Things were tense at school. With only a week before the Day of Unity, the students were wondering if that would affect the multitrack students. Since Luz was the first person to study all the tracks, others had expressed an interest in learning more than one type of magic.
Amity's siblings had chosen to switch to the multitrack. Emera wanted to study healing alongside illusions. Edric had added beast-keeping and potions to his schedule.
Mattamore had decided to also take illusions. Since he had formed a friendship with Gus, he was more tolerable. Then there was one student who had switched to multitrack and had raised a few eyebrows.
Skara had surprised everyone when she had decided to add oracle magic to her scheduled. The teenager was a music prodigy and dreamed of meeting Raine Whispers. So why had she chosen to add the oracle track to her schedule?
Amity asked that very question at lunchtime. Willow and Gus's teammates had joined them and Amity at their table. As soon as Skara sat down Amity pounced.
"Skara, what's with you switching to multitrack? As long as we've known each other you've loved music. You're one of the top students in the bard track."
Skara had a small smile on her face. "I love bard magic. I do want to become an amazing entertainer and meet my idol. Our trip to the museum reawakened a desire I pushed down a long time ago."
The Emerald Entrails shivered as they remembered Hunter passing out. It had been a very scary moment when they realized the teen wasn't getting any air. Last they heard he had recovered from the incident.
"I've always been fascinated with the past. How many songs have been lost to time? What was it like to practice all the different types of magic? Of course, I also want to know future fashion trends."
Her friends all rolled their eyes in good sport. Viney added it would be great if they knew what their opponents were going to do in a match before it happened.
Skara laughed and stated that was another reason she wanted to learn oracle magic. "Overall, I want answers to my questions. If oracle magic can help me learn the answers, then I'm all for it."
The conversation switched to Luz. None of the kids had been allowed to enter the Bat Queen's territory the last few days. No notes had been left at the drop-off spots.
Amity was convinced something was wrong. "She usually contacts me at least every three or four days. I hope that dream person she keeps encountering hasn't landed her in a coma."
"I'm sure it isn't that bad. She's probably busy looking for a loophole to find a way to free herself from Emperor Belos," Viney suggested.
"She might also have figured out what went wrong with her portal door. Luz is confident if she steps into the human world, the magic binding her will dissolve. If that happens, I imagine she find a way to come visit us," Skara pointed out.
The kids finished their lunch and returned their trays. They all went their own way. Gus had almost made it to the Illusion hallway, when he felt Emmeline, his palisman, squirming around in his uniform.
"Stop please, that tickles. Ha, ha, ha," Gus laughed. The chameleon finally made her way out. Hopping off Gus's shoulder she started heading in the opposite direction.
"Emmeline, get back here! My class starts in five minutes and I don't want to be late! Emmeline!"
The chameleon palisman ignored her witch. To Gus's astonishment, the little lizard started running! He didn't think she could move that fast!
Groaning, the young witch chased after the runaway palisman. He hoped his teacher didn't get too upset with him being late. He was still on academic probation for using illusions to skip classes with kids who bullied him.
Emmeline heard her witch calling out to her. She knew he wanted her to come back. However, she felt a strong tug through the bond she had with her fellow palismens during her time with Bat Queen. An old friend was in trouble and needed her help.
Gus caught up with Emmeline and tried to snag her. The palisman shifted colors causing Gus to lose sight of her. When she reappeared, she was halfway up the steps to the next level.
The dark-skinned witch groaned and hurried his pace. The next time he got near the chameleon, he would use an illusion to stop her from running. He reached the next level and scanned the area.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of blue. Emmeline was heading for the auditorium. Gus knew if she made it inside, it would take up to an hour to find her.
That's when his palisman made a weird trilling noise. The doors to the auditorium opened and out flew Flapjack. The two of them talked for a few seconds before going inside.
Very curious now, Gus went inside and saw Hunter on the stage rummaging through a small backpack. "Flapjack! Why did you…" The teenager's question died in his throat when he saw Gus.
He glared at his palisman. "Flapjack! I told you not to involve the others!"
Flapjack whistled and chirped a few times. Hunter crossed his arms and pouted in response. "Fine, but only him. I mean it! I can't protect everyone if the rest of the team learns about me."
