This is my first time writing in this fandom. I hope readers like it.
Luz sat on the window ledge, looking at the Boiling Isles, and thinking about what had happened last night. Once again, she had caused problems and hurt people. Only this time, her mistakes had cost Eda's freedom and possibly her humanity for life.
She could hear King talking, but she didn't process what he was saying. All she could do is remember was what had happened during the witch duel. She had broken the bubble she had been trapped in so Eda could hear her warning about using up her magic.
Instead, she had given Lilith the means to finally beat her sister. By attempting to kill her, Eda had used the last of her magic to save her life. Now she was stuck as the owl-beast forever.
She didn't know what Emperor Belos plans were for Eda. Was she even still alive? What about Owlbert? This was the second time he was in peril because of her!
Letting out a cry of frustration, Luz slammed her fist into the window ledge, not even noticing her bloody knuckles.
Outside, Hooty screeched, "Luz! Don't hit me please!"
King ran over and held Luz's hand in his paws. "Luz, you're bleeding! Do you know how many demons you can attract if you keep hurting yourself? They won't hesitate to eat you!"
"I don't care King. Maybe it's what I deserve. At least I couldn't hurt people anymore," Luz snapped furiously. She gazed into King's worried eyes and broke down.
Sliding down the ledge, she pulled her hand back and curled up in a ball. Why was she such a failure? Why did she keep making the same stupid mistakes or endangering the people she cared about?
I'm just a freak and embarrassment. I couldn't even pretend to be normal for Mom's sake. I'm the reason she doesn't go out to have with her friends because she's too busy cleaning up my messes at school.
I can't even stay out of trouble at either school! I'm surprised the school is still standing after everything I've done there. I don't even deserve to be there after getting Willow, Gus, and Amity in trouble so many times.
Mom, Eda, and my friends. How many more will suffer for my actions? I have to do something to make this right.
"King, could you repeat what you said earlier about Emperor Belos? I wasn't paying attention."
This time, she listened closely. Something about the story didn't sit well with her. She had read and seen enough TV to know that Belos was hiding something.
"How can anyone be sure he's telling the truth about his ability to commune with the Titan? Also, isn't it suspicious that his teachings took hold so quickly? From what Eda told me about wild witches, combining different magic produced some of the strongest spells."
The king of demons shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe he does talk to the Titan. Look how intimidating he is. Even I'm afraid of taking him head-on. I'm the King of Demons and he scares me!"
Taking a closer look at the book, Luz flicked through the pages. There were several illustrations, but no picture of what the emperor looked like without his mask. Also, why did his staff lack a palisman?
The teenager snapped the book closed and left the room. King followed her and saw his friend going through Eda's human stuff closet. She poked around and threw a few things to the side.
Finally, Luz emerged with a card collection binder and tons of paper. "King, I need you and Hooty to search the house for anything that could help us rescue Eda. Wait for me in town."
"Where are you going, Luz?" Hooty asked, his neck stretched down the hallways and out the window.
"I can't beat Belos on my own with only four spells. I know someone who could teach me a lot more quickly. I'll be back!"
Luz marched through the forest with determination. She knew the being she sought might not help her. Still, she had to try for Eda. Eventually, she arrived at her destination.
Entering the cave, she disregarded the crunching sound of bones. Arriving in the center, the teenager took a deep breath and called out. "Bat Queen, are you here? It's Luz, the Owl Lady's apprentice! Eda and Owlbert have been captured and I need your help to save them!"
There was a loud whoosh and the Bat Queen landed. Fire blazed around her and her three babies poked their heads out of her hair. "Explain yourself! You assured me the Owl Lady cared deeply for Owlbert. So why did she let herself get caught and risk him?"
Luz bowed her head in shame and told her story. How helpful Eda had been to her and added Owlbert's kindness towards her. How they all had discovered that Eda's curse was getting worse and her magic was drying up.
She explained she had gone on the field trip to the Emperor's Castle to borrow/steal the Healing Hat because its magic would save Eda and Owlbert by extension.
That Lilith had destroyed the Hat and captured her, to force Eda to duel with her. She recalled how Lilith used her to force Eda to use up her magic to save her and ended up captured along with Owlbert.
Luz sank to her knees and wrapped her arms around herself. "Every time I try to help someone I care about, I end up making things worse. I need to take responsibility for my mistakes.
