Let It Slip

Part XIV

The Academy of Unseen Arts towered over her, taking her breath away. It had been almost a century since she'd graced its halls, having left without looking back shortly after relinquishing her leadership over to Ambrose. As a leader, first, and a teacher second, it pained Zelda to leave it behind but the halls haunted her with memories and she would rather abandon it completely than run it into the ground. The doors swung open at her presence like an old friend throwing open their arms to beckon her into its embrace, as if to say <em>Welcome home.</em>

The coven witches from Zelda's days as High Priestess had moved on from the Academy and into the fullness of their lives; a century later, those that remained were unfamiliar students of the Dark Arts and while Zelda felt guilty about spilling witch blood, it didn't belong to anyone dear to her. Save Ambrose, of course.

The halls were teaming with students, hurrying from this class to that with books clutched to their chests and gossip on their lips but despite their distraction, it was impossible to miss a Warrior Witch from Hell. As their gazes fell on her, they gasped in recognition of the woman from the life sized portrait that hung just to the left of Sabrina Spellman's effigy, the one that some of them had gone to Hell to save; "Directrix Spellman!"

"Auntie Zee?!" Zelda spun around to see Ambrose looking over the head of a student whose textbook lay open in his palms, falling to the floor in shock as his hands reached out towards her.

Zelda blinked, feeling a strange sense of urgency along with familiarity and warmth, "Ambrose, come...." Reaching out to grab him as he stepped towards her, she took the role she was most comfortable taking and pulled him along to the Director's office without another word, shutting the door behind them.

"Auntie Zee, what are you... I thought all was lost....thank the Goddess you are alive!" Ambrose threw his arms around Zelda but when she didn't return his embrace, he stepped back, "What is it?"

"First of all, I'm not alive. Let's get that out of the way." Zelda sighed softly, watching as the reality of her words shifted Ambrose's features from excitement to fear and sorrow. "Secondly, I'm here to kill the coven."

Ambrose's mouth fell open, then closed, then open again - a fish out of water. Zelda couldn't bear to listen to him beg, to try to convince her otherwise, to attempt to stop her. Instead, her grip tightened around her weapon, and she walked right back out into the hall, waving her hand behind her to slam the doors shut and lock Ambrose in. She needed to keep moving before her heart caught up with her brain and body, another quick flick to her wrist and all of the doors to the academy slammed shut and locked the witches in.

"And now the hunt begins...." Sauntering down the halls, Zelda searched for one of the coven members she recognized as her liberators from Hell, grabbing the collars of witches and studying their faces before tossing them aside. As witches began to realize what their idol intended, the halls became frenetic as they fought to find escape, their screams deafening her.

Auntie Zee....STOP. You don't need to do this!

Ambrose projected his voice into her mind and she grimaced, her head throbbing from the intrusion and she growled a response under her breath, "You foolishly stormed the Gates of Hell with your sheep, Ambrose, with the intention to what? Kill Lilith? Avenge my death?" Zelda laughed cruelly, Hell's grip tight around her throat, "Stupid boy. I asked for Death and your blatant disrespect of my final wishes has caused this. Lilith will stand for nothing less than fifty heads on a silver platter as payment for your insurgency. And I am your executioner as penance for my own sins."

They aren't here! The coven members who joined me in Hell knew Lilith would likely want vengeance for the chaos we caused. They fled as soon as we were brought back here and I don't know where they are. Scattered to the four corners of the Earth, I imagine...in hiding.

Zelda stopped short, her hand gripping a young girl's wrist as she sobbed two inches above the ground. The redheaded witch looked into her fearful face and lowered her slowly, settling her to the ground and reaching out to gingerly wipe at the tears on her face. All the endorphins left her and she suddenly felt very tired, sinking down onto a nearby stool as the girl ran in the opposite direction.