Emmeline and Flapjack slapped a high five with their wings/tails, before returning to their witches. Gus looked at his friend perplexed. "Are you okay, Hunter?"
Hunter bit his lip and then shook his head. "My situation has changed drastically since you last saw me. I learned some hard truths that have put my life in danger."
Gus was shocked to hear this. He was demanding to know if his guardian hurt him when the boy blurted out, "Darius isn't my guardian. He was just helping me make friends. Though I wish he was my real guardian."
"What do you mean by that?" Gus asked as he sat on the stage next to the boy.
The older boy took a few deep breaths. He then told Gus the truth about his life. How he was the Golden Guard and Belos's "nephew". That his last two missions had been about befriending Luz and her friends to take her back to the emperor.
Then he talked about how he lied to his "uncle" about his time with Luz to protect her. How he latched onto Darius's story because he wanted to have actual friends.
Then he told him what he learned the Day of Unity was really about and how he fled the castle.
The only thing he didn't mention was that he was a grimwalker. He wasn't ready to discuss that with anyone.
"I've been moving every couple of hours since I escaped. By now my uncle has realized that Luz and I were in his mind, thanks to The Collector. Luz is relatively safe with Bat Queen."
"But you're not. He knows there are only a few places you would go if you needed to hide."
Hunter ticked off the places he had hidden in the last few days. He had stayed in the woods the night he fled. He then hid in the library before taking a nap at Darius's. Then he spent the next night in the museum.
"The last few days, I've been hiding mostly in the yards of the rest of the team. I came to Hexside to resupply before I moved again. I was going to head to Latissa until I figured out my next move."
Gus pointed out that the team would have helped him if he had asked or told him that he was Luz's friend. Hunter replied he had already put them in enough danger and that he was used to being on his own.
"Are you going to be leaving right now?" Gus inquired.
"No, I need to get at least an hour of sleep in. Once I do, I'll be moving on. You'll need to tell everyone the truth about the Day of Unity."
Gus opened his mouth to ask the teenager to reconsider his plan when the PA crackled. "Students, please assemble in the gym for an important announcement."
"The astronomy classroom is empty at this time of day. They have benches if you want to sleep somewhere undisturbed."
"I'll think about it. You better go see what your principal wants." Hunter watched him go, his heart cracking knowing he would be alone again.
He and Flapjack crept out of the auditorium and slowly moved down the hall. He didn't know if all the grades had been sent to the auditorium or just Gus and his classmates.
Thankfully, the door to the astronomy classroom wasn't locked so he didn't have to bust it down.
Hunter started spreading out his stuff on the closest bench only to hear Flapjack chirping in distress. He kept looking at the window.
"What's going on Flapjack? What do you see out there?"
The former Golden Guard peered out of the window before pulling back instantly. Outside was a scout ship for the Emperor's Coven. Had they located him?!
He peeked out the window and he realized they weren't here for him. There were too many and they wouldn't have transported movie-making equipment to capture him. The equipment had to be affecting the ship's speed and height.
So why would the guards bring these items with them? There has to be a justification for this. Wait, didn't Darius say something about a dramatic coven head that insisted a film crew follow him on his missions?
Hunter dropped his stuff and ran out of the classroom. He jumped over the railing and landed on his staff. Flapjack poured every ounce of magic into making the staff fly faster than before.
Right before they flew into the gym, Hunter activated a net glyph. It crackled with energy as he entered. Spying on Gus, who was trying to break free from the head of the Illusion Coven, Adrian Graye's, grip.
The net landed on its target as the coven head started to spasm under the surging energy. Landing, Hunter grabbed Gus by the arm as the entire school became covered in a multilayered illusion.
About ten minutes later, the duo was hiding in an illusion of the saturnalia party cave. Hunter glanced at his friend and notice something was wrong with one eye. "Is that normal?"
"Give me a few seconds. I've never cast an illusion this big or layered before." Gus studied the illusionary world around him. "I'm not sure how to undo this."
Hunter suggested they find a teacher. The two started their trek through the cave. He was on high alert knowing the scouts would be searching for them.
The boys had managed to find their way out of the cave only to find themselves in the Night Market. Hunter raised a single eyebrow and Gus shrugged sheepishly.
