The Emperor Strikes Back
Witch Hunt
It was a bright and sunny morning in Gravesfield as Luz woke up and smiled at the sun while Stringbean slithered on her shoulder and smiled while hissing. Luz smiled as she affectionately scratched Stringbean's belly, then she went down to the kitchen and ate breakfast with her family. Camila made scrambled eggs, which Eda and King enjoyed very much as they scarfed them down like animals. Luz and Vee ate more civilized while Camila watched them all with slightly a slightly surprised expression before she started eating her breakfast.
Eda and King quickly finished their eggs as Eda smiled with a full expression and said, "Nice cooking Camila. Tastes like hardboiled griffin eggs mixed with pan-snakes."
Camila smiled with uncertainty as she said, "Thank you, I think."
King then looked at Luz next to him and said, "So Luz, what are we gonna do today?"
Luz smiled at him lovingly as she joked, "Well there's lots to do you big loaf."
King got a happy look in his eyes as he threw his arms up and said, "Yes bread pun! Bread puns are back!"
He and Luz laughed happily while Vee smiled at them both and Eda showed a tedious expression as she watched them.
Camila then pointed at Luz as she reminded her, "Hold on Luz. You need to get ready for school."
Luz smiled at her mom as she said, "I know mom. I just wanted to have some fun with Eda and King before going."
King looked down as he sighed in disappointment until Luz smiled down at him and said, "Don't worry. We still have three whole days in the human realm. We'll have tons of fun together when I get home."
Vee smiled as she turned from King to Eda and happily said, "In the meantime you still have me and Camila to spend time with here."
Eda smiled at Vee as she respectfully said, "Thanks for the comfort kid."
Luz went upstairs and changed into her school clothes, and wore Eda's old jacket and her hat as she grabbed her backpack. She smiled as she hid Stringbean in her backpack and then went back downstairs as she prepared to leave.
She stopped and walked over to King as she lovingly said, "Bye King. Try not get in trouble while I'm gone."
She kissed King's skull and walked away as he shut his eyes and affectionately said, "Oh you."
She waved back at everyone as she walked out the door and said, "Bye."
She walked out and Eda glanced at everyone before smiling as she pulled out a deck of cards and said, "So, anyone up for a game of Hexes Hold'em? I could use the practice."
Over the next two days Luz would go to school, attend her classes, and do her homework before spending time at home with Eda, King, Vee, and her mother. On the first day, while she was at school she left Stringbean in her locker, when she would go to her locker she'd make sure no one was watching her. Then she'd play with Stringbean for a minute or two before saying "goodbye" to her and continuing with her day. While she was at school King and Eda stayed home with Vee and Camila as they did various things with them. King sat on Vee's tail and rode her as she laid down and wiggled her body as she playfully tried to buck him off like a horse, but King laughed as he stayed on and had fun. Camila played a few games of Hexes Hold'em with Eda while Owlbert sat on Eda's shoulder and watched them with interest. Eda beat Camila every time and she couldn't help but brag and gloat a little, which annoyed Camila but she tried to be a good sport. When Luz returned from school King happily climbed up her back and rested on her head while she smiled at him.
Stringbean later changed into her staff form and Luz held her as Eda showed a simple trick she could do with her Palisman. Luz twirled her staff around and then slammed the bottom on the ground, sending out a small wave of magic that made the room shake a bit. Nothing broke but the others wabbled on their legs for a bit before regaining their footing, then Camila applauded for Luz. Eda smiled proudly until Luz happily swung her staff and accidentally knocked Eda's head off, making Camila and Vee scream in horror. Luz calmly apologized to Eda, who forgave her, and Luz put Eda's head back on her body, but Vee and Camila still looked horrified. After dinner they all sat down in the living room and watched a movie together; Luz, Camila, and Eda sat on the couch while Vee and King sat on the floor in front of them. Vee had her tail curved behind King's back as he sat against it, then he grabbed the end of tail and rested it over his legs as if it were a blanket. Vee was surprised as she looked down at King, who looked comfortable as he snuggled against her tail, prompting her to smile lovingly at him.
