Chapter Text
Caleb was an odd witch.
Willow realized that fact when she first met the other teen. How he fondly spoke about horrifying trials. How he acted as if he’d never spoken to someone else his own age. Not to mention his incredibly suspicious-sounding name.
He was weird, but she had made friends with weirder.
Then, Caleb revealed that his name was actually Hunter and that he was the Emperor’s right-hand man— the Golden Guard. On a mission to recruit the best and the brightest, regardless of if they were actually interested in joining or not. After his reveal, things quickly dissolved into a frenzy. Willow hardly had time to process her emotions between getting abducted from school, thrown into a prison cell, and having to overtake an airship from the hands of a Coven Head. But when Hunter stood between them and a scythe, Willow figured he probably had a good heart underneath it all.
His good nature was why Willow decided that it wouldn't be a bad thing to keep in touch with the odd witch. Plus, if she were able to keep an eye on him, maybe she would be able to give Luz a warning if he ever had another lapse in judgment. She created a group chat for the Flyer Derby team. Hunter included. She always made sure to let him know when they’d be practicing and if Hunter just so happened to be in the area, well, Willow wouldn’t turn him away.
The other members of the Flyer Derby team seemed just as cautious as their captain. The plant witch didn’t miss how Gus would always keep Hunter in his line of sight if the blond was ever talking one on one with another teammate. She didn’t miss how Viney never put Puddles down for a nap during their practices anymore. And how Skara would sometimes pause before telling the team any kind of personal information while Hunter was around.
No, the trust had to be hard-earned, but eventually, Hunter did win them over once more.
Willow could easily recall how appalled Hunter had been when Skara said her boyfriend’s jokes ‘hit different’. Before Hunter could run off to arrest Skara’s boyfriend, the bard had quickly explained that it was just an expression and her boyfriend wasn’t actually hitting her. Despite being embarrassed over not understanding yet another ‘teen slang’, Hunter looked genuinely relieved to know that Skara was safe. It was also the little things like when he would bring everyone’s favorite snacks to practice or how he would notice if someone wasn’t feeling well. The witch easily became a beloved member of the team once more.
“On your left!”
Willow jerked from her thoughts as Gus flew past her. Since they were still waiting on their fifth member, they decided to start practice with a two-on-two match. Gus and Willow versus Skara and Viney.
Gus made a beeline for Skara. The bard let out an ‘eep’ before quickly diving down and trying to escape Gus’s range. Viney turned towards them from where she had been waiting and charged.
With a wave of her hand, Willow summoned a vine from the ground that shot in front of Viney to separate her from Skara. The healer was able to dodge the sudden attack but found herself much closer to Gus than she realized. The illusionist was able to grab her flag quickly and hurried to the goal post. Skara made an attempt to stop him but was no match for their resident speed demon. With her attention diverted, Willow was able to snag Skara’s flag with a vine. The plant witch grabbed the green flag before shooting toward Gus.
The illusionist didn’t miss a beat and grabbed the offered flag. He pinned both flags to the goal post in seconds.
“Yeah,” Gus cheered. Skara and Viney groaned in unison as they were now two points behind in their friendly match.
“When is Hunter getting here? I’m tired of getting my butt kicked,” Skara groaned, leaning so far forward that she was practically laying on her staff. Willow gave her friend a sympathetic smile. She and Gus had the advantage when paired together. They had already formed the kind of unspoken understanding that took years to achieve. Skara and Viney had only recently started hanging out and needed more team-building practice. Giving Skara and Viney an extra player would naturally give them a slight advantage, but against Willow and Gus, it would just even the playing field.
Gus checked the time on his demon watch and frowned. “I don’t think he's gonna show, it’s getting pretty late,” he said.
Willow knew Hunter wanted to join them, but as usual, the teen could never give a definite answer. He couldn’t plan for an unexpected errand or if something serious happened while on a mission for the Emperor. It wouldn’t have been the first time that the team would call it a day only to receive an apology message from Hunter three hours later.
“Speak of the witch,” Gus said. Willow glanced at the illusionist before turning her attention in the direction Gus was looking. Below them, she could see Hunter— still wearing his Golden Guard uniform— approaching the field. Seeing that he caught the four witches' attention, Hunter gave them a small wave.
