I was really stressed out last week, which is why it took an extra week to write this chapter.
Luz ran through the forest towards Hunter's home. She had been neglectful to her new friend lately. Two weeks ago, Amity had become her girlfriend! She had been in pure bliss ever since.
Then, Eda was finally able to make some time for potion lessons. Since she had mastered the basics, Eda had been teaching her how to brew intermediate potions. Her mentor also was making her memorize the potion ingredients table.
King had asked her for help with posting videos to help search for his dad. Since it was a violation to ask for any help outside the forest, the duo had to become creative to post the videos anonymously.
Hooty had come to her asking for lessons to walk. It still creeped her out watching him. Hooty had ruined her childhood dream of living stuffed animals.
In between all of this, she still found time to talk to her friends on the crow-phone. Any spare time was used for either her duties to Bat Queen or working on constructing her portal.
Hunter must be worried about me. I haven't seen or communicated with him since we watched the Coven Head ceremony. I know what it feels like to be alone and neglected. How could I do that to someone I know?
I have to make this up to Hunter somehow. I won't be the reason he decides to stop trying to make friends.
Soon the old watchtower came into sight. She didn't see Hunter outside. Hopefully, he was inside.
When she entered the watchtower, she was grateful to see there were still signs of habitation. The table was clean, the bed made, and the pictures on the wall had been dusted.
"Hunter, are you here? Hunter!"
"Luz?" a voice from behind her said.
"Hunter!" Luz squealed. She couldn't stop herself as she hurried over to him and gave him a big hug.
The teenage boy enjoyed the warmth that spread through his body. Hugging her back made him feel elated. "I was worried about you. Where have you been the last two weeks?"
"Sit down, I've got a lot to tell you." Luz started telling him everything that had happened. As she recalled her first date with Amity, going through a make-shift tunnel of love under the house, she didn't notice the flash of annoyance on her friend's face.
"Amity is super smart. She showed me how to get Mousy to play videos for me. I managed to sketch the schematics for building a portal. I thought you might be able to make sense of it since Eda didn't understand them."
Hunter whistled when he examined the drawing. He had no idea how complex making a portal was. "A human constructed this portal four hundred years ago? I'm fascinated by the ingenuity to design this. Have you learned how long it took him to make this?"
"Five years. It took that long to understand magic and build something that could circumvent the barrier between our worlds."
"Well, it won't take you that long with his notes helping you."
"It might, considering Mousy has yet to reveal what Phillip used for a power source."
Hunter scratched his chin as he tried to recall something he read about in one of his books. A substance of great power that his uncle was looking for. He snapped his fingers. "Titans blood. It has to be Titans-Blood."
"What is Titans-Blood?"
Hunter motioned for her to stay while he went into the other room. He returned a few minutes later with an old book in his hands. Flipping through the pages he found what he was looking for.
"Read this. It explains everything you need to know about Titans-Blood."
According to the book, Titans-Blood was indeed the blood of the Titan. After several thousand years the blood had become diluted and absorbed properties from the flora dotting the Isles.
Titans-Blood was the most powerful substance because it acted as a catalyst while amplifying the results of the reaction. It was also very rare which made it tremendously expensive.
Titan-Blood was usually found near bodies of water. There were rare cases of it being found in rock formations. You also had to make sure it wasn't Fools-Blood. At first glance, they looked the same, but Fools-Blood was extremely dangerous.
Luz put down the book. Titans-Blood did seem the most likely power source for a portal. If she could figure out how to safely harness the substance, she might not just find a way home.
It could possibly destroy the glyphs on Eda's ankle bracelet. She would be able to access her magic again. Maybe it could even help her break the oath so she could be free of Emperor Belos.
"Where can we find Titans-Blood?"
"There are rumors of a lake of Titans-Blood in an old mine at the Knee," Hunter told her. Luz looked so hopeful he hated dashing her hope. "The problem is the mine has recently been reopened by the Emperor's Coven."
"Not like I could even get to the Knee," Luz muttered to herself. "Do you think we could find it in the forest?"
Hunter reread the pages on Titans-Blood. There was a map on one page showing where Titans-Blood had been found four hundred and fifty years ago. There was a dot representing a location deeper in the woods.
"This map shows there was a source of Titans-Blood a long time ago. There's a high chance it's dried up by now."
"But there's also a small chance that it hasn't. I can't live not knowing for sure if there's a substance that has the power to get back to my mom. Will you help guide me to the location?"
"I would be honored too. If we're going to do this safely, I think it's time I properly introduce myself to your family."
When the duo arrived back at the Owl House, everyone was waiting for them in the yard. Hunter gulped at the sight of Bat Queen's eyes judging him. He clutched his palisman staff tightly.
Luz put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. I promise no one will hurt you. Everyone, I would like you to meet my friend Hunter. He's been helping me learn to control my magic."
"HI, NEW FRIEND!" Hooty said as he wrapped his worm body around the boy's body.
Hunter couldn't help it. He freaked out. "GET OFF ME! GET OFF ME!" Lil Rascal came to life and started pecking Hooty, forcing the house demon off his witch.
