"There are three masks: the one we think we are, the one we really are, and the one we have in common."

Jacques Lecoq


Chapter 9

Gilded


"Ninety-one bottles of bane on the wall, ninety-one bottles of bane. Take one down, death all around, ninety bottles of bane on the wall." Edalyn sang as she drove the ratworm-drawn wagon through town. She let out a happy laugh. "Ahhh, that song takes me back to my barhoppin' days. Back before I had kids."

"Think you could do us a favor and stop at eighty-nine bottles?" King asked. "Not that we don't enjoy the sound of your singing…but…well…"

Sitting on the opposite side of Eda from King in the wagon, Luz kept silent as they drove through Bonesborough. Today, she was wearing one of the first masks she had ever made–a clean, white, paper mask made to look like the Shy Guy's mask from Super Mario. But later on, she had painted the mask with various colors to look like a sugar skull mask. With the hood of her cloak up, Luz kept her face and her ears hidden.

Eda looked over at Luz curiously. "You've been oddly quiet. Something on your mind, kid?"

Luz blinked. "Oh, uh…i-it's nothing," she said. "...I'm just…making theories on what will happen on the next episode of The Amazing Digital Circus. Me personally, I think Jax is such a jerk only because he's hiding some inner distress and an intense fear of abstracting. And I totally ship Pomni and Ragatha."

Eda stared at Luz in utter confusion. "...Was that Spanish?"

"Um, well–"

"What's really biting at you, Luz?" Eda asked.

"It's nothing, honest!" Luz insisted, her voice becoming an octave higher.

"...Oh, I see." Eda returned her attention to the road, reins in hand, but with a smile on her face.

"What-what do you mean?" Luz asked.

"...I'm only going to say this," Eda gave Luz a sideways glance. "It better not be that Blight girl."

Luz's cheeks reddened behind her mask. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Uh-huh, sure." Eda parked the wagon and hopped off the seat. "Come on, help me unload the stuff."

"Oh, gee whiz, I really wish I could help you guys out." King lifted up his tiny arms. "But my arms are just too darn short and I'm just too darn small… Oh well." He then curled up on the wagon seat and took a nap in the sunlight.

"Oh, so now you accept being small." Eda groaned in irritation and rolled her eyes. "Luz, let's get to it."

Eda and Luz walked to the back of the wagon and both lifted up a crate of potions, carrying the stuff over to Mr. Elixir, where Morton was giving an old witch woman a blue bottle of elixir.

"Take a thimble of this potion every night, and it should take care of your heart problem," Morton told the old woman. "Have a nice day."

The old lady walked away and Eda and Luz walked up to the counter. "Hey, Morton. How's that Dragonfire workin' for ya?"

"It's working great!" Morton cheered. "Business has never been better!"

"Well, here's a little more business for ya." Eda and Luz lifted up their crates of potions sealed inside pear-shaped, red, glass bottles. "Six whole crates of Healer's Lil' Helper."

"Red Potion," Luz said for her own reasons.

"No kidding?" Morton asked. He took one of the bottles from Eda's crate and popped off the top, giving the elixir a good sniff. "Where did you get the stuff to make this brew? Cavity Clovers are hard to come by these days."

"Would you feel a sort of…ethical and moral violation if I told you I stole the stuff?" Eda asked.

"I…" Morton blinked. "I think I would, yeah."

"Then I found the stuff and there was no theft involved whatsoever." Eda set her crate on the counter for Morton. "By the way, completely off-topic, if a bunch of large, scary-looking demons come by and ask you if anybody sold you any Healer's Lil' Helper recently, do me a favor and don't mention my name at all, will ya?"

Morton's mouth twitched nervously. "...Will do, Edalyn…will do."

"Ah, you're the best, Morton, you know that?" Eda took Luz's crate from her and set it up on the counter with the other one.

With her hands now empty, Luz looked at the posters decorating the front of Morton's shop. They were posters promoting the Emperor's Coven, all of them bearing the image of Lilith Clawthorne.

Luz pointed at the posters. "Hey, Morton? Did you accept an advertisement deal or something?"

"Huh?" Morton leaned out of his counter window to look at what Luz was pointing at. "Oh, no, it's technically illegal to take down or vandalize any Emperor's Coven propaganda. So, I don't touch them."

Eda blew a sour raspberry at the posters of her sister. "Lilith, Lilith, Lilith, all the freakin' time. There's just no escaping her. How am I the only person on the entire Boiling Isles who's sick of her and her stupid face?" she asked. "Doesn't the Golden Guard promote the Emperor's Coven anymore? I thought they finally hired a new one?"

"Eh, it's been a couple decades since the old Guard died," Morton said. "The Isles finally got used to not having one by the time the new guy got appointed."

"Why didn't Lilith become the Golden Guard?" Luz asked. "Isn't the Golden Guard supposed to be the Emperor's number two? Isn't that what Lilith is?"

"A number two? Yeah, that's exactly what Lilith is." Eda let out a hearty laugh and slapped her knee. "Titan, I wish she could've heard that one!"

"Luz, not anybody can be appointed as the Golden Guard," Morton explained as he took the crates from the counter. "The Golden Guards are all blood-related to Emperor Belos himself. He only trusts his family with that position."

"Exactly what does the Golden Guard do?" Luz asked.

"Whatever Belos wants him to do," Eda answered. "In short, he's the Emperor's favorite lapdog."

"Oh, so he's like the Vader to Belos' Palpatine?" Luz asked.

Morton looked at Eda.

"I don't know either," Eda said.

"Eh, the Golden Guard dates back as far as Belos does," Morton told Luz. "The story goes that the very first Golden Guard was the brother of Belos. And while the Emperor has never sired an heir, his brother's bloodline continues to hold the mantle of the Golden Guard. It's the Guard's duty to uphold and enforce all of the Emperor's laws and values, thus carrying out the Titan's will. He protects the Demon Realm and its denizens from the dangers of wild magic."

"So, the Golden Guard is basically Lilith but without the publicity?" Luz asked.

"Believe it or not, that last Golden Guard was actually pretty popular," Eda said.

"Oh yeah, that guy was awesome," said Morton. "One of the most powerful warlocks the Isles had ever seen. He was famous across the Demon Realm for his incredible abilities. I think he even mentored the Head Witch of the Abomination Coven, right?"

"Darius, yeah," Eda confirmed. "Heh. Makes me wonder how the new guy is stacking up."

"Oh, I think I still have one of the old Golden Guard's posters." Morton disappeared into his shop. He came back a moment later with a rolled-up parchment in his hands. "Found it!"

Morton unrolled the old, frayed poster and showed it to Luz. The poster depicted a tall figure clad in gold armor and a coal-black gambeson underneath, all covered by a clean, white, hooded cloak. The most distinctive feature of the uniform, and the most appealing to Luz, was the mask that the warlock wore. It was either made of gold or golden wood, and bore some resemblance in shape to that of the common barn owl back in the Human Realm–somewhat of an oval, but with a heart-shaped design. The smooth mask had no mouth or nose piece, but it did have a pair of eye holes that were slightly arched, horizontal lines that came together at the thin line that went down the center of the mask. The uniform revealed nothing of the Guard's true face or features. He stood straight with his arms crossed, as if daring someone to challenge him with just his poster photo.

Luz studied the figure on the posture in fascination. "...Huh…I gotta admit, I'm digging the whole Mandalorian vibe he's got going on. A surprising amount of Stars Wars stuff in all of this Harry Potter mojo."

Morton looked at Eda again.

"Again, no idea. She does that a lot," said Eda. "Listen, Morton, I need more of my elixir. Think you can hook a girl up in exchange for my red stuff?"

"Oh. Shoot. About that," Morton bit his lip and looked away. "I've been meaning to Crow you about that. I'm out of your elixir."

"What?!" Eda slammed her hands down on the counter. "What do you mean you're out?!"

"I mean I'm all out. And I can't get more right now," said Morton. "I'm sorry, Eda, I really am."

"I gave you that Dragonfire so you could keep supplying me with my elixir!" Eda said. "Well, I mean, that, and because I'm such an awesome person. That's just how I roll."

"Eda, you know that elixir is hard to come by and even more difficult to brew," said Morton. "I never tried making the elixir for you, I just used to have a supplier that hooked me up every month."

"Well, what happened to your supplier?" Eda demanded.

"He got arrested by the Emperor's Coven a week ago," Morton said. "I can't find another guy who sells the stuff."

"Oh, phenomenal," Eda complained. "Now I'm gonna have to try my luck at the Night Market."

"I'm sorry, Eda, I really am," Morton said.

Eda sighed. "It's not your fault. And I appreciate everything you've done for me. I'll get you the rest of that Healer's Helper. No charge, just take the stuff."

"You have enough potions to last, right, Mom?" Luz asked.

"Sure I do, don't you worry about me." Eda smiled and patted Luz's hooded head. "Now, come on. Help me unload the rest of the stuff."

Eda went over to the wagon, but Luz stayed behind, watching her mom with a worried, almost scared look on her face.

Luz looked up at Morton. "Couldn't we brew Mom's elixir ourselves?" she asked.

"It's not that easy," Morton said. "The main ingredient for that elixir is incredibly difficult and dangerous to acquire."

"What's the main ingredient?" Luz asked.

Morton looked over at Eda by the wagon nervously. "Uh, I don't think your mom would–"

"Morton!" Luz hissed. "Just tell me!"

"The sap from a Hesperidian Oak," Morton confessed.

"If I can get you that sap, then can you brew the elixir for my mom?" Luz asked.

"With that Dragonfire you guys got me? I think I could, yeah," Morton said. "I might need your mom's help, but yeah, I think we could pull it off."

"Luz!" Eda called from behind the wagon. "Quit gossiping with our potion dealer and help me move the stuff!"

"Coming, Mom!" Luz started toward the wagon, but Morton reached through the counter window and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Luz, listen to me. Because I don't want your mom to burn the skin right off of my body," the potion dealer said fearfully. "Getting sap from Hesperidian Oak is extraordinarily dangerous. For the love of Titan, don't go looking for one of those trees."

"Luz!" Eda called again. "I have one lazy kid, I don't need another one. Get your rump over here and earn your keep!"

As Luz hurried over to her mom, possible plans began to form in her mind.


After they had returned home, Eda went upstairs to ration out her remaining few elixirs. She only had a few left, and she wasn't entirely sure how long they would last her.

She stowed her remaining potions in her sleeping nest and stared down at them in worry. Eda could barely recall the last time she had transformed into that owl beast, but she could remember enough.

She had almost sliced apart Luz, and the guilt and shame she felt from it was almost unbearable. If Eda ever accidently hurt Luz in any way, if she ever lost control and let the Owl Beast take over and do something terrible…Eda would never be able to forgive herself.