Movement behind the teen caught Willow’s eye. As soon as she realized what she was looking at, Willow’s blood turned cold. Purple abomination goo sprung from the ground behind Hunter. The goo quickly took shape of a man. Willow recognized him as the Head of the Abomination Coven. The same man whose airship they destroyed and the man who tried to slice them in half because of it. It occurred to Willow that Hunter never mentioned how the rest of that night went.
“Hunter,” Willow cried, positioning Clover at the witches below and accelerating as fast as she could. Gus was at her side in seconds. Skara and Viney fell behind them quickly. It felt as though Willow was watching the scene unfold in slow motion. Hunter turned as he reached inside his cloak for his staff. The Head Witch reached for Hunter with one hand and was about to pull something out of his cloak with the other.
In the following seconds, three things happened simultaneously: Hunter shouted for the Emerald Entrails to stop, Gus and Willow made contact with the head witch, and two abominations sprouted from the ground.
Viney and Skara made quick work of the two abominations. Viney smashed through one while Skara dissolved the other with a harp she summoned. Willow summoned vines to hold the Head Witch down while Gus clung to the man’s legs in order to keep him from getting up.
“Why you little—” the abomination witch formed a scythe and was able to cut through the vines before they could wrap around him. Willow prepared another attack as Gus was knocked off the older witch. Skara quickly took Gus’s place and tackled the Abomination Witch as he tried to get up.
“Stop!”
The shrill cry caused the five witches to freeze in place. Darius had his arms raised, Gus hung from one arm while Skara hung off the other. A hand made from abomination goo held Viney at bay. Willow had vines sprouting all around her, but they did not move. The five witches turned their attention to Hunter, who had taken off his mask in order to level them each with an indignant glare. “What are you doing?” he asked, his voice still a few octaves higher than normal.
“He was going to attack you,” Willow defended, pointing at the Head Witch.
“I was not ,” the witch growled unhappily.
“ Guys ,” Hunter urged when he saw the teens were still not moving. Slowly, the Flyer Derby team dropped their spells and backed away from the Abomination Witch. Finally free, the older witch stood and dusted off whatever dirt had gotten on him from the altercation, all the while grumbling under his breath.
“I am so sorry about that, Darius,” Hunter apologized, reaching awkwardly towards the older man before pulling his hand back with uncertainty. “They didn’t know—”
“It’s fine,” the older witch, Darius, sighed as he finished straightening his clothes. He leveled a look of annoyance at each of the Emerald Entrail players before focusing back on Hunter. His expression softened. “Here,” Darius reached into his cloak and pulled out a familiar red bird.
“Flapjack,” Hunter exclaimed with a wide grin. The teen held out his hands and the bird gave a few songful chirps before landing in the boy’s hands. “Did you have fun with Darius?” Hunter asked. The red bird chirped happily, telling Hunter about its day before perching itself onto his shoulder.
“Next time you need a babysitter, remind me to say no,” the older witch said curtly, but with no real fire behind his words.
“Sorry,” Hunter apologized again, cringing slightly. After a short awkward moment, Hunter cleared his throat and looked from the abomination witch to his teammates. “I guess you guys were never properly introduced since that whole… coven thing…. Uh, Entrails, this is Head Witch of the Abomination Coven, Darius,” the blond introduced, waving a hand to the older witch. “Darius, these are my Flyer Derby teammates: Gus, Willow, Skara, and Viney,” Hunter said, motioning to each of them respectively.
Hunter nervously glanced between his teammates and the Head Witch. Willow continued to silently watch Darius with narrowed eyes. She’d heard plenty of horror stories about some of the other Head Witches, she really wasn’t sure any of them were good people. Almost seeming to sense Willow’s train of thought, Hunter piped up. “You can trust him, he’s a good person. The whole… abduction thing was a misunderstanding. He was going to drop you guys back off at Hexside,” Hunter said.
Willow raised an eyebrow and shot Hunter a dubious expression. It sounded like a convenient lie. How would anyone be able to prove the witch wrong?
“ I trust him,” Hunter stressed, giving Willow a pleading look. She frowned but decided to give the Head Witch the benefit of the doubt for now.
