Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Luz sat on the top of the old stone tower behind the owl house, meditating as the wind swirled around her, carrying the scent of the sea.  She could hear leaves rustle and trees creak as the breeze swept through the forest.  The sounds of birds, or whatever was equivalent in the demon realm, echoed around her.  But overshadowing the feel of the breeze, the smell of the ocean, and the sound of the forest, was the presence of the magic around her.  Ever since she unlocked her full powers, not only could she sense the magic on specific people, but she could also feel the natural ambient magic of the isle.  It was very subtle, to the point where she barely even noticed the faint sensation it produced unless she was paying attention, like right now.

The wind blew through her hair, and Luz shivered as she felt a particularly strong amount of magic, different from the ambient magic she normally felt.  Reaching out with her hand, she tried to pull the magic to her, like she did when Drasus showed her the water glyph, but before she could get a strong grasp on the magic it disappeared with the breeze.

“Hey, Luz!” Eda’s voice came from down below.  Standing up, Luz walked over to the edge of the tower and looked down, spotting Eda standing outside the front door with a sack over her shoulder.

“Hey Eda, do you need anything?”

“Nah, just letting you know I’m heading out.  You and King are going to visit Drasus today, right?”

“Yep.  I’m close to finding another glyph, I just can’t quite grasp the magic before it disappears.  I’m hoping Drasus might be able to help.”

“Alright, have fun, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Luz raised an eyebrow.  “Is there anything you wouldn’t do?”

“Join a coven.”

“Touché.  Have fun scamming people!”

“I will.”  Eda pulled out her staff and hopped on it.  “Byeeeee!”

Luz watched as Eda flew off toward town.  Once her mentor was out of sight, she left the tower and went back into the owl house.  She found King napping on the couch and tickled his belly.  He giggled and snorted as he woke up.

“Come on King, we’re heading to the grove.”  She went and picked up her wolfwalker book, putting it in her bag as she entered the kitchen.

“Be sure to bring some hex mix!” King called out to her.  Luz grabbed a few bags of the snack along with some bags of catoblepas jerky and some crab apples.  Returning to the living room, she found King waiting next to the door.

“You ready?”  She held out an arm, and he climbed up into his hoodie.

“Yes!”  He held both his arms up.  “Today we begin our first steps in harnessing nature to conquer the isle in my name!  Now go, my finest general!  To victory!”

“At once, my most terrifying tyrant.”  Luz smiled as she opened the door.  “Don’t let any coven scouts get away while we’re gone Hooty!”

“Don’t worry Luz!”  Hooty stretched out to scan the forest.  “No one enjoys my tea parties more than them.  They loooove them.”

Luz shivered as she continued into the forest.  She had witnessed the aftermath of one of Hooty’s tea parties.  She was pretty sure those scouts would have panic attacks anytime someone mentioned the word tea again.

Pushing those thoughts out of her mind, she began to jog towards the grove.  She knew she was on the verge of discovering her fifth glyph.  She just needed to find a place where the magic wouldn’t disappear before she could fully grasp it.

Eda wandered through the stands in the market.  It was a book fair, something she knew her apprentice would love.  Too bad she had decided to head to the grove today.  Eda picked out a few books that she thought Luz might enjoy, while she casually pickpocketed any passerby.  As she wandered, she heard a familiar voice bark at someone.  Quickly ducking behind a sign, she peeked out and spotted Lilith and a coven scout talking to a stall owner.

“Do you have the item we discussed?” Lilith asked, glancing around.

“Oh, yes.  Right here.”  The merchant, a furry bipedal demon in a long blue shirt held out a roll of paper.

Lilith accepts the paper and unrolls it.  “Excellent, the emperor will be most pleased.”

“Ma’am?” The coven scout asked, “Shouldn’t we be searching for the Owl Lady to join a coven?  Remember that whole plan?”

“My sister will still be here when we get back.  Right now this takes priority, emperor’s orders.”

Eda frowned.  What could be so important that Lilith and Emperor Belos would put off capturing her?  They’d been trying for years to force her to join one of their covens.

“Yeah.”  The coven scout pumped an arm.  “All hail the emperor!”

“Very good Steve.”  Lilith pats his shoulder before walking off.  Steve hesitated for a moment before patting his own shoulder and trailing after her.  Eda watches them disappear from view before turning to the stand where the merchant was beginning to pack up.

Eda strode over and slammed her hand down on the table, startling the merchant.  “Hey bub, what'd you sell my prissy sister?”

“Oh, uh, Miss Owl Lady.”  The merchant began wringing his hands.  “I-I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t play dumb, I saw you hand her a piece of paper.”  Eda summoned a fireball.  “Now, either you tell me what was on it or you find yourself needing a new stand.”

“Wait, please!  I’ll tell you everything!”  Eda dismissed the fireball and raised an eyebrow at the merchant, who gulped. “Y-you see, I specialize in researching rare magical items and substances for people interested in finding them.  Your sister was interested in anything that can be used to heal curses and sicknesses that are incurable by modern magic, and asked me to look into it.”

Eda frowned at that.  It must be because of what Luz told her about me being healed.  She must’ve told Emperor Belos, who now wants to find out how I’m doing it, no doubt to either destroy it or keep it for himself, as a way to blackmail me into serving him.  Well, too bad for them because there’s no way I’m letting either of them get their hands on Luz.

“So what did you get her?” Eda was careful to keep her voice neutral.

“W-well…”  The merchant began wringing his hands.  “After some careful research, I found something called the Leigheas Bloom, also known as the Bloom of Eternal Youth.  It’s supposed to grant everlasting life to a person.  It will only appear once a millennium, but I found a map that leads to the location where it’s supposed to bloom and records indicate that it should be there around this time.”

“I see.”  Eda nodded thoughtfully.

“I-I have another map if you want it.”  The merchant reached into a drawer and pulled out another piece of parchment.  “Will that be all?”

Eda snatched the map, eyeing the merchant, before turning around and leaving.  Odds were this was a scam, but if it wasn’t she couldn’t let Lilith get her hands on that flower without a fight.  And besides, either way, she’d get to mess with her sister, so that was a plus.  She just needed to stop by her home and grab a few things, and leave a note for Luz letting her know she was going to be busy for a day or two.

“I can’t wait to see Drasus again,” Luz said as she and King entered the grove.  King climbed out of Luz’s hoodie and clung to her shoulder.

“Why?  Didn’t you just see him like a week ago?”

“I did, but he always has more to teach me.  It’s so exciting!”  Luz spun around in delight.  “I love being a wolfwalker, and I want to know everything that entails.”

“Why do you love being a wolfwalker so much?  When you first came here you wanted to be a witch.  Why the change?” King’s question made Luz stop walking and looked down.  “Uh, Luz?”

“You remember what I said that night when I asked to stay with Eda?”

“Uh…”  King scratched his head.  “You’d do anything we want as payment?”

Luz snorted, a small grin appearing on her face as she shook her head.  “Well, yeah, but before that.”

King tapped his chin as he thought back on that night.  “Something about not… fitting in?”

“Exactly.”  Luz started walking again.  “I don’t fit in the human realm, I never have.  I always felt out of place, like I didn’t belong.  The only people who made me feel accepted there was my family, mostly my mom.  I didn’t have any friends, and the other kids at school either didn’t want to be around me or actively made my life miserable.”

Luz looked up at the trees that surrounded them.  “But ever since I arrived here, I’ve had this feeling of, rightness, that I belong in this place.  That was tempered by the fact that I know I’ll have to go back home once summer is over and return to life as a human.”  She shook her head.  “But then, I learned that I’m a wolfwalker, not a human.  And then everything just, made sense, ya know.  Why I didn’t fit in with other humans, why I felt more comfortable here in the demon realm than in the human realm.  This is where I belong.”

King was silent for several seconds.  “Wow, that’s deep.  Also kind of sudden for someone who’s spent their entire life in the human realm and a little over a month here.”

Luz blushed and shrugged her shoulders.  “I know it seems sudden, but I can feel it in my gut.  I think it’s my wolfwalker instincts.”

“Huh.”  King sighed.  “You’re pretty lucky Luz.”

“What makes you say that?”

“No reason.  Oh, hey, we’re here.”  King hopped off Luz’s shoulder as they arrived at the clearing next to the pool.  Drasus was standing at the edge of the pond, his roots soaking in the water.

“Hello, young pup.”  They turned to face the duo, wood creaking as they did so.  “You are here for advice on how to discover the glyph of air, are you not?”

“Okay, how do you do that?”  Luz shook her head.  “You always know exactly when I need help with magic.”

“You forget child, I’ve had many years to learn how to listen to the Titan’s whispers.  Very little is hidden from me, as long as there’s magic present.”  The ent turned and began walking towards the cliff at the far side of the pool.  “Now, let us begin your training.”

Luz and King followed Drasus up along a stone path at the edge of the cliff.  Passing under the waterfall, Luz paused as she realized there was a cave hidden behind it.

