I hope chapter two keeps you interested in this story.
At the Owl House, the little family was preparing for a visit from Lilith and the sisters' parents. While the wild witch didn't want to face her father, her kids needed something to distract them.
Two nights ago, Luz's friends had snuck the teenager out of the Bat Queen's kingdom to watch the parade in person. They had believed it would help cheer her up. Instead, Luz's friends had to rush her back to the Owl House when she started having a panic attack when she saw Kikimora and Belos.
Luz then had another one when it came out that the Day of Unity was in one month. How Belos was looking forward to having her stand by him while they became one with the Titan.
As Luz used her magic to place the welcome banner, she felt her stomach twinge. "Um, Eda? You don't think your mom is going to try anything again, right?"
Eda got a steely look in her eyes and curled her fingers into a fist. "I've told her if she slips back into her old ways, she's getting a one-way trip to the center of the Titan. Nobody hurts my kids."
Luz let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. "I'm glad to know that. I'm glad that I am finally learning a bit more about your family. Especially your father."
Eda noticed the twinge of sadness in Luz's eyes. There was something Luz was trying to hide. As it seemed a personal matter, she wouldn't push for answers. She had learned what you should do as a mother.
The Owl Lady decided to change the subject. "How much progress have you made on developing your mental shields?"
Luz admitted it was an ongoing challenge. "I have made it to five minutes without being distracted by King." That earned her a hug from Eda.
"I think what's troubling me the most is I can't automatically raise them. I have to focus intensely to create them."
Eda told her not to worry about it. "It takes a long time for your mental shields to automatically be in place. It took me three years to master that skill."
Luz hoped it wouldn't take that long for her. There was a knock on the door and they could hear Hooty hollering in glee. "LULU! You're back!"
King came running down the stairs having heard Hooty. He was jumping up and down. "I'm finally going to meet my grandpa! This is one of the happiest moments of my life!"
The door swung open and Hooty carried Lilith over to the couch. "Lulu, make yourself comfortable. I'm going to get you some snacks!"
An older couple came through the door. Luz recognized Gwen and hesitantly took a step back. The teenager studied the man instead.
The older man had a kind face and a mane of hair. His nose was very big. What stood out the most was his scarred eye and hand. He leaned on his staff for balance.
Eda took a deep breath and walked over to the man. "Hi Dad, it's good to see you."
"It's good to see you too, witchlet." Father and daughter hugged each other for the first time in twenty years.
Dell saw Luz standing behind Eda. "Eda, would you please introduce me to your apprentice?"
Eda beckoned Luz forward. "Dad, I would like you to meet my apprentice and foster daughter, Luz Noceda. Luz, this is my dad, Dell Clawthorn, one of the best palisman carvers to ever live."
This took Luz by surprise. She thought that everyone carved their palisman before the trees became too rare to do so. Knowing what she was thinking, Dell explained that carvers assisted people who had difficulties making a palisman.
"Eda and I worked together when carving Owlbert. I always hoped one day she would be the one to carry on the family tradition. Of course, I didn't expect her to be learning from the Bat Queen."
The trio laughed and Dell went over to meet his grandson. King threw himself around Dell's leg. The old man managed to bend slightly to pat the little demon on the head.
King asked if he could show his new power off to his grandpa. Not waiting for an answer, King took Dell's hand and ushered him into the kitchen to show off his power.
"Come on kid, we better make sure that King doesn't blow up all glasses," Eda told her foster daughter. The two ambled into the kitchen to continue the family visit.
An hour and a half later, Luz retreated to her room under the pretext that she forgot to clean Mousy's cage. She hurried up the stairs and locked herself in the room.
Mousy, whose cage was perfectly clean, made a few squeaks at his owner. Over the last few weeks, the echo mouse had learned how to read Luz's moods. Right now, he could tell she was upset.
Scratching the glass, he got the girl's attention. Luz walked over and took Mousy out of the cage. "Hi, little guy. How are you doing?"
Mousy rubbed his head against Luz's thumb earning him a belly rub. Rolling back on his feet, he tilted his head while wagging his little tail. That earned him a kiss.
"Mousy, do you think you could replay a few entries from Phillip's diary? I want to see where I went wrong with mine." The little echo mouse nodded and replayed a few entries.
Luz paid close attention to the last entry. Phillip was describing his adventure after gaining Titan's Blood. She wondered how Mousy was able to make a video out of words.
"I have finally gathered all the pieces necessary to construct a door back to the Human Realm. I now move on to the second phase of my plan. I have found clues leading to the location of The Collector."