“Nice to meet you. Sorry about… attacking you,” Willow said slowly. The other members of the team murmured similar sentiments. It made some sense. Hunter lived in the castle and was currently head of the Emperor’s Coven. He was probably on the first name basis with all of the Coven Heads. Willow couldn’t dismiss some of the more concerning comments Hunter had made before, however. Was Darius truly trustworthy or was he as cut-throat as some of the other Coven Heads?
Hunter shifted from foot to foot before blurting out, “Will you stay to watch us practice?” Beyond just being surprised by the request, Willow was surprised to hear Hunter sounding so hopeful. The Head Witch chuckled and ruffled Hunter’s hair, earning him an indignant squawk from the blond.
“Maybe another time, Little Prince. I have some work I need to attend to,” Darius said with a smile. “Nice meeting you all,” Darius said with professional politeness. He gave a small nod before his body dissolved into abomination goo and he disappeared beneath the ground.
Willow didn’t miss the look of disappointment on Hunter’s face as he stared at the ground where Darius once stood.
“Little Prince,” Gus scoffed. Hunter’s ears flicked back as his entire face became bright pink.
“Never call me that,” the blond hissed.
“Whatever you say,” Gus gave a dramatic bow, “your majesty.” The illusionist immediately burst into laughter as Hunter shoved him. Gus shoved the blond back and soon they were chasing each other around the field as Gus continued his playful teasing.
The girls laughed at their friends’ antics before joining in and racing to the field.
…
Willow breathed a sigh as she picked up the towel from the floor and wiped away the sweat that had dripped down her neck. She grabbed her bottle of water and guzzled down the refreshing beverage. A buzz and a flash of light from her peripheral vision caught Willow’s attention. Picking up the scroll she had tossed onto her bed, Willow saw there were three new messages in the group chat from Hunter.
Willow opened the message and almost dropped her drink in surprise.
RULERZREACHF4N: HOW d0 yo u,. pr,,ove TO s. O m
RULERZREACHF4N: eo .,En th .,At y.,o uR.e a g0o.d p0TEN .ntial ROMA .NTic
RULERZREACHF4N: par., t ner?>?
That was probably the most Willow had seen Hunter text at once. And the almost unreadable text made the fact all the more prominent. When Willow was able to decipher that Hunter was asking ‘how do you prove to someone that you’re a good potential romantic partner’, she was more confused.
The numerous replies came in almost instantly.
☆BARD.SKAR☆ : Hunter, you dog! Who do you have a crush on??? :three eyes emoji:
ILLUSIONS.MASTER.GUS: why did you word it like that dude?
MY_BEAST’S_KEEPER: oooooo! spill the deets! who’s the cutie? do we know them?
RULERZREACHF4N: I a.m n Ot a d 0 g, S.,k ARa.? There IS ALS0 no THI.N G W .,RONG WITH M.,Y Wordin g
The plant witch translated the text as ‘I am not a dog, Skara. There is also nothing wrong with my wording.’
Willow chuckled to herself at Hunter’s somewhat clueless response. She could see the ellipses disappear and reappear as Hunter typed his response and deleted it over and over. The constant typing and erasing, and the fact that Viney’s questions were the only unanswered, gave Willow an idea of what Hunter was struggling to say. Willow took pity on the witch and sent a quick message.
HELLO_WILLOW: It’s nice you’ve met someone you like. You don’t have to tell us who they are if you don’t want to.
The reply came almost instantly. A smile tugged at Willow’s lips as she read the thank you message.
RULERZREACHF4N: THANK., y ou Cap.tia n
☆BARD.SKAR☆: BOOOOO! :two dismembered thumbs down emoji: Boring! :yawning demon emoji:
ILLUSIONS.MASTER.GUS: you can’t really PROVE to someone that they should date you
HELLO_WILLOW: All you can do is be yourself
RULERZREACHF4N: THAT IS NOT.WorKing
Okay, yeah, she understood why that could be an issue for him. Hunter was pretty awkward and new to positive social interactions. He barely knew how to act around friends let alone a crush. Willow could only imagine the number of ways he might fumble in front of someone he liked.
ILLUSIONS.MASTER.GUS: you gotta act cool
ILLUSIONS.MASTER.GUS: i’ve read from a teen magazine that the best way to someone’s heart is a great pick-up line
RULERZREACHF4N: WHaT aM I Pick ING uP.?
