Chapter 12: First Morning, First Breakfast, First Lesson
Luz returned to reality from the gentle caress of dreamland and came face to face with a owl like face of house demon attached to very long body, staring intently as if Hooty were waiting for her to wake up for hours.
"Hi Luz."
Luz yelled in shock and sat up so quickly that their heads banged together. She grabbed her head and moaned in pain. It was way too early for a migraine.
"Ouch!" Hooty moved backwards all the way to the window. "I'm just wishing you a good morning. Geez. Hoot." He then went all the way back to the door. "Ow."
"Sorry Hooty."
Just as the pain's eased up and Luz opened her eyes she came to the realization of everything that happened yesterday when she realised she wasn't in her room anymore.
Instinctively, she reached down and held tightly to a silver necklace resting securely around her neck. The symbol of Keepers.
"It wasn't a dream!" Luz said with a big smile on her face. "I'm going to have a great summer." she mumbled to herself before opening the window in her room. "Good morning, the terrifying fantasy world," she exclaimed out loud as she looked outside.
"Good morning," A sea monster with 7 eyes greeted her, sinking back into the water. She looked a bit unnerved, but quickly let go of it as she went to the bathroom.
After using the toilet and a quick shower she noticed her Azura book was on the sink counter.
"This is it, old girl," She put the book in front of her face so that the page with Azura was facing the mirror. "Your first day on the Boiling Isles as a witch apprentice!
Luz smiled and padded towards the kitchen. She stopped in the door frame.
Jett stood there, clad in fuchsia sleeping shorts and purplish T-shirt that says "Cant Get Out Of Bed Send Help Or Waffles. Just Waffles", one arm draped over the open refrigerator door, while he rummaged through its contents.
"Morning!" Luz exclaimed in her usual cheery voice.
Jett turned around with a surprised look on his face. Surprised, because he hadn't expected her to be standing there and much less shouting hello with such enthusiasm in the wee hours of the morning.
"Morning Sunbeam." He said as he picked out a box of waffles from the top part of the refrigerator and then put two of them in the monster-like toaster mechanism. "Did you sleep well?"
"The night critters weren't so bad. So, I slept pretty soundly, actually pretty good." Luz answered as she sit around the dinner table, "Is Eda still asleep?"
"Yeah. My mom's really not a morning person. I mean, she can stay in bed until noon when Pops is not at home." Jett busied himself with closing the refrigerator door, his hands full with rather odd food products.
"Where's he?" Luz felt a small twinge of curiosity.
"Pops went to visit a friend in the Thumb. They were having trouble with infected unicorns. So he should get back to us within a two days."
"Is he a vet?"
Jett seemed amused by this question. "Nope. He is Paladin." Luz narrowed her eyes at him in a silent question "Paladins deals with the objects and creatures that come in contact with a void energy."
"I thought Philomena cleared out a realms of this toxic energy." Luz remembered her first talk with Master Dion.
"She did." Jett dropped the food products on the table top, "But she didn't destroy it. All the void energy was sealed away in the Core - place somewhere deep down in demon realm. And various natural phenomena set off geysers of void energy from time to time."
"Which is where Paladins come in."
"You're picking up the new information very quickly, Sunbeam."
"Thanks." Luz smiled, "Do you need help?"
"It's my turn to make breakfast." Jett shocked his head as he draw glowing circle with his finger and a fresh loaf of bread materialised from the ether. "And don't worry about my mom. King will wake up soon and won't let her sleep."
He used his magic again in a spell Luz recognised as the fire incantation. The first slice of the loaf began to crisp. Then another and another... until one half of bread burned to a crisp.
"Are you going to eat that?" Luz was surprised to see Jett put all burnt toast on the plate.
"Not me." Jett hung out the doorway of the kitchen and into the living room as he called out, "Hooty! Breakfast!"
"Can I get the sprinkles on top?" Hooty replied, poking his head into the kitchen.
Jett nodded and turned to the cupboard, pulling two jars. "Cockroaches or beetles?"
"Yes!" Hooty said.
Jett snickered as he sprinkled the food then he made his way across the kitchen to tossed pile of weird toast into Hooty's mouth. The house demon chewed with a satisfied grin. "Mmmmm, crunchy."
"Now return to your duties, my long dude. I'll call you when fly cocktail is ready, and remember: the mailman is not the enemy."
"He's looking to our demise!" Hooty stretched into Jett's face.
Jett sighed as pushed the house demon rather gently away from his face, "He's been coming here for ten years."
