François
―Eda! ―King shouted as he ran from the forest toward the Owl House.
The Lady, who was watching the ravine through her kitchen window, lost in thought, turned her attention to her little friend the moment she heard him whimpering.
The brown stuffed rabbit, François, lay in front of her. Eda looked at him without knowing what King was referring to.
―I don't understand anything you are telling me.
―What's there to understand? Look at him! Oh, this is a dark day in the history of my reign.
But Eda still didn't understand what was going on.
―I'll need more details.
―His eye! ―cried King in exasperation―. François has lost his eye in battle.
It was true. Only then did she notice the difference. The cuddly plush toy was missing the cerulean button it had for a left eye. King explained that, during an arduous battle against a platoon of red ants, he and François had to retreat. But halfway back, he noticed that his companion already had his serious wound.
―Well, I'm pretty sure I have a red button among my things. I'll sew it on and be done with it.
―No! ―groaned King―. Not red, Eda. Red is the color of the enemy. It has to be blue.
Eda, after a few minutes' thought, sighed with annoyance and replied:
―What the hell, fine. Let's go to the market to get an eye on François.
Eda thought she would be able to rest that day. In an hour Luz would leave with her friends and would not return until evening. «A day just for me», she had said to herself that morning after waking up.
«I had forgotten that apart from Luz I still have a baby to take care of».
Once at the market, Eda and King began to search every stall for a button that could serve as a replacement. But, unluckily for both of them, no one had one that was blue (although they did have one in every other color).
―Please! ―Eda huffed at the air―. What kind of cruel being is punishing me with this? How hard can it be to find a simple blue button?
―Mom ―said a little demon boy to his mother innocently as he passed by the witch―. Do you think the hundred blue buttons I donated to the orphans will be of any use to them?
―Of course they'll do, honey. What a good boy you are ―his mother replied lovingly―. And to think that ten minutes ago you still didn't know what to do with all those blue buttons. Good thing I came up with the idea of giving them to the less fortunate.
Eda, with a tic in her eye, mumbled complaint after complaint and wriggled as she heard this.
They were close to giving up. King was comforting his wounded subordinate. Eda just wanted to go home, lie down on the couch and drink a cup of apple blood while reading a good book. But, a few moments before resigning herself, she heard a peddler shout:
―Buttons! Buttons! All colors! Green, red, yellow! You name it and I've got it! Brown, black, blue! Take the chance that I only have one of the blue ones left!
Blue. That word resonated completely in Eda's head.
―I want it! ―she shouted with excitement in unison with another voice. When she turned her head to see where the other voice was coming from, the witch noticed it came from a member of the Emperor's Coven. «That's the last straw».
Eda ran straight to the vendor, but so did the soldier. Both arrived at the same time in front of the merchant. Immediately they began to fight over who should be the one to take it.
―I need that button more than you do, Owl Lady ―said the masked man.
―Yeah, well… wait a second… ―Eda, realizing then the identity of the militant, said―. I knew your voice sounded familiar. You' re the one who has a platonic love for my sister, right? What was your name again? Stu? Alex? No, Steve!
―That's not true! ―replied the member abruptly with a nervous tone―. What I feel for her is pure professional admiration and nothing more, moreover...
―Look, it's Lilith! ―The witch interrupted him, pointing in the distance.
―Where? ―the man shouted, turning quickly from side to side.
Eda, laughing and snorting, continued to tease him:
―I'm sure you want the button to give to my sister so you can earn points with her, or am I wrong?
―Yes! No! I mean… ―Steve just babbled on, not knowing what to say―. I have nothing to justify myself to you, criminal. Now you are under arrest.
But Eda just kept laughing. Annoyed, the soldier began to conjure spells against her in an attempt to trap her, but the witch easily evaded them. Soon, a small but intense battle of magic was taking place. The crowd gathered around, placing bets and shouting cheers. King looked encouragingly at Eda.
―Beat him, Eda! Do it for François! ―roared the little guy as he lifted the stuffed animal.
Eda was smiling mischievously as she fought. And, to tell the truth, not a single spell was being cast to attack from her; she was only defending herself. On the other hand, all sorts of spells were used by Steve to defeat her. After a while, Eda finally commented:
―It's been fun, kid, but I think it's time to retire. I want to get some sleep. Send my regards to Lilith ―And, with a quick paralysis spell, she stopped the masked man.
Eda, approaching the merchant, asked for the cerulean button.
―Sure, that would be fifty snails, please ―replied the salesman calmly.
―Fifty? ―repeated the witch, exalted―. This is a scam!
―Supply and demand, ma'am. You seemed hell-bent on getting it just a moment ago ―he said with a big smile on his face―. Will you want it?
Eda, hesitant at first, when she saw King's tender puppy eyes, couldn't refuse. Once the purchase was made, and King was laughing with joy as he hugged François, Eda commented to him:
―You better not ask me for anything for a long time, King.
A few minutes later, when only the debris was left as a remnant of the duel, Perry Porter stood in front of the camera with that stage behind him:
―This is how the market people describe the fight between the Owl Lady and one of the members of the Emperor's Coven. At this moment, as you can see, a specialized team is removing the paralysis spell from this brave soldier. At the moment nothing more is known, but investigations point to the fact that Eda, the Owl Lady, was searching for a valuable object when she was intercepted by the fighter. We will keep you updated with more news on the matter. This was a report by Perry Porter at BBN.
Camera off, the man looked proudly at his son, talking enthusiastically to him about the art of being a reporter.
Back at the Owl House, Eda sewed François' new eye and spent the rest of her day reading and drinking. By nightfall, Luz arrived back.
―How did it go at Lacuna Lake, kiddo? ―Asked a relaxed Eda.
―Amazing! We swam in the water for a while. We played Marco Polo. We even built a fort. We have to go there someday, Eda. Or to the knee. I really want to play in the snow.
The young woman continued on her way through the house. Eda heard her and smiled slightly. But her smile was completely erased when she heard what the girl was saying to King:
―By the way, on my way back I found this button, King. It reminded me of François' eye so I brought it along. Here. We don't know when it might be of use to you.
Eda, the great Owl Lady, put her book aside and took a sip of her drink. With a big twitch in her eye, the witch couldn't stop thinking about only one thing: «I'm going to kill him».