Eda sighed through her nose. "...Maybe Lilith could be able to help," she muttered softly to herself. "...If all else fails."

'You can't let anything happen to Luz, Edalyn,' a voice in her head whispered. 'Remember. You made a promise. You have to keep her safe.'

Edalyn took one of the potions from her nest and popped the cork, downing the glass bottle's content before tossing the empty, round bottle back into the nest.

Only four left.

Eda forced herself to look away and walked out of her bedroom, almost slamming the door shut on her way out.

She made her way down to the living room, where Luz was carefully drawing in her sketchbook at the coffee table with her sketch pencils. Her colorful mask and her witch's wool cloak laid on the couch behind her.

Eda put on a smile and walked up to her daughter. "Hey, little owlet. What's up? Still messing around with your picture magic?"

"I'm experimenting with my glyphs," Luz said as she drew a wide circle on one of the pages.

"Oh, yeah?" Eda asked. "How's that coming along?"

"Well. I figured out that you can connect the glyphs," Luz said as she drew another circle inside of the bigger circle.

"Connect the glyphs?" Eda sat down on the couch and watched Luz do her thing. "What do you mean?"

"I think it's like putting together different letters of the alphabet to create new words," Luz drew a light glyph inside the center circle. "Or like…combining coded commands to create new coded commands."

"Careful, kid, this is starting to sound dangerously like schoolwork," said Eda. "You know I hate schoolwork."

"Well, I love schoolwork," Luz stated.

"So did Lilith," said Eda. "And look how she turned out."

"A buttface?"

"A total buttface."

The two of them shared a laugh before Luz drew another light glyph and two ice glyphs on the other circle.

"Okay, this should do it," Luz announced.

"Do what?" Eda asked.

"Not sure." Luz tore out the page she had drawn on and hovered her hand over it eagerly. "...But if I'm right…"

Luz slapped her hand down on her drawing and disappeared.

Eda's eyes shot wide open. "Luz!"

Eda's gaze darted all over the place. "What…where are you?!"

"I'm right here." Luz reappeared like a mirage as soon as she began to speak. She had a cheeky grin and waved her fingers in the air. "Oooooooooooo, I'm invisible," she chanted in a spooky tone.

Eda raised her hand and flicked Luz's forehead. "Not anymore, you're not."

"Ow!" Luz whined. "What the hex? That lasted for like, five seconds."

"Did you deactivate it?" Eda asked.

"No, I don't think so," said Luz. "I activated the glyph combo–that's what I'm calling it, I held my breath so you wouldn't hear me breath when I realized I was invisible, and then I spoke, and then you flicked my forehead."

"I especially enjoyed that last part," said Eda. "Maybe holding your breath is what keeps the invisibility active."

"Really?" Luz asked. "That's weird."

"Magic is a weird thing," Eda said. "You'd be surprised how much magic responds to symbolism and whatnot."

"What is holding my breath a symbol of?" Luz asked.

"You got me. I don't know any more about this glyph stuff than you do, kid," said Eda. "You're in uncharted territory with this stuff. Be sure to be prepared for whatever you may find."

Luz tapped her pencil against the coffee table a few times. "...Hey, Mom. About your elixirs."

"Luz, I told you, it's fine. You don't have to worry about me." Eda smiled. "It'll all be okay."

"But, what if we found the ingredients we needed to make our own elixir?" Luz asked.

"Ha! Yeah, that's a whole lot easier said than done," Eda said. "I'll be fine, kid. Now leave it be."

"But–"

"Leave it be," Eda repeated a little more sternly. "This is my problem to deal with, not yours."

Luz hung her head and stared down at the floor. Before she could say anything else, there was a knock on the front door.

"Who is it?!" Eda called to the door.

Hooty let the door swing open, revealing Gus and Willow at the front door.

"Friends!" Luz cheered. "Hi!"

"Hi, Luz. Hi, Ms. Clawthorne," Willow greeted with a wave of her hand. "Can we come in?"

"Sorry, but Luz is still grounded," Eda said. "No friends over."

"But, Mom," Luz whined. "Come on."

Eda gave it some thought. "...Okay, fine. The dork and nerd can stay and keep you company."

"Which of us is the nerd and which is the dork?" Gus asked.

"You two can decide who gets to be who."

Gus turned to Willow. "Can I be the dork?"

"Why do I have to be the nerd?" Willow asked.

"Oh, just get in here."

Willow and Gus walked into the house and Hooty closed the door.

Luz stood up from the floor and walked up to her two friends. "Hey, Willow. You wanna see my masks?"

"Prepare to be creeped out, but fascinated," Gus warned.

"...I am curious. Lead the way." Willow and Gus followed Luz up to her room. Eda watched as the three friends went upstairs.

"Well, at least she has friends that share her interests," said Eda.

Luz opened the door and walked into her bedroom, followed by Willow and Gus.

Willow's eyes widened at the sight of all of the masks that lined the entire left wall. "...Woah…" She took a step backward from the masks. "Now that's…impressive…you're quite the artist, Luz… Nope, can't hold it in, this is kinda creepy–but in a neat way."

"Yeah, I know," Luz admitted. "But I'm not getting rid of them. They gave me companionship for years before I met you guys."

"I used to have a pet rock, so I'm hardly one to judge," Gus admitted.

Luz turned to Willow. "Hey, Willow, I got a question for you. You know anything about something called a Hesperidian Oak?"

"I do, actually. It's one of the most dangerous plants to gather potion ingredients from," Willow replied. "I recommend that you go nowhere near one."

"Oh, crap, she wants us to help her find one," Gus realized.

"Is this true, Luz?" Willow asked.

Luz sighed. "I need to get some sap from one of those trees."

"What on Titan for?" Willow asked.

"To make more elixir for my Mom," Luz explained, keeping her voice down in case Eda might have been listening. "She ran out and can't get more, and she needs that elixir to keep from turning into a horrible monster."

"You mean she ran out of apple blood?" Gus asked.

"No, not apple blood," Luz said. "Look, I need to find one of those Hesperidian Oaks. Where can I find one?"

"Well, they're as rare as they are dangerous," Willow said. "And whenever the Plant Coven finds one, they keep its location a secret, letting only the Potion Coven and the Emperor's Coven know where it is."

"Do you have any idea where one might be?" Luz asked.

"Nah, the higher ups keep that stuff a secret from the public," said Willow. "I wouldn't know where to find one."

"But a 'higher up' would?" Luz rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "...One moment."

Luz walked over to her room's small window and opened it up. She whistled out the window and a few seconds later, a Crow flew into her room and landed on her desk.

"When did you start using a Crow?" Gus asked.

"My Mom told me to learn how to use them in case I ever needed to call her." Luz picked up the Crow and poked the bird's belly a few times in a specific pattern. "I hope I got the number right."

Gus and Willow glanced at each other as Luz brought the Crow up to her ear and waited for the call to be answered. "Who are you calling?" Willow asked.

Before Luz could answer, the call was answered first. "Hey, Emira! It's me, Luz!" she greeted on the Crow. "...Oh, it's going great, how you doing…? Oh, cool. Hey, not that I don't like talking to you, but do you think you can put Amity on? I don't have her number, I only have yours… Yeah, I can wait."

Gus blinked. Willow raised an eyebrow.

Luz patiently waited in silence, tapping her foot against the floor.

"Um…hello? Luz?"

"Hey, Amity!" Luz replied cheerfully. "How are the hex are ya?"

"I'm good, I'm good," Amity replied. "What, uh…what's up?"

"I need a favor," Luz said.

"S-sure, yeah, anything you want!" There was a moment's pause. "Uh, I mean…what do you need?"

"Do you know where I could find a Hesperidian Oak Tree?" Luz asked. "Maybe Lilith or your mom might've mentioned where to find one?"

"Oh. Dang. Hold on, let me think." There was another long pause. "...Boscha once told me that there's an island southeast of the Foot where the Potion Coven likes to gather all kinds of rare ingredients and stuff. She never mentioned the Oak Tree you're looking for, but she did make it sound like you could find anything there. If you're looking for a Hesperidian Oak, that island would be a good place to start."

"A Coven island southeast of the Titan's Foot?" Luz asked. "Okay, great! Thank you, Amity!"

"But be careful!" Amity exclaimed. "Boscha also said that the island is off-limits to commoners. Only the Potion Coven officials and the Emperor's Coven are legally allowed to go anywhere near it. And I've heard of a group of smugglers who sneak onto the island to nab as many ingredients as they can. The guy who leads them is supposed to be one evil viper."

"Don't worry, I'll be careful," Luz promised. "See you at school, Amity. Talk to you later."

"Uh, yeah, sure. See ya."

Luz hung up the Crow and let it fly back out the window. "Gibbs, we have our heading."

"Uh, it's Gus," said Gus, sounding confused.

"Since when are you friends with Amity?" Willow asked.

"Oh, yeah, we started to bond after she tried to help my Aunt Lilith catch me so she could use me to get to my mom," Luz explained.

"What?!" Willow exclaimed.

"Relax, she betrayed Lilith and we became friends," said Luz. "Now, I gotta go find that island."

"Luz, that is extremely dangerous," Willow warned. "What exactly is your plan here?"

"Find a boat, find the island, and find that tree," said Luz. "Simple enough."

"Luz, think about this for a minute," Gus begged. "If you don't get killed, then you can get in a lot of trouble for going to this island, assuming you even find it."

"I'm not asking you two to come with me, I don't want you guys to put yourselves at risk," Luz said. "But I need to do this. For my mom. She needs that elixir."

Her scared gaze looked over to the side. "I'm…not sure how much longer she can last without it."

Gus and Willow looked at each other, then Willow smiled supportively and walked up to place a comforting hand on Luz's shoulder.

"Of course we're going to help you with this," said Willow.

"I might know where we can find a boat," Gus offered. "Fair warning, it won't exactly be a luxury ride."

"As long as it gets us there," Luz said. "Now, let's get going. We might have to fib to my mom, so just follow my lead."

Luz, Gus, and Willow came back downstairs, where Eda was putting on her burgundy cloak.

"Mom, you going somewhere?" Luz asked.

"Yeah, I'm gonna go see if I can't find another supplier for my elixirs." Eda pointed a finger at Luz. "You. Stay." Eda pointed at Willow and Gus. "You… Don't really care."

"Yes, Mom," said Luz.

"Hooty!" Eda called.

Hooty's head stretched up next to Eda. "You rang? Hoot hoot?"

"Make sure this little birdie doesn't fly off anywhere," Eda ordered. "Keep her in the house until I get back."

"You got it, Eda!" Hooty moved his worm-like body to try to mimic a salute. "She won't step foot outside the house with me keeping an eye on her! Hooty hoot hoot!"

"Good boy, Hooty." Eda pointed at the house demon. "Keep the house safe." She pointed at Luz. "Behave yourself." She pointed at Willow. "Don't care." She pointed at Gus. "Still don't care."