"Planning something for ten years." Hooty said in deep voice and spun around. "Hoot!"
Jett shook his head slightly in amused exasperation, "Back to your door, Feathered Noodle."
"Right! The evil mailman will arrive soon and I must protect you. Hoot!" Hooty shouted, stretching back into the door.
"Is Hooty always so..." Luz had problem finding the right word.
"Wacky and loud?" Jett said as he set out few plates. Luz nodded, "97 percent of the time, but you get used to it."
*Chukunk*
Jett got the waffles out of the toaster and put in another set of two.
"Do you want one?" He asked as he poured an extremely amount of syrup onto one of waffles.
Luz nodded. So, Jett put second onto a plate and hands it to her. "Eat it, before it gets legs."
"Don't you mean before it gets cold?"
Then, as if in answer to her question, a spider like legs grew out of waffle and it started to scuttle frantically across the wooden surface. Luz just watched waffle jumped off the table onto the floor, and then escapes underneath the door.
"You want seconds, Luz?"
"I'm good." Luz looked out the kitchen window, where Hooty was chasing a toast around the yard with a disturbingly hungry look on his face.
"More for me." Jett commented as he poured some of the milk into the small bowl. "By the way, there's somebody I want you to meet."
"Who?"
"My palisman." He placed a bowl of milk on the table.
"Palisman?" Luz asked, genuinely curious.
"Palisman is part of witch staff. They are a magic totem that's bonded to witches for life." Jett explained, "Howlitty, come here girl."
In the corner of the kitchen, the owlcat in shades of brown perks up from the Jett's staff at the sound of her name, gently sniffing the air. Fluffy ears were upright as Howlitty jumped down onto the table.
"Luz meet Howlitty. Howlitty meet Luz." Jett said, introducing them.
"She is beautiful." Holding out her left palm to palisman, Howlitty looked at the hand before looking to see friendly and cheerful expression on Luz's face.
Luz smiled, "Nice to meet you."
Howlitty chirped, trotting over to nudge at Luz's outstretched fingers. The teen human squealed with delight and stroked the owlcat's head.
Howlitty was very fluffy and pleasant to the touch; the soft feathers tickling her fingers.
"Su pelaje suave como la seda..." Luz whispered, still petting a fluffy owlcat's head. A palisman let the teen girl stroking its head for a few moments, before Howlitty wallked off and started lapping up the milk with great joy.
"Howlitty likes you, which is definitely unusual." Jett was taking waffles out of toaster oven and keeping an eye on the bacon that he was frying on the stove. "Usually it takes her a few days to warm up to new person."
"Maybe she just sensed I'm a cat person." Luz put the hood with a cat ears on her head with a smile.
"Well-"
"I smell bacon!"
Both occupants of the kitchen turned their heads to see the source of the voice and the sight of Eda with a giddy King perched on her head was a sight Luz never thought she'd saw today.
The Owl Lady still had on the nightwear of a plum sweater with amber cuffs, a stained violet nightgown and light yellow bunny slippers. And she didn't seem too worried about King on her head.
"Howdy guys." Jett taken the canine demon from his mom's head.
Eda just groaned in annoyance, walki in kitchen. At this very moment it would be hard to believe that the half awake woman in nightwear have the title of the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles.
"Good morning, Eda the Owl Lady." Luz smiled to her mentor.
The witch took spiders out of her hair as she reached for a mug that says "30 & Flirty", having seemingly just noticed Luz also in the kitchen.
"Ugh!" Eda was giving Luz an appraising look. It looked like it took the Owl Lady a bit to have realized that the human teen was also in the kitchen with them. Finaly her golden eyes flitting to sticker on Luz's shirt. "Ah, yes, I have an apprentice now."
"Told ya. Mom can barely remember my name before she get a cup of Apple Blood." Jett said as he settled King into the highchair a few moments later.
"You mean, Apple Juice?" Luz asked confused figuring it was probably a brand name.
"No." Eda answered holding her mug filled with the said drink as a drowsy small owl poked its face out of her wild mane-like hair.
The owl hooted and yawned before he noticed Luz.
Before Luz could say anything, the owl flew to her friend's shoulder and hooted a question.
"Yes, but this is the human that I told you about." Jett said to brown bird as he held hand out for him to hop on.
"Luz meet Owlbert. He is my mom's palisman." He introduced the owl to Luz, holding out his hand.
"Hoo hoo." Owlbert said as he flew from Jett's hand and landed in front of Luz.