"Hooty! What have I told you about personal space?" Eda scolded Hooty. The house demon frowned and backed away.
Hunter shivered despite the warm air. "I may never feel clean again." That was the moment King introduced himself.
"Your name is Hunter? Then you should take over getting everyone some decent food. Better yet, keep those babies from stealing my food." Behind him, the babies were making off with King's fish jerky.
"Hey! Come back with that!"
Ignoring King, Hunter turned his attention to Bat Queen and Eda. Both of them made him extremely nervous. Eda looked him over as if assessing what kind of threat he was.
"Hunter, I have two things to say to you. One, thank you for helping Luz out when I couldn't. Second, if I ever find out you hurt or endanger Luz, there will be no force on the Boiling Isles to save you from my wraith."
"Eda! Stop scaring him," Luz rebuked
Bat Queen stepped forward and smiled at him. "It is wonderful to finally meet you in person. I have been aware of your presence in my kingdom for some time."
She gestured to Lil Rascal to let him know who told her. "You are welcome here in my kingdom. You may live in the old watchtower as long as you like. I hope you find the path that best suits you."
"Thank you Bat Queen for your generosity. I will do my best to assist you in your kingdom." He hoped she couldn't read his mind like she could Lil Rascal.
Inside the house, Hunter showed the group the old map. "Bat Queen, what do you know about this area of the forest?"
"There are a series of underground grottoes filled with rimstone pools. To my knowledge, most of the pools still contain water. However, if you are looking for Titans-Blood, I would suggest looking in the stalactites and stalagmites."
"Because any soluble material and that can be deposited as a colloid, or is in suspension, or is capable of being melted, may form a stalactite. Including, Titans-Blood."
Eda had spelunking gear from all the times she had hidden from the Emperor's Coven guards in caves. "Does anything live in these grottoes? I don't want to walk into someone's space and be lunch."
"No one was living there last time I surveyed the area. That was eight months ago. Someone could have moved in during that time. You will need to be extremely careful."
Luz looked at her mentor who shook her head. She pointed to the binder and the teenager nodded. "If we're going to be extra careful then it makes sense to use glyphs instead of my magic. We need precision and control."
She passed out different glyphs for each person. Hunter was uneasy about taking the ones offered to him. He was walking an extremely fine line by accepting these.
"Can we go now? Can we go now?" King whined.
Eda bopped his nose and told him no. "We need to check all our equipment to make sure it's in good condition. Then we have to make sure we have enough food and water. Lastly, everyone needs to know how to use the equipment and what to do if something goes wrong."
"When did you get to be a stickler for the rules?" King huffed.
"Since I became a mom. I don't want my adopted son and foster daughter to get hurt. I don't even want my pet house demon to get hurt. So if it means being a stickler, then I'm proud to be one."
Both Luz and King hugged her tightly. It was great to see Eda maturing finally.
Their journey started the next day. Bat Queen flew them to the area so they avoided having to spend the day hiking.
The Bat Queen landed in an old quarry with a cave entrance at the far end. The group slid off their rides head. "Thanks for the lift BQ. I'll call you when we're done with your whistle."
"I understand. Please be careful all of you. I wish you luck in your quest." Bat Queen flapped her wings and took off towards a different area of her kingdom.
Everyone put on their safety gear, hard hats with light glyphs for light, along with sturdy shoes. Each carried a small bag with any equipment they might need along with food and water.
To make sure they all stayed together, they were all tied together with a rope. After going through the rules one more time, they entered the cave. Taking each step with care, they made their way to the underground grottoes.
Eda was in front with Luz behind her. Then came King while Hunter brought up the rear. The leader had the important job of scouting ahead. The job of the anchor, (Hunter) was to keep track of people in the middle and help them if they got snagged on anything.
About fifteen minutes into the journey, King got bored. Looking around, he spotted a medium size stalactite that was begging to be blown up.
"Time to add some excitement to this boring walk," King giggled as he rubbed his paws together. He locked eyes with his target and took a deep breath. He tried to yell, but nothing came out.
He tried again and still, nothing came out. He tried to talk and realized his voice was gone. He reached to grab the back of Luz's shirt, only for Hunter to pull him away.
King looked up at Hunter's smirk. In his hand was a piece of paper with the silence glyph drawn on it. "You shouldn't make loud noises in caves. They're fragile and you can easily cause a cave-in."
The little demon could only stomp his foot in irritation. He would have to get back at the teenager at a later date.
After another fifteen minutes, they finally entered the first grotto. The walls were covered in sparkly moss. The rimstone pools spread across the entire area making a staircase of various size pools.
Some of them were filled with brackish water. Others were empty. Located in the center of the room was a small pond.
"What do you think mister? Anything here that looks like it could be Titans-Blood?" Eda whispered.
Hunter carefully made his way over to the first pool with water. He dipped his glove in and pulled it out. It didn't leave a navy blue stain.
He reached inside his pocket and revealed Lil Rascal. The palisman came to life with a chirp. The boy whispered something to the little bird.
