Chapter Text
Luz and Amity gazed out at the sea before them.
More and more iron-clad ships appeared over the horizon, heralded by the smoke trails from their steam engines. Several wooden ships fled before them by sail, the few pirate picket ships shooting off fireworks to awaken and warn the sleeping island of Nassaul.
Looking down the coast, the two could see a swarm of pirates flying out to board their ships. At least a few were already weighing anchor and making way. One conspicuously sailed ahead, the lone iron-clad flying a new jolly roger fluttering just ahead of the black smoke it belched.
Along the streets of the city, militia members and citizens were rolling out makeshift barricades of wagons, boxes, barrels and anything else they could grab. Meanwhile, witches hoisted bags of sand up onto the roofs of buildings, building upon the previous few days’ preparations. All the while, every bell in the city rang furiously, a call to arms and an urge to prepare.
Behind them, the door slammed open, their friends rushing out while finishing dressing.
“Woah,” Gus whispered, eyes wide as he slowly approached the crenellations.
“A bit more than I thought,” Boscha agreed grimly, still strapping her bandoleer of potions around her chest.
Skara nodded, switching her harp from one hand to the other so she could get her jacket on.
“We’ll get through this…” Willow’s eye twitched with a flash of green. She took a deep breath then laid her sword against the wall to don her trench coat. “We’ll get through this,” Willow spoke more confidently as she went to strap her sheath onto her back.
“The plan will work,” Amity reassured them with a hand on Willow’s shoulder. She cast a glance back to Luz who had not moved, watching the pirate forces assemble below them.
“Listen,” Amity turned from Luz and looked to the rest of them, “We’ve been in some pretty bad scrapes before. That wild witch coven that set a wild Slitherbeast on Boscha and I while we were rescuing Skara. The Abomintron that went haywire, me and Willow put down. Titan, Gus’ breakup with Bria?”
“Yeah, I’d rather face this armada single handedly than that witch again,” Boscha shuddered, while Willow nodded in agreement.
“I did swear off women after that day,” Gus muttered.
“Much to my chagrin as a matchmaker,” Skara added on, making them all laugh.
Amity saw Luz’s head shift slightly, and even with such unexpressive ears she knew the woman was listening.
“The plan will work, “Amity said with determination, “The rest is just us watching each other’s backs. Something, I trust every single one of us with.”
“I’m sorry,” Luz suddenly spoke up. Shaking her head she turned away from the growing armada of pirate ships. “This is all my fault. None of you deserve to be here, facing this fight.”
“None of them do…” Luz sighed and leaned back over the crenellation, looking towards the approaching navy. “It’s not too late, you know, for you. The Royals won’t be interested in a few witches flying off, not with all of Nassaul lined up in front of them…”
“Luz,” Gus stepped forward, making her turn towards him, “We’re with you, all the way.”
“Heh,” Willow stepped forward as well, “After all this time you really think we’d let you go again?”
“No way I’m missing this fight!” Boscha aggressively slammed a fist into her open palm.
“I still have to see this legendary Owlet in action,” Skara agreed with a smile, plucking a string on her harp. “I already have a few verses for a ballad in mind.”
Amity smiled, coming to stand at the end of the semicircle that had formed. She stooped down, picking up the Owlet mask from the crate before offering it to Luz.
“We aren’t leaving you, Luz. Never again.”
Luz slowly reached out, taking the mask from Amity. She nodded, slowly smiling at each of her long-lost friends. Her eyes started to water, “Well, now I just feel silly.” She sniffed and wiped her face with the back of her arm, “Right.”
Steeling herself, Luz looked to each of them, “You all know what to do, and I better see you all back here afterwards.”
Each nodded back at her, summoning their various palismen.
“Gus, give em hell,” Luz softly punched his fist before they both opened them, mimicking an explosion.
Gus climbed onto the crate and, with a two-finger salute and a stuck-out tongue, jumped off the tower; deftly landing on Emmeline’s staff and darting off towards the smaller group of ships below.
“Willow, Skara,” Luz wrapped Willow into a grand bear hug, before pulling Skara into it as well. “Keep them off our backs, will you?”
