Powerless

Ch.9

When Luz opened her eyes she was in a dark, musty room. She tried to take in her surroundings and noticed a figure beside her, acting fast she tried to pull out her phone but found her hands were tied. As her eyes adjusted she noticed the bound figure beside her. She tried to call out for Amity, but her mouth was shut tight. Hurriedly, she shifted over to Amity and placed her head on Amity's chest feeling for a pulse. She felt her panic increase when there was no pulse in return.  She fumbled and struggled to get her gag off. After about 10 minutes of flailing wildly the gag loosened and fell to the floor. Luz did the only thing she could, she screamed.

"Help! Please! She's not breathing!" she cried, tears streaming down her face. 

As if on cue the locked door swung open and a figure stepped in. The figure raised a flaming torch to Luz's tear stained face. Luz looked at the figure with red, puffy eyes to see the mask worn by those of the emperor's coven. Her face filled with disgust. The masked witch grabbed her by her hoodie and pulled her to her feet.

"We've been waiting for you human," said a gruff voice.

But Luz wasn't scared. She glanced back at Amity. She returned her attention to the masked witch. Brows crossed she said:

"I'm not going ANYWHERE without her!" she snapped.

The witch shoved her through the door. "Very well," they said before calling for another hooded witch. The witch holding Luz pointed at lifeless Amity and their friend walked over to her and threw her roughly over their shoulder.

Luz wriggled in her guards grip. "Be careful with her!" she yelled.

The witch laughed. "If I were you, I'd be more worried about myself."

The witch shoved Luz forward towards the room of the infamous emperor.

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Eda was woken by the sound of smashing glass. She jumped out of her nest and grabbed Owlbert.  She tried to pin where the sound had come from, then there was a muffled scream and she knew, her heart stopped... Luz's room.

Eda ran down the stairs, staff in hand, ready to defend her kid. Her gray hair rippled in the wind as she ran. She reached Luz's room only to find the door was locked. In a rage she cast a spell at the door and it flew open to reveal a broken window and a red mark on the wall. Was that... blood? Eda looked out the broken stained window to see... nothing. She looked everywhere, the only thing she saw was a piece of paper stuck in one of the bushes. Heart racing Eda ran down to retrieve it. She took it in her hands to see a note, it had been torn and mangled but she could see that it had been written in a hurry. She pieced the paper back together to see one word...

'Help!'

Eda's eyes filled with tears. Luz was gone, she was really gone. Determination overthrew grief, and Eda knew in and instant where to go. She took a deep breath, she had hoped to avoid it, but with Luz and Amity's lives on the line she knew she had too.

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When Luz entered the room she felt a sense of fear wash over her. The Emperor's throne was large and ominous. Above it was a beating heart, Luz felt sick. 

"The heart of the Titan..." she recalled. 

On his high throne the emperor laughed, but it was not a laugh of joy, his laugh was cold and emotionless.  In his eyes (if he had any) there was no light, only darkness. His laughs echoed through the room eerily. 

"That is correct, you are smart for a human."

Luz felt her muscles tense. "You wanted to see me?"