Lil Rascal flew around and gathered samples from the ceiling, walls, and the pond. After a quick exam of the samples and the floor, he shook his head.
"So this grotto is a bust. Should we continue?" Luz asked.
"We'll keep going until I think we should stop. BQ was not sure how many grottoes there were down here."
They continued on their journey. They checked three more grottoes. Eda was about to tell them they would be turning around when they came to the last grotto.
This one was tiny. It had only a few rimstone pools. There was no moss on the wall. A tiny puddle was surrounded by four stalagmites sitting in the middle. One stalactite hung above the pool.
King sniffed the air. "I'm smelling something here. I don't know what it is, but it smells alive."
Eda scanned the area with her headlamp. Nothing jumped out as being alive. "I can't see anything dangerous, then again, King's sniffer is never wrong. If he smells something then there is something."
Luz looked over at Hunter. "Do you think we should use some glyphs to see what kind of response we get?"
Hunter shrugged his shoulders. "It's a risky idea. We don't know what we're dealing with in here. If there's no Titans-Blood we shouldn't….."
The teenager stopped talking. His headlamp was aimed at the stalactite. The structure was different from the rest of the room. Instead of being dull gray, it was a dark blue.
"I need to get a closer look at that stalactite. I'm not hundred percent certain, but I think there might be Titans-Blood inside it.
Luz's heart nearly popped out of her chest. The stalactite was about five feet. If what Hunter suspected was true, then she would have an abundance of material to experiment with.
The thought of going home and being free of Belos caused Luz to act impulsively. She jumped down from the ledge and landed in a rimstone pool. Her right foot stepped on something hard.
Instantly, a large tentacle emerged from the shell and grabbed Luz. She screamed as she was raised in the air and spun about. The others were also pulled into the air and spun about.
"What is this thing?" King demanded as more tentacles shout out of the rimstone pools. He could talk now because the silent glyph had fallen off his body.
"Cave leech! They're extremely rare beast that devours anything that steps on it!" Eda replied as the rope holding them all together snapped.
Eda, King, and Hunter fell to the ground. They quickly rolled out of the way as the other tentacles tried to grab them. There was a huge cracking sound.
The puddle of water vanished as a large beak pushed out of the ground. A long tongue shot out destroying the stalagmites. The entire grotto shook as the cave leech squirmed underground.
"HELP ME!" Luz shouted as the tentacles pinned her arms to her side. The tentacle started squeezing her. It was similar to an octopus opening a clam to get to the juicy meal inside.
"Let her go!" King shouted. His voice power caused small chunks of the walls to fall. It also severed the tentacle that was holding Luz.
In mid-fall, Luz activated a wind glyph. A gentle whirlwind slowed her fall enough that she didn't get badly hurt when she landed.
The human started darting through the tentacles to get back to the group. The cave leech was not making it easy by blocking her path or going after one of the others.
Eda blasted the creature with a lightning glyph and it barely did a thing. She hopped over three tentacles and tried using a different glyph. This time she tried a metal glyph.
Pieces of metal sailed through the air and in quick succession. The creature caught most of them. A medium-size piece did strike the creature's mouth causing it to wail in pain.
A strange liquid spewed from the creature's mouth. It was a glossy black and huge bubbles formed in it. One of the bubbles rose into the air heading for King.
The little demon ran as fast as he could only to trip. The black bubble descended ready to engulf King.
Lil Rascal grabbed King's collar and flew him out of the way mere seconds before it touched him. The bubble popped revealing it to be acid for digestion.
"We need to get out of here now!" Hunter yelled. Eda was already ahead of him. She was going after Luz in harpy form while managing to avoid the tentacles.
Hunter saw the stalactite was shockingly still attached to the ceiling. It would be best to leave it behind. However, if it was Titans-Blood, his uncle could make use of it.
"This better work," the teenager whispered. He slammed a wood glyph on the ground.
A tree branch grew rapidly until it smashed the stalactite. Chunks started to fall. Using a gravity glyph, he managed to direct one of the chunks closer to him.
He slid across the floor and snagged it before one of the cave leech's tentacles grab it. Eda, who had Luz securely in her arms, called a retreat. The group got out of there as fast they could.
The cave leech's attack combined with King's sonic attack was bringing the whole place down.
Luz was tossing plant glyphs everywhere. The plants grew quickly and kept the ceiling from collapsing on top of them.
The ceiling held long enough for them to get out. As soon as Eda and Luz exited the cave entrance was sealed by tons of rock. Everyone collapsed to the ground happy to be alive.
"I will…never…complain about…safety rules again," King moaned.
"At least…the cave leech…is trapped below ground. It…can't hurt anyone…ever again," Eda added. She could see tears forming in Luz's eyes.
"Luz, it's going to be…okay. We will not stop…looking for Titans-Blood to power…your portal. I promise…to get…you home no matter…what."
"I know…that Eda. I just…want to see…my mom…right now.
Later that night, Hunter studied the chunk of stalactite he had procured. He borrowed one of Eda's potion-making kits to perform tests on the sample. He could hear Luz pacing in her room anxiously.