“That is the ritual den,” Drasus said, pausing, “It is there that the pack that once lived here performed magic to bless the land and catch glimpses of the future, and your grandmother used it to send her daughter to the human realm.”

“How did she do that?”  Luz turned away from the entrance and continued following Drasus.

“I am not quite sure.  From what I sensed in my slumber, she had a powerful elixir that when mixed with the sacred waters created a portal to your world.”

Soon the three of them arrived at the top of the cliff.  From there Drasus led them to a small stone platform with carvings of wolves and witches along the side, and a pair of wolf statues, each with a large crystal in their mouth, flanked the stairs leading up to the platform.

Luz walked up to the platform, running a hand along the carvings.  “What is this place?”

“This is a shrine to the Titan.”  Drasus pointed at the gigantic skull in the distance.  “One of several created by the wolfwalkers.  It is old, even older than me.  It is here that the first wolfwalker learned to hear the whispers of magic in the wind.”

Luz whipped around to face him.  “Do you mean that the glyph for air was discovered here?”

“Yes.”

Luz’s mind reeled.  She was currently standing the exact spot where the first wolfwalker discovered how to use wind magic.  It was unbelievable, insane even!  To think that, thousands of years ago, another wolfwalker stood where she is now, seeking the same thing she did.  She turned back to the shrine, seeing it in a new light.

“Are there other shrines like this one?”

“Indeed there are.  One in each place where a wolfwalker learned to harness the magic of the Titan.”

“Where are they, do you know?”

“I’m afraid I don’t.  At least, not all.  I know this one and the location of the shrine to the magic of the forest.  The others, I’m afraid, are lost to me.”

Luz’s shoulders sagged slightly.  “Well, where is the other shrine you know of?”

“It is deep in the jungle beyond the Knee.  However, since wolfwalkers have been driven to extinction on this titan, the magic there has become volatile, warping the land and the creatures who live in that area.  What was once a place of life and light has now become one of death and decay.  Very few who venture in make it out alive.”

Luz felt her heart droop.  She wanted to see more places like this one and learn more about wolfwalkers of the past.  But from the sounds of it, after Belos drove her kind to extinction virtually all of their history had either been lost or is in places too dangerous to access.

“Hey, I’ve got a question.”  They turned to King.  “How come this place hasn’t been found by Emperor Butt-los?  I mean, yeah, the only way to get in from the ground is the secret passage, but you could always fly over it.”

“Ah, but you can’t.”  Drasus pointed at the shrine.  “This is more than just a monument to the winds, it also shields this place from outsiders.  Only those who enter through the cliff can see this place, the winds will hide it from all others.”

“Wow,” Luz said, “How does that work?”

“Back when Belos first began his campaign against ‘wild magic’ and wolfwalkers, the pack that dwelled here gathered together and performed a ritual to shield this place from prying eyes.  The magic of the ritual is embedded into the crystals in the wolf statues’ mouths, channeling it into the wind.”

Luz frowned.  “Will that make it harder for me to sense the magic of the wind?  I mean, that ritual has to contain some pretty strong magic.”

“Do not worry.”  Drasus walked over to the side of the shrine, and Luz watched as his roots and feet sank into the earth.  “You will be able to sense the difference between the two.  In fact, I believe that it will make it easier.  Follow the magic flowing from the ward, and you’ll find the magic in the wind.”

Luz walked up to the shrine and climbed up on the stone platform.  Sitting down, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she opened her senses to the magic around her.  King was saying something, but it was quickly drowned out by the sheer power of the magic in the area.  Luz could feel the majority of it coming from the statues behind her, feeling like some kind of fog or smoke.  From there it would flow out over the hidden valley, covering the area like a thick blanket.  She could now see how the ritual masked the location of the valley.

Furrowing her eyebrows, she began doing as Drasus said.  Focusing on the ward crystals, she could feel a second kind of magic present.  It pulled at the crystals, drawing in their magic before flowing outward.  It was the same kind of magic that she felt earlier today.  Grasping it with her mind, she began separating it from the rest of the magic that surrounded this place.  It was slow going, with the magic of the ward being so abundant, but she persevered.

After several minutes, she gathered enough of the magic that she could feel the wind swirling around her, ruffling her hair and clothes.  Opening her eyes, she held out a hand, palm up, letting the magic coalesce in front of her.  She watched, heart pounding, as a glyph formed, hovering in the air.

“Wow.”  Luz reached out, cupping the glyph in her hands.  Standing up, she took a deep breath, before thrusting her arms out.  A massive gust of wind blasted outward, tearing through the air.  Calling upon the magic again, she directed it around her, creating a small whirlwind that enveloped her.  Laughing, she slammed her hands into the ground, and a blast of wind sent her flying several feet into the air.  She landed behind the shrine, cheering loudly.

“Well done Luz.  Your natural talent with glyphs is remarkable.  Normally it takes a wolfwalker several weeks to master the feats of magic that you just performed.”

Luz turned to the ent with a grin.  “Looks like my love of comics and animes is paying off.”

“I do not know the things you speak of.”

“They’re human realm stuff, don’t worry about it.”

“Very well.  Now then, you have already mastered the earth glyph, correct?”  Luz nodded.  “Then it is time I teach you another valuable skill.  Wolfwalkers already have incredible senses, allowing them to feel the flow of magic nearby.  With the help of the magic of earth and air, those senses can be greatly enhanced.”

“Really?”  Luz’s eyes were gleaming as she listened.  “Like, by how much?”

“For the greatest among your kind, almost nothing was hidden from their sight.  Through meditation, they could see the entirety of the isle and all who walked on it.  Only the most powerful of wards could block their sight.”

“Will I be able to do that?”

“Perhaps.  For now, we will keep things small.”  Reaching out, Drasus guided Luz to the edge of the cliff.  “Now, I want you to reach out and feel the magic of the earth and wind as it flows throughout the valley.”

Luz gaped at the ent.  “That’s your idea of small?!”

“You have already displayed feats of similar ability with your other glyphs.  I am confident you will succeed.”

“Uh, okay.”  Turning out to gaze over the valley, she closed her eyes and crouched, pressing the palm of her hands into the earth.  Taking a deep breath, she reached out.

“Now, instead of you drawing in the magic, let it draw you in.  Let it envelop your senses and guide your sight.  Feel the air as it winds through the trees, the earth as it shifts and changes.  The earth will carry the vibrations of those who walk along it to you, just as the wind will bring their scent and sound.”

Luz took a deep breath, trying to do as Drasus instructed.  For several minutes she just stayed there, feeling the magic surround her.  That’s when she felt it.  Her ear twitched as the chirp of a bird reached it, sounding like an echo.  Focusing on that, the image of a tree slowly took shape in her mind, with a pair of birds sitting in a nest in one of the branches.

Luz laughed in delight, her eyes still closed.  “I can see it.  I can see the valley!”  More images began to take shape in her mind.  The river that flowed through the valley, different small demons that dwelt in the trees and in burrows, and the many hidden caves that were scattered around the cliff.  That’s when her head started to spin and she let go of the magic.  She stumbled, and Drasus caught her.

“Easy pup, breath.”  They helped Luz sit down.

“What happened?”  Luz’s head continued to spin, but it was beginning to fade.

“You pushed yourself too far, and the magic overwhelmed your senses.  Do not worry, it is a common mistake for young wolfwalkers.  There will be no lasting harm.”

Luz nodded, still dizzy and out of breath.  “Woah, I think I’m done with magic for today.  You want to play a game King?”  Silence.  Luz sat up and looked around.  “King?  King, where are you?”

“He wandered off during your search for the wind glyph.”  Drasus turned and strode to the cliff.  “I believe he is currently exploring the many caves wolkwalkers used as dwellings and meeting places.”

“I’m gonna go find him.”  Luz stood up and started for the cliff path, stretching as she did so.  “I’ve been focusing on magic a lot the past few days, and with Eda busy now is the perfect time to do something, just the two of us.”

King felt his heart sink as Luz began to meditate on the platform.  “Sooo, are we going to do something together after?”  Luz didn’t answer.  King turned to Drasus, who was standing so still he might as well be an actual tree.  Walking over, King stood in front of the ent and waved his hand.  Getting no response, King sighed as he turned away, kicking a rock as he did so.

“I guess I’ll leave you be.”  He made his way to the path they used to climb up here and started back down to the valley.  He knew how much learning about magic and wolfwalkers meant for Luz, he really did, but he couldn’t help but feel, left out.  Luz had her dream, and she was living it, but him, he had no clue how to make his dream of being the king of demons happen.  At times, it felt like he was just there for other people’s amusement.

Arriving back in the valley, King began to walk along the side of the cliff.  Arriving at a large rock next to some bushes, he climbed up.  Arriving at the top, he tried to stand, only to lose his balance.  With a nye, he tumbled over, crashing through the bushes before landing.  Pushing himself up, he rubbed his head and looked around.  He was in a small clear patch, hidden by the bushes, and in the cliff face was the opening to another cave.  Standing up, he brushed himself off and wandered inside.

