AN: If you ever see me call Monarch "King", or use he/him pronouns for them, correct me immediately because that is an error.
Funf: Eda's accent is Original Pronunciation English. Scots+Southern US is just the closest Luz can get to describing it. If you want an example, try the Atun-Shei Films YouTube channel and go to the "Witchfinder-General" playlist. I'd post a link, but this lovely sight won't let me.
On an entirely unrelated note, a second version of this fic has been uploaded to Archive Of Our Own with images.
The tingling, watery sensation surrounded Luz, filling her entire body as she passed through the portal. It was not a painful sensation, but not pleasant either. Within seconds, it was gone as Luz felt her feet plant themselves on solid ground. Her vision cleared and Luz beheld a new world.
Red grass stretched across the ground, an earthy orange color. She appeared to be in some sort of natural area, standing atop a hill overlooking a red expanse. Scarlet trees pockmarked the landscape, but Luz's eyes were drawn to three towering formations piercing out of the ground. They looked almost like small mountains with the way the landscape sloped towards them, but they weren't made of rock but some other material, weathered and chipped and ancient. With a start, Luz realized that they resembled nothing more than massive rib bones.
Her gaze cast to the sky, which was a deep ochre similar to sunset… if not for the fact that the sun was in the middle of the sky. Small black shapes flitted across the sky, wings outspread. Luz thought they were birds at first, but then they flew overhead and the shadow they cast was the size of a truck.
The place was swelteringly hot and humid. Luz felt perspiration gathering on her brow, and all around her she could hear a faint hissing sound, like a pot boiling in another room.
Luz turned around. The door was still behind her, that wet-looking yellow eye still gazing at her out of the wood. The frame wasn't connected to anything on this side either, simply sitting on the grass. Her gaze turned to the right and fell upon a large house, squatting a few feet away from her next to a scarlet forest. The house stood about two stories tall, and was made from white brick, with a sloping blue roof. The second floor had a massive round stained-glass window resembling nothing so much as a huge orange eye. A stone tower grew behind the house, in obvious disrepair.
Slowly, Luz walked towards the house. The door had a strange design etched into it, resembling a golden owl in a diamond shape. Luz's fist raised to knock on the door, but stopped. Who'd want to let her in? She was a reject. A street punk. Her own mother didn't want her.
Luz snarled, and punched the door. It burst open with a crack, swinging aside to reveal a dark room. The shadows of furniture loomed out of the blackness. "Hello?" Luz called. No reply came. Tentatively, she stepped into the house. Old floorboards creaked under her shoes.
Suddenly, Luz heard a clicking, scampering noise as small footsteps rushed past her. Luz whirled around, but saw nothing. Her arm shot up to her back and drew her bat. "Who's there?!" Luz roared.
A heavy, warm, weight slammed into her back, about the size of a bowling ball. Luz let out a cry of surprise and stumbled, barely keeping her balance as four sets of sharp claws latched onto her back. Teeth dug into her shoulder, tearing through her skin in a burst of pain. Her bat clattered to the ground as Luz staggered through the room, nearly bent double as the creature- whatever it was- clung to her. It snarled as it dug its teeth in.
Luz's hands shot to her back and seized something furry. She wrenched it off of her in a burst of strength and hurled it away. There was a thud as the creature hit the ground, then scampered away behind a table. Luz grabbed her bat and charged after it, anger rushing through her mind and driving her forward.
Luz rounded the table and spotted something small and furry lying on the floor, swinging her bat towards it on sight. Her eyes had just enough time to notice that it was, in fact, a stuffed rabbit with a vial of orange liquid tied to it before her bat smashed into it and shattered the vial with a tinkling. Smoke rushed out, filling Luz's lungs. She coughed and staggered away, a sudden wave of fatigue pressing down on her. Her vision blurred as she fought to keep her eyes open, her body begging to just lie down here and now and catch some shut-eye.
A furry weight slammed into the back of Luz's ankle. Her leg went out from under her and Luz collapsed to the floor. A tinny voice shouted "Good work, men!" as everything went black, and that was all Luz knew.
A bright light shone through the darkness, and a high-pitched voice echoed around her as if at the end of a tunnel. Everything was blurry when Luz opened her eyes. She tried to stand up, only to feel tight bonds holding her back. Luz blinked as her vision cleared.