Luz tilted her head in confusion. "The Collector? I don't remember any mention of someone with that name before. Mousy, any other entries on The Collector?"
Mousy squeaked and the image changed. The shadow of Phillip looked younger. "I have been in the Demon Realm for nine months now. On my travels across the Boiling Isles, I encountered a group of trappers. Their leader gave me a copy of their Bible."
A book with the same symbol Luz saw in her dreams appeared. She froze barely registering what Phillip was saying. "According to the book, The Collector has access to ancient magic. I wonder if that magic includes a way back to the Human Realm."
The video vanished and an exhausted Mousy curled up to rest. The teenager kissed her pet on the head before returning him to his cage. "Hmm, Lilith is really into history. Maybe she knows more about The Collector."
Luz found Lilith working on a personal project. She was making models of different types of historical architecture. Currently, she was working on different banisters. "Hmm, the color is still not right. Where does Eda keep her paint?"
"Unless it's spray paint, Eda doesn't have it," Luz announced as she entered the kitchen. Glancing around, Luz inquired where the rest of the family was.
"The Bat Queen wanted to talk to Dad about replenishing the palistrom trees. Eda is watching the Bat Queen's kids while they talk. Oh, and Mother and King are having quality grandparent time."
"Then where's Hooty? I haven't heard his voice in an hour."
Lilith's eyes were filled with tears of joy. "Hootsfier is on a secret mission for me. He's sneaking into my old mentor's office and retrieving my personal property."
Luz thought that was nice of Hooty. "What kind of personal items?"
"Oh, little things I decorated my office with, a few family photos. A few rare historical texts I acquired over the years."
Luz perked up hearing this. "What kind of rare texts?"
Lilith got starry-eyed as she talked about her rare book collection. There were a few books about famous witches throughout time. Another one is about the extinct flora and fauna of the Isles.
"My prized rare book is one of a collection of all the myths and legends across the Boiling Isles. It's my favorite because there is a grain of truth behind the stories. I love trying to figure out what that is."
Nevermore cawed in delight. He loved that book too. He asked Lilith if they could read it again when Hooty got back.
"Of course, Nevermore, I think Luz would enjoy hearing a few legends from the books. Wouldn't you, Luz?"
The teenager agreed and then blurt out her question. "Are there any stories about a being known as The Collector?"
Lilith's brow furled. "The Collector? What are you talking about?"
Luz explained what she had learned from Philip's diary. She also mentioned the trappers the man had encountered.
The elder Clawthorn sister scrunched her eyes close searching her memory. After a few minutes, she opened them again. "I can't recall any texts mentioning The Collector. It would help if Philip had mentioned what kind of trappers they were."
"Without knowing that or the exact date of when this event took place, I can't help you right now." Luz hung her head in defeat. She had been so close!
Lilith placed a comforting hand on Luz's cheek. "Once Hooty is back, we can check my books again. I might have missed something that could help."
At that exact moment, Hooty's head appeared in the kitchen. "Lulu, I'm back!" The owl tube wrapped himself around Lilith giving her a tight squeeze. Then he spotted Luz.
"Luz! I'm glad you're done taking care of Mousy. He must have created a big mess considering how long you were upstairs."
Luz started rocking on her feet. "Yeah, Mousy did make a big mess. Then of course I had to get him a meal." Wanting to change the topic she asked how the raid went.
"Hoot, hoot, hoot! It was so much fun sneaking into the castle. I have fans in the Emperor's Coven, can you believe it? I heard them chatting about how delightful my tea parties were."
Hooty didn't notice the fearful glances between the two ladies. Instead, regurgitated a large box in front of Lilith. "Here you go, Lulu. Steve assured me that all your personal items were still there."
"You ran into Steve?" Lilith asked anxiously.
"Yeah, he's the one that saved your stuff from being burnt. He swore not to mention I was there. Oh, Luz, he had a small box of your things as well!" The owl tube heaved again and a tiny shoebox landed next to the teenager.
Luz flinched as she wiped off the saliva from the box. Tentatively, she pulled the lid off. Inside the box, there were only a few items. There were the beads for her hair, a couple of plates, and her grooming kit.
Unsure of what to do with the contents, she closed the box and placed it on a high shelf. She would deal with it later. "Where do we start looking for information on The Collector?"
Lilith's face flushed as she informed Luz it would take the rest of the day for her to learn anything. The rare books were delicate and she needed to examine them for any damage. She was pleased that Luz wanted to help her, but this was something she had to do by herself.