The cave went straight for a little ways, before widening again.  It was dark, so he pressed his paw against the wall to help keep his balance.  That’s when a glow appeared, and King saw that he touched a light glyph.  The glow spread as more light glyphs activated, and soon the cavern was bathed in light, blinding the young demon for a moment.  Blinking the light away, he looks around, amazed at what he sees.

The cavern’s walls and ceiling are decorated with a single, majestic mural, depicting the entire Boiling Isle.  Faint glowing lines of a multitude of colors were visible, with each color tracing back to a single spot.  Scattered around the cavern were dozens of weapons, statues, and other objects placed on special stands, with a number of them empty.

Looking around, King spotted what looked like a crown fashioned from interwoven branches.  Heading to it, he scrambled up the stand.  Once he was on top, he picked the object up.  Just as he was about to place it on his head, there was a shift in the air.

“...”

A shiver traveled up King’s spine.  “Huh?”

“...ng…”

“Hello?”  King set the crown down and looked around.

“...ng… m…”

“Who’s there?”  King hopped off the stand, climbing back down to the ground.  That’s when he spotted what looked like a round, flat piece of polished crystal.  At first it seemed like the light was merely reflecting off of it, but with a start, King realized that the crystal was glowing.  Unlike the other objects in the room, the crystal was surrounded by what looked like a stone carving of the titan’s skull, like a shrine of sorts.  King slowly walked up to it, climbing up, before gently lifting the crystal into the air.  That’s when the light from the crystal shifted.

“King!”

“Weh!?”  King jumped back as a deep, regal voice called his name.  He fumbled with the crystal, which slipped out of his hands and fell.  King watched in horror as it impacted against the ground, shattering.

“Uh-oh, hehe.”  King scratched the back of his head.  “Hope, that, wasn’t, important.”

“King?”  The little demon looked up to see Luz enter the cave.  “Wow, this is cool.  I wonder what…”  Luz’s voice trailed off as her eyes landed on the pile of crystal fragments lying on the ground, before looking up at King.

“I’m sorry!”  King scrambled down and began picking up the pieces of the crystal.  “I was just looking around when I found this place, and there was a lot of cool stuff, then I heard something and I saw this crystal glowing so I picked it up, then a voice said King and I dropped it and it broke.”

“You, broke it?”

King winced upon hearing the tone of Luz’s voice.  “It was an accident, I swear.”

“Rrr, King!”  Luz ran a hand down her face.  “Did it not occur to you that this stuff may be important?”

“I- I was just looking!”  King began to wring his paws.  Luz had just told him about how much being a wolfwalker meant to her.  Now that he thought about it, this was definitely a place where the ancient wolfwalkers stored valuable items.  And now one of them was broken.

Luz gave him a hard look, her lips pursed in a frown.  Then, all her energy seemed to drain out of her.

“Come on, King.”  She turned and started for the exit.  “Let’s go home.”

“Huh?”  King hurried after her, one of the shards still in his grasp.  “But didn’t you want to spend the day here?”

“I… don’t have the energy right now King.”

King felt his heart drop even more as they made their way back to the owl house.  Once they returned, Luz immediately disappeared upstairs.  A minute later, she came back down as a wolf and disappeared outside, leaving King alone.  Sitting down on the couch, he fiddled with the crystal shard.  He felt horrible, and he didn’t know how to fix it.  He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, but eventually the door opened and Eda stepped in.

“Hey King.  Didn’t expect to see you and Luz until tonight.”

“Yeah, uh, she was feeling tired after practicing magic.”

“Ah, that’s a shame.  You were really looking forward to spending the day with her.”  She turned to walk away, before pausing.  “Whatcha got there?”

“Oh, this?”  King shrugged.  “Just, something I found, in the palistrum grove.”

“May I see it?”  Eda held out a hand, and King gave her the crystal.  She turned it over as she brought it to her eye.  “Huh, its an seeing stone.”

“A what?”

“An seeing stone.  Oracles use them to craft things like crystal balls and stuff.  Never seen this variety though.”  Eda examined the crystal for a few minutes more, before handing it back to King.  “Well, I am popping out for a few days to an undisclosed place to do undisclosed things. Luz is in charge.  Be sure to let her know that, okay?”

“Alright.”

Eda left to the basement, returning after a couple minutes and heading out, leaving King alone again.  Looking over the crystal, he thought about what Eda had told him.  That’s when he had an idea.  Hopping off the couch, he found a piece of paper and quickly wrote a note for Luz.  After that, he left the Owl House and started down the path to Bonesborough.

Once he arrived, King started looking for a shop that sold seeing stones.  He didn’t find any in the regular marketplace where Eda sold human trash, so he started wandering around.  After several minutes, he found one, and was about to head inside when the door opened and he bumped into someone and fell over, dropping the shard in the process.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

King felt himself get lifted up and set on his feet again.  Shaking his head, he looked up to see a young witch around Luz’s age with gold eyes and green hair.

“It’s you!”  He cried, pointing a bony claw at the witch.  “The Cupcake Destroyer!”

The witch blink, then her eyes widened.  “You’re that demon who was with Luz.  What was your name again?”

“Hm.”  King crossed his arms and looked away.  “I am the mighty, the ferocious, King of Demons.”

They stared at him for a few seconds.  “Soo, King, then?”

“You may call me that, Destroyer.”

They sighed and shook their head.  “My name’s Amity, not Destroyer.”

“You destroyed my offerings.”

Amity threw her arms in the air.  “I’ve already apologized for that.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that you destroyed my cupcake for no reason, nor does it bring it back.”

Amity sighed and got down on one knee.  “You’re right, it doesn’t.  And I shouldn’t have destroyed your cupcake.  I was upset with Luz, and I took it out on you when I shouldn’t have.  Can you forgive me?”

“Hmm.”  King tapped a claw to his chin.  “Alright, but on one condition.”

Amity raised an eyebrow.  “And that is?”

King held up the piece of the crystal.  “Can you help me find more of this kind of seeing stone?”

“Huh?”  Amity took the crystal from King and looked at it.  “Why do you want me to do that?”

“It’s just…”  King tapped his claws together.  “I accidentally broke something that’s important for Luz, and I want to fix it.  Eda mentioned that oracles use these stones to make stuff, but she didn’t know this kind.”

Amity cocked her head.  “Why is it important to Luz?”

“It’s, a secret.”

Amity looked around, then leaned down.  “Does this secret involve her being a wolfwalker?”

“Weh?”  King hopped back.  “How do you know that?!”

“There was an, incident, at the library.”

“What kind of incident?”

“A private one.”  Amity began examining the crystal again.  “Anyway, I actually know this kind of seeing stone, and where it is found.”

King perked up at that.  “You do?”

“Yeah.  It’s fairly uncommon, and not many oracles use it.”

“Why’s that?  Is it expensive?”

“No, it’s just not very useful.  Most varieties of seeing stones are better than others for certain uses, which is why crystal balls that we use to watch shows are made of a different kind than those that are used to contain ghosts and other spirits.  But this kind of stone isn’t very good for anything.  Combine that with how hard it is to find, and most oracles don’t bother with it.  You’d be hard-pressed to find a shop that sells it.”

“Oh, I see.”  King hung his head.  So much for that plan.  “Well, I guess I better get going.”

He started to walk away.  After a couple of seconds, he heard Amity call out to him.

“Wait.”  King turned to see Amity hurry to catch up to him.  “It may not be sold in most shops, but I know where to find it.”

King’s eyes widened, and he instantly felt better.  “You do?”

“Yeah.  My mother spent a small fortune trying to figure out a use for it a few years ago, and I remember her mentioning it came from these caves at the Skull.”

“Great, you’re forgiven.  Thank you!”  He started to run, only for Amity to pick him up.  “Hey, what gives.”

“Do you really think you can get there on your own?”

“I am the King of Demons.  I can do anything!”

“And do Eda and Luz know you’re planning this?”

King looked away.  “Eda’s out for a few days, not sure why, and Luz is currently a, you know what, somewhere in the woods.  Besides, I kinda wanted this to be a surprise for her.”

Amity pursed her lips, before setting him down.  She then summoned her scroll and typed away at it for a few seconds.

“Alright, we better get going.”

“Huh?  We?”

“It’s a long way to the Skull, and I really don’t think Luz or Eda would want you going there on your own.  I can get us a boat ride that will take us there.  Then we just have to find the seeing stone.  If we’re lucky, we should be back before sunset.”  Amity started walking, and King trailed behind.

“Why are you helping me?  I thought you didn’t like Luz.”

Amity paused for a moment, before she continued on.  “Luz did something for me during the library incident, and I want to repay her for that.  Helping with this seems like a good way to do that.  Plus, now that I’ve gotten to know her a bit, she really isn’t that bad.  She just, acts without thinking sometimes.”

King gave a nod.  “Yeah, that’s Luz.”  They kept walking, King struggling a bit to keep up with Amity.  After a few minutes, he ran up to her and climbed up her leg and back until he was perched on her shoulder.

“Hey!” She protested.

“You’ve got longer legs than me.”  King pointed ahead.  “Besides, we’ve got no time to waste.  Onward, chariot!”