I have a plan on how to make things right, but I don't know enough spells to pull it off. Eda mentioned palismans are bonded for life to their witches. I think that means they can also see the patterns in the spell circle.
With you and your family's help, I can save mine. I beg you, please help me save mine."
The Bat Queen glared at Luz and flapped her wings angrily. "Once more you have been reckless. You fail to think about the consequences of your actions!"
Luz said nothing knowing what Bat Queen said was true. She never thought about the consequences of her actions.
The Bat Queen's anger faded and she walked toward the human girl. She placed a tip of her wing on Luz's shoulder. The human looked up at her in confusion.
"What you did was wrong, but you were doing it for the right reasons. There are no lengths I would not go to save my precious babies. Like you, I wouldn't stay put if I could help someone I love.
The Owl Lady is your family just as Owlbert is. My family will help you." As she said this all the other palismans appeared behind their protector. "Your assumption was correct. We can see the pattern in the spell circles. They will tell me and I will tell you."
"Thank you Bat Queen. Let's get to work." She opened the binder up and wrote the names of the spells on the labels beforehand so she wouldn't forget which spell did what.
The first spells she needed to add were the rest of the elemental ones. Thanks to her Azura books and Hexside she knew there were twelve. The original four and what they created together. The complementary elements and what they formed. The last two were the metaphysical elements.
The first new spell she learned was for water. The glyph was two wavy lines with down-facing semi-circles on top of the first line. When she held the water bubble in her hands, Luz smiled for the first time that day.
Wind and earth were next. Each glyph was a challenge because if you drew them upside down, the witch hurt herself. Luz had gotten several bruises on her stomach before she figured it out.
The metal glyph was easier to learn because the glyph was the same symbol as iron is on alchemy charts. Soon she had the glyphs for gravity, lightning, and quintessence. Her real difficulty was the glyph for darkness because it was the opposite of her first spell.
Once she had all the elements down she was ready for tougher spells. "Do any of you know the pattern to create a force field? Is the symbol to lock and unlock the same or different? Oh, is it possible to turn invisible?"
Bat Queen peered down at the human. "The symbol for a force field is a pointed shield with a circle shield inside. That one can be draining so be careful with it."
Using her talons, Bat Queen demonstrated the spell. She had the raven palisman attack her and activated the spell. It held for a full five minutes before it spluttered out of existence. "I could have kept it going longer if I didn't want to keep my reserves up."
The raven palisman crooned and its eyes flashed. Bat Queen's eyes lit up and she stated there were two different symbols for locking and unlocking something.
A bat palisman recalled a glyph for invisibility for an object, but not for a person. The three-headed monkey offered up a spell for enhancing hearing, seeing, and speaking. A cat palisman demonstrated a spell for enhanced reflexes.
Soon she had over twenty new spells, but she needed more. Luz posed more questions about spells for specific purposes. A spell to find your way to any destination. A spell to transfer something somewhere else. A spell to protect the mind from intrusion.
The Bat Queen grew slightly suspicious. Why did the girl need to know those spells? When she asked about the specifics of the Forever Oath, the Bat Queen sent her palisman family home.
"You are holding something back child. At first, I assumed you planned to figure a way to get in and out of the Conformanatorium, but I sense that is only a small part of it. What is your real plan?"
Luz whispered what her plan was not wanting anyone to hear what she had to say. The Bat Queen protested loudly.
"Your plan is insane! You will only put your family more at risk! Do you want to cause them more pain?"
"Hear me out please," Luz begged. The Bat Queen and her children hushed up. "This is the only way for certain Eda will be able to return to normal. To regain her magic to protect herself.
It also gives me the advantage of learning more about Emperor Belos so I can protect my family better. I know you think I haven't thought this through, but I have. I know it's a long shot and it could fail.
I still have to try though. I can't live with myself if my actions not only hurt Eda but the entire Boiling Isles. I know my mentor, no, my second mom, will be able to do what needs to be done."
The Bat Queen could see the child was not going to back down. In a way, she respected Luz. Nothing stopped her from accomplishing what she wanted. It was how she had proven herself to Owlbert.
"I have been around for thousands of years. I know certain spells that no witch or demon in living memory have heard of. One of them could assist you in pulling off your plan.
Be warned, it is dangerous to attempt on one so young. Especially a human who has no internal source of magic. If you are willing to take the risk, you will have a better chance at success."
With steel in her eyes, Luz nodded her consent. No matter the risk, she would save Eda.