Cutting a sliver from the rock, he dropped it into a neutral potion, which was used to find out what the properties were of each ingredient. The white potion instantly changed to a bright yellow.
"One test down, four more to go." He took another sliver and checked it under an enchanted microscope. Adjusting the lens, he zoomed in closer.
The sliver contained tiny veins spreading outward from a teeny crystal. The crystal was banded quartz. The minerals looked slightly different than what was usually found in underground grottoes.
After that was done, used the magical version of light refractory and mass spectrometer test. The enchanted science tools made getting answers quicker. The last thing he did was check the Periodic Potion Ingredients Table.
With an answer in hand, he knocked on Luz's door. She flung it open and pulled him inside quickly. "Well? What are the results? Please, tell me it's Titans-Blood. Please, tell me it's Titans-Blood."
"Whoa, settled down. I can't talk to you when you're like this." Luz forced herself to sit down on her bed and clasp her hands together.
"Okay, there is good news and bad news. The good news is yes. The stalactite was filled with Titans-Blood," Hunter said. He anticipated Luz's screams of joy and covered her mouth.
"The bad news is that there's only enough Titans-Blood to use it one time. If your portal doesn't work then your only choice will be at the castle."
Hearing this, Luz started shaking badly as her mind raced. What if the portal malfunctioned and she couldn't come back to visit? What if the portal blew up? Could Belos follow her back to Earth if he discovered another portal he could use?
There were so many things that could go wrong. She was desperate to get home to her mom. The question was she desperate enough to use the small amount to power a portal right now?
The answer was yes. "I'm going to start working on a portal door with Eda tomorrow. You can stay here tonight and we can get an early start tomorrow."
"I can't. I have a certain business that needs to be taken care of. I'll probably be gone for a few days."
Luz was disappointed to hear this. In the past, she would have been pushing him for information. Now, she respected his right not to talk about certain things.
"I guess I'll see you in a few days. Be careful Hunter, I don't want anything bad to happen to you."
Hunter promised he would be okay. He left the Owl House and headed back to the watchtower. He needed to inform his uncle about today's adventure.
When Emperor Belos heard about the adventure he had mixed emotions. He was furious that Hunter had used glyph magic along with him going to the grottoes in their first place.
He was also titillated and pleased by two facts. One, he had discovered another source of Titans-Blood. Second, he had gained the trust of the Bat Queen and the Owl Lady. This was vital for the next part of the mission.
"So my valet hasn't constructed her portal yet?"
"No. I estimate she'll finish construction in three days. Given the complicated design, there's a high chance the portal will fail. What do you want me to do?"
"Hunter, you have to ask me about this? You need to sabotage that portal. Without a working portal Luz will have no choice, but to come back here for the original."
"You'll promise to help her get inside without being captured. That's when you'll reveal where your loyalties lie. Luz will be devastated by your betrayal however that's easily remedied by a memory-erasing potion."
Hunter was horrified to learn his uncle was planning on using a memory-erasing potion. "Wouldn't that erase her entire memory, including how to control her powers?"
Emperor Belos laughed and told his nephew not to worry about the small details and focus on the big picture. "I promise Hunter, my valet won't forget about your friendship."
The call ended abruptly. Hunter's stomach was churning. He looked at Lil Rascal who chirped at him.
"I don't know what I'm going to do. My uncle is the only family I have and as a member of his coven, I have to carry out his orders. I don't have a choice in the matter."
The palisman twittered a few times and stared at his with his only eye. "No! I don't have a choice, Lil Rascal, if I don't follow my orders I'm betraying my family. The flipside is I would be betraying Luz to Uncle."
This mission had seemed easy. He hadn't been worried about betraying Luz because she was a human. His uncle's valet had forgotten her place. It was a simple retrieval mission.
Regrettably, that wasn't the same now. He had bonded with Luz. She was his friend. She had changed him in ways he didn't understand fully yet. He liked her a lot and not in a platonic way.
He had to admit it to himself. He was in love with Luz. He had been crushing on her and he didn't even know it. That's why he kept getting angry when she was with Amity.
He was jealous of the Blight girl. Amity had what he secretly wanted. All of Luz's friends had something he was denied his entire life. It wasn't magic though. It was a chance to live a normal life.
He had been very young when Uncle Belos had taken him in. His days had consisted of learning to use artificial magic effectively until it looked like he was doing it on his own. Once he had mastered that he joined the Emperor's Coven.
He was on the path that his uncle set him on. He was doing what the Titan needed of him. Both Earth and the Boiling Isles would be a better place once they were joined as one.
So why were his guts twisting inside him?
Hunter stayed away from the Owl House for three days. Each day, he planned what he would sabotage. Then how he was going to get Luz to trust him enough to go to the castle with him.
A pile of papers began to pile up in the corner as he rejected ideas one right after another. He couldn't figure out a way to tamper with the portal without causing someone to get hurt.
If Luz was hurt, he wouldn't forgive himself. The Owl Lady and her demon son getting injured didn't matter as much. It only mattered if they got hurt gravely and Luz refused to leave them.
