Chapter 5 – War and witchery
1999
"Sergeant Blight. Congratulations on your promotion." The owl lady approached the man standing in the empty parking lot, her voice concealed with magic and looking around, making sure there was no one else there.
"Thank you. Did you get something new on Raventhorn?" The cop asked in a stern tone, his face showing no emotion.
"The same thing you got." Her answer made the man sigh.
"So, nothing." She nodded slightly.
"No one in the streets wants to talk. The place where I fought her a couple days ago has been swept clean, as if no one had ever been there." For a couple of seconds, there was only silence on the parking lot until Alador spoke again.
"Do you really not remember anything else from that day? Any detail could be helpful." A sigh got out of her mouth before she answered.
"Just what I told you. Her costume, her voice, everything about her gives us no information."
"Is teleportation magic possible?"
"Yes, but not to move those big shipments of drugs she has. It works only on the person who uses it. Maybe even a couple of things they're holding if the witch's strong."
"Hearing about that makes me understand why magic is kept as a rumor by those who have it. It would cause chaos if everyone knew about that."
"I will go out again to see if I find someone willing to talk. Contact me if you get something new."
"I hope you're lucky. I'm tired of using this weird scroll phone of yours."
"Whatever. Congratulations again for your promotion. Also, I heard your wife is pregnant again. Congratulations on that too." Eda turned around and disappeared suddenly, leaving the man alone in the parking lot.
"My wife is pregnant again?" He whispered with confusion as he started walking towards the entrance of the building.
2021
"Hey, Mittens!" Amity heard her sister calling her and looked up from her desk, watching her siblings approaching. "You're not going to believe this." Emira said as she left a file on her desk, opening the folder to show her.
"We were looking for some information in Raventhorn's old files and, guess who was in charge of the investigation back then?" Edric signaled the file on her desk and she looked down to read it, her serious face changing to a surprised one as she read the document.
"Father…" Her voice came out in a whisper, only heard by her siblings.
"I guess now we know why he came here to pressure us on the first day of the investigation; he never got to capture neither Raventhorn nor the owl lady." Her sister spoke enthusiastically, as if she was having fun.
"But, why didn't he tell us about it?" She heard a bitter laugh coming from her brother and looked at him.
"Are you kidding? You know he hates talking about his failures. Of course he would never tell us about it."
"He should have known that we would read the old files eventually, though." Her words came out with incredulity, thinking that maybe there was more to the story than what her siblings were telling her.
"He was probably just embarrassed. And once the press finds out about this, they will definitely embarrass him more." At her sister's words, his brother let out a chuckle. Both of them seemed to be having a great time while talking about that.
"These are good news, though. It means that we can also fail in closing this case and still get promoted eventually." Both of her siblings laughed shortly while she kept looking at the file, reading the whole report in front of her.
Even if her father didn't like to talk about his failures, as her brother had said, he would have told them about this because of the importance the case has for all of them, which made her think that there had to be another reason why he didn't mention it. It probably had something to do with the owl lady, given how her name seemed not to appear much on the report as she kept reading.
When Eda woke up again, she looked around the room she was, only to find it empty. It looked like an old basement, grey and moldy. She couldn't hear anything from the outside; not cars, not people. Nothing.
Trying to stand up, she felt a wave of pain coming from her arms, and looked back to see she had been tied to a rusty pipe. Slowly, she finally stood up and tried to break the rope that tied her, but she couldn't do it.
"Edalyn Clawthorne. We finally meet." A sudden voice coming from in front of her startled her, turning around to see a masked person standing in front of the only door on the room.
"Where's Raventhorn?" Her words came out in anger, remembering the reason she was there.
"We have been vexing each other for a while, but I would like to put an end to that." He kept talking, ignoring her question.
"I don't even know who you are." She said in a mocking tone.
