Nine people dressed in white cloaks approached a blue fire in the center of the Emperor's meeting room. Nine figures wearing the symbols of the covens that ruled the magic system the Emperor had placed. By the Emperor's side, Kikimora began her speech. "The Day of Unity approaches where we'll celebrate the purification of magic under the coven system, just as the Titan intended. As heads of the nine covens, we celebrate your efforts to complete this plan. For this, you have earned a glimpse of the reward that awaits."
"Step forward," hissed the Emperor.
The figures placed their symbols around the fire and an image began to form in it. The Titan's skeleton that made up the entirety of the Boiling Isles, merging with a city in the human realm. Sounds of screams...
A strange tearing sound made the nine turn their attention away from the fire and focus on Walter. He was carving a strange symbol in one of his fingers. One of the heads let out a groan in disgust while another's face turned green.
"Ahem." The Emperor quickly refocused their attention. "Thank you. The larger your covens grow, the more power we have to unite our realms, where the worthy shall inherit a utopia free of wild magic." Suddenly, he let out a groan of pain and his body began to writhe in agony. Quickly, Walter grabbed him by the head and carried him out of the room. The Golden Guard followed close. Kikimora was about to follow when he said, "No. Stay here. I can handle both of them alone."
Kikimora's eyes narrowed.
The Golden Guard watched as Walter dragged the Emperor into his personal chamber and he let out a roar that sounded... not human would be the appropriate term. Then there were sounds of fighting, punching, liquid splattering. Then, there was silence. The Golden Guard carefully entered the room to find Walter standing over the Emperor who was covered in a tar-like substance and his mask was lying on the ground, but he was hunched over so the Golden Guard couldn't see his face. It was faint, but he was sure he heard him wheeze, "Thank you..."
"Uh... Your Majesty?" the Golden Guard asked nervously.
"I need it..." the Emperor panted as he put on his mask.
The Golden Guard took out a Palisman and handed it to the Emperor, who snapped it in half and devoured its essence. In an instant, the wounds healed instantly. "I need more."
"That was the last from our reserves. The Palistrom Wood has been overharvested. Uncle, let me help! We can make more Palismen! Actually, I read about this technique: harnessing wild magic to-" A quick glare from his uncle silenced him. "Uh...sorry."
The Emperor put a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "Please, be careful. Our family is gone because of wild magic. I can't let the same happen to you." The Golden Guard heard the threat in his voice. "Find me more Palismen. I can depend on you, right?" The Golden Guard took a quick glance at Walter, who had finished carving the symbol in his finger.
"O-Of course."
What they didn't know was that Kikimora overheard everything.
As the Golden Guard left, the Emperor focused his attention on Walter, who was carving another symbol in another finger. "Walter. I do hope that my condition has not left you with an inflated ego." The dagger was thrown at him, impaling him. He merely pulled it out and continued, "I know you are upset at me for not letting you take the Mask from that girl. And I know how crucial it is for the Day of Unity." Another dagger was thrown at him. "Believe me, I agree with you that I should have sent you in the first place all those years ago, and I intend to rectify that mistake." Then a third. "And I just want to let you know something. I know you're familiar with the phrase 'Don't shoot the messenger', so let make something perfectly clear."
The castle suddenly began to rumble a little as the Emperor said, "You can kill the Titan's messenger, but you can't kill the Titan. So try to remember that the next time you threaten me and learn your place." A fourth dagger impaled his skull. "I'm glad we've come to an agreement. Oh, and do me a favor, watch after the boy. I don't want to see him in trouble."
Luz poked the little terrarium the echo mouse was sleeping in. "Oh, little echo mouse. You ate the diary that can get me home. Can't you cough up a teeny bit?"
"Just squeeze it out," suggested King as he hugged his teddy bear so hard, its head popped off.
"Yeah, I'm not cleaning mouse guts in my room," said Strix.
"But it's mine," reminded Luz.
"It was before I was banished to the garage. I can't wait to get it back."
Luz refocused her attention on the mouse. "Hmm. Maybe I just need to be patient?" She pressed her face against the cage's glass and whispered, "Please tell me your secrets." The mouse kept sleeping.
