Morning arrived at the Owl House, and with it, Luz and Amity began getting ready for another day of secret learning at Hexside.
"You know, there's one thing I like about going to Hexside in secret", Luz said.
"What is it", Amity asked.
"I don't have to attend my classes in the order on my schedule", Luz said, "I can attend them in whichever order I want."
"That's nice", Amity said.
"You know, maybe you should join me in one of my classes", Luz said, "wouldn't it be nice to learn about another kind of magic besides abominations?"
"I will admit that trying other types of magic does sound interesting", Amity said, "but I'm not so sure."
"Why not", Luz asked.
"I don't really know", Amity said.
"Well, if you decide you want to, just come find me", Luz said.
"Will do", Amity said.
Upstairs, Eda was getting ready for her day while watching the news on her scroll, when a particularly interesting story came on.
"And we're back live at the Emperor's Castle", the reporter said, "in light of Scooter Crane's retirement, today's ceremony will confirm Raine Whispers as the next head of the Bard Coven."
Eda watched with interest as Raine Whispers, who was non-binary, was presented a medal by the head of the Abominations Coven, Darius.
"Do I have to be on camera", Raine asked.
"For Titan's sake, just say something", Darius said.
Raine nervously turned to the camera and removed their hood.
"Uh, I am honored to work with Emperor Belos in preparation for the Day of Uniby", Raine said.
Raine quickly realized that they had jumbled up their words.
"Uh, I mean unily", Raine said, "I mean..."
They began getting more and more nervous, until it finally overtook them.
"Oh no, this is going all wrong", Raine said, "get me out of here!"
Raine quickly made a beeline off the stage, and Darius turned to the camera.
"Just cut the feed", Darius said.
The report stopped, and Eda was amused by what she had seen.
"How can you be head Bard if you have stage fright", Eda asked.
Once she had finished getting ready, she walked downstairs and found Luz and Amity having breakfast.
"Hey, kids", Eda said, "getting ready for school?"
"You bet", Luz said, "it's time for day two of our secret Hexside education."
"Alright", Eda said, "just remember to stay hidden, and don't let anyone see you coming and going."
"Will do, Mom", Amity said.
"Well, we should probably be going now", Luz said, "see you this afternoon, Eda."
"You too", Eda said.
Luz and Amity left the house, and Eda let out a sigh.
"Things don't feel the same around here now that those two are going back to school", Eda said.
Then, she noticed King walking by.
"And where are you going", Eda asked.
"To the library", King said.
"The library", Eda asked, "what are you going there for?"
"I need answers to why no one knows about me", King said, "I'm thinking I might find something in the most dangerous section of the library."
"King, don't you think you're making too big a deal about this", Eda asked.
"I'm not", King said, "I'm going to make sure that everyone in the Demon Realm knows that I am the King of Demons if it's the last thing I do!"
And with that, he marched out the door.
"And he's gone too", Eda said.
Eda stood alone in silence for a minute, and then she looked down.
"Lilith's gone home with Mom, Luz and Amity are going to school again, and now King's out looking for answers", Eda said, "looks like I'm alone now."
Hooty then stretched over to Eda.
"You've still got me, Eda", Hooty said, "I'll stay with you forever and ever."
Eda didn't like the idea of being stuck with Hooty at all.
"Nope", Eda said, "nope, by the Titan, nope!"
Eda then hurried out the door.
"That was cold", Hooty said.
Eda went over to the local pub, Grimgrub's Pub, and began drinking her sorrow away on apple blood.
"You know, I got so used to having lots of people at home all the time, and then, in the blink of an eye, they're all gone", Eda said.
"Sure, I get it", the bartender said, "it's like every time you come in here, I think 'maybe she'll pay her tab this time'."
Eda went back to drinking her apple blood, when she heard the sound of someone struggling.
"Hey, back off", a voice said.
She then noticed a pair of Emperor's Coven guards dragging away a female witch by the arms.
"Don't fret citizens, we're helping this wild witch find her place in society", one of the guards said.
"No, I don't want to join a coven", the witch said, "let me go!"
Her captors responded by continuing to drag her away, and Eda set her box of apple blood on the counter.