She was surrounded by stuffed animals. Bears, rabbits, elephants, unicorns, and some things she didn't even recognize were all sitting around her. All of them had various knives, swords, clubs, and broken bottles in their laps. Luz was sitting up, tied securely by several coils of rope, her back pressed against something heavy yet soft. Luz looked up and let out a yelp at the massive plush ursine face staring down at her. Apparently, she was currently tied up to the biggest teddy bear she'd ever seen in her life.
Luz took a moment to blink at the sheer absurdity of the situation. Tiny footsteps approached, clicking on the floor. "So, you thought you'd break into the Owl House when no one was home, eh?" came a voice that was probably meant to sound intimidating but held the consistency of helium. "Well, sorry to say, but someone was home! I! The Prince(ess) of Demonkind!"
A small form stepped out in front of the various stuffed animals. It was covered in tan-blonde fur and walked on its hind legs. Its head had no skin, simply a white skull like that of a deer. It had two sharp antlers, one of which had the tip broken off. Two red eyes sat in its sockets, and it wore a golden medallion.
"Is that a talking raccoon?" said Luz dully. There wasn't really much of a filter between her thoughts and her mouth at this point.
The creature puffed up its chest. "A raccoon?! How dare you?! I have never been so insulted in all my life! What's a raccoon?"
"A trash panda," said Luz.
"Oh. Well, I have never been so insulted in all my life and all that." It paused. "Although trash is tasty."
Luz strained against her bonds, trying to get free. The demon laughed. "Struggle all you want! You are now my prisoner, and that means you can never escape!" It turned away from her to look at a stuffed rabbit holding a mace. "Do you see this, Francois? I caught a prisoner! Hah! My parent's gonna be so proud when they hear this!" The demon began pelvic thrusting.
"Is watching this a particularly inventive form of torture?" asked Luz.
"Weh!" barked the demon. "You should be grateful to be in my presence! I am Monarch, heir to the throne of all Demonkind! Someday, when my parent returns and gives me their crown, I shall rule all of the Boiling Isles!"
"Uh-huh," said Luz.
"Uh-huh!" shouted Monarch.
"Uh-huh," said Luz.
"Uh. Huh," said Monarch. "Now! Who are you that would infiltrate my domain?! A spy? A saboteur? A door-to-door salesman?!"
Frustration boiled up in Luz's gut, a familiar sensation. "I'm not a fucking spy! I just walked in the door because I was looking for a place to stay, and then some goddamn furry creep jumped me!"
"Ooh, new words," said Monarch.
"Let me go! I don't care about your stupid house! Just let me go!
"Never!" shouted Monarch. "You shall become my prisoner from now until the end of time! For thou hast eaten of the foods of the Owl House, and therefore, thine soul be bound to it!"
"But I haven't eaten anything!" exclaimed Luz.
There was a pause.
"You're sure?" said Monarch eventually.
"Oh, no, wait, I just happened to raid your fridge in the two fucking seconds I was in this house before you jumped me! Of course I haven't eaten anything!" Luz snapped.
Monarch took a moment to consider things. Then, they ran off and quickly returned with a red fruit. "Want a doomegranate?"
"NO!"
"You fiend!" Monarch hissed.
"You're the one holding me prisoner!" Luz retorted. She threw herself at her bonds, sheer annoyance giving her strength. She managed to tip herself forward, but immediately felt the weight of the massive teddy bear shift onto her back. It immediately pushed her to the ground, the massive plushie covering her entire body and pinning her down. Luz let out a muffled scream of rage, thrashing against the heavy bear. She heard Monarch laughing at her plight.
The door opened. Monarch abruptly stopped laughing. Luz heard a faint musical chime, and suddenly she felt her bonds go slack around her. Another faint musical chime and the bear was lifted off of her. Luz looked up and saw that nobody was holding it, but instead it was floating in the air, surrounded by a faint orange light.
Her jaw fell agape as she turned to look at the door to the house, a woman now standing in the frame. She was evidently albino, her skin paler than anyone Luz had seen before. She wore a brown cloak over scraps of bronze armor, and a sash over her chest held several phials of various liquids. A small yellow gemstone was embedded in her armor's chestplate. Her silver hair was a massive mane of tangled knots which hung down her back, and her ears ended in points. She was holding a wooden staff topped with a carving of an owl.
Monarch reacted first. "Eda! You are home! As I knew you would be! I have caught a spy! Hurry, get out the crock-pot. Looks like meat's back on the menu."
The woman- Eda, Luz supposed- raised her eyebrow. "A spy, Monarch? A human, teenaged spy?" She had a very strange accent, sounding vaguely like a mix of Scottish and Southern U.S.
