Hey everybody! Yes, this took a bit. Life gets random. I made sure to make it a bit bigger than usual to pay for the wait as well as however long the next update takes. I'm getting to work on something, so that will take focus for a while. Thank you.
Edit: I got some lines translated. I got help off of r/translate, so if there are any horrendous inaccuracies, let me know.
Boiled Lamb
~|o|~
Lambert wasn't quite sure what he expected the fabled Owl House to be on the inside. With how infamous the Owl Lady was to the denizens of the Boiling Isles, he wouldn't have been surprised to see cursed books laying in the open or cadavers set out to dry to be used in a poultice or something.
Instead he was pleasantly surprised to enter a rather homely living room, albeit decorated with glowing runes along the walls and esoteric odds and ends. Most of which was now scattered on the floor. It wasn't the first time he had come across a collector's abode, but this one was considerably less indicative of any form of insanity or concealed dangers.
It invigorated his excitement rather than diminish it as he followed the owner inside, her protege and furred child(?) through the threshold. The latter two stood off to the side watching him with wide eyes as he took everything in. The door remained open as Hooty "limped" for lack of proper term, in after them.
He glanced up and spotted a framed copy of the Owl Lady's wanted poster, set in its place of honor on the wall.
He cracked a smile. 'Someone who takes pride in being the very best of the worst. I can respect that.'
"Sorry about the mess, we don't get many guests out here." The witch muttered off handed, her back to him as she yanked the stopper off a flask. It let out a pop and she tilted her head back to take a deep drink.
"Oh don't worry about it. I feel at least partially responsible for everything outside." He replied.
"Bet your fluffy butt you are." She grumbled, wiping her mouth with her sleeve and straightening her back. "Luz, grab the first aid will ya? We need to get Hooty patched up before he rolls in garbage or something."
"S-Sure Eda!" The girl snapped to attention in a very skittish manner reminding Lambert of a spooked puppy. She quickly strided to the hallway, eyes not leaving him at all until she left. He raised a brow at her odd behaviour, but then shrugged.
Guess I can't blame her.' He noted, letting out a little sigh of relief. That bizarre sensation of tension hadn't left yet, only getting worse the closer he was to the young witch. Any other time he would have been completely on guard, as his instincts rarely led him astray, keeping him safe from the various disguised demons, two faced assassins or what have you that he was accustomed to.
But here he saw no reason for him to be afraid of her. This "Luz" was not the least bit threatening so far. She didn't look that physically imposing aside from the few feet she had over him, had no visible weapons and he couldn't smell a single drop of power in her, magic, demonic, godly or otherwise. For all intents and purposes he was staring at a tall, lanky, hairless, tailless monkey.
Right down to the round ears.
"Brr!" He shivered and blinked in confusion. That was weird. Just the thought of those things made him shudder.
"What's up with you?" Eda cocked a brow and he quickly shook the feeling off.
"Nothing. What's this?" He asked, quickly changing the subject by bending down to pick up a smooth black sphere. It sloshed with some liquid inside. He turned it over to find a small window, a little bauble inside flipping over with a tiny message. "Ask again later?"
"Hey, careful with the merchandise! Human bad advice orbs aren't easy to come by around here." Eda admonished, crashing down on the old couch set against the wall and groaned.
Lambert's ears perked up and he gave the witch a look. "Yoo-man? Is that some kind of demon around here?"
Eda frowned. "No, human, as in HU-MAN realm? This not ringing any bells kid?"
He blinked. "There's a yoo-man realm?"
She stared at him with her mouth hanging open, as if she couldn't quite process what he just said. "You… really aren't from around here, are you?"
"You can certainly say that." He chuckled, continuing his inspection of the round curio.
His neck prickled and he turned his head to see the small furred demon, King he recalled, creeping up behind him. Said invader of his personal space froze like a deer in the torchlights as if he had been caught.
'Not like he could really do anything to me.' Lambert surmised. A current of mischief tickled him and he turned to face him. "Can I help you?" He asked in his most courteous voice complete with a wide, welcoming smile.