King was waiting anxiously for Luz in Bonesborough. He was worried about both her and Eda. "Where are you, Luz? We need to hurry if we're going to save Eda."
The crystal balls on a nearby cart lit up. A live report was coming in. "This is Perry Porter coming to you live from the Conformanatorium. Edalyn Clawthorn better known as Eda the Owl Lady has been captured by the Emperor's Coven.
Earlier today, Emperor Belos personal aid Kikimora announced that for the crimes of attacking a coven leader and failure to join a coven, the Owl Lady is sentenced to petrification. The event will happen at sundown at the Conformanatorium."
Someone gasped behind King. He spun around and saw Luz shaking. She had put on the cloak Eda had made her. She also had a small satchel with her. "Petrification? King, please tell me that Eda's not going to be a statute forever."
King looked down at the ground. "It's the worst sentence anyone can get. Once the spell is complete, there is no way to undo it. If we don't move quickly Eda will be doomed!"
Luz gripped the satchel tightly. There was no time to waste. "King, we need to get arrested right now. You have any ideas?"
King's idea was to step on grass that was off-limits while littering. The duo was arrested and promptly thrown in the back of the wagon.
On the ride to the Conformanatorium, Luz started copying down different glyphs on slips of paper. She was muttering quietly about which spell would work best for several situations.
They were almost at their destination when Luz grabbed King by his collar. "Luz! What are you doing? Let me go!"
"Quiet, King! I need to add these spells to your collar quickly." The demon stopped squirming. A few seconds later he felt a tiny zap going through his body. "I just got a tingle down my spine! What did you do?"
"I enhanced your natural abilities. If something goes wrong, you'll need the advantage to get away safely."
The wagon came to a stop. Standing up, Luz took a deep breath and held tightly to her glyph cards. As soon as Warren Wrath started to open the door, she attacked.
Plants launched themselves out of the wagon wrapping up the first few guards. Jumping up, she grabbed the top of the wagon and swung herself onto the roof.
She clapped her hands together quickly then spread them apart. She unleashed a giant wave of water, washing away the other wagons. Stamping her right foot, she activated a wind spell.
It lifted her into the air a few feet and she dove from the sky. Wraith morphed his hands to strike the teen down. Too bad he forgot about King.
With his enhanced strength, he pushed the Warren over causing the man to fall flat on his face. He soon found himself sunk halfway into the ground with a slew of icicles hanging over his head because of the chandelier dangling above.
"How? Humans can't do magic!" He protested loudly. He let out a whimper as two icicles pressed against his skin.
"Where are they holding Eda?" the teenager demanded. When Wraith wouldn't answer her, Luz slammed a gravity glyph on him making the monster sink deeper into the ground. She held out another gravity glyph, daring him to keep silent.
"The dungeons! She's being held in the dungeons!"
Luz ordered him to make a map. Once she had it, she applied a compass glyph to ensure the map was accurate. As they headed for the dungeon, Luz asked King to use his enhanced senses to let her know if danger was coming their way.
King sniffed the air and replied, "We've got incoming. Three guards straight up ahead. Hope your new spells can handled them."
"Stand back King." Luz quickly used a darkness glyph to remove any light sources. King whispered the positions of the guards to her so she knew where to attack.
She laid three paper glyphs equal distance apart.
"Wait for it, wait for it. The guard on the right is within striking distance."
Luz activated her fire glyph, making sure to tilt it upright, before casting her spell. The guard screamed as a fireball came at him. It hit its mark and the guard fell back to drop and roll.
"The one on the left is coming in hot."
There was a crackling sound before a burst of lightning arched through the air and struck its target. Knowing the middle guard was coming, she tapped her light glyph.
The light blinded the guard, who dropped his weapon to cover his eyes. King zoomed over, making sure to avoid tripping over the weapon, before jumping up to punch the guard in the face.
"Take that you no good miscreant!" The hallway was lit up again. "Where does the map say to go next?"
Luz studied the map before replying."It says we need to go two hallways further then take a right. The compass spell doesn't agree. We need to go one hallway forward then take a left. I'm guessing there's a guard station on Warren's route."
"I'll take your guessing over Wraith's word any day of the week." The duo followed the compass spell which led to a dead end. There was the sound of more guards coming their way.
"What now? The compass was wrong!" King wailed.
"I don't think so, King. Let me try something." She placed the metal glyph at the base of the wall. Once activated a large iron beam sprang up, splitting the wall in half.