They had only walked a few steps when two coven scouts stepped out. "Grab the kid!" yelled the female scout. The male room tried to grab Gus with an abomination arm only for Hunter to deflect it.
He dashed forward and smacked a sleep glyph on the male. The female dodged and was ready to attack when she stopped. "You're the Golden Guard! Emperor Belos has been looking for you! He's been worried, you had been kidnapped."
Hunter got scared when he heard that. He couldn't form a sentence. Gus worried about him and jogged over.
The female cast a plant spell, putting Gus in a bramble cage. "Thank you for finding the boy Graye has been looking for. We should get him to the coven head."
Hunter's expression changed from fear to relief. "Negative. Code 1633. Color Rose Gold."
Gus wondered what that meant when the bramble disappeared. The female scout helped him up. He was puzzled why the scout seemed to be trembling.
"Are you sure it's a rose gold situation?"
Hunter nodded sadly. "I can't go into specifics, but you need to warn the others. Tell them what the situation is and keep an eye on each other. If possible, get as far away as you can from the Head."
The female scout nodded and let them go. They ran into another illusion, this time of Gus's room. Hunter plopped on the ground as he tried to catch his breath.
Gus sat next to him, waiting for an explanation. Hunter looked away not wanting to say anything. Gus decided to be patient.
Minutes ticked by before Hunter cracked. "Code 1633 refers to my uncle. The color part represents how much danger I'm in from him."
Hunter talked about the incident with his broken wrist. How afterward anytime he would fail or slip up, he was punished by his uncle to toughen him up.
"Eventually, a small group of coven scouts decided to act as my unofficial bodyguards to keep me safe. We came up with our own code. Rose Gold happens to be the highest level of danger."
Gus inquired what that meant. Hunter calmly explained that it meant that Belos wanted to kill him. He'd hoped that he would never have to say those words.
"She'll let the other bodyguards know, but she can't openly go against Graye. Our best bet is still to find a teacher." Standing up, he helped Gus to his feet and the two started searching for their friends again.
By late afternoon, the students and teachers of Hexside had managed to send the coven scouts packing. Graye was tremendously dazed as he kept relieving his worst memories.
Once they were gone, Hunter cleared his throat. With a little bit of encouragement, he began to speak about what the Day of Unity was really about. The students were terrified upon comprehending what they just avoided.
The teachers were grim as they stared down at their sigils. The former Golden Guard was unsure if being as far from the Head as possible would prevent the effects of the Day of Unity.
"We have to warn everyone!" Amity exclaimed once Hunter finished speaking. "My siblings and I could persuade our parents to stop sending Belos the Abmomatons."
Emera shook her head. "Mom wouldn't care. I'm sure on some level she already knows but doesn't care."
"Yeah, mom only cares about money and power. I'm sure that she's been convinced we'll be spared and be treated like royalty by helping Belos," Edric added.
"What about your dad, Gus? Would he help warn everyone?" Willow questioned.
The dark-skinned witch shook his head. "After the last time we hijacked my dad's broadcast, he told me if I pulled another crazy stunt, he'll throw away my human collection. I would do it in a heartbeat, but that wouldn't persuade him to do a broadcast."
Skara piped up stating that anytime she tried to post anything negative about the Day of Unity, it wouldn't go throw. Viney surmised Belos had censored everyone's Penstagram account to prevent that from happening.
Jerbo asked why Hunter hadn't told the other coven heads about Belos's plan.
"The other coven heads don't respect me. I'm a witch without magic and the Emperor's nephew. They would believe I'm just trying to sabotage their chance at becoming gods."
Bo asked Principal Bump if he could do something to make their parents believe them. If he could warn the other schools to not let their students be branded.
"Unfortunately, I'm in the same boat. None of the other principals respect me. Given what just happened here, they'll think I'm leading a rebellion against the Emperor."
"It is the same for us, as well," the illusion teacher added. "We're respected but we also partook in driving the Emperor's Coven out of the school. Your parents are more likely to believe that the student body used a spell to compel us to act in this manner."
"Even if you convince them that's the truth, Belo's propaganda has been part of their identity for too long. They will assume you are just uncertain about what happens after the Day of Unity," the potion mistress kindly explained.