The next day, while Luz was at school, Eda went out with Camila while King stayed home with Vee, who promised to watch him. Eda put on her old green headscarf with white polka dots and used it to cover up her pointed ears to pass off as human. They went to a sandwich shop and ordered two sandwiches, Eda went outside and grabbed a live raccoon and went back inside. Camila quickly stopped her and set the raccoon free before paying for the food with money, to which the cashier happily exchanged for their food. Camila smiled proudly while Eda glared at her with a mildly jealous expression, but then they took the sandwiches and left. Back at the house, Vee joined King as he played with some stuffed animals and pretended they were his minions. Vee pretended to be King's servant as she bowed to him and let him ride on her back as she slithered through the house. Then they went down to the basement, where Vee showed King some human stuff that he enjoyed a lot. She gave him some bubble wrap, which he happily started popping with his claws while Vee watched and giggled. Afterwards Vee took a nap as she laid her head on the arm of the couch and held the end of her tail in her hands.
King joined her as he climbed on the couch between Vee's head and arms, under her head as he curled up like an animal as he fell asleep with her. Vee opened her eyes and saw King sleeping with her as she smiled warmly and rested her left arm over him before going back to sleep. Eda and Camila came home and found King and Vee napping together and they both couldn't help but show warm loving smiles. Soon after, Luz came home and they shushed her to avoid waking them up, and when Luz saw Vee and King sleeping together she smiled adoringly. She quickly but quietly got a camera and took a picture of Vee and King napping on the couch and immediately printed it out and showed it to Eda and Camila. Later, after dinner, they all went in the backyard when it was dark outside as Eda showed Luz a new trick. Owlbert and Stringbean were both in their staff forms as Eda used Owlbert to shoot a small yell beam of light into the sky. Luz then used Stringbean to shoot a purple light into the sky as Camila, King, and Vee applauded for her.
Eda smiled proudly at Luz as she said, "That's my girl."
Camila pointed her right finger at Eda with a slightly protective expression before smiling proudly as she said, "Actually, that's MY girl. But good job Luz."
Luz smiled at her as she proudly said, "Thanks mama. It's nice to know that I don't need glyphs to do magic."
Vee then slithered toward Luz with her hands together as she curiously said, "Speaking of which, when you used the glyphs you were using Titan magic?"
Luz smiled at Vee and glanced around with her arms out before smiling at King while she said, "Yeah! The Titan wasn't completely dead yet and apparently he liked me and showed me how to use the glyphs to do magic. He liked me because I was so kind to his son, that's why he saved me and gave me the power to stop Belos and save everyone."
Vee was amazed as she said, "Wow!"
Luz showed a mildly disappointed expression before smiling at Stringbean while she said, "I'm a little sad that I can't use the glyphs anymore, but at least I still have Stringbean."
Vee then curiously looked down at King and asked, "Can you use glyphs to do magic King?"
King showed a disappointed expression as he shook his head before looking up as he said, "No. I've tried but I can't do any magic. All I can do so far is this."
He clinched his fists and turned his head straight up as he shut his eyes and opened his mouth as he emitted his sonic shout.
He sent out sonic waves from his mouth as he shouted, "Weh!"
The sonic waves went up into the sky before vanishing as everyone looked up and watched them with interest.
Vee was amazed as she smiled and said, "That's amazing!"
King showed an insecure expression as he said, "Thanks, but I do wish I could do more."
Luz held her hand out toward King as she honestly said, "You're still technically a baby King. You probably have to grow up more before you can do more."
King looked down as he insecurely said, "I know, I just want to feel special."
Vee smiled down at King as she said, "You are special King. You're a Titan, you've got natural magical abilities just like me. I can feed on magic and shapeshift to make myself look however I want."
King looked up at Vee as he pointed at her and honestly said, "That is pretty cool, but I like your natural form better."
Vee was surprised and flattered as she asked, "Really King?"
King kept looking up at her as he replied, "Yeah. It shows who you really are. Plus I like your long tail too."
She smiled at him with a flattered expression before changing to her human form while she said, "Thanks King. That means a lot. But I do have fun keeping up with appearances."
She then looked like Luz when she was pretending to be her, then she looked like Camila, then she turned into Gus.
