A Lesson in Witchery
It was my first full day in the Boiling Isles, and I was ready for it. After an early morning visit with my mom, I stood back in my room in the Owl House, humming softly as I organized my stuff. King lay on the bed asleep, legs twitching as he dreamt. I smiled at him fondly, contentment sweeping through me. This is much nicer than laying around all day back home, I thought as I finished folding clothing into the dresser, and I didn’t even have to get a job!
Moving to the door, I quietly opened it and stepped into the hallway, taking care to avoid waking the slumbering demon. Down the stairs I went, stumbling a bit at the bottom as I turned into the main room. I looked around, spotting Eda curled up on the couch, a mug clenched in her feathered hands and a sleepy expression on her face.
“Goood morning, Eda!” I chirped, walking over and plopping down beside her.
She scowled, turning to glare at me. “No,” was all she said, removing one hand from her mug to draw a spell circle.
My eyes widened, but before I could run the couch dematerialized beneath me, sending me sprawling to the floor with a yelp. I laid there for a moment, my brain trying to catch up with what happened. “Oww…” I groaned. I began to slowly heave myself upright, only to slam my head against the couch as it reappeared.
“Mierda!” I cursed, laying back down and rubbing my aching head. “Eda! Let me up!” I shoved my thighs into the underside of the couch, trying in vain to lift it off me. I quickly gave up, my legs protesting the abuse. Muttering more curses, I wiggled my body, slowly worming my way out of the tight space. After a few tense minutes, I finally escaped, standing up stiffly and glaring at the indifferent witch, who didn’t even bother to look at me as she took a long sip from her mug.
I rolled my eyes with a huff, turning to leave the room. Behind me, Eda cleared her throat.
“You should probably get ready. We need to leave in ten minutes.”
I looked back, frowning perplexedly. “We’re going somewhere?”
“Yep,” she said, “I work a stand in the market. The earlier we get there, the more customers we have to scam! So go get ready.”
I nodded hesitantly, a little worried. “Okaaay then. Well, I’m ready!”
She snorted in amusement, looking me up and down. “Are you sure you don’t want to change? You got a little something… well, everywhere.”
I glanced down, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion, then raising in shock. I was filthy, my entire body coated with dust and clumps of grey hair. My head snapped back up as I glared at Eda, throwing my hands in the air in exasperation. “Eda! This is what happens what you drop me under the couch, I was perfectly clean before! I took a shower this morning and everything!”
She cackled, her eyes alight with mirth and lacking any remorse. “Well that’s just too bad… Sucks to be you!”
I threw my head back with a groan, stomping my way upstairs as the sound of Eda’s raucous laughter echoed behind me. I quieted as I neared my room, gently pushing the door open and entering. King was now curled up in a ball, still fast asleep on my bed. I stopped at my dresser, picking out a dark green button-down and a pair of black jeans before heading to the bathroom.
I showered in record time, well aware that Eda would probably leave me behind if I was too slow. I pulled on the clothes, grabbing my shoes from my room before moving downstairs. Eda stood by the front door, waiting for me impatiently. As soon as she saw me, she turned and walked outside, leaving the door open for me as she talked to Hooty about something. I rolled my eyes at her abrupt departure before sitting down in a chair, putting my shoes on and cuffing my sleeves up past my elbows. Standing, I went outside, closing the door behind me.
Eda floated on her staff a few feet away, drumming her fingers against it as she waited. I hopped up behind her, nearly falling off in surprise when King poked his head out of Eda’s hair.
“King?” I said, confusion ringing in my voice. “I thought you were asleep in my room?”
He shrugged, his shoulders appearing for an instant before dropping back out of sight. “I moved. Eda woke me up while you were in the bathroom.”
I nodded slowly, watching as the demon yawned and closed his eyes, apparently going back to sleep.
Eda gave Owlbert a tap, and off we went. I leaned forward, raising my voice to be heard over the wind. “So, where’s the market?”
The witch glanced back for a second, “It’s in Bonesborough, the only town in the Boiling Isles. You’ll see it soon.”
Eagerly, I scanned the ground in front of us, hoping to catch a glimpse. After a couple minutes, buildings rose in the distance, coming into clarity as we got closer and making me inhale sharply as I looked on with wide eyes, my excitement rising.