"Hello cute guy." Luz smiled as she began to tickle the little owl, causing he to coo in joy as he unfurled it's left wing to get more scratches.
"You have the gift with palisman." Jett commented.
"So we know she's a palisman whisperer. Great! Now give me the food!" King spoke loudly as if to give out his sentence.
"The food isn't even ready yet, Skull Bro."
"I'm hungry!" King's paws were still holding spoon, but his mouth was now drawn into a frown. Jett recognized that look immediately: he was pouting.
"Stop being such a nag." He fussed at demon.
"King of demons can behave the way he likes."
They started arguing like any siblings. Luz can say is that this probably part of morning routine, because Eda let her boys arguing with each other.
The witch was just sitting in her chair sipping her morning drink. With every sip, a bit more awake.
"What?" Eda asked when the mug was half-empty, and she was able to catch Luz staring at her.
"I am ready for my first day of Witch Apprenticeship."
"Good." Eda took another sip from her mug.
"Soooooo? Are you going to teach me spells? Hexes? Was I supposed to bring my own runes? When do I get my magic staff?" Luz gasped excitedly, "Do you have a dangerous magical quest for me!?"
"Woah, woah, woah slow down kid." Eda was wondered why humans possessed some odd ability to look like they had stars in their eyes. "Being a witch doesn't happen overnight. And who go on magical quest? This is real life not some animated fantasy series."
"Says the witch with the portal to another dimension." Jett commented and back to prepare meals.
"Smart ass." Eda glanced over to her son as she sipped her drink.
"Okay, so no quest." Luz was a bit disappointed but a different idea just popped into her mind. "How about a secret mission - for example mission that require disguise and sneak up to the top of the tower. I think about sneak into the prison for outlaws and misfits run by the ruthless shape-shifter, launch a riot to help prisoners escape, and use something explosive to gets out of that place in a big way."
"Whiskers and his fancy fellas will send you on a mission, I only agreed to be your mentor give you a roof over your head." Eda said, taking another sip of her beverage. "But I have to admit that I like your idea of mission."
"Does that mean-"
"Listen kid," Eda interrupted Luz, "While you're living under my roof, you abide by my rules. So rule number one - No lessons or questions about the magic lesson until I finished my Apple Blood and breakfast is eaten up."
"So my first lesson begin after breakfast?" Luz asked with a smile.
The Owl Lady did seem a little miffed when the human teen said this but her son served them breakfast before she can open her mouth and remind the human girl of first rule.
"Breakfast is ready." Jett put the food on the table.
"Yes!" King cheered as he stuff up with bacon. He also got a little bowl of something that looked like a blob of some sort with multiple eyes.
Luz looked at food on her own plate. A scrambled eggs with a little purple tentacles and two strips of pinkish bacon.
"You can eat this." Jett said, settling in the chair between her and King, a cup of chocolate milk in his hands that he drained in an instant. "When we were in the Order yesterday, I asked, for a list of all food human can eat."
Luz pick up scrambled eggs with a fork. Suddenly, the scrambled eggs leapt up with a tiny monster face, screaming in a squeaky tone.
She looked at the dish, uncertain, as she did her best to not hit it with her glass.
"Well, before you eat, you have to stick a fork in the middle of it. The scream scrambled eggs is a loud kind of food." Jett added before put a fork in his own breakfast, fast and surely shut scrambled eggs monster down.
"I guess I got to get used to this kind of food fight." Luz shrugged and put fork in her mouth.
Once that weird breakfast was done, Eda made Luz wait in the livingroom.
Now dressed in their proper clothes, Luz and Jett sat together on the couch. King, meanwhile, was looking for a place to take a power nap.
"Nervous?" Jett asked, stroking Howlitty's head.
"Excited." Luz answered before they heard the Eda coming towards the livingroom.
Taking a glance at the stairs, Luz was meet with the sight of Eda herself with a much less tired look on her face and The Good Witch Azura book in her hand.
"Okay, so before we get started, let me ask you something." Eda held up Luz's book. "All our knowledge of magic comes from this book?"
"More or less." Luz admitted.
"So, I'm gonna need you to take all the knowagle you have and flush it in the toilet." Eda threw book across the room... Luckily, Jett noticed Luz's horrified face and used his magic to stop book from falling into the fireplace. "Because this is nonsense and that book's flowery language is an insult to witches everywhere."
Luz's first instinct was to defend her favorite book but looked again at the Owl Lady and restrained herself. Eda is the witch. Then what's the point of argues her.