Feeling even worse now, Luz said she was going to see if any of the wild Palismens needed polishing. Lilith and Hooty watched her go, hoping the teenager would be in a better mood later.
A few minutes later, the teenager was sitting on a stump, polishing a lizard palisman. "Hey, little guy. Did you just get that scratch? I'll do what I can do to make it less noticeable."
The witch-girl soon had a steady rhythm as she polished the palisman. The afternoon sun was drifting through the tree branches. A light breeze ruffled her head.
Luz yawned as her eyes started to droop. It was getting warmer where she was. The lizard palisman jumped off her lap as the girl yawned once more.
"Why do I feel so tired? I need to stay awake to finish my chores. Then again, an afternoon siesta sounds like a great idea."
Yawning once more, Luz managed to walk from the stump to a soft bed of flowers. She curled up as the nearby palismens joined her. With a final yawn, she fell asleep.
Luz woke up in the In-Between dimension again. The cubes were orbiting around the shadow being. "Why do I keep dreaming of you?"
"I don't know, but don't we have a lot of fun together? I came up with a brand new game for us! Want to hear what it is?" the strange being asked with a malicious grin.
Luz shook her head. "I'm not in the mood for games. Unless you know how to travel through time so I can meet Phillip Wittebane and The Collector, then I'm not interested."
The shadow's eyes widened and suddenly he was at Luz's side. "Oh, you want to meet The Collector? I can arrange that if you want. I happen to know who The Collector is!"
The teenager gave a big smile and then scowled. "What about Phillip? I want to meet him too. Can you arrange that figment of my imagination?"
The being nodded and stretched out its arm. It plucked a cube from orbit and hurled it at Luz. She instinctively caught it and then the world around her vanished.
Luz felt herself rematerialize seconds later. The cube in her hands had vanished. "Hey, what's the big idea? Where did you send me?" she yelled as she stood on a beach.
The shadow was nowhere to be seen. However, she could see a town in the distance. Something about seemed familiar. "Hopefully, there's someone in this dream world who can assist me in waking up."
She hurried across the sand; glad this wasn't a dream where her destination kept moving away from her. As she got closer, the town seemed more familiar. It was until she was right outside the city gates, the truth became obvious.
"Bonesborough? But this can't be Bonesborough! How could I dream this up if I've never seen a picture of the city like this before?"
The answer came to her rather quickly. She pressed her hand against the wall. She jumped back when she felt the cracks in the brick. She wasn't dreaming!
"If I'm not dreaming, then that shadow being is real. They sent me through time without a way back!" The teenager felt her magic stirring and pushed it back down.
Slipping into town, she found a discarded helmet and put it over her head. No reason to draw attention to herself. She cupped her hands over her heart.
"Okay, shadow being. You sent me here on my request. Lead me to where you want me to go."
She felt her heart rate increase. An orange glow surrounded her eyes and a trail of footsteps appeared in front of her. She followed the trail making sure she didn't run into anybody.
The trail of footsteps led her to a small alley. Two demon brothers were attacking a man. His ears were round and he looked like the shadow from Mousy's visions.
He had to be Phillip Wittebane and the book in their hands had to be his journal. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the glyph for wind. Tapping it, a strong gust of wind, blew the demon brothers away while Phillip caught his journal.
He kissed it and put it in his satchel. "I can sense you hiding back there. Come to mock the human, have you?"
Luz tentatively came around the corner. "Hi, I'm Luzara. I didn't come to mock you. I wanted to meet you, Mr. Wittebane."
Phillip looked at her skeptically. He peered down at her causing Luz to shiver. "Your attire is different than beings in this town. Where are you from?"
"In the woods! I live with my foster mother in the woods. She likes living on her terms." She added quickly that she had left to explore the town after hearing rumors about a real human in the area.
Phillip stroked his beard contemplating what she had said. "Well, you've seen me, witch. Now, leave me alone. I have personal business to attend to."
As he brushed past her, she grabbed the back of his jacket. Pulling free, he twisted around to scold her. Only for him to be shocked by what Luz was doing.
Luz was holding out her light glyph. She tapped the glyph as a ball of light appeared. "I can't use magic the same way others can. I thought you might find this helpful."
Phillip was impressed to see someone else using glyphs. Perhaps the girl would be some assistance on his latest quest. "I could use your help. There is a treasure I'm after. Without it, I can return to my world. Your glyphs and small size would help me obtain it.
Luz smiled and followed Philip. She hoped that he would show her the portal door after they got the treasure. It would be one step closer to getting home and away from Emperor Belos.
