wobbly, nervous smile, “Luz? Yoo-hoo! You can come out now!”

Phoenix still couldn’t say anything, and the same was happening to Eda and King—they just stared blankly where Luz had disappeared.

Collector kept that same smile on their face. “Well, it's okay. She just broke, so I'll fix her.” He snapped his fingers, but the glow just dissipated. He snapped again. “What? Why isn't it working?” He kept snapping, each snap more frantic than the last. “The Archivists aren't here. They couldn't have taken her.”

Phoenix’s heart tore in his chest. He didn’t understand—of course he didn’t. He thought they were toys to be fixed.

Belos took aim again, and this time, King leapt in front of the Collector with a shout.

No, Phoenix thought dizzily, turning too slow, too slow.

But King’s shout formed a shield, glyphs glowing on its surface. He’d grown bigger, more… feral looking, his eyes and mouth glowing to match Belos’. He roared.

Collector wandered back, tugging at Eda. “Owl Lady, you know where Luz is, right?”

Eda gently pushed him to the side, her feathers lengthening, and her body hunching. “Back up, kid. I don’t think I can control myself right now.”

Collector turned slowly to Phoenix, his bottom lip trembling. “Phoenix?” he asked softly, “Is she really gone?”

“I…” Phoenix’s legs finally gave out on him, and he collapsed to his knees while Eda and King charged towards Belos, roaring. “I’m sorry.”

“But I don’t understand.” Collector’s voice wobbled, and he scooted closer to Phoenix. “I don’t understand, Belos broke you and you came back. Why can’t Luz come back?”

“Oh, Collector,” Phoenix sighed. He reached out, pausing. “…Permission to touch?”

Collector sniffed. “What’s that mean?”

“It means… it means I want to comfort you, but I don’t know if you want to be touched right now. I know I lied to you, and it hurt you, and… if you don’t want me to, I won’t.”

Collector scrubbed at their face. “It’s okay.”

Phoenix gently took the Collector’s hands, squeezing them tightly. “I…”

“You came back,” Collector repeated, “Why can’t she?”

Phoenix sighed again. “When Belos hurt me… some very special people found me, and they… they helped me. They put me back together, and… they made sure I was safe. They took care of me. I was lucky,” he continued softly, “Very lucky. But… that was an exception. And… people don’t usually come back.”

Collector looked back up at Eda and King, whose attacks seemed to just bounce off of Belos. As enormous as Eda’s beast form was, she was still miniscule compared to Belos, and King was even smaller.

“It’s not doing anything,” Collector whispered in horror, “It’s just—it’s not beating him. They’re going to lose—can’t they see?”

Phoenix squeezed Collector’s hand. “It’s all they can do,” he said softly. That sinking, hopeless feeling was back. Even powered up, they couldn’t do anything. Phoenix was useless in this fight. And Luz…

Eda scooped King up just before one of Belos’ attacks could hit him, landing behind Phoenix and Collector. She roared her fury, but before she could attack again, Collector broke away from Phoenix and waved his arms in front of her.

“No, please stop! Run away!” Collector snapped his fingers. “Why isn't anything working?”

Phoenix limped up behind him. Mold sprouted on Collector’s hands.

No.

I won’t let this happen again!

“Collector—”

Collector’s eyes filled with tears. “I don't want anyone else to go away. I don't want anyone else to go missing!” He turned to Phoenix with a desperate look on his face. “I'm sorry for everything! I’m sorry!” The tears started to pour down, and he scrubbed at his face. “What is this stuff? Why won’t it stop?”

Phoenix reached for his shoulder, but Collector collapsed to his knees, hiccupping hysterically. “No! No, no, no, no! Get off of her!”

Phoenix looked down and saw mold growing on Eda’s feet. It crusted on his own boots as well, chewing at the leather. His arms bubbled in response, the mud burning and eating at his shoulders, as if trying to climb away from his infested feet.

Not now

But the curse didn’t care—it was stressed and hungry, and Phoenix was too tired and too scared to fight it off. Phoenix’s vision blurred, but he could feel the ground tremble, and he looked up just in time to see Belos raising one massive hand to crush them all.

No.

Phoenix blinked back the fuzziness, pushed back the exhaustion, and leapt forward, scooping Collector and King up in his arms and shielding them with his body. It wouldn’t help. He knew, deep down, that when that hand came down, it would crush them underneath him. But he had to do something, even knowing it was over. Phoenix braced himself.

The blow never came. Purple light pulsed around them, and Belos drew back with a screech.

Collector gasped, pushing around Phoenix. “It can’t be…?”