By Earthly standards, it wasn’t very impressive. The dust-colored buildings were short and sturdy; rarely more than two or three stories tall. Walkways filled the spaces in between, made up of cracking grey flagstones lined with mortar. But in my eyes, it was awe-inspiring. There were so many creatures I had never seen before, and familiar humanoid shapes numbered few in comparison. My eyes darted everywhere, trying to take it all in as Eda guided the staff downwards, descending into a large, open street lined with stalls. We came to a hovering halt a few feet off the ground, and I immediately jumped off, my legs shaky as I looked around.
“Okay,” said Eda, placing a hand on my shoulder and making me jump. “We’ll set up here.” She raised an arm, drawing a large spell circle. A length of purple canvas came flying through, unfolding into a tent-like structure as it hit the ground. A table quickly followed, landing just in front of the tent. Eda drew back the tent flap, jerking her head for me to enter. I did, looking around in curiosity. The small space was filled with random human objects; covering the walls and lying in heaping piles on the ground.
Eda shouldered past me, maneuvering carefully around the piles as she scanned their contents. Glancing back at me, she gestured around vaguely. “Go through this junk, grab anything you think will sell. Keep in mind that weird stuff sells faster.”
I frowned in confusion, clueless. “All this,” I started, motioning towards a pile, “seems perfectly normal to me. What exactly counts as ‘weird’ here?”
Eda rolled her eyes, waving a hand at me in clear dismissal. “Oh, whatever. Just pick out a few things and bring them outside.” She began to go just that, rummaging through a pile and choosing seemingly random items.
I shrugged, moving to join her. Digging through unorderly stacks, I pulled out some of the more interesting things, setting them off to the side. Once I had a decent haul, I took it outside, where Eda was arranging the setup on table.
Glancing up as I exited, Eda motioned for me to drop my load on the table. I did so carefully, spreading it out so that everything was visible to the people passing by. “Now what?” I asked, turning to the witch.
“Now,” she replied, “we wait.” Summoning a chair, she sat down, her hands folded behind her head as she watched the passersby with sharp eyes.
I sat down on the paved ground with a sigh, leaning back against one of the tent’s support poles and fiddling with my shirt collar. King emerged from inside the tent, climbing onto my lap and curling up. I smiled down at the demon, softly petting him as I waited.
The next few hours dragged by painfully slow, the monotonous waiting broken every few minutes as people stopped to view or buy Eda’s wares. Every once and a while I was sent back into the tent to grab more items, but other than that I merely sat there, watching as Eda gleefully scammed her hapless customers into buying increasingly useless objects. Thirty more minutes passed by, and finally I couldn’t take it anymore. I threw my head back with a loud groan, the pole shaking slightly at the impact. Eda looked at me, raising her eyebrows in a clear what the fuck do you want expression.
“Eda, I’m sooo bored,” I whined. “Can I go look around? I promise I won’t buy anything!”
She hesitated, tapping her chin in thought. My face fell into a pout, and I stared at her with pleading eyes. After a couple moments, Eda huffed and looked away. “Fine! Just take King with you.”
I jumped up with a happy squeal, tucking my arms under King to keep him from falling. “Thank you!! I won’t be gone for long!”
Eda nodded, sticking her head into the tent before turning back to me. “Here,” she said, holding out a pink harness, “for King. The straps go over your shoulders.”
I set King down and took it from her, quickly putting it on and lifting King into it, making him hang loosely against my chest. King promptly closed his eyes and went back to sleep, disinterested.
With a parting wave, I left Eda at her stand and walked down the rows of stalls, my eyes wide with awe as I took it all in. I wandered around, stopping whenever a particular stand caught my eye. Eventually, the street led me out of the market and into a collection of buildings, all with windows or counters to showcase their products. I stopped at one such building with a bunch of plants visible through the window, peeking into curiously.
“Hmm,” I pondered, “I wonder what strange plants this realm has… What do you think, King? Should we go in?”
The demon merely grumbled, waving a paw up at me sleepily.
“I’ll take that as a yes!” I pushed open the shop door, a bell jingling softly as I entered. My breath caught in my throat as I gazed around, marveling at the greenery.
“Hello!”
I jumped, spinning around to find a witch standing behind me, smiling warmly. She was a little shorter than me, with pale skin, green eyes, and shoulder length blue-grey hair.
“Hi!” I said, waving a little, “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.”
She laughed, “It’s fine, I was just in the back. My name’s Willow, are you looking for something in particular?”
I grinned sheepishly, “I’m Luz! I’m just looking around, really. I’ve never seen plants like these before, there’s nothing like this back home.”