There was a secret staircase behind the wall. There was just enough room for Luz and King to wiggle around the beam to get to the staircase. "The guards are too big to get through the opening so they can't follow us."
"That's great! Hang on, I got a whiff of an owl coming from below us. It has to be Eda."
The duo proceeded until they came to a locked door at the bottom of the staircase. A simple unlocking glyph opened the door. On instinct, she used her force field glyph as the two exited the door.
It was a smart decision. As soon as they entered the new hallway, they were attacked by several different spells by the guards. The enemy marched closer increasing the power for their spells.
Luz struggled to keep the force field up as she was bombarded with elemental spells. "King, reach into my satchel! There is a glyph labeled quintessence. I need you to place it on my back and activate it."
"Are you sure? What if it…"
"Just do it!"
King stumbled but did as he was asked. As soon as the glyph was activated, Luz felt an outpouring of energy racing through her body. With her newfound strength, she pushed the force field forward.
It encapsulated the guards trapping them inside a bubble. The irony was not lost on Luz. She picked up the pace as they continued their way to the dungeons.
King watched her in odd as Luz used her human magic to block attacks or to turn the guards' strength against them. Finally, they reached the door to Eda's cell.
Luz reached into the satchel and pulled out her binder. "King, can you do me a favor and hold onto my satchel? I don't want Eda to tear it apart."
"Sure. I'll keep an eye out for trouble. I'll squeal if someone's coming." He was surprised when Luz grabbed him in a tight hug.
"I love you, King."
"I love you too Luz. Now go get our final family member."
Entering the dungeon Luz made sure to pull the door tightly closed. Reaching into her right pocket, she pulled out a new glyph, one for silence. By sticking it to the door no sound could get out of the room and no sound from the hallway could get in.
She pulled out a glyph from her left pocket and cautiously approached the owl-beast. The creature was struggling against the chain around its neck. The frustrated screams got louder.
Before she lost her nerve, Luz darted forward and slapped a sleep glyph on the transformed Eda. Within seconds, the beast fell asleep.
Pulling her cape tightly around her body, Luz spoke out. "I know you can hear me. Everyone has told me you're the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles.
I don't know if I agree with them. I think you're bluffing on certain issues only I don't care about that right now. What I know is I've come this far because I want to bargain with you about Eda."
The light went out of the room followed by a whoosh of air. The lights turned back on and Emperor Belos was standing three feet away from Luz, his eyes locked onto Luz.
"So the human Luz has come to bargain with me on the Owl Lady's behalf. Normally, I would have ignored you and have one of my coven members capture you.
Yet, you've caught my interest human. I was planning on seeking you out soon anyhow, but the way you managed to defeat every obstacle in your way here has put me in a listening mood. Tell me human what your bargain is?"
Luz held out the binder and flipped through the pages. She was careful to show the number of glyph cards she had. "There are fifty spells in this binder alone. This is how ancient witches first cast spells. I rediscovered this technique and have mastered it.
Anyone can use these as long as they look closely enough to find the symbols in nature. Even if you strip people of their magic, they can use magic like this."
"Why should I be afraid of this? Your little trick is hardly enough to threaten me. I am the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles. I alone can speak to the Titan."
Luz rolled her eyes at that comment. Her tone changed to one of sarcasm as she replied, "Right, you can talk to the Titan. You're the only one who should mix magic. I'm powerful so everyone does what I say."
She glared at the Emperor, whose eyes narrowed on her. "I know you're bluffing about something. Whether it's about talking to the Titan or you're the only one with a right to mix different types of magic, something's off.
Eda's told me about how powerful "wild" magic is. I've seen for myself the power that comes from mixing different magic tracks. Abominations that last longer because they're infused with plants.
Injuries healed faster because of beasts helping healers. Potions that can be prepared for any situation in advance thanks to oracle magic. The point is there's no way to rise to power unless you ensure people are afraid of mixing magic.
Creating the coven system to keep an eye on everyone. Sealing people's magic so they can't access their full potential. Anything to ensure no one's stronger than you." She snapped the binder closed and held it to her chest defiantly.
Emperor Belos chuckled darkly and even lightly clapped his hands. "It appears you are clever human. Some of what you said is true, but I won't tell you which.
I still haven't heard anything to change my mind about petrifying your mentor forever. Your mocking is tempting me to do the same to you. So why shouldn't I?" The emperor raised his hand to perform a spell.