Amity rolled her eyes, but kept walking.  Pretty soon, the two of them were on a boat and sailing away.  As they did so, King looked farther up the coast, where he knew the Owl House was.  He then turned to look at the Knee, which was steadily growing closer.  Hopefully, he would soon have that kind of seeing stone and be able to make things right.

Luz didn’t know how long she’d been running when she finally ran out of breath.  She just knew that she was faster than she’d ever been before.  She was probably using wind magic without realizing it to increase her speed.  Looking around, she saw towering pillars of white stone reaching up into the distance.

I’m somewhere around the Chest, Luz thought, How fast was I running?

That’s when her stomach rumbled, letting her know she was hungry.  Shaking herself, she sniffed the ground as she looked for some food.  Having to eat as both a wolf and in her self-named “wolf-girl” form was an adjustment that she was still getting used to, namely what it was like to eat as a wolf.  It didn’t take her long to find a small rabbit-like demon.  She pinned it down with a plant glyph and finished it off with a bite.  She never felt bad about killing her prey, something she chalked up to her wolfwalker instincts.

Once she was finished with her food she found a stream and began cleaning herself.  As she did so, her mind wandered back to what happened with King, and she began to feel guilty.  She knew it was an accident, she really did.  And she had left King on his own while she was learning more magic from Drasus.  But because of him a relic of past wolfwalkers was now gone, destroyed.  What’s worse, she didn’t even know what that crystal was supposed to do.  Now, she’d never get a chance to experience it, and that upset her.  But she didn’t want to take that out on King, which is why she left as soon as they got home.  She needed to cool off.  But leaving probably made King feel worse.

Luz crouched and put her paws over her head.  She really needed to get back and tell King she wasn’t angry at him and it was okay.  She’d been looking forward to spending the day with him, but the accident had soured her mood at the time.  Standing up, she prepared to run back home when she heard a pair of voices.  Voices she recognizes.  Closing her eyes, Luz let her senses expand, carried by the wind and earth.  Once she located the people talking, she stiffened.

“Are you sure you saw her come this way Tom?”  The demon hunter with the eyepatch asked the one who threw her and her friends off the cliff.

“Yeah I’m sure.  Big old wolf, moving so fast that they looked like they were flying.”

“Hmm.”  Luz watched as they crouched down, examining the ground with a grin.  “Yep, she came through here alright.  Looks like today’s our lucky day.”

“Boss?”  Another demon hunter stepped forward.  “Why do you want to capture that girl?  And why did we have to buy a pair of Lailaps Cerberus?  You’ve always said that using hunting demons like them took the fun out of the job.”

“That’s because that girl is no ordinary demon.”  The hunter stood up, brushing himself off.  “After our encounter with her, I started looking through my father’s old notes.  Turns out, that girl is a werewolf.”

Luz felt her blood turn to ice.

“A werewolf?” Tom asked, “Are you sure?”

“Course I’m sure.  My daddy was one of the greatest werewolf hunters that ever lived back in his days.  He knew all about how to hunt them and taught me how to do it.  The emperor’s coven still has a standing bounty on any werewolf brought in.  If we get this girl, we’ll each be getting a whole boatload of snails, not to mention a premier reputation that will guarantee us work for the rest of our lives.”

“And the hounds?”

“They’re one of the only animals that can track down a werewolf.  They’re cunning little bastards, let me tell you.  One moment you’re on their trail, the next, it’s like they’ve disappeared into thin air.  But those hounds, nothing can escape them once they’ve got a scent, and no beastkeeping magic will turn them from hunting down their prey except that cast by the one wearing this control necklace.”  The hunter with the eyepatch pulls something out from the collar of his shirt, before tucking it away again.  “They may have been expensive, but once we capture that werewolf it will all be worth it.”

“That’s why you didn’t want us talking about her.”  The other hunter nods slowly.  “You don’t want to risk anyone else snagging the bounty.”

“You got that right.”  The hunter turned around.  “Now come on.  Let’s release the Cerberus and get that money.”

Luz’s eyes shot open, and she began to look around.  She needed to escape, but the demon hunters were between her and the way back to the owl house.  That’s when she heard two trios of howls echo in the distance.  Instantly, a primal fear took hold of her, and she bolted, running as fast as she could.  She prayed that somehow she would find someone to help her.

Amity left the boat with King on her shoulder as they arrived at the small town of Ivorymore at the Skull.  She’d told her mom that she learned of a possible lead on a use for the seeing stone found in this area, and was going to check it out before anyone else could.  Her mother immediately approved of what she was doing, congratulating her for her proactiveness in helping Blight Industries grow and increase its profits.  She still felt nervous though, like her mother at any moment could find out what she was really doing and show up to punish her.  Which, for an oracle, was a distinct possibility.

She didn’t know what prompted her to help King.  Contrary to what she said, the moment he’d mentioned wanting to help Luz, something inside her almost lept at the thought, telling her that she had to help.  Actually, stuff like that had been happening more and more frequently ever since she learned Luz was a wolfwalker that night at the library, as well as other weird things.  She’d get shivers around certain artifacts that were kept around the house, and her necklace now gave off this icky, clammy feel that made her want to retch, and weird glows would appear around people only to disappear again.

“So where do we go now?” King asked, jolting Amity out of her thoughts.

“Well, the caves are found farther up so we need to take the sky tram.”  She started walking down the main street.  Arriving at the booth for the tram, Amity paid for their tickets and they hopped in an empty cart.  As they rode the tram, Amity’s mind drifted to Luz once again.

“How is Luz doing?”

“Huh?”  King turned from looking out the window to face her.  “Why do you want to know?”

“I, I’m just curious, is all.”  Amity shuffled nervously under King’s gaze.

“She’s fine.”  King turned around and sat down.  “She loves being a wolfwalker.”

“Really?  Why’s that?”

“She said she never felt like she belonged in the human realm.”  King began swinging his legs.  “But since she found out she’s a wolfwalker, she now feels like she’s found where she’s meant to be.”

That, made a surprising amount of sense to Amity.  Even before she, or Luz for that matter, learned the latter was a wolfwalker, Luz was always completely at ease whenever Amity saw her.  For a human, that wouldn’t make sense, but for a species native to the demon realm, even if they didn’t grow up here it was her species ancestral home.

Arriving at the top, they left the tram and made their way to the caves.  After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at the entrance to one.  Just as Amity was about to step inside, a chill crept up her spine.  Her heart began pounding as a feeling of dread washed over her, as well as the urge to find Luz.

“Uh, you okay?”

King’s voice snapped Amity back into the present.  “Y-yes, I’m fine.”  They continued onward, heading into the cave, but the feelings of dread and worry still lingered.

Eda pushed her way through some branches as she followed her map.  Arriving at a clearing, she looked up to see an object covered in dark vines.  Stepping forward, she pulled them off to reveal a statue of a minotaur.

“Okay, from the Minitaur, I head due north, and with luck, I'll get to the Bloom of Eternal Youth before Lilith!”  Eda cackled, before snorting.  “Suck it, emperor dorks!”

That’s when she heard branches crackle behind her.  She immediately ducked behind the statue, summoning a blue sword.  As she heard them step into the clearing, she quickly cast a spell, creating a fireball.  Just as they started to come into view, she surged forward, fireball and sword held aloft.

“Spicy toss!” She cried, running at the person, who whipped around with a yelp.  Realizing who it was, Eda skidded to a halt.  “Lily?”

“Edalyn?”

Eda vanished her weapons.  Lilith looked like she’d had a lot more difficulty following the map.  Her clothes had splotches of mud and dirt on them and her hair was tangled and covered in leaves.

Lilith sighed and rolled her eyes.  “And of course you would be here just to be a nuisance. Why don't you go do one of your pointless, silly little scams so I can do my work in piece.”

“Sorry, sister, but anything the emperor considers top priority is clearly quite important for something he has planned, so I’m going to protect the Bloom of Eternal Youth and keep it from being used in whatever evil scheme he’s got cooked up.”

“It’s not like that.  The emperor didn’t order me to get him the Bloom for any purpose.”

“Then why are you looking for it?”  Eda already had a pretty good idea, but she wanted to hear what Lilith had to say.  Might offer some more insight on what Emperor Bonehead is up to.

“When I mentioned your new treatment to the emperor, he became curious, and ordered me to further research the subject, wanting to assure that what you’re doing isn’t dangerous.”

Eda scoffed.  “You mean find out what the treatment is so he can keep it to himself.”

Lilith pursed her lips as she looked at Eda.  “...What is your treatment anyway?  I know you still need the elixirs, but you were able to do something the night of the celestial convergence, and your apprentice mentioned doing it again.”

“I aint telling.”  Eda wagged a finger in Lilith’s face.  “This treatment has done wonders for me, and I will not let Belos get his hands on it, just like I won’t let him get the Bloom.”

They glared at each other for a moment.  Then, Eda smirked and ran ahead.

“I’m gonna get there before you!”  She yelled back in a sing-song tone.