Through the clouds of dust, glyphs burned and shifted, swirling around a figure in the center. Phoenix squinted, trying to see past the light. King shrank a little, and his eyes lost their glowing. Finally, the fog cleared, and Luz grinned, her glyphs coming to a halt around her. “I’m back!”

She wasn’t the same Luz who’d disappeared. Her eyes had gone purplish black with glowing gold irises. Horns matching King’s sprouted from her head, claws lengthened her hands. But it was her. Phoenix’s heart thumped in his chest. This was impossible—she’d disappeared, she’d turned into light. Maybe Belos really had killed them all, and now they were reuniting with Luz. But Belos still loomed over them, and the Isles hadn’t disappeared, so…

The glyphs faded away and Luz tugged on her hat nervously. “I—wait. Uh. Couldn’t keep me away from… hang on.” She groaned. “I still can’t think of anything to say,” she complained.

King leapt out of Phoenix’s arms and to Eda, who shrank back down to her feathered, but smaller, form with a grin. “It’s Luz alright!”

Belos roared, shaking the ground beneath their feet. Before he could attack again, Luz waved her staff. A bubble of light, shining with glyphs on its surface, formed around the five of them. It slowly rose into the air, then slammed into the sky with a jerk, sending everyone inside tumbling around. Phoenix tucked his arms in close to his chest to avoid touching anyone with his volatile curse. Out of immediate danger, the mud subsided a bit, but the bone-weary exhaustion stayed.

The ball shuddered to a halt, and Luz grinned sheepishly. “Whoa! Overshot it a little. Still… getting used to these powers!”

Belos snarled up at them, and the head of the titan started to twist. On top, the archive house shook, sliding down.

“The archive house,” Eda gasped, “Everyone inside—”

Jason, Ghost, Darius… and whoever else Collector had caught. They’d be defenseless up there, unable to move and get away. If the fall didn’t kill them, Belos’ rot would.

“Leave it to me,” Collector said confidently. They held a hand out. “…Phoenix? Will you come with me?”

Phoenix nodded, taking his hand. A star formed beneath them, breaking out of the bubble.

“Hey—” Phoenix turned back to the bubble. “There was a bard inside the keep when everything… exploded.”

Eda started. “A bard?”

“Yeah—I don’t know what you’re planning, and I know you have to stop this fast, but if you have a second…”

Luz squeezed Eda’s hand. “We’ll find them,” she promised.

The star took off. Phoenix sat down with a whump, and a glowing strand of blue energy wrapped around his waist. Collector gave him a crooked, apologetic smile. “I know you always wished they came with seatbelts.”

Phoenix gestured to Collector’s hands. The mold had spread up their wrists. “Hey…”

They hid their hands in their sleeves. “I can do this. We can do this.”

Phoenix met their gaze. They were so small—but determination flashed in those orange eyes. Phoenix still didn’t know what Luz had said to him, but whatever it was, it was working. He nodded. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

The tip of the titan’s horn snapped, and the archive house plummeted. Collector stood on the star, tendrils of purple light snatching the points of the house and holding it steady. Below them, Phoenix could see Luz’s friends and a woman he didn’t recognize snatching puppets off the shelves and moving them safely to the floor.

The seatbelt released, and with a wrinkle of Collector’s nose, Phoenix floated off the star and drifted down to the Archives below, landing so lightly on his feet that even his broken ankle didn’t feel the impact

“Phoenix?!” Hunter yelped, “Is that the Collector?”

“Yes, it’s the Collector, hi, we’re here to help.” Phoenix took a deep breath, holding his hands up. “Please don’t freak out, I promise I’m not possessed, it’s just very simi—”

A puppet tumbled down off the shelves, jarred by the shaking, and Phoenix reached out instinctively, his arms lengthening and safely snatching them out of the air.

The kids stared at him, mouths open, and Phoenix held his hands up again. “Not possessed! Promise!”

Another puppet fell, and the woman Phoenix didn’t recognize activated an ice glyph, creating a slide for them to roll down. “Hi, Phoenix, I’m Camila. Jason told us a lot about you; it’s so nice to finally meet you. Do you mind giving us a hand?”

Phoenix nodded, slinging one hand up to a higher shelf and pulling himself to the top. He gently untangled the puppet there from the pegs holding them in place and lowered them down to Camila.

“What’s going on out there?” the purple-haired girl (Amity? Phoenix was pretty sure that was her name) asked anxiously, “Is that Belos out there? Is Luz okay? Did you see her?”

“Luz is…” Phoenix searched for the right word. “…alive?”