The expressions on the students' faces conveyed how hopeless they felt. Their families and neighbors wouldn't believe a word they said. Everyone would attend the ceremony and die, leaving them all alone.
Hunter couldn't stand seeing them like this. He had to do something to raise their spirits. An idea did pop into his head, but it was a very long shot to ensure it was a success.
"Listen, please. I know you're worried and scared to go home. That the Emperor's Coven is going to retaliate against your families. That has happened in the past but I believe that Belos is too focused on the final preparations to order something like that."
Boris called out saying Hunter couldn't guarantee that. "Who takes over your role if you're missing or sick?"
Hunter replied normally the highest ranking captain would take charge. Since they just took him out, it might be a day or two before someone else took charge.
He explained that most of the coven scouts were under the belief he was either kidnapped or being controlled by someone else. However, that didn't mean they wouldn't give up on finding him.
With Gus's help, Hunter explained the second part of the emperor's plan. The reason his uncle was determined to capture both him and Luz was to use them in his dark ritual. "Belos is determined to destroy the isles, but we can prevent that."
"Hunter is correct everyone. I know we want to protect our families however the safest way to do that is by going into hiding."
The student body started yelling about how they wouldn't abandon their families. That Gus was being a coward by even suggesting it. That's when Principal Bump stepped up.
"Students, please remain calm. I know this is upsetting, but your classmate is correct. I know everyone here wants to believe their parents will believe them, but sadly that won't be true for all of you."
Bump continued his speech by telling the students if they went into hiding there was a small chance, they would survive the Day of Unity. "I know this is frightening. The teachers and I will remain here researching a way to get rid of your parents' sigils."
"In the meantime, all of you must go and hide swiftly. Even without a clear leader, it is too dangerous for this many students to remain in one place for long."
Bump looked back at Hunter and Gus. His eyes silently asked if there was a place that would keep the others safe. The boys nodded.
"Students, you will have five minutes to gather supplies for surviving off the grid. You will then follow Gus and Hunter to the hideaway. Please watch out for one another."
Soon it was time to go. Gus cast an illusion to hide everyone from sight. Instead of heading directly to the Bat Queen's kingdom, Hunter said they needed to head south for two miles.
It was a long journey and the youngest had trouble keeping up. Most of the teens ended up carrying one or two as they headed to their destination. After forty-five minutes, they reached a small hill.
Gus looked questioningly at Hunter. "Why are we here? I don't see any place we can hide."
"Hold on a second. I need to locate the door." Gus raised an eyebrow wondering what the former Golden Guard meant.
Stepping outside the illusion, Hunter ran his hands through the grass. He touched a small knob. Flapjack pecked at it, activating a mechanism.
The hill split in revealing a shelter underneath it. The doors to the shelter opened revealing a light-skinned witch with rainbow hair. Her right arm was dark-skinned.
She approached Hunter with a slight frown. "What did you do this time? I can't keep patching you up after your missions. I left the Healing Coven for a reason you know," the woman said in an uppity tone.
Hunter placated the witch, whose name was Daria, saying he wasn't here for himself. That's when Daria finally registered Hunter wasn't alone. How she missed so many children was beyond her.
"Listen, Daria, the Day of Unity is not about uniting with the Titan or purifying our magic."
The medic replied she had suspected that for a long time now. She asked Hunter how bad it was and he gave her the same code he used earlier. The young witch's eyes widened so much they nearly fell into her nose.
"I'm taking the older students to Bat Queen's kingdom. The little ones are too young to survive in the woods, even with help. Can you keep them safe here?"
Daria looked hard-pressed to accept. Neither was she falling for the puppy eye looks from the little ones. After several minutes, Daria relented. "They can stay, but only if they behave themselves. I'm a healer, not a nanny."
Since Amity was familiar with most of them, she assured the little ones it would be okay. After getting them settled, Daria hid her house again. As the group headed back the way they came, Viney, Bo, and Amelia wondered about Daria's arm.
The girls wanted to ask Hunter about it. Maybe they would later as right now they needed to focus on their survival. As they approached the woods the students got nervous. They had only met Bat Queen briefly.