"Ooh, she's human, huh? Well, that explains the ears," said Monarch.
Luz's voice finally jumped into her throat, reacting fast, doing anything to get out of here alive. "I'm not a spy! He's lying! I just walked into this place through a weird door and stepped in your house for a second! Just let me go!" Desperation edged into her voice at this. She grabbed one of the various knives held by Monarch's stuffed animals and thrust it out in front of her, backing up against the wall.
Eda didn't seem to react. Slowly, she walked toward Luz, staff in hand. Monarch quickly scampered away from the two women. Luz tightened her grip on the knife, preparing for a fight.
Then, Eda calmly, slowly, stretched out her hand and placed it on Luz's arm. Luz knew she should throw it off, but somehow… it didn't feel like Eda was trying to hurt her. It just felt calming, like an anchor in a furious tempest. "Easy, kid," came Eda's voice, low and steady and soothing. "Just breathe."
Luz hadn't even realized that she was hyperventilating. She tried to slow down her breaths, but they seemed to catch in her throat. Eda took in a deep breath and let it out. Then again. Hesitantly, slowly, Luz tried to match the older woman's breathing. Her heart's drumbeat started to slow as her taut muscles relaxed.
The knife fell out of her hands and clattered to the floor.
Eda gave Luz a smile, and it made something in her chest burn. She wasn't sure if she liked it or not. Slowly, Luz dropped back to the floor, sitting up against the wall. Eda squatted next to her. "Now, what's your name, kid?" she asked.
"Luz Noceda," said Luz immediately, and felt a pang in her chest at the words. But was she, though? After she had run away from her mom like that, was she really still a Noceda?
Eda spoke again. "Well, I'm Edalyn Clawthorne. Most people call me the Owl Lady. The little hairball over there is Monarch. I'm sorry about them. They're just a little bit crazy, is all." Monarch didn't react to that at all. "Now, Monarch. What do you say to Luz here?"
Monarch looked up at them, defensive. "You're really gonna make me say it?"
"Monarch," said Eda in a voice that left no room for arguing.
The little demon sighed. Then, in a quieter voice than before, said "Luz Noceda… I'm sorry I attacked you and tied you up. I was never going to eat you. I just saw you break into the Owl House, and thought I could finally show off how dangerous I could be." They shifted from foot to foot, clicking their claws on the floor. "But you're not just some doll for me to practice on. You're a person. And I shouldn't have attacked you. I'm sorry."
Luz didn't react for a moment. Then said, in a flat tone, "Where's my bat?"
"Oh, I gave it to Chabrol! One second!" said Monarch, scampering off.
Luz turned to Eda. "Chabrol?"
"I think it's a big stuffed snake," said Eda. She traced a small circle in the air, yellow light trailing from her finger as a humming chime sounded. The eyed door floated into the house, surrounded by that yellow glow.
Luz blinked and replayed that in her head a couple times. Then, she sighed. "Where am I, Miss Clawthorne? Who… who are you?"
"Sheesh, kid! No need for that! You can just call me Eda," said Eda. "As for where you are…" She gestured out the window to the world outside. Dark clouds were gathering overhead, but Luz could still make out the red plants and the massive rib bones. "You're in the Owl House, on the outskirts of the Intestine Forest, about twenty miles from the city of Bonesborough. But you'd have no idea where that is, seeing as it's not on Earth."
"N-not on Earth?" said Luz, her head swimming. This was a lot to take in. She had, of course, thought that she might be on a different world after stepping through the door (portal, her mind supplied). But hearing it outright was something else entirely.
"Yep!" said Eda. "Welcome to the Boiling Isles, kid. Premiere (and only) nation on the planet of Daemonicus. Inhabited by witches, such as yours truly."
Luz looked at Eda's pointed ears again. "You're not just calling yourself that, are you…"
"Nope," said Eda. "I'm a witch. I got magic, I got cauldrons, I got the cackle, I got it all, baby! Although I don't eat kids. They're too icky." She tapped her staff on the ground, and with a hoot, the owl carving on top of it spread its wings and fluttered into the air, wood turning into feathers. The staff part vanished.
Luz tentatively held out her hand, and the owl landed on her outstretched palm. It was surprisingly light, its feathers a silky texture. With a hoot, it fluttered into the air again and landed on her shoulder. "Aw, Owlbert likes you," said Eda. The woman got up, her armor scraps clinking. "Now then! Don't let me keep ya! Here, let's get the portal door working."