Luz felt her body flinch as she felt his power tighten around her. He lifted her off the ground a few inches to show her he was in control. She tried not to show fear.
"If you petrify Eda, you're going to have a rebellion on your hands. I think we both know she's a symbol to a majority of Bonesborough. She's a heroine to the prisoners here."
Emperor Belos waggled a finger bringing Luz closer. "I can crush any rebellion. My subjects are loyal to me!" He got angry at seeing Luz smirk at his proclamation.
"For how long? You're only in power as long as you have the support of the beings who live here. Think about how it would look if you started petrifying anyone who wanted to learn more than one magic track?
Would you turn ordinary people to stone if they started using glyphs? Fear can only hold back the masses for a time. Eventually, someone is going to push the limits to restore equality."
The emperor said nothing as he thought about what the teenager said. She had made a valid case. Thanks to Lilith, he knew the girl was a student at Hexside and her classmates had seen her work glyph magic enough to use it for themselves.
The Owl Lady was also an important figure to Bonesborough. Her potions are more potent than other potion masters that resided there. Her human artifacts were being bought by the dozen. Because the human could tell her what each one did. Loyal customers would not be pleased if they had to switch potion masters.
The petrification of the Owl Lady could sway his subjects in two different directions. Especially since Eda had grown closer to several people in her town recently. Rumors about her helping at Hexside's Grom dance had reached his ears. He needed to handle the situation with care.
"You make a valid case, but I'm still waiting to hear your bargain." He dropped the girl to the floor.
Luz pushed herself up. "I know a way you can avoid turning the citizens against you without making Eda a martyr. A way that can make sure no one questions your power."
Clutching her binder tightly, Luz told him her bargain. "We enter into a Forever Oath. I'll swear my life to be your servant. I can help you discover every glyph there is so you know what to look for if people start using glyph magic.
You saw for yourself the length Eda would go for me. If you control me, she won't risk my life. If people see her submitting then they'll see she saw the light."
Belos scratched his chin. It was an enticing offer. "What do you want in return?"
"Your word that you won't petrify Eda and instead imprison her for life. Also, your word that no one on your staff, in your coven, or any of your subjects for that matter, will do the same."
Again Belos was surprised. Someone had taught the girl the importance of wording a Forever Oath. You needed to be exact as possible otherwise those bound could use loopholes to get around the oath.
"How do you propose I imprison the owl-beast? Even you needed a sleeping spell to keep your mentor from attacking. Magical cages capable of holding cursed forms are notoriously problematic to make."
"You won't need to," Luz replied as she pulled a sheet of glyphs from the binder. "Because Eda won't be cursed anymore. I'll be the cursed one."
Now that caused Emperor Belos to take a step back. A human taking on a deadly curse? If she wasn't killed outright, she would be trapped in that form forever. Then again, how did she expect to undo the Owl Lady's curse?
Luz knew what Belos was thinking, so she explained. "I read up on curses. They can only be cured by specific means outlined in itself. I can't cure Eda, but curses are transferable with the right spells."
She spread out the glyphs so the emperor could see them. "Using these glyphs, I can remove the curse from Eda and place it on me. It's the least I can do considering my actions led to this."
"Indeed. It's not often I come across a teenager who takes responsibility for their mistakes." He gripped his staff for a few minutes.
Probably pretending he can communicate with the Titan. Please accept this bargain. How else can my plan succeed?
"The Titan has agreed to your bargain, providing you can transfer the curse." Luz held out her hand for the Forever Oath. Belos didn't take it. He wouldn't until she did what the Titan asked.
Silently apologizing to her loved ones, Luz got to work. With Bat Queen's help, she had made a glyph that represented the curse, an owl head.
She applied that one over the bile sac by Eda's heart. Next, she used glyphs for the process of flowing, leading from the sac down to the right front claw. Luz then added the glyph for open on her palm, followed by the glyphs for flowing.
Right above her heart, she had placed a glyph for locking. Once she was sure the curse was transferred, she would touch it to ensure the curse stayed in her and not go back to Eda.
Holding the claws in her hand she activated the first part of the spell. The glyph representing the curse lit up as a golden aura formed around the owl-beast.
The flowing glyphs flickered gold as the curse was drawn out of the magic bile sack and circulated out of the owl-beasts body.
Luz let out a grunt as she tightened her grip around claw. The curse changed colors went in started going into her body. Instead of gold, it was light purple.