Eda walked over to the front door, stopping for a moment to look over at King, who was curled up for a nap in the sunlight by the window.

She pointed at the little demon. "Lazy." Then she opened the door and left.

Once the door closed, Luz looked over at Hooty. "How much do I have to give you in order for you to let me leave the house?"

"Six mice. Four voles. And you have to come to my one demon show I'm hosting in the backyard tomorrow," Hooty demanded. "Gus and Willow have to be there too. Hoot hoot."

"Deal." Luz went over to the couch to grab her cloak and mask, tossing her cloak over her shoulders and placing her mask over her face.

"But I had plans tomorrow," Gus complained. "...I guess I can…move some stuff around."

"Okay, guys, let's do this." Luz stowed away her notebook and a pen into her pockets. "Gus, you said you know how to get us a boat?"

"I sure do," Gus answered. "Apologies in advance."

"For what?"


"This does not feel safe," Willow commented. And she was correct to be worried.

Gus had managed to get them a boat alright. It was a small, wooden dinghy that wasn't exactly in the best condition. Willow and Luz had to hold up the mast and its sail using ropes while Gus manned the rudder. There was very little room in the dinghy and barely any protection from the scalding waters of the sea. The three of them had to be extremely careful and pray to the Titan that none of the seawater managed to splash onto them.

They sailed the little sailboat across the Boiling Sea at a fair speed. Fortunately for them, the sea was calm today, and the three friends were able to travel across the waters without getting splashed or capsized and going out the way of the lobster. Although, during the entire journey, the three of them continued to pray to the Titan and hang on for dear life to their small boat.

Gus wiped the sweat from his brow that formed on his forehead from both the heat of the ocean and the fear of being boiled alive if he fell into the water. Steam vapors so great they almost looked like clouds rose from the literally boiling ocean. "Again, I am very sorry about this," the young illusionist said.

"S'alright, Gus," Luz said. "I'm glad you were able to get us at least something."

"How much farther is the island?" Willow pulled on her collar to let in a little airflow from the wind that blew against them. The heat from the ocean had entirely fogged up her glasses. "I'm sweating all over, and I can't see anything."

"You know back in the Human Realm, ocean water is normally cold," Luz said. "People go swimming in the ocean all the time. Even with all the sharks."

"A cold dunk in cold saltwater sounds pretty nice right about now." Gus checked his compass again. "And I'm not sure how much farther it is. For all we know, we're not even heading in the right direction."

"This was a terrible idea," Luz said. "I'm willing to admit it, I am so sorry."

"If we end up getting boiled alive, I'm blaming you, Luz," Willow stated.

"That's fair." Luz took off her mask and held it over the side of the dinghy, tilting the mask and letting all of the sweat pour out of it. Gus and Willow were both wearing shorts and T-shirts, but Luz didn't want to give up any of her witchy clothes and was paying the price for it. "Fucking Titan, this is torture."

"So, uh, Luz?" Gus asked as he steered the dinghy. "How exactly do you plan to find that Hesperidian Oak you're looking for?"

"I haven't thought that far ahead," Luz admitted. "One step at a time, guys. Let's survive this nightmare before moving on to the next one."

"This is not how I wanted to spend my weekend," said Willow.

"...Um…Luz?" Gus asked nervously. "I'm just gonna throw this out there: are you sure Amity didn't, like, lie to you? You know, so you would sail out into the Boiling Seas in a little sailboat that I'm beginning to worry is disintegrating beneath us."

"Amity wouldn't lie to me like that," Luz said. "I told you, we're friends now."

"Luz, for crying out loud," Willow said, the heat and the frustration finally making her snap. "People like Amity don't have 'friends.' They have people they associate with, and people they don't."

"I know you and Amity have a history, but she isn't like that, even if she has to pretend to be," Luz argued. "Amity is a good person, she just has no choice but to hang around people who completely suck dragonballs."

"Luz, be realistic," Willow said. "Amity is the legacy of the Blights, she's descended from several of the most powerful and influential bloodlines known to the Demon Realm, the Emperor's Coven has already taken an interest in her. People like us don't have any business being associated with her." A touch of hurt managed to creep into Willow's voice. "She made that clear a long time ago."

"Listen, Willow." Luz took a deep, deep breath. "Jesus and Titan, why didn't I leave my cloak and my jacket at home? Everything I am wearing is soaked in my sweat. I'm half-tempted to take all of my clothes off, it's driving me nuts."

"Uh, you were about to explain something to me?" Willow asked.

"Oh, yeah, right. Sorry, I think the heat is starting to make me delirious." Luz cleared her throat awkwardly. "Amity comes from the top class, but that doesn't mean she likes it up there. Try to cut her a little slack. She has to keep up a certain appearance whether or not she wants to. That's just the world she lives in, and it's not something she can walk away from."

"I understand that she didn't ask to be a Blight," Willow said. "But she chose to push me away when we were little."

"She also chose to push Lilith away," Luz said. "Did you know Amity's no longer being mentored by my aunt? She told me she's done with Lilith after she tried to capture me to use as bait for Eda."

"Seriously?" Willow blinked. "Huh. I…wouldn't have guessed–"

"There it is!" Gus shouted, pointed across the sea. "That's gotta be it, right?!"

With her every article of clothing being soaked in sweat, Willow had nothing to clean her glasses with, so she reached across the dinghy to grab the end of Luz's cloak, using that to clean off the fog on her glasses. Once they were clean, Willow looked across the sea and saw the island that Gus had spotted.

"Ha-ha!" Luz grinned and put her mask back on. "I told you Amity's info was legit!"

"I am happy to have been proven wrong," said Willow. "Gus. Take us to shore before the heat drives me into a homicidal rage."

"...S-sure thing." With a slightly scared look in his eyes, Gus steered the dinghy toward the island.

However long it took them to finally reach the island, it wasn't fast enough. Their boat sailed up to a small, black, sand beach on the island. Careful to keep out of the boiling seawater, the three friends got out of the boat and pulled the crappy little dinghy up onto the beach and away from the water.

Then, on shaky legs, they walked a safe distance away from the boiling ocean water before limply dropping onto the black sand, taking deep, exhausted breaths of air.

"My clothes are soooo sweaty," Gus breathed. "It feels soooo gross pressed against my skin."

"I am going to take a very long, very cold shower when I get back home," Luz said.

"I don't know about you guys, but I am not looking forward to the trip back to the Isles," Willow added.

"Oh, fuck me, that's right. We're gonna have to do that again once we're done here." If Luz had any moisture left in her body, she might've started crying.

"Why the hex didn't we pack any water?" Gus said. "Did we even pack anything? Or did we just get on a tiny boat and sail away like idiots?"

"I think that's exactly what we did," Luz said. "This was not well thought out."

"Do either of you know any, like, water spells or cooling spells over something?" Willow asked.

Luz's eyes went wide. "Ooo! I do, I do!"

Luz got up and began using her finger to draw in the sand. She drew a large, ice glyph into the black sand and eagerly slammed her hand down on it.

The glyph glowed a light blue color and then a column of ice the size of an average tree trunk formed out of the sand.

Gus and Willow both beamed at the sight of the column of ice. Luz grinned proudly behind her mask. "Time to cool down, guys."

Luz shedded off her cloak and her jacket, leaving only her cat hoodie on, and the three of them leaned back against the ice, sighing in pure relief to the feeling of the cold ice against their backs and the water that dripped down onto their heads.

Willow rang some of the sweat out of her shirt. "...Well, on the plus side, this definitely counts as my daily exercise."

"Guys, I am…so, so sorry about this." Luz took off her mask, revealing her sweaty face. "I know this sucks. And, for actually coming with me and putting up with this…I freaking love you two, I hope you know that."

"Hey, if it's to help your mom get her medication, then of course we're willing to do this for you," Willow said.

"Yeah, don't sweat it, Luz," Gus said.

Luz twisted some sweat out of her hoodie. "Poor choice of words."

This got a laugh out of everyone.

After she was done laughing, Luz took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "...I am gonna get in so much trouble when I get back to the Owl House. Even if I do find that stupid tree."

"I know we're pretty much beyond the point of no return, but is finding this tree really the only way to get more of your mom's elixir?" Gus asked. "Why do you need to get that tree sap so badly?"

"I have to do something." Luz stared out across the sea. "...Eda has done so much for me. She took me in after I became an orphan, she gave me a home and became my mom…I owe everything to her. Everything I am…is because of her. And…" Luz closed her eyes. "And, I want to help her. Just like she helped me."

Luz drew three light glyphs into the sand and three balls of light formed out of the sand. Luz raised them up to the top of the ice column, and the light began to slowly melt the ice down, creating small trails of water that flowed down the column.

"So, drink up, guys. Then we'll go find that tree." Luz moved her head to the ice and began drinking from the melting ice. Gus and Willow did the same, greedily drinking up the cold water and rehydrating themselves.

"Water has never tasted so good," Gus sighed. He came close to crying even.

Once they had drunk enough water, Luz put her mask, jacket, and cloak back on. "Alright, then." She turned to Gus and Willow. "Time to go–"

"Freeze! Don't move!"

The three friends spun around to see a pair of Coven Scouts aiming their magic circles at them.

The two Scouts had managed to sneak up on the trio, being as exhausted as they were. Deciding to be smart about this, the three of them raised their hands up in the air in surrender.

"Wait a minute, they're just kids," one of the Scouts said.

"Are you sure they're not with Agrabog?" the other Scout asked. "They could be hiding behind an illusion."

The first Scout flicked his wrist and activated his spell. A cloud of pale blue mist exploded from beneath Luz, Gus, and Willow. When the smoke cleared, the three of them were standing exactly as they had, appearing just as they did before the spell had been cast.

"Nah, they're just kids." Despite this, the two Scouts still kept their spells trained on the three of them. "Not sure about the one with the mask, though."

"Uh, look, officers, we apologize if we're trespassing," Gus said nervously. "We'll leave right away if that's what–"

A large wave crashed onto the beach and washed away their boat.

"...Okay, nevermind," said Gus.

"I'm actually kind of happy to see that thing be lost to the waves," Willow confessed.

The first Scout sighed. "We'll have to take them with us."

The second Scout looked over at the first. "Are you sure that's a good idea? It might not sit too well with the–"

"We can't just leave them here to go off and do Titan knows what." He turned his attention to Luz and her friends again. "The three of you are coming with us. Please do not be alarmed, you are not under arrest. For your own protection, and to ensure that you do not commit any theft of Coven property, you are to remain with us until further notice."

"This feels sort of like an arrest," Luz commented.

"Come with us, please." The way the Scout said it, he might as well not have said please.