“Ah! No you won’t!”  Lilith started chasing her, and Eda cackled.  No matter the circumstances, she always loved competing against her sister.  She then felt a strange feeling come over her, the kind she usually did right before Luz or King asked for her help with something, but more urgent.  She brushed it off and kept running.  Luz could take care of herself and King no problem, and from the looks of it, finding the Bloom will take less time than she thought.  Another point to this being a scam of some kind, but hey, at least if anything did go wrong she’d be back sooner rather than later.

It had been a few hours since they’d entered the cave for the crystal, and Amity’s nerves were shot.  Ever part of her was screaming to find Luz as fast as possible, and she had no clue why.  Even King seemed on edge, though that might be because they haven’t found any sign of the seeing stone they were looking for.

“You do know how to find the crystal, right?” King asked, looking at her.

“Yes, I do.  I’ve been here before.”  Amity wiped some sweat from her brow.  “These crystals are found in the central cavern of these caves.  We just have to find it.”

Turning another corner, Amity saw a rock formation that was shaped like an abomination.  Grinning, she began to job.  She remembered coming this same way years ago with her father.  That was before he became consumed with his work, only coming out when her mother ordered him to in order to back her up, like when they made her-.

Amity shook the thought from her head as they approached the last turn.  “This is it.  The cavern with the crystals is right… here?”

Turning the corner, they arrived at a large cavern, completely devoid of any crystals.  Stepping farther in, the two began to look around.

“You sure this is where the crystals are found?”  King hopped off her shoulder.  “Cause I’m not seeing any.”

“I don’t understand.”  Amity spun around.  “This is the cavern, I’m sure of it.  So why aren’t their any seeing stones?”

“They’ve been gone a long time now,” a voice said, and the two whirled around to see an old demon with a snake-like head with a cobra hood.  “Don’t worry, I mean you no harm.  I just like to come and sit in this place in the dark when I want some peace and quiet.”

“Sorry for disturbing you, sir.”  Amity looked around.  “Do you know what happened to the crystals?  Last time I was here with my dad, they covered the walls and ceiling of this place.”

“Aye, they did.”  The demon nodded.  “It was quite beautiful.  That was one of the reasons I liked to come here.  The seeing stones of this place, they were special.”

“What do you mean?”  Amity walked over to him and sat on a nearby rock.  “From what I know, these seeing stones are pretty much worthless to an oracle.”

“Bah.”  The demon shook his head.  “To an oracle with one of those horrid brands, yes, they are worthless.  But to a free oracle whose sight isn’t limited, they hold great value.”

Amity eyed the demon warily.  “You mean you’re a wild witch?”

“Is that what they’re calling us?”  The demon tapped his chin.  “If that means to the fact I haven’t bound myself to a coven, then yes, I suppose I am.”

Amity swallowed nervously as she watched the demon, wondering what his plan was.  Everyone said that wild witches were evil and put people in danger for practicing forbidden magic.  But then again, Eda the Owl Lady was a wild witch, and she was more of a public nuisance than anything else.

“To answer your previous question, I do know what happened to the seeing stones of this cavern.”  The demon looked down sadly.  “I’m afraid they were taken some years ago on Belos’ orders.”

Amity blinked in surprise.  “The emperor?  But why?”

“Why does any tyrant take something of value?  To keep it for themselves or prevent their enemies from having it.”

Amity scowled.  “The emperor isn’t a tyrant.  He brought peace to the isle and protected them from attacks by wild witches.”

The demon gave a bitter chuckle.  “Belos did bring peace to the towns that followed him, in exchange for total control of their lives and their magic.  And as soon as the towns swore to serve him, the attacks ceased immediately.  Rather curious, don’t you think?”

Amity was growing more and more uncomfortable the longer she spoke with this demon.  He was creepy, sitting alone here in the dark, openly disparaging the coven system, and implying Belos was the one behind the violence of the savage ages.

“Uh, excuse me?”  King stepped between them.  “If there aren’t any of those seeing stones left here, do you know where we can find one?”

“Hmm.”  The demon stared down at King.  “I take it you're asking in behalf of Luz Nadir, are you not?”

Amity frowned in confusion.  Nadir?  I thought her last name was Noceda.

“Uh, yeah.  How, did you know?”

The demon smiled.  “An old friend sent me a message.”  There was a chirp, and Amity saw a small red shape fly down and land on their shoulder, revealing itself to be a red bird palisman with a scar over one eye.  The demon reached up and scratched its belly, making the palisman twitter as they leaned into the touch.

King scratched the back of his head.  “You mean the Bat Queen?”

That startled Amity.  “What does the Bat Queen have to do with this?”

“Of course.”  The demon chuckled, ignoring Amity’s question.  “In any case, you don’t need to worry about finding more crystals.”

The demon reached into his robes, and pulled out a large crystal.  He held it out to King, who reached to accept it, only for Amity to pull him back.

“What’s the catch?” She asked, eyes narrow with suspicion.

“No catch.”  The demon set the crystal down in front of them.  “It is a gift, for one of the last few remaining wolfwalkers.”

King broke free of Amity’s hold and reached for the crystal.  Before Amity could stop him, he picked it up.  He examined it for a few seconds, before looking back up at the demon.

“Thanks.  Also, quick question, does this kind of seeing stone have a name?”

That, was a very good question, Amity realized.  Most varieties of seeing stones had an individual name, but she couldn’t remember what this kind was called, nor could she remember anyone else giving it a name.  They all just referred to it as a seeing stone.

“It does, the Titan’s Eye, and during the savage ages, it was quite well known.  But you will not be able to find it now, nor will anyone be able to remember the stone’s use, as both are hidden by powerful magic.”  The demon chuckled.  “Some of my finest work.”

Amity gaped at the demon.  “You mean you used magic to erase that knowledge from history?”  Amity felt terror begin to overtake her.  If this demon could do that, just how powerful was he?  And what else could he do?

“Not on my own, mind you.  I had a lot of help.  But I was the one who designed and led the ritual to hide that information.”  He shook his head.  “Nowadays everyone assumes that an oracles greatest ability is to gaze into the future.  In reality, our finest work is done not when we look forward, but elsewhere.  A free, unbound oracle sees all, future, past, and present.  Nothing is hidden from our sight.  Belos knew this, which is why when he created those seals he designed the oracle brand to cloud our inner eye.”

“That isn’t true!”  Amity shook her head.

“Tell me, everyone knows that oracle magic can give prophecies and predictions, right?”  Amity nodded, it was something that her mother bragged about on many occasions when she scored a particularly valuable business deal.  “Now answer me this.  In the last fifty years since Belos rose to power, when has a coven bound oracle ever predicted the future without the aid of a spirit, hmm?  And have there been any who have given a prophecy?”

Amity opened her mouth to answer, only for it to snap shut again as she realized that the answer was none.  She’d heard tales about oracles who had the gift of prophecy, but no oracle in recent history had been born with it except Alyksandra the Doomspeaker, a wild witch who constantly predicted death and destruction before she was captured and petrified some 25 years ago for speaking against the Day of Unity.  And Amity didn’t know of any member of the oracle coven who didn’t consult a bound spirit to aid in their predictions, not even her own mother.

“You are beginning to see.”  The demon stood up.  “The crystal can reveal much, but only to those who can hear the Titan’s whispers.”

King raised a paw.  “Like wolfwalkers!”

“Yes, like wolfwalkers.”  The demon nodded.  “In fact, it was wolfwalkers who discovered the use of this crystal, it is only right that they should have access to it.”

Hesitantly, Amity took the crystal from King and prepared to slip it into her bag.  Just as she was about to put it away, the demon called out to her.

“I wouldn’t do that just yet.”

“Why?”  As far as Amity was concerned, now that they had the crystal, she wanted to get as far away from them as possible.  They freaked her out far too much.

“Look into the crystal, and you will understand.”

Amity frowned but did as instructed.  She felt King climb up onto her shoulder to do the same.  The crystal remained as it was for several seconds.  Then, it began to change.  An image began to take appear in the crystal, colors and shapes slowly taking form.  After a few more seconds, Amity could see a large wolf running through the forest.

“Hey, that’s Luz!”  King pointed at the wolf.  “But why’s she running?”

Amity wondered the same thing.  The image then shifted, revealing a pair of cerberus leading a group of demons and witches in dark robes.

“That’s those demon hunters!”  King cried, hopping off Amity’s shoulder.  “They must be hunting her.  We need to go, now!”

He scampered off back the way they came.  Amity shoved the crystal into her bag and began to chase him, only for a hand to grab her sleeve.

“Wait.”  Amity turned to see the old demon holding her.  “I have one last thing to say to you.  You are about to undergo a great change, one that will destroy your life.”

As the demon spoke, a third eye opened in the middle of his forehead.  The air became thick, laced with power, making Amity’s hair stand on end.  As all three of the demon’s eyes began to glow purple, she felt pure terror take hold of her.