They worried about how she would react to a large amount of them coming to her part of the forest. The boys fell back allowing the girls to lead the group.
Amity quickly found an entrance that hadn't been used yet. "We have to go through the tunnel one at a time. Hold your breath so you don't pass out. Matthomule, can you seal the tunnel after everyone gets in?"
"No problem. I have the perfect demolition spell."
Hunter kept watch, while the students made their way inside the kingdom. The boy was on edge. Kikimora had been searching for a way inside Bat Queen's domain harder than Belos.
That's when he sensed her. "Get everyone inside now!" Hunter dashed forward and rammed his staff into a tree. In a puff of smoke, the tree was gone revealing Kikimora.
"I'll make you pay for that brat! Belos will reward me greatly once I bring your traitorous hide back to him!" Kikimora shouted. She started to cast a spell circle only for Hunter to kick her in the face.
Hunter's concentration was on Kikimora, but he risked a glance to see if all the students were through yet. There was only a small group left. He was determined to protect the kids.
Kikimora fired several hexes at Hunter, who was able to block them with his staff. The biped demoness used both hands to summon two rampaging yales. She laughed as the boy ran for his life to avoid being killed.
"That's right, run for your miserable life! You won't beat me this time!" the demoness shouted. She pulled a remote out of her pocket and clicked a button. An Abomaton stomped into the small clearing.
"I'll give you one chance to surrender children. Come with me quietly to be inducted into a coven. If you don't, you won't survive my wraith!"
The last few students on the side froze in fear. How could they be sure Kikimora wouldn't harm them if they did surrender?
"This is taking too long. Finish them off and then destroy the barrier!"
The Abomaton walked fast toward the small group. Its arms changed into sharp blades. With a burst of speed, it jumped intending to slice the kids in half.
It was intercepted by two Abominations, one normal and one plant-based, who protect the students. The two Abominations combined as one to fight back against the Abomaton.
In the Bat Queen's kingdom, Amity and Jerbo pushed themselves to maintain their combined creation. Willow had gone into the tunnel and was helping the last kids into it.
Barcus joined her and hurled a potion bottle at Kikimora. It broke in front of her, creating a plume of purple smoke. The demoness screamed this was an attack on a coven official and they would be punished.
Willow shot out some vines to snag Hunter. She pulled him inside the tunnel as the yales stampeded closer.
"Everyone, out now!" Willow shouted. The three kids rushed out of the tunnel. Matthomule and a few students from the construction track quickly collapsed the tunnel. For an added measure, they drove metal stakes into the ground to block anyone from digging in.
Barkas barked a few times and Viney translated. "He said that the potion will make Kikimora forget everything she's done today."
"We should still move out of sight before she wakes," Gus said. Everyone agreed with that as they marched deeper into the forest.
They had only gone a short distance when Bat Queen dove from the sky to greet them. "Hello, Luz's friends. It is good to see you again. May I inquire why so many witches have crossed into my kingdom uninvited?"
Many of the students tensed, wondering what the penalty was for crossing the Bat Queen. Hunter stepped forward and knelt.
"I apologize for bringing this large group with me. I had no choice though. The Emperor's Coven tried to use force to place the students of Hexside into covens. They managed to drive the coven scouts out and now are in danger."
Amity played with her necklace as she explained that Belos was planning something horrible on the Day of Unity. "Once you hear it, you'll understand why we are seeking safety here. Please let them stay, Your Highness."
The Bat Queen studied the students for several minutes. She seemed satisfied by what she saw. She let out a series of whistles that summoned the more peaceful residents of her kingdom.
"There is not enough room for everyone at my home tree. You shall have to split into smaller groups. My citizens will help you get settled."
The construction, abominations, and illusion track students were under the care of an asena, a wolf with a blue mane. The creature yipped a few times before directing the young ones to follow her.
A qilin gathered up the bards, healers, and plant track students. The kids were impressed to see such a rare creature.
A large hercinia, a beautiful bird whose feathers glowed, was put in charge of the oracles, potion masters, and beast keepers. The potion students were discussing what the hercinia's feathers could be used for.
The only ones left with the Bat Queen were Luz's friends, Amity's siblings, and the Emerald Entrail team. She escorted the group to her home. She warned the children that Luz was not entirely herself.