Amity’s face paled.

“She’s fine!” he added quickly, “Luz is fine, it’s just—a lot’s happened. Honestly, I’m still figuring it out myself. Belos… I don’t know, she dissolved into light, but now she’s back, and I think she’s turned into a titan?”

“She what?!” everyone yelped in unison.

Phoenix started to lower himself down to the next niche. “Well—"

A roaring scream emanated from the titan’s chest, grating on Phoenix’s ears. His fingers released the ledge of their own volition, his curse shrinking back into normal flesh. He yelped, snatching uselessly at the ledges.

Hunter appeared in a flash of gold, grabbing his arm and teleporting safely back down to the ground. “Got you.”

“Thanks.” Phoenix limped to the balcony. The glowing ball, the bursts of magic—all signs of Luz had disappeared entirely. “Where…?”

The isles rumbled, and the archive house started to slip again, the green mold at the center of the Isles lashing out desperately.

“She’s still fighting!” Willow cheered.

A flash of purple magic sparked at the heart, and the monster raging at its center stopped, turning grey and slowly crumbling. The head slowly approached—or, rather, the archive house gently floated down to meet it. Collector crashed to the ground with a sigh, and Phoenix fell next to him. “Is it… over?” he whispered.

Collector held up their hands. The moss covering their arms disappeared just like Belos, faded into the wind. “I think so.”

The kids approached, and Collector flinched holding his arms over his head. Phoenix looked up at them, worried. They had every right to be angry. But before he could say anything, Amity held her hand out to Collector, helping them up. Hunter pulled Phoenix to his feet.

“What happened to your leg?”

“Long story,” Phoenix said wearily, “Hey—did you find Jason when you were grabbing puppets? And Ghost?”

“What? We sent Jason back home—did you miss him? And… who’s Ghost?”

“Your new baby sibling.”

“My what?!”

“Yeah, you’re not the youngest anymore.” Phoenix pushed himself onto his own two feet. “Jason and Ghost got caught—we have to find th—”

He swayed, dizzy, and nearly fell on top of Hunter. Willow grabbed his other arm to balance out his weight. “We’ll find them,” she said firmly.

“You look awful,” Amity agreed, “You need to sit down—how long have you been walking on that leg like that?”

“But—” Phoenix protested.

“Hey.” Camila smiled at him, a warm, comforting smile that almost made all his worries about Jason melt away in an instant. “We care about Jason, too. We’ll find him.” She gave the other kids the stink eye. “Don’t think the rest of you are off the hook. You all need rest, too. You’ve had a long couple of days, and just because your legs aren’t broken doesn’t mean you’re in top shape.”

“I know where all the unpuppets can meet up!” Collector declared, “You can wait for mini you there, Phoenix!”

“But—”

Before Phoenix could finish his sentence, they snapped their fingers, and the ruined storage room disappeared, replaced by a cracked, but mostly intact foyer. Phoenix slumped against a pillar, sliding to the ground and closing his eyes. They were right. He knew that. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could stay up on his injured leg, and the curse howled hungrily inside of him. He needed to conserve strength until he could get something to eat, or take an extended nap. Running around the archive house looking for Jason and Ghost would probably just result in his curse going wild and creating a new problem for everyone to deal with.

That didn’t mean he liked it. His chest ached, wishing desperately that they’d find Jason and Ghost soon, or that Darius would be freed quickly. Phoenix ran over a thousand apologies in his mind to distract from the ache in his chest, none of them as thorough and perfect as Darius deserved.

The archive house slowly filled with dull murmurs. When Phoenix opened his eyes, he saw a few newly-freed witches skirting around him with nervous glances. His gaze slowly slid down to the myriad of cuts and bruises mottling his skin. He could feel more on his back rubbing rawly against the pillar, mementos of his latest trip out the archive house window. He probably did look like someone to steer clear of.

Still, even the witches dressed in healers’ blue avoided him.

The conversation bubbled up as more and more freed citizens reunited with family members and friends. All around Phoenix, tearful shouts of joy rose up, making the ache in his chest worse. And then, two new voices rose above the rest, calling familiar names.

“Clara? Ram?”

Phoenix opened his eyes. Two witches pushed through the crowd, scanning every face anxiously.

“Excuse me,” one begged another witch, “Have you seen two kids? One about this high, she’s eight, and another shorter, about five? Our children, we’re looking for them. Please—”

Phoenix creaked to his feet, limping towards them. “Hey—Clara and Ram—I know where they are.”

One of the witches grabbed his arm. “You saw them?” he asked, “Are they safe? Where are they?”