“You will be hunted by those you once aspire to be, your magic will fade, the walls you’ve built to protect yourself will crumble, and when the celestial bodies align, the life of the witch known as Amity Blight will end.”  With that, the demon let her go as his eyes stopped glowing.  “However, should you save Luz Nadir this day, this prediction will not be one of doom, but of hope.”

Amity stumbled back, her breathing erratic.  “How can that be a prediction of hope?!”

“Save Luz Nadir, and you will see.  Flapjack will assist you.”

“Who?”

The bird palisman sitting on the demon’s shoulder chirped, flying over to Amity.  Just at it arrived, it glowed yellow, and changed into a staff, which Amity caught.

“Now hurry, for if Luz Nadir dies, the doom I foretold will happen to us all!”

Amity stepped back, glancing at the staff in her hand, then back at the demon.  “If Luz dying will spell doom on everyone, why aren’t you helping?”

“Aren’t I?  I helped you gaze into the Titan’s Eye.  If I hadn’t, you never would’ve known she was in danger.”

“And that’s all you’re going to do?”

“Of course not.  But one of the most important aspects of knowing the future is knowing when to act, when not to act, and helping others act when they need to.  The time will come when I must act, but until then, I will wait.”

Amity took a step away from the demon, before turning and hopping on the staff.  After wobbling a bit, she flew off, quickly catching up to King and grabbing him as she passed by.  Her mind drifted back to the demon’s prediction and warning, and her grip tightened.  Pushing it out of her mind, she focused on finding Luz.  Saving her came first, then she could worry about what he told her.  She just hoped that he was telling the truth, and that saving Luz somehow turned his prediction into a good one.

Luz was beginning to tire as the sun slowly disappeared behind the titan’s skull.  She could easily outpace the cerberus that were tracking her, but they were relentless in their pursuit.  Arriving at a narrow canyon, she lept, soaring over the gap.  Upon landing, she stumbled, and her momentum caused her to trip and fall.  With a yelp, she tumbled down the slope on the other side, landing heavily.  She remained like that, the wind knocked out of her.  Then, she slowly pulled herself to her feet, and stumbled forward.  She didn’t know why she was running in the direction of the Skull, except for a vague feeling that she would be safe if she reached, something over there.

Suddenly, a wall of fire appeared before her, blocking her path.  Skidding to a halt, Luz attempted to run in another direction, only for the fire to spread in that direction as well.  Soon, she was surrounded by flames.  Then, the demon hunters descended from the sky on staves as the cerberus emerged from the flames.

“You led us on quite the chase werewolf,” the lead demon hunter said, “But now you’re coming with us.  And we don’t care if its alive or dead.”

Luz growled as she desperately tried to keep all the hunters in view, but there were too many of them, and they were all spread out.  Knowing she couldn’t fight like this, she summoned as many light glyphs as she could, before closing her eyes to shield them from the bright flash that followed.  She then looked around while the hunters all yelled in pain.  Seeing a group of them clustered together, she summoned a wind glyph.  Then, for fun, she inhaled deeply before howling loudly, releasing a massive gust of wind which extinguished that section of the wall of fire and sent the group of hunters flying.

“Guess I know where the Three little pigs story comes from,” Luz muttered as she darted through the opening.  Once she was outside the ring of fire she turned around and used a plant glyph to create a wall of thorny vines.  Then she began running once again.  However, before she could get far a painful shock made her yelp and collapse.

“Nice try werewolf, but I know all your tricks.”

Luz saw the lead demon hunter standing in front of her.  She pushed herself upright, but the demon summoned a massive wall of earth that extended in a half circle.  Before she could break through it, several growls caught her attention.  She whirled around to find the two cerberus approaching her, their glowing red eyes locked on her.  They had black fur with red splotches and looked like a mix between a Dalmatian and a Doberman.  The two began to spread out, and Luz backed up, growling as she did so.  Then another shock hit her from behind, making her yelp.  Looking up, she spotted the lead demon hunter standing on top of the wall, with more joining him.

“This will be a lot less painful for you if you just surrender.”  He then grinned.  “But if you don’t, it will be a lot more fun.  For us, that is.”

The demon hunters jeered and laughed as the cerberus continued to box Luz in.  One of the dogs lunged forward, and Luz leaped back, only for another to bite down on her leg, making her howl in pain.  It then threw her into the side of the wall, leaving her head ringing.  She struggled to her feet as the cerberus closed in.  She snarled, snapping at them, but they continued to approach.  Then the lead hunter unleashed more of his green lightning, making her collapse.  Looking up, she saw the cerberus looming over her as one places its massive paw on her chest, and she closed her eyes.

“Leave her alone!”

Luz’s eyes shot open just in time to see purple goop splatter over each of the three heads of the cerberus.  It yelped, retreating as it desperately tried to wipe the sticky substance away.  A witch with green hair landed in front of her, a staff in one hand and a small furry demon with a skull like head clinging to her shoulder.  Spinning her staff, she created an abominationn which tackled the second cerberus.

“King?”  Luz pushed herself upright.  “Amity?  What are you doing here?”

“We’re here to save you, duh.”  King hopped off of Amity’s shoulder and he ran up to Luz.  “Are you- Look out!”  He tackled Luz, knocking her just enough to the side to avoid a blast of lighting.

“You’re not getting away from us werewolf.”  The demon hunters hopped down from the wall, surrounding them again.  Meanwhile, the two cerberus freed themselves from the abomination goop and began prowling forward.

“We need to run!”  Amity summoned another pair of abominations, which groaned as they stepped towards the cerberus.

“That won’t work.”  Luz lunged at a demon hunter who got too close, but they danced out of reach.  “Those cerberus will be able to track me wherever I go, and they will only listen to the leader of the demon hunters because he’s got some kind of necklace.”

“So what do we do?” King asked, hiding behind Luz’s legs.

“Get them!”  The leader pointed at the trio, and the rest of the hunters charged, along with the cerberus.  Luz slammed her front paws into the ground, sending a wave of earth that caused many of them to tumbled.  She then charged forward and rammed the leader, smashing him into the wall.  Ducking under a spell fired at her head, she saw Amity was summoning abomination after abomination with her new staff and having them all dogpile the cerberus in an attempt to trap them.  Before she could locate King, two hunters attacked her with weapons, and she was forced to back off.  She summoned dozens of vines, and while the hunters did their best to cut them down, they were soon overwhelmed and she tied them up.

“Got ya!”

Luz heard the whistle of a blade, and ducked just in time to avoid a sword swing at her head, but the attack still grazed her just above the eye.  With a snarl, she caught the sword in her mouth, and after a few seconds and calling upon her magic, the blade shattered.  She then lunged forward, snagging the demon hunter by their cloak and swinging them around, bowling over several other demon hunters.

“Enough!”  Luz turned to see the leader holding King by his collar.  “Or the little one gets it.”

Luz froze, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Amity do the same.  The demon hunters quickly surrounded them, several bringing out large chains.

“Wait!”  King struggled in the grip of the demon hunter.  “Wait, please!”

“No.”  The demon hunter shook King.  “That werewolf has caused me far to much trouble, and you helping her makes you complicit in aiding them.  I’m bringing all three of you to the Emperor myself.”

“I know where there are more of them!”  King’s yell make the demon hunter freeze.  “But I won’t tell you unless you let us go!”

He then held King in front of him.  “Alright, where?”

“I need you to come closer.”

The leader snorted.  “Do you take me for a fool?”

“What am I supposed to do?  You have my friends captured, and I don’t have any magic.  Besides, this really isn’t something you want said out loud.”

The demon glared at him.  “Alright, fine.  I’ll entertain your request.  But try anything and your friends will regret it, starting with that little witch girl.”

“Of course, absolutely.”

The demon hunter brought King closer to his face.  King began to whisper something, before he reared back and slammed his head into their face.  The demon hunter cried in pain and tossed King away.

“Alright, that’s it.  Hunters, cut off the witch girl’s hands.”

“Oh, I don’t think so.”  King pushed himself to his feet, clutching a small object.  “Recognize this?”

The leader’s eyes widened.  “The control necklace!”

King quickly placed the necklace around his neck and then pointed at the other demon hunters.  “Get them!”

The pair of cerberus immediately turned their attention from Luz and Amity to the demon hunters.  The group began to panic as the hounds advanced on them.  The dogs then lunged forward with a snarl, and the hunters scattered.

“No! Come back, cowards!”  The leader shook his fist at his men as they ran from the cerberus.  Turning around, he took an involuntary step back when he found himself face-to-face with Luz.  With a growl, Luz stamped a paw, and a pillar of earth sent the hunter flying into the air.  Summoning a wind glyph, Luz took a deep breath, and howled, the subsequent blast of wind sending the hunter flying into the darkness with a scream.

“Yeah!”  King threw his paws up into the air.  “We sure showed them!”  Luz then collapsed.

“Luz!”  King and Amity cried, rushing to her side.

“I’ll be fine guys.”  Luz took a deep breath before letting it out.  “Just, need some time to rest.  Those demon hunters have been chasing me all day.”