"So, just to be clear, I'm going to teach you how to be a witch. But not like the witch from your horrible little book. A true witch is being your OWN witch."
"My own witch...I like it. I want be that kind of witch!" Luz said eagerly.
"And being ma's apprentice, you're already on good way." Jett leaned casually against his end of the couch.
"Now..." Eda continued, "You'll learn something valuable and true about magic and witches. Listen carefully I am not going to repeat it."
"Do you mind if I record this?" Luz asked as she took out her phone.
"Make sure you get my good side." Eda replied as Luz began recording. "Alright, let's start class. There are 4 main types of magic users in the Magic Realm: witches, shamans, alchemists and wizards. But the last one are generally old hippies equipped with glittery pyjamas."
Luz looked at Eda with a confused expression. "I always thought that witches male counterpart are wizards."
"I'll forgive you this time only. And If I ever hear you said it again... you'll sleep outside in the company of Hooty." Eda warned her.
"Noted."
"Alright, so the basics that you need to know: magic-related things and a staff," Eda held out her hand. It had been silent for a second before the sound of distant crashing reached their ears. A long wooden staff with an owl perched on one end, it came flying and hit Eda in the head before she scramble to grab it.
"It's early."
"It's almost 10 in the morning, mom." Jett pointed to an old cuckoo clock.
"What did I just said?" Eda looked down at him before she continued the lesson, "Witches are awarded their staff from school."
"Like a graduation gift." Luz said as Eda nodded in agreement.
"Point being, the usual way is you get it from school. Still, you might as well do it yourself. I for one, made Owlbert." the witch said as she unscrewed the wooden owl from her staff, bringing it to life and holding it in her hands.
"So you're kind of like his parent?" Luz asked.
Eda seemed confused by this question, but she answered anyway, "In a way, yes."
"But by that logic, I'm younger brother and you're grandma." Jett commented with a smirk, stroking his own palisman's head. Making Howlitty purr.
"So, I'm a silver fox with a grandkid." Eda said with a pose while Owlbert flew on to Jett's left shoulder.
"Mom is one of a kind right, big bro?" The witchling boy asked Owlbert as he moved his hand to rubbed against his right cheek. The brown owl hooted in agreement, nuzzling his cheek.
"Awww." Luz said as she brought her hands to her cheeks. "I can't wait to made my own staff and palisman."
"It's a long journey from here to carve the palisman, kiddo." Eda said, getting everyone's attention again. "Now, back to the lesson. A witch's staff has power embedded into it, but before you can get a staff you need to know how to cast on your own."
"I can do this." Luz said as she held up a large, prepared light glyph and activated it, changing it into a large flash of light.
"And do you know how a human like you can cast other spell?" Eda asked, looking down on Luz.
"No." The teen girl shot a pleading look to Eda to tell the secrete, wanting to know how do this.
"Neither do I."
"What?!" Luz blinked in confusion.
"Look, whole glyph trick was conceived at a time when people balanced two worlds: Demon Realm and Human Realm. It was a Sorcerers and Enchantress' way of magic." Eda explained, "Witches and others magic users at the Boiling Isles had and still has their own magic. After the war we had no contact with the Human Realm and that version of magic."
"Doesn't Morgan Le Fay ever told someone the secret of this magic?" Luz asked hopefully.
Eda rubbed her chin, pondering on those words, "Morgan wrote down her memoirs and everything she knew about human magic in a few lair of the Saa, but in time, the knowagle of glyphs was forgotten. So, all I know is that glyphs work in a similar way as spell circles but were created in slightly different manners than normal spells, and was invented in the Boiling Isles."
"Oh," said Luz, unsure of what else to say.
"However, it is still a magic. Which brings us to rules of the process."
"What's it?"
"All kinds of magic has three parts; power to change reality, focus to direct that change, and an effect, that change in the real world. In your world, humans think magic is made out of thin air, but that's stupid. Everything comes from something. Let me ask you, kid. Where do you think witches magic comes from?" Eda asked as she glanced at Luz.
"Umm…" Luz blinked as Eda tossed her staff to the side. "The heart?"
"Actually, you're right." Jett said and Luz was super happy with that answer.
"Not really." Eda dug into her hair, pulling out a diagram of a heart that had a GIANT green thing attached to it. "It comes from a sac of magic attached to a witch's heart."
"Oh, gross! Can I keep that?" Luz pointed at picture.
"No." Eda answered, putting the scroll back in her hair. "Any other questions?"