“Hexside.” Even as he said it, Phoenix started to doubt himself. Had they made it? If their parents hadn’t found them here, then they must have escaped the Collector, but had they made it to Hexside? And what about Belos? Had anyone survived his onslaught outside of the archive house?

“Hexside? Why would they be there?”

Phoenix shook himself. They were fine. They’d made it. “They weren’t with the Collector—some family of mine took care of them. They were taken to Hexside for safety.”

The witch released his arm. “Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

His partner inclined their head in a gracious nod. “We’ll go after them. Hey—are you alright?”

Phoenix realized he was swaying on his feet, and he blinked. “Oh. I’m… I’ll be alright. I just need to sit down.”

“Is there anything we can do for you?”

The first witch shifted anxiously, glancing at the door, and Phoenix realized that these witches couldn’t be much older than he was. They’d been separated from their family, just like him. Even though the panicky witch’s sigil matched the healing coven, he couldn’t even think of asking him to stay, despite the aches and pains tearing at him. They needed to leave. He shook his head.

“Go find Clara and Ram. Or—well—if you see anyone who looks like me at Hexside, could you tell them I’m alright, and I’ll be there soon?”

The anxious witch nodded, relief flitting across his face. “And… who should we say sent the message?”

“Phoenix.”

“Thank you, Phoenix,” the calmer witch said, “Thank you for looking out for them.”

The two melted back into the crowd, and Phoenix found a new place to sit—this time, a proper bench. Odalia waltzed by, sulking in a corner. A low growl rumbled in Phoenix’s throat, but he leaned back against the wall again with a sigh. She wasn’t worth it. The Hexside kids filed in, running to adults Phoenix assumed were their parents. Across the room, he saw Darius surprise Hunter, and his heart throbbed in his throat, choking him. He closed his eyes again, as if putting the two out of sight would make him forget they were there.

What do I say to him?

“You look shorter than I remember.”

Phoenix’s eyes shot open. There he was, with Hunter next to him looking oh-so-pleased with himself. Flesh and blood, not a puppet, but Darius, really Darius, standing in front of him with a small, sad, nervous smile. Any plans for what he could say, any possible responses he’d thought of fled his mind in an instant.

“You look older than I remember,” he shot back, lurching to his feet, “I… Darius, I’m sorry.” The words flowed out in a torrent, one after the next in an unstoppable river. “I’m sorry I didn’t contact you. I’m sorry I just disappeared with no warning. I’m—”

Darius held one hand up. “I heard already.”

Phoenix stopped midsentence. “What?”

“Near Eda’s cage. When I was a puppet. I remember it all. I heard your apology, and… I do want the explanation you promised. But for now, there’s no need to apologize again. I know. I’m just… happy you’re alive.”

“Oh.”

An awkward silence fell between the two of them. Darius’ hands opened and closed, like he wasn’t sure whether to give Phoenix a hug, or prepare for a combat lesson.

“So… Hunter tells me it’s Phoenix now?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I changed my name. Felt right.” Phoenix fidgeted, shifting from one foot to the other, completely forgetting about his injured ankle and almost immediately crumpling like a used napkin.

Darius jumped forward to catch his arms. “You look awful,” he said thickly, tears springing to his eyes, “What happened to you? Where have you been?”

Phoenix’s mouth opened and closed wordlessly, his own eyes spilling over. “It’s—it’ll be a long explanation,” he replied hoarsely, “There’s been so much going on—and I’ve missed you. Every second, I wished I could see you again. Ask what you thought. Help you through it all. But look at you!” The tears had become an unstoppable rain, and Phoenix was surprised his arms hadn’t turned to mud from the proud sadness. “You got through it! You fought back against Belos! You made new allies! And you didn’t need me for any of it—you did all that on your own. I’m so proud of you. I’m so proud.”

“I did need you,” Darius protested, “I did it all for you. To make sure no one else I cared about disappeared.”

Phoenix heard a snuffle, and he glanced over to see Hunter suspiciously misty-eyed, and looking up at the ceiling to hide it.

“Jason would love this,” Hunter mumbled when he noticed Phoenix and Darius looking, “He’d probably have some book reference about it and everything. Where is he?”

A slow horror crept over Phoenix. “Didn’t—didn’t you find him? Where is he? And Ghost?”

Hunter’s posture stiffened. “What are you talking about? He wasn’t with the other puppets—we thought the Collector found him before we did and sent him here already! He didn’t find you?!”

Phoenix shook his head. “I haven’t seen him!”

“Who’s Jason?” Darius interjected.

