1. Prologue

Luz Clawthorne

Book Two: Two Worlds, One Family

Fourteen Years Ago…

In the Emperor's Castle, located at the heart of the Boiling Isles, Lilith Clawthorne was reporting back directly to Belos after her latest attempt to try to capture her sister ended in disaster. The expression of guilt and shame on her face did not go unnoticed by Belos.

"You don't look so well, Lilith," Belos told her.

"I… was following a lead on the whereabouts of my sister… but it went horribly wrong," Lilith said quietly.

"You don't have to say anymore," Belos said. "Especially if it upsets you. In fact, I suggest that you take some time off."

"Time… off?" Lilith asked.

"Yes, Lilith. I've been watching you overwork yourself and I've seen that you haven't spent your vacation days. While I appreciate how much you've done for the Emperor's Coven, I am worried what might happen to you if you don't take a break," Belos explained. "So I am not just asking you to take a vacation. I am ordering you. And don't worry, the Emperor's Coven is more than capable of taking care of itself while you're gone. Focus on taking care of yourself instead and come back when you're ready."

Lilith nodded. "Thank you, my liege," she said as she turned around, walking out of the throne room.

A few days later, Lilith was spending her vacation days solemnly in an inn that was part of a vacation resort run by the Healing Coven. She laid in her bed, having a terrible hangover from the apple blood she drank last night. She was more miserable than she ever was. She couldn't forget what happened in the human world. How she was responsible for taking the life of an innocent human woman. Eventually her self-loathing was interrupted when someone tried to call her via crow.

"Caw! Caw! Odalia Blight calling!" the crow cawed, which shocked Lilith.

It was a surprise because she and Odalia didn't talk much these days. But Lilith quickly grabbed the crow and answered it regardless. "Hello?"

"Lilith, how are you?" Odalia asked. "Coven life treating you well?"

"I'm doing fine… um, it's nice to hear a familiar voice," Lilith admitted nervously.

"Yes, it is good to hear you too," Odalia said over the crowd. "Anyway, me and Alador are going to be out of town and I was wondering if you could watch the children for us."

"Um… come again?" Lilith asked.

"Oh I know it's last minute, but I couldn't get a witchling-sitter since the twins are a handful and Alador's Abomination butler is too simple-minded for the job. Since I can't reschedule this meeting, I was hoping that you could do an old friend a favor," Odalia explained. Lilith was unsure about this, though she did consider that it would be a good distraction from what happened in the human world. "Only if you're not too busy, of course…"

"No, I'm not. I'll be over to help take care of the little ones soon," Lilith reassured.

One short trip by staff later, Lilith was at Blight Manor. Before Odalia left, she handed Lilith a list of things for her to remember while watching the kids.

"Now remember, Edric is lactose intolerant and the twins have to be in bed by six," Odalia went over as she got ready to head out. "You don't have to worry as much with Amity, she's always a quiet little Mittens so she won't give you any trouble."

"I'll take care of it from here, Odalia. You and Alador just focus on your business meeting," Lilith told her.

"Great! Thank you so much for agreeing to this, I really owe you one. See you tomorrow!" Odalia said before she went outside and saw that her husband wasn't in their carriage. Instead, he was being distracted by a human-faced butterfly that he was following. Odalia sighed. "Alador, come on!"

Alador stopped what he was doing, realized that his wife was waiting for him, and quickly got into the carriage with her. "Do you really think that this is a good idea?" he asked her.

"Of course," Odalia told him with a smile. "Lilith spending more time with Amity now will make it easier for us to convince her to be our daughter's godmother and mentor, which increases her chances of getting into the Emperor's Coven and having the best possible future. Trust me dear, I know what I am doing."

After she watched their carriage pull away, Lilith turned away from the window to find the Blight twins Emira and Edric standing there. The two young toddlers looked up at Lilith, who smiled at them. "Hi there, you may not remember me but I was at your baby sister's witchening-" She reached out to them, only for the illusions to disappear. Lilith's eyes widened, realizing they must have developed their magic at a very young age. A crashing sound came from another room and Lilith sighed. "You owe me for this, Odalia."

She then heard crying coming from a playpen. Lilith rushed over to it and found a little brown haired baby girl in a purple onesie, surrounded by toys. Lilith looked down at the poor thing, who was crying over not knowing where her mom was. Lilith picked the baby Amity up. "Hush now, little one. If you're hungry, I'm sure we can find a way to fix that," she said as she heard another crash. "You two better not smash anything!"

"It was Ed!"

"Was not, Em!"

Lilith sighed and looked back down at Amity, who had calmed down as she stared into the Clawthorne woman's eyes. Lilith found herself smiling for the first time since her trip to the human world. "That's right, no need to cry. Everything is going to be okay…" she whispered, both to the baby and to herself. "Everything will be okay…"

Fourteen Years Later…

Lilith was startled awake by the alarm. Looking around, she realized that she was not in her bedroom at the Emperor's Coven bedroom. Instead she was in the room in the tower behind the Owl House. It all came back to her. Everything from the last forty-eight hours.

"This is going to take some getting used to," Lilith said with a sigh, wondering how Amity was doing. "But maybe it won't be too bad…"

Hooty suddenly stretched his head into the tower, surprising Lilith. "Good morning, new friend!"

Lilith responded appropriately: with a scream.

And just like that, her day was not off to a great start…