cards and daggers (lumity)

[3]

Wearing a cloak and mask, Luz risked her life just to see one of the most anticipated events of the Isles. As a dot between thousands of witches, she observed an eccentric coven ceremony with a select few standing on a pedestal. After a bunch of words from the Emperor she couldn't care less about, the name Amity Blight rang through the arena.

And there she was. The green haired witch stood proudly, the coven's uniform already on her shoulders, sealing the deal away. Unwilling to watch, Luz lowered her head. She was a wanted criminal, as if Amity would've listened to anything she had to say. As if Luz could just run up to her and tell her feelings and ridiculous claims about the emperor, no.. 

The crowd suddenly started rumbling and gasping, which made Luz look up. Only to see Amity a few breaths away, pulling her into a hug. Her fears dissolved into insignificant pieces of sand, making up the beach they were laying on. Amity smiled widely and was laughing about something while Luz felt her heart sink. She looked so pretty, with tired golden eyes glimmering under the stars, green hair longer than she remembered it, a smile that could kill her in an instant.. 

And it did, as the vision turned into a stabbing pain. She knew it couldn't be true, and it hurt, a dagger piercing through her lungs, slowly sinking into her heart.

Tossing and turning, Luz gasped for air as she awoke to a vision of a brightly lit ceiling, clearing the darkness in an instant. Her eyes slowly adjusted to sunlight dripping through the window as she tried to calm down her fast breathing and racing thoughts. She scrambled the bedside table for her phone and clicked play on a comfort playlist, slowly making her way to the bathroom in blue cat slippers. 

Pink and blue were dancing
Empty floor, shadows lancing

Eyes puffy and red stared back at her from the mirror as she tried to wash away the tiredness with cold water. With a well deserved cup of apple blood in her hands, Luz stepped out of the humble shack to take a few deep breaths, eyes getting lost in ocean waves. Don't overthink, it was just a dream, repeated on her mind. However, what happened yesterday wasn't a dream, as much as she wanted it to be. 

After getting ready and some mental preparation, she finally made her way to the village. Only to be faced with an empty path, the lively atmosphere seemingly gone. Something wasn't right - a hint of tension hung in the air. Thankfully, she spotted a familiar face sitting around in front of the market.  

"Eda! Did something happen around here?" Luz carelessly sat down next to her. After a while of heavy silence, Eda responded;

"Duana is missing."

The sentence was so quiet, it almost slipped through Luz's ears. A bunch of warnings and red signals occupied her head. It couldn't be true, Duana was her favorite cat-like merchant, and just now, Luz was thinking about stopping by to apologise for the late payment. They couldn't have betrayed the rebellion, they couldn't.. Luz felt her stomach drop, for the dots were connected. First Amity appears, and then a missing witch the next day? 

All that playful talk sure seemed morbid.

.

Candle flames flickered wildly, illuminating the emperor's emotioneless mask. His shadow loomed over a small figure that was kneeling beneath the throne. Late in the evening, the small figure decided reporting to Belos himself was a good idea, with a master plan in mind.

"She's taken care of." Amity looked him straight in the eye, dragging out the sentence through gritted teeth.

"Are you certain?" His clear voice echoed through the room, sending shivers on Amity's spine.

"Yes, I can assure you, she's not a threat anymore. However, there are more powerful witches living there that I should pay a visit to."

"I trust your judgement," Belos took a few moments to think before he continued, "We're expecting an addition from the rebellion arriving tonight. She's proven to be quite useful, I hope you two get along."

A traitor of Luz's little rebellion? The timing's shit. Amity felt a lump in her throat, she never liked working with other people, and to add to that, with someone that was a direct threat to her cover.

"Oh I'm sure we'll become acquainted," With a voice dripping in sarcasm, Amity dramatically bowed and left the throne room. She couldn't rest. Outside, all was drenched in an orange sunset shade. So was her silhuette, waiting for the fated arrival of this so-called ally against tall metal gates.

The orange shade had already died down to a cold night sky when Amity noticed a figure moving towards the entrance. A humanoid cat wearing a cloak, almost too big for their shoulders, was curiously staring back at Amity. Now, that's familiar.

"Have I met you before?" Was the first thing that slipped through Amity's lips.

"No, I don't believe we've met. I'm Duana, who might you be?" A voice surprisingly soft filled the air, and with those words, Amity couldn't understand how a being so tiny and cute was capable of any kind of betrayal or lies.

"Are you.. Actually the back up we got from the rebellion?" 

"Why yes, yes I am. Didn't expect it?" 

"Oh, I don't care how you look like. I just hope you're capable and won't fuck up our missions, since I'm the assassin you'll be working with." 

The cat's eyes widened with realisation sparking in their mind.

"I know all about you, Amity. Luz talks a lot, you know. To think that her dear friend is actually her greatest enemy.." Duana's voice trailed off while Amity felt her heart drop.

Were they truly as clueless as they seemed, and wait, Luz was talking about her? Throwing that thought out the window, Amity's distrust kicked in. Something about them.. Seemed off.

"You're one to talk, arriving here out of the blue, betraying the rebellion."

Duana seemed to be lost in their thoughts, pursing their lips and moving towards the gate.

"One more thing," Amity shot a threatening glare to the cat's direction, "Keep your mouth shut about Luz to the emperor. She's dead, anyway."

"Is she? Well, that's a shame. Her cooking was great." Their face twisted into a cheshire smile that left Amity standing there, terrified at the thought that she could be a piece in someone else's game, rather than her own.

.

The conversation couldn't leave Amity's aching head as she was laying on her bed, lifeless from everything that has happened. Power, knowledge, influence, even a place she could call home.. All earned with blood and sweat could be gone with a single mistake. An error she already executed, all because of some stupid feelings, all because of Luz. 

She slowly extended her scarred hand, grasping nothing but air, trying to remember what it was like to hold the human in her arms. Under a soft moonlight glow, the scars on her pale skin seemed like blood stains, permanent and unwashable. Only proving that her desire to live a peaceful life was nothing but a distant dream.

Meanwhile, the said human was similarly laying in bed. Staring back at a faded beige wall, where drawings and notes from friends were innocently hanging on stickers and tape. One in particular caught her attention, an old relic from the times of Azura book club. A crappy drawing of Amity and Luz in fantasy outfits, with words at the corner of the page: 

Us when we grow up - A

Yeah right, Luz scoffed at the sentiment. A loud tearing noise filled the room as she ripped it off the wall, destroying any evidence of the witch she used to trust.