"Throw it on my tab, Kevin", Eda said.
The bartender, whose name was Kevin, groaned in frustration, and Eda went outside to stop the guards.
"Let her go", Eda said.
"Back off, Owl Lady", the first guard said.
"Yeah", the second guard said, "no coven wants a powerless witch."
Eda responded by making a spell circle and shooting a blast of magic at the second guard.
"How's that for powerless", Eda asked.
The second guard got up in surprise.
"You can do magic", the second guard asked, "how is this possible?"
"Haven't you heard", the first guard asked, "her curse has been cured."
"What", the second guard asked, "when did this happen?"
"She's been cured for weeks", the first guard said, "the orange hair, same-colored eyes, and normal-colored gem are all dead giveaways, don't you think?"
"Huh", the second guard said, "well, it doesn't matter if she's cured or not, because I've got magic too!"
The guard made a spell circle and Eda got ready for whatever spell it was, when the circle suddenly disappeared.
"Huh", the second guard asked.
Then, a group of witches wearing bat masks began playing some music on their instruments, and bard magic began to flow all around the area, and Eda noticed that among them was a witch playing a violin, and she realized something.
"Something tells me that's the witch who helped us out the other night", Eda thought.
The witches stopped playing, and the violin-playing witch, who was apparently the leader of the group, spoke up.
"Look at the Emperor's lackeys", the leading witch said, "trying to..."
They then stopped speaking and turned to a female witch wearing a bat mask.
"Do I really have to say this", the leading witch asked.
"We all agreed on the script", the female witch said.
"Fine", the leading witch said, "trying to mute the music of our hearts."
The leading witch groaned in embarrassment.
"And weaken magic by forcing witches into covens against their will", the leading witch said.
"Blasphemy", the first guard said.
"Blasphe-you", the leading witch said.
"See, you're a natural", a young female witch said.
"That's right, Bonesborough", the leading witch said.
They then played a note on their violin that made the two guards get down on their knees.
"They take your magic", the leading witch said.
They played another note that made the guards stand up again.
"They restrict your knowledge", the leading witch said.
They played a third note that made the two witches run in place.
"They say they do it in the name of unity, but what they really want is control", the leading witch said, "you know what we say to that, folks?"
They played yet another note on their violin, and the coven guards began walking away.
"Shove off", the leading witch said.
The two guards bumped into a trash can as they magically walked away, much to their disgust, and Tiny Nose walked over to the group of witches.
"Who awe you hewoes", Tiny Nose asked.
"We are the Bards Against the Throne", the leading witch said, "AKA..."
"Surrounded", a voice said.
The leading witch then saw the two coven guards had returned with reinforcements, all of which were wearing earmuffs to protect themselves from the effects of the bard magic, and they were indeed surrounded, when all of a sudden, Eda appeared from under a sewer cap and signaled them to follow her, so a male witch generated a smoke cloud by playing his bassoon, and when the smoke cleared, the witches had disappeared, much to the frustration of the coven guards, and Eda led them trough the sewers towards the end of a drain pipe.
"End of the line, folks", Eda said.
Eda removed one of the bars on the pipe, and she and the members of the Bards Against the Throne walked out.
"Word of advice", Eda said, "next time you put on a performance like that, make sure you have an exit strategy."
"Thank you", the female witch said, "how can we ever repay you?"
"Well", Eda said, "you could let me join your little team."
The witches gasped in surprise at that.
"Did you hear that", the female witch asked, "Eda the Owl Lady wants to join us!"
"This is so exciting", the male witch said.
"Great", Eda said, "when do I start?"
"Not so fast", the leading witch said, "sorry, but we're not accepting new members."
"Is that any way to treat an old friend", Eda asked.
Then, she removed the leading witch's mask.
"Raine Whispers", Eda asked.
The leading witch, whose true identity was revealed to be Raine, turned to face Eda.
"So, the head witch of the Bard Coven likes pretending to be a rebel", Eda said, "too bad they're not very good at it."
Raine stared at Eda with anger, but their expression soon changed to embarrassment.
"Eda", Raine said, "you're embarrassing me in front of my crew!"
