Changeling Witch

(S2) School War

Hunter gazed up at the massive, ominous doors, his inner fantasy nerd going buck-wild. "This is insane."

"Malphas—the master librarian—is the only person who's allowed in here," Edric told him. "You have to get express permission if you're not him."

That was less than optimal.

"No te preocupes, todo va a salir bien," Hunter mumbled, adjusting his jacket. "Just like Mom always says. I can find another—"

"Hey, wait a sec," Edric said, giving him a grin. "I never said I wasn't gonna help. Y'see, ever since I started hanging out with you, I've developed an allergy to the rules."

Hunter pointed at him. "And dairy?"

"Yeah, ha-ha, I had that way before you came around." He held up his staff card. "This should be able to open the doors, but once you're inside, you gotta listen to everything I say. If we're caught, I'll probably lose my job, even if Mittens vouches for me."

"You won't lose your job!" Hunter said quickly, taking Edric's hand. "I promise."

It took a couple seconds to register that he was holding Ed's hand. He immediately yanked it away, internally yelling at himself.

"Well, let's—uh, let's not waste any time," Edric stammered, walking over to a little golden box near the doors. He pressed his staff card to it.

It lit up purple as the double doors pushed open. Hunter and Edric traded a look, then walked inside.

After going through a long corridor filled with shelves, they finally reached the main area—an area that instantly took Hunter's breath away.

Glowing red hands carefully placed books back onto the shelves, and even though they were inside, fog covered the room. Little mice-like creatures with exposed skulls scampered back and forth between the shelves, and some of the books were even flying.

Edric's eyes widened and he yanked Hunter down.

A ghost-like being with one exposed eye floated into the main space, holding a lantern in one of its claws. After a quick look-around, it turned back around and left.

Hunter and Edric both realized that they were super close to each other and instantly jumped apart.

"So, we'll be super sneaky and quiet," Hunter mumbled, biting his lip with an embarrassed grin. "Got it."

Edric cast a worried look back down at the stacks. "Malphas is the one who gave Mittens her job, and he's the one who approved me working with her—and he approved us getting our study rooms. He's super nice, but if we're caught, he's gonna feed us to the bookworms."

Hunter raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I know in the Boiling Isles, that means 'unholy bloodsucking fuck-you snake monster,' but in the human realm? That's just a kid name for nerds."

Edric let out a little laugh. "Human realm sounds pretty weird, not gonna lie."

"Well... maybe it'd be less weird if I showed you around someday," Hunter said as casually as he could. "But, uh, let's turn back. I don't wanna push—"

"We're getting that diary!" Edric snapped, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him into the stacks.

.................

"So, how exactly did you manage to piss off a bunch of Glandus kids, again?" Willow asked as Boscha led her through the forest.

"I told the main girl that Construction's lame," Boscha answered. "And it totally is. I mean, they have brown as their Coven color. Can you imagine walking around all day willingly wearing a brown uniform?" She made a face. "The Potions track is way better. Besides, yellow compliments my skin."