"COVER BLOWN! RETREAT!" The demon shrieked, scampering away with his fur puffed up like a cat. He ran to the couch, climbed up and hid himself behind Eda's back, occasionally peeking out at him with his big yellow eyes.
Lambert couldn't help the snort that escaped his lips. 'Kids.'
"Edaaaa! The wooly intruder is laughing at me!" King whined, pointing a claw at him.
"Yeah, well you have that effect on people, King. He also saved you from being turned into a scarf, so stop with the name calling till after he tells us what he wants, kay?"
King pouted and grumbled under his breath.
"Found it!" The apprentice called out from the other room, running in and setting herself down on the carpet. "C'mere Hooty! I'll fix you up!" She said, patting her knee.
"Well helloooooo nurse!" The bird tube abruptly flopped down.
"OOF!" She grunted as Hooty landed on her stomach instead, sending them both to the floor.
"Alright, now that everyone's here, I guess we can finally get down to brass tacks Squirt." Eda announced, turning her attention to Lambert. "Normally, I'd introduce myself with fireworks and the whole shebang, but I'm too tired to care right now. So yeah, I'm Eda the Owl Lady, master of wild magic, most wanted criminal on the Boiling Isles and in dire need for some apple blood." She waved her hand lackadaisically. "The oddball ensemble before you is my apprentice Luz…"
"Hey!" The girl greeted, focused on the bandage she was wrapping around her patient.
"You've already met Hooty, my state of the art security system."
"Hoo, me? Ouch!" He hooted as Luz pulled the bandage tight, followed by a quick apology.
"And my roommate King."
"That's future ruler of the Boiling Isles and all Demonkind to you, Woolboy!" Said roommate barked from where he was now perched on Eda's shoulder.
Lambert laughed a little at King's outburst, chalking it up to the bravado of the young. "What an eclectic clan you've made for yourselves! It is very nice to meet you all, I just wish it had been under better circumstances. Speaking of…" He turned and bowed his head deeply to Hooty. Gods knew his followers would faint from the sight. "... I must offer my deepest apologies Sir Hooty. I acted in self defense, but I feel all of that violence was mostly my fault."
"It's okay!" The house demon cheerfully hollered as Luz stuck a rainbow colored band aid to the side of his head. "I almost ate myself last week, I toooootally get it!"
Lambert glanced at Eda confused, who merely rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Uhh… alright, if you say so."
"Yeah yeah, everything is hunky dory." Eda butted in, tapping her heel on the wooden floor. "I think it's high time you tell us who YOU are, buster. And what you want with me! I've never met you, so I couldn't have stolen from you. And you don't look like a third cousin, even removed."
"I don't think I want to know why that's a possibility." Luz muttered to herself.
"So you better start talking!" Eda demanded with a point of her manicured claw.
Lambert smiled and shrugged. One last try. Maybe it will work this time.
"If you insist." He cleared his throat, straightened his back and turned away dramatically. "Far beyond the Boiling sea where the spray does not scald is the Lands of the Old Faith. A land of great and terrible things. Beasts who scrabble in the muck. Demons who send them a scurry with their very shadow. And countless deities, idols who rise to the heights of devotion only to fall to the grips of time. But there is one who holds dominion over them all." He flourished his cloak. "Behold, the white ending. He who liberates the shackled. A beacon of compassion and order amidst a black sea of ignorance and strife! The Cloven Lord, the end of chaos, famine, pestilence and war! Marvel in my awesome power, the God of Death!"
With one last twirl, he turned to face his audience. "My name is Lambert and I'd like to say, hello." He greeted and gave a wink.
The room stared at him in silence. A bird or something cawed outside the window. The seconds flitted past and no one made a move or a sound. A bead of sweat slid down Lambert's brow.
'Might have been a bit too much.'
Thankfully some God must have taken pity as the awkwardness was shattered when Luz finally made a move. She stood up from the floor and quietly strode over until she was standing across from Lambert.
He glanced about, unsure what to make of this reaction. He looked up and his eyes met Luz's. They were open wide, pupils fully dilated.