Luz and her friends looked at each other. Seeing no way out of this, they decided to comply and do as the Scouts said. They put their hands down and slowly walked up to the two Coven Scouts.

The Scouts both stepped aside and pointed. "Continue that in direction," the first Scout instructed, pointed in a direction away from the beach. "We will escort you from behind."

The three friends did as they were told and began away from the beach. The two Scouts followed after them, keeping an eye on them to make sure they didn't try anything.


The entire island was the size of a town, filled with so much flora of so many colors, it was like the Boiling Isles' version of the Garden of Eden. From the beach, Luz and Gus took in the sight of the beautiful island in awe. Willow especially found herself drawn to the place. Being a witch who excelled at plant magic, the young girl couldn't help but feel a connection to the island with an almost dizzying force behind it. There was just so much plant life of such vast variety. For Willow, it was like listening to a giant crowd and hearing dozens of different languages being spoken all at once. And all they were saying was 'hi.'

Despite how amazing a trek across the beautiful island would have been, the two Coven Scouts instead kept Luz and her friends on the shores of the island, staying off of the actual island itself. Luz found it strange, sharing a glance with Gus and Willow and confirming that they felt that something was up as well. Luz was brave enough to look behind her at the two Scouts.

"Where are you taking us?" she asked the Scouts.

"Be quiet," the first Scout snapped. "Just keep to the shores, we're almost there."

Luz shared another nervous glance with her friends before doing as they were told and continuing down the shore in silence. It made them even more nervous knowing that the Scouts were keeping right behind them. The three of them didn't exactly trust these two strangers enough to keep their backs to them with complete ease.

Eventually, they came to a small, shoreline cave that went underneath a cliffside on the island, hidden from sight from the rest of the island. The trio of friends began to get flashbacks of a certain dragon they had found in a certain, ominous-looking cave.

Although this cave was indeed smaller, looked much safer, and was much easier to get to. The black sand they were walking on was replaced with stable rocks that offered an easy access into the cave, which was just big enough for a medium-sized wagon to barely fit through.

"In there," the second Scout ordered, pointing to the mouth of the cave.

"You're not going to feed us to something, are you?" Gus demanded.

"Hey, we're the ones who are probably gonna get chewed out for bringing you here," the Scout said. "Now, get in there."

The three of them allowed the Scouts to herd them into the cave like sheep into a pen. The inner network of the cave was hardly complicated, it was just a tunnel that looked almost like it had been naturally dug, and it didn't go too deep into the ground. The walk was a short one before the five of them entered into a chamber in the cave.

The chamber was apparently some kind of base for the Scouts. Sleeping cots were dug into the wall on the far left, there was a small medical area in the corner, and the far-right wall was covered in charts and maps. Burning torches that hung from the walls gave illumination to the chamber, revealing the five other Scouts that filled the room.

Six, including the figure in the white cloak at the center of the chamber.

He had his back to Luz and her friends and the two Scouts as the five of them entered the chamber. He was leaning over a table in the center of the chamber with two of the other Scouts, examining what appeared to be a map of the entire island they were on.

"If we make any sudden moves, we'll scare them off," the figure in the white cloak was saying. "We have to be careful about how we proceed. If he's actually here on the island, then this may be our only chance to catch him."

The two Scouts who had brought Luz and her friends to the cave quickly got in front of them and saluted, standing at attention before their fellow White Cloak.

"Sir!" the first Scout announced. "We…eh, have a problem, Sir."

The other Scouts all turned their masked faces to look at the three teens. The White Cloak, who had been leaning over his map, stood up straight, but didn't turn around.

"These three just showed up on the northern shore, Sir," the second Scout explained. "They came here on a small boat. It's…surprising that they survived the trip, honestly."

The White Cloak turned his head, as if curious, then turned around to get a look at the three friends.

Willow and Gus's breath both hitched. Luz's eyes widened behind her mask.

"Oh snap," said Gus.

The ivory-white cloak he wore sported a hood that came out through the collar and was decorated with a gold, triangle clasp–the same one worn by most other members of the Emperor's Coven. On the left side of the cape, on his shoulder, he wore a gold pauldron. And beneath the cloak was the rest of his armor. He wore a gold cuirass of sorts with matching tassets that clung to his body as if it were supposed to be a bulletproof vest. Around his waist was a brown belt lined with tiny pouches, almost like Batman's belt. Beneath the metal armor he wore a mustard-yellow shirt and charcoal-black pants.

But his most notable and recognizable feature was the mask that he wore over his face beneath the hood. Vaguely heart-shaped with a thin eye-slot, it looked like it was made from polished, golden wood.

Luz blinked her eyes behind her own mask. "...You're the Golden Guard."

"Why, yes, I am," the Golden Guard replied. "And you're…not supposed to be here." To Luz's surprise, he actually sounded younger than his level of authority suggested. "What are you doing on this island?"

"Sightseeing," Luz lied.

"Cute," said the Golden Guard. "Hate to break it to you, but this island is off-limits to tourists."

"You know, Mr. Guard, I gotta tell ya," Luz tilted her head in a mocking manner. "I thought you'd be taller."

"Luz," Willow said with a nervous, warning tone.

If the insult had landed, nothing in the Golden Guard's body language or masked face gave it away. But the insult was still justified either way. He was taller than Luz and her friends, but hardly any taller than the shortest Scout in the cave.

"Uh, Sir," Gus said, stepping forward anxiously. "Please. We're not here looking for trouble."

"For your sakes, I should hope not," The Golden Guard said.

"Why's that?" Luz asked in challenge.

"Because I'm the guy who gets sent to deal with trouble."

Luz crossed her arms stubbornly. The way the Guard talked reminded her of the way Amity talked before they had become friends: condescending, but mostly with strict, cold professionalism. But the Golden Guard was significantly worse than Amity had been before the two girls had started to bond over that whole business with Lilith at Hexside. He gave absolutely nothing away–not in his masked face, not in his body language, not even in the tone he spoke with. He was like an android almost. Built and designed purely for efficiency. And yet, he still possessed an edge in his demeanor that demanded he be respected and taken seriously.

"Who are you three?" The Golden Guard asked. "And what are you doing on this island?"

"Beefin' your mom," Luz replied.

"Luz!" Gus and Willow both cried.

"Luz," the Golden Guard echoed, stepping up to the masked girl. "An odd name for an odd girl. You have quite the bold tongue, don't you?"

He reached his hand up to Luz's face. "Let's see who that tongue belongs to."

Luz drove her fist into the side of the Golden Guard's face.

She missed his mask and punched through the hood's cloth. The Golden Guard took a few steps back as he grunted in pain, bringing his hand up to the side of his face.

Gus and Willow both gasped with panic. Every Scout in the room aimed a spell at Luz.

The Golden Guard raised his hand, apparently signaling everyone to stand down. Obeying their superior, the Scouts canceled their spells and lowered their hands.

"...I like your spirit."

The Golden Guard turned his head back to Luz and looked down at the girl. She thought she could see the magenta glow of his gaze from behind the mask's eye holes reflected by the torchlight.

"But try that again, and things won't end well for you."

Luz clenched her fists at her sides, continuing to glare into the eyes of the Golden Guard's mask. She never let Lilith intimidate her, and she wasn't about to let some gold guy do so. After everything the Emperor's Coven had put her and her family through, she refused to show any amount of submission to these people. Especially not the Emperor's golden number two. She refused to back down or show respect.

"You don't scare me," Luz stated.

The Golden Guard stared down at Luz in unnerving silence.

Gus cleared his throat loudly and began to take a step forward. "Sir, please, we don't–"

Like a quickdraw and without even taking his gaze off of Luz, the Guard raised his hand, drew a magic circle, and fired a small ball of fire at Gus's feet.

Gus yelped and stumbled backward, falling down on his rear. Willow rushed over to help him up, shooting the Golden Guard a glare as she did.

Stunned by the sudden action, Luz looked at Gus to make sure he was okay before looking back at the Golden Guard warily.

In addition to the rest of his uniform, the Golden Guard wore a pair of wicked-looking gauntlets on his hands. Like the cuirass, his gauntlets actually looked like they might have been made of real, genuine gold, but they were more impressive-looking than the cuirass. The metal covered his hands and most of his forearms. The knuckles were studded to add some hurt to anything or anyone that met his fists. Smoke rose from the tip of the gold finger that had fired the shot. Luz wasn't entirely sure, but she thought she could feel some magic radiating from the gauntlet. He also wore a pair of metal boots that matched his gauntlets. Gold greaves and sabatons protected his feet and lower legs all the way to his kneecaps. And although they were metal armor, both the gauntlets and the boots seemed to hug the Guard's body, same as the cuirass seemed to do. Luz couldn't help but wonder if they possessed any magical properties.

"You should be more careful of who you try to make an enemy of."

The Golden Guard flexed his hand, and the metal tips of the guantlet's fingers stretched and extended into claws.

"Eventually, you may very well pick a fight you can't win."

Thorn vines as thick as small trees burst out of the ground around the Golden Guard and trapped him in a woven dome of thorns as sharp as razors.

With her eyes glowing like two green spotlights, Willow lowered her hand back down, an angry but satisfied look on her face.

The Scouts, in return, all raised their spells and focused their aims on Willow. "Freeze!" one of them shouted.

The dome of thorn vines began to smoke, then it burst into a large bonfire that everyone had to back away from. When the fire died and the smoke cleared, the Golden Guard was standing on a pile of ashes, now wielding a staff in his hand that he seemed to have pulled out of thin air. It was no palisman staff that he wielded. The staff had a brown body with a staff head that looked mechanical in design. A white and gold piece with a single wing protruding out of the side and arching upward. At the top of the piece was a red, cone-shaped jewel, fixed into the tip of the staff.

Staff in hand, the Golden Guard focused his attention on Willow, who glared back at him defiantly.

"...Impressive," he complimented. "Very impressive."

Red lightning danced across his body.

"But playtime's over."

The Guard slammed his staff into the ground. Luz, Gus and Willow became wrapped in ropes that magically appeared around them, tying their arms against their sides and covering their hands. They cried out and struggled to break free, but to no avail.

"Put them somewhere safe," the Golden Guard ordered the Scouts. "Keep them out of the way until we're done here."

Some Scouts came up and each grabbed one of the three friends.

"Wait!" Luz shouted. She let out an angry and irritated sigh before glaring at the Golden Guard with narrowed eyes. "...Please."

The Golden Guard paused. His mechanical staff folded down and shrank until it was small enough to attach to his belt. Then he moved his cloak over his body, hiding his person behind his cloak Batman-style.

"Speak."

"Look. I'm only here to gather medicine for my mom," Luz said. "She's sick. And she needs her elixir to keep herself together. Without it, something…terrible happens to her."

The Golden Guard remained silent, his still form giving nothing at all away.