She looked confused, then her eyes widened. “Oh! You’re a human! What are you doing in the Boiling Isles?”
“Um, I live here now, I guess?” I chuckled nervously. “Eda’s training me.” Or she’s supposed to be, anyways, I thought, internally rolling my eyes.
Willow’s eyes got even wider, her ears pinning down as she backed away from me, her hands held against her chest defensively. “Edalyn Clawthorne? The Owl Lady?!” She gulped, her eyes shooting down to King before refocusing on me. “Of course,” she muttered, “you have her demon.”
I raised an eyebrow quizzically, perplexed by her reaction. “Yes? Is there something wrong with that?”
“No! Of course not!” She replied quickly, vigorously shaking her head. “It just surprised me, that’s all.” She cleared her throat. “I’ll be in the back, call out if you need me.” She spun around, walking purposely away.
“Wait!” I exclaimed, reaching out a hand slightly. She turned, tilting her head in question. I gestured around, “I don’t know anything about the plants here, could you tell me about them?”
Her eyes softened, and she nodded. “I’d love to.”
I grinned, looking around wildly at all the different plants. A tall, reedy one caught my eye, and I walked over to it, looking back at Willow. “What’s this one?”
She fell into step beside me, leaving a couple feet between us as she looked over my selection, a small smile forming on her lips. “It’s a Viriditas, they’re native to the lake at the center of the Isles. They don’t have any special properties, but they do produce a lot of oxygen.”
Nodding, I looked around for another, spotting a succulent-like shrub with large, lavender flowers. I pointed it out to the witch, watching as she drew a spell circle in the air, making the plant come floating towards us.
“This is a Calicem, they produce a sweet smell that lures bugs into their flowers, then they digest them for protein,” she said, tilting a flower towards me. I peeked in, noticing a pool of liquid at the bottom.
“What’s this?” I asked, poking a finger in to touch it.
She quickly sent the plant flying back to its table, chuckling lightly. “That,” she said, “is acid. It’s how they digest bugs, and it would melt your finger off if you touched it.”
I grinned, delighted. “That’s so cool!” I said, looking at Willow with big eyes. “Show me another one!” I felt the harness shift, and glanced down to see King yawning, his little limbs spreading out as he stretched. “Good morning, sleepyhead.” I cooed to him, amused.
He opened his eyes, blinking blearily up at me. “I’m hungry,” he complained sleepily, “Let’s go get Eda and head home.”
I rolled my eyes, smiling regretfully at Willow, who was watching us. “Sorry, looks like I gotta go feed this little guy. Thanks for showing me your plants!”
She smiled back. “It’s alright, you can’t let the King of Demons go hungry.”
I waved, making my way to the door.
“Luz, wait!”
I turned back, raising an eyebrow in question.
She gestured around. “All the plants I have here are houseplants, but if you’d like to meet me at the library tomorrow around noon, I can show you some of the more unusual ones. Only if you want to though.”
Happiness swelled in me. “Sure!” I chirped, “I would love that!”
Willow grinned. “Great! I’ll see you then!” She waved goodbye.
I backed out of the door, nearly tripping at the threshold, and shot her a pair of finger guns. Once I was outside, I spun around and started walking back through the market, humming as I looked for Eda’s purple tent.
Finally, it came into view, Eda still sitting in front. “Eda!” I called, jogging the rest of the way, making King squeak in annoyance. “Guess what? I made a friend!”
She stood with a smile. “Ah, Luz! There you are. Glad to hear it, kid. Now, help me pack up.”
Nodding, I grabbed the remaining merchandise off the table and dumped it on a random pile inside the tent. Exiting, I found Eda Standing next to a large spell circle, clearly waiting for me.
She began to float the table and tent through it, the latter collapsing in on itself as it went. “So,” she said, watching the process carefully, “who’d you meet?”
I smiled, “Her name’s Willow, she’s a witch! She owns a plant shop; we’re meeting at the library tomorrow so that she can teach me more about them.” I remembered Willow’s reaction when I mentioned Eda, and my smile faltered. “Eda…?” I said hesitantly.
She glanced down at me, frowning at my tone. “Yeah?”
I wrung my hands together, a little nervous. “She seemed scared of you… why is that?”