Eda reached into the tangled knots of her hair and took out a key, another yellow eye growing out of it. She walked over to the- portal door, she called it?- and inserted the key into the doorknob with a wet sucking sound. She twisted and there was a crackle of ozone. The door swung open to show that familiar brown void, rippling with blue and yellow and scattered with stars. "I went over to your planet to get a tan. If you ask me, those salons you guys have are real magic. But, I was in such a hurry, I forgot to close the door behind me. Didn't mean for some kid to trip through. Go on, then." She motioned to the door.
Luz's legs stood up, but her brain was frozen. She could go back to Earth… but what would be waiting for her? Camila, hating her for being a screwup? The Paul Stearne Reparative Institute for Criminal Youth? Her father's grave?
She drew back from the portal, hesitant. Eda looked at Luz, her gaze concerned. "Luz… you do want to go back home, don't you?"
Luz broke. Tears gushed from her eyes as she sobbed. Home? Sure, she wanted to go home. But her mother didn't want her there. All she could remember was Camila smiling as she got ready to throw out her bat, her cigarettes. She found herself curled into a ball on the floor, grief wracking her limbs as tension's claws seized her gut.
Suddenly, she felt a pressure on her shoulder. She looked up to see Eda's arm rubbing her shoulder, steady and firm. The witch took off her cloak and draped it over Luz. It was ratty and worn, but warm, and Luz felt it calm her slightly.
She fumbled around in her jacket and pulled out one of her packets of cigarettes. Shakily, she took one out and put it to her lips. "G-got a light?" she said, her voice cracking.
Eda traced a small circle of light, and a golden ember flickered at the tip of the cigar. Luz inhaled, and the smoke filled her brain. She felt herself grow numb to the emotions that were tearing her apart. Eventually, the tears stopped.
Mechanically, Luz grabbed a quill pen and a piece of paper off a table and started doodling designs while she smoked. "Here, try drawing this," said Eda. The witch traced a circle and conjured a globe of light. It floated in the air, shining through a vase, fractured into innumerable pockmarks of light. Luz studied the light through the vase carefully and saw that the fractures seemed to be forming a strange, runic pattern, as if the orb was a lightbulb with that shape as its filament. She did her best to sketch it out on the page:
By the time she was done with her sketch, the cigar had gone out. Luz sighed and folded up the paper, sliding it under her beanie.
Eda said, gently, her voice measured "Luz, why don't you want to go back to Earth?"
Luz hesitated. Did she really want to tell Eda? Who knows how the witch might react. But as she opened her mouth, the story began to pour out. How she'd been smoking and cutting class. How Hal had used that to expel her. How furious Camila had been, and how she wanted to send her to the Paul Stearne Institute. How Luz had grabbed her bat and ran. At some point, Monarch had returned down the stairs with her bat and was listening intently.
"And I just don't know what to do!" Luz finished. "I love my mamí and I want to go back to her, but she doesn't want me!" She paused and cast her eyes to the floor. "And she's right. Who'd want a screwup like me? I just… I wish I could be better and still be… me."
"Now stop right there," said Eda. "Just because you're different doesn't make you worse. In my opinion, you don't need to change!" She sighed, and said more quietly, "But that's not going to help you with your mom, is it?"
Luz didn't respond.
"Well, I'm no expert on this stuff," said Eda. "My sister and I never knew our parents."
"But I think she'd be a great mom if she ever wanted to be!" interjected Monarch.
Eda gave them a fond smile, and said "But I wouldn't say your mom doesn't want you. She just learned that you'd gotten kicked out of school, right?" Luz nodded mutely. "Well, that can be a hell of a shock to people. She's probably still panicking, and she's not in her right mind. When that Hal guy gave her that pamphlet about that institute, she probably saw it as an out, a way to make everything fine again. She hasn't fully thought this through."
"You really think so?" said Luz.
"I do," said Eda with a reassuring smile. "And what's more, I think you can talk things out with her. You said you guys have a pretty good relationship, right?" Luz nodded mutely, and Eda said, "Well, then she's probably just now realizing that this wasn't a good idea for you. Kids running away is something that makes any decent parents start to think. If you go home and talk it out with her, I bet you'll be able to come to another conclusion. Maybe you wean yourself off the cigarettes a bit and look for another school, and you stay far away from the… Preston Steam Whatever. Would you be okay with that?"
