Hello Hello
You may be wondering, "LGI! Another chapter!? In the SAME month!? Have the Gods blessed us? Or is this a curse for an even longer wait…"
Well, the reason is that I don't wish to deprive you guys of chapters anymore while I work on the next big one, I guess you could say. So the next few chapters will basically be smaller ones while I work on the hefty lore-driven chapters but these chapters will also be relevant to the main story I'm trying to deliver to y'all.
Now, I'm not trying to say that the next will be 60k+ words, I'll cut future chapters like that in parts, no future chapter will be larger than 15-20k words and if they are, I'll cut them in parts for your convenience. I promise.
I didn't realize that not everyone likes reading entire short stories in one sitting.
An inaccurate synopsis of this chapter is basically "Where the hell is Raine!?" because I'm sure you guys are missing them greatly, especially since they didn't appear in the last chapter.
So, please enjoy this chapter.
Side note, this bad boy takes place a day or so after Luz's training, while Luz rests from the training. The next chapter will feature the Elite Guard and Maybe Hunter's adventures trying to get home.
Rain
Or, The rain
No, wait, I'm sorry, the boiling rain.
It was Eda's least liked type of weather, well, besides for a knife storm but those were no one's favorite either.
There were many reasons for this, but the main one seemed to be a prevailing ghost of her past, a lover long gone and buried by her unwillingness to let them in and help them.
Currently, night had settled over the Isles, as well as a light shower of boiling rain that was settling into a very steamy and hot mist as well, safe enough to go through if you didn't mind being in a sauna the size of a Titan.
It was honestly one of the safer phenomena the Isles had to offer, but the earlier showers had kept Eda the Owl Lady up late into the night, leading her to her chest of items.
Eda sighed as she fished her mandolin (1) from said chest, properly turning it just how she was taught by… Eda shook the name out of her head and focused.
"There… All perfect…" She whispered, plucking a few test strings before beginning a lovely tune and soft song, closing her eyes to concentrate on the song, remembering better times.
"I just wish they were here to hear it…" She said with a sigh, before chuckling, "They'd probably grill me for playing out of tune somehow… Not my fault I haven't played as much since we…" She trailed off, bringing the tune to a stop and looking out her stained-glass window, staring at the forest ahead and Bonesborough in the distance.
It always glimmered at this time of night.
"I wonder… What they're doing now…?" She asked herself, but before the scene could transition, she heard a loud crash downstairs, "What in the world…?" She asked, putting the mandolin away, before leaving her room and walking down the hall, towards the stairs.
Once reaching them, she leaned forward and listened in for a moment to assess if it was an intruder or…
"Stupid coat hanger… I should obliterate it for this… Disgracing my honor as King of Demons…" A familiar whispering voice said.
"Prince, you really should be more careful when attempting to sneak around…" Another unfamiliar voice whispering.
King, it was King. And someone else…
Eda groaned and held out her hand, Owlbert flying into her hands in staff form.
"Alright, King, who's in my house and why in the middle of the night!?" Eda called out as she descended the stairs, snapping her fingers and making the many candles and lights in the Owl House turn on.
The scene she came upon was an unforeseen one.
It appeared to be the Emperor's Right Hand herself, Kikimora, helping King to his feet, a mess of coats and the standing hanger snapped in half. What weirded her out was the fact that she was dressed in casual clothes and a concealing cloak. She didn't even think she had more than the one uniform she always wore.
Kikimora turned to Eda and gave a simple wave.
"Owl Lady," She greeted, not truly knowing how to be social in any sense, being very much accustomed to acting properly at all times since the beginning of the Emperor's Reign 40 or so years ago, "It's surprising seeing you here…" She added.
Eda gave her a deadpan look, the stare was intense.
"I live here, short stack,"
"What did you call me?" Kiki asked with malice but was promptly ignored.
Eda turned to King.
"What is she doing here, King? And did she call you… What was it, Prince?" She probed, tilting her head in confusion.
Alarms went off in both King's and Kikimora's heads.
What could they tell her without revealing the truth of King being heir to the throne in the Demon's Lands?