When she turned into Gus she smiled egotistically and spoke with Gus' voice as she said, "And she's not the only one who's a master of appearances."
Luz happily laughed and said, "Yep! That's Gus alright!"
Vee then turned into Willow and smiled sweetly as she spoke with her voice and said, "And Vee's not the only one who's sweet but scary."
Camila smiled as she pointed at Vee and said, "Yes, you and Willow were so alike."
Vee then shapeshifted into Hunter before Belos possessed him and smiled proudly as she spoke with his voice and said, "And not the only one to be misunderstood."
Eda laughed as she pointed her finger at Vee and said, "I like this girl's style!"
Vee then shapeshifted to look like Eda, but she looked like Eda before her curse got stronger; both her eyes were golden, her hair was big, and she had Eda's old sleeveless red dress with the yellow stone.
Eda stopped laughing and watched with surprise, Vee spoke with her voice as she posed and picked up King while saying, "I'm Eda the Owl Lady! The most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles and mother of the last living Titan."
The real Eda couldn't help but smile as she watched Vee while Luz chuckled and Camila showed an amused smile.
King then happily climbed inside Vee's hair, much to her surprise, and he happily said, "Ooh yay! I've missed climbing inside Eda's hair ever since she cut it!"
Luz looked at Eda as she curiously asked, "Why did you cut your hair Eda?"
Eda looked away uncomfortably as she said, "Let's just say I was going through some issues while you and your friends were here in the human realm."
Luz sympathized but then they both looked back at Vee, still looking like Eda, when King poked his head out of her hair.
Vee turned around and looked at King as he happily eyed her and said, "Your hair is way cleaner than Eda's."
Vee had a flattered smile as she spoke with her regular voice and said, "Thanks King."
She then looked at Eda, who looked back at her with a frown as she looked at her double's arms, then she looked at what was left of her right arm.
Vee quickly changed back to her natural form with King on her head as she apologized, "Sorry Eda! I didn't mean to-"
Eda kept staring at her stub as she waved her hand and said, "It's fine kid. It's not your fault. My limbs have been coming off for years because of my curse. I always knew there was a chance of this happening one day. It took some getting used to but there's nothing I can do to change it, so I might as well not let it get me down."
Camila smiled with respect as she clinched her fist and said, "You are muy fuerte, Eda."
Eda showed half a smile as looked at Owlbert and said, "First I lost my magic and then my arm, but I still have Owlbert."
Vee moved closer to Eda as she closed her eyes and sniffed her, she stopped and opened her eyes as she said, "Your magic's not gone. I can smell it."
Eda was shocked as she said, "You can?!"
Vee nodded as she honestly replied, "Yeah. It's faint but I can smell the magic on you."
King curiously looked at Vee and pointed his thumb at himself as he asked, "Can you smell any magic on me?"
Vee looked down at King with a big smile as she happily said, "Absolutely! I've never smelled any magic like yours!"
King looked up at her with an enchanted look in his eyes as he said, "Really?"
Vee nodded as she happily said, "Yeah! It's not very powerful yet but it's very unique and smells like something that's going to grow into something big and strong. Like a Palistrum seed getting ready to sprout."
King that happily hugged Vee and she hugged him back as they both shut their eyes lovingly while Camila showed a warm smile.
Luz thought about what Vee said as she looked up at Eda and said, "If your magic's not really gone then maybe there's a way you can learn to do spells again, like when you mastered your harpy form."
Eda glanced up in thought as she said, "Hmmm…"
Suddenly they heard a ding in the house and King shut his eyes as he smelled something and said, "Something smells good!"
Camila smiled as she pointed her thumb behind her and said, "The alfajores are ready! Come on everyone!"
They all followed Camila back into the house, unaware that they were being watched by the spirit of Belos. He floated in the air as he watched them all enter the house, then he smiled evilly as he flew over Gravesfield and approached a certain house. In the house was Jacob Hopkins, who was in his office working on his computer, playing a video showing Gus on Halloween. His office had pictures and newspaper articles hanging on the walls about witches and demons in Gravesfield. He had several articles about Eda, a couple of photos of Gus, and some historical drawings of Philip and Caleb from the Gravesfield historical society. He also had a map of Gravesfield on the wall along with some pictures of buildings and houses around town, including the abandoned house. Belos was invisible as he phased into the office and stared at Jacob from behind as Jacob played a video he recording of Vee changing from her Luz disguise to her natural form.