"I guess he'll do it when he feels like it," Strix said with a shrug of his shoulders.
Eda came into the room and said, "Hey knucklehead! You're gonna be late for school." Luz ignored her and kept staring at the mouse.
"She's been like this ever since she brought that vermin in here," whispered Strix.
"I see. Alright. I guess you won't be getting a magic staff with your classmates."
Luz suddenly pushed Eda, Strix and King out of the room and slammed the door. They could hear her changing clothes at a rapid pace and she burst out wearing her student uniform. "Come on Eda! We gotta fly!"
"There she is," Strix said. "There's my Luzer."
"Don't call me Luzer," Luz called out as she ran out of the house.
"You know that's not going to catch on," said King.
"One of these days, brother. ONE OF THESE DAYS!" Eda slapped her son upside the head. "Ow!"
The kids gathered at the grudgeby ball field where a pen had been set up. In the center of the pen was large stump and strange sounds could be heard from it. But that's not what Luz was thinking of right now as she noticed someone was missing. "Hey Willow. Shouldn't Amity be here?"
Strix made an awkward hissing sound. "Ooh..."
"Oh, sorry Luz. I heard she stayed home today," said Willow.
Luz made a sad face. "Oh. That actually makes sense."
Strix frowned. He had asked Emira how Amity was feeling after... you know. She could only say that Amity did not want to talk about it to anyone yet. He didn't want to press the subject further after that and simply wanted to talk about what they wanted to do on their next double date. Assuming there ever would be one after Edric's disastrous results.
Eda and Principal Bump's arrival made everyone silent. The latter said, "Good tidings on this momentous 're all about to recieve your witches' staffs and, more importantly, meet your Palisman. This is a crucial step in your magical development. Palismen are lifelong partners. They can be both your good friends and a powerful tool. In my case..." He snapped his fingers and the red goblin popped his head out of its mouth and coiled around his staff. This also revealed that Bump had surprisingly beautiful, long black hair and one scarred eye; the other was permanently shut closed. "...Frewin here, helps me see," he explained, tickling the goblin.
"Now, traditionally, young witches carve their staffs from the branch of an old Palistrom tree," said Eda.
"But sadly, Palistrom trees are becoming more rare. And those that remain are guarded covetously." No guesses by whom.
"That's why I've teamed up with Bumpipoo..."
"Never call me that."
"...to bring you..."
The Bat Queen suddenly swooped down from the sky and landed on the stump. "Palisman Adoption Day!" As if on cue, cute little critters of all shapes and sizes came out from the stump and greeted the children who were captivated by them.
"They're so cute!" squealed Luz.
Eda approached the Bat Queen. "Thanks for the favor BQ. Here's your whistle back."
"Save it for another time. This was my pleasure. What a wonderful idea." It was Luz and Strix who gave Eda the idea and Eda who told the Bat Queen about it.
One of the Palismans, a cardinal with a scarred left eye, tried to hop over the pen only to be stopped by Bump. "Nope! You're staying right here."
Luz went, "Aww. Little rascal."
"These little ones have not had homes in many years," explained the Bat Queen to the children. "They want to feel a connection. Kneel and state your deepest wish, and your like-minded partner will find you."
Boscha made a scoff. "Ugh, I want my own palisman, not some trashy hand-me-down."
"Your loss!" Willow said as she pushed her out of the way and approached the pen. "I want to be strong and wise to protect everyone I love. And if anyone gets in my way, they'll feel the sting of defeat." A bee palisman flew up to her and transformed into a staff.
The Bat Queen nodded. "Tender yet tenacious. Clover gives her support."
Willow hugged her staff with excitement. "Oh! Oh my gosh! I'm gonna take such good care of you."
"Beautiful. Just beautiful," Gus said.
Boscha pushed Willow out of the way and shouted, "Outta my way! I want to play professional Grudgby!" A crab Palisman approached and turned into a staff.
The Bat Queen chuckled. "A competitive spirit. Maya will be thrilled."
Boscha took her staff and nodded. "Okay. This is pretty cool."
Viney approached the pen. "I want to open my own veterinary clinic for mythical pets." Her Palisman was that of a manticore. "All right!"