Only one idea came to mind in Kikimora's head…
She discreetly summoned a dagger behind her back.
King's eyes widened and he quickly stood in front of her.
"You can't just resort to murder when someone asks a question!" He whispered, scolding her, "I thought you were a lawyer!?"
Kikimora narrowed her eyes at him slightly.
"First off, that was back home in the Demon Lands, and secondly, what will we do then?" She questioned him, "She heard me call you Prince."
King's brain was racking with thought and ideas before his eyes widened and he snapped his fingers, a perfect idea coming to him just in time.
"I'm still here, you know, I know that Baba gave me this house but it's still mine, you know? So you better start giving me answers before I-"
"Me and Kiki are practicing my Magic!" He said suddenly, turning to face Eda, "And she calls me Prince to mock me!"
Kiki's eyes darted to him, did he just reveal what they were doing, just like that? And that was an idiotic reason to call him Prince… It would've made more sense if he said it was a pet name of his… Or a nickname or literally anything else…
Eda stared at them before narrowing her eyes.
"Nice try…" She said.
'I knew she wouldn't fall for something as dumb as-'
"...But King doesn't have any magic," Eda said, forgetting about the name Kiki used.
Kikimora's eye twitched.
'How were we not able to catch you…?' Kikimora wondered, truly not understanding how it was that the Owl Lady evaded the Emperor's Coven for nearly 30 years…
King laughed nervously, scratching his head.
"Well, sorta… I have magic but I don't know how to use it, all I can do is these weird bombs."
"Bombs?" Eda asked cautiously, "Sounds like terrorism instead of magic."
King chuckled at that, Kiki giving him a look in response.
"No no, do you want to see what I mean?" he asked.
Kikimora's eyes widened.
"King, is that such a good idea?" She whispered to him with serious eyes, lowering her collar so that he could her serious face, "What if she figures something out..?"
"What is there to figure out!?" He whispered back at her.
"That you're demon royalty!" She whispered back at him.
Soon enough, they began bickering with each other in their native language, clearly disagreeing with each other for a multitude of reasons. King, trusting Eda with his whole life and soul, and Kikimora wanted to keep her at an arm's length to make sure that King was protected at all costs.
Eda rose an eyebrow at them, not being able to guess what they were saying in their foreign language. Suddenly, Eda felt several stabbing feelings in her arms.
Looking, she saw that her arm was once again sprouting feathers. She tsked and looked at the pair of still bickering Demons.
"Alright, I've heard enough!" She yelled, getting their attention, "Listen, I could honestly care less right now, I'm super tired and my curse is acting up… So, enjoy your night, I'ma drink a curse potion and sleep for a while." She said, turning and waving her arm at them.
King watched her go, somewhat relieved that he wasn't going to need to tell Eda any nuggets of truth any time soon. He then looked over Kiki and saw that she looked very angry.
"I sweat to the Mataka's name you are so unnecessarily reckless… What would have you've done if she asked what kind of Demon uses that kind of magic!? Why don't you think this is serious!?" She yelled at him, notably in Naihcone, native demon language.
King narrowed his eyes at her.
"She took me in 8 years ago and has been taking care of me since! She's the entire reason I don't hate the Isles with a passion!" King yelled back, "Lying to her is almost like lying to my parents… I want to let her in but can't because if I do… I don't know what will happen and I…" King groaned, rubbing his eyes.
"Sorry, sorry, didn't mean to get emotional on you Kiki…" He apologized.
Kikimora went to respond but her mouth was agape, head blank. She wanted to apologize for being insensitive, but found it difficult to even begin the sentence, she knew the feeling of lying to those close to her, but she only clenched her teeth and sighed, crossing her arms and turning to the door.
"It's… Alright, Prince…" She whispered, reaching up and opening the door, "Let's be off then… Before the sun rises over the Titan's horns, and let's try not to get too close to that Witches hut this time…" She whispered with a shiver, "She's terrifying, especially with all those traps…"
King chuckled.