☆BARD.SKAR☆: :face palming demon:
ILLUSIONS.MASTER.GUS: no man not literally
MY_BEAST’S_KEEPER: he means flirting
ILLUSIONS.MASTER.GUS: yeah like compliment them
MY_BEAST’S_KEEPER: tell them that they take your breath away!
☆BARD.SKAR☆: Ooh! Or ask to borrow their number because you lost yours :bleeding heart emoji:
HELLO_WILLOW: Guys
HELLO_WILLOW: You can’t just throw any pick-up line at someone
☆BARD.SKAR☆: :sad witch emoji:
HELLO_WILLOW: Especially great ones like that! Hunter should lean into funny pick-up lines since he’s already pretty funny
☆BARD.SKAR☆: O.M.T yes!!
☆BARD.SKAR☆: How about
☆BARD.SKAR☆: I’d like to take you to the movies, but they don’t let you bring in your own snacks
MY_BEAST’S_KEEPER: Oh! or are you a cat? because you look purrrfect
RULERZREACHF4N: TheY ARe.NoT A cAT
ILLUSIONS.MASTER.GUS: it’s a LINE dude. Not literal
RULERZREACHF4N: OH i wiLL tRY It.,
ILLUSIONS.MASTER.GUS: he’s gonna mess it up
☆BARD.SKAR☆: No doubt
MY_BEAST’S_KEEPER: Yup
HELLO_WILLOW: Yeah
Willow felt a little bad about not having more faith in Hunter, but she was certain pick-up lines would not be his best shot at wooing someone. With his limited knowledge of slang and his habit of taking everything too literal, he was practically being set up for failure. Not to mention pick up lines were notoriously bad at winning someone over.
The plant witch went back to working out. She was on her third set of reps when her scroll flashed again. Willow put down the weight before taking a look at the message Hunter had sent.
RULERZREACHF4N: I. MESS ED.UP.,
This time, Willow was the first to reply.
HELLO_WILLOW: What happened?
RULERZREACHF4N: I ToLD.HIM.,HEwaSA CA t
HELLO_WILLOW: oof
RULERZREACHF4N: anD THEN., ISAID I WA NTED A SNack
HELLO_WILLOW: oh no
RULERZREACHF4N: AFtEr ThaT I R.,aN AWa.y
ILLUSIONS.MASTER.GUS: hey just catching up
ILLUSIONS.MASTER.GUS: whoa
HELLO_WILLOW: that’s not…
HELLO_WILLOW: yeah ok that’s pretty bad
☆BARD.SKAR☆: Look on the bright side if he still likes you after that then its practically meant to be :shrugging witch emoji:
RULERZREACHF4N: He.juST START,ed LIK.ing.,me
MY_BEAST’S_KEEPER: i’m sure it’s not that bad!
ILLUSIONS.MASTER.GUS: yeah, to be fair Luz has done a LOT of embarrassing things in front of Amity and they still got together
HELLO_WILLOW: Lol yeah! Luz got Amity fired from her job and accidentally gave Amity’s diary to her siblings
MY_BEAST’S_KEEPER: maybe you should try a new strategy
☆BARD.SKAR☆: You could try getting him a gift
HELLO_WILLOW: Or spend more time with him
MY_BEAST’S_KEEPER: do something he likes to do
ILLUSIONS.MASTER.GUS: laugh at all his jokes
RULERZREACHF4N: yoU GUys.realLY THink.THatLL.,WOrk?
ILLUSIONS.MASTER.GUS: yeah
☆BARD.SKAR☆: :dismembered thumbs up emoji: :bleeding heart emoji:
HELLO_WILLOW: You’ll win him over! If not it’s his loss
RULERZREACHF4N: THAN.K YOU
☆BARD.SKAR☆: :winking demon emoji: No probs
☆BARD.SKAR☆: NOW are they cute? When do we get pics? :winking demon emoji:
MY_BEAST’S_KEEPER: I bet they’re tall!
Willow continued to text her friends as the conversation devolved into something more relaxed and joyous. She was sure that whoever Hunter was trying to ask out, they would see the best in him eventually.