Eda sighed, waiting until the objects disappeared into the circle before closing it. “A few years back,” she began, her voice going hard, “The Emperor of the Isles lost something I cared about. I launched an attack on his castle, and in my anger, nearly killed him. I would have too, but that coward escaped.” She bared her teeth in a feral grin. “He and his coven haven’t had the courage to try and face me since then. Once word got around that I beat him, he started a smear campaign against me to make sure one no would do what I did,” she shrugged, “it made people afraid of me.”
I blinked, absorbing that information as the gears in my brain whirled. “What did he lose?” I asked curiously.
Eda paused, picking up her staff and turning away from me. “That’s not important. Come on, let’s go home.” She got on her staff, floating backwards towards me.
I hesitantly, then let it drop, not wanting to push her into sharing something she clearly didn’t want to. Hopping on the staff behind her, we took off for the Owl House, the distant sun starting to set.
After a couple minutes of silence, we landed in front of the house, Hooty voicing an annoying greeting:
“Welcome baaacccckkk.”
“Thanks, Hooty,” I said tiredly, pushing the door open. Walking a few feet inside, I stopped and kneeled, unclipping the harness on my chest and freeing King. “Do you want me to make you something for dinner?” I asked the sleepy demon.
“Hmmm, no.” He responded, curling up against my chest. “I want to go to bed.”
I chuckled lowly. “You’ve been asleep all day, how are you still tired?”
He didn’t bother to respond, instead closing his eyes and tucking his head into my shirt. I shook my head, standing and moving towards the stairs. A thought occurred to me, and I spun around to facing Eda, who was standing in the kitchen drinking.
“Could you give me a ride to the library tomorrow before noon?” I asked, “I don’t know where it is.”
Eda nodded, stifling a yawn. “Sure thing, kiddo.”
I smiled gratefully. “Thanks! Goodnight, Eda!” I turned and went up the stairs, hearing a faint response from the witch. I entered my room, closing the door behind me and setting King down gently on the bed. I rubbed my eyes, suddenly tired from the long day. After changing into my pajamas, I climbed into bed, smiling as King curled up against my stomach. My eyes drifted closed, and I fell into a deep sleep.
When I woke, light was streaming in through the window, the stained glass lighting the floor in a kaleidoscope of color. I sat up with a yawn, stretching and blinking sleepily. Climbing out of bed, I left my room and padded downstairs, finding Eda and King sitting at the table eating breakfast.
“Good morning,” said Eda. She gestured to the empty seat, which had a plate in front of it. “I made quiche. There’s a piece there for you.”
“Good morning. And thanks.” I said, my voice still husky with sleep as I held back another yawn. I grabbed a glass, filling it with water before joining them at the table. I ate quickly, hungry after not eating dinner the night before. After I had finished, I sat back with a content sigh, eyeing Eda. “What time is it?” I asked.
She looked up, glancing at some device hanging on the wall. “A little after nine. You slept for a long time,” she chuckled.
I smiled guiltily, shrugging. “I was tired.” Standing up, I washed my plate and cup before returning to my room, rummaging through my dresser for clothes. Finally, I settled on a light blue polo shirt and black jean shorts. Tossing them on, I left the top shirt buttons undone and pulled on a pair of simple, black sneakers. I got up to leave, hesitating by the door and turning around.
“Umm,” I pondered. “I have three hours to kill… what do I want to do?” My eyes fell on my Azura books, and I smiled. I grabbed the first book and headed downstairs, sprawling languidly across the couch to read as I waited. I opened the book, quickly getting sucked into the magical world of witches and magic, despite having read it countless times already.
A weight landed on my stomach, making me jump and drop the book. I winced as it hit the floor, silently apologizing to the already battered pages. Tucking in my chin, I looked down my chest to see King curling up, his head facing me as he closed his eyes to nap. I chuckled lowly, shaking my head at the demon. Reaching out, I snagged my book off the floor, smoothing out the ruffled pages before turning back to where I had left off.
I felt King shift, moving up my chest slightly. Suddenly, something smacked the back of my book, sending it flying out of my hands and into my face. I hissed in pain and surprise, moving the book off my face and glaring down at King. “Why?” I asked, exasperated. He glared right back.
“Pet me!” he demanded.
I rolled my eyes, smiling slightly as I did what he asked. I leaned the book against the back of the couch, struggling to hold it open with one hand as I kept reading.
King stretched, opening his eyes and looking at my book curiously. “What are you reading?”
I closed the book, using a finger as a placeholder as I showed him the cover. “Book one of The Good Witch Azura series.”