"What? Scared of the Baba Yaga?" King asked as they began to walk out of the Owl House, into the steamy forest, closing Hooty behind them.
Kiki gave him a look.
"Didn't she turn you into a sandwich?" She asked.
King gave her a deadpan look.
"We don't talk about that…" He said blankly, staring off into the distance, "It was horrifying…"
Kikimora chuckled, smirking.
"Yes, I can't imagine the absolute fear that being a pair of cold cuts between drye bread…(2)"
"Hey! I at least had tomato, lettuce, and some seasonings!" He defended himself, crossing his arms with a huff, "And I definitely had more than two pieces of meat!"
Kikimora let out a louder laugh and snorted once again as they continued to walk, disappearing into the forest.
As they did, they failed to notice the set of eyes on them.
From the Owl House's stained glass window, Eda watched them with slightly curious eyes, humming slightly and stroking her chin in thought.
"Kikimora and King… I wonder what's happening there…" She wondered, taking a sip of her curse potion, sighing in relief as she watched the curse feathers recede and turn into a passing memory for now…
She turned to the mirror and looked at herself.
Eda was only forty and she actually looked her age, which was very uncommon for Witches… Abyss, her sister was forty-two and appeared and moved like she was in still her 20s, still… Her magic was never at full power, her limbs literally falling off her body at any given moment…
Raine…
It was actual torture, and she never understood, why her?
It must've been personal… Someone she knew that could've been close to her but nobody came to mind… Nobody…
Eda's eyes glanced over at the poster of Lilith on the wall, she always supported her sister, they were only estranged after all, not enemies, but now… Those prideful eyes were boring holes in her soul…
Eda drew a spell circle, the poster glowing with her magic and rolling up, she turned back to the mirror.
"If I ever find out who cursed me…" She whispered with clenched teeth, "Taking my whole life from me… For what? I just want to know WHY!?" She shouted, tears spilling from her eyes.
Suddenly, she hissed in pain, holding her chest and more specifically, her heart.
"Ngh… I gotta be careful… I can't stress my heart…" (3) She whispered, taking deep breaths, "I just… Need to be patient…" She whispered, looking away from the mirror and sitting on her bed, getting comfortable.
"As long as I can train the Princess… This curse will be gone, I'll be free from the Emperor's wrath and then I can finally find Raine…" She whispered, laying down and pulling the blankets over her, closing her eyes and humming softly.
"I hope anyways…" She whispered.
It didn't take long for the emotionally tired Owl Lady to pass out, falling into a deep slumber that, for once, wasn't riddled with nightmares… Just happy memories of a time long passed.
The observant among you may have asked, "wait, didn't you say a set of eyes?"
Well, let's focus on those second pair of eyes, why don't we?
Those very very green eyes watched the pair of small demons disappear into the forest. They silently stepped out of the shadows, wearing a cloak and a bat mask, holding a staff with a bat on the end.
"Commander, we need to get moving…" A voice said from behind them, joining the first and standing beside them, "There's going to be a transport of Wild Witches going through Bonesborough soon."
The first lowly chuckled, reaching up and removing the bat mask to reveal themselves to be Raine Whispers.
"You don't have to call me that when we're alone, Katya, it's just us here," Raine said with a chuckle.
Katya tsked, reaching up and removing her own mask.
"Then why even have a structure of command in the first place…?" She asked, "What are we doing here, anyway?" She asked.
Raine looked at Katya and then the Owl House, thinking on how to answer that.
"I was going to ask another to join our cause… But… I seem to have gained a bit of stage fright once again…" They said with a sigh before turning to face Katya, "Are Amber and Derwin nearby?" They asked, beginning to walk with Katya.
Katya nodded.
"Yeah, they're waiting for us to get back with the rest of the BATs, I still don't know if it was such a good idea to expand so much so fast…" She said.
Raine smiled at her.
"What do you mean? You were the one who recruited all of them after all, Miss "I can't escape from the Conformatorium but everyone else can"." Raine teased.
Katya smiled at that, remembering one of those times.