The other three bard witches looked at each other in confusion.
"It's alright, guys", Raine said, "the Owl Lady is an old friend of mine."
"Nice to see you again", the female witch said.
She then removed her mask, and Eda recognized her.
"Hey, you're that witch Luz helped free from the Conformatorium", Eda said, "the one who likes writing fanfiction about food."
"That's right", the female witch said, "the name's Katya, and these two are Derwin and Amber.
Derwin, the male witch, and Amber, the young witch, removed their masks.
"So is she gonna join our group", Derwin asked.
"She doesn't seem like a good fit to me", Amber said.
"Actually, she's the one that inspired me to make the group", Raine said.
Eda was surprised to hear what Raine had just said.
"What", Eda asked.
"It was a while ago", Raine said.
Flashback
A younger Eda, who had a lute with her, was sitting on top of a hill with Raine, who was looking distressed about something.
"Raine", Eda said, "I know why you're really here."
"I have no idea what you're talking about", Raine said.
"Uh-huh", Eda said.
"Who cares about a stupid performance", Raine asked, "this is more fun."
"Whatever you say", Eda said.
"See", Raine said, "you'd be a mess without me."
Raine then noticed that she had put her hand over Eda's and blushed as she pulled it away, and Eda looked down at her lute.
"Alright", Eda said, "Raine's Rhapsody."
As Eda played her lute, Bard magic began to radiate all over the place, and some of the flowers growing on the hill began floating in the air.
"You know, you can't run from your fears forever", Eda said, "which is why you've got to get the jump on 'em, give 'em a whack right in the face."
"I thought you were just joking around", Raine narrated, "I only learned what it meant when I started teaching for the Bard Coven."
The scene changed to Raine walking into a room with a bunch of scrolls, setting them down on a desk, and looking through them.
"The Emperor prioritized recruitment through force", Raine narrated, "and anyone who refused to fall in line disappeared."
Young Raine angrily threw the scrolls they were reading away.
"Well, I wasn't going to stand for that", Raine narrated, "so I took matters into my own hands."
End Flashback
"I carefully moved up in the ranks and I found people who wanted to change things like me", Raine said, "and that's when we formed the Bards Against the Throne, A.K.A..."
"The BATs", Katya, Derwin, and Amber said.
The three Bard witches posed and made hissing sounds, when suddenly, they heard footsteps and saw the shadow of an Emperor's Coven captain from the top of the bridge, so Eda pointed them in a good direction to get away, and Raine turned to Eda and held out their hand.
"Hey", Raine said, "if you've got nothing to loose, we could use the help."
Eda blushed and took Raine's hand, and back at the Owl House, she got together some rolls of paper.
"There we go", Eda said, "these should come in handy."
Eda left the house, and not long after, Luz, Amity, and King, the latter looking roughed up, walked in.
"Eda, we're home", Luz said.
"I can't believe I got kicked out for being in the Forbidden Stacks", King said.
The trio then noticed that Eda was nowhere to be seen.
"Eda", Luz asked.
"Mom, are you home", Amity asked.
There was still no reply.
"Strange", Luz said, "where is she?"
At the headquarters for the BATs, Eda rolled out one of the pieces of paper, which had a map drawn on it.
"There you have it", Eda said, "homemade maps of every nook and cranny in the city."
"Okay, here's the situation", Raine said, "Emperor Belos wants every wild witch in a coven before the Day of Unity."
"He's trying to steal as much magic as possible", Derwin said, "we don't know why."
"Right now, we're just focused on those he's captured", Raine said, "and the next raids take place here, here, and here."
They pointed to X's marked on the map that marked where the raids were taking place.
"At the same time", Katya asked, "what do we do?"
"Don't worry, kids", Eda said, "Mama's got a plan."
"You're not our mom", Amber said.
That night, a group of wild witches that was being rounded up inside a carriage by members of the Emperor's Coven, when suddenly, they all fell asleep thanks to Amber playing her flute, and over at the second location, Derwin and Katya distracted some more members of the Emperor's coven while Raine played a note on her violin that resulted in the captain getting tied up by his own cape, and Eda freed the wild witches from the carriage and led them outside Bonesborough.