"Ah, that attitude. I've been told about your… cockiness. I didn't think it was this bad. Are you unable to have a conversation? Maybe I was wrong to treat you like an adult." When he finished speaking, the woman that kidnapped her appeared suddenly at his side, making her frown in anger again. "Yet, you are right in some way. We've fought each other before, in a way… but we were never properly introduced. Maybe you never even realized you were actually fighting me." He turned to Raventhorn. "Please, introduce us." The woman nodded and then started speaking while looking at him.
"This is Edalyn Clawthorne, also known as 'The Owl Lady'." She then turned to look at her. "He is the Emperor."
"Quite a short introduction, don't you think? I just got a title. Are you afraid of telling me your name? Besides, why Emperor? Is your ego really that big?" In a swift movement, Raventhorn hit her with the back of her hand as the man chuckled lightly.
"You are quite the character. You are also really naïve. How could you allow this woman to stop our operation?" He asked Raventhorn and said woman quickly kneeled in front of him.
"I am really sorry, Emperor. She used to be really powerful before I cursed her. I assure you she is no longer a threat." With a wave of his hand, the man told her to stand up again.
"So, you work for someone, Raventhorn. That's a shame. I really respected you for being a strong, independent woman like me." Her antagonist hit her again, making her chuckle at getting the reaction she wanted from her. "There's no shame in being someone's bitch, you know? If that makes you happy, I'm happy for you." Before Raventhorn could hit her again, the Emperor stopped her.
"Go get our other guest ready and control yourself. You said it yourself: she's nothing now." His calm tone made her mad again and she looked at the floor, starting to think about how she could get out of this predicament alive. "I apologize for her behavior. Yet, you have to agree, yours is not any better. Still, we have some business to discuss." Raventhorn disappeared just like she had before.
"I don't have anything to discuss." The man made a circle with his finger and a chair appeared out of nowhere, baffling her at the sight. It should be impossible to move things like that without him moving along with the object, yet, she had seen it happen now and it also made her a little bit interested in whatever the man who had accomplished that action could tell her.
"For someone who doesn't want to talk, you open your mouth a lot." He sat at the chair, his face being covered by the shadows, making his right eye shine in a bright blue. "You are back on the streets again and, even though you don't have magic anymore, I find that thought… disturbing. I know you are a skilled fighter and you proved it the other night when you attacked my men. As you can tell, I'm not happy with that."
"Apologies, my Emperor. I didn't want to make you mad." She said sarcastically.
"Funny. Now, the only reason you're still alive is because I know you have a way of traveling to the demon realm safely and I want to know how." He leaned back on the chair and she could suddenly not see his eye shining. "You see, I once went there too, but I lost quite a few things in the process. It was also very difficult. Imagine my surprise when I found out you have not one, but two demons living in your house."
"Even if I had a way of going there, what makes you think I would tell you? I don't care if you kill me." She spoke determined, making the man hum in understanding.
"I can tell. Yet, I have something that might make you want to talk." He snapped his fingers and, in the blink of an eye, Raventhorn was back in the room, carrying Camilia on her arms and then throwing the nurse to the floor, disappearing immediately again. With that action, Eda realized that Raventhorn's magic had not been dampened by the curse she had used against her because, if it had been, she wouldn't have been able to transport another person with her because of how much magic it consumed.
"You, piece of shit! If you do anything to her, I swear I will kill you!" She screamed in anger, feeling her blood boil at the sight of the gagged, crying nurse on the floor.
"I am not interested in harming her… or you. I take no pleasure in such barbaric acts so, help her and yourself; tell me what I want to know or I will have to do something you will regret."
"Luz!" A sudden scream on her room made her wake up immediately, jumping out of bed and getting into a fighting stance only to relax again once she saw that it was King the one who screamed.
"King, what are you doing here? It's really early." She sat back at her bed and rubbed her eyes, still sleepy.
"Raventhorn kidnapped Eda last night! You have to go find her!" As soon as she heard that, she woke up completely and stood up again, walking quickly towards the demon.
"What happened!? Where did she take her!?" She then quickly turned towards her bed, pulling out a wooden box from underneath it.