"How could I forget how many times I nearly died…"
-A few months ago-
Katya was currently in the middle of fidgeting with something while she and a group of Demons were pinned behind wooden furniture, blasts of magic and other things attacking their cover.
"U- Uh Katya, not to say we don't appreciate your help getting this far…" A demon said, hiding behind cover, "But a Witch's touch could help right about now!" He yelled, watching a magic missile sail past his head, cowering in fear.
Katya tsked, clenching her teeth.
"First off, I'm not a Witch," She bared her sharp fangs, "I'm a Vampire, and second, maybe if you stopped crying and shot some spells back at them maybe I could focus on making this thing!" She shouted at him.
Another demon shared their opinions, they were one of the braver demons, shooting spells back at the Emperor's Coven guards to keep them at bay to buy them some time.
"What the hell are you even making!?" He asked, ducking behind cover to catch his breath.
"Just keep them off of me for and you'll get to see one of the founding members of the BATs in action!" Katya yelled at them, continuing to build something.
"Advance on the Prisoners!" A Conformatorium guard shouted, a commander probably, "Warden Wrath is dealing with the Owl Lady and some Human, he won't be helping us!"
Katya quirked an eyebrow in confusion.
"A human? On the Isles?" She asked, thinking but a magic missile sailed past her head, reminding her to focus.
The guards continued their advance on the group, aiming to get these prisoners back one way or the other and, honestly, Katya was fine with not finding out what other ways they could be imprisoned here. Katya heard a rumor of a sewer gator that was used by Belos to throw Wild Witches that he particularly didn't like…
"KATYA!"
She winced at the suddenly loud voice in her head.
"Yeah Yeah, I can hear you, no need to scream directly into a mental link, Amber, what's up? Are you nearby?" She mentally asked.
"Sorry, Sorry, but yeah, we're just outside from where that main commotion is happening, are you ready?"
Katya smiled as she revealed the thing she was working on. A whole lute, one that she's been carving for weeks in the Conformatorium and was only now rushed to finish it due to the opportunity of a break-in occurring on the other side of the Prison.
Finally, she'd get to use it.
"Ready as I'll ever be!"
She brought it up and looked at the Demons around her.
"Alright, everyone…" She said, suddenly standing and getting the attention of all the Guards, "Hold on and watch a Bard at work!" She shouted.
The commander's eyes widened.
"Focus fire of the Bard, quickly, before-"
It was too late, Katya plucked a cord, a wave of red bard magic coating the guards before she played a chord and they fell to their knees as she began to sing a rhyme as she played a soft tune.
"Hush now, darling
Rest your head
Close your eyes
And go to bed…"
She finished the spell, another wave of bard magic washed over them and they all became very drowsy.
Katya smiled and spun the lute in her hands.
"Easy peasy, living greasy!"
"FREEDOM!" A small demon shouted, Tiny Nose, running down the hall and away.
"Wait- Tiny Nose, come-..." She stopped herself, sighing, "Whatever, she'll be fine, that little powerhouse…"
"HIYAH!" The small demon shouted off-screen, throwing a guard into the room they were occupying and through a wall.
Katya chuckled before turning to the group of Demons.
"Alright, follow me and stay close," She said.
They all agreed and followed the vampire through the halls, watching as she constantly used that sleep spell to incapacitate guards or used another spell to dispatch them by use of her fist if they got too close. Vampire super strength was real apparently.
"So wait," The cowering Demon asked, "If you're a vampire, then how come they brought you in during the day?" They asked.
Katya gave a huff at that.
"If you must know, I'm a Day Walker, only one around… Daddy was a Witch and Momma was a Vampire…" She said, looking around cautiously, holding her lute like it was a weapon.
"Was?" The brave demon asked.
"Yeah… Belos' guard made sure of that when I was a kid…" She whispered grimly but looked focused, "That doesn't matter right now, we need to keep going before-"
BOOM
"Before Amber finds the explosives…" She said with a sigh, "This way."
She continued to lead the group of demons across the Conformatorium before they found the giant hole in the wall, Amber standing in it, wearing her mask and waving them down.