Jacob paused the video as he angrily said, "If that lady hadn't helped that demon escape I'd have a way better office than this!"
Belos was still invisible as he smiled deviously and said, "This won't be hard at all."
He turned visible and then changed to look like his old form of Philip Wittebane as he slowly floated toward Jacob.
He spoke ominously as he said, "Jacob Hopkins."
Jacob turned around and cried in fear as he jumped out of his chair and grabbed a bat as he said, "A demon! A demon in my house! You're not taking my teeth!"
Philip floated in the air as he calmly said, "You have no need to fear me Jacob. I am no witch. I am the ghost of Philip Wittebane."
Jacob calmed down as he kept holding the bat and stared in shock as he said, "Wittebane? You're one of those witch hunter brothers who vanished hundreds of years ago!"
Philip showed a touched smile as he said, "Yes. It is so comforting to see that despite how much the world has changed my story is still remembered."
Jacob lowered his bat as he curiously asked, "Did you ever save your brother and kill that witch who took him?"
Philip glared with hatred as he said, "I wish! That vial sorceress took everything from me! She stole my brother's heart and lured him to her realm of evil! I tried to save him but she killed us both! Because of her I can never rest in peace!"
Jacob showed hatred as he crazily pointed at Philip and said, "She brought you both to Mars and tried to steal your teeth to power their interstellar time machines!"
Philip was confused by his crazy theory but went with it as he said, "Yes, you are brilliant, and that is why I've come to you. Jacob, I believe you have the potential to become a great witch hunter. A hero who can protect our world a great evil those monsters are about to unleash upon it."
Jacob dropped his bat as he clinched his fists and excitedly said, "Oh yes! I've been waiting for this moment my whole life! What do I do?!"
Belos waved his hand and created a life size illusion of King as he said, "You must capture this demon. Do not let his size fool you, he has much power growing inside him and if not stopped he will one day become powerful enough to threaten all of humanity."
Jacob stared at the illusion with a determined expression as he said, "I'll catch that little bonehead and expose him to the world!"
Philp held his hand out as he pointed a picture of Eda on the wall and said, "Be careful, he is not alone. She protects him."
Jacob looked at the picture before turning back to Philip as he said, "That witch who's been coming here for years, causing trouble."
Philip showed a serious expression as he said, "Yes, she is a very fierce woman and a descendant of the witch who destroyed me and my brother all those years ago!"
Jacob gasped in shock and then urgently said, "So she's hear to use that little demon to lure more humans to their world so they can takeover ours!"
Philip nodded and pointed at the computer screen and said, "Yes and they have that beast with them."
Jacob looked at his computer and he was shocked as he exclaimed, "I know that demon! I had her captured once until this crazy woman beat me up and freed her!"
Philip nodded as he made the illusion of King vanish and then made a illusions of Luz and Camila appear as he said, "Yes. She and her daughter have sided with these monsters and are planning to help them destroy our world."
Jacob was enraged as he said, "I knew she was trouble! She and her daughter have betrayed their own kind!"
Philip looked at the wall and pointed at a picture of Luz's house as he said, "They are all hiding out here."
Jacob clinched his fists as he said, "I'll catch that bone demon and stop those witches from stealing our teeth and enslaving mankind!"
Philip smiled deviously as he said, "You will, and I know exactly how you will do it."
The next day
It was Friday morning and Luz was already dressed for school as she joined everyone else at the table for breakfast. Eda and King were eating toast while Camila and Vee were enjoying pancakes and Luz poured herself a bowl of cereal.
Luz smiled at Eda and King as she happily started eating and said, "Just one more day of school in the human realm."
Eda smiled as she pointed her thumb behind her and said, "Yep. Then it's back to the Boiling Isles to finish working on the Owl House."
Luz smiled as she swallowed some cereal and then suggested, "You know, I was thinking, maybe we should bring some human stuff back with us. Something that could help us spruce up the Owl House a bit."