There was only one way to sabotage the portal and keep someone from being harmed. He would have to go with Luz.
The next day, he arrived at the Owl House just after dawn. He saw that Hooty was still asleep which gave him a chance to look at the door.
The portal door seemed to be a mismatch of random junk. How were a broom and a jar with an abomination head supposed to open a doorway between dimensions?
"I'd be surprised if this actually worked at all. The construction is very poor. Maybe I don't have to tamper with it."
He didn't notice Bat Queen was watching him from a nearby tree and could hear everything he said. Lil Rascal had come to her last night worried about his witch.
The boy was at a crossroads in his life. Today would be the day he would have to choose which road to take.
She promised Lil Rascal she would not interfere with Hunter's actions today. The cardinal also made it clear he wouldn't abandon his witch if he was forced to leave the forest.
Bat Queen had no objection to that. The bond between a palisman and a witch was powerful. Hunter didn't feel like someone who would discard Lil Rascal if the little guy got hurt again.
Five hours later the portal was ready to test. Hunter was trying to convince Luz he needed to go with her.
"You don't know what will happen once you open the door. You could be attacked by something."
"Eda's gone through the portal several times without problems."
"Hers was fully functional and proven. Yours is a hodgepodge of junk. We don't know if it will even create a portal."
They argued back and forth until Eda whistled loudly. The teenagers stopped arguing and looked at her.
"Luz, Hunter's going with you. The rest of us will remain here ready to pull you two out if something goes bad. That's the end of this discussion."
Once everyone was ready they turned the portal on. It sparked and twisted. The tiny amount of Titans-Blood percolated into the door. Suddenly all the junk came together to form a badly bent portal door.
It had opened to a black space dotted with tiny pinpricks of yellow light. This was what the portal looked like before it showed what was on the other side. No image of Earth appeared though.
"Okay, let's go. Remember, if something starts to go wrong, pull on the rope. You both got that?"
They nodded, and Luz took a deep breath. Bravely, she stepped inside with Hunter following after her.
As soon as they entered, both teens became greatly disoriented. Hunter felt like he was plunging while Luz felt she was shooting up. The rope tightened around both of them bringing them back together.
They emerged from the muck, spitting out the pieces that had gotten into their mouths. Luz even scraped her tongue with her cape to remove every last bit.
"I hope I never taste something like that again!" She then looked around in wonder of where they were.
Large cubes floated all around the two friends. The muck spread out across the ground.
The twinkling yellow lights had gotten brighter. She asked Hunter if he knew where they were, and he shook his head.
"Do you know where we are?"
"I don't know. I wish we could ask Eda if she knows about this place." A cube smashed into the girl's chest. Peering through it, she yelped.
"What is it? What do you see?" the boy asked frantically.
"I'm at the Owl House, but I'm not physically there. I'm a reflection!"
Hunter surmised they must be in some sort of limbo. "I think I read something about this a long time ago. They called it the In-between. A physical space between the dimensions of Earth and the Boiling Isles. This gives more credence towards the theory our ancestors came from Earth."
Luz started to ask more when she noticed something on Hunter's forearm. At first, she thought it was more muck. Then she looked closer and saw the gold coloring.
She went cold as ice. That was the mark of the Emperor's Coven! Which meant Hunter was a member!
Her emotions overwhelmed her, and her magic aura reacted. It blasted through the rope and sent Hunter flying away. "Stay away from me!"
"Luz, why did you do that?" The teenager asked. He ducked as another blast of magic came at him.
"You lied to me! I won't let you take me back to Emperor Belos!" she cried out.
A cube struck Hunter in the face. He found himself in the reflection of his uncle's throne room.
His uncle was standing in front of him as he looked up at the Titan's heart. "I sense you are weakening, but you must hold on. The Day of Unity fast approaches."
"Once the Demon Gate recharges you, I can use its power to open the portal to the human realm. All will be as it should be, once Hunter and Luz have fully bonded in friendship and love."
He pushed the cube away from his face. He couldn't believe that was the Titan's plan for him.
He was struck in the shoulder by another magical attack. He looked at Luz and saw her armband had descended a whole inch. "STOP! If you keep attacking me, you'll end up a prisoner again!"
Luz stopped throwing magic at him for the moment. He could see the tears forming in her eyes. "Why does it matter to you?! Isn't that what your master wanted? To have his pet human back to show how powerful he is!"
"Luz…"
"Don't! I was stupid to trust you. Everything you told me is a lie!"
"Not everything! If you would give me a chance to explain…"
Luz didn't want to hear any more lies. She pounced on him. She pushed him under the muck trying to force him back through the portal.
"I thought you were my friend. When I was at my lowest, I met you. I didn't feel alone anymore. Now, I know it was on the emperor's orders. Why Hunter? Why did you befriend me only to betray me?"
Hunter's head burst through the much as he gasped for air. He needed to tell her the truth. "Emperor Belos is my uncle!"
Luz let him go in shock. She moved away while trying to process this information. During her time at the palace, she had never seen or heard anything to indicate Belos had a family.