He hummed in response, laying his head back down, making me wince as his fangs poked into my ribcage. “Oh. Owlbert brings those books through the portal sometimes,” he mumbled, closing his eyes again. “They always sell fast.” He lay silent for a moment, then cracked open an eye to gaze back up at me. “Can you read it to me?”
I opened the book again, clearing my throat as I prepared myself. “The solstice neared,” I started, lowing my voice dramatically, “and the Good Witch Azura knew she would have to face her immoral foe…” I continued reading to King, who’s eyes were now opened wide as he listened. Time flew by as I read, only stopping when King voiced a question or comment.
After a while, I heard a groan sound from the other side of the room, making me pause and turn my head. Eda stood by the front door, misery plain on her face.
“Will you stop reading that frivolous nonsense?”
I grinned, waving the book at her pointedly. “It’s not nonsense! It’s a wonderful book of magic, of love and betrayal. An epic battle between good and evil.” I raised a hand dramatically, King mirroring my actions with a cackle.
The Owl Lady rolled her eyes sharply, shaking her head in refusal. “No, it’s not. It’s awful, and I hate it.” She grabbed her staff, which had been leaning by the door. “Didn’t you want me to take you to the library?”
My eyes widened, and I sat up, making King slid into my lap with an angry squeak. “Yes! Sorry, I’m coming.” I said hurriedly, bookmarking my place in the book before setting it down on the table next to the couch. I patted King’s head a couple times before standing up and going to join Eda at the door, calling back to the demon, “Sorry, King! We’ll keep reading after I get back.” I heard him grumble a response behind me and we walked outside, quickly taking off on Owlbert and flying back towards Bonesborough.
After five minutes, we descended in front of a large building; easily one of the biggest in the town. I hopped off the staff, turning back to Eda.
“Alright, kid,” she said, already drifting back into the sky, “I’ll see you later. If you’re not back by nightfall I’ll come looking for you, but otherwise you’re on your own. Bye!” With that, she shot back towards the Owl House, not waiting for my response.
I huffed, crossing my arms against my chest. “Guess I’ll be finding my own way home,” I muttered to myself. Turning towards the library, I set off up the stairs, admiring the grand architecture. At the top, I opened the heavy doors, struggling a bit under their weight before sliding through.
I came to a halt just past the threshold, my jaw dropping in awe as I looked around, my eyes darting everywhere as I tried to absorb what I was seeing. It was an open, two story area; the whole thing filled with tall shelves housing thousands of books each. Books floated through the air, summoned by studying witches or sorting themselves back onto the shelves. Ay dios mio, I thought, this is incredible!
Shaking my head to snap myself out of my revelry, I stepped forward, glancing around for any sign of Willow amongst the organized chaos. Movement caught my eye, and I turned to see Willow waving her arms at me to catch my attention. I grinned, walking over to her.
She smiled. “Hey Luz! Glad you made it. You ready?”
“Yep!” I said, bouncing up and down on my heels.
“Good!” she chirped, turning to walk down an aisle, gesturing for me to follow. “I’ve already gotten some books for us to look at, and I brought a friend to help me.”
I fell into line beside her, looking around curiously as we entered a circular sitting area, the bookshelves curving out around it. In a chair sat another witch. He was tall and gangly, with dark skin and eyes, and was wearing a blue hoodie and grey jeans. He looked up as we drew near, standing quickly and smiling at me.
“Luz, this is Gus,” said Willow, smiling, “He was so excited when I told him I met a real human! He wanted to come along and meet you himself.”
Gus chuckled, his eyes shining as he rubbed the back of his neck timidly. “Honestly, I didn’t really believe you were actually a human, but look at you!” he said excitedly, throwing his arms out, “you are a human! That is so cool!! I’m president of the Human Appreciation Society at school, so I’ve studied your kind extensively, but I never thought I’d ever meet one of you! I have so many questions! Do you humans really have a hole in your stomach?!”
I laughed, grinning at his contagious enthusiasm. “Hey Gus, it’s nice to meet you too! And, um, yes? It’s called a belly button, and it’s more of an indent than a hole. See?” I lifted up my shirt a bit to show him, making his eyes widen. “And school?” I added, my voice climbing in excitement. “Like, magic school? There is one of those here?!”
Next to me, Willow laughed. “Of course there is! That’s how we witches learn how to control our magic.” She paused. “Well, there’s actually several schools, but Hexside is the one Gus goes to, and I graduated from there last summer.”