Wondering what that meant, the kids filed it away. They arrived in the cave and approached the Owl House with caution. Everything seemed normal aside from Hooty's large body trailing out of an upstairs window.
Amity gently pushed open the door and the kids were taken aback by what they were seeing.
There were at least three dozen jars, filled with black wood chips. An empty jar sat next to the couch. Luz had her tattooed arm over it. The kids watched as an inky black shadow bleed from her tattoo and into the jar.
As soon as the container was full, Eda capped it. The inky shadow transformed into the shape of a bear palisman. The palisman held its shape for a few minutes before turning into wood chips.
"I think that's the last one for now. Let me know if it feels like more are coming, okay kid?" Eda told Luz.
"I will, Eda," Luz assured her foster mom. The girl gazed at her arm, sad to see how far the armband had gone down. It was now situated just past her elbow.
Since the oath bonded her to Belos, the souls of the palisman were using that connection to free themselves from him. Technically, she was attacking him by making him weaker by doing this. That's why the armband had moved.
Amity cleared her throat, startling Eda and Luz. They hadn't heard the kids come in. "Hi, kids, what are you all doing here at once? Luz can only handle a few visitors today."
Gus blurted out what happened earlier. Eda was shocked to hear about the attack on Hexside. She suspected the Belos might do something like this. Still hearing that it had happened was worrisome.
"I'm beginning to think the universe hates me," Eda mumbled. "I would offer you kids something to drink but my fridge is empty right now."
"That's okay, Eda. Is there anything we can do to help you?" Willow asked.
"As a matter of fact, there is." The witch told Viney and Skara to head up the stairs to assist Lilith. Viney, to help keep Hooty calm, and Skara to assist in the research.
Gus and Hunter were told to go comfort King in the kitchen. Learning what he really was had affected him greatly. She was sure the boys would help King through this transition.
The twins were told to work together to create an infusion potion that would help restore Luz to full health. It was a job that required both a healer and a potion maker.
Willow and Amity stayed with Luz, to keep her company while Eda was out. She explained that she had been contacted by a secret group for help against Belos. "If you need any help, use this whistle to summon Bat Queen," the woman said handing the whistle to Willow.
"Hopefully, I'll be back in a few hours. Remember to make sure Luz eats something to keep her strength up."
The girls promised and Eda smiled. Changing into her harpy form, she flew off.
Amity went over and sat on the couch next to Luz. "How are you feeling, Luz?"
"It feels like I had my blood drained by leeches. That's not a normal thing in the human world."
"Is there anything we can do to make you more comfortable?" Willow asked.
Her best friend asked if she could have a comfier pillow. Willow went to find one as the girlfriends held hands.
"I feel helpless, seeing you like this. Can you even use magic right now?"
Luz replied she could use glyph magic, but her internal magic was very weak. "I'm afraid, Amity. Phillip/Belos is not going to give up until he has me and Hunter."
Amity shushed her as she promised that wasn't going to happen. Even if he found a way in, the entire student body of Hexside was ready for a showdown. "You should have seen us take down Graye and his coven scouts. That man will never be the same."
"Hunter was able to defeat Kikimora while being chased by yales," Willow chimed in as she returned with several pillows. She slipped two of them underneath Luz's head.
"Do you think Eda will be okay?"
"Trust me, Luz. If anyone can survive a dangerous situation it's the Owl Lady," Amity assured her.
Harpy Eda was flying through the treetops. Occasionally, she snatched a critter from a branch and ate it. "Ugh, you better appreciate the fact that I'm eating this raw for you."
The Owl Lady landed on a branch and twitched her. She could hear a trio of voices near the edge of the northeast border. One of them sounded familiar, She flew a bit closer to observe them.
The trio was wearing hooded cloaks over their clothing. The smallest one was growling at the two others. The taller one hissed at the smaller one to be quiet.
The final member of the trio was peering into the forest, hoping to spot a break in the border. "She should be here soon. We just need to be patient for a little more time."
"We don't have time to wait. The Day of Unity is in one week! We need to make sure everyone's ready to play their part."
"Why are you being so grumpy, tonight? I'm sure the boy is hiding somewhere safe."