"You should be safe here", Eda said, "Belos has less control outside the cities."
The witches walked away, and as the sun rose, the BATs went back to their headquarters.
"We did it", Amber said, "Eda, you're amazing!"
"We actually helped people this time", Katya said.
Raine plopped down on the ground, and Eda walked over to them.
"Rainestorm", Eda said.
"Haven't heard that in a minute", Raine said.
"Oh, you've gotten so strong, it's incredible", Eda said, "but how'd you become head Bard with your stage fright?"
"I'm just that good", Raine said, "what about you, how'd you get rid of that curse of yours?"
"It's a long story, so you might want to get comfortable", Eda said.
She told Raine about the adventure that ended in her getting cured of her curse, and also how she learned along the way that Odalia and Alador had a part in cursing her and that Amity was her daughter, the latter being something that Raine was surprised to hear.
"You have a daughter", Raine asked.
"I sure do", Eda said, "unfortunately, my husband is no longer with me."
"What happened to him", Raine asked.
"He left me after he found out about the curse", Eda said, "haven't seen him since."
"I see", Raine said.
"But still, life's pretty good now", Eda said.
"It must be", Raine said, "you're free of you're curse and you've got a kid at home with you."
"Three, actually", Eda said, "there's also King, who's been living with me for years, and Luz, who's staying with me for now."
"Isn't Luz the of that human", Raine asked.
"That's right", Eda said, "she was originally staying here to get out of a camp her mom tried to send her to, but things took an unexpected turn, so now she's stuck here until we find another way back to the human world."
"I see", Raine said.
Then, something occurred to Eda.
"Hey, Raine", Eda said, "as head Bard, you're pretty much a part of Belos' inner circle, right?"
"I don't know about that, but yes, my authority does bring me close to the Emperor", Raine said, "why do you ask?"
"Belos wants Luz for something, and we don't have any idea what it is", Eda said, "do you know what his plans for her are?"
"I don't have a clue", Raine said.
"What", Eda asked.
"Belos hasn't told anyone what he wants the human for", Raine said, "not even Kikimora or the Golden Guard."
"That's strange", Eda said, "those two are supposedly his closest allies."
"All I do know is that Luz is apparently a crucial part of Belos' plans for the Day of Unity", Raine said, "I think there might be some kind of connection between the two."
"A connection", Eda asked.
"Yes", Raine said, "but I'm not sure what it is."
"Well, whatever it is, I've got a bad feeling about it", Eda said.
"Don't worry, Eda", Raine said, "we'll put a stop to the Emperor and his ambitions together."
"Thanks, Raine", Eda said.
Eda then turned and left the BATs' headquarters.
"Well, I gotta go now", Eda said, "call me if you need me."
"Bye, momma Eda", Amber said.
After Eda left, Raine got to thinking about Eda's question concerning Luz's role in Belos' plan.
"What would Emperor Belos want with a human girl", Raine thought.
Eda made her way back to the Owl House, and when she finally got there, she went inside.
"Hey, everyone", Eda said, "I'm home!"
No one responded.
"Where is everybody", Eda asked.
Then, she remembered something.
"Oh yeah, Luz and Amity have probably gone to school by now", Eda said, "and no doubt King's at the library again."
Feeling somewhat upset about being all alone again, Eda got a bottle of apple blood out of the refrigerator and began drinking it, when she heard the sound of violin music and went outside to find Raine and the other BATs waiting for her.
"Raine", Eda asked, "what are you doing here?"
"We got a tip about another raid", Raine said, "I hope we weren't interrupting anything."
"Yeah", Katya said, "we know how busy you must be with so many people living with you."
"Actually, it's just me right now", Eda said, "no one else is home."
"Except me", Hooty said, "I'm always home, because I am the home!"
Eda was alarmed that Hooty had heard her.
"Where's the raid", Eda asked.
"Say no more", Raine said, "follow us."
Eda ran away with Raine and the other BATs, leaving Hooty all alone.
"Oh, woe is me", Hooty said, "I guess I'm destined to be forever alone."
Eda, who was now wearing a bat mask, walked through the woods with the BATs to a broken bridge, which Katya, Derwin, and Amber jumped across.