"I don't know! That witch just appeared out of nowhere and took her! You have to go kick her ass!" The Latina stopped for a second there, remembering how she had been powerless against the troublemakers the day before. How could she be able to fight against someone as powerful as Raventhorn? Even if she had really lost half of her magic when fighting Eda, as her mentor had told her, she had been really strong, according to the witch. What could she do against her?
"I…" She shook her head, trying to get rid of that self-doubt and starting to think of a strategy that could work, trying to avoid a fight against the witch. "I will get her back, don't worry, King". From the wooden box, she took out a burner phone. "I just need to make a quick call."
"Detectives." Lilith approached the siblings as they talked about the old files they had on Raventhorn. "Come with me, please." She said, calmly, making them look at each other in confusion.
They walked slowly behind the captain through the station in silence for a couple of minutes until they reached the interrogation room, where the older woman opened the door and entered.
The three siblings gasped in surprise as they saw who was inside the room and Lilith closed the door quickly once they were all in.
"Detectives, this is Kikimora, a demon." The captain spoke casually, as if it was a normal occurrence to be in a room with such a creature.
"No way! Are they actually real?" Emira spoke dramatically in amazement, approaching the demon slowly.
"I am very real, detective." The small demon spoke with a calm tone as the Blights looked at her with surprise still on their faces.
"This can't be…" Amity said in a whisper, pinching his brother's arm slightly.
"Hey! What the hell?" Edric whined loudly as her sisters kept looking at Kikimora.
"Sorry, I had to make sure I'm not dreaming." The younger girl walked towards the demon too, looking carefully at it.
"You have to pinch yourself, idiot." Her brother said as he too started to approach the creature.
"Captain, how is this possible?" Amity spoke in disbelief, ignoring her brother.
"The demon realm exists, Amity. The ones who know about it keep it a secret to avoid putting the demons in danger, but they are very real, just like magic. Yet, I will have to ask you to please, don't say anything about this to anyone else." Lilith spoke with a smile on her face as she sat at one of the chairs.
"And why is it… she… he… they…?" Edric was interrupted by the demon.
"She, please." The creature said calmly.
"Ok… why is she here, captain?" He finished his question as all eyes turned to see the older woman.
"She said she has information that can lead us to Raventhorn." The tiny demon nodded once everyone looked at her.
"Can we trust her?" Emira asked, not convinced about it.
"Kikimora has given me information about cases before. She can be trusted." The siblings nodded and then looked at the demon in silence, waiting for whatever it was she would tell them.
"I heard that Raventhorn is going to move a really big shipment of drugs this afternoon at the airport. The whole flight is filled with her people, the pilots are part of her operation too. It is made to pass as a typical commercial flight, but all the luggage on it is filled with drugs." Kikimora said seriously, looking at all three detectives, waiting for questions.
"Where did you hear that?" Amity was the first one to ask.
"We demons cannot live in houses like you since we have to hide. We go from one place to another. Just like cab drivers, we hear a lot of things when we move." The younger girl nodded at the explanation.
"When exactly is the plane going to land?" The captain asked, standing up from the chair.
"At six pm." Lilith started walking towards the door as soon as she heard the demon's answer.
"Thank you, Kiki. You know your way out, right?" The tiny creature nodded as they started walking towards the door too, getting out of the room and closing the door behind them. "I want everyone to get ready. I'll get in contact with the commissioner and I'll tell him what we know. We have to be ready to go in less than a couple hours, understood?" The siblings nodded and then started walking towards the storage room to get the gear they would need, all of them thinking about how surreal the situation was; a demon told them that a commercial flight was filled with drugs and now the entire police department was going to move on what could be the biggest drug bust in the history of the Boiling Isles. This case kept getting weirder by the second.
"There are a lot of ways to torture someone, you know, Edalyn?" The Emperor got up from his chair and walked towards the nurse that was still crying on the floor, watching her with a pleading look and making her feel even worse since she knew there was nothing she could do. "I don't like physical torture. It is messy and it only works after a long while. I prefer psychological torture best. It is always quicker."