“He’s—he’s Hunter and I’s brother, one of the people who took me in after Belos… but if I haven’t seen him, and you haven’t seen him…”

“Maybe he went home,” Hunter suggested, “If he didn’t know you were here, he might have taken Ghost and gone back to meet up with the rest of the family.”

“There is no home,” Phoenix said bleakly, “It’s destroyed now.” He passed a hand over his face. “He could have gone to Hexside, I suppose. He knew that’s where everyone was supposed to meet up.”

“I could get us there,” Hunter offered, “Flap and I—we can fly you to Hexside to check.”

Phoenix glanced back at Darius, words failing in his mouth. “I…”

Darius gave him a pained smile. “Go. Find your brother. Make sure he’s safe. I’ve waited thirty years, I can wait a bit longer.”

“Thank you,” Phoenix whispered, “And—I’m sorry. I’ll explain everything soon, I promise.”

“Go. Oh—and Phoenix? If you and your family don’t have a place to stay, my home is open. Hunter knows where it is, he’s fond of sending ravens at untitanly hours of the night.” He gave Hunter a smile that took the bite out of the words.

“Uh—Are you sure about that?” Hunter asked nervously, “There’s… a lot of them.”

“Of course I am. That includes you, Hunter. You’re welcome any time.”

Hunter looked like he wanted to protest further—maybe by giving a more exact estimate of exactly how many “a lot” was, but he just shrugged and summoned his staff. “We’ll be back soon,” he promised Darius, and crinkled his nose at Phoenix. “I’ll fly low and slow, don’t worry.”

“You’re still afraid of heights?” Darius asked.

“With the number of windows I’ve been thrown through recently?” Phoenix joked, sitting next to Hunter, “I better be.”

Hunter took off, and Darius shrank down behind them until he was gone from sight entirely. Hunter’s definition of “low and slow” was a little higher and faster than Phoenix was entirely comfortable with, but it would get them to Hexside quickly, so he just looked up at the sky instead of at the rushing ground below them.

“Am I doing the right thing?” he asked, “Leaving him again, I mean. I’m worried about Jason, but I don’t want to hurt him again. And just ditching him without much explanation all over…”

Hunter shrugged. “He’s fine with it—or at least it’s not a dealbreaker for him. I think he needs some space to figure out how he feels, and he wants you to have that space, too.”

“How do you know?”

“It’s a two-way street,” Hunter replied quietly, “Yeah, you’re leaving. But he didn’t offer to come with you, either.”

“Oh.” Phoenix’s chest felt hollow inside. He’d spent so long worrying about what he’d say to Darius, and how to explain it all, that he’d never thought about what they would do after. They couldn’t just go back to the way things had been—Darius had progressed far past the point of needing a mentor, and Phoenix was too much younger than him to fill that role now anyway. So what next?

He and Hunter sat in awkward silence for a few minutes, just passing over the Isles. One of the titan’s hands was outstretched to the sky now—Phoenix winced at the thought of anyone who had lived there previously. There was about to be a lot of rebuilding.

“So,” Hunter said finally, breaking the silence, “Your arms. It’s… like his curse?”

Phoenix looked down at his hands, normal for now, but with no telling how long that would last. “Yeah.”

Hunter nodded, taking a deep breath. “Does it… hurt much?”

Phoenix nodded. “Kind of burns, like it’s eating my skin. And when I use it…” he rubbed his aching elbows.

“Your joints and bones feel like they’re stretched out?” Hunter finished quietly, “Worn? Achy?”

“Yeah,” Phoenix said again, “I… guess you’d know.”

Hunter nodded, and another silence fell between the two of them, but this one lasted only a few moments before Hunter burst out, “It wasn’t your fault. That it happened to you.” He looked back at Phoenix with strangely desperate eyes, “You know that, right? You know it isn’t your fault, and you don’t deserve it, right? It’s his fault. Not yours.”

Tears crowded into Phoenix’s eyes, and a weight he didn’t know was crushing him fell off his shoulders, like he’d been absolved of some sin with just those simple words. It’s his fault. Not yours. You didn’t deserve it. Hunter didn’t know the full story—how he’d kept the infection secret, and lied about how he was until it was too much—but still, his pardon rang true. Phoenix looked down at his hands again, losing the fight against the tears.

“Yeah,” he mumbled, “I know. And—you too. It wasn’t your fault, either. Any of it. You didn’t deserve it any more than I did. Probably even less.”

“It wasn’t our fault,” Hunter echoed softly.