"This should be the spot", Raine said.
Raine summoned their violin and played a note that radiated all over the forest, and then put it away.
"Something isn't right", Raine said.
Then, Katya, Derwin, and Amber suddenly found themselves trapped in a cocoon of abomination goo, and right in front of them manifested none other than Darius.
"That feels better", Darius said.
A child-sized beast humanoid then dug a hole next to Darius and stood next to him.
"Looks like we missed a few", Darius said.
Eda and Raine watched on with concern from behind a rock.
"It's head witches Eberwolf and Darius", Raine said.
"So, let me guess", Eda said.
"We fell for their trap", Raine said.
Back on the bridge, Darius lifted his cape up.
"This place is disgusting", Darius said, "figure out which one's the turn-cloak so we can leave."
Eberwolf, the beast humanoid, sniffed the three witches, and then shook her head.
"Just my luck", Darius said.
With a snap of Darius' fingers, the three members of the BATs were teleported away, much to she shock of Eda and Raine, and they landed in a cell in the Conformatorium, which Katya realized.
"No", Katya said, "not again!"
Back in the woods, Darius was still looking around.
"I was scheduled for some me time today, so hand yourself over before things get messy", Darius said.
Behind the rock they were hiding, Eda and Raine began making a plan.
"They know they can hear me", Darius said, "I know you can hear me!"
But Darius' call went unanswered, much to his frustration.
"Eber, help me out here", Darius said.
Eberwolf made a circle on her forehead, and her eyes began to glow, giving her enhanced eyesight, and after looking around, she saw footprints on the ground that led into the forest, much to Darius' disgust.
"I'm not going in there", Darius said.
A clump of dirt then flew past him, and he noticed Eberwolf digging in the dirt.
"What do you think you're doing", Darius asked.
Eberwolf then proceeded to crawl all over him and run off into the woods.
"You'll regret that, mutt", Darius said.
Darius turned himself into abomination goo and went after Eberwolf, and in a tree, Eda and Raine, who had been invisible thanks to one of Luz's invisibility glyphs, released their breaths and reappeared.
"Even though I have my magic back, these glyphs are still pretty handy", Eda said.
Eda and Raine got down from the tree and landed in the mud on the ground, which the latter found disgusting because she wasn't wearing her boots.
"Eww, gross", Eda said.
"Eda, I've got an idea", Raine said, "Darius and Eberwolf hold high positions in Belos' ranks as leaders of the Abomination and Beast Keeping covens, so if we can get rid of them, we'll be weakening his forces greatly."
"Say no more, Rainestorm", Eda said, "what's the plan?"
"As the head of the Bard coven, I have access to some of the most powerful bard spells on the Boiling Isles", Raine said, "I'm going to use one that should be able to take care of those two."
"You really think it'll work", Eda asked.
"I don't know, but I have to give it a shot", Raine said.
Then, they heard Darius growl angrily.
"Uh oh", Eda said.
"Alright", Darius said, "no more playing around!"
"Sounds like they caught up to your enchanted boots", Raine said.
Eda and Raine looked from behind a rock and saw that Darius had transformed into an abomination-like form, and Eberwolf had taken on a more bestial form and summoned a ratworm.
"Crap", Eda said.
"Don't worry", Raine said, "I've got this."
Raine walked into view with their violin, and Darius took notice of them.
"Well, well", Darius said, "look who decided to show up."
"That's right, Darius", Raine said, "I'm here to take you and your little pet down!"
Eberwolf angrily growled in response to being called a pet.
"Whatever you try will ultimately prove futile", Darius said, "come along quietly, and we may persuade Emperor Belos to allow you to keep your title."
"You can take the damn title", Raine said.
Darius was beginning to loose his patience.
"This is your last warning", Darius said.
"I can tell you're pissed right now", Raine said, "how about a song to calm you guys down?"
Raine began playing a song on their violin, and the whole forest was enveloped in bard magic, and Darius and Eberwolf found themselves restrained by the magic, but they were still able to move a little bit, and Raine began to get worried.
"The spell isn't working", Raine thought, "it's not stopping them."