Luz sat there for a minute, running that possibility through her head. Then, slowly, she nodded. "Yeah," she said. "Yeah, I think I'd be okay with that."
Eda smiled and helped Luz to her feet. "C'mon, kid. Let's getcha home."
Luz blinked. "You're… going to help me home?"
"Sure! After everything you've told me, no way am I letting this end any way but happily!" Eda laughed. It didn't meet her eyes. Then, she said, more somberly, "It's… difficult… to fight with your family. When the only people you can count on… hate you. So!" She clapped her hands. "I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen."
Luz didn't even hear the strange, echoing tone Eda's voice had taken. She turned back to the portal door, which had swung closed during the conversation. The eye gazing out of the wood, watching them all passively.
The human girl couldn't believe how much things had turned around over a couple minutes. She scarcely dared to hope that maybe, this could lead to a summer where her mamí didn't hate her, where she could spend the time with Camila and maybe even kick her smoking. She prepared herself to walk back through the portal, and almost without thinking about it, her hand reached out and wrapped around Eda's.
Luz recoiled with a cry of pain. Eda's fingers were gone. Three huge talons sprouted out of the witch's hand. Luz looked back up at Eda and saw that darkness was starting to pool into the gem on her armor. "Eda, your hand!" she cried.
Eda spun towards Luz, holding up her hand as if she never noticed it before. An expression of horror crossed her face. "No," she murmured. "No, no, no no no nonono. Not now."
Bursting into motion, Eda sprinted away from Luz into the kitchen. Monarch jumped back, red eyes widening. "Eda, what's happening?" they called, voice trembling. Eda didn't respond, flinging open a cabinet and seizing a glass vial of some sort of orange liquid. She tried to pull off the cap, but with the sound of cracking bone, her other hand warped into a three-taloned paw, crushing the bottle in her grip.
Eda spun around towards Luz and Monarch, horror in her face. A mane of grey feathers was starting to grow out of her neck. "Kids…" she gasped out, her voice echoing and distorted, "run."
The gem on her armor, once topaz, turned inky black.
The Owl Lady fell to her knees on the floor, her arms extending as her talons scraped the ground. Her face warped like dough, stretching out and pushing itself forward with a smooth crunching noise. Fangs erupted from her mouth as her eyes turned completely grey.
Luz didn't keep standing there. She scooped up Monarch and spun on her heel, sprinting for the door. Time seemed to be slowing down as she ran, her eyes catching the shadow Eda cast over the room. The shape swelled like a fleshy balloon, growing from the size of a woman to the size of a bear, then bigger. Eda's last agonized scream was swallowed by a thunderous shriek, like a bird of prey amplified a thousand times. Taloned feet slammed on the floor, rushing towards them.
Luz hurled herself at the door, seizing the doorknob and flinging it open. Monarch's cries of protest didn't even register as words and not sound to Luz. She sprinted out into the storm and immediately heard a sizzling, hissing sound. Pain blossomed across her back and her head, burning heat scoring over her in patches.
"What is this?!" Luz screamed, voice hoarse.
"Boiling Rain!" shrieked Monarch, their claws digging into Luz's side. "This place is called the Boiling Isles for a reason! We need to get back in! NOW!"
Luz's lips opened to protest that the Eda-Thing was still inside, but Monarch's claws tightened, the little demon throwing their entire weight against Luz's body. "Go, Luz!" they screamed, their voice filled with utter terror, of absolute certainty that they would both die if she didn't act now.
She ran back towards the Owl House. Scorching pain blossomed over her body as she did her best to shield Monarch, pulling her beanie over her head to protect her eyes. She didn't know what the Boiling Rain looked like, how much there was, but if she knew, it might frighten her so much that she couldn't run anymore, and then she'd be dead. So she kept her eyes closed as she hurled herself at a side door.
The two burst through the door and fell to the ground. Monarch fell from her arms and immediately slammed the door shut. Agony blossomed over Luz's shoulders, wracking her with pain.
Crashing feet were the only warning as a massive taloned paw plunged towards them. Adrenaline pumping, Luz rolled to the side as the Eda-Thing's massive paw slammed down where she had just been. Monarch scampered away up the stairs, claws clicking like mad over the floor.
Luz couldn't get a good look at the Eda-Thing in the darkness. All she knew was that it was massive, standing taller than her on four legs. Its shoulders, nothing but vast shapes in the dark, were as broad as her arms stretched out. It let out another deafening cry and lunged, talons swiping at her. Luz fell to the ground to avoid the deadly hooks, but the Eda-Thing's wrist glanced off her stomach and hurled her across the room with a crack.