"Please. I'm begging you," Luz pleaded. "Just let me and my friends collect some Hesperidian Sap, that's all we need. And then, we'll leave. My mom needs that sap to make her elixir. If she can't get more, then…then…" Luz couldn't bring herself to finish.

The Golden Guard was again silent for a moment.

"...I'm sorry about your mom." It was impossible to tell whether or not he meant it with that emotionless tone of his. "But I cannot allow you to take anything from this island."

Luz's heart sank. "What?"

"Scouts," the Guard said. "Take them aw–"

"Sir! Sir!"

Everyone turned to see one more Scout run through the cave and into the chamber. She sounded exhausted as she ran up to the Golden Guard and, too tired to salute or anything, rested her hands on her knees and slumped forward as she panted for breath.

"...Yes?" the Golden Guard asked.

"Huff…huff…sir…" The Scout cleared her throat and finally stood up, saluting her superior. "Sir. Forgive me. But, it's Agrabog. He's here after all."

There was a collective silence all around. Luz and her friends looked around in confusion, having no idea who Agrabog was supposed to be. The Golden Guard stepped up the Scout.

"Are you sure?" he asked. His tone made it clear that the Scout had better be.

"Yes, Sir," the Scout replied without hesitation. "It was no illusion I saw. He's here. On the other side of the island."

"Doing what?" the Guard asked.

"Not sure," the Scout said. "He stepped out of his tent, barked some orders to his people real quick, then stepped back inside. He's surrounded by his henchmen at their base. I think they're here to collect and brew before slithering away out into sea."

"...He smells us in the wind," the Golden Guard muttered. "But he's not sure it's us, and he doesn't want to abandon his yield."

"Sir. What do we do?" the Scout.

The Golden Guard was silent for a moment. "...First things first." He pointed to Luz and her friends. "Get these three somewhere safe and out of my way."

"Yes, Sir." The Scouts began moving the trio out of the cave.

"Wait!" Luz was able to wiggle out of her Scout's grip and run up to the Golden Guard, ignoring the Scouts who had their spells readied or hands on their weapons.

"What now?" the Guard asked, sounding annoyed.

"We can help you deal with this Agrabog guy. Whoever and whatever he is," Luz offered. "In exchange–"

"Yeah, I'm gonna stop you there. The answer is no," said the Golden Guard. "Now, shoo."

"Hear me out!" Luz begged. She turned her head to Willow. "My friend there is a master at plant magic. And on this island, that would no doubt be invaluable." Next, she turned her head to Gus. "And that guy is the goat with illusion magic."

"The…goat?" the Guard asked.

"Greatest Of All Time."

"Oh, I see, it's an acronym."

"Nothing gets past you, huh?" Luz placed her hand on her chest. "And as for me. I have my…own special talents."

"Please tell me you're not referring to your sense of fashion," said the Guard.

"You're one to talk." Luz pointed at her mask. "If anything, you should take this as a compliment."

"...Right," said the Guard. "The answer is no, now go away."

"Oh, come on! What have you got to lose?!" Luz demanded.

"By putting the lives of you three on the line?" the Golden Guard asked. "...Nothing. Be that as it may, I'm not going to put three inexperienced teenagers in harm's way just because they're stupid enough to step into harm's way."

"Uh, if I may, Sir?" One of the Scouts stepped forward. "This might actually work."

The Golden Guard turned to face the Scout. "You better not be serious."

"I have an idea," the Scout said. "...Permission to continue?"

The Golden Guard stood as still as a statue as he considered. "...Very well, granted."

"We know that Agrabog can smell a trap from a mile away," the Scout said. "He's slippery, Sir."

"I am aware," the Guard said.

"But these three." The Scout pointed at Luz and her friends. "He has no idea who these three are. It may be enough to lower his guard."

"How so?"

"The girl with the glasses," the Scout continued pointing at Willow, who straightened up with surprise. "She seemed powerful enough to pass for an Emperor's Coven Scout."

The Golden Guard briefly glanced over at Willow. "...Possibly. So?"

"So, we dress her up as one of us." The Scout pointed at Luz and Gus. "And we disguise them as bottom-rank bounty hunters. They bring her to Agrabog, looking like a pair of first-timers who just caught a Coven grunt looking for a quick cash grab or maybe a chance to sign on with Agrabog. With his defenses lowered, they get him alone somehow, incapacitate him, then bring him back to us."

"Hey, that's perfect!" Luz exclaimed.

"No, it's moronic," said the Guard. "I'm not risking their lives just to bring in Agrabog."

"Sir…this may be our only chance to catch him," the Scout urged. "He only gets smarter with every escape."

Standing as still as a statue once again, the Golden Guard was as silent as the dead as he considered his options. Luz found it a bit eerie, really, the way he did that. She was beginning to suspect that the Golden Guard was some kind of automaton. Like, maybe a witchcraft version of the Terminator.

"...Endangering the lives of three underaged civilians is not a violation of moral ethics that the Emperor's Coven would ever consider," the Golden Guard announced, speaking as if from a script. "...So all of you get out. So that you need not be held accountable for such a violation."

The Scouts all glanced at each other. Then they all made their way out of the cave, leaving Luz and her friends behind.

"Not you." The Golden Guard grabbed the Scout who came up with the idea before he could leave. "This is your idea, you are going to be held accountable alongside myself if the worse happens."

"Oh," the Scout said in a soft voice, appearing not entirely thrilled by the idea of being held responsible for the death of three teenagers. "...Uh…y-you know, Sir, I'm willing to give you full credit for this mission. R-regardless of how this…all goes down."

"So we're doing this?" Luz asked.

The Golden Guard moved around the other side of the table with the map, taking his staff back out and tapping it on the ground, freeing Luz and her friends from their binds. The Guard beckoned them to join him, and the three friends walked up to the map table.

"Before we proceed with anything," the Golden Guard began. "Do I have the consent of all three of you to volunteer your services to the Emperor's Coven?"

Luz looked at Willow and Gus, silently asking if they were okay with this. To her honest surprise, they both gave her a confident nod, making her eyes shine with gratitude.

The three of them looked at the Golden Guard with determination. "Yes."

"Very well then." The Guard put his staff away and crossed his arms. "I should begin by explaining who Agrabog is."

"I think I've heard of him," said Gus. "Isn't he an illegal potion peddler?"

"He brews and sells things like hallucinogens, concentrated sleeping nettles, memory wipes, love potions, and…much stronger addictive substances, to the public," the Golden Guard explained.

"Oh my Titan, he sounds awful," said Willow.

"He is," said the Guard. "Currently, he remains the biggest illegal distributor at large. He's been on the Coven's wanted list for a few years."

"And, he's here to collect ingredients for all of those things?" Gus asked.

"To later sell at the Night Market, yes," the Guard confirmed. "Normally, it's easy to catch crooks like him. You'd be surprised by how many of them get hopped up on their own product. But Agrabog is smart, and he excels at illusion magic and we suspect even a little bit of oracle magic, making him especially slippery. We haven't been able to apprehend him."

"Which is where we come in?" Luz guessed.

"Unfortunately." The Guard pointed at Willow. "Glasses here will be dressed as a Coven Scout. She seems powerful enough to pass for one of us if they decide to smell you for magic." He pointed at Gus and Luz. "You two will be disguised as bounty hunters who managed to catch Glasses, and will go to Agrabog and pretend to want to sell her or something. Or better yet, pretend that you want to join him. Incapacitate him, bring him back, mission accomplished."

"And in return, you'll let us collect the Hesperidian Sap we need?" Luz asked.

"I'll do you one better, I'll collect it for you myself," said the Golden Guard.

"Collecting from a Hesperidian Oak is extremely dangerous," Willow cautioned. "They're one of the most dangerous plants known to the Demon Realm."

"It's nothing I can't handle," the Golden Guard replied calmly. "Ready to begin?"

The three friends looked at each other, then nodded.

"Good," said the Guard. "Let's get you three ready."

"Uh, before we start, real quick," Luz asked. "Your voice isn't nearly deep enough to do a Darth Vader, so for no particular reason, can you please say 'this is the way' in a really serious manner? Like, you're talking about your code and your very way of life? Maybe cross your arms or place your hand on your weapon when you say it?"

"...I'm not doing that."

"Well, you're no fun."


"I don't know about you guys, but I'm kinda digging this outfit," Gus said, smiling down at the disguise the Scout had put on him. Thanks to the concealment stones in their pockets, Gus and Luz were now appearing to wear leather and hide tunics and breeches with matching boots and gloves. Luz's mask now looked like a stone skull–giving her an idea for a new mask she could make–and her witch's wool cloak now looked like a plain brown cloak. Gus was sporting a cool eyepatch and a red bandana over his head.

As they walked down the coastline of the island from where the Golden Guard had dropped them off, Luz continued to fuss with her own outfit. "This is…just an illusion, right?" Luz asked. "This isn't in any way permanent?"

"Relax, these concealment stones cast an illusion on anyone wearing it that lasts up until the wearer removes it from their person," Gus explained. "I could've done the same myself, but I think the Golden Guard was right when he said it was safer to keep a concealment stone hidden on us. It's way easier to sense a witch's magic then it is to sense a charm's magic."

"Well then, how come I'm not wearing a concealment stone?" Willow complained, donned in the full uniform of an Emperor's Coven Scout, complete with the silver helmet.

"This Agrabog guy won't care about two young bounty hunters who just want to get paid," Luz explained. "He will be interested in a caught Coven Scout. So, your disguise has to be the most authentic."

"But it's hot in this thing." Willow brought her shackled hands up and pulled on her collar. "I feel like I'm back on the Boiling Sea."

"Try not to break character, guys," Luz said. She kept a hold on Willow's right arm, just as Gus kept a hold on her left arm, making it look like she was their prisoner. "We need this to work."

"That golden jerk better keep his word," Willow growled. "I am so not in the mood for a double-cross."

"You know, I gotta say, he's really not what I expected him to be," Luz commented. "I figured he'd be more like Lilith. Don't get me wrong, I think he's an ass. But...he's a professional ass, I guess. He's got the superiority complex, but not necessarily the ego."

"He reminds me of Amity," Willow said bitterly. "He just expects to be above everyone else as if it's just his rightful place on the food chain."

"Luz, the Golden Guards are some of the most talented and powerful warlocks of their generation, second only to the Emperor himself," Gus said. "That guy is the ultimate enforcer of the law. So please don't try to get on his bad side. He'd make a worse enemy than Boscha ever could."

"So he knows a few moves and wears golden armor. Big whoop. He didn't seem that powerful to me," Luz replied snidely. "Those gauntlets he was wearing looked pretty sick though."

"How much longer until we reach the smugglers' base?" Willow asked. "I'm dying in this outfit. How do the Scouts live like this?"

