𝑺𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝑳𝒊𝒆𝒔 // 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒍 𝒙 𝑯𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝑷𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓

10| A Coven Fit For Chthon

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DISCLAIMERS:(1) CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR "AGATHA ALL ALONG"(2) This chapter CONTAINS a decent amount of DIALOGUE FROM the Marvel Studios series "AGATHA ALL ALONG".(3) I DO NOT OWN "AGATHA ALL ALONG" nor its dialogue (though I wish I did)._________________________________________________________________________"What were you looking for in my house?"Those were the first words Wanda heard upon returning to her reality. Blinking open her eyes groggily, she took in the scene before her. Agatha stood a few feet from her, her hand resting firmly on a youth's shoulder. He looked to be young, eighteen at most, with a mop of curly dark hair, a number of piercings in his ear, and a slit shaved into one eyebrow. His nails were painted black, and he wore a simple grey sweater beneath a blue zip-up jacket. A number of rings adorned his fingers."The respect of your peers and a fulfilling home life," the youth snapped. "But you were fresh out of both.""Agatha...? What's.... going on?" Wanda asked, tilting her head toward the boy. A ball of scarlet energy formed in her hand."I found him upstairs," The older of the two witches hissed, without looking at Wanda. The teenager's eyes, however, landed on Wanda. He eyed her with such a curiosity, a recognition, almost adoration that it made Wanda's skin crawl. "He broke in.""Did he take anything?""No; not for a lack of trying." Agatha scoffed, before diverting her attention back to the boy. "What were you after?""The road," was all the boy replied."What road?" Wanda asked, her confusion dripping into her voice."You, of all people, should know..." he said, locking eyes with Agatha. "The Witches' Road. I want you to take me there. Please?""The Witches' Road doesn't exist," Agatha said."You're lying," was all the boy offered in response.Wanda watched the interaction with growing befuddlement. "I'm sorry – what is the 'Witches' Road'?"The boy's eyes found hers - rimmed in scarlet – again. "The road will give you the thing you want most. If you make it to the end." He turned back to Agatha. "And I can. I will.""You're familiar with the road?" Wanda asked her.Agatha simply shrugged. "The road is no place for a kid.""I'm sixteen!""Sorry, teen." She smiled; it did not reach her eyes. "I don't know where you heard about the Road. But it will kill you.""Didn't kill you," the boy retorted."You've walked this... road before?" Wanda asked."Once," Agatha replied. "But I'm exceptional.""Why do you need the road?" Wanda asked, her red dissipating."The road promises you that what's missing awaits you at its end. I... lost something."The Witches' Road... promises that what's missing awaits you at its end.Lost something.Peter.The boy's words reeled through her mind as she addressed Agatha. "This boy could be onto something," she said. "Think about it, Agatha – you want your powers back; I want to find Peter. This road could be the key to getting them back."Agatha considered her words for a long moment. "Fine," she finally seethed between clenched teeth. "But we need a coven to walk the road.""Does this mean we get to sing the ballad?" the boy asked with over-enthusiasm."Ballad?" Wanda echoed.Agatha smirked. "I'll teach you."____________________________________________________________________________A coven had been easy enough to form, for Westview.Jennifer Kale, their potions witch, and Lilia Calderu, divination witch, had been found in their respective stores.Alice Wu Gulliver, protection witch and daughter of the famed Lorna Wu, was coerced at her job as a security officer in Hot Topic.The strange Teen who couldn't speak his name.And, of course, Agatha Harkness and Wanda Maximoff.What more could you need? A little mental stability? Some trust between sisters of the coven?Actually, that last one could be useful.But they didn't have a lot of time; Wanda knew that. The words of Trelawney's prophecy kept