“Hey, Luz?”  King stepped in front of her.  “I’m really sorry about breaking that crystal, but I got something to make it up to you.”  Waving to Amity, Luz watched the witch grab something from her bag.  Bringing out a large crystal, she gave it to King, who held it out to Luz.

“Here.  This is the same kind of crystal as the one I broke.  I know it’s not the same, but will this be alright?”

“Oh King, thanks, you have no idea how much that means to me.  And I’m sorry for yelling at you the way I did.  Now come here.”  Luz used a paw to pull him in and gave him a massive lick.

“Aw, grows!”  King yelled, struggling to get free.  Amity giggled, and Luz turned to her.  Seeing the look in her eyes, Amity began to back away.

“Luz, no, don’t you dare-”  That was as far as she got before Luz managed to pull her in and gave her a massive lick too.  Amity spluttered.  “Luz!”

Luz laughed, giving each of them several more licks before letting them go.  The two began wiping themselves off, and Luz turned her attention to the object in Amity’s hand.

“When did you get a staff?”

“Huh?”  Amity paused for a moment, and the staff changed into a cardinal palisman.  “Oh, they aren’t mine.  Someone we met let me borrow them after warning us that you were in danger.”

“Who?”  That made Luz very curious.

“Some oracle.”  King finished cleaning himself and hopped up.  “He also gave us the crystal, and he’s friends with the Bat Queen.”

“Really?”  The palisman chirped and nodded.  “Well, any friend of the Bat Queen is someone I trust.”  With that, the palisman flew off into the night.

Closing her eyes, Luz felt her magic wash over her, healing her injuries.  With a grunt, she pushed herself to her feet.  That’s when she heard the snapping of branches, and all three of them tensed.  Looking up, they saw the pair of cerberus emerge from the brush and stand in front of them.

“What do we do with them?” Luz asked.

“They’re bound to the necklace.”  Amity pointed at the piece of jewelry King was now wearing.  “That only happens if they were born and raised wild, not domesticated.  It’s cheaper, but as you can see, stealing the necklace allows someone else to control them.”

King lifted the necklace up to examine it, before taking it off.  Amity and Luz watched as he grabbed a rock and lifted it up, before bringing it down on the jewel in the center.  There was a bright flash, and the gem broke.  The cerberus froze, before shaking themselves and running off.

“Why’d you do that King?  Wouldn’t you want a pair of awesome three-headed dogs that can track anyone anywhere at your command?”  Luz was curious to hear his answer.

“It would be cool, but it didn’t feel right to use the necklace to do it.  They don’t deserve a life like that.”

Luz smiled, nuzzling the top of King’s head.  She then laid down again with a sigh.

“Are you sure you’re alright Luz?”  Amity stepped forward and placed a hand on her head, rubbing her thumb over a spot above her eye.  “You’ve still got a scar from that fight with the demon hunters.”

“I do?”  Luz looked up to see Amity nod before a yawn overtook her.  “I guess I’m more exhausted than I thought.”

King yawned as well.  “Same here.”  He climbed up onto Luz’s back and curled up into her fur.

Amity shrugged.  “I guess I’m feeling a little tired.”  They then gave a massive yawn.  Once she was done, she blushed upon seeing Luz and King staring at her.  “Okay, yeah, I’m exhausted too.”

“Come lie down with us.”  Luz jerked her head to her side.  “I’ve been told I make an excellent pillow.”

King raised a paw.  “She really does.”

Amity hesitated for a moment, before sitting down next to Luz and curling up into her side.  “Mmm, this is nice.”

Luz curled up around the witch, letting herself relax.  “Hey Amity, how did you get caught up in all this anyway?”

“Oh.”  Amity shifted so her back was pressed to Luz’s side.  “I stumbled across King while doing errands for my mom.  When he mentioned that he was trying to get a new seeing stone for you, I decided to help him.”

“Why?”  She felt Amity look up at King, who was already fast asleep.  Seriously, how did he fall asleep that fast?

“I guess part of the reason is because I was curious.”  Amity snuggled deeper into Luz’s fur with another yawn.  “He was looking for a kind of seeing stone that was considered worthless by modern oracles, and I wanted to know if it could do anything.  And also, I guess I wanted to help you, after you helped protect my diary.”

“Thank’s Amity.”  Luz twisted her head to nuzzle her cheek, giving her another small lick.

“Luz!”  Amity pushed her away with a giggle.  “Cut it out.”

“Okay, okay.”  Luz relented, even though a tiny part of her was disappointed.

“You really are a big old puppy, aren’t you,” Amity murmured, resting her head against Luz.

“Yup.”  Luz let out another yawn as she curled up.  After a couple of minutes, she heard Amity’s breath even out as the girl fell asleep.  Luz, however, remained awake.  An interesting thing she’d discovered about her wolf form is that she didn’t sleep like this, and given enough time she could recover when exhausted.  However, she would never truly feel rested as a wolf until after she spent some time in her human form.  That made sense, as Luz figured that spending time in human form was the equivalent of letting her inner wolf sleep.

By the time Amity stirred again, the moon was already high in the sky.  The witch stretched, yawning in a way that distinctly reminded Luz of those cat yawns that started small before revealing their teeth.  Heck, Amity herself had a pair of sharp canines in the top and bottom of her mouth that became visible when she yawned, something that Luz found incredibly cute and fitting.

Amity rubbed her eyes and looked around.  “What time is it?”

“I don’t know, but it’s probably been a few hours since you fell asleep.”  Luz watched as Amity sat up and summoned her scroll.  Upon seeing the time, her face blanched.

“Shoot, this isn’t good.  I really need to get home soon, or my mom will be furious.”

“Well, I’m nice and rested, so why don’t we head on out?  I should be able to get you home pretty fast.”

Luz stood up, disturbing King, who let out a little “Weh” before sitting up.

“How?”  Amity stood up.  “We’re a long way from Bonesborough.”

Luz crouched.  “Hop on and I’ll show you.”

Amity hesitated, before climbing onto Luz’s back.  Once Amity was secure, she stood up.  She started with a slow walk, letting Amity get used to riding her.  After a few minutes, she began to speed up.  As she did so, she reached out and started channeling wind magic around her.  The result had her shooting forward like she was shot out of a cannon.  Amity screamed as they zipped past trees and rocks, but after a few seconds, Amity’s screams changed to laughter.  King soon joined in, and Luz howled with joy.  While a lot of today had sucked, it was moments like these that made her love being a wolfwalker.

Eda was panting heavily as she desperately tried to stay ahead of her sister.  “Ha! Doesn't this remind you of how we used to race to the kitchen, Lily?” Turning around, Eda realized Lilith was missing. “Lily?”

“Mmmm!  Mmmm!”

Looking up, Eda saw her sister currently wrapped up in silk as a giant demon crab hissed down at her from its spot in the trees, holding a bound Lilith in one claw.  Eda quickly summoned a ball of fire and flung it at the demon.  It hit, and the subsequent explosion sent them flying as they dropped Lilith.  Eda ran over to them and helped them up as their bindings came loose.

“Ugh, thank you Edalyn!”  Lilith looked at her hesitantly.  “I wasn't certain that you'd save me.”

“Stow it! Ugh, we might fight, but you're still my sister.” Eda gently elbowed her.  “And besides, if someone's gonna be putting you down, it's gonna be me. Ha!”  She slapped her sister’s back, making her stumble.

Lilith straightened, and her eyes locked onto something.  “Is that?”

Eda immediately darted to her sister’s side, following her gaze to a large flower.  “The Bloom of Eternal Youth!”  She pushed Lilith away.  “Alright back off, that baby's mine.”

Eda ran forward as Lilith pushed herself upright with a growl.  “Why are you always like this?”

“Because Lilith, you think I'm not as good as you just because you were always a goodie two shoes while I was nothing more than a rule-flouting troublemaker.”  She used magic to cut the flower bloom off and held it up.  “But at the end of the day, I’m always the one who comes out on top.”  The flower suddenly vanished in a flash of blue flame.  “What the, aw nuts.”

A shadow blocked out the moon as Eda backed up.  Looking up, she saw the merchant who gave both of them the map crawl over the massive stone pillar with a woman carved into it.  They cackled madly as they grinned down at the two sisters.

“I know you must be confused. The Bloom of Eternal Youth, dead?”  He began crawling down the statue.  “What if I told you the Bloom never existed at all!”  Arriving at the bottom, he reared up, is eyes glowing in the dark.  “And now that I have led you to my nest, I'll suck all the life out of you to satisfy my unending hunger!”

“He scammed us,” Lilith said flatly, turning to Eda, “Can you believe he scammed us?”

“I thought there was a 50/50 chance going in.”  Eda turned to the demon.  “Hard not to admire the tenacity though.”

“Good entrance.”  Lilith turned back to the demon with a smug look.  “But that outfit, Ha!”  She waved a hand in derision, and Eda smirked.  She loved it when her sister got like this.

“Aw, look at his little shoes.”  Eda joined in, pointing at their feet, and the demon wrapped their clothes around their legs to hide them.

“Well, maybe you've never been led into a lethal trap before, but the response should be, "Aa! No! Spare us!"”