Eda watched the scene take place with concern.
"That spell won't hold those two off for long", Eda said, "I've got to do something, or Raine's had it."
Then, she got an idea.
"Maybe what they need is a little help", Eda said.
Eda made a spell circle and summoned a lute just like the one from the flashback.
"I haven't used bard magic in a while", Eda said, "hope my skills aren't too rusty."
Eda began playing the same song as Raine on her lute, and Darius and Eberwolf became fully restrained by the bard magic being cast, and Raine turned around to see what Eda was doing.
"Thought you could use a hand", Eda said.
Raine smiled and continued to play their violin, and together, they and Eda managed to stop Darius and Eberwolf, reverting them back to their normal forms and even scaring away the latter's ratworm, and at last, the two coven leaders fell to the ground, and Eda and Raine went over to them.
"Are they dead", Eda asked.
Raine looked carefully at the two to see if they were or not.
"No", Raine said, "they're asleep."
"Asleep", Eda asked, "you mean all we did was put them to sleep?"
"Yes", Raine said, "I should've know there wasn't a bard spell that could kill someone."
"Well, let's get out of here before they wake up", Eda said.
"Good call", Raine said.
The two ran as far away as they could from the sleeping witches, and at last exited the forest.
"So, Rainestorm", Eda said, "what's our next move?"
"Well, my next move is to disappear", Raine said.
"Disappear", Eda asked.
"That's right", Raine said, "I'm going to have to go into hiding until I can figure out what happened to the other BATs and come up with a new plan to defeat Belos."
"So you're just going to vanish like that", Eda asked.
"I've got no choice", Raine said, "if I get caught, I could get petrified, or worse."
"Will I ever see you again", Eda asked.
"Maybe", Raine said, "but right now, you've got people at home who need you."
Eda suddenly remembered Luz, Amity, and King, who she hadn't been seeing because of her adventures with the BATs.
"I'll bet they haven't seen much of you lately", Raine said, "trust me, being there for them is more important that helping out a traitor like me."
Deep down, Eda knew they were right.
"Until we meet again, Eda Clawthorne", Raine said.
"Goodbye, Raine", Eda said.
Raine put their bat mask on and ran off into the woods, and Eda, with tears in her eyes, went back to the Owl House, where she found Luz, Amity, and King in the living room.
"Eda", Luz said, "you're here!"
The trio then ran up to Eda and hugged her.
"We haven't seen you since yesterday morning", Luz said.
"We were worried the Emperor caught you", Amity said.
"What have you been doing all this time", King asked.
"Oh, nothing", Eda said, "just visiting an old friend."
"An old friend", Luz asked.
"Yes", Eda said, "one I haven't talked to in a long time."
"That's nice", Luz said, "well, Amity and I have been wondering when you'd come back."
"Yeah", Amity said, "we miss spending time with you, Mom."
"And I decided to take a break from my search to spend more time with you", King said.
"Well, I'm happy to hear that", Eda said, "now what do you guys say to some pizza for dinner?"
"Pizza", Luz asked, "I'm in!"
"Me too", Amity said.
"Count me in", King said.
"Great", Eda said, "I'll make the order."
Eda went into the kitchen to order some pizza.
"It sure is nice to have Eda back", Luz said, "I've missed her being around."
"Me too", King said, "but now, the Owl House group is back together again."
"Almost", Amity said, "Aunt Lilith isn't here anymore."
"Oh, yeah", Luz said, "I wonder how she's doing with her mom."
Over at the Clawthorne residence, a member of the Healing Coven was speaking to Gwendolyn about something.
"Your husband's condition is getting worse and worse each day", the coven member said, "I'm not sure there's much we can do for him anymore."
"That's absurd", Gwendolyn said, "I want a second opinion!"
"Lady, I'm the fifth second opinion you've gotten", the coven member said, "I think it's time you gave it a rest already."
The coven member left, and Gwendolyn sadly looked down.
"What am I going to do", Gwendolyn asked.
Lilith watched from another room and pondered about something.
"It seems I've got no other choice", Lilith said.
Lilith left the house, got on her staff, and flew away.
"I just hope he's willing to see reason", Lilith said.