…
“What’d you get for number twenty-four?” Viney asked, tapping her pencil against the ground.
“Bones, blood, bile, and breath,” Willow answered, not looking up from her own paper.
“Breath! How do I always forget that one,” Viney muttered to herself as she erased her previous answer.
“Ugh, I’m so bored,” Skara groaned from where she was laying on Willow’s bed. Her head hung over the side and Willow wondered, not for the first time, how the witch wasn’t getting a headache from that position.
“It’s not so bad,” Gus chimed in from his seat beside Willow. “We only have…” Gus trailed off as he thumbed through the last pages of the packet. “Twenty… more pages to go,” Gus said slowly before sighing in defeat. The four witches groaned in unison.
Willow frowned as she looked over her own packet. How could teachers expect students to complete this much homework on a long weekend?
“Oh, idea,” Skara gasped as she shot up from Willow’s bed. All eyes were on her in a second. “Hunter’s already in the Emperor’s Coven, right? I bet he finished school super early or something. We should see if he has an answer sheet,” Skara said.
Gus and Willow shared a look of uncertainty. They knew the chances of Hunter having that information were pretty slim. The teen seemed to have lived in the emperor’s coven his whole life with limited outside sources. Whatever education he received from tutors or from his own private studies, it probably didn’t follow the same criteria as the Hexside syllabus.
“Come on, it’s a good idea,” Skara huffed, crossing her arms.
Not wanting to disregard her friend’s idea, Willow relented. “Okay, we can try,” Willow said, tapping on her crystal ball. She didn’t know Hunter’s crystal ball number, but most scrolls were compatible, which meant he could pick up a video call on his scroll.
The crystal ball buzzed for a few moments before the picture cleared and Hunter answered.
“What’s on your face?” Gus immediately asked. Hunter had what looked like purple mud on his face with a cucumber slice over one eye and another in his left hand. The teen was also out of his normal Guard uniform and instead wearing a lilac sweater
“It’s a facemask. Darius says it makes your skin look better and helps you destress,” Hunter answered with a slight shrug.
“Are you having a spa day?” Viney asked incredulously.
“Kind of,” Hunter said more as a question than a statement, “The last mission Belos sent me on didn’t end well.” Hunter grimaced before he went on, “I’m off duty until this heals.” Hunter turned his scroll around to show his foot in a neat gauze wrapping that went up to his ankle. The gauze was covered in healing coven sigils. The picture wasn’t clear enough to see what kind of injury the teen had sustained, but from the number of healing patches, it had to have been bad.
The injury, however, wasn’t the most shocking thing Willow saw. Hunter’s feet were resting on Darius's lap. The Head Witch, also wearing a mud mask on his face and cucumber slices over his eyes, relaxed on a kind of lounge chair with one hand holding a vibrantly pink drink. His other hand rested comfortably on top of the uninjured foot in his lap. Willow could have also sworn that Darius’s thumb was rubbing circles into Hunter’s foot.
Hunter flipped the view back to his face. “Since I can’t go anywhere, Darius let me join him in his me-time,” the teen said while using his fingers to air quote the words ‘me time’.
“Which is no longer me-time apparently,” Darius huffed off screen.
“Anyway, what’d you guys call about?” Hunter asked, leaning back to lay on the lounge more comfortably. Something about the scene didn’t feel entirely right to Willow. She had seen actors on shows and movies do that sort of thing, but it was always an intimate gesture. One between two characters whose romance was just blossoming or between characters who were long since married. Perhaps the act didn’t always have to be romantic? However, Willow was sure it wasn’t something co-workers did with each other. Before Willow could articulate a response, Viney spoke.
“We were hoping you could help us with some homework,” Viney said from where she knelt behind Willow and Gus.
“Yeah, we know you never went to Hexside or anything, but…” Gus trailed off.
“Maybe you have some kind of homeschooling version of this study packet? It’s for the grade advancement exam,” Skara said, waving her packet in front of the crystal ball. Hunter’s uncovered eye squinted at the screen.
“Uhh, sorry, no. I haven’t worked on anything like that,” Hunter said, clearly still trying to read what was written on the packet.
“Isn’t the point of those packets to study?” Darius asked in a bored tone.
“Ugh, adults always say stuff like that,” Skara groaned.