He stiffened. "Uh-oh."
No sooner had he uttered that the girl's gangly arms had swooped down and wrapped him into a crushing embrace. A high pitched squeal of pure joy ran through Lambert's poor ears like claws on granite.
"EEEEEEE! TÚ ESTÁS MUY PRECIOSO!" Luz cheered loudly in a tongue unknown to him. "IN YOUR LITTLE CROWN AND CAPE! YOU'RE LIKE THE LITTLE MAGIC CHIBI MASCOT FROM PIXIE FABLE! HÍJOLE, YOU ARE SO SOFT IT'S LIKE HUGGING A CLOUD STUFFED WITH MARSHMALLOWS! I JUST WANT TO EAT YOU UP!" She babbled, rubbing her face through the wool on the side of his head, swinging him around like a doll.
Lambert squirmed in her grasp, but it was like he was being constricted by scaleless pythons. The crown began to glow and smolder. "Woah-hey! Unhand me! I've had just about enough of getting grabbed and cuddled against my will! I am the god of death damn you and I demand your fearful res-"
Before he could finish his threat, Luz's fingers brushed against the sides of his face. Then they dug. Then they scratched!
A wave of euphoria crashed against the shores of his brain, all of his nerves tingling as if electrified! His eyes shot wide open and his mouth hung in a silent scream. All strength in his body vanished, going limp in Luz's arms.
In his many, many years as the bearer of the red crown, Lambert had many different experiences. The feverish air of Anura. The crushing depths of Anchordeep. The rush and bite of combat. He had weathered it all and came out stronger.
And yet he was rendered helpless by the ministrations of this powerless witchling! He would be flooded with shame if he was capable of feeling anything other than pure, concentrated pleasure. Such a symphony of sensations he had never imagined nor could he comprehend.
"W-Wha… what… what is this… sorcery?" He gasped, barely able to muster the breath to speak.
"Oh this? My Mama is a vet. I've joined her on house calls to farms before. I know alllll the tricks. Like this spot right here!" Luz explained, wriggling her fingers along Lambert's chin before drifting towards the side of his head.
"W-Wait, don't-!"
But his pleas came too late as she scratched behind his ears and the torment began anew. Any form of self control deserted him and Lambert was left an embarrassed and very pleased mammal. His hooves shook and ears wiggled. His tail was practically vibrating against Luz's arms.
His eyes rolled back and closed as the primitive shadow of his base nature made him lean into her touch. His blaring warning instincts had now been silenced and now all he wanted was more of this enticing magic.
'Maybe… maybe getting doted on isn't so bad… once in a while…' He thought to himself, his mouth opening like a yawn.
What came out instead was something he hadn't heard in a long, long time.
"Beeeh!"
"Aww… who's a precious snowflake?" Luz cooed.
Lambert's eyes bugged open, clapping paws to his burning muzzle as he realized he just did, an ice cold bucket of clarity splashing over him. The cloud of rampaging endorphins dissipated, vigor filling his body and his limbs finally obeyed.
With renewed determination, he kicked his legs about. Thankfully Luz seemed to get the message and let him back down to his hooves. He clopped away a couple feet, panting and trying to right his swirling head.
"Whoops! Sorry about that!" Luz apologized, scratching the back of her neck with a chuckle. "I know you probably didn't like that, but it's you know… I see a wittle guy, gotta hug 'em, MMM!"
King glared from behind Eda, angrily waving his claws. "Hey, I thought I was your cutest wittle guy!"
Lambert could barely catch what was being said, still trying to make sense of his emotions. He definitely felt shame at being toyed with like a mewling infant, which would normally lead to the default response. Ie: furiously gripping the agitator who had the sheer audacity to do this to him by the neck with the full might of the crown!
And yet… it felt good. REALLY good. And didn't that just open up an even greater chasm of embarrassment? If anyone back in the Lands of the Old Faith heard that he, their one true master had melted like snow in a blissfully naive girl's arms and bleated akin to a freshly borne lamb? He would lose the entirety of the respect and menace he had fostered over his long career. That he fell so easily to such cloying and tempting sensations. It was mortifying!