They walked a long way to a cave. Phillip used her light glyph to illuminate the cavern. Luz gazed at the walls. The walls were covered with marks that appeared several attempts to find glyphs.
She pressed her hand to the cave walls. She sensed wisps of magic inside the rock. "Are all these attempts to figure out different glyphs?"
Phillip nodded as he walked over to her. "Yes, I've made several attempts to find as many glyphs as possible. Thanks to you, I now know four of the glyphs."
"I have no doubt you could teach me more, Luzara." Phillip placed his hand on her shoulder Luz flinched and broke free.
"I'm happy to help you. Please don't touch me. It makes me very uncomfortable."
The man apologized for his actions. He didn't mean to frighten the teenager. After gathering a few items, they left his cave.
The two hiked a mile outside of town until they reached a small lake. Phillip pulled out some rope and walked towards the edge. "You wouldn't happen to have any liver with you?"
"Why would I have someone's liver?"
Phillip looked disappointed to hear that. There was a strange spark in his eyes. Luz didn't like it and was starting to wonder if the Phillip in the journal was not this man.
The man reached into his satchel and pulled out a piece of meat. He started to shake it hard causing drops of blood to land in the water. He reached the shoreline and waited.
Seconds later the water exploded as a creature lunged at the man. It was a kelpie! Its horse head was coming down to bite Phillip but the human was quicker. He tossed the meat into its mouth.
Jumping back a bit, he used the rope to lasso the creature around its neck. He pulled it tightly as he started walking backward. For a skinny guy, he was displaying an astonishing amount of strength.
Once the kelpie was completely on dry land, Phillip wrapped the rope around a tree. The kelpie thrashed trying to break free and only tightening the rope. In a flash, he had placed a bridle on the creature and the thrashing stopped.
Phillip jumped on and tugged tightly on the bridle. The kelpie cried out in pain. The colonial man tugged again and the beast moved towards Luz.
Luz took a few steps back. However, Phillip thought it was because she feared the kelpie when she was terrified by what he had done. "Hop on, the beast can't hurt you anymore. If the bridle is on, the creature must do what I want," he explained as he held out his hand.
Gulping, Luz cautiously took the man's hand as he pulled her up. "Squeeze your legs tightly to keep your balance. If you need to, grab my jacket to keep yourself upright."
Phillip gave the kelpie a hard kick and the beast started galloping north. Surprisingly, the kelpie was very fast on land. It was like rafting down an incredibly fast river.
A ride that should have taken several hours, was completed in just an hour. Sliding off the kelpie, Luz could tell the animal was in danger of dying. Viney had mentioned how kelpies need to stay hydrated to survive.
They could only stay a couple of hours out of water normally. Phillip had pushed it too hard. His earlier actions also weakened the animal. She reached up to remove the bridle when her hand was slapped away.
"What do you think you're doing?! If you set the beast free, he'll have us for his next meal. I would think someone living in the woods would know that."
Luz didn't cower this time. "This animal is dying. It can't attack us when it needs to find a river or stream to recover its strength. You may be cruel enough to let it die, but I'm not."
Pivoting on her heels, she crushed a metal glyph. A sharp blade appeared in her hands. Not even feeling the pain, she cut the bridle off with one quick slice. The kelpie let out a whinny before taking off to find water.
Luz completed her spin and held out the bloody blade. "I thought you were a compassionate person. Someone who had a noble goal and treated the world with respect. I guess I was wrong."
The teenager took a few steps back. "I'm leaving and you're not going to follow me. I'm not teaching you any glyphs. Nor will I help you with your treasure hunt."
Phillip sighed in dissatisfaction. "I was hoping to avoid this, but you left me no choice." In one quick movement, he pulled out a musket from his bag and shot Luz in her dominant leg.
The teenager screamed as the pain reached her brain. She dropped the blade as she fell over. She had never dreamed of being shot with a lead ball when she decided to stay in the Boiling Isles.
Phillip grabbed the discarded rope and leashed Luz. The teenager started panicking as she thrashed about. "NO! Let me go! I'm not a pet Belos!"
The man didn't know why the girl was calling him Belos. Clearly, this person terrified her. Probably why she didn't want to be touched.
"I don't know who this Belo's fellow is, but he seems to know how to control a filthy witch." He tugged the leash as he pulled Luz along the ground. "I thought you would be a useful tool. At last, you're too wild."
He tightened his grip letting the rope dig into her skin. "At least you'll distract that blasted Stone Sleeper. Then I can finally find The Collector's mirror."