Hexside slowly came into view, still standing and, to Phoenix’s relief, crawling with life. Hunter swooped down, landing without a single bump. He clutched his staff tightly, and Phoenix noted that Flapjack didn’t spring to life. Gashes ran through the palisman’s chest, tearing through the red wood.

“Is… Flapjack okay?”

“Um.” Hunter looked at the ground. “He… hasn’t woken up since Belos tried to kill him. I was hoping—I was hoping, you know, he was Caleb’s palisman first. Maybe he could help fix Flapjack.”

“Let’s find him, then,” Phoenix said briskly.

“Phoenix! Hunter!” Viney waved from a window, jumping out and letting Puddles catch her on her way down. “Hey! Phoenix! How do you look even worse than the last time I saw you? Geeze. Let’s get you fixed up.”

Before Phoenix could protest, Puddles scooped him up in her beak, bounding through the halls and depositing him with a sudden halt onto a cot. The healing homeroom—he recognized it from his last time here. Hushed murmurs that sounded like an argument emanated from behind a curtain sectioning off a corner of the room.

“Gentle, Puddles! Gentle!” Viney climbed off her griffin’s back. “Sorry. Let’s take a look at that leg, shall we? Nice splint, though, very practical, if unorthodox.”

“Luz.”

“That’d do it. Nice to see she was paying attention in healing class.” Viney cut the boot off, ‘tsk’ing over his foot. “I’ll get the plaster. And some crutches for you—hey, you’re not putting weight on that for at least a two weeks, you hear me? And that’s if you have regular healing sessions.”

“I’ll try.”

Viney bustled off.

“I’m not doing it,” a different, but familiar voice snapped. The curtain in the corner flew open, and Dagger rolled out in a wheelchair, chased by an exasperated healing student holding a cast saw, “Go away.”

“You have to trust me!” the student wheedled, “I promise I’ll be gentle. Hey—you can’t do it on your own!”

“Watch me.”

Phoenix sighed. “Dagger, you’re not a healer. He is. Let him help.”

Dagger came to an abrupt halt. “Oh,” he said poisonously, “It’s you.”

“It’s me,” Phoenix agreed, “Where is everyone?”

“Off using their fully functional legs, I assume.” Dagger crossed his arms. “You just had to copy me, huh? Getting me crushed in a cave wasn’t enough, now you had to go and screw up your leg, too? Not enough broken bones in the family for you?”

Phoenix sputtered. He hadn’t been prepared for quite this much aggression, not even from Dagger. “I—whoa, hey. I didn’t ask to get my ankle broken!”

“And I didn’t ask for you to forget me in a cave and never come back for me, yet here we are.” Dagger started to roll away. “I hope you didn’t expect the red carpet welcome from me.”

“That’s not fair,” Phoenix protested, “I didn’t forget you! I sent someone to get you!”

Dagger swiveled the chair around in a single, sharp movement. “You sent a stranger, someone I’d never met before, someone who could have been a threat, to find me when I was totally helpless. And you think I should be grateful?”

“I trusted Viney.”

“Well, I had no reason to.” Dagger turned his chair back towards the door, wheeling out. “Whatever. Welcome back, Phoenix. If you want someone who’s happy to see you, go find Dad.”

The healing student chased after him. “W-wait, I still have to—”

The door closed behind them. Viney set down her supplies with a whump. “Well. I can see you’re having a fun family reunion. He was pretty freaked out when I got to him. Don’t think he’s very trusting. But, hey, injuries can bring out the worst in people, and mind injuries are even worse. Don’t take it too personally. He called me some very unflattering things before. I woulda socked him if he wasn’t injured.” She moved quickly and efficiently, her magic moving his leg so imperceptibly softly that he didn’t feel a thing. “Aaaaaand last touch!” She slapped a healing patch on the cast, and Phoenix’s leg went numb. “To speed up the healing. I want you to see someone twice a week until it’s healed all the way.” She drew another circle in the air, sticking her hands through the loop until they glowed, then moving her glowing hands over his cuts and bruises. The relief was almost instantaneous, the little aches and tears disappearing in a heartbeat.

“What happened up there? We saw the Archive House fall from the sky. And, of course, there was the mold, and the titan moving… but that’s all okay now?”

“It was Belos. He came back, he tried to destroy us. But… we’re still here.”

“And he’s not? Are we sure this time?”

Phoenix opened his mouth to respond, then shut it. “I… don’t actually know.”

“He’s gone this time,” Hunter answered from the door, “Amity sent me a message—Luz ripped him out of the titan’s heart, and he collapsed in the boiling rain.”

“Nothing survives the boiling rain!” Viney remarked cheerfully.