"Your tricks won't work on me." She said as tears from anger started to form on her eyes.
"I know. You are remarkably strong willed, I have to admit it. But she…" The man took Camilia by the shoulders and made her sit. "I don't think she will last long. After all, I know she abandoned you when things got hard. She's really weak." The Latina looked at her as if trying to tell her something, but she couldn't due to the gag she had on her mouth. "How rude of me. Apologies." The Emperor took off the brunette's gag and then walked towards Eda, looking her in the eye.
"That's not true, Eda! I never wanted to leave you, but…" The nurse was interrupted before she could finish.
"Yes, we know. You had a child. Which is a really interesting thing, is it not, Edalyn?" The man patted her head and then walked away from her.
"What do you mean?" She asked curiously, starting to feel cold and nervous.
"You know what I mean, but she doesn't, right? You never told her." Eda's anger was now completely gone, her body trembling like a leaf. "It was such a sad story to hear, honestly. I couldn't find enough tissues to wipe my tears. A boyfriend breaking up with you just a few days before you knew you were pregnant, leaving you alone with that responsibility; your catholic upbringing preventing you from getting an abortion." The Emperor caressed the nurse's cheek as if he was trying to comfort her. "Yet, you never knew the truth."
"What are you talking about?" Camilia asked in a whisper.
"Don't you say another word or I swear I will destroy you, you piece of shit!" She couldn't help but scream, her heart pumping fast and her blood getting cold in fear.
"You must remember, my child. Edalyn never casted a spell on you to forget." He got behind the brunette.
"Don't listen to him! He's lying!" Tears were now falling down her cheeks as she tried to set herself free.
"Oh, we both know I'm not. Otherwise, why are you so distressed? I speak nothing but the truth. And the truth is…"
"Stop!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice breaking as she cried.
"Your daughter was not born naturally. You see, she's a product of magic. A powerful spell, so ancient even I had forgotten it existed, but it does." The Emperor lowered his head until it was right beside Camilia's.
"Don't tell her!" Eda tried to set herself free again without luck, being still stuck to the pipe she was tied to, falling on her knees while she felt her strength leaving her.
"That man that abandoned you is not your daughter's father; Edalyn is." He whispered in the nurse's ear as she yelled loudly in a vain attempt to make him stop and the Latina's face turned to one of complete surprise while they looked at each other.
Hey! I'm back and, boy, is this story starting to move in like, a thousand directions...
A few notes, like always:
Number 1: Alador Blight helping Eda catch Raventhorn? That was a fun idea that will be deeply explored in the future (not gonna lie, it will probably be near the end of the story) along with Alador's character (Odalia won't be appearing soon, but she'll be here too, probably during the next arch of the story).
Number 2: So, we finally met "The Emperor". I didn't even hint that he was going to be a part of the story yet, he is the main villain on the show and I have just a couple ideas for him (I'm lying. He and Luz will carry the whole story starting at the second arch). Why not Emperor Bellos, like in the show? There is a reason for that, but I can't tell you about it without spoiling the story. Also: he mentioned that Eda has 2 demons living with her and we all know Owlbert is not a demon so, yes, Hooty exists and will appear later on the story (although, it will take a while). I don't know if you noticed it but, on the cover I posted on twitter for last week's chapter, there's a photograph hanging on Eda's wall in which Hooty can be seen. The drawing is in my twitter, in case you didn't see it or don't follow me: at gloomy_autumn.
Number 3: I know, Kikimora is not a demon, she's a witch. Why did I introduce her as a demon? That's going to be part of a bigger story, probably for the third arch, I'm not entirely sure, but it will be adressed and explained in length. In this same point: Emira's reaction to her was obviously fake. She's dating a girl with a griffin that fights crime with magic so...
Number 4 And last: I'm still doing some art for the story on twitter and I also made a sountrack for that last scene with the big reveal so, if you wanna see them, you can find them on my twitter too. Again: at gloomy_autumn.
Thank you for your support! Much love to you and I'll see you next week!