Hunter sat upright as he coughed hard. He could feel Luz's penetrating stare demanding an explanation. "You can hand me over to Bat Queen or let me perish in the In-between. I don't care. Please, let me explain everything."
Luz nodded, and Hunter told her everything. His relationship with his uncle, his life as the Golden Guard, and about growing up powerless. He told her about his mission and why he had befriended her in the first place.
"My feelings about this mission changed once I got to know you. I've never had friends or someone who believed in me without wanting something in return. I even developed a crush on you and didn't know it!"
Despite the situation, Luz laughed. She couldn't believe she had this much of an effect on someone.
"I started feeling guilty about telling my uncle what was happening in your and your mentor's life. He ordered me to sabotage your portal so you would have no choice but to go back to the castle with me."
He looked Luz in the eye and confessed he couldn't do that. "The thought of you not seeing your mom again tore me apart. I can't go through with my orders."
"I came with you today, so I could help you get away from my uncle. I don't know what will happen to me. I just want to make sure you are safe."
The teenager didn't know what to think. Everywhere she turned, it appeared that someone wanted to hurt her or use her. Hunter seemed genuine in his remorse. Yet, he had been lying to her for weeks and only trained because of his mission.
Then again, he didn't defend himself when she attacked him. He even told her about the armband slipping. Could she really expect him to put her needs before his uncle's in every situation?
Taking a deep breath, she held out a hand. The boy took it as she helped him up.
"I'm going to trust you for now. That doesn't mean I forgive you. We're going to have a long talk later."
Hunter nodded, grateful that she was accepting his help for now. He gave her some space as she called out for a cube to see her mother.
Luz decided to speak in Spanish for privacy. As soon as she saw her mom, Luz started calling out for her. With the music playing so loudly, no one could hear her.
That's when she got the shock of her life. A doppelganger of her appeared in the kitchen! The other "her" was hugging her mother while saying she was nearly done cleaning "her" room.
In her shock, she started shouting in English, alerting her friend something was up. Hunter raced over just as another cube came out of the muck, and Luz grabbed it tightly.
He couldn't see what Luz had seen, but she was upset and shouting "YOU!".
"What's going on, Luz? Can I help?"
"Hold my hand and touch the cube with your other."
He did what she asked, and now he could see what she was seeing. There was a basilisk, struggling in a trap, as she tried to break free.
Luz helped the basilisk get free and asked for her name. She introduced herself as Vee.
"I know your Camilla's daughter, but who is that with you?"
"My name is Hunter. I'm from the Boiling Isles, and Luz is my friend." He studied the basilisk as she shifted partially back to Luz's form. He was confused.
"Are basilisk native to Earth? They've been extinct in the Boiling Isles for centuries."
"No, I'm from the Boiling Isles. Basilisks were brought back to life because someone wanted to learn how we fed on magic. I was a prisoner for months before a few of us managed to escape."
Hunter started to ask who when Luz shushed him. "You came here to get away from the people who hurt you? I can relate to that."
The human showed the basilisk her tattoo while looking downward. "I traded my life away by entering into an Everlasting Oath with the ruler of the Boiling Isles. He was going to petrify someone I cared about forever."
"I was his servant for a month and a half. He experimented on me by giving me a bile sac. I managed to bend the oath, but I'm not free from it." Looking at Vee, she added that one of the reasons she wanted to get home was to be free from him.
Hunter noticed how Vee recoiled when Luz said she made an oath with the emperor. He did not doubt that his uncle had ordered the resurrection of the basilisks.
He didn't understand why he would do that. The more he learned about his uncle's plans, the less sense they made. "We'll help you find a safe place to live. Right now, it would be best if you kept pretending to be Luz."
Vee appeared to be distressed. "I can't change all the way. I just used up all my magic."
Luz looked at Hunter. "Eda used to visit the human world a lot. Do you think she might have left some magic behind?"
Hunter knew where she was going with this. He hated to disappoint her. "It's been almost two months since she last came here. Any magic that was left behind would have dried up by now."
Vee wilted hearing this. She started crying. Knowing all hope was lost for her. She had nowhere to go and no one to protect her. "I'm going to be a prisoner again!"
Luz wouldn't stand for this. She had to do something! She slapped the cube in frustration, releasing a pulse of magic.
The trio was shocked when the pulse traveled through the cube and into the human world. Vee instinctively fed on it. It was enough to change her ears back to human ones.
"How did you do that?" the basilisk asked in confusion.
"I'm not sure. My bile sac magic works differently than witches or demons. Something about my human philology changes it." An excited expression appeared on her face.
If they found a big enough mirror, it was reasonable to think she could send a pulse to charge Vee's magic.
She was about to suggest it when Hunter tapped her on the shoulder. "Luz, what kind of human technology is that?" He pointed to something in the corner.
Luz and Vee gasped, there was a security camera! The red light indicated it was recording in real-time. Vee was in more danger than she thought.
"That camera saw me transform! Someone has been setting traps here recently. They were trying to catch me! What are am I going to do?" Vee blubbered.