“Just keep an eye on us, and maybe you’ll see some of our moves from our Flyer Derby days,” Willow told her with a wink.
“Yeah, and I’ve learned a thing or two since then,” Skara laughed tuning her harp, “I’d like to see them keep up with a fully trained Emperor Coven Scout.”
The two took running steps, climbing the crate before mounting their palismen with practiced ease. They flew off towards the mass of flyers surrounding the ships.
“Boscha,” Luz turned to her old bully before being cut off.
“You aren’t hugging me, human,” Boscha brushed past Luz, stepping up onto the crate. “I’ll look after your island for you,” She looked back at Luz, “Just keep an eye on Ames for me, huh?”
“What?” Luz looked towards Amity, who suddenly was examining the tower wall, and back again, “But she’s with you…”
“Is that what you think?” Boscha laughed, stepping up and over the side of the tower.
“Yeah…” Amity coughed as Luz turned back at her. She took a deep breath before stating, “I’m going with you.”
“What!?” Luz exclaimed, shaking her head. “No. The Tenebrous will be in the thickest fighting today! It’s too dangerous!”
“So, I’m just supposed to let you go by yourself?” Amity straightened herself up and stepped closer. “Boscha can handle herself, you’re the one everyone will be trying to kill.”
“Exactly! I am the most wanted person on this sea! It’s too dangerous!”
“I am a captain of the Emperor’s Coven, second in line after the Golden Guard for Coven Head,” Amity coldly stated. “There is no one in that armada that scares me.” She stepped into Luz’s face, poking a finger into her shoulder, “I. Am. Going. And I will be watching your back.”
Luz, who had been forced to lean away as Amity assaulted her shoulder with her finger, nodded quickly. “Ok, ok. Just…” The two stepped back, “Just be careful. I don’t want anything to happen to you…”
“We’ll be fine,” Amity leaned forward again, laying a soft kiss on Luz’s lips. “As long as you’re by my side, nothing will go wrong.”
Luz nodded, still looking unsure.
Amity gave another smile and held Ghost’s staff out horizontally, climbing on and offering the back to Luz. Soon, the two were descending towards the Tenebrous, landing upon the quarter deck moments later.
Crew members were rushing about, securing rigging and getting some last minute ammunition below to the cannons; Some were still arriving from the town by palismen, while a few were running across the beach towards the gangplank still on the sand.
“Luz!” King jumped from the railing by the wheel and ran towards the two.
Luz slid off ghosts’ staff and kneeled to scoop King up, “King? I thought you’d want to stick with Eda for this?”
“I’ll be more help here than up there with her,” King gently bumped his head to Luz’s, “Besides me and Hooty brought you to this sea, and it would feel wrong to leave you now…”
“I Heard My Name!” Hooty suddenly appeared from behind Amity, making her jump. “OH Boy! Hugs!” He then shot forward to hug/headbutt Luz and King.
With practiced ease, Luz stepped forward to accept Hooty into the hug, “Thanks guys. I wouldn’t have made it this far without you two…”
“Luz, it’s time!” Sam shouted from the deck.
Luz and Amity looked to see the pirates haul in the gangplank as the last of the crew boarded. Paulsgrove was directing barrels of gunpowder below deck, and Sam was watching the few ships setting sail towards the royal armada.
Luz took a deep breath, gazing at the Owlet mask still in her hand for a second; before turning it around and fastening it upon her face.
Almost instantly, Amity noticed a change race through Luz.
The human stood straighter as she walked towards the wheel; head held high. She reached a hand out to let King scramble up the railing to her shoulder, before grabbing her harpoon staff that lay resting beside the wheel. She looked out along the length of her ship, watching the crew with a practiced ease.
Amity had to admit, at the helm of a pirate ship, ready lead an armada of fearsome pirates and cross blades with the navies of two kingdoms of wild witches; Luz cut a VERY impressive figure…
“Hooty?” Even Luz’s voice had somehow seemed less shaky, the doubts from only minutes ago nowhere to be found. “Take us out.”
Hooty nodded before rapidly retracting, the ship already starting to lift.
Lilith reached out to steady herself as the ship suddenly shifted, first one way then the other.