Eda smiled as she placed her finger on her chin as she said, "I wouldn't mind collecting some human garbage that I could sell at our stand."
Luz smiled as she turned from Eda to her mother while she said, "I could give Amity some of my Azura stuff, and I'm sure Gus and Hunter would like some more Cosmic Frontier stuff."
Camila smiled as she nodded in agreement, then King looked at Eda as he curiously asked, "Can I take some of those stuffed animals with me? I'd like to rebuild my army."
Eda smiled happily as she patted his head and said, "Sure kid."
Vee smiled as she turned from Luz to Eda and King as she said, "I'm gonna miss having you around Luz. You too Eda, and especially you King."
Luz smiled as looked at Vee and said, "Hey Vee, why don't you come back with us. You can stay with us in the Owl House if you want."
Vee got nervous as she smiled awkwardly and said, "Thanks Luz but I don't want to burden Eda in her house."
Eda smiled happily at Vee as she put her hand on the table and said, "Don't sweat it kid, the Owl House is a little packed right now but we got room for one more person. Plus, we could use a helping hand in getting things cleaned up."
Vee grew more nervous but kept smiling as she said, "Thanks Eda, and I'd like to help but Camila needs me here."
Camila smiled at Vee as she generously said, "It's okay Vee. I did fine while you were in summer camp and Luz was in the demon realm, I can handle one week of having the house to myself. You should go have fun with Luz and the others."
Vee was shocked as she stopped smiling and showed exactly how nervous she truly was, everyone looked at her with concern.
Luz then spoke up and asked, "What's wrong Vee?"
Vee glanced around at everyone as she insecurely said, "I don't think I'm ready to go back to the Boiling Isles. I'm a basilisk, we were extinct until Belos brought us back, I'm not even sure why. Technically I shouldn't exist. The reason I chose to stay in the human realm is because I thought I found a place where I could have a life. I'm not sure I even belong in the demon realm."
Luz empathized as she kindly said, "I know how you feel Vee. On my first day on the Boiling Isles I made some big mistakes and got myself, Eda, and King into a lot of trouble. The demon realm was not what I was hoping it was and I thought about quitting and going home, but Eda showed me that even though the Boiling Isles wasn't perfect it was still great. There were times when I thought I'd never be able to be a great witch and that I wasn't meant to be there, but Eda and King showed me that we make ourselves special by choosing what we want. You need to take a chance and try to find where you belong."
Vee's spirit was lifted slightly as she looked at Luz and asked, "But what if the people won't accept me?"
Eda spoke honestly as she smiled and said, "Look Vee, sometimes it hurts when people say bad things about you and treat you like a monster or a criminal, but if we listened to what jerks and dopes thought about us we'd spend our lives hiding in a cave. You need to respect yourself and just block out what anyone else thinks."
Luz smiled as she said, "Yeah and not everyone's the same. People can be cruel and harsh, but they can also be nice and welcoming. Look at Hunter, Amity, Willow, and Gus."
Vee smiled as she thought about them but then frowned with uncertainty as she said, "I don't know."
King then hopped out of his seat and sat on Vee's lap as he looked up at her and sincerely said, "Come on Vee. I like you, I accept you, and I'd really like you to come back with us."
She showed a warm smile at him before looking at the others as she said, "Okay, I'll think about it."
King closed his eyes as he happily threw his arms out and exclaimed, "Yay!"
Luz then stood up and grabbed her backpack as she happily said, "I'll see you guys after school."
They all waved at her as they happily said, "Bye!"
They walked to the front door and watched Luz walk out as she headed to the school bus while waving back at them.
After she left Vee looked at Eda and King as she said, "You know, before we head back there's one place I want to check out."
She put her headscarf on and grabbed King and her staff while Vee shapeshifted to her human disguise and they flew away. Camila closed the front door and smiled as she went back inside to clean up the table while humming to herself. Unbeknownst to any of them, Jacob Hopkins was standing across the street, hiding in a bush with Philip's spirit beside him.
They watched everything as Jacob held binoculars and said, "They really are harboring demons!"
Philip glared with hatred as he said, "Yes, those corrupted souls!"
Jacob watched Eda, King, and Vee fly on Owlbert while he said, "They're getting away!"