'Is this what Narinder feels when he gets babied by me and the flock? No wonder he's so surly.' He thought, shaking his head and fixing the crown on his head.
"I'm…fine. I'm just going to have to ask that you not do that again."
Luz's shoulders sagged and she held up her fingers. "...not even a little?"
Lambert grimaced, but then rolled his eyes and he mulled it over. "...maybe… only when I tell you to. Got it?" He pointed at her with a paw on his hip.
The girl beamed and pumped a fist. "YUS!"
Letting out a sigh, the disheveled god let his eyes wander and he caught sight of Eda behind her. The woman had a hand on her staff and was halfway off the couch, a wary look on her face. Looked like she had been close to jumping in. Understandable considering how strong she knew him to be.
He rolled his eyes and gave her a small wave of his paw. Brow still narrowed, Eda calmed a little and sat back down. All of this went unnoticed by King, studying him from afar. The space above him actually.
He pointed. "What's the thing on your head? It won't stop staring at me."
"Oh this?" Lambert glanced up to his sentient headwear. True to the badger thing's word, its red eye was fixated on him from across the room. Odd. "This is the Red Crown!" He declared, letting a fraction of his energy out as a glimmer of bright light. "The source of my power and proof of my divinity! It is what gives me the right to rule over the domain of death and my legions of loyal subjects!"
"Ooooo~ magic hat! There's been a surprising lack of those around here." Luz remarked, clapping excitedly. Meanwhile King stood up ramrod straight against the table, reminding Lambert of any one of the meerkats back home, if they had an aye-aye's big yellow eyes.
"A… a crown of power?! Domain?! Rule?! Subjects?!" He squeaked, tail wagging furiously.
"Yes, those are words I said."
"I want! Gimme! I'll trade you Eda!" He yelled, making the witch blink.
"Wha-HEY!"
Lambert gave a little, amused laugh. "Heh, tempting offer, but I'm afraid me and my little friend here aren't so easily parted."
He didn't give it up for him, he wouldn't for this cantankerous child.
Speaking of, he didn't take rejection very well as he scampered up the witch's back.
"Edaaaaa! I want my crown of power and he won't give it to me! The king of demons!" He cried, only for Eda to click her tongue and turn away to inspect her nails.
"You just tried to barter me for a crown, kid. You're on your own."
"But! I! WANT!" King fell backward off her back onto the floor and began pounding and kicking the floor. "NYEEEEEEEEE!" His voice jumped up to a near hypersonic pitch in his tantrum, making Lambert wince and cover his delicate ears.
Eda burst out laughing at the sight, nearly falling off the couch. "Like a fiddle, bwahahaha!"
Lambert turned to Luz. "Does this happen often?"
She smiled and chuckled. "More than you think. Don't worry, he'll cool off."
Eda flicked a tear from her eye. "Okay, but seriously, we've gotten WAY off topic here. We know who and sort of what, but not why. As in, why the heck you wanted to find me so badly?"
Lambert snapped his fingers and nodded. "Right, that! I require your assistance, Miss Owl Lady!"
She ran a hand through her hair and groaned. "Just call me Eda, squirt. Words like Miss or Madam make me sound old."
"But aren't you-" She glared and he coughed into his paw. "-got it, won't finish that. W-Well I have complete power over death itself, but I find myself lacking on the, shall we say, other side of the coin."
Luz, King and Hooty tilted their heads in confusion, but not Eda. She blinked and leaned forward. "The opposite of death is life. You're not saying you want..?"
He nodded. "Indeed. I have embarked on a great and noble crusade to uncover the secrets of life and resurrection!"
A silence fell over the room so thick one could hear a bead of dew drop. Human child and demon's alike jaws dropped, glancing between each other and Eda in shock. The witch for her part was looking rather stoic, once again scrutinizing Lambert with a cautious gaze.
"Bringing the dead back to life? That's a tall order. Any two bit hack can raise a skeleton or conjure a ghost, but binding spirits to real bodies? Not even close." She hummed.
