Chapter Text
"Well?" Eda asked as Luz stood in front of the door home, her hand shaking, "You going or not?"
Luz couldn't do it. All she could think of as she held the handle was that feeling. That feeling of fear and powerlessness, and she turned around, avoiding eye contact as she asked, "Could I stay here? You could teach me and an extra set of hands could be useful to you."
"But humans can't learn mag-" King began to interject only to be elbowed by Eda.
Eda responds, "I suppose that's OK, but you gotta help me out with the stand and potion deliveries."
"Yes!" Luz exclaimed, "Thank you! Thank you do much!"
Luz hugged Eda estatically as Eda chuckled and gently nudged her away, "Alright kid that's enough. Best rest up. We got a big day tomorrow, got some potions to run."
Luz nodded happily in response and later that evening as she contemplated how she ended up here.
And boy what a day it had been...
It was just a couple of hours ago when all this started. Luz was walking to school one day, buying a cold soda to soothe a black eye from a vending machine before stopping on a park bench as she opened her favorite book, a fantasy novel she was fond of.
She opened the book to read and calm her nerves but couldn't focus so she closed it, "What's the point?"
She looked at the girl on the cover, a witch and a hero, "I'll never be like you. I'll always be weak..."
Luz set the book next to her and sighed, not noting at first the small owl slowly sliding the book off the bench with his beak.
"I wish I was strong like you," Luz sighed, "But I'm not."
Luz turned to where the book once was and asked, "You know what I mean?"
Shock appeared on her face when she realized the book was gone. Luz looked up to see the small brown owl cooing as it looked back holding the back.
Luz leapt from the bench, stumbling as she rushed over the owl, "Wait! Owl! That's mine!"
Luz chased the owl into the forest as she called, "come back fluffy friend!"
The Owl led her into a shed, and a flash of magical light filled the shed. Afterwards, Luz and the Owl were gone, disappeared into thin air.
Luz found herself at a stand, exiting the fancy, rich oak door against the back of the red tent as she ran forward, chasing the owl as it runs up to a grey skinned middle aged woman, the woman greeting the owl, "There you are."
Luz hid in the corner, watching as the woman went through the bag, taking out a tazer and commenting, "Very bad wand."
She took out the book and sets it down, "Literature or something."
As she kept digging through the bag, Luz went to sneak the book away, only for the woman to suddenly slam her cane down with a scowl, causing Luz to flinch and start backing away, stammering out some excuse as Eda looks at her, Luz, now cornered, closed her eyes as if expecting to be hurt.
Eda gently adjustsd Luz's face with her hand, examining the human girl and asks, "Did the warden do this?"
"What?" Luz inquired.
"Or someone from Earth? Did you wander in here?" Eda inquired sternly and irritated, but not quite angry.
"Your..." Luz explained starting to get back on her feet, "owl... it took my book."
"Take it for all I care," Eda shrugged, "not really a lotta good stuff in this batch but that's how it goes."
Eda stood up and creates a circle with her hands, her stand disappearing in a flash.
"Woah!" Luz exclaimed, "are you a witch?"
"Not just a witch," Eda explained, "THE witch! I'm Eda! The Owl Lady! The most powerful witch in the world and most wanted in the Boiling Isles!"
"So you're a criminal?" Luz asked.
"If you trust the cops sure but you seem smarter," Eda replied.
"I... learned the hard way," Luz responded avoiding eye contact.
Eda felt sympathy for the young girl, and can tell already something is wrong, but the Boiling Isles are dangerous for a human.
"Here," Eda requested, "Let me get that."
Eda drew a small circle in the air which heals Luz's black eye.
"Thank you," Luz replied.
"Well can't have a kid running around unprotected," Eda replied, "You'll get eaten alive."
"Literally or..." Luz asked.
"Probably both," Eda replied opening the door with her magic key, "So let's get you home... what's your name?"
"Luz," Luz replied.
"Well Luz," Eda replied, "its been nice but you should head home. Just go through the door."
"But..." Luz began to protest.
"Hey!" A guard exclaimed, "it's her! Get her!"
"Well kid is you're not in the mood to leave yet follow me!" Eda ordered, "I could use your help anyways!"
Eda slid down the side of the cliff behind the stand, Luz hesitated and followed suite as the two fall down into the forest below. Era gracefully swung from branch to branch as Luz gets a few scratches and twigs in her hair but is otherwise fine thanks to the tree breaking her fall.
"Come on kid we best keep moving," Eda ordered.
"Where too?" Luz inquired.
"To my place to lay low," Eda explained, "it's where I hide from ex boyfriends, the cops, and so on. Welcome to... the Owl House."
A golden owl head extended from the door like a snake asking, "Who's the new kid?"
"She's just some hired help," Eda explained. "So let us in."
"Hiya!" The door exclaimed, "I'm Hooty! I hope we can be friends!"
Luz jumped back at first, shocked as Hooty approached her, but pet the head of the odd creature, finding it soft and warm.
"Aw aren't you sweet!" Luz exclaimed happily.
"Come on Hooty we got a heist to plan," Eda demanded.
"Oh alright but bring me some bird seed," Hooty sighed as he returned to the door and the door opened. Luz entered, amazed by what she saw before her. The home of a genuine witch, just like the fantasy novels she loved, it was all she could imagine and more.
"Who goes there?" A voice demanded as a small fluffy black creature landed from above on Luz's head.
"Easy King she's with me," Eda assured him.
"Oh who's this fluffy little guy?" Luz exclaimed happily holding the adorable dog-like creature. It wore a skull on its head and had yellow eyes, and was small, like a Boston Terrier in size.