"Just hang in there, Willow, we're almost done." Luz was silent for a little bit. "...And, guys? I…I want you to know that I…really appreciate what you two are doing for me. Not a lot of people would be willing to go this far just for their friend."

"You'd probably do the same for us," Willow replied.

"Of course I would. Because, admittedly, I'm not that smart." Luz looked over at her two friends. "Seriously. Meeting you guys and having you as my friends. It's…it's been fantastic."

"Being your friend has been pretty awesome too," Gus said with a smile.

"If anything happens to you guys, then…" Luz looked down at the ground. "...I am beyond sorry. And, living with myself will…probably be impossible."

"Hey, it'll all be okay, don't worry," Willow said confidently. "We got this."

Luz smiled from behind her mask, then nodded.

"There's the base," Gus said.

Luz and Willow looked down the shore and spotted what looked like a small, makeshift fortress made from wood and dirt. From anywhere else on the island, the small fortress wouldn't have been visible tucked away in the cliffed coast. But on the shoreline, where someone could easily be spotted coming, it was the only way to get a good look at the fortress if you weren't coming by sea. A smart location for a hidden island fortress run by a wanted criminal. There was even a ship docked near the fortress, resembling a monstrous fish in its design, that looked like it could even submerge underneath the boiling seawater. Perfect for a getaway.

The potion smugglers had clearly spotted the trio approaching their fortress from the walkway above the main gate. But as they approached, the smugglers made no move, appearing more curious than wary.

Gus and Luz, holding Willow by her arms, guided her up to the front gate, standing before the fortress and looking up at the cloaked, dangerous-looking witches and demons glaring down at them from up on the walkway.

"Ahoy there!" Luz pointed at their 'captive.' "We come with a gift for Agrabog! This one tried to get the jump on us, but we got the jump on this one!"

"We use the term 'gift' loosely, mind you," Gus added. "We were actually kinda hoping to get paid, or…maybe if he's hiring, we could join up with your crew. We don't have any references…and little experience…" He pointed at Willow. "We did catch a Scout, though."

"You two should do improv," Willow muttered under her breath.

The smugglers above all looked at each other before looking back down at the trio. One of the smugglers walked up to the side of the walkway, pushing aside his coworkers, to look down at the three of them below. He was a tall, biped demon who resembled a warthog with blue skin and a big, piggy nose. He glared at the three friends, seeing two strangers with a Coven Scout in chains. The demon leaned over the side of the walkway and sniffed, making pig snort sounds as he smelled Luz and her friends.

After giving them all a good sniff, he made a low growling sound in his throat and narrowed his eyes at them.

"Wait right there," he ordered in a trench-deep voice before leaving.

The three friends were then left alone with the other smugglers staring down at them. As the silent seconds passed, Gus looked around in a nervous, impatient manner and Luz started digging her feet into the ground in a bored fashion.

"...So…" Luz looked up at the smugglers. "...Does this job come with any benefits?"

"We're provided with health and dental and we make about six grand a month plus bonuses," one smuggler replied.

"Holy shit, no wonder you guys turned to crime, that sounds like a sweet deal."

The pig demon from before returned, glaring down from above at the three of them with his beady, piggy eyes.

"You may enter."

The wooden gates began to move inward, opening for the three friends. The pig man came down from the walkway to meet them.

"Follow me," the big smuggler instructed. "You may venture nowhere else."

The pig turned around and headed into the base. Luz and Gus pretended to lead their shackled captive Scout into the smuggler's base and followed after the pig.

Inside the base, things were organized with the kind of professionalism that would almost have you believing it was a legitimate business being run. There were tents for sleeping, fire pits for socializing, and small wooden buildings that must have either been storage houses or brewing sheds. Luz could smell the potion fumes in the air and even recognized a few scents from her years of brewing elixirs. Smugglers were all around carrying crates of potions or ingredients for potions. Most of them were armed, but it seemed as though the entire base was doing its best to be quiet and discreet. Hardly anyone said anything as they worked, and the whole base was mostly quiet, as if loud noises were against the rules. Even the campfires emitted no smoke and glowed with little light, as if the very flames were enchanted to keep a low profile.

Willow turned her head to see a few smugglers trying and failing to subdue a large mass of vines that hissed and swatted at the smugglers like a giant, sentient collection of angry whips, leaving several nasty cuts along several parts of the smugglers' bodies. It looked a really big, really green, really pissed off tumbleweed.

"Dreadvines," Willow whispered under her breath.

The largest of the tents sat in the back of the base, up against the wall of wooden logs to offer fewer ways to sneak in. This was where the pig demon led the three friends. Once they reached the entrance to the tent, the smuggler turned around to face the trio.

"Wait here," he ordered before heading into the tent. Luz and Gus glanced at each other nervously as Willow did her best to stay in character.

A moment later, the pig came back out and jerked his snout toward the entrance before leaving.

The trio entered the tent, which was surprisingly nice, looking more like a study with the shelves and carpet and couches. Sitting behind his desk, doing some paperwork by the look of it, was the one who had to have been Agrabog.

He was a thin demon who resembled a leopard gecko with his yellow skin and black spots. He was dressed in classy clothing of rich velvet and purple, making him look like that one rich guy who was way worse than any of the other rich guys. He sat at his desk with straight, professional posture. He didn't really give off the impression of a head of a large crime operation. He seemed more like the owner of a bank or one of the shareholders at a business firm.

"Welcome." Agrabog smiled and looked up at the trio, putting his work on hold. Which was, weirdly enough, putting letters into bottles. Must have been some kind of secret communication distribution thing. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Luz, Gus, and Willow had to fight the urge to recoil and grimace. Agrabog might have resembled a gecko, but his face was like the snake that tricked Eve into eating the apple from the tree. Everything from the intelligent glow of his eyes to his breezy smile and even his deep, silky voice said 'Why hello there! You can trust me.' but was laced with a hidden message that said 'Do as I say' in a far less friendly tone.

Agrabog stood up from his desk, smiling pleasantly. "I see you've brought me a gift." He lifted his hand up to Willow. "Caught a Coven Scout did you? Well done."

"It's, uh…a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Agrabog," Luz lied. "I hope this gift we bring you is to your liking."

"Oh, it very much is, yes." Agrabog walked around his desk to stand in front of the three of them. He leaned down and gave Willow a good sniff. "Ah, and a talented one, it would seem. This one reeks of plant magic." The head of the potion smugglers rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I actually might be able to use you for my operation. You wouldn't be interested in a new career, would you?"

"No," Willow growled. "I wouldn't."

"Oh, you're a girl." Agrabog tilted his head. "Well, one way or another, I'll be able to gain at least some profit off of you."

Willow fists clenched so tightly you could hear her knuckles pop. Hidden behind her mask, Luz's face also displayed some disgust. Gus had to fight to show none of his own disgust.

"Eh, we're actually interested in a job," Gus said. "Are you hiring?"

"...I might be," said Agrabog. "Do either of you have any experience in this type of work?"

"I've been brewing potions for years," said Luz.

"I know some illusion magic," Gus said. "Good for having to hide and stuff."

"Hmm, not bad, not bad." Agrabog nodded. "I could use some more smugglers. The Golden Guard has been arresting my crew left and right recently." The demon made an irritated sound and shook his head. "The nerve of that hypocrite Belos sending his dog after me like that."

"Hypocrite?" Willow asked.

"Of course," said Agrabog. "I know your kind hate hearing this, but the only reason that your beloved Emperor wants me arrested is because doing so will make him look better. He couldn't care less about the witches of the Boiling Isles, he just hates how successful my business has become. He's a conman, a cult leader, he's more of a criminal than me!"

"To be fair, you do sell illegal substances to the public," Luz said. "Eh, not that I care, no sir, money's all that matters, that's my motto."

"I give the Isles what they want," Agrabog explained casually. "A brief escape from their miserable lives. Selling the sleeping nettles and the memory wipes? Good money in that too, and no one who matters gets hurt."k

"No one who matters?" Willow asked, an edge in her voice.

"You wanna know who buys from me?" Agrabog leaned down and grinned into Willow's face. "People who are desperate enough to buy from me. People who live in the muck and slums, people desperate enough to buy from the Night Market to get some of what they want."

"Poor people," Willow finished for the demon.

"Lower class people," Agrabog corrected. "Poor people don't like being called poor, it's often a trigger. They don't like being reminded of their meaningless lives. Which is why they buy from me."

"You're destroying lives," Willow stated, sounding like she was saying it through gritted teeth.

"They destroy their own lives," Agrabog replied. "They give me their money willingly; I don't make them do anything. You can hardly blame the weakness of the lower class on me. Honestly, when you really think about it, I'm doing the Boiling Isles a favor by giving the weak and worthless the means to ruin themselves and keep out of society."

"You're a disgusting monster."

"I'm a businessman," said Agrabog. "Profiting off of people who belong where they are wise enough to choose to stay...in the dirt beneath my feet."

Willow's hand slipped from her loose cuffs and her fist slammed into Agrabog's jaw.

The head smuggler cried out in pain and alarm, stumbling backwards. He might've been intelligent, but the arrogant newt was apparently not a physically strong demon. Before he could recover, Willow ran up and grabbed his head, slamming it into his desk over and over again. Luz and Gus simply watched with a frightened look on their faces.

Once Willow was convinced that he had enough, she released him and let his limp body fall to the floor. She loomed over the downed demon, breathing heavily as she fumed beneath her masked helm.

At first, Luz and Gus were both too scared to say anything, but then Gus cleared his throat and took a cautious step forward. "Um…Willow?" he asked gently. "Are you…okay?"

"I'm fine!" Willow snapped with a little more force than necessary.

Luz and Gus flinched at her tone, both of them taking a nervous step back.

"...I'm sorry, I…" Willow reached underneath her mask. They couldn't see it, but Luz and Gus figured she was wiping away a tear. "I just hate how people like him act like…like some people just don't even matter."

Luz nodded. "Whaddya say we take this cold asshole and hand him over to the gold asshole?"

"Nice," said Gus.

Luz thought she could sense a smile behind Willow's Scout mask. "I'd like nothing more right now."

"I hate to ruin the moment, but how are we supposed to get this guy out of here without being seen?" Gus nudged the knocked out newt with his foot to make sure he was still alive. His moan proved that he was. "This place is crawling with smugglers."

"If we can get to those Dreadvines I saw earlier, I think I can communicate with them," Willow suggested. "They might be able to help us escape."

"How?" Luz asked.

"Leave that to me," Willow said. "The trick will be getting past all of the smugglers."

"I could just cast an illusion over all of us," Gus offered.

"I'm pretty sure that pig guy would be able to smell your spell," Luz said. "I think that's what he was sniffing us for back at the front gate. He and Agrabog both can somehow smell a witch's magic. There might be other smugglers here who can do the same."

"If Gus can't cast any illusions, then how are we supposed to get to the Dreadvines without being seen?" Willow asked.