It was Gus' turn. "Dad wants me to become a master illusionist, but that's easy. So instead, I'll become an ambassador to the human realm and re-establish contact with the giraffes!" His Palisman was that of a squirrel.
A boy whose head resembled a pufferfish approached the pen. "I just want to make it to graduation." His Palisman was that of a sloth. "Haha, yes! That's so cute!"
Then it was Strix's turn. He approached the pen looked around. For a while, he said nothing. Eda raised an eyebrow. "Strix? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Mom. I just want to know, do any of you have what it takes for what I have in mind?" The Palismans all gathered around and made noises as if to say, "Me! Me! Pick me! Pick me!"
"Enough!" shouted the Bat Queen. "No crowding! Go on, little owlet."
"I... want to abolish the coven system." He was met with silence. "I mean... We're never given the choice of being in whatever coven we want. Just whatever the Emperor says. So, I want to abolish entire system and make the Bad Girl Coven the only coven! We can cast whatever magic we want, we can be whatever we want and we won't have to worry about some stuck-up Emperor telling us what to do-"
Eda clamped a hand over his mouth. "Okay! Let's just pick a Palisman before you get yourself in trouble."
"Mom, what are you doing," he snapped in a muffled, indignant shout. Thankfully he got his Palisman, one that resembled a Eurasian eagle owl. Bubi was its name. Like mother, like son, the Bat Queen thought.
Finally, it was Luz's turn. "I want to be a witch!" None of the remaining Palismans approached her. "Uh... probably just takes a little longer 'cause I'm a human, right?"
The Bat Queen shook her head. "Palismen bond through emotion. I do not sense any conviction from you."
Luz didn't like the sound of that. "That's impossible! I'm Luz, I'm chock full of conviction!"
"Perhaps specificity would help," said Bump. "There are many kinds of witches. What do you hope to accomplish with your magic?"
Luz looked a little unsure as she responded, "Oh, uh get home to my mom?"
"Would you still train to be a witch in the human realm?" asked Gus.
"Can you even do magic there?" asked Boscha.
Each question made Luz sweat nervously. "Huh, I guess I never thought that far ahead."
"Typical Luzer," said Strix. Eda slapped him on the head. "Ow!"
That night, Luz ranted as she paced back and forth with the echo mouse watching her every movement. "I stayed here because I wanted to learn magic, right? I wanted to be a witch like Eda and Azura. But what does that even mean? And I read stories like this. The main character always has to return home, and what? Did I expect to be a witch back in Connecticut?" The mouse responded by yawning and going to sleep. Luz plopped down on her bed with a groan. "Yeah, I wouldn't want to be my palisman either."
What she didn't know was that Strix had overheard everything, his ear pressed on her door. He took a few steps back then stared down at his staff. He had always dreamed of moments like this, but now it just didn't feel right. "You're thinking of giving your palisman to Luz?"
He gasped and turned around to see Eda and King. "Mom," he whispered. "What are you doing?!"
"We were going to cheer the kid up, but... I think we may need a better plan."
Luz heard a sound coming from her satchel. She opened it and was surprised to find the cardinal palisman inside. "It's you! Did you come here for me?" To her disappointment, it flew around the room. "No. Of course not. Come on, little dude." Still wearing her pajamas, she put on her cape and ran out with the cardinal.
She returned to the grudgeby field only to encounter an obstacle. The pen where the palismans stayed in was being blocked by a force field. "How are we supposed to get through this?" The cardinal pressed its head against the force field and it vanished. "Whoa, palisman powers. Neat!" She opened the stump's door to let the cardinal in and crawled inside. The other palismans greeted her and she couldn't resist their cuteness. She closed the door behind her and settled in. "Alright, I'm not leaving here until I figure out what my future is, and one of you becomes my palisman!"
The palismans glanced at each other.
"What if... I use my powers to become a popular magician back in the human realm? No, I'm horrible at card tricks. What if... I stay on the Boiling Isles, and become a rugged bounty hunter? Nah, I'm too lovable."