Katya came to a stop, turning to the group.
"Go on ahead, I gotta lead the Guards away from here." She said with a smile, "Just, listen to Amber talk about the BATs for a while, will you?" She asked, "We are going to change the face of the Isles and you're help would be appreciated but you don't need to join, there's no obligation and-"
"IT WAS OVER HERE!" A distant voice shouted.
"Alright, get going!" Katya said quickly, the group running towards Amber, who was now behind the wheel of a large airship with a BAT theme to it.
"When did we get that…?" She asked herself before beginning to play her lute, making a wall appear between her and the escaping Demons. She then turned to face the quickly approaching dispatchment of guards with narrowed eyes.
"Let's do this…"
Katya would then fight the numerous guards, buying her friends and potential new members time to make their escape. After a while, Amber gave her confirmation that everyone was safely shuttled away and had even instantly agreed to join their cause.
Katya smiled, panting as she dropped her lute, a battered group of guards surrounding her and pointing their spears at all her vital parts.
"Finally…" She whispered, going on her knees and putting her hands on her head.
"I surrender…" She announced.
Instantly she was forced to the ground and black anti-magic handcuffs were slapped to her wrist before a bigger guard hit her in the head, rendering her unconscious.
Later, she woke up on the floor of her original cell. The very same one as before.
She sighed and stood, rubbing her throbbing head.
"Home sweet jail cell…" She went over to the cot, making herself comfortable in the uncomfortable bed before she looked around. No patrolling guards in sight, they must've been still dealing with the Owl Lady's break-in and that human.
A perfect opportunity.
Katya reached into a crack of her wall, digging through it for a moment before pulling out a scroll and making a quick call to her leader.
It rang twice before Raine answered.
"Whispers speaking?" Raine asked.
"Hello, Good Noble Whispers," Katya greeted, "There appears to be new bats in the belfry," (4)
"Is that so?" They asked, "How many?"
"Yes, there's about 8 new bats from what I can see," Katya said.
"I see… Thank you for informing me, I'll see to it that you get to the Belfry so you can help take care of them as soon as possible," Raine said.
"There's no rush… Besides…" Katya paused, listening to the other prisoners in the Conformatorium, "There's still a lot of work to be done here." She said with a smile.
Raine could be heard humming on their end of the line.
"Alright, exterminator, just be careful… Those snakes could kill a bat easily, you know," She said.
Katya nodded, although Raine couldn't see it.
"I shall be careful, expect more BATs to appear…"
"I will, have a nice day."
Katya looked at the ceiling and smiled brightly.
"So many new members… Don't get comfy in your throne, Belos… The BATs are on their way…" She whispered to herself, closing her eyes.
"Just you wait…"
-Present-
Katya chuckled.
"I forgot how many new people I recruited into the BATs." She said to Raine.
Raine smiled at that, rolling her eyes.
"You can't lie to me, you keep the number etched into your lute." They said.
Katya cleared he throat, blushing in embarrassment.
"Can't your second in command be proud of herself?" She asked.
Raine gave a hm and a chuckle before stopping their stride, just on the edge of Bonesbrough as a convey of caged Wild Witches were seen entering, a few miles off on the main road into Bonesborough.
"Tonight is the night…" Katya said excitedly, "The BATs are about to become known to the Isle's and become the hope of Wild Witches everywhere…"
A pair of footsteps was then heard, looking, it was the second and third in command, Amber and Derwin, in that order.
"The colony is lying in wait…" Derwin said while he and Amber took positions next to Raine and Katya.
"Give the signal and we'll strike…" Amber said, clearly excited to be revealed to the Isles.
Raine smiled and brought the mask up to their face, putting it on and drawing a spell circle, summoning their violin from the circle.
"Then let's do this…" They said.
"And… You're sure, aren't you?" Katya asked worriedly, "You work directly under Lord Cruz, it won't be a risk to your cover to participate right?"
Raine thought on that before smirking.
"A proper leader ought to lead their army into the first and final battle," Raine said, "I know what I want… This is all for the one I love… I'd do anything for her… So yes, I'm more than sure and I'm ready to change the Isles."