Eda and Lilith smirked at each other, before advancing on the demon.  “Ah, sure,” Eda said, “Spare us.”

Lilith summoned her staff.  “Woe to us whose fates are sealed.”

“Tha-That's right, witches! Cower!”  The merchant stumbled back.  “Cower?”

The fight didn’t last even thirty seconds.  Soon, the demon was lying at their feet, covered in bruises and their clothes scorched.  The two sisters stood smirking over him.

“Well, we wrecked this chump. But I guess the Bloom of Eternal Youth isn't real.”  Eda sighed.  Dang, she’d been hoping that plant was real.

“Well, if it makes any difference, I don't consider you to be nothing but a rule-flouting troublemaker.”

“Really?”  Eda raised an eyebrow.

“If you were, you'd be much easier to catch.”  Lilith chuckled.

Eda frowned.  “Oh great, you're gonna cart me away to the coven now, are you?”

“Not now. Because I want to give you a chance to join on your own! Join me in the Emperor's Coven, Edalyn.”  She reached out a hand.  “He could even heal your curse.”

Eda pushed it away.  “He’s not the kind of witch that you think he is Lilith.  He’s been lying to you, to the entire isle.  He doesn’t speak for the titan any more than this guy.”  Eda kicked the demon they just defeated, making him yelp.

“Edalyn, how can you say that?”  Lilith stepped forward.  “After all that he’s done to protect the isle, hunting down the werewolves and basilisks that threatened us.”

Eda shook her head.  “Werewolves don’t exist Lilith, and while I don’t know much about basilisks, I highly doubt they were the mindless magic-eating monsters he claimed they were.”

“What are you talking about Edalyn?  Everyone knows werewolves exist.”

“A werewolf a witch who’s been cursed to become a mindless beast, driven only to kill and create more of its kind.  Except there is no curse like that Lilith.  Every curse expert our mom dragged me to said the same.  Curses don’t spread.  They are designed to affect 1 target, and 1 target only, yet the curse of lycanthropy could be spread indiscriminately.”

“But it’s well documented that Witches have been transformed into werewolves by other werewolves.”

“Not werewolves, wolfwalkers.”

“What?”

“You learn things on the other side of the law.  That’s one of them.  Another is the fact that Belos is using necromancy to steal magic from the titan’s heart.”

“Edalyn, you must be joking.”  Lilith rolled her eyes, but Eda could see her beginning to wonder.  Lilith was always like that.  Dangle a bit of knowledge in front of her, and she wouldn’t rest until she learned everything she could.

“Anyway, I’ll catch ya later sis.”

Lilith frowned at her, before relaxing with a smile.  “Not if I catch you first.”

Summoning Owlbert, Eda hopped on her staff and flew off.  She snorted when she heard the demon yelp in pain.  Guess he said something to upset Lilith.  Angling her staff, she started flying back home to the owl house.  Hopefully, Luz and King didn’t get into too much trouble while she was gone.

“Okay, we’re here.”  Luz crouched, hiding in the trees that surrounded Blight Manor, and let Amity off her back.  As Amity’s feet hit the ground, her legs wobbled slightly, adrenaline still rushing through her after the absolutely amazing ride she’d had on Luz.  How did she run that fast?  It was like she became the wind itself!

“Thanks for dropping me off Luz,” Amity said, “I know you’ve had a pretty rough day.”

“Don’t mention it.”  Luz nuzzled Amity’s hair, and the witch had to hold back a purr at the touch.  “I really owe you one after this.  Thanks for saving me, and for taking time to help King.”

“Of course.”  She reached into her bag.  “Speaking of which, here.”  She held out the crystal to King, who accepted it.

“Well, we better get back to the owl house.  See you next time?”

“How about in a week from today?  I do need to return your book to you, and I should be done by then.”

“Sure!”  Luz grinned.  “You enjoying it?”

“Yeah, I am.”  Amity smiled.  It was nice to have someone to talk to about the Good Witch Azura.  Both her mother and her friends had mocked the books, calling them childish, which is why she’d started keeping them in her hidden room.  But Luz liked them as well.

Luz shifted and looked away.  “And your family?  Is everything, fine?”

Amity’s smile dimmed, and she shrugged.  “Yeah, its fine.  The twins and I talked, and it was, illuminating, to say the least.”  Hearing Edric and Emira tell her about how Odalia always called them failures while always wishing they could be more like Amity was, quite frankly, mind-boggling.  “It helped, a lot.”

“That’s good.  Don’t hesitate to find me if they give you more trouble, alright?”

“I won’t.”

“Good.  Well, time for us to go.  Byyeeee!”

Amity waved as Luz ran off.  Once she was out of sight, Amity turned to the manor and walked up to the front gate.  Pressing a button on the side, it opened, and Amity made her way to the front door.  Right as she arrived, it opened, revealing her mother, Odalia Blight.

“You’re late.”

“Sorry Mother, things took longer than I expected.”

“I see.”  Her mother’s eyes narrowed.  “At least tell me you discovered something useful about that seeing stone.  You mentioned you had a possible lead.”

“I’m sorry Mother, but when I tried to retrieve more of the stone to test my lead, I found it all missing.  An oracle told me that Emperor Belos had his coven collect it all some years ago.”

Her mother tutted.  “Shame, but I suppose if the Emperor wanted the stone it can’t be helped.  Run along dear.  You must finish your homework within the hour if you want dinner.”

“Of course Mother.”  With that Amity quickly walked upstairs and shut the door to her room.  Finding her desk, she sat down and opened one of her books.  She began to read, only for her mind to drift back to the prediction that demon had given her.  How could her life ending be a good thing?  Everything the oracle had said sounded horrible, especially the part about her magic Literally fading.  The worst part was, she could already feel it happening.  Her spells were slowly but steadily becoming harder and harder to cast.  She thought it had been from lack of sleep or being overworked, but could it be that she was actually losing her magic?  And if so, why?  What could’ve caused this?  After trying to read for a few more minutes, she gave up and changed into her sleep clothes.  She knew her mother wouldn’t check on her, so she crawled into bed and fell into a fitful slumber.

“So, Luz, why are we going to the grove?”  King rode on Luz’s shoulder as they made their way through the forest.

“That’s a surprise King.  But don’t worry, we’ll be there soon.”

It had been a few days since the whole demon hunter incident, and after Luz and King explained what happened to Eda, she insisted that they spend the next day resting while she looked Luz over.  Turns out, injuries in her wolf form carried over to her real body, so Luz now had a scar over one eyebrow, which looked pretty cool if she did say so herself.  She spent the next day in the grove exploring, and upon making a discovery, she decided to plan a little something for King, leading to where she was now.

Arriving at the cliff, Luz opened the path and the two went inside.  Once they were at the grove, Luz made her way through the forest, following one of the many game trails that ran through it until they arrived at a large opening in the side of the cliff.  The two went inside, Luz summoning a ball of light as she did so.

“And here we are!”  She smiled as they arrived at a large cave.  It was mostly bare, but there were some old clothes and fur blankets folded up in one corner of the room, and the harp and fiddle she’d gotten from her visit to the Bat Queen rested in one corner, along with some of the furniture she’d collected from that place.  Several spray bottles rested off to the side.

“Wow, what is this?”

“This, King, is our new clubhouse.  And today we’re going to decorate it!”

“Wait, really?’

“Yep!”  Luz walked over to where the spray bottles were, and picked it one up, shaking it.  “You ready to help me liven this place up?”

“You bet I am!”  King cheered, running over to the spray paint.  The two of them spent the rest of the day decorating the walls, which turned out pretty nice, like a mix between subway graffiti and the paintings she’d seen on other cave walls in the grove.  Once the two were done, Luz grabbed a blanket and the two curled up on it outside in the sun.

“Oh, King, I asked Drasus about that cave you found, and the crystal.”

“Oh, what did he say?”

“He said that it was where important relics created by past wolfwalkers were kept, and that the crystal you dropped, while important, wasn’t unique.  It was just the first seeing stone crafted by a wolfwalker to aid in their magic, something about being able to hear the titan more clearly when using it.  I should be able to use the crystal you and Amity got me to make another.”

“That’s good.”  King sighed, relieved that even though the original was gone, a new one could be made.

“And that’s not the best part.”  Luz grinned at him.  “The map of the isle on the ceiling of the cave shows where all the other shrines to magic are, just like the one here!  Drasus couldn’t remember where most of them were, but thanks to you, we can find them all again.”

“Really?”  King’s eyes were wide.

“Yep.”  Luz pulled King into a hug.  “So don’t feel bad about what happened.  In the end, you helped out a lot.”

“Well of course I did.”  King’s chest puffed out.  “I am the mighty King of Demons.  Even when I make a mistake, it will lead to greatness.”

“Well, this King of Demons is about to get some well-deserved cuddling.”  Luz tickled his belly, making the demon giggle as he squirmed in her grip.  Luz then laid down again, pulling King close as she stared up at the sky, smiling in contentment.  Life really was looking up right about now.