replaying in her mind. What does it mean?Now that she thought of it, actually, Lilia had said they needed another witch yet. A witch with a black heart. And the others had agreed that they needed another, needed a Green Witch. But that was fine, Agatha had quickly left to locate one so that they may walk the Road.The opening of the doorknob hastily averted Wanda's eyes from lingering on Teen. Something about him made her... uncomfortable. Something about him almost reminded her a little too much of-No.Now wasn't the time. She watched in apprehension as Agatha re-emerged through the doorframe, followed closely by-"Mrs. Hart?" She asked. "Agatha. What is she doing here?"She watched as Mrs. Hart visibly paled upon taking the younger woman in."She's our Green Witch," Agatha said, with the smile of a fox who had just caught some very juicy prey."Agatha. No." Wanda's eyes flashed red in warning."I- I really don't think I have time for a party, after all," Mrs. Hart laughed nervously. "I'll be seeing you, Agnes!""Oh, nonsense, Mrs. Hart-" Agatha began."Mrs. Davis." Mrs. Hart interrupted."We want you here, don't we, ladies?" The witch continues, ignoring the correction. She looked around at the others, none of whom looked all too pleased."She's not a witch, Agatha. And the Road is dangerous. You said it yourself: 'it will kill you'." Wanda snapped. She summoned her magic, willing it into Sharon's head. The older woman clutched her head and screamed, eyes snapping shut, as she keeled over.Cries of "Sharon!" from the Coven were met with a simultaneous screech of "Wanda, what are you doing to her?" from Teen. Agatha merely watched on in interest. Wanda did not answer, nor did she cease her spell. Sharon opened her eyes abruptly to reveal glowing red orbs. She straightened up, turned toward the door, and marched herself out of the house and down the street, back toward her own residency. Only then did Wanda release Sharon from her spell."Great," Jennifer sighed. "Now we have no Green Witch.""She wasn't a Witch." Wanda cast a glance at the coven."We need a Green Witch before we can walk the road," Lilia replied."The Ballad explicitly says so: 'Wake they power, earthly and divine'," Jen agreed."Earth magic is arguably the most important skill set for an attempt at the Road." Alice contributed."I'm afraid – as you well know – we don't have a Green Witch," Agatha snapped."We don't have time for this," Wanda said. "Is there any other way?" All eyes turned to her."Couldn't you just summon one?" Teen asked."Of course, there you go, ladies," Agatha said with indifference. "We'll just summon one on the Road. Vámonos."_______________________________________________
"Seekest thou the road,
To all that's foul and fair.
Gather sisters fire, water, earth and air.
Darkest hour, wake thy power,
Earthly and divine.
Burn and brew with coven true,
And glory shall be thine.
Down, down, down, the road,
Down the Witches' Road.
Down, down, down, the road,
Down the Witches' Road.
Down, down, down, the road,
Down the Witches' Road.
Circle sewn with fate,
Unlock thy hidden gate.
Marching ever forward,
'Neath the wooded shrine.
I stray not from the path,
I hold death's hand in mine.
Primal night giveth sight,
Familiar by thy side.
If Sun be gone, we carry on,
Spirit as our guide.
Down, down, down, the road,
Down the Witches' Road.
Down the Witches' Road,
Down the Witches' Road.
Down, down, down, the road,
Down the Witches' Road.
Down the Witches' Road,
Down the Witches' Road.
Down, down, down, the road,
Down the Witches' Road.
Down the Witches' Road,
Down the Witches' Road.
Blood and tears and bone,
Maiden, Mother, Crone.
The road is wild and wicked,
Winding through the wood.
Where all that's wrong is right,
And all that's bad is good.
Through many miles of tricks and trials,
We'll wander high and low.
Tame your fears, a door appears;
The time has come to go.
Down, down, down, the road,
Down the Witches' Road.
Down the Witches' Road,
Down the Witches' Road.
Down, down, down, the road,
Down the Witches' Road.
Down the Witches' Road,
Down the Witches' Road.
Down, down, down, the road,
Down the Witches' Road.
Down the Witches' Road,
Down the Witches' Road.
Follow me, my friend,To glory at the end."