Despite the chaos in her mind, Luz registered The Collector's name. This was why the shadow being had sent her here. She needed to regain control of her mind and body.
Phillip dragged the teenager across the bony floor. He saw the magnificent door in the distance. The puzzle lock was nearly completed thanks to Blue Fang's help earlier.
It was thrilling to know that he would finally have the means to accomplish his dream. This entire world shouldn't exist. It was an insult to God's perfect world.
He unlocked the door and kicked it open. "Time to feed the beast!" He whipped Luz into the dark room. As she was being thrown, the helmet came off revealing her round ears.
She's human?! I can't let her be mauled by the beast. Phillip dashed into the room. He saw the beast hovering over the girl. He used a fire glyph to attack the Stone Sleeper.
The beast roared in surprise. With its thick rocky skin, the Stone Sleeper could handle a little fire. Ignoring Luz, it went after Phillip. The man slammed an ice glyph on the ground which rapidly froze.
The teenager was grateful for the ice. It numbed the pain from the bullet wound. She started getting the rope off her neck.
She blocked out Phillip trying to strangle the Stone Sleeper with plants. She ignored the crunching sound when the Stone Sleeper broke Phillip's nose. Finally, she was free from the leash.
Recalling something she read about Stone Sleepers in her beast-keeping book, she hobbled over to the fighting duo.
"Get back, child! The beast will be dead soon enough!" Phillip yelled at her.
Luz clicked her tongue a few times to get the beast's attention. It sniffed the air trying to tell if Luz was a friend or foe. He growled at her.
She held out her hand and wiggled her fingers. "Here boy, here. I bet you would love a good scratching. Your skin must be itchy for sleeping so long."
The Stone Sleeper ran toward Luz at full speed. Phillip was about to use another glyph when the beast stopped just in front of the girl. It leaned down and she started scratching him behind his ears.
"You like that don't you, big guy?" Luz cooed. "Roll over and I'll get the other ear." The beast rolled over and made happy noises as he enjoyed the wonderful scratching.
A slow clapping filled the chamber. The Stone Sleeper hissed as Luz spun around. Phillip was clapping from a small dais a few feet away. Something shiny was sticking out of his satchel.
"Well done, Luzara. I totally underestimate you. It seems your resourceful enough to get out of trouble without a man taking care of you."
The teenager's eyes narrowed. She was hyper-focused on Phillip as she prepared for his next move. "I don't need praise from you, monster."
Phillip stopped clapping and pressed one hand over his heart. "You wound me, child. I'm not a monster. In fact, I plan to be Earth's savior by ensuring the heathen beings in this wretched world die."
He had a wild look in his eyes. He truly regarded what he was doing as for the benefit of humanity. "You can help my plan to succeed. As a fellow human, you must want the same thing as I want. Especially given your circumstances."
"¿Mis circunstancias? Oh, ¿quieres decir porque soy una chica? ¿Que soy parte de la comunidad latina?"
"Me demostraste que no te importa nadie más que tú mismo. Piensa lo que quieras, pero las brujas aquí tienen más humanidad que tú."
"I have no idea what you just said, but I'm sure it's not something nice. The witches have corrupted your soul. Let me free it so you can be made pure."
Luz touched the Stone Sleeper and muttered under her breath, "Thank you for showing me what I wanted, my friend. May I please return to you now?"
A dimensional cube materialized in front of her. Still holding onto the Stone Sleeper, she touched it with her other hand. Instantly, they were gone.
Phillip inspected the spot where the girl vanished. There was nothing to explain what just happened. He pulled out the mirror and cleaned it. "I do believe this is the start of a wonderful friendship," he chuckled as shadows started appearing on the walls.
The shadow being was kicking its heels when one of the cubes exploded. Luz and the Stone Sleeper were breathing heavily. The creature looked around in confusion before bellowing in fear.
"Calm down, please calm down," the teenager pleaded. It bellowed again while its tail smashed the cubes about. She could sense the shadow being's displeasure.
Her body glowed red as she sang a lullaby. The Stone Sleeper's eyes got droopy. He settled on the ground and turned to stone.
"Ah, you brought me a present! I wonder what will happen if I drop him from a great height. Would he die or wake up?"
"Don't even think about that!" Luz shouted as she marched over to the shadow being. She poked the shadow in the chest, "How would you like it if someone dropped you from a great height to see if you lived or died?"
"No one would be able to catch me! I'm too quick!" The shadow person laughed while demonstrating its great speed.