Hours passed and by this point, all the palismans fell asleep. Luz stayed awake however, rambling on drowsily. "What if... I open a magic pet shop, but it's password protected. The password is, 'You're a little angel'." Suddenly, the whole stump shook violently. Luz opened the door and shouted, "Hey, we're a little busy in... here?!" She gasped when she realized they were being lifted up into the sky by an air ship. "It looks like we're being kidnapped." The palismans shivered in response. "Don't worry, I'll figure this out."
Using a plant glyph, Luz climbed up to the air ship to see who was piloting it. She let out a silent squeak when she saw the Golden Guard at the wheel. "Ugh, him again." She plucked a single leaf from the vine, drew a fire glyph on it and slapped it onto his back.
"Huh? WAAAHHH!" The Golden Guard let out a yell as the glyph activated, rocketing him up into the sky. "He'll be fine," Luz assured herself as she walked to the controls. "Okay, how do I land this thing?" A large hairy hand pointed to a cord. "Thank y-huh?"
POW!
"Wakey wakey!" a voice sang.
Luz awoke with a groan. Her head hurt and for some reason she couldn't move her arms. When her vision cleared enough, she realized her arms were tied together. She tried to free herself only to feel a sharp pain in her head. "Ow! Ooh, I feel like I got run over by a car."
"Consider yourself lucky Walter was holding back," the Golden Guard said as he approached her.
"Walter?" She looked behind her to see the giant carving another symbol, this time in his middle finger. "Oh. Hi. I love to stay and chat but first, why are you stealing palismen, Golden Guard?"
"Frankly," the Golden Guard said as he pointed his staff in her face. "You should be more concerned about yourself. For the crime of rocketing me off my own ship, you'll be locked in the dingiest cell in the Conformatorium, for the rest of your sad little life."
"Whatever, I broke out of there like twice."
"In that case, I'll have Walter here squeeze your head until it pops like a grape." Luz's response to that was a pout and a whine. "Good." The Golden Guard returned to steering the ship.
Luz looked down in defeat, only to notice some scuff marks in the floor. This gave her an idea. Careful so that Walter didn't see, she drew an ice glyph symbol with her foot. "Say, how did you get back on the ship so fast?"
"Staff," the Golden Guard said briefly.
"Cool." She activated the glyph with her foot, making an icicle that sent the staff flying out of the Golden Guard's hand. "No!" Luz chuckled at his loss, only to let out a shriek when Walter grabbed her by the cape and dangle her over the side. "You know what? You're right, Walter. We should just cut our losses and drop the human."
Suddenly, something flew past the ship. The creature landed on the top and Luz got a good look at what it was. It looked like a dragon with a snout, tail and wings shaped like hands. "What is that?!" exclaimed Luz.
The handragon roared and slashed at the airship with its tongue. The ship took a nosedive and Luz let out a scream as Walter let her go.
Luz should have died, but surprisingly, she didn't. Lucky for her she landed on something soft. She awoke with a groan to find the cardinal palisman freeing her from the ropes with her beak. "Oh, Little Rascal? Oh, thank you. Oh, my head..." Then she saw it, the Golden Guard's staff and the Golden Guard himself lying in a bush. No sign of Walter however, which was probably a good thing. Suddenly, she heard voices. She peeked her head from behind a tree to see Kikimora talking to an Emperor's Coven guard.
"Kikimora, ma'am. We found the palismen. They seem rattled but unharmed."
"Very good, Captain. Return to the city and prepare for travel."
"Is it true, ma'am? Is the Golden Guard really-"
Kikimora held up the golden owl mask. "This is all that remains. Such a horrible accident. Probably caused by the incompetent pilot."
The captain nodded her head. "I'll alert the castle. Scouts, to Latissa!"
All alone, Kikimora blew a whistle, summoning the handragon. "Excellent work, my pet." Luz gasped. SHE was the one who caused the crash! "It's a very good thing Walter didn't see me or else I would have been in real trouble. Now, find the rest of the boy and have yourself a nice little snack." She tossed the mask into the beast's mouth. "I'll call you soon."