"Without being seen," Luz echoed softly. She looked down at Agrabog. Then she looked over at the paper and pens on his desk. "...I have an idea."


The Dreadvines shrieked and whipped their vines around, attacking any of the smugglers who got too close. Most of the smugglers surrounding it were too scared to go near the thing. And the ones who were brave or stupid enough to get close enough either got whipped and cut or grabbed and thrown across the base.

From a safe distance by a burning campfire, a pair of smugglers watched the Dreadvines toss around and whip its handlers. One of the smugglers by the fire took a swig from his flask.

"Why do we even have that thing here?" he asked, offering his friend the flask.

"The boss found it here and had the base built around it," the other smuggler explained as she took the flask. "Dreadvines are rare, almost extinct, because they excrete an oil that's used in moisturizers and stuff."

"Seriously?" The first smuggler asked. "That thing gets used to make lotions?"

"Oh yeah, and it's real pricey." The second smuggler handed her friend his flask back. "People with money to burn pay out the nose for that kind of crap."

"Man, if I had that kind of money, I would–" The first smuggler stopped talking when he noticed Agrabog walking their way.

"Oh, shit!" The first smuggler said. "The boss is coming, try to look busy!"

The other smuggler started tending to the fire while her friend took out his knife and began sharpening it. Agrabog paid them no mind, and the second smuggler raised a curious eyebrow at the lizard demon.

"Is it just me, or is he walking funny?" she asked.

"Don't stare at him, he hates that!" the first smuggler hissed quietly. "Just keep pretending to look busy."

"Uh, okay, I guess." They both decided to keep their eyes off of their boss.

Agrabog, walking oddly with strange motions, went inside one of the empty tents.

Hidden from sight, Luz and her friends finally let out the breaths they were holding, reappearing visible again and taking in greedy gulps of air as they all held up Agrabog's body.

"Why the hex does your invisibility spell make you hold your breath?" Gus asked.

"I don't know, something poetic, maybe?" Luz replied. "Look, we're almost there, just a little farther."

"This is working ridiculously well for us with almost cartoonish absurdity," Willow commented. "I mean, for Titan's sake, is no one even noticing that his eyes are closed and his tongue is hanging out?"

"Just go with it." Luz pushed Agrabog's tongue back into his mouth. "Remember. Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot. And don't let him hunch over too much."

Letting Agrabog's weight lean on her, Luz pulled out three more of her invisibility glyph combos written on stationary stolen from the head smuggler's office tent. She handed one to both of her friends and they all took a quick second to prepare themselves.

"On three, ready?" Luz said. "One…two…three."

They all took a deep breath and tapped their glyphs. The three of them turned invisible and Agrabog once again had the appearance of someone with the motor skills of a marionette puppet. They walked him out of the tent and headed toward the Dreadvines.

Agrabog's underlings all immediately got out of his way when they noticed him approaching. If they found his weird gait to be confusing and strange, they chose not to say anything. Although they did all become worried and confused when Agrabog approached the Dreadvines.

"Um, Sir?" One or the smugglers nervously asked. "Please be careful, that thing is dangerous."

As to confirm the statement, the Dreadvines whipped their vines around and made another loud shriek. Agrabog stopped for a moment, but continued up to the plant.

"Sir, what are you–"

Luz and her friends finally let out their breaths, appearing visible again and surprising all of the surrounding smugglers.

"Intruders!" A smuggler yelled. "And they've got the boss!"

"Everyone stay where you are!" Luz pulled out a knife and held it against the unconscious Agrabog's throat. "Or I'll do the world a favor and end him."

Between the knife against their boss's throat and the shrieking Dreadvines, none of the smugglers seemed sure of what to do. So they kept their distance and waited to see what would happen.

Willow pulled down her hood and tossed aside her masked helm. She stepped up to the Dreadvines and the giant plant shrieked and whipped its vines in warning.

"Stop!" Willow commanded. She aimed two magic circles at the Dreadvines and her eyes became a pair of green spotlights behind her glasses. "...I'm a friend."

The Dreadvines suddenly ceased their shrieking and appeared to calm down a bit. The way it leaned toward Willow made it seem like it was studying her curiously.

"Help us," Willow begged. "And I can help you."

There was a collective silence all among the smugglers' base. This continued for maybe half of a minute before the smugglers decided to take action. The surrounding criminals all readied their spells and aimed their magic at the trio. Whether or not they cared if any harm came to their boss was uncertain.

Then the Dreadvines let out an ear-splitting shriek, causing everyone to recoil and cover their ears. The large plant's vines whipped out and grabbed Luz and her friends, as well as Agrabog, by their ankles.

"Oh no," said Gus.

All four of them were pulled into the cluster of vines that make up the plant, swallowed up by the mass of vegetation.

The smugglers all developed looks of shock and disbelief as they stared at the Dreadvines, wondering what the hex had just happened to their leader.

"Everyone, grab a knife or something!" One of the smugglers shouted. "We gotta get the boss out of–"

The ground began to rumble, as if there was an earthquake, and the Dreadvines began to shake and sway. The dirt was tossed up in the air as the giant plant began to sink into the ground. The ground didn't stop shaking until the Dreadvines were gone, lost into the dirt below.

All of the smugglers stared at the patch of dirt where the Dreadvines had been just a moment ago with frightened awe plastered onto their faces.

"...Uh…" One of the smugglers looked around. "...He signed our paychecks for this week, right?"


Many miles away, in the open fields of the island, the ground and the Dreadvines burst from the dirt with a defiant and victorious shriek, happy to be away from those who had tried to hold them captive. The large plant took a moment to examine its surroundings before it tossed Luz and her friends and Agrabog out of its mass of vines.

Although Willow was able to land on her feet and facing the Dreadvines, Luz and Gus landed much less gracefully into a bush. Though they fared much better than Agrabog, who was tossed almost angrily onto the ground. He didn't wake up, but he moaned painfully in his unconscious state as he was thrown down onto the grass.

With her eyes still glowing green, Willow smiled and raised her hand up the Dreadvines. "Thank you, friend."

The Dreadvines hissed softly, like a grateful, happy snake. They made no attempt to attack anybody. Instead, it simply leaned back and enjoyed the feel of the sunlight, as if they felt safe in Willow's presence.

Gus and Luz got out of the bush they had been thrown in and looked around. It was a beautiful scenery surrounding them. Flowers, trees, and bushes of all kinds of shapes and colors decorated the landscape like an award-winning painting.

"Woah," said Gus. "Where are we?"

"Somewhere out in the open, where the Dreadvines should be safe from anybody who tries to poach from it," Willow said. She turned around and though the green glow faded away, the anger in her eyes did not as she walked up to Agrabog. "Now let's find the Golden Guard so we can get rid of this evil snake."

"How are we supposed to find him?" Luz asked. "That golden turd didn't really specify how to contact him."

"Looking for me?"

The three of them let out a synchronized, startled shout and spun towards the source of the voice. And there he was, the Golden Guard, suddenly appearing only a few yards away from them. He stood with a calm and collected posture, with his cloak wrapped around his person gently swaying in the wind.

"There you are!" Willow grabbed Agrabog by his arm and dragged him up the Guard, dropping him unceremoniously at the warlock's feet. "Mission accomplished, here he is."

The Golden Guard looked down at Agrabog. "Huh. I'll admit, I had my doubts you three could pull it off. But, lo and behold, here he is."

"I hope you give this monster exactly what he deserves," Willow hissed. "Him and his entire crew."

"Without him holding everything in place, his entire operation is sure to crumble. After he is pressed for information, he will be at the Emperor's mercy," the Guard said. "And believe me when I tell you that the Emperor is not a merciful man." He examined Agrabog's bruised face. "...What happened to him?"

"Me," Willow stated, glaring directly into the eye holes of the Guard's mask.

The Golden Guard looked at Willow. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking with the mask he wore.

"Duly noted," he said to Willow. "You have…considerable talent."

"Yeah, you can ask for her number later, but for now," Luz took out her concealment stone and tossed it aside, reappearing to her regular appearance, mask and all. She then made a 'gimme gimme' motion with her hand. "How about you hold up your end of the bargain?"

The Golden Guard turned his head to Luz. It looked like he was going to say something, but instead, he simply stepped aside, revealing the tall wooden barrel that was hidden behind him and his cloak.

"Sap from a Hesperidian Oak Tree. As promised," the Golden Guard stated. "And enough to last."

"That's a lot of sap," Willow pointed out. "You didn't kill the tree to get it, did you?!"

"The old oak put up a good fight, but I got what I needed from the tree," the Guard said. "Without killing it, of course. I'd probably have three of the Covens taking up arms if I did that."

Luz stared at the tall barrel of sap, suddenly overcome with pure joy and relief. "...Thank you," she said softly. Luz stepped toward the barrel and reached her hand toward it.

The Golden Guard's arm emerged from his cloak, stretched out in front of the barrel.

Luz froze. Gus and Willow stepped up next to her in preparation for what might come next.

For a minute, the Golden Guard simply stood there in silence, examining Luz as if she were now more fascinating of a specimen than before. It made Luz's skin crawl as she wondered what could be going on behind that mask of his.

"...This particular potion ingredient is only used to make the most potent elixirs," the Golden Guard said. "It's highly valued among the Healing Coven for brewing potions that can deter the most wretched sicknesses and curses. In fact, during the era of the Vampira and Lycanthropa, this stuff was used to make an elixir that could fight off Lycanthropy and keep a victim from transforming into a beast."

Luz's eyes narrowed behind her mask. "What's your point?"

"Currently, there's only one person on the entire Boiling Isles that I can think of who possesses such a curse. Who needs to take an elixir in order to keep the beast at bay."

Luz's eyes widened with sudden fear.

"Edalyn Clawthorne," the Golden Guard said. "The Owl Lady."

Gus and Willow glanced nervously at Luz, who maintained her composure and stood stark still.

"Your mom is the Owl Lady, isn't she?" the Golden Guard asked. "You're her adopted human daughter that Lilith has been griping about. You're the one who normally wears that owl mask and works at her stand."

Luz's fist clenched at her sides.

"Luz Clawthorne, right?" The Golden Guard looked over at Gus. "So I suppose that would make you Augustus Porter," He looked over at Willow. "and you Willow Park."

Gus and Willow blinked nervously. "You…know who we are?" Gus asked.

"I know a lot of things," the Guard replied.

"Step. Aside," Luz growled with such intensity that she managed to almost frighten herself. "I am taking that sap, and you are not going to stop me."

The Golden Guard remained motionless as the three witches before him looked ready to fist fight him for the sap if they had to. As the stressing seconds ticked by, the only sound that could be heard was the wind and the occasional noises made by the nearby Dreadvines.