The teenager did nothing. She listened as the shadow person moved all around her. Pinpointing its location, she quickly snatched the shadow out of the air.
"Hey, no fair! You're not supposed to catch me!" The shadow wiggled to get loose only for Luz to tighten her grip. The shadow gave up a few minutes later.
She gently placed the being on the ground and then sat down herself. Unconsciously, she started playing with her braid. "First, thank you for saving me from Phillip."
The shadow looked very smug about that fact. Its smirk grew even bigger when she thanked them for allowing her to meet Phillip. They turned into a big smiley face when added that she was grateful to learn about The Collector.
That's when Luz popped them when she gave them a stern scolding. The being tried to get away only for Luz to grab their form by the ear. "Ow, ow, stop that!"
"No, not until I'm finished talking. Now, be a good younger sibling and listen to your big sister."
The shadow being stopped struggling and smiled again. "Big sister? I've always wanted a sibling. Does that mean we can play all the time?"
Luz sternly said no. "Here's how this is going to work. I will play and keep you company every night when I'm asleep. In return, you leave me alone during the day so I can focus on finding a way home."
The shadow person started to whine when Luz gave him a look her mother would be proud of. Channeling her mom, the witch girl told him he didn't want to make her angry.
The shadow being looked a little nervous hearing that. They felt the powerful magic she was using to hold them in place. "Fine, I leave you alone during the day. But you have to pinky promise that you'll come here every night."
The shadow and Luz swore they would uphold their end of the deal. The shadow was so happy. We can start playing now!"
Luz told him bluntly she couldn't. "I've been shot, leashed, and nearly killed twice today. I need one night to recover. Understand?" she asked as she loomed over the shadow being.
"Yeesh, okay I get it. You need to rest." The shadow snapped its fingers and Luz and the Stone Sleeper disappeared. The shadow cackled delightfully knowing that Luz still hadn't figured out who they were.
Luz came to and immediately tried to sit up. She cried out in pain and Eda was immediately at her side.
"Don't try to move. We've almost got the bullet out." Eda held Luz's hand as Gwen carefully used tweezers to get the ball out. As soon as it was out Luz started crying.
"Shoosh, shoosh. It's okay, the pain will be gone soon." Eda watched her sister anxiously. Lilith was slowly fixing the damage layer by layer.
Two minutes, Lilith was finished. "You shouldn't have any scarring. You'll need to stay seated for the next few days to give your muscles a chance to gain strength."
Eda helped Luz sit up as the human registered, she had been laying on the couch. Owlbert settled on Luz's shoulder and warbled in delight. She patted his head. "I'm okay, Owlbert. I'm sorry I worried you."
Luz was then ambushed by King. "Luz! I've been so worried! We thought you were dead when we found you!"
One eyebrow raised upon hearing that. She looked at the Clawthorn family who were biting their lips, unsure what to say. That's when Bat Queen squeezed herself into the living room.
"Ah, you have awakened. My babies will be pleased to hear this. They were very frightened when they found you."
Hearing this only confused Luz more. "I remember falling asleep in a flower bed. Why did I wake up here?"
Bat Queen's eyes glowed bright yellow as she connected with Luz's mind. Memories from different palismens started playing.
She saw the palismens rousing as Luz's prone body started thrashing. Small cuts started to form on her hands. She let out a loud sob as she started to thrash more.
The memories changed and were not as clear. The image kept switching between her body, Dell, and Bat Queen. A majority of them focused on Bat Queen, so the memories probably belonged to her kids.
The memory changed, and now she saw her body through Owlbert's eyes. She saw herself crying out as more wounds appeared on her body. When the rope burn started appearing around her neck when she clearly shouted Belos's name.
The memory switched to Nevermore's Pov. He was shrieking and tugging Lilith's hair. His witch ignored him until he pecked her several times. That's when she noticed the Stone Sleeper awakening in the yard.
The last memory had to come from Hawksly as he brought the first aid kit to Gwendolyn. Eda's mom was halfway through removing the lead ball when Luz awakened.
The Bat Queen broke the link and told Luz to rest for a week. She could resume her palisman duties then. The Bat Queen left the house to check on her babies.
Luz scooted over a little so Eda could sit next to her. "Luz, I'm not a mind reader, but I know your hurting. Please, tell me what is going on."
Luz leaned into Eda, letting the woman hold her. "I'm not sure how to explain what happened today, but I'm willing to try."
Eda started stroking her foster daughter's hair as she listened to Luz as she started talking.