Hunter took charge of the situation. He didn't understand human technology. He did know how to prioritize during a crisis. Right now, they needed to focus on restoring Vee's magic.
The first step was getting back in the house without Camila noticing anything strange. Vee accomplished this by taking the box of Luz's things back into the house.
Once she was safely back in Luz's room, she locked the door and went over to the closet. "Okay, what's next?"
"I'm going to send a stronger pulse to you. Vee, can you control how much you eat? If you take too much, I could become really sick."
Vee stated she could handle her hunger. Hunter promised to snap Vee out of her feeding frenzy if she started taking too much magic.
The magical teenager closed her eyes and focused. She pictured the magic passing through the cube into her bedroom. She imagined Vee turning back into her old self, with enough magic stored, to change into her own human persona.
Vee started feeding on the magic, noticing it tasted slightly different than other types of magic she had eaten. She soon had enough to shapeshift fully back into Luz.
She took more until her she was sure she had enough stored. Covering her mouth, she stepped back from the mirror. The real Luz's knees had buckled and Hunter was keeping her upright.
Noticing the fear in Vee's eyes, Hunter reassured her she hadn't taken too much. Luz was just tired from transferring magic to the human world.
A few minutes later, Luz was able to stand up on her own. She then asked Vee about how much she knew about Luz's past.
"I had Camila show me the family album so I could learn the stories behind the pictures." The disguised basilisk reached under the pillow on the bed revealing Luz's original diary.
"I read your diary. It was wrong of me, but I couldn't think of another way to learn more about you."
"I'm not mad. If it helps keep you safe that's all that matters. If there are any gaps, ask me about them."
"Okay, why are there pages ripped out?"
Luz didn't respond and looked away. Changing the direction of the conversation, Hunter asked what the plan was to figure out who had been recording Vee in the house.
"Honestly, I don't know how to find out where the video is being sent. Usually, security cameras have a server at the place there watching, but there was nothing like that in the old house," Luz admitted.
"Maybe it's like the Internet. It connects to, what is the word, Fi-Wi? No, I mean Wi-Fi, and viewed on another server?" Vee suggested.
Luz pointed out, even if that was true, they couldn't track the signal. None of them had the expertise or equipment needed to do something like that.
Hunter let out a groan of frustration. "I can track magic with ease. But, what is that word you used before," he asked while looking at Luz. He snapped his fingers as he recalled the word.
"Oh, electricity! You said a lot of devices use electricity to work. Yeah, I don't know how to track that."
Luz sighed in frustration. She could only think of one way to solve the problem, but it would put Vee at risk. It was a chance they would have to take.
"There is one way to find out who was videotaping you. You need to tell mom about it."
Vee asked if Luz had gone crazy. If Camila found out who was doing it, she would see the tape and discover her secret.
"It's our only option. Vee, you don't know how to track anything, but magic. The same goes for Hunter. Even if I sent out another magical pulse, I don't know any tracking spells. Face it, we're out of other options."
Hunter reluctantly agreed with her. He also said it was Vee's best chance to erase the tape of her transformation. The disguised basilisk summoned her courage. After finding a small compact in the bathroom to keep in touch with the duo, she went to the kitchen to speak to Camila.
Camila was working on a crossword puzzle when Vee entered the kitchen. "Luz! I was wondering where you ran off too. One of the neighbors told me that you jumped out your window! You know how dangerous that is."
"Mom, I found another trap. It was in the old house and it snagged me. I got out of it, but there was a security camera inside. I think whoever is setting the traps is responsible."
Hearing this made Camila furious. She had been dealing with those illegal traps for over a week. Now, someone was spying on her daughter? Enough was enough.
She let out a series of curses in Spanish. "Don't worry, Luz. I'm going to call the police. They have to have an expert that can figure out who is responsible for this."
The fake Luz panicked. If the police got involved, there was no chance of her erasing the tape portion she needed to. "Mom, can't we figure this out on our own? I'm positive the police won't take this very seriously."
Camila stopped in her tracks. Of course, the police would be concerned about this. Illegal traps and cameras were important. Then again, the police never took her seriously about animal abuse before.
They might dismiss the camera and Luz getting caught in a trap as harmless, especially since the old house was abandoned. Putting away her phone, she looked at her daughter.
"I have some equipment in my room that can solve this mystery. Wait right here for me, okay?"
Vee nodded in relief. Without any police around, she had a better chance at erasing a portion of the tape. Opening the compact, she gave her friends a thumb up.
"Remember, stick close to my mom. When you get the chance, erase the video."
Camila's equipment was her cellphone, a pet cam, and a cable. Vee led her back to the old house. Once inside, Camila went to work.
There was a port on the side of the security camera. Plugging the cable in and attaching it to the pet cam, the woman checked her cellphone.
Whoever was using the security camera had left their Wi-Fi public. Checking the name, Camila was able to do a reverse search. "Alright, someone from the Gravesfield Historical Society is accessing this camera. Let's go and find out why."
On the ride over, Vee was getting anxious. How was she going to erase the tape portion without being caught? Camila could keep one person busy, but what if there was more than one person?