Luz ducked back into her hiding spot, where she took a glance at the Golden Guard. The cardinal chirped at her and hopped on her right shoulder. "Don't worry, I won't leave him." She walked back to the boy and that's when she got a good look at his face. He looked like a kid no older than fifteen with silver hair, a gap in his top front teeth, a notch in his left ear and a scar on his right cheek. "This is the Golden Guard? It looks like he could be a student at Hexside." She leaned in a little closer and slapped his face. "Wake up!"
"Wha- You!"
Luz shushed him and put a hand over his mouth. "You are a bad person, and I do not like you. However, Kikimora is trying to kill you and unfortunately, I'm too nice to let that happen." She suddenly felt her hand get wet. "Ugh, are you licking my hand? I'm trying to help you!" she exclaimed as she wiped her hand off.
"Why should I believe you?!" the Golden Guard asked, giving her a shove.
He and Luz started shoving each other around, before the handragon returned. The Golden Guard left his cloak to distract the dragon, giving the duo enough time to escape stealthily. The duo walked to the town of Latissa, the Golden Guard taking the lead.
"Hoo, man, Kikimora must hate you," said Luz. She looked around to see her surroundings. Latissa was basically the dark underbelly of the Boiling Isles. A wretched hive of scum and villainy. And Luz enjoyed it. "Whoa, I haven't been outside Bonesborough that much, Latissa is so cool." The Golden Guard turned a corner. "Wait! Where are you going? Hey man, I just saved your life, the least you could do is tell me your name."
The boy ignored her and approached two Emperor's Coven guards. "Scouts, direct me to your communications room. I need to contact the castle immediately."
The first guard took one look at him and the Emperor's Coven sigil on his arm and laughed. "Cute, I didn't know kids your age were still into temporary tattoos."
"Yeah, show us your badge number," said the second.
The Golden Guard was flabbergasted. Could they not recognize his voice? "I am your superior and I can prove it. Staff!" Luz hid the staff behind her back.
The first guard asked, "Isn't it a little late for you kids to be outside?"
"Yeah, go home before we call your parents," the second said.
The Golden Guard glared angrily at Luz, before chasing her into an alleyway. Luz bumped into some people as she ran, apologizing as she did. At one point, she jumped over a group of people playing some sort of game, apologizing again. Finally, she drew an ice glyph into the ground that launched herself up into the air and onto the top of a building. "C'mon Golden Guard, don't you know like any levitation spells?" she teased him.
To her surprise, the Golden Guard turned red in the face and looked away. She looked at his staff. "Are you powerless without this?" The Golden Guard responded by using parkour skills to jump up to her. Luz blasted energy beams with the staff, but he easily dodged them. "Back off, or else!"
"Or else what? Gonna blast me to bits? Nah, you're too nice for that. Fly away? Uh-uh, you know you can't do that either, because then you'll be leaving behind your precious palismen. You don't tend to think things through, do you human?" The Golden Guard was met with silence.
Suddenly, the handragon returned and landed in front of the castle, where Kikimora was waiting for him.
The Golden Guard put a thumb and index finger under his chin. "So Kikimora was after my catch..."
"Seems like neither of us want her to win right now," said Luz. "So, let's work together to take back those palismen."
"Then what? You think I'll just let you walk away with them?"
"Maybe you won't have a choice. I'm more formidable than you might think." She spun the staff like a baton only to accidentally drop it.
"I doubt that, but fine. A truce till then."
Luz extended her hand out. "Truce!" The Golden Guard slowly reached to shake it but she held it back. "Too slow!"
"Ugh. Let's just get this over with..."
The Golden Guard stealthily swiped some supplies from Kikimora's guards and returned to Luz, who was drawing an ice and fire glyph combo on a wall. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Huh, I've never seen magic like this. What will it do?"
"Well, we don't want to spook Kikimora's steed, because it might drop the nest and hurt the palismen. So, using these fire and ice spells, I can command the glyphs to produce a thick mist."
"And the sleeping nettles?" the Golden Guard asked as he handed her a potted plant.
"They're essential," Luz said as she placed the plant in a hole in the center of the spell circle. "Combined with the magic mist, it'll create-"
"A sleep-inducing smoke, forcing Kikimora to land!" Luz gave him a surprised look. "Oh, um, I read a similar spell in 'Bones to Earth'-"
"'A study of wild magic!'" Luz finished his sentence. "Eda once pickpocketed the guy who wrote it."