"What is the source of my glyph's power?" Luz brought up a pretty decent question. "I don't have a magic sack." She noticed, her eyes searching a witch's face for an explanation.
"True," Eda said, putting a finger underneath her chin, "Well, the Ley lines had disappeared long ago... So, if I had to guess, I'd say you're using a wild magic like the first witches before we get the sack of magic."
"Wild magic?"
"Magic can exist on its own, independent of any spell." Eda answered.
"Such as the living shadows in Forever Fields of Fantoom, ametyst flames in the bogs by Lucitor Hill, and the singing crystal in the Infinitaur's labyrinth." The way Jett was talking, it sounded like he already saw a wild magic. And really liked it.
The Owl Lady nodded as she began to explain. "The original magic still exists in the flesh and bones of a fallen Titan, and this magic is the source of power for your glyphs. Don't bother asking for details, kiddo. I am not going to quote the magical gobbledygook from books."
Luz was slightly taken aback. She wasn't sure what to think about this. The sole fact that she can use a magic is a quite extraordinary. But knowing the glyphs are powered by some unbridled wild magic... that's another thing that she added to "something new and unexpected" pile.
"Okay step two - focus." Eda said, and her voise snapped Luz back to reality and from her thoughts. "This part is easy, you just imagine how your spell have to work and let this thought fusion with magic. But If you lose much of your focus, the effect can be truly problematic."
"For example, you can get stuck on the ceiling for 4 hours." King comment from his spot on the window, looking at Jett.
"That was one time! One!" He yelled in protest.
"And it was fun!" Hooty opened the door to face them, "I feel ticklish while you were walking all over the ceiling."
"Shut up, Hooty." Eda said, causing the house demon to grumble. She then looked back at Luz, "And last part the consequence in the world of the magic being unleashed, in witches case, to cause a effect you need to draw a spell circle."
With a motion of Eda's fingers, a circle made from gold magic energy appeared in front of her. The spell circle soon materialized a small orb of light. The orb descended down right to King's face and popped like a bubble making him sneeze.
"Awwww. That was the cutest sneeze ever!" Luz said in a babying voice.
"I'm NOT cute!" King exclaimed.
"Yes, you are, Skull Bro and there's no shame in that." Jett petted the skull-headed demon, "Everyone's got their thing. My thing is being cool. And you, you're cute."
"EEEEYYYHHH!" King squealed in rage before ran to other room still screaming in such a high pitch that Jett couldn't hold back anymore and bust out laughing with his mom doing the same.
"It's like a little tea kettle every time." Eda said as she wiped a tear from her eye with a snort. "Okay, where were we?" She resuming her teaching role.
"Spell circles." Luz replied.
"Everything depends on the spell circle. The larger the spell circle, the more powerful the spell." Eda formed a much bigger gold ring within the air and a gigantic ball of flames crackled within her palm.
Luz looked at the fire orb in awe, wondering how she can cast this kind of spell while Jett summoned a marshmallow bag from the kitchen and roasted them over fire.
"So to sum it up, the power source, focus, and bigger is better." the Owl Lady made a large ball of fire just vanish, "Lesson's over! Use the bathroom and both get ready for a trip. We leave in five minutes."
There were two variations of 'What' from both teenagers.
"We have a busy day ahead." Eda just said.
"So, lesson is really over?" Luz asked, putting down her phone.
"I learned you the necessary basics, and you know that you need more glyphs to use magic."
"But how can I found a new glyphs?"
Eda smirked and dug into her hair. "Write down any questions you have to ask me during the next lesson."
"But-"
"No "buts," kiddo. If you want more lesson, you'll have to work for it." She threw down a old book onto the table startling Luz. "I run a few businesses. My second favorite of all is selling the finest homemade elixirs and potions. And nasty centaur ordered Burning Bitterroot from me. So, you freeloaders, will help me find all the rare ingredients I need to make the potion."
She opened the book and showed them the names and pictures of some of ingredients.
"I call dibs on Lykosbane Flower." Jett tore out the page with flower information on it.
"That's the spirit." Eda picked up her staff, ignoring Luz's disappointed expression, then walked out of the livingroom to find King, and left the two teenagers alone.
"My first magic lesson, and I didn't even learned a new spell." Luz complain.
"If it's any consolation, my first magis lesson was - 'If you blow something up correctly, you have nothing left to fix', Sunbeam." Jett said as he hand her a perfect golden marshmallow.
Author's Notes:
So? How was that ? Review are loved ! :D