“Sorry guys,” Hunter said, “Good luck with your homework.” And with that, the teen hung up. Skara groaned in disappointment before flopping back onto Willow’s bed. Viney sighed as well and laid back on the floor in front of her own packet. Though the picture had since disappeared, Willow continued to stare at the crystal ball. She couldn’t pinpoint why the scene had felt off, but made a note to listen a bit more intently whenever Hunter talked about the abomination witch.
…
“Ooo, Gus! Check out this Cerberus Forbessi seed,” Willow called to her friend as she continued to stare at the small seed. She eagerly dug her hand into her purse before pulling out fifteen snails. Willow dropped the coins into the hand of the demon that ran the stand and took the small seed gently into her grasp. She couldn’t believe her amazing luck in finding such a rare seedling. And at such a bargain!
Willow glanced around, only then noticing that her friend still hadn’t joined her. Willow spotted the illusionist by the Fangs and Thangs stand. However, it didn’t look like Gus was actually browsing for fang accessories. Instead, the witch was peering out from behind the stand much to the obvious annoyance of the salesman.
“I didn’t know your baby fangs fell out already,” Willow said as she approached her friend.
“Huh?” Gus asked, jumping slightly in surprise before looking back at Willow. He glanced at the sign above him and back to the plant witch. “Oh, uh, they haven’t, but look over here,” Gus said, waving Willow forward. The teen stepped closer and peered over Gus’s shoulder. Across from them, at the other side of the market, Willow spotted a familiar face.
Hunter browsed the Skin N Linen stand, looking through fabrics with mild interest. From the look of his casual clothes, a white button-up shirt with red patterns on it and a simple pair of pants, it seemed the witch wasn’t on guard duty.
“Huh, that's odd,” Willow murmured. It had been weeks since Hunter’s last injury, so it wasn’t a surprise to see the blond back on his feet. However, the fact that Hunter, despite being fully recovered, still wasn’t on patrol or some kind of mission didn’t make much sense. “We should go say hi,” Willow said as she moved away from the stand. Before she could get far, Gus grabbed her arm and pulled Willow back behind the Fangs and Thangs stand.
“Wait, keep watching,” Gus whispered. Willow raised an eyebrow at the illusionist but turned her attention back to the blond.
The teen continued to look at fabrics for a moment before he turned his head and called out to someone. Gus and Willow didn’t have to wait long to find out who. The Head of the Abomination Coven, Darius, dropped a fabric he had been admiring and called something back to Hunter. The Head Witch neatly folded the fabric before he placed it onto a table and walked over to the teen. Darius’s outfit, a form-fitting black shirt with a copper-toned jacket and fitted pants, also suggested that he was not on duty.
Darius reached for the fabric that Hunter held and ran his hand against it, seeming to test the quality. After a moment of consideration, the Head Witch nodded. Hunter grinned at the man before he waved over the stand’s seller. The teen handed over some coins before the seller offered Hunter a bag for the fabric. Hunter said something to Darius and the two continued on their way.
“I wonder what they’re up to?” Willow whispered.
“We should follow them,” Gus said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Willow mulled over the idea for a moment. It was odd that there were two Coven Heads at the market in the middle of the day. And the Day of Unity was creeping ever closer…. Who was to say that this little outing and the Day of Unity weren’t somehow related? The excuse seemed like a stretch even to Willow. Nothing about the Coven Heads suggested they were up to something malicious. On the other hand, the feeling of dread that hung over Willow only grew the more she watched them.
“Let’s do it,” Willow said with a nod. The two witches ran from their hiding spot to catch up to Darius and Hunter. They kept at a distance to keep from being spotted, but close enough that they could eavesdrop.
“—he tripped over his own tail.” Hunter’s voice floated back to Gus and Willow’s ears.
“No,” Darius gasped.
“Yes! And when he fell, he knocked over like five scouts! Including the scout that was holding up the illusion. It took them hours to set everything up and he blew everyone’s cover in ten seconds ,” Hunter said, energetically moving his hands as he spoke.
“Of course he would,” Darius groaned, shaking his head.
“But the best part? They weren’t even at the right place! Adrian got the address wrong,” Hunter laughed.
“How could he have gotten the address wrong? The Titan only has one right arm,” Darius laughed.