Philip smiled evilly as he said, "Not to worry, I know exactly where they are going."
He then flew off and Jacob quickly followed him; shortly after Eda landed outside the old abandoned house as she and the kids got off Owlbert.
King stared at the house as he curiously asked, "What is this place?"
Eda stared at it for a moment as she replied, "This is where the old portal door opened up whenever it opened to the human realm."
Vee raised her finger as she added, "It's also where we found the rebus that led to the hidden Titan Blood."
Eda looked back at her as she said, "What? Whoa, I've been coming here for thirty years and fixing it up and I never found any secret code."
Vee was surprised as she said, "You'd been coming here for thirty years? But it looked abandoned before we came."
Eda nodded with surprise as she said, "Oh yeah! You should've seen the place when I first found it. You wouldn't even recognize it. There were cobwebs, bugs, and mold everywhere. Heck there were even two empty graves in the basement."
Vee gasped in shock and horror while King curiously asked, "So why did the portal door always open up here?"
Eda showed a stumped expression as she said, "I don't know. I never found out who lived her or what happened to them. I just used this place as a hideout whenever I'd come here."
Vee was surprised as she said, "Wow."
They walked into the house and Eda looked around with a surprised expression as she said, "Wow, this place has changed a lot since the last time I saw it."
Vee followed her as she explained, "Yeah, when Hunter, Amity, Willow, and Gus were stuck here we hung out here a lot as we tried to build a new portal door. We cleaned it up a little."
Eda turned back to Vee with a slightly annoyed expression as she said, "I don't suppose you kept any of the human garbage I stored here for safekeeping?"
Vee smiled sheepishly as she said, "Sorry, we threw it all out."
Eda sighed in exasperation before looking around as she said, "Oh well, there's probably something around here I can sell."
Outside, Jacob was staring at the house as he said, "This place?!"
Next to him, Philip smiled deviously as he said, "I knew they would come here eventually. Now Jacob, do as I told you and remember the plan."
Jacob nodded as he took off running to carry out the plan while Philip watched him with a sinister grin on his face.
Eda lifted the purple beanbag chair as she said, "This sack chair will probably make me some money."
Vee smiled as she suggested, "Or you could keep it for the Owl House."
While they were talking King started sniffing the air with his eyes closed as he smelled something; he opened his eyes and turned around as he walked out the front door. He curiously looked around as he followed the smell and walked around the left side of the house as he kept sniffing.
He stopped when he saw an alfajores on the ground near the trees, he happily ran for it as he said, "An alfajores, and it's all mine!"
Back in the house, Eda kept staring at the beanbag as she replied to Vee's suggestion and said, "Nah, this sack chair doesn't look so comfy. I already have my nest and it's way better than this. What do you think King? King?"
Hearing no response, she and Vee looked around and noticed King was gone, they grew worried as Vee said, "King, where are you?"
They jumped as they suddenly hear King yell, "Weh!"
They both simultaneously yelled, "King!"
They ran outside and stopped when they saw King in a cage, being held by Jacob Hopkins as he smiled and said, "Now I've got you, you little bonehead!"
Vee was shocked as she stared at him and said, "Jacob Hopkins?!"
Eda glared at Jacob as she pointed at him and demanded, "Hey buddy, that's my bonehead! Let him out now!"
Jacob glared at her and Vee as he held the cage close and defiantly said, "Never! I know who you are witch, and I remember you shapeshifter! You had that woman rescue you from me so you could bring this demon here to takeover our world and steal all of our teeth! That woman and her daughter have been helping you in your plot! Now I'm going to stop you!"
He then pulled out a smoke bomb and threw it to the ground as he made his escape in the cloud of smoke.
When it cleared he was long gone and Vee fearfully cried, "King!"
Later in the afternoon, Luz walked out of school and was shocked to see Eda, Vee, and Camila standing in front of her with nervous expressions.
Camila urgently said, "Luz, we have a problem."
They brought her back to the abandoned house as they explained everything, and Luz exclaimed, "He took King?! How did he even know about you guys?!"
Vee shrugged as she frantically said, "I don't know! He followed us here and then trapped King and took him!"