"I'm not cute!" King exclaimed wigging out of Luz's grasp, "I am King! King of demons!"
"Oh don't mind him he talks a big game but he's nice," Eda assured Luz, "Now listen here's the big job."
Eda revealed blue prints of what appeared to be a jail and she explained, "We have this place called the Conformatorium. They've got this fault that only a human can enter. We could make away with a ton of valuable stuff, you would get a cut of course."
"Isn't stealing wrong?" Luz inquired.
"Look kid the Boiling Isles are a cruel place," Eda sighed, annoyed but still caring enough to explain, "the government is corrupt, there's illegal dealings on every street corner, and the Covens... oh don't get me started. Point is that this is a goverment owned place. I found a human book that interested me once, something about social contract and whatnot, and it was a good read but I didn't agree with it. The King is a cruel leader we didn't elect, I say the social contract can eat dirt if this is the society it's made. If we don't steal this stuff they'll just use it to hurt people."
"I'm right here!" King exclaimed.
"Not you King," Eda sighed, "THE King! The Emperor!"
"Oh," King replied, "right."
"So you in?" Eda inquired.
"How corrupt are we talking?" Luz asked.
"Kid I could ice you, freeze you in place dead with an ice spell and I wouldn't be charged with anything," Eda replied, "Parents have total reign over their kids. Techincally they don't but..."
Eda turned away, as if recalling a painful memory, "If your parents are hurting you the law isn't gonna help."
Luz thought for a moment, she looked at her book, knowing the heroes she looked up to wouldn't do something like this, but then felt her now healed eye.
Eda had helped her when no one else would and had shown her nothing but kindness. Luz didn't trust her, but of everyone she distrusted Eda the least.
"I'm in," Luz replied.
"Great!" Eda exclaimed, "Hop on!"
Eda's staff flew beneath her as King climbed onto her shoulder and Luz held onto the staff for dear life. The trio ascended over the Boiling Isles and headed for a massive prison complex, looming over them atop a moutian.
"OK are you fast on your feet?" Eda inquired.
"I'm decently fast I guess," Luz replied.
"Great when we enter we have 45 seconds before the silent alarm goes off, with the time it'll take guards to show up that's a minute and a half, two max. Grab anything shiny you see. OK?"
Luz nodded in understanding.
"I'll crate a diversion and buy some time. With that we should have five minutes," Eda elaborated, "knock em dead kid!"
With a gentle shove Eda dropped Luz off on the top floor and flew down to cause some chaos, explosions being heard from within the top of the tower, lights flashing outside of the magical chaos as Eda can be heard cackling gleefully.
Luz passes through the massive wall of magical energy and begins swiping anything that looks valuable, precious metals, jewelry, and so on, but something in particular catches her eye, a wooden wand, still with a little bit of magical energy left in it. She looks at it curiously, and pockets it to take home with her, hoping that maybe she can learn magic as she exits, her backpack full of valuables as she dashes through the halls, spotting a large beast of a man walking past cells a few floors down. His footsteps echo, causing Luz to hide in response, afraid.
The man opens a cell, that of a young girl, no older than Luz and speaks to her, the girl trembling, crying as the man lifts her by the shift collar.
His voice is loud, booming as she speaks with a cold formality, "let us start by reviewing your charges. Writing anti emperor propaganda disguised as... food shipping fanfiction. Vile, you know the setence. As the warden of this place I sentence you..."
The warden flashes a toothy grin, "to death..."
The warden grabs the young girl by the head and begins to squeeze, crushing her skull like a grape. Luz grips her wand and prepares to attack, shaking as the warden looks at her.
"Well well," the warden chuckles, his footsteps booming as he drops the girl and approaches Luz, "it's been a while since I've seen a human. So small, but you don't fit in here. I'll have to remove you."
Luz shakes, frozen in place by fear and unable to use the wand, unsure how. She fears this is the end, that this is where she dies. That after all she's endured she dies here, afraid and alone.
That's when the warden is blasted by a column of fire, sending him falling down the open center of the room, over the railing.
"Come on!" Eda exclaimed, "You've got the goods we gotta move!"
"You did great kid!" King commented, "not bad for your first gig!"
"What about her?" Luz asked pointing at the girl, "We can't leave her and the others!"
"Kids and their good natured stuff," Eda sighed, "fine, but if we get caught it's your fault."
Eda clapped, and her staff flew off, flipping the switches to open all the cages, and a prison riot ensued. Luz looked back as the prisoners fight the guards, and the Warden rose, watching the trio escape as he smirks, "Well then, Eda, the game is afoot. The Emperor is looking for humans just like that kid... dead, or alive..."
The trio return to the Owl House, Eda handing Luz some of the gold as she explained, "I'm just eyeballing it but this should be 20% in terms of value at a fence or pawn shop. Sell it after the heat dies down though. Less risk that way."
"Thanks," Luz replied.
"It was fun having you around!" King added, "Feel free to visit!"
"Thanks little guy," Luz responds with a smile, patting King's head.
"Well the guards will be looking for you," Eda explained, "so let's get you home."
"How did you defend yourself?" Luz inquired as Eda took out her key to summon the door home, "Weren't you afraid?"
"With magic like mine you don't need to be afraid of anything," Eda explained, "don't worry about me. Even at your age nobody could hurt me."
Eda summoned the door, but Luz hesitated, prompting Eda to ask...
"Well? You going or not?"
And that's how Luz ended up here. She gripped the wand, examining it curiously before determination flashed across her face, her last thought, spoken aloud before she dozed off...
"I'm going to learn magic. Then not you, or anyone else is gonna give me black eyes and hurt me every again..."
To be continued.