"I have no intention of stopping you." The Golden Guard lowered his arm and stepped away from the barrel. "A deal's a deal, and I'm a witch of his word."

Luz didn't approach the barrel. Wary of a trap, she instead continued to glare at the Golden Guard. "You're not going to arrest me or something?" she asked skeptically.

"Sibling rivalries are beneath me. The Owl Lady is Lilith's problem to deal with, not mine," the Guard replied. "And besides, Edalyn Clawthorne is the one Emperor Belos wants arrested and brought in. Her adopted human daughter is of no concern to anyone, let alone me."

"Oh, okay, here we go," Luz said in irritation. "Because I'm a powerless wanna-be witch who can't even draw a magic circle." She made a 'come at me' gesture with her hands. "Go ahead and make fun of me for it, I'm used to it. Come on, hit me with your best shot. The world-renowned Golden Guard talking down to a magicless human trying to be a witch, this should be good."

The Golden Guard didn't move, and didn't say a word. He stared at Luz with his masked, unreadable face in dead silence for what felt like longer than necessary to the girl.

"...The Scouts are waiting for you at the beach south of here." the Golden Guard finally said. "I've ordered them to give you a ride back to the Isles. All they will do is drop you off and let you go home, you have my word."

Luz crossed her arms. "You're not even going to say 'thank you' or anything? Maybe 'good job' or 'kudos' or something?"

"It would be best if you three forgot this ever happened." The Golden Guard took out his staff and slammed it against the ground. Chains appeared around Agrabog's body and tightened around the demon. "I don't take pride in relying on inexperienced civilians. But we both have what we came here for. There's no need for anything else to be said or done."

"Is that all that matters to you?" Luz asked. "Your mission? Not the people whose lives were saved by the arrest of this prick?"

The Golden Guard grabbed Agrabog by his chains and pulled him up next to him. His masked face then looked directly at Luz's masked face.

"This is the way."

Then he slammed his staff down on the ground again and, with a strike of red lightning from the sky, vanished along with Agrabog. The blast of lightning caused the three friends to recoil and back away.

When the dust cleared, Luz lowered her arms and glared up into the sky where the lightning had come from.

"Douche."


True to the Golden Guard's word, his Scouts dropped the three friends off at the East Harbor at the Pelvis. The boat ride went off without a hitch, and the three of them were incredibly grateful for the safe and smooth trip back to the Isles. Gus and Willow helped Luz unload the sap from the boat before the Scouts went back out into the sea without even saying goodbye.

The barrel was considerably heavy, so they pretty much had to roll the thing out of the harbor, through the woods, and finally, back to the Owl House. And the exhausting chore only took maybe a little over a half an hour.

To Luz's surprise, Eda was pacing in front of the Owl House in a frantic manner, beginning to leave a trail in the ground where she had been pacing. King sat by the front door with Hooty. Both of them looked worried as well. As Luz and her friends approached the house, Luz saw that Eda was talking into a Crow.

"I don't know where she is, Mom, I was hoping she might've found her way to your place!" Eda yelled into the Crow. "I'm gonna try to get a hold of Lilith. If she has her, I swear to Titan, I will rip out her–"

She stopped when she noticed Luz and her friends rolling a wooden barrel up to the Owl House. The look on her face was first pure relief that gradually transformed into utter outrage. The three friends lifted the heavy barrel right-side up before Luz took a scared step forward.

"...Hi, Mom." Luz wrung her hands nervously. "...I'm back."

Eda's angry glare said enough.

King and Hooty glanced at each other.

"Leave?"

"Yup."

The two of them dashed into the house.

"Uh, I'm thinking I should head home too." Gus turned around and hurried away. "Bye, Luz!"

Willow glanced at Luz as if worried for her life before turning around following Gus' lead. "See you at school, Luz."

Now that the two of them were alone, Eda crossed her arms as she glared down at her daughter.

"Talk."

The one word was enough to make Luz's blood go cold.

"I-I-I-I got some Hesperidian Sap," Luz stammered.

Eda blinked in surprise and confusion, looking at the barrel Luz had brought home. "What?"

"To make your elixirs." Luz took off her mask and put down her hood. "Enough to last."

"That's where you were?!" Eda shouted. "How did you even get this stuff?!"

"Long story short," Luz avoided eye contact and shrugged. "I…might've had to do a favor for the Golden Guard."

"WHAT?!"

Luz took a frightened step back. "B-but it all worked out in the end!" she argued. "I helped the Golden Guard–total ass, by the way–capture a really bad bad guy and I got you a whole barrel of the main ingredient to make the elixir you need."

"You could've gotten yourself killed!" Eda shouted. "Getting sap from one of the most dangerous plants on the Isles, making a deal with the Emperor's right hand! I'm not even going to ask where you had to go to find one of those trees, I doubt I'd like the answer."

"But, Mom–"

"But, nothing!" Eda yelled. "How could you do something so stupid and reckless?!"

That one seemed to have hit a little closer to home. With a look of hurt on her face, Luz looked away, refusing to look at Eda.

Upon realizing that she might've gone a little too far, Eda's angry gaze softened just a little.

"...Luz," she began more gently, but still sternly. "It is not your responsibility to help me."

"Well, why not?!" Luz demanded, looking back at Eda. "I want to help you! I can help you!" She angrily slammed her fist against the wooden barrel. "I did help you!"

"I'm not going to allow you to put yourself in harm's way for me!" Eda stated. "You don't need to prove anything, Luz!"

"You think I went through all that trouble just to prove something?!" Luz asked. "I want to help you because you're my mom! You're the only mom I've ever known!"

Luz pointed her finger at Eda. "You didn't have to take me in, you didn't have to raise me! But you did! Everything I am, everything I know, I owe it all to you!"

Eda's reaction made it seem like someone had slapped her across the face.

"And now, there's a chance that I might lose you! If not to the Emperor's Coven, then to this curse! And, I–"

Luz choked, then hung her head as a few tears escaped.

"...I don't want to lose you," Luz whimpered. "I'll do anything to make sure I don't."

As Eda stared down at the human girl she had adopted into her life, all the anger on her face was washed away, replaced with guilt and sorrow. She looked down at Luz as the young girl sniffled, then Eda let out a sigh before walking up and kneeling down to look Luz in her eyes, gently lifting up her chin to make eye contact.

"...You know, when King first came into my life, it was a…" Eda smiled reminiscently and looked to the side. "...a big change in my life. One that I…didn't realize that I needed."

Eda looked back into Luz's eyes. "And then you came along." She chuckled softly. "I still remember the first time I brought you into the Owl House. You were so little, King too. Believe it or not, he was scared of you at first."

Luz snorted out a laugh.

"No joke," Eda said. "It was hilarious, he would try to intimidate you with his tiny battle cry and then when that didn't work, he would crawl up onto my head in order to keep a safe distance from you. I'm fairly certain you thought he was a puppy or something, all you wanted to do was cuddle with him."

Eda's smile widened. "Bringing you into my home, into my life…it was a blessing, it really was." Her smile dimmed a bit. "One that…I wasn't sure I deserved. More importantly," Eda's smile faded. "I wasn't sure I could give you a decent life. But I made a promise to protect you and take care of you. It is my job to keep you safe. Not the other way around."

Eda placed her hands on Luz's shoulders. "So please don't put yourself in danger like that. You don't need to protect me."

Luz developed a miserable look on her face before she slumped into Eda's arms, holding on to her and sobbing onto her chest.

"I just don't want to lose you," Luz sobbed.

"And you won't," Eda wrapped her arms around Luz. "You never will. I promise, Luz."

"How can you keep that promise?" Luz asked as she cried.

'Good question,' an evil voice whispered in Eda's head. She ignored the voice and instead put on a cool smile.

"What, you're worried Lilith is going to catch me? Or this curse is going to get the best of me?" Eda asked. "Please, I know how to deal with my sister. And as for this curse?" Eda shrugged. "Meh. Puberty was way more awful than this lame curse ever was."

"Ew, Mom, gross!" Luz said, pulled away from the hug, but smiling now.

Eda laughed. "It's going to be okay, little Owlet," she promised. "I got this."

She cupped Luz's cheek in her hand. "We got this."

Luz matched Eda with her smile, placing her hand over Eda's.

"...Okay," she said. "...I believe you."

Eda looked over at the barrel of sap. "So, that thing is really filled with Hesperidian Sap?"

"It better be," Luz grumbled.

"That's pretty impressive," Eda said. "How'd you pull it off?"

"Well, to be fair, the Golden Guard went and got it for me while my friends and I knocked out and kidnapped the head of an illegal substance smuggling operation for him," Luz explained.

Eda's eyes widened. "...Well, in any case," she stood up and smiled down at Luz. "I'm proud of you. You really are more capable than I give you credit for, and I'm sorry for that. Just don't scare me like that, alright?"

Luz beamed up at Eda. "Alright."

"Now, let's get this barrel into the house so you can tell us all about your little adventure," Eda suggested. "Tomorrow morning, we'll bring the stuff over to Morton so he can make me some more elixir. Sound good?"

Luz nodded with a smile.

"Perfect." Eda drew a magic circle and the barrel floated up off the ground for her.

"Man, that would've been nice about half an hour ago," Luz complained.

"Ya gotta love magic," Eda said before she and Luz headed inside, the barrel floating after them.

"So, you actually met the Golden Guard, huh?" Eda asked. "What's he like?"

"He's shorter than you'd think," Luz said. "And his voice is really annoying."

Eda chuckled. "Nice."

"...But, to be perfectly honest," Luz looked at Eda. "I like him way more than I like your sister."

Eda laughed. "Even better."


It was late at night in the Human Realm. The full moon above provided enough illumination for those who preferred the absence of the sun. The dark forest surrounding the old, abandoned house sang with life. There were some creatures that simply never slept at night.

One of those creatures, it appeared, happened to be the Owl Lady, who stepped through the magic door and walked onto the house's front porch. She stopped at the top of the porch's steps and simply stood there for a moment. Luz and King were already asleep, but finding sleep to be impossible for her, Eda instead found herself back to this place once again.

She almost looked like she was in a trance as she took a seat at the top of the steps and stared at the grass. More specifically, she focused on that one spot in the grass, not too far from the steps where she sat. For what felt like hours, Edalyn just sat there and stared at that one spot in the grass.

How many years had it been? Fourteen? Almost fifteen? About a decade and a half had passed since that night.

"Dale un hogar, Lechuza."

At the time, she had no idea what that meant. But Eda had tried so hard, for so many years, to give that girl a home and to keep her safe. To keep that promise she had made years ago. Not just for Luz. But for her parents. For her real parents. For her real mother.

Surrounded by the dark forest, under the light of the moon, Eda began to sob into her hands, adding to the song of the night.


"Your capacity to keep your vow will depend on the purity of your life."

Mahatma Gandhi