"I've never seen glyphs before. But, it seems very similar to the elemental magic practiced in the Savage Ages."
That piqued Luz's interest. "Really?"
"Actually, not many people know this, but-" The boy suddenly stopped. "No, nonono, this stuff is restricted for a reason. Like that Mask, which I'm surprised you're not carrying. You should forget about it before you're hurt."
If that was supposed to dissuade Luz, it didn't work. "Uh-huh... Other than Lilith and Walter, I've never spoken to someone inside the Emperor's Coven. What made you want to join?"
The Golden Guard sighed and leaned against the wall. "You were right before. I'm a powerless witch. A lot of my ancestors were. I never thought I'd have a future in a world like this. But then, Belos found me and gave me a staff with artificial magic. He said the Titan had big plans for me."
That kind of reminded Luz of what Strix went through, at least before she came into his life. But, that also reminded Luz that she didn't have big plans for herself for that matter. "At least you have your future figured out now."
At least you can figure out your own." The cardinal hopped off her shoulder and pecked the Golden Guard's foot. "Hey! Stop, get away from me!"
"He's just being friendly," Luz assured him.
"I don't care! These things are made from wild magic. It's dangerous."
"And does he look dangerous to you?" The Golden Guard looked down at the cardinal, who chirped happily at him.
They heard a roar and looked to see Kikimora hop on the handragon with the palismen stump wrapped around its tail. "Masks on." Luz said as she and the Golden Guard put on bandanas. "Once they're surrounded by the smoke, we'll need to stay close to see where they land." The Golden Guard nodded, then was surprised when Luz handed him his staff.
"Are you sure?"
"Just take it!"
The handragon flies overhead. Luz activated the connected glyphs, creating a fog that blew up in the sky. After, she hopped on the Golden Guard's staff and the two of them flew up. They could see Kikimora and the handragon both getting sleepy as the latter started swaying in a daze.
"I think it's working," said the Golden Guard.
Luz activated a light glyph to lead the handragon in their direction. It worked and the beast ignored Kikimora's attempt to stop it. Finally, it closed its eyes and crashed to the ground, passing out instantly. Luz and the Golden Guard landed safely and she ran to the stump to check on the palismen. "Hello babies. Oh, you guys must be so cold and scared. Here, make sure you share." She wrapped the shivering creatures with her cape. "Now stay in here, okay? We'll get you home safe and-"
The sound of the Golden Guard activating his staff made her chuckle nervously. "Right, I didn't think this through again." She showed no fear as she approached and gave him a stern talking, "So, you're really gonna do this? You're just gonna hand all these innocent little guys over to Belos? I know what he does with them. I thought you might've been a good guy, but I guess that was just wishful thinking. You're not my friend, you're just... the Golden Guard."
For a moment, he said nothing. Then finally, he deactivated his staff and lowered his mask. "My name is Hunter."
The moment was ruined when a blast of energy hit Hunter in the face. The kids turned to see a drowsy and angry Kikimora blasting energy balls at random. "I can't tell who's there," she mumbled. "But I know I've got you." Because of her lack of focus, it was easy for Hunter to avoid her attacks. "This is treason against a coven official! I will have your head!" With a single swing with his staff, he knocked her out swiftly.
Luz grabbed Kikimora's whistle and ran over to the handragon. "Okay, good...thingy. Boiling Isles will never stop surprising me." Before she could blow the whistle, however, a big hairy hand came out of nowhere and grabbed her arm and lifted her up. "Ow!" She gasped in horror when she found herself facing Walter. "Oh, hi! I was wondering what happened to you. Say, maybe you could tell me how you got here?" Walter reached for her with her other hand. "Never mind! We'll talk another time!" Luz used a light spell to temporarily blind him, making him release her.
She hopped onto the handragon and blew the whistle, making it wake up and take off into the sky with the palismen. She looked back at Hunter, who looked back up at her. Maybe some people can't change, she thought in disappointment.