She looked up, watching the clouds shift out the window as the ship moved in a way most ships don’t. After a few shakes from side to side the sound of what could only be a giant leg stepping into the boiling sea could be heard.
“That solves the mystery of why this vessel was on the beach,” Lilith commented to herself.
That had started to become less rare.
“Whatever battle Luz mentioned must be near…” She said as she felt the ship lower itself down, followed by a mighty splash.
As Hooty settled back into the sea, Lilith twisted and pushed herself back towards the wall. Spinning a spell circle she reached in, pulling Mike Socks from wherever Luz had hidden him.
Settling down with her staff in her lap, Lilith started to meditate.
Steve stood upon the foredeck of the flagship watching as the island of Naussal slowly came into view, saber upon his hip and his coven mask held against the other with his hand.
Next to him, Governor Rogers Woodes stood with the captain of the ship and some servants, the two wild witch leaders were using their spyglasses to examine the pirate armada forming before them.
Behind them, on the deck proper two dozen or so witches were stood at attention in several rows, their palismen held in their right hand with their left on the sword pommels at their waist. Steve could hear a few sergeants walking among them, straightening any perceived imperfection.
The rest of the crew either continued to attend the ships functions or did their own preparations for the coming battle.
Around the flagship, the wild witch armada chugged along, the smaller faster ones pulling ahead to screen for the larger heavier warships behind them. Further back, even larger ships started to disgorge their cargo of soldiers on palismen, the witches flying over to cover the armada from the air.
“Damn, them. Tell those curs to toe the line,” Rogers told a nearby soldier.
The soldier stepped forward, spinning a spell circle. A large bell sound rang out and several shapes danced and flashed above the man’s head, pointing towards the left side of the fleet.
This wild witch fleet was not a fully unified force. Instead, it was an amalgamation of the two kingdom’s fleets. As Steve understood it, overall command was given, very reluctantly by the second kingdom, to Governor Woodes.
This did cause the second part of the fleet to test their boundaries on occasion. The few times their leader was upon the flagship felt more like the backstabbing meetings of the Coven Heads of the Boiling Isles.
Steve watched as something flashed back from the ships carrying a different flag, and they almost reluctantly slowed down.
“Those blue clothed fools will ruin this battle for glory,” The captain mentioned to Woodes before looking through his spyglass once more.
“As long as they perform their duty,” Woodes responded. “Ahh, there they are…”
He took his spyglass and offered it to Steve, “Middle of the fleet, larger ship to the left of the tower.”
Steve took the scope and trained it upon the ship that was mentioned. There a wooden ship churned the water in a very familiar way, the rigging and black sails billowing towards the sky. Pirates darting back and forth, their faces covered with bandanas and various kinds of goggles, and a large wooden figure head of a soaring harpy with an owl face on the front blazed the way.
But upon the quarter deck, next to the witch manning the wheel, stood the Owlet. Her jacket and owl mask standing out from her fellow pirates; dark skinned witch ears twitching as she watched everything around her.
“The Owlet,” Steve confirmed.
“Aye, she’s leading the flyers,” The captain answered.
“What?” Steve and Woodes asked at the same time.
“Forming up over the Isles,” The captain pointed off.
Steve shifted his spyglass as Woodes grabbed the Captain’s.
Flying above the Isle of Naussal a fleet of witches was assembling, the palismen riding witches circling around the Owlet. The masculine looking woman looked out towards the harbor from atop her bat palisman, next to a familiar harpy woman flying under her own wing power.
Rogers let out a curse, “And there’s another directly below on the Isle itself…”
Steve angled his spyglass down.
The demons left on the ground were busy erecting fortifications between the streets, and upon the rooftops he saw pirates passing out more of those rifles. There on one of the central structures, another Owlet watched everything going on below her. Steve watched as the long braid of hair along her back was lifted slightly from the ocean wind.
“Three Owlets…” Woodes hissed. “Damnable pirates and their tricks.”
“Illusion magic can be… troublesome,” Steve agreed.
“Orders, sir?” Captain asked.