“That’s awesome!” I said, practically vibrating in my elation, “Do you think I would be allowed to attend?”
They hesitated, glancing at each other before looking back at me. After a silent moment, Gus cleared his throat. “Probably not,” he said regretfully, “the few documented cases of humans coming to the Isles all state very clearly that they were unable to preform magic, and there is an age limit, too. How old are you?”
“Eighteen,” I replied.
He winced. “Yeah… they don’t accept people older than seventeen as first-year students. There’s some legal reason, I don’t know what it is though,” he said with a shrug.
“Oh…” my body slumped in disappointment. Willow nudged me softly, making me turn towards her.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly, “but I’ll teach you about magical plants now, if you want.”
I immediately perked up, shaking off my dejection and smiling at her. “I’d love that!”
She nodded with a smile, sitting down in a chair by a table, which had a small stack of books balanced on top of it. “Okay,” she began, “Gus here is in the illusion track, so he’ll be able to conjure up life size apparitions of plants for you to see.”
Gus moved to take a seat next to the witch, making me quickly do the same. Willow grabbed a book off the top of the pile, opening it to the index and holding it out between us. “Here, Luz. Look through the categories of plants and choose the type that seems the most interesting,” she said.
I nodded slowly, taking the book from her and scanning the page. A phrase caught my eye, my head snapping up to look at Willow in disbelief. “Noxious maneaters?!” I exclaimed.
She grinned, taking the book from me and flipping to the designated section. Slowing as she reached it, her eyes scanned the plant diagrams before stopping, her finger tapping the page purposely as she passed the book to Gus.
Gus raised his eyebrows, looking over what Willow pointed out. “Ooooh,” he said mischievously, his eyes lighting up, “that’s a good one.” He lifted a hand, pausing and studying the page for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing in concentration. Then he began to slowly draw a blue spell circle, making me sit up in surprise.
“Why is your magic blue?” I asked curiously.
Since Gus was concentrating, Willow answered my question, “it’s because he’s in the illusion track. Blue is their color. I’m a member of the plant coven, so mine is green.” She drew a fraction of a circle herself to illustrate her point before wiping it away.
“Ohh,” I said, taking a moment to think. “Eda’s is gold, what does that mean?”
Gus flinched and Willow’s ears moved down at the mention of Eda, but they recovered quickly, trying to cover up their reactions. Willow cleared her throat softly before responding. “When you join a coven, the head witch locks all other magic but the one represented by that coven. So, mine is green because I can only preform plant magic, and Gus’s is blue because he only studies illusion magic. When you cast different types of magic over a long period of time, the color of your magic changes to reflect that. The Owl Lady’s never joined a coven, so she’s been preforming every type of magic her whole life. The color of her magic reflects that.”
I nodded slowly in understanding, absorbing what Willow said. Suddenly, a giant, blue apparition unfolded in front of me, pulling me out of my head and making me look up with a surprised gasp. “What is that?!” I exclaimed, my eyes going wide. It was huge, with one thick, leafy stalk that wound up over our heads, ending in a giant bulb-like appendage.
Gus and Willow both chuckled at my reaction, the latter replying, “They’re called Satis. Very dangerous, I wouldn’t recommend you go anywhere near one. See that bulb at the top?” She pointed upwards, making me nod in response. “The leaves covering the stalk are very light and vibrate when something passes by. This sends a chemical signal to the bulb, which attacks and eats whatever walked past it.”
I watched in awe as another illusion appeared, this one of a witch I didn’t recognize. She walked past the stalk, as just as Willow said, the bulb shot down, opening to reveal rings of teeth. It slammed into the witch, the bulb closing around her before slowly drawing itself back into the air before fading away. I winced in pity for the illusion, “Ouch,” I said shakily, “that seems like it would hurt.” I turned to Gus, a large smile growing on my face. “Can you do another one?” I asked excitedly. He nodded, flipping to a random page before summoning another apparition.
We kept at it for a few hours, me marveling at every new plant I saw. Eventually, Gus sat back with a yawn, rubbing his eyes sleepily. “Sorry Luz,” he said regretfully, “I’m out of energy.”
I shrugged, “That’s fine. Thanks for doing that for me!”
He smiled, nodding his head in response before summoning something out of the air.
I gazed at it curiously. “What’s that?”
He looked up from it, tilting it towards me so that I could see. “It’s a scroll,” he replied, “Um, it’s basically like human phones, only more magical.”