Arriving at the Historical Society, the two of them entered the building. There was no one at the front desk. However, there was a cup of coffee still hot on the desk. That indicated someone was there.
"I'm going to look around for an employee. Stay here, and don't move."
Vee waited until Camila was out of sight before opening the compact again. She quickly explained what was happening.
"The serve has to be in the office. It's the only place not accessible to the public. Slip inside and I can guide you on how to erase part of the tape," Luz instructed.
She then whispered an afterthought that she didn't think the others could hear. "Then you can go back to being the daughter my mom always wanted."
Hunter nudged her. He wanted to know what she was talking about. Even Vee was curious.
Reluctantly, Luz answered Vee's earlier question about the missing pages. "The pages are tapped to the underside of the lowest drawer on the left side of my desk. I couldn't make myself throw them away. I guess I needed the constant reminder of the girl I should have been."
The teenager revealed, how for many years, she tried to be normal, in public. At home, it was okay to be weird. At school, it caused nothing except trouble. Even in kindergarten, her imagination and eccentric ways were considered abnormal.
All through elementary school to seventh grade, she failed in her goal to be "normal." "You don't know how hard I tried. I read fashion magazines and used makeup to blend in. I listened to music that was popular despite it making me feel bad about myself."
"No matter what I did, it was never enough. I couldn't fully contain my weirdness. Everyone picked up on the fact I was different. Soon, even the teachers started treating me like I was a disease they didn't want to catch."
"I gave up in eighth grade and accepted the fact I would always be weird and alone. I tore the pages of my frustration, sadness, and disappointment from the diary and hid them."
"I never wanted Mom to find them. Part of me didn't want her to stumble on these pages and realize I was a freak. So, I just started being myself, and eventually, it led to her sending me to camp to be "normal."
Looking at Vee, Luz admitted that it was wrong to run away. The silver lining was the fact Vee was finally safe from harm.
There was a tug on the line, and Hunter was pulled away. "Ahh, looks like our time is up!" The boy got pulled out of sight.
"NO! Vee, hurry!"
Vee rushed the door and went into the office. Thankfully, it was empty. Ignoring the witch-hunting stuff, she made her way over to the computer station. "Quick! What do I need to do?"
"Find the camera that's filming the house! Rewind the recording to around the time you changed. As soon as you see it, press that red button over there to erase the footage."
"Don't forget to delete the digital backup to ensure the video is truly lost forever! Ahh!" Luz was forcefully dragged away. "Take care of my mom, Vee! I can't wait to meet my new sister when I get home!"
Luz vanished from the compact mirror. Vee quickly did what Luz said. The footage was gone forever. Now it was time to get out of here.
She was about to exit the office when a trap swung open and caught her. Her first thought was to panic, but she pushed it down. "Stay human, stay human! Camila will come to get you, and everything will be okay. Don't let fear get the best of you!"
Camila did find her about fifteen minutes later. The curator of the Historical Society building was gloating about capturing a "monster." He never heard Camila coming up behind him and hitting him with her sandal.
That night, Vee was sitting on the bed, reading the missing pages from Luz's diary. The pages were full of pain and anguish. One entry was about an incident in second grade.
It had been a classmate's birthday and the class was putting up decorations. Luz had been making balloon animals. The entry stated that she had made normal balloon animals. As an afterthought, she made a few dragons.
The normal ones weren't good, and the dragons looked better. The class had ganged up on her. They lied that she was trying to make the party about her.
The teacher hadn't given Luz a chance to explain how difficult it was for her to make balloon animals. The girl was forced to sit in the hallway while the others in the class enjoyed the treats.
Poor Luz, no wonder she never wanted to share these pages. Maybe I should talk with Camila about this. It would help if Luz had more support when she got home.
Night had fallen in the Boiling Isles. Once more, Luz was alone in her bedroom. She opened her diary to a blank page and started writing.
Today was one of the most difficult of my life. There were shocking revelations, surprises galore, and even some scary moments. I can't believe it all happened in one day.
My portal failed spectacularly. At least I learned I'll be able to do magic when I get back to the human world. I hope by then Vee has come up with her own human disguise. I always wanted a sister.
Hunter had my brain spinning. Of course, I'm angry that our friendship started as a mission for him. Bat Queen did confirm his story. He was being honest about wanting to protect me.
He left the forest to go back to the castle. He's going to be a double agent for Bat Queen. He already said he was not going to harm his uncle. Instead, he's trying to persuade him to stop using fear and torture to control the population.
I hope he comes up with a good story of why I'm not with him. I also hope some distance will help ease his heartache. I'm not sure I could handle having a boyfriend and girlfriend simultaneously.
Speaking of my friends, I realize now I can't protect them from everything. If they're willing to risk their futures to see me, then I have to let them. I don't want to be a control freak like Belos.
Eda, King, and Hooty are stepping up in their efforts to help me. I'm not giving up hope of finding a way out of this oath or returning home. No matter how long it takes I, Luz the human-witch girl, will never give up until I reach my goals.