Pain blossomed in her guts and back as Luz fought back the urge to vomit. Something that big shouldn't be allowed to move that fast. Luz's hand reached out and found a wooden handle wrapped in tape. If Saint Peter himself arrived with a chorus of singing angels, she wouldn't have been happier.
Her bat.
As the Eda-Thing bore down on her, Luz's fingers tightened around her favorite thing in the whole world as she jumped to her feet. Moving just as fast as her foe, she struck into its face with a resounding crack. It reared up and lashed out with its paws. Luz ducked under the blow and brought her bat up between its legs. The Eda-Thing let out a sharp cry of pain and grim satisfaction sank into Luz's gut. It didn't last long as the Eda-Thing dropped back to all fours and Luz jumped back to avoid being crushed, bringing her foot up to the monster's face. It barely reacted and its massive arm shot out into her chest, seizing her in those huge talons. Luz knew she had only seconds before her spine was ripped out.
There was a sudden flash of light and a crackle of ozone. The Eda-Thing shrieked in pain and dropped her. Luz looked over to see the portal door casting a glow over the room, Owlbert fluttering near the knob holding the key in his talons. The Eda-Thing snarled and rushed at the door. Without thinking, Luz sprinted for the stairs, taking the steps two at a time.
A clatter echoed as the Eda-Thing knocked over the portal door and it slammed shut, the glow fizzling out. Luz drew to a sharp stop as the Eda-Thing raised its talons and brought them down on the door. Wood splintered and flesh teared.
"NOO!" Luz yelled and started running back down the stairs. She had to protect the portal door. She couldn't just lose her way home! Suddenly, Owlbert rocketed towards her, back in staff form. He swept under her legs and lifted her in the air, carrying her back up. A door opened with a yellow glow and Owlbert swept them both inside before falling to the ground, returning to wooden dormancy.
They were in a fairly large room occupied mainly by a huge nest of twigs. The stained-glass window let in dim light through the stormclouds, bathing the room in an iridescent rainbow of reds and oranges. Monarch slammed the door shut behind them, then tipped over a dresser in front of the door with a crash.
Luz ran at the door and started dragging the dresser aside. "What?! Stop!" cried Monarch, jumping in front of her. "We need to make a barricade!"
"That thing's going after the portal door!" Luz yelled. "I can't lose my mamí!"
"But she'll lose you to that thing if you just charge down there half-cocked!" Monarch barked. "We need a plan if we're going to survive this."
Luz paused for a moment, then dropped to the ground, panting for breath. Down below, they could hear crashing as the Eda-Thing tore up the Owl House.
"What… the absolute fuck… is that thing?" Luz said. "Is it Eda?"
"I don't know," said Monarch. "She's never told me… anything about this. Looks like some kind of Curse Creature, but I don't know what the weaknesses are, what the breaking point is, anything."
"Well… this is her room, right?" said Luz, looking at the nest. At Monarch's nod, she said "Maybe there's some clues in here. Let's take a look." Monarch looked like they had something to say about going through Eda's things, but didn't speak up and started pulling out drawers of the dresser. Luz looked through the nest.
Monarch rooted through the dresser. It was mostly just a bunch of clothes, mixed up by the dresser's fall. However, when they got to the top shelf, they found amidst the red dresses a bunch of broken glass. The little demon held up one of the biggest shards. Judging by the appearance, Eda had been storing some potion vials in here. Monarch held up one of the dresses. It was stained brown by some sort of liquid.
Their mind flashed back to what seemed like days ago but was really just a couple minutes. When Eda was transforming, she had tried to grab a potion. Was it possible that she had kept the same potion in her dresser, and they had broken the glass?
Luz absently searched the nest, picking out twigs, pieces of string, and various shiny things. She couldn't focus on it. The knowledge that the Eda-Thing could have destroyed the portal by now was screaming at her brain to do anything to stop it, to reassure herself that she wasn't helpless. But unless a light-up pen could restore Eda to normal, there wasn't anything she could do.
Wait a second… light. Luz remembered how the Eda-Thing had reacted to the portal's light. Judging by its grey eyes, it had cataracts, and wasn't adapted to the light at all. If they could blind it somehow…
Her hand slipped under her beanie and came out with the sketch of the rune- or more like a glyph- that she had made while she was smoking. Her finger tapped the design and golden light rushed through her ink. The paper, apropos of nothing, crumpled into itself and transformed into an orb of light. An awed grin crossed Luz's face as she realized she'd just done magic.