Willow stood, stretching for a moment before drawing a spell circle, making the books scattered around us go floating back to their respective shelves. “You should get one,” she added, “that why we could text each other!”
I smiled, “Sure! I’ll ask Eda if she’ll get one for me.” I blinked, “Speaking of Eda, what time is it? I’m supposed to be back at the Owl House by nightfall.”
Gus glanced back at his scroll, “A little before four.”
I sighed, standing up. “Well, I better get going then. It’ll probably take me an hour to find my way back,” I said miserably.
Willow frowned, “You don’t know where the Owl House is?”
I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly. “Not really? This is only my second time in Bonesborough, I have absolutely no idea where I am.”
Gus shrugged, standing as well. “We’ll walk you back then. Wouldn’t want you to get eaten by a satis,” he said with a chuckle, stooping a bit to sling an arm over my shoulder.
I grinned, elated. “Really? Thank you!”
Together, we set off through Bonesborough, Willow and Gus pointing out buildings and chatting as we walked. Eventually we exited the town, swinging onto a slightly overgrown trail through the darkening woods. Willow cast a spell, summoning a sphere of green light that floated overhead, shedding light over the trail so that we wouldn’t trip.
After ten minutes or so, the trees began to thin, and we walked into the clearing where the Owl House sat; a little island of emptiness surrounded by trees, which quickly gave way to the cliff. I turned to face my new friends, a smile on my face. “Thanks guys! I don’t think I would have found it without you.”
Willow laughed. “Yeah, it’s pretty hard to find if you don’t know exactly where to look.”
I nodded vigorously, in full agreement with that statement. Jabbing a thumb over my shoulder, I asked, “Do you want to come inside for a bit?” They looked at each other hesitantly. “I promise Eda isn’t that scary,” I added gently.
They nodded slowly, making me beam. “Great!” I grabbed their wrists, pulling them towards the house excitedly. “You’ll love it! It’s very homey and- oh no…” I ended with a groan, noticing Hooty stretching himself towards us.
“Hiiiiiii Luz! You’re back, and you brought friends!” He said, his annoying voice making my eye twitch.
“Hi, Hooty,” I deadpanned, already walking past him, still pulling Willow and Gus along. The door owl retracted himself, obnoxiously keeping pace with me. He was suddenly yanked back a few feet as the door opened, revealing Eda standing in the threshold, scowling.
“Who are you talking to?” She snapped. Then she caught sight of me, her frown turning upside down. “Luz! You’re back, good. Who are your friends?”
Smiling again, I pulled them forward, letting go of their wrists as they drew level with me. “This is Willow,” I said, “and this Gus!” I finished, gesturing to each in turn. They both gave a weak smile and a wave, their eyes wide and ears firmly pinned down.
“Hi, Owl Lady,” Willow squeaked, her hands nervously clenched by her sides, “Nice to meet you.”
Eda scoffed, looking down at the nervous witches with a smile. “Kid, please, there’s no need for that. Just call me Eda.”
Willow nodded slowly, jumping a bit as Gus elbowed her. “O-okay, Eda,” she stammered, “well, Gus and I really should get going, so goodnight.” She and Gus both gave me a quick hug before turning and walking back into the forest.
“Bye, see you around!” I called after them, watching as they looked back with wave before turning and heading inside, Eda following in suit.
“Twitchy little things, aren’t they?” Eda remarked, closing the door before heading upstairs.
“Yeah,” I said, shrugging. “Once they get to know you better, they’ll get over it. You’re pretty harmless.”
Eda spun around, placing a hand to her chest in hurt. “Me, harmless? Ha! You wound me, kid.” She turned back around just as quickly, stomping up the stairs.
I shook my head with a smile, spotting King curled up on the couch and moving towards him. “Hey carino,” I greeted him, patting his head as he languidly opened an eye. “I’m back, want to keep reading?”
He yawned, stretching a bit before responding in a sleepy voice. “Yes please. Can we go to your bed?”
I nodded, picking him up and grabbing the book off the table. I went to my room, crossing the space to gently set King down on my bed, where he promptly curled up again, watching me in anticipation. Laying down beside him, I opened the book to where we had left off, clearing my throat before starting. “Azura knew she was in for the toughest fight of her life, but she refused to back down as she stepped into the Evil Wizard’s arena. Raising her staff to the heavens, she prepared to die.”