"Where the Hades have you been?!" Hunter snapped at Walter. The giant flipped a switch blade at him. "I know it was my fault I got careless, but that doesn't excuse..." Walter pressed the blade into his own left cheek and very slowly began to slice it, making a SSSSSKKKK sound. "Yes, I know the Emperor will punish me for this, but... maybe you could cover this up? Or at least make it not as bad as it is?" SSSSSSSSKKKKKK... "I... I mean, I'll just tell a half truth. Maybe I can get the Emperor to see that maybe wild magic isn't as bad as he thinks. I mean, if the human could make a sleeping fog with these glyphs, then..." SSSSSSSSKKKKKK...
"FOR TITAN'S SAKE, WALTER, STOP DOING THAT! YOU'RE MAKING ME SICK!" Walter stopped and lowered the knife. Hunter gasped. "It's just... I don't want to see yourself get hurt." Walter took some blood and painted a smile on Hunter's lips. "D-Does this mean you won't help?"
The next morning, Principal Bump and the Bat Queen returned to find the stump still in the grudgeby field and the forcefield still in place. "Good morning, Bat Queen. The palismen are all accounted for. Although, I don't know where that thing came from." He gestured to the sleeping handragon.
The cardinal palisman chirped and flew onto the Bat Queen's right wing. It chirped something only she could understand. "You found someone, after all this time? Go then."
When Luz returned to her room in the Owl House, she was exhausted. She just wanted to sleep all day. She glanced at a framed photo of her and her mother. "Everyone got one except me, Mom." She recalled what Strix said about her being better off at the camp. "Maybe Strix was right. Maybe I wasn't meant to be here." At least then I'd have a real future, she thought.
CRASH! "WAH!" Luz let out a scream as Strix burst through the wall.
"WAKEY WAKEY!"
"We have a door," Eda reminded him.
"I know, but I wanted to surprise her," he said.
"With a fire glyph explosion?!" exclaimed King.
"You did more than that," screeched Luz. "You almost gave me a heart attack! What's this all about anyway?!" Strix tossed her a log. "Oh. How thoughtful."
"Gee, that's the thanks we get for handing you your own palisman?"
Luz wasn't quite sure she heard that right. "Wha...?"
"It's palistrom wood, you ding dong!" Eda said.
Luz was surprised for real this time. "But how? Isn't this super rare?"
Strix laughed. "Let's just say that the Bonesboroh Garden Club was robbed. By us."
Luz was speechless. "I... don't know what to say..."
"No pressure," said Eda as she put a hand on her shoulder. "But whenever you know what you want, we'll start carving."
Luz looked at the log then set both it and the knife down. "If it's okay, I'd like some time to think. It's hard to picture my future without seeing my mom."
"Yeah, there's no rush. Just know, whatever you need from us, we gotcha."
"Thanks."
The Emperor said to a bowing Hunter, "So, you return with nothing. Is this the thanks I get for taking you in?"
"Of course not. I want to help. A-and if you told me how wild magic did this to you, I might be able to find-" A spike shot out of the ground and nearly hit Hunter in the face. "My apologies, I spoke out of turn. It won't happen again."
"These outbursts are painful. And so is watching you fail. I know you can do better, Hunter."
Kikimora was about to enter the Emperor's throne room only to stop when she saw Hunter exit. "Golden Guard? You're alive? I mean, I heard about the crash in Latissa..."
"Luckily, Walter picked me up out of the wreckage, so I'm actually doing great. Looks like you had a rough night though."
Kikimora seethed with hate as she watched him go. Until she saw the small burn mark on the boy's forehead and his singed bang. Now she realized who it was who attacked her last night.
Hunter returned to his room and plopped down on his bed. "I can help, if I just knew a little more." A familiar chirping sound made him face the open bedroom window and in flew the cardinal palisman. "Palismen!" He grabbed it, intending to give it to the Emperor... but then he remembered what Luz said and let it go. "Oh, sorry. You shouldn't be here... It'd be bad if Belos saw you." The bird chirped and turned into a staff, which he caught. "Oh, I was not expecting that." Perhaps there's hope, he thought as he looked out the window longingly.