She turned to Monarch to tell them, but without any warning, the window shattered. Monarch and Luz both ducked, hiding from the glass shards and the oncoming wall of Boiling Rain. The Eda-Thing stood in the empty windowsill, finally illuminated by flashing lightning.
Its face was a twisted parody of Eda's, stretched out and distorted to fit a massive scale. Her pointed ears stood up like horns, and her grinning mouth, smile reaching her ears, was full of razor-sharp teeth. The Eda-Thing's body resembled nothing so much as a quadrupedal owl, grey feathers and fur covering every inch of it. Wings tucked against its sides. Luz absently noticed that the feathers formed a layer of protection against the Boiling Rain, which must've let it climb up the side of the Owl House. She mentally screamed at her brain to stop noticing everything like the ADHD-wrecked thing it was and think of a way out.
Growling at the back of its throat, the Eda-Thing slowly stalked towards Monarch. The little demon's mind raced, screaming to grab the potion-stained clothes and throw them into its mouth. But they were too petrified to move, their heart beating like a drum.
Taking cover behind the nest, Luz didn't think the Eda-Thing had seen her yet. If she stayed quiet, she might be able to get away. But that would leave Monarch almost certainly dead. And she had only known them for a few hours, during which the demon had attacked her with stuffed animals and yelled at her, but for some reason she knew she could not allow that to ever happen.
Luz jumped out of her cover and tossed the orb of light into the air, yelling "Hey, bitch!" The Eda-Thing turned to look at her with a snarl, which was good because this would work best head-on. As the luminous sphere fell, Luz swung her bat, just like she was hitting a baseball. With a static pop, the orb was sent flying into the Eda-Thing's face. It shattered into shards of light, and the Eda-Thing let out a piercing wail of agony. Its forepaws clutched at its face and it fell to its stomach.
Monarch snapped out of their stupor and lunged. Seizing the stained clothes, they hurled them into the stunned Eda-Thing's mouth. Automatically, the beast swallowed them, and suddenly let out an agonized roar. Its long limbs began to be sucked back into its body, returning to normal lengths. The bulk rapidly drained out of the monster's massive form, leaving it bone-thin with its skin barely hanging off its huge ribs. Then, after a couple seconds, it shrunk in size, returning in a puff of feathers to the nude form of a pale woman, curled up on the floor.
Owlbert quickly fluttered over to her and dragged her to the corner of the room, away from the Boiling Rain coming through the broken window. Cautiously, Luz approached her, bat at the ready.
It was Eda. Tired, beaten-up, and still with a few feathers here and there, but it was clearly Eda. The topaz gem was still embedded in her chest, but other than that, she was naked, her armor and cloak torn apart by her transformation.
Luz's gaze fixated on Eda's muscular, athletic form and immediately went away to bisexual heaven. Her skin was as pale as milk, and her abs looked firm enough to grate cheese on, but those creamy tits were each like the size of Luz's fist-
Luz quickly averted her gaze. For some reason, looking at Eda like that didn't feel right. Monarch scuttled up with a blanket and draped it over the witch's shoulders.
"what... What happened?" Eda spoke, her voice changing from the strange, arcane echoing to her normal accent.
"You… changed," said Monarch quietly.
Eda sighed, her eyes filling with the kind of tired grief that had endured this over and over again. "I'm… sorry you kids had to see that," she said.
"Eda… what was that thing?" said Luz. "Will it come back?"
The older witch took a moment to respond. "When I was a kid… not much older than you, Luz… I was struck with a very powerful curse. It draws on my magic." She paused. "And… if I'm going through a lot of negative emotions, but… not letting them out… it gets stronger." Eda looked around at the room, the window shattered, huge gashes torn into the floor by foot-long talons. "And eventually, when it all gets to be too much… I turn into the Owlbeast."
"Owlbeast…" Luz murmured.
"So it's like a Lycanthropic Curse?" said Monarch. "Is there a cure?"
Eda gave a bitter smile. "Not as such. I've been to so many experts, and none of them have managed to give me a perfect cure. Apparently, they've never seen a stronger curse." She snorted. "But just because I can't cure it doesn't mean it can't be managed." She gestured to some of the stained clothes. "I have elixirs that suppress the Owlbeast and turn me back to normal. And so long as I watch my magic use, it doesn't come out so often. But then you showed up, Luz, and you brought back… so many feelings that I hadn't felt in a while. Memories I wanted to forget. And..."