“I know, right?” Hunter exclaimed before snorting in laughter. “I think that illusionist scout quit too,” Hunter said once his laughter died down.
“I don’t blame them, he is miserable to work with. His ‘note within the note’ line is such muck.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It means he has no idea what he’s doing,” Darius said with obvious irritation dripping into his tone. “He’s such a…” Darius moved his hand in a nonchalant wave, seeming to search for the best word.
“A hack?” Hunter prompted.
“Yes! Precisely,” Darius said with a snap of his fingers. “Adrian is such a hack.”
“You can smell his aftershave from a mile away too.”
“Ugh, that aftershave is the worst.”
“He said it cost him like three-hundred snails,” Hunter said in disbelief.
“Well, he smells like three-hundred snails worth of shit,” Darius shot back.
Hunter elbowed Darius playfully and the two witches continued to laugh to themselves as they walked. Willow and Gus glanced at each other as they trailed behind the witches. While Willow knew Hunter was just a normal teenager under the golden mask, it seemed out of place to see two Coven Heads act so mundane. She supposed even the most powerful of witches had to run errands.
As the two walked, Hunter drifted closer to Darius before he bumped into the man’s side. Without missing a beat, Darius lifted his arm and laid it across Hunter’s shoulders. The action seemed so easy— so natural. As if the two went on outings like this all the time.
“How about some eye scream?” Darius suggested, pointing to a stand. Gus and Willow slowed their gait before ducking near a stand for cursed paintings. They watched as Darius ordered two cups and handed one to Hunter. The two walked over to a bench and enjoyed their frozen treats. The Coven Heads were out of hearing range once more, but it looked like Hunter was asking about whatever Darius had gotten. Darius cocked his head slightly and replied something with a curious expression. Hunter shook his head. The older witch said something before getting a spoonful of eye-scream and holding the spoon in front of Hunter’s face. The teen looked at the Head Witch with some uncertainty before leaning forward to try a bite of the eye-scream. After a second, Hunter’s eyes lit up and he began gushing about something.
Willow could easily imagine Hunter having never tried whatever flavor Darius had gotten. She felt a smile tug at her lips as she recalled a similar event during one of their Flyer Derby practices with a bag of spicy cauldron-cooked chips.
Darius laughed before he switched their cups. Hunter looked alarmed and seemed to try to argue, but Darius waved his hand and said something that made Hunter relax. The teen leaned a little closer into the older witch before enjoying his eye scream.
The scene was endearing, but the plant witch couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. If she didn’t know any better, Willow would have thought they were on some kind of date. Again, Willow’s stomach twisted into a knot that made her feel hot and nauseous.
“Ugh, I wish I knew what they were saying,” Gus muttered, shifting slightly to lean forward more. The movement caused a painting to fall over. It clattered on the ground as the frame met gravel. Willow swore under her breath and Gus drew a spell circle to turn them invisible.
They watched with bated breath as Darius glanced in their direction. The abomination witch narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he glanced over the area, but seemed none the wiser. Gus and Willow continued to wait for any indication that they had been caught. It wasn’t until Darius continued eating his eye scream that they both breathed a sigh of relief. Still, Gus kept up the illusion just in case.
Willow watched as Darius casually leaned over and whispered something into Hunter’s ear. Immediately, the boy’s eyes widened and he snapped his gaze to the area in front of them. His eyes landed right on them and Willow wondered if the illusion had failed. After a few seconds, his eyes drifted from them back to Darius. They spoke quickly before they stood and tossed their cups into a trashcan.
Hunter and Darius moved casually as they disappeared into the crowd. Gus released his illusion and the two quickly followed in the direction the others had went. Gus and Willow turned a corner but stopped in their tracks when they saw the street was empty.
“Shoot!” Willow hissed, looking around wildly for any sign of the other witches.
“There,” Gus exclaimed, pointing to where Willow saw a foot disappear behind a bend. The two witches gave chase. After they rounded a corner, and then another, they saw Darius in his abomination form. The man wrapped an arm around Hunter’s waist and pulled the teen close before they both dissolved into the ground.
Willow and Gus were left alone in the alley. Without a word, they shared a look of confusion. What exactly had they spied on?