“Our objectives haven’t changed, and we have the manpower to see them through,” Woodes responded after a moment. “If those fools still wish to sail ahead for glory, then have them divert their flyers and vessels towards Nassaul itself; while our forces assist the ships in engaging the pirates on the sea. And inform the troops that whomever defeats the real Owlet shall be handsomely rewarded.”
He looked to the captain, “Captain, make way to engage the Owlet’s ship. Try to keep the other flagship from interfering but I doubt they would listen.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to defeat them separately?” Steve asked. “Why risk diverting our forces like that?”
“We need to defeat the Owlet,” Woodes responded, matter-of-factly. “If we focus on one or two, the third may decide to slink away. And if we choose poorly, then the real Owlet will slip through our fingers. Then she will simply regroup and continue her criminal activities, without a home base we could force a confrontation at.”
“No, none must escape this net. They don’t have enough flyers to cover both the land and the sea, and that is how we will break them. The fleets will engage, our troops will land, and the pirates will be overwhelmed.” He looked towards Steve, “The Owlet will die, despite her tricks; and this insignificant island will be brought to heel. Your comrades will be rescued, or avenged as needed.”
Steve continued to watch the forces arrayed against them as the Governor turned and walked off. His grip on his coven mask tightened as a sinking feeling started to grow in the bottom of his gut.
Behind him, a soldier shouted an order and two dozen witches flew up towards the sky.
The Night Before,
Luz sighed, letting the arguing match that filled the tavern wash over her. Besides her, her comrades listened with varying degrees of annoyance.
Sam and Paulsgrove were used to the chaotic nature of these pirate councils, the council part being more symbolic and in truth it usually devolved into a shouting match between whichever two captains wanted the floor.
Gus, also, had seen some of what this entailed when he first arrived. The first time he spoke as her voice here in this tavern had led to shouting that lasted for over 20 minutes.
But Amity seemed extremely put off by all this. Her ears were straight back with a large grimace on her face as some captain cut off a militia member with a threatened spell circle.
Looking down, Luz could see Viney and her band look just as alarmed by all this as well.
Sighing, Luz shook her head.
She couldn’t blame anyone for this. The whole Isle, their very home was being threatened by a force that outnumbered them almost three to one. Everyone had a different opinion on the best way to win.
The captains wanted to sail out and meet them, the militia wanted to hang back and fight them as they got closer to the shore, and even some of the crew felt the best chance would to fly out and try to ravage their ships before they got close.
Every plan had pros and every plan had cons.
The only thing that everyone seemed to agree on was that the enemy would be gunning for Luz herself. Something about being a symbol of the pirates’ defiance.
Or as one captain put it, “Dere gon trynna swat the Owlet oot the sky, and put er mask on da wall of whicheva self pompus king dey bootlick!”
Luz lifted her mug to take a drink as the conversation continued in circles, only to find her cup empty. With a sigh she turned the mug upside down dramatically before placing it, still upside down, onto the table.
Amity reached over to pat her leg in support.
“Perhaps the War Tortles of the Bale could be called back?” Some captain suggested, “If they could cause a distraction-”
“They are out of their torpedoes,” Hornegold called out. “We can’t ask them to put their beasts in the line of fire like that.”
“Their shells are strong! I’m not suggesting they take on the whole navy!” The captain rebutted. “Just distract enough to give us a fighting chance!”
Luz narrowed her eyes as a thought formed under the mug.
“There’s three times the witches bearing down on us! All on their ships or staves, while a sizable part of us is landlocked!” Hornegold shouted in frustration. “Even if they distract a third of the navy, we’ll still be hopelessly outnumbered wherever they decide to strike!”
“A third…” Luz mused. “No, no. Not enough for that, but maybe…”
Amity turned her attention to her, Luz still not being used to anyone being able to hear her thoughts when she spoke aloud.
“I have it…” Luz looked to Amity before standing up suddenly, “I HAVE IT!”
Immediately everyone quieted, facing up towards the balcony to watch Luz. For most of the assembled witches and demons, this was the second time they had heard Luz speak; the first being when she announced the start of this meeting.
Luz could almost sense a feeling of awe and wonder from some of the more zealous pirates.
“It’s a long shot, but I might have a way to even the scales,” Luz announced before turning to Gus with a sly smile. “Perhaps even tip them a bit…”