Once it reached her heart, she felt she was dying as her body experienced excruciating pain. Her skin was on fire. Her ears were ringing and she couldn't open her eyes because the light hurt them.
It was her sense of smell that alerted her the curse was finishing the transfer. She no longer smelled the owl-beast. That scent reminded her of stinky musk mixed with expired cologne.
Instead, she smelled apple blood. Eda was back to normal. Quickly she tapped the locking glyph before dropping Eda's hand. With great effort, Luz pushed herself up, her hand outstretched.
"We seal our oath now!" she managed to demand. If Belos didn't enter into the oath now, then all this was for nothing.
"You're quite fascinating Luz the human. I shall enjoy shaping you into the perfect servant." He cast the Forever Oath spell circle and they shook hands entering into the bond.
A minute later Luz sunk to the floor and screamed.
The door to the dungeon opened and in walked Lilith with King. The little demon was squirming around yelling at her to let him go.
She was flabbergasted by Emperor Belos presence and quickly started to explain. "My Lord, I found Edalyn's demon lurking…." Lilith jaw dropped at seeing her sister asleep on the floor in her natural form again.
King's eye's nearly bulged out of his sockets upon seeing Luz in pain. "LUZ!"
The curse was taking hold of the teenager's body. Her skin was changing into feathers keeping their coloring. Her hands remained human, but instead of fingernails, she had talons.
The same thing was happening to her legs. Luz's chest puffed as her shirt became part of her underbelly. Her ears elongated just past her head. As for her face, her eyes got bigger, while her nose became sharper.
Her teeth were now fangs. Her magic cape fell off as two wings burst out of her back. There coloring matched her underbelly. Her hair had grown several inches and lay on top of her shoulders.
Finally, the transformation was over. Luz fell over on her side, exhausted from everything that had happened. She was now half-human half owl-beast.
"LUZ! LUZ! WAKE UP! LUZ!"
The teenager let out a groan and her eyes opened. They were still the same brown eyes. Luz seemed self-aware. "Ugh, my mouth tastes like garbage." Blinking a few times, she then focused on King.
"King? I told you ugh!" Luz cried out as a metal collar cinched itself around her neck. Attached to it was a silver leash held in Emperor Belos's hand.
He pulled on the leash and angry red energy traveled down the leash into the collar. Luz screamed again in pain. She fell forward, talons scraping across the ground. Her eyes lost focus and changed from brown to red.
"You're my servant now child. Which means, you only speak when I give you consent understood?"
Luz-beast nodded her head in compliance. Emperor Belos came over and patted her on the head. "Good girl. Until you learn to control your impulses, you'll be treated like my pet."
He turned his attention to Lilith, who was shaking in her dress. "You disappoint me, Lilith. Don't think I'm fooled by your act. You turned against me and I don't tolerate disloyalty."
Extending his staff, he fired a blast at his former coven leader knocking her out. King made a run for it but was also zapped. Using his staff he called Kikimora.
"Sire, it's almost sunset. The platform won't raise. What should I do?"
"There's been a change of plans Kiki. I need you and the guards down in the dungeons, please. I have some prisoners here who need to be locked up in maximum security in the solitary wing."
"Of course, my liege. What should I tell the crowd?"
"Don't worry about that. I'll handle it." He tugged the leash and Luz-beast stood up to follow him. They reached a platform and rose to the stage.
The crowd hushed at the sight of their Emperor, who stood before them. "Children of the Isles. The Titan has spoken to me and revealed the capture of the Owl Lady was not to petrify her but part of a grander purpose!
As many of you are aware, a human girl lives on our beloved isles. She was brought here to show that humans are indeed capable of magic, just as we are. It is a sign that the Day of Unity is upon us.
As such, she has agreed to join me to help bring about this momentous occasion. To test if her will is resilient enough, the Titan has taken the curse from her mentor and placed it upon her!
Now her mind is that of a beast. Nonetheless, I have great confidence that she will rise above this curse and prove to be a valuable ally. Give thanks to the Titan my children, who will always provide for us."
Cheers rose from the crowd in excitement. The Owl Lady had brought the Boiling Isles the key to the Emperor Belos plan.
Only two people weren't cheering. Willow and Gus held hands as they looked up to see their friend treated like a pet. They looked at each other and knew what the other was thinking.
They would rescue Luz and the others notwithstanding the danger. For now, it was time to make a plan.