Hunter frowned, sitting down in an open chair. “Selkidomus do. And Titans. And a lot of flora. Oh, and me, so I guess that’s a grimwalker thing. And—”

Caleb appeared in the doorway, bruised and battered, but alive. “Phoenix!” He rushed in, his hands fluttering anxiously over Phoenix’s booted ankle. “What happened to your leg? Are you okay? Don’t ever do that again!”

Phoenix winced. “Sorry. Um. Have you seen Jason and Ghost?”

The color drained from Caleb’s face. “The Collector didn’t catch them?”

“He did! But he’s been freeing people and—they haven’t made it back here?”

Caleb shook his head. “I haven’t seen them—I was hoping you had. They’re not the only ones missing, either. Venari, Silver, and A.T. didn’t make it to Hexside.”

“We had to split up to avoid the spies,” Viney piped up, “Most of the groups made it, but a few stragglers didn’t.”

“And Evelyn and I got trapped in the rubble of the house,” Caleb continued, “We got here late. Just before the…” He shuddered. “Anyway. Evelyn went out looking for them after the mold cleared. I went, too, but I checked the house—what’s left of it—and Bonesborough while she searched the woods, so she hasn’t come back yet.”

“Well… I’m sure Jason and Ghost are just taking a while because they were walking?” Hunter suggested, “I can fly out and look for them. Um. But first, I was wondering…” he offered Flapjack to Caleb. Deep cracks ran up the palisman’s chest and wings, marring the red wood. “Do you… know how to fix him? He’s working as a staff, but he won’t come back to life.” His voice cracked miserably. “I just want him to wake up again.”

Caleb delicately took Flapjack’s still body from Hunter. “I can try. It’s strange, though. Usually, when a palisman is injured, they just need to be near their witch, and the wound should heal up on its own.”

“Maybe it’s because Flapjack is yours and not mine,” Hunter said dully, “Maybe he needs you to heal.”

Caleb shook his head vehemently. “Hunter, Flapjack chose you. He’s as much your palisman as he ever was mine. I’m sure it has more to do with how he got injured.” Caleb glanced at Phoenix. “Injuries from Belos… don’t always behave the same way as normal injuries.”

“So… what do we do?”

Caleb’s foot tapped a thoughtful beat against the ground. “I might have an idea, but for it to work, I’m going to need some tools, and some palistrom wood. Viney, does Hexside have anywhere that served as a carving center?”

“Sure, but it’s been vacant for years because of the shortage. The only palistrom wood you’ll find there is shavings and sawdust.”

“That works fine. Show us, please?”

Viney shrugged, and led the way. Phoenix hopped up on the crutches, swinging slowly after the three of them. He wanted to go out and look for Jason (and the others), but Hunter had been waiting for this. It was only fair, especially given how Flapjack had gotten injured.

Viney pushed open a creaky wooden door, carved with a hammer and chisel in the center. Dust covered every surface in the lightless room, choking the air.

Hunter ran a finger through the dust, leaving a thick line. “What are we looking for?”

“Sawdust. Shavings.” Caleb opened a cabinet. “Wood glue, if there’s any here that’s still good.”

Phoenix hobbled from table to table, looking for any hint of blue in all the grey dust. Viney threw open giant curtains, flooding the workshop with light. “Whoa.” She scratched under the chin of her own palisman. “I can’t even imagine this many people carving their own palisman instead of adopting.”

“We used to have quite the program.” Principal Bump hobbled in. “A Clawthorne used to run a workshop, teaching students the basics if they were interested in carving their own palisman.”

A proud grin twitched across Caleb’s face. “Yeah? A Clawthorne?”

Viney’s face lit up. “Principal Bump! You’re back! Did you see your statue?”

A single, proud tear rolled down his face. “I did. I was touched to see the effort my students put into creating it. But what are you all doing in the carving classroom? Belos may be gone, but it’s a little early to start planning the revival of a near-extinct tree species.”

“Palisman repair,” Caleb said, “Do you have any wood shavings, or sawdust?”

Bump shuffled to a wall, pushing a panel and popping out a secret drawer. He removed a small, red box, this one with a bird carved into it. “When it became apparent that the trees were disappearing at a rapid rate, Dell and I would sweep up the shaving and save them after classes. I didn’t know what they could possibly be used for, but it seemed like a crime for even the shavings of such a precious resource to be wasted.” He proffered the box. “I don’t know why you need them, but if they will help you restore your palisman, then they are yours.”

Caleb took the box, opening it slowly, as if opening it too quickly might make it disappear. Blue shavings and blue dust lined the bottom.

