It had to be by the Titan's divine will that Luz, in her wandering, had stumbled upon a familiar face in the sea of bleakness. She had been moving for hours, still spurred on by the burning pain in her chest and her raw, pleading cries for Eda.
Soon, her legs could no longer move. Instead, somehow, she managed a few stumbled steps before curling up in front of a house, face buried into her mentor's bloodied cowl. Once a deep burgundy now had spotted stains of a dark rust, still damp to the touch.
The sharp memory of the last desperate act of her mentor flashed into her mind. Her throwing her cloak onto her and giving the ancient tongue to send Owlbert flying ached, pulling like a newly bandaged wound.
From that moment, she didn't remember much. One moment she had been curled up, sobbing, and clutching desperately to the cowl. Next, she awoke to a griffin down bed, every wound tightly bandaged, and a damp cloth placed on her forehead. Beside her, two Palisman-one unfamiliar and one being Owlbert-were perched on the headboard.
Body aching, she took a tentative breath, tearing up by the sharp pain from her bounded chest. Lips pressing tightly together, a low whine sounded deep from within her.
In a flash, a minty haired blur hurried into the room, crying out gentle reminder to lay still and not to reopen her wounds. Coming to a stop beside her, the blur, a blurry familiar face, gently eased her back down, forcing a straw and water down her swollen throat.
As the teen cried and coughed, pain lacing her inflamed throat, the person didn't push back, coaxing her breath.
"Easy, little one." The witch, a pair of green eyes, watched her, her brown eyes beginning to clear. "You were hurt pretty bad."
Eyes wide as an owl's, Luz blinked, tears falling down her face. She had only seen the witch by photo but knew who it was immediately. Head Witch Raine Whispers, the leader of the Bard Coven.
"W-where is-" Her voice cracked, nearly sending colors across her vision. "Where is Eda? W-why am I-"
For a moment, Coven Witch Raine Whispers didn't reply. Gentle, careful not to scare her, they reached forward, gently moving her to the side before settling on the edge. "It's okay," they reassured, easing her back down, callous fingers running through her tangled mess. "I promise it will be okay."
Realizing what they were saying, tears blinded her and she curled up, Owlbert flying to her grasp. Together, they mourned over what had been lost.
Raine Whispers held Luz tighter, pulling the blanket around the three of them. Humming softly and green gaze shifting to the door, they nodded to their comrades. The battle against the covens may have won but the war for the citizens wasn't over.
"I'm sorry, Dear-" Former Head Witch Hettie Cutburn moved away from her only human patient, throwing her gloves into the hearth. "But there is no good outcome. You can't walk as you did before."
Curling into herself, the fifteen-year-old flinched, gripping tightly to Raine's hand, heart pounding. Luz knew it already but had hoped to receive a better diagnosis. The Isles had to have better treatment than her realm. But, even with magic, it appeared to be limited.
"But, hey-" The former coven head crouched down to the teen's age, trying to calm her. "You can still walk with assistance, which means you can go to Hexside and finish your schooling. It's not all over, Luz. I promise, this won't stop you."
"Whispers is correct." Hettie spoke as she wiped her hands clean. "As long as you use the mobility aids given and ask for assistance when needed, you have nothing stopping you from moving forward with your peers."
Taking a shaky breath, Luz nodded, glancing at Raine. "C-can we go now," she pleaded, voice cracked. "I want to go before it gets too dark."
"Yes." Raine gently eased her down. "I promised we would."
Gently, Luz was eased to the ground before her gaze settled on the damp earth, still drying from the past boiling rain. "Hi, Mie-" Her voice cracked, fingers growing white from the grasp of her cane. "I'm sorry for not coming sooner but I had a Healing appointment. And I found out I can't walk without the cane or your staff anymore."
Tenderly, she took the small carving, chipped and lumpy, from where Raine crouched beside her. Placing it on the ground, the teen inhaled sharply. "Grandpa Dell helped me make something for you," she added, forcing a watery smile. "He says that it shows great potential, and one day I could be a Palisman Carver like him and our ancestors."
Behind her, the mint haired bard rubbed her back, whispering softly. They knew how hard this was for her.
"So, I made you a small Owlbert-" Luz placed the carving against the headstone, eyes wet. "And I'm taking good care of him too. He's taken quickly to my Palisman, stringbean. You would like stringbean if you met her, Mie. She's a snake shifter!."
"It's okay, Witchlet.." Raine helped Luz up, seeing her beginning to break down. "How about you go wait at Gwendolyn's and Dell's house? It's just a few minutes down the trail. I want some time alone, hun."
"Okay, Nee-" Luz voice broke as she glanced down one last time at her adoptive mother's headstone before beginning the slow walk to her grandparents' house. There she would be able to spend time with Aunt Lilith and Uncle Steve, the pair had decided to get a platonic marriage so they could adopt Steve's two younger siblings, Bria and Matt. "I'll see you at the house," Luz said before disappearing around the corner.
Waiting until Luz was out of hearing range, Raine turned back to the headstone, summoning a small snapdragon, one from their hill. "Hey, Edalyn," they said, voice hollow. "I know this wasn't how it was planned, but it's official. We have a daughter. For her own protection, Luz has been listed as our daughter. Gwen and Dell are smitten with her, as expected. And, we're still looking for King. I promise, I will find him. Either to bury him with you or for him to grow up with his sister."
Raine cleared their throat, rubbing the back of their neck sheepishly. "And Eda, we do have some good news," they sighed. "I know that you were trying to make sure your kid had a way to get back to her realm. Well, recently, Darius, Eberwolf, and I unearthed a portal. We've been working on it for several moon cycles now. And it works. I plan to tell Luz over supper tonight. I'm taking her to our favorite food place and spoiling her. After everything that has happened, Witchlet deserves the Titan's skull and more."
Gaze flickering to the darkening sky, the former bard got to their feet, lingering for a moment longer.
"I still love you, Edalyn," they whispered. "And I promise to love, Luz as much as you did Eda."