Luz tasted bile in the back of her mouth. "You're saying this is my fault. If I hadn't come through that portal, you never would've changed."
Eda's eyes widened. "No, Luz! It's not your fault, you were just going through some shit! You shouldn't have to apologize for existing!"
After a moment, Luz said, quietly, "Thank you…"
Suddenly, she burst into motion. "The Door!" Luz sprinted out of the room, practically flinging herself down the stairs in her hurry towards the door. Arriving at the bottom floor of the Owl House, she flicked on the gas lamps with a hiss.
The portal door had been knocked over. Massive claw marks had split through the yellow eye, and liquid bled out onto the floor, ozone crackling around it. But it was still in one piece. The key was still in the lock.
Without thinking, Luz reached for the key. She couldn't just leave her mamí waiting after she'd nearly gotten trapped in the Boiling Isles. She had to get home, now. She felt tiny talons gripping her elbow and whipped around to see Owlbert fluttering behind her, hooting frantically. "Get away!" Luz spat, swinging the owl away from her. She reached out, seized the key, and twisted.
Static electricity burned her hand and Luz drew back with a cry. The door started rattling, liquid gushing out at a much faster rate. The eye glowed with pure white light out of the claw wounds. Luz watched in horror as the portal door started to warp. The wood rapidly began to transform into a fleshy meat. It began bubbling and decaying rapidly, fleshy boils pockmarked with hives swelling up all over the door. The boils inflated to the size of baseballs, then cantaloupes.
Luz jumped back, taking cover behind the couch. A pillar of lightning burst out of the fleshy, tumorous door and a deafening crack filled the air. Luz looked back and her heart plummeted like a stone. The portal door had been melted utterly into a charred, meaty, stain on the floor. Nothing remained but the key.
Her only way home. Gone.
And it was all her fault.
Nothing compared to the utter horror that was rushing through her body. Even Hal expelling her and her mamí's wrath hadn't frozen her heart like this. That had felt like some terrible dream, like there was no way it could be real. Luz knew that never could her darkest nightmare involve this. Only reality could be this cruel. No tears came to her eyes, there was no point. Even oceans of tears would not be enough to express the loss she felt.
She became vaguely aware of Eda and Monarch standing next to her. Eda was trying to hold a comforting face, but she couldn't quite manage it, the strings of horror pulling her eyes out of shape.
"I'm… trapped here," said Luz dully. Obviously. Anyone could see that. "I'm never going to see my mamí again, am I…"
"Oh-ho-ho, fuck no!" said Eda, lunging forward. Her arms wrapped around Luz, and before she knew it, the Latina girl was trapped in a tight hug. Monarch rubbed up against her legs. "You're gonna see your mom again one day," said Eda. "I promise you that. We're gonna make you a whole new portal door, and you'll be home before school's out!"
"You can… do that?" said Luz. This part had to be the dream. There was no way she could actually… make things right now.
Right?
"Never done it before!" chirped Monarch. "But we'll figure it out. For you."
"No," stammered Luz, trying to break out of the hug. Eda didn't let her. "This is my fault and I'm just a stranger, you guys shouldn't-"
"Stranger? You helped turn me back into normal!" said Eda.
"And you didn't hate me after I beat you up with stuffed animals!" said Monarch.
"Luz, you have nothing to apologize for. We would be happy to help you get back to Earth," said Eda. She finally released Luz from the hug. Luz realized that Eda had been wearing only a loose shirt and a robe the whole time, but somehow, it didn't make her aroused. Just… cared for. Protected.
"And until we send you home," Eda went on, pausing to swallow a lump in her throat, "You can stay here."
"Stay… here?" said Luz, looking around at the Owl House.
"I mean, if that's okay-" Eda started, and was interrupted as Luz seized her in another tight hug. The witch returned it.
"Thank you," Luz whispered
"How hard can it be to make a portal, anyway?" said Monarch brightly. "My parent was the Despot of All Demons! Extra-spacial travel can't be too hard for a demon warlord!"
"And I'm the most powerful wyld witch in the Boiling Isles!" said Eda with a grin, releasing Luz from the tight embrace.
Luz stood there for a moment, then something jumped into her brain. She rushed to a table, seized a quill pen, and scribbled on the page for a few seconds.
"And I," said Luz Noceda, "Can do magic."
She tapped the glyph on the paper and watched it turn into a brilliant orb of light.