-The Ballad of the Witches' Road (Sacred Version) as performed in "Agatha All Along" episode two.____________________________________________________________________________"May she be pleasant looking.""Can she bring some Advil?"Lilia scoffed. Wanda eyed the ground before them with mingling curiosity and indifference as the wind picked up behind them. "What now?" she asked."Now we wait. True witchcraft takes time. The spell must marinate, gestate-"Lilia was cut off as the dirt began at their feet began to ripple. Wanda gasped, staggering backwards, as Jen screamed."Agatha, what did you do?!" Jen cried."What do you mean, 'what did I do'? This was very clearly a group effort!" Agatha snapped in response."What spell did we cast?!" Teen asked fearfully as a hand – followed by an arm – shot out of the ground. Before long, it was dragging the rest of its body with it, up and out of the earth, to reveal a witch."Heard you guys were having a party," greeted the newcomer. She had jet-black hair trailing down her neck, leaves littered throughout; her eyes were just as dark as her hair, outlined by bright green eyeshadow; dirt smeared her face. "My lady," she said, addressing Agatha and pulling a flower out of seemingly nowhere as an offering. They certainly had their Green Witch, then, if she could create a flower with such ease. "I've missed you." She turned toward the rest of the Coven. "Hey. I'm Rio."Agatha eyed her with a sour expression before turning and walking off down the road, Teen running behind her. But Wanda knew better. She doubted that the others had picked up on it – on Agatha's brief moment of vulnerability. Yet she had seen it. Wanda saw the way her eyes were alit with recognition as Rio stood in front of them, saw the way they softened as they took in the sight of her, saw the way the flit over every inch of Rio's body, saw the way they had held a brief level of comfort Wanda had never seen on Agatha before. It was only there for a moment, butit was there nonetheless. She wondered what had happened between them; she anticipated it would be complicated, given how quickly Agatha had sobered and put on a fresh mask, and she wasn't going to press unless Agatha was willing to talk."So, you're a Green Witch...?" Jen asked."Less... a Green Witch, more THE Green Witch."___________________________________________________________________________"Drink," Teen held up the glass of wine threateningly. At Agatha's lack of response, he continued. "Fine. Then I will.""No!" Agatha cried, seizing the glass and downing it in one swift gulp.Wanda couldn't help but to smirk – it was almost cute, the way she was so quick to save Teen from the imminent risk of death that the rest of the coven faced. She swirled the wine in her own glass. She hadn't drunk it all, but she, at least, had drunk. She, at least, had been poisoned alongside Alice, Jen, Lilia, and Rio. Once more, Wanda had seen a flicker in Agatha's eyes, something like concern, almost, when she had realised that Rio was among the poisoned.She didn't have much time to ponder this, however, as she dropped her glass, shattering it on the floor. Red wine seeped into the polished floorboards.Her brother had appeared before her."Peter...?" She asked, voice wavering.His hand was raised, covering his mouth, and he was lent forward slightly, as though winded or in pain."Wanda," he said, pulling his hand away.It was smeared in blood.A line of red ran down his chin as violent coughs wracked his body.She held back her scream, her horror, as bile rose into her throat. She bit her lip as she watched him cough up yet more blood, trying to disguise the fear growing within her."Why... didn't... you... save me..., Wanda?" he choked out.A sob tore at her throat. She blinked, and as her eyes flew open, he was gone. In his place stood-"Pietro?""You can't save him, Wanda." Pietro said, his eyes soft."Just like you couldn't save us." His tone had turned harsh, his eyes dulled. His body was riddled with bullet holes. Wanda felt herself scream as Pietro's face morphed into Vision's. His eyes were white and pupilless, his Vibranium skin pale, a gaping hole where the mind stone once sat in the centre of his head, a mess of wires peeking through."-anda. Wanda. It's alright, it's not real." Jen's voice caught Wanda off-guard. She spun on her heels to face the elder witch. Her beathing was laboured; tears streamed down her cheeks. Jen was eyeing her with sympathy. "It was just a hallucination, one of the side effects of the poison. What did you see?"

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2,149 Words.

So when I was editing this chapter, the formatting was all correct and everything; paragraphs were as they were supposed to be, not just these abnormally large ones. However, once I hit publish, it all sort of mushed together? And said formatting dispersed. I will, quite frankly, not be resolving this any time soon. Hope you don't mind.