"We can't be sure of that. I should have insisted he stay at my house instead of running off again."
The third one growled lowly at the man. Whatever he said, placated him.
Eda had seen enough. Her senses told her that there was no one else in the area. They had not been followed.
The trio was alerted to her presence when she rustled some leaves. Taking off from the tree, she swooped down next to the edge of the border. "Hello Rainstorm, I'm happy to see you again."
Raine pulled their cloak hood back. "Never could fool you for long, Eda." Darius and Eberwolf removed their hoods too.
Eda made sure to stay on her side of the border while eyeballing the men. "You're keeping strange company these days Raine. I thought these two had you locked up."
Raine muttered they were actually helping them. "If Darius and Eberwolf hadn't caught me, I would be a stone statue. Instead, I was turned over to Terra Snapdragon. That woman can brew a tea that works wonders with suppressing memories."
Eda chuckled, remembering Raine's whistling trick that changed the properties of a drink.
Darius cleared his throat and reminded everyone they were on a schedule. "We don't have much time to talk. We need to be back at the castle soon. First, do you know what the Day of Unity is really about?"
Eda nodded as she informed the trio she had gotten the truth from Luz. Raine asked how the girl was doing, which made Eda look away. "She's not doing great right now. Thanks to Belos's pal, The Collector, there's a chance Belos could regain control over the oath."
This saddened Raine, however, it only made Darius more worried. He asked the Owl Lady if she knew where Hunter was.
Eda raised her hands and told him to chill. "He's safe in the Bat Queen's kingdom. He brought the entire Hexside student body to protect them from Belos."
Eberwolf growled and then barked a few times. Darius translated for his friend. "He's saying Belos will not be pleased to hear this. The forests won't be safe with the Emperor cracking down on giving every witch a sigil."
"That's why we need to pull out all the stops to prevent the Day of Unity from happening. Its why we need your help, Eda."
"Whatever you need Rainstorm, I'll be ready for it. Just tell me what to do."
"For now, stay put. Once we've taken care of a few things, we'll come and get you."
Darius added the Owl Lady better keep the kids safe or she would be plucked.
The next few days passed quickly. Finally, it was the night before the Day of Unity. Belos was inside the skull, gazing out. "Tomorrow, everything will come together. My mission will be complete and I can return to Earth."
"How are you going to complete your mission if the grimwalker and the human girl don't show up?" The Collector asked. They wanted to be having fun with the kids. Only it seemed they were too worried to sleep.
"Because I took precautions this time to prevent the grimwalker from betraying me," Belos specified calmly.
He held up a crystal wand while grinning madly. "I could have found Hunter anytime I wanted. But that wouldn't get me Luz unless she believed she had no other choice but to come to save him."
Inside Hunter's head was a small enchanted gem. It contained a compulsion spell. With a flick of the wand, the boy would be under intense compulsory to come back to Belos. If he tried to fight, he would die.
"Once, I've secured Hunter, Luz will do everything in her power to save him from me. Her loyalty to her friends is charming. It also makes her weak and easy to control."
The Collector's shadow turned upside down as he smiled. "Ah, you're going to be playing house with the youngsters! That sounds like a ton of fun."
Belos tuned The Collector out. Before Hunter had left, he had reported about the time Luz teleported the Owl House to a secret island. An island that no one could find would be a great hiding spot for the Demon Gate.
"Can you free me now?" The Collector begged. "I know I can help you with the kiddies."
"Not until tomorrow. The draining spell must be a success before I use the Titan's blood to free you," Belos remarked casually. He hoped with the destruction of the Boiling Isles, The Collector would die as well.
Once this world is destroyed God will reward me for my devotion. The crowds will amass praising my name as their savior. I do believe I could even be offered full control over what has become of the colonies.
It will take some work, but I know I can create a utopia free from the influence of otherworld ideas. I'll prove to you I was right all along Caleb. There is nothing good about witches.
The Collector wished for the umpteenth time he could read minds outside his dimension. It was easy to read Luz's mind when she was in the In-between dimension.
"Belos better keep his promise to me. If he doesn't, then I hope he's prepared for my little temper tantrum," they said to themselves.
For the first time in weeks, they hoped the sun would come early.