The trio of commanders all smiled at their leader's kinds words and saluted.
"Yes, Commander!" They said in unison.
Raine blushed at that and turned back to the convoy of Wild Witches.
"Get in position…" They said, the trio nodded and ran off in multiple directions.
-With the convoy-
The convey was about several cages long, full of despair and Wild Witches, they were being brought to the Conformatorium to be forced to join covens, or to be thrown in a cell for the rest of their lives.
It was heavily guarded of course, for the most part, with a single Emperor Coven Scout steering the Demon horses that pulled the cages along.
Suddenly, a clicking was heard, it echoed across the empty night streets of Boneborugh, distant commotions were heard but that was simply the traveling Night Market, that was easy enough to ignore but this… This was something else…
The horses suddenly neighed loudly at something.
"Woah!" The scout yelled, trying to get them under control but suddenly, the scouts' leads were cut, and the horses went free and ran off, bringing the entire convoy to a screeching halt.
"What's going on?" Another scout asked, they were walking beside the convoy.
The driver groaned.
"Damn horses got out…" He said, looking at the leads, seeing the near-perfect cut, "Although, I don't think it was faulty equipment…" He said.
"Oh, how right you are…"
The scout's eyes darted over to the road in front of him, seeing a figure clad in fancy clothes and wielding an instrument. They wore a Bat mask…
"Who are you!?" The scout asked as he and several others joined him upfront to confront the figure.
"A shadow, something that the Emperor fears… The rising change in the Isles and the world, He tries to change the music of our hearts," They said, stepping forward and beginning to play their violin, inwardly griping how stupid this script sounded but going with it.
"He takes your magic," Plucks a cord, forcing the guards to their knees, "He puts it under lock and key," They then made the guards march in place, "He says he does it in the name of the Titan, but what the Emperor really wants is control of those he swore to liberate…" They said, shaking their head, "He no longer fights for us like he once did against Crisis. He is the very thing he fought against, all those years ago…" Plucks another cord, making all the guards face forward and in place.
The streets lights suddenly started going out, one by one from either end of the street.
"This is a message to Emperor Belos and you will deliver it…" Raine said until finally, a single spotlight was shining over them, putting the center focus on them.
Raine plucked another cord and the final streetlight went out, casting the entire street in darkness.
Suddenly, what appeared to be hundreds of glowing slanted yellow eyes opened around the Emperor's scouts, they were completely and utterly surrounded.
"Tell the Emperor that the BATs have made their first move and we won't stop until it is said and done… The Isles will be saved from his tyranny…" Raine whispered but their voice was heard in all directions.
Just as quickly as the eyes opened, they were now closed and the streets all came on simultaneously and the guards had control of themselves again.
"The Wild Witches!" One scout shouted.
The group looked and, indeed, the Wild Witches were all gone…
"Why did they do this…?" One asked before they spotted something on the ground and leaned down to grab it, it was a card…
"The Bards Against the Throne…?" He read aloud to the other scouts.
"This… Can't be good at all…"
"Yeah… But who's going to tell Lilith?" One asked.
"Forget that, how is she going to tell the Emperor?"
They all hissed, silently praying that the Titan be merciful on Lilith.
But a single question was constantly running through all of their heads…
What and who were the BATs and what was their goal?
Did you enjoy it?
Tell me if you want smaller chapters like this, Please, comment/review and tell me your thoughts, have a lovely night/day
1. Bet y'all didn't know the Instrument in Eda's requiem was called a mandolin
2. Drye bread = Rye Bread
Don't think too much about it
3. I always thought since a Witch's heart is pumping magic through one's body as well as providing blood, etc, it was probably one of the more sensitive organs of a Witch's body, and that stress would hurt it much more than a Human's heart.
Because of this, many Witches on the Isles are fit and are excellent runners, as a healthy heart and good cardio also means better Magical "flexibility". If that makes sense.
4. Of course they speak in code on unreliable lines of communication.
Katya is telling Riane that 8 new members have joined their growing group.