Eda showed a serious expression as she said, "Figure that out later, right now we need to find and save King from that nutcase!"
Camila shrugged with her palms out as she said, "He could be anywhere by now."
Luz got an idea as she looked at Vee and asked, "Vee, can you follow King's scent?"
Vee nodded as she said, "Definitely. I can follow King's scent easily."
Eda looked at her as she hastily said, "Okay, then lead the way! We have to find them ASAP!"
Vee looked at Eda with her hands together as she nervously said, "But I'm not that fast! I can follow the smell of King's magic but we'll never catch up to them on foot!"
Eda looked at Vee as she urgently said, "Then fly!"
Vee was confused as she asked, "Fly?"
Eda looked at Vee as she said, "Yeah, you can turn into anything right? Can't you just give yourself wings and fly after them?"
Vee's eyes widened with uncertainty as she said, "I don't know. I never tried anything like that before."
Eda urgently said, "Well it's time to find out!"
Vee nodded as she changed to her natural form and closed her eyes as she held her arms out to her sides. Her arms then transformed into large wings like a bat's, Luz and Camila smiled with amazement and pride.
Vee opened her eyes and started flapping her wings as she happily said, "I can fly! I can fly!"
Eda then spoke seriously as she said, "Good now follow King's scent and lead us to him!"
She nodded and then sniffed as she said, "I've got him! Follow me!"
Luz and Eda sat on their staffs and Camila sat behind Luz as they flew after Vee as she kept flapping her wings and followed the trail.
Meanwhile, Jacob still had King caged up in his basement as he muzzled him and said, "Once everyone sees you they'll know that I'm right! Demons and witches exist and they're a danger to us!"
King glared up at Jacob as he said, "You're the dangerous one! Let me out of here!"
Jacob pointed at King as he said, "No way bonehead! You're not going anywhere!"
He turned around and walked back upstairs to find Philip's spirit waiting for him as he said, "Good work Jacob. Now that you have him the rest will come to you. Be ready."
Jacob smiled as he put on armor and grabbed a sword as he said, "Oh, I'm ready!"
Vee flew in front of the house and landed as Luz, Camila, and Eda landed behind her as their Palismen changed to their living forms and rested on their shoulders.
Vee's wings turned back into her arms as she pointed at the house and said, "King's in there!"
They went up to the front door and tried to open it but it was locked, Stringbean then flew to it and turned the ball on the end of her tail into a stinger. She used it to pick the lock and then opened the front door, prompting Luz to pet her affectionately. They entered the house quietly and looked around as they closed the door behind them, careful not to make any noise. They glanced around and saw newspaper articles on the walls about witches, magic, and demons.
Some of them had pictures of Eda, prompting her to say, "This guy's a conspiracy nut."
Vee showed a worried expression as she said, "He doesn't know much about us but he knows enough to be a problem."
Luz showed an urgent expression as she said, "Then let's find King and get out of here."
They all nodded as they spread out and searched for any sign of King, they looked under and around furniture for any clue. Luz gazed at some of the newspaper articles on the wall and stopped when she noticed some pictures from the Gravesfield Historical Society. She noticed a few pictures of Philip and Caleb and a vague drawing of the witch who they met all those years ago. Luz's curiosity got the best of her as she looked at more of these historical pictures and then stopped when she saw one of Caleb with a red cardinal in his hand.
Luz couldn't help but stare at the picture as she softly said to herself, "Flapjack?"
She jumped a bit when Vee suddenly said, "Everyone, over here. King's down there. I can smell him."
They all gathered by a staircase that led to the basement as Luz narrowed her eyes as she said, "Okay, let's do this."
They all quietly crept down the stairs and entered the basement as they glanced around until they spotted King in a cage at the other end of the room.
Luz happily ran toward him as she exclaimed, "King!"
King watched her and held his paws out in fear as he said, "Luz don't! It's a trap!"
Suddenly Jacob jumped out yelling as he swung his sword at Luz, she swiftly dodged it but the tip of his cut her arm as she let out a cry of pain.
Everyone was horrified as they yelled, "Luz!"
She fell to the floor and Jacob pointed his sword, which was stained with her blood as he said, "Stay away from my demon kid!"