“It’s so little,” Hunter whispered. He held a bottle of wood glue so tightly Phoenix thought it might burst in his grip, “There’s barely anything.”

“It’s enough,” Caleb replied. He rescued the wood glue from Hunter’s grasp, squeezing some into a small bowl and mixing in shavings and sawdust until it turned a grainy blue. He filled in the cracks with the paste, and handed Flapjack back to Hunter. “Here. Wait for the glue to dry before you try to use the staff.”

“Will it work?”

“I can’t say for sure. But it’s the best I can do. Talk to him. Dormant palisman can hear you—help him remember who he is.”

Phoenix swung out of the room, hobbling down what seemed like infinite stairs on his way out. Mole sat in a patch of vegetables outside, but when he saw Phoenix, he abandoned his weeding to chase after.

“I don’t know where Jason is. I’m going to look for him. Want to come?”

Mole nodded, slowing his pace to keep step with Phoenix. The crutches clacked and echoed on the empty streets of Bonesborough, but the sounds faded as the cobblestones turned to dirt paths. Mole darted to the side in the forest, running to check further away from Phoenix in the more difficult terrain but always coming back to him.

Phoenix’s ears twitched, picking up a slight rustle, and he clumsily whirled to face it, nearly falling over. “Who’s there?” he called, “Jason? That you?”

Mole loped back to his side, squinting suspiciously at the red underbrush.

Venari stumbled out, cradling one arm to their chest and limping. A gash ran up the side of their leg, bleeding sluggishly, and their eyes stared right through Phoenix, wild and angry.

Mole jumped forward to take their uninjured arm, wrapping one arm around their back and making gentle shushing noises. Phoenix hopped forward towards them, horror creeping over him.

“Venari—”

They slumped against Mole, heavy breathing turning into a weary sigh. Mole half-dragged them up the path, and Phoenix dropped his crutches to help. He limped and dragged his casted foot behind him, but between the two of them, they managed to get the semi-conscious Venari back to Hexside. Cherry met them at the door, scooping Venari up and carrying him inside. Meleager, Horus, and Hamlet all tripped over his heels like a pack of dogs, following him to the healing homeroom. Mole darted off, and moments later, Caleb came running down the hallway, disappearing into the healing room after everyone. Phoenix followed, earning a dirty look from Viney who stomped off and returned moments later with another set of crutches that she passive-aggressively shoved into his chest.

Meleager, Horus, and Hamlet crowded around the student healer working with Venari, watching him like a hawk.

“What happened?” Horus demanded, “Who did this?”

Phoenix could see the answer on Venari’s face before they even opened their mouth, and his heart sank down to his stomach.

“Belos,” Venari spat, “Or—Petro? Belos is puppeteering him again.” His eyes slid around the room, finally locking on Caleb. “He has everyone—A.T., Silver, Jason, Ghost—and Mom.”

Caleb sagged like a ton of boulders had been dropped on him, gripping the back of a chair for support. A scream of rage tore through the air, and Mole buried his face in his arm, letting out another, more muffled scream. Before Phoenix could move to comfort him, he ran out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

A.T., Silver, Jason, Ghost… besides Hunter, the youngest of the family. Phoenix’s stomach churned. He’d targeted them deliberately. He must have taken Jason and Ghost from the archive house before the Collector could free them—had it been Petro on his own, after he’d left Phoenix, or had Belos taken them both back there? Either way, he should have stopped Petro there. He should have yanked him out of the air, or thrown a rock at his head, or something. He never should have let him get away. Of course. Hunter had said it; Grimwalkers could survive in the rain. Belos must have survived by possessing Petro again after Luz had assumed he was dead.

“How’d you escape?” Caleb whispered, “How did you get away?”

Phoenix knew the answer. And he could see that Caleb did, too, but wasn’t letting himself think it.

“I didn’t,” Venari grated out, “He let me go. He wanted me to bring you a message.” Phoenix could see the rage bubbling in their eyes, helpless fury at the role he’d been forced to play. “He said to meet him back at the house tomorrow morning. You especially, and all of us as well, to make sure we’re not up to any tricks. And he said if we don’t…”

Caleb let out a shuddering breath. “I know, Venari, don’t say it—”

“If we don’t, he’ll kill them one by one until we're there.”

#me: why is this chapter taking so long to write even tho I'm writing a lot every day?#the chapter: [sixteen pages and close to nine thousand words]#toh #the owl house #gilded family au #hunter wittebane #caleb wittebane #darius deamonne #the collector #emperor belos #golden guard oc #toh fanfiction #my writing #ask to tag

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