Luz stood up and glared at him as she said, "That demon is MY little brother!"
Stringbean flew beside her and transformed into her staff form as Luz held her out toward Jacob, he was shocked as he said, "You're a witch!"
Luz smiled proudly as she said, "And proud of it!"
She then swung her staff at him and knocked the sword out of his hand, but then he kicked her and knocked her on her back.
Camila pulled out her chancla and ran at Jacob as she fiercely yelled, "Stay away from my little girl!"
Jacob saw her and avoided being hit by her chancla before grabbing her and throwing her to the floor as he said, "Not this time!"
Vee then slithered toward the cage to try and help King, but Jacob jumped in front of her with a crazy smile on his face. Vee faced her fears as she glared at Jacob and roared viciously before jumping at him with her arms out, but he threw a net at her and caught her.
She was stuck as he smiled and said, "Yes! Two demons for the price of one! Now who's crazy?!"
Eda marched toward Jacob as she glared daggers at him and he prepared to fight her, but she changed to her harpy form and towered over him. He showed a scared expression as she grabbed his left arm and slammed him against the wall, knocking some papers and stuff over.
She stared him in the face as she fiercely said, "Give up now before you face the wrath of two angry moms."
Camila agreed as she stood next to Eda and glared at Jacob while pounding her chancla in her hand threateningly. Luz used her staff to shoot a small magical beam of energy that freed Vee from the net, then they both let King out of the cage and hugged him tenderly.
Jacob glared at all of them as he defiantly said, "You'll never get away with this! I know where you live! I know where to find you!"
Eda kept holding him as she said, "Then it's a good thing we're leaving soon!"
She then threw him aside and he screamed as he fell on a pile of boxes as his head hit the wall, knocking him out.
They all left and returned to the Noceda house when it was dark and Vee smiled as she said, "I'm glad we don't have to worry about him anymore."
Luz showed an unsure expression as she said, "About that, Vee I think you HAVE to come back to the Boiling Isles with us now."
Camila agreed as she said, "She's right Vee. Jacob knows where we live, it's not safe for you all to stay here anymore. You have to go back to the demon realm."
Vee looked down in disappointment as she said, "I guess I have no choice. I was afraid this would happen one day."
Vee smiled as she placed her hand on Vee's shoulder and said, "Cheer up kid. You'll be safe with us. And you don't have to leave forever. That nutcase is a real pushover, and he has no idea how to get to the demon realm. You just have to leave until the heat dies down."
Camila smiled before showing a fierce expression as she said, "Eda's right, no one will believe him. And if he ever comes at this house again I will teach him to mess with my family!"
Luz smiled as she agreed, "It'll probably be safe to come back in a week or so."
King smiled as he climbed on Vee's back and happily said, "And in the meantime you'll have lots of fun with us in the Owl House."
Vee smiled with comfort as she glanced at everyone and said, "Thanks everyone. Maybe I am finally ready to go back."
They walked in the house and Eda smiled as she said, "Okay, let's get all the human junk we want to bring back home and then get a good night's sleep."
Luz was walking as she smiled Eda before looking up with curiosity as she said, "Great idea Eda, but I still wonder how Jacob knew where to find you guys in the first place."
Back at Jacob's house
Jacob was still unconscious when Philip phased into the basement and then changed back to his appearance as Emperor Belos.
He leered at Jacob as he said, "Thank you for your help Jacob, but I don't need you anymore."
He looked down at Jacob's sword and picked it up, he removed Luz's blood from it and put it all into a vile before plugging it.
He held it in front of his face with an evil smile before turning and floating away while he said, "A shame I wasn't able to capture the young Titan, but I will have him soon enough. For now, I have what I wanted, now I only need one more thing from Luz and then I will have my greatest ally."
Author's note: That's the end of chapter 4. The plot thickens as Belos begins to succeed with his latest plan. Vee is going back to the Boiling Isles with Luz, King, and Eda and things will be very interesting. I foreshadowed events of future chapters in this but I'm not spoiling anything. We saw some good character development as well as Vee conquering her fear of Jacob and learning more about herself. Eda is teaching her like she is teaching Luz. Please review.