Lambert raised a brow. "So you can't do it? The self proclaimed "greatest witch of the Boiling Isles"?"
Eda shook her head. "I didn't say that. I just don't WANT to. Necromancy of all but the lowest levels is very dangerous. Not to mention illegal. Probably the most illegal actually."
Lambert frowned. "I thought wild witches were the way they are because they don't listen to the laws." He asked, getting a scoff.
"Yeah, Belos's super strict and stifling laws, not the laws of nature itself. We're talking about messing with one of the most important universal constants, the circle of life and death. Everyone is born, they grow, whither and die. Only the most crazy or evil witches mess with that kind of dark magic anymore, if the guards haven't stamped them out yet. For once I don't blame them."
The refusal made Lambert sputter. "So that's it? You won't do it?!"
"Yup. Not doing it. Sorry you wasted coming here. Have a good trip back home." Eda said, leaning back on the couch and looking away, giving him a dismissive wave of her hand.
"But I-!"
"Nope! No buts! Sorry!" Eda cut him off.
Lambert stood there in disbelief, quickly giving way to a simmering anger within. He clenched fist under his cloak, sparks of malefic power arcing over his fingers. He had come so far. He would not be denied here.
Surely the witch will see reason if he set the house ablaze with everyone inside?
Then he lowered his gaze in thought. He relaxed his hand and forced the energy to dissipate. 'No. That won't work. This Eda is too strong to simply roll over and is likely too stubborn to tell me even if I had her at the sword. There has to be another way. Think!'
His eyes lifted back to Eda who seemed to be doing her best to ignore him. There had to be some means of convincing her.
An uneasy hum to the right caught his ear and he glanced to see Luz there. Her lips were pursed as she stared at Eda, a fretful look in eyes to match her slowly wringing hands.
Brow raised, Lambert glanced at Eda, to Luz, then back again. A brief memory popped into his head, of when the child had grabbed him against his will.
Of when the witch had been an inch away from blasting him if he had let his fury explode forth.
An idea slithered in and whispered in his ear. A glint flitted in his eye and a little smile graced his lips.
It was gone in the next instant as he sucked in a deep breath.
"Please reconsider Miss Eda! I have come so far, I can't go back empty handed!"
"Again with the Miss…" She groaned, shaking her head. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be pal. I'm not doing it and that's final!"
'Perfect.' Lambert thought and lowered his head. Drawing on the threat of failure, his face crumbled with so much heartbreak that he even impressed himself. He covered his eyes and with a subtle conjuration, "tears" began pouring down.
"I-I can't b-believe it! To try and give… so much… just to fail!" He wailed. His knees hit the wooden floor and he lay there in a shuddering heap, putting his whole voice into his cries. The crown drooped down for added effect. "I've let everyone down! I promised that I would find a way! But I've failed! Failed, failed, failed!" He punctuated with a slam of his fist. "How can I face my family now?!"
He let his bawling devolve to sobs, pretending to be too caught up in his own misery while he watched through the crown's eye.
King and Hooty seemed at a loss for words. Eda was either colder than he anticipated or was completely unconvinced as she looked down on him with a bit of revulsion, though that might have just been the mess he was making on her floor.
It didn't matter though, she wasn't his target.
Luz had an expression full of pity and worry as she stared down at him. Did he also detect a hint of… empathy?
"Eda…" She turned to her mentor. "...don't you think we can help him out?"
Eda scoffed. "Oh, don't fall for it. Kid talked a big game about being some kind of god, then he's groveling without shame. He's trying to play me."
"But what if he's not?!" The girl gestured to him. "He's putting everything on the line here to ask for your help Eda! Listen to him! He's crying his little heart out! I don't think he's lying!"
Eda massaged her temples. "For Titan's sake Luz, even if he wasn't, the laws of nature aren't things to be bent at a whim! If something is dead, it has to stay dead! It is their right to be given their final rest!"
"But what if it's for a very important reason?! A very selfless, pure hearted, innocent reason?!" Luz briefly turned to him. "It is, right?"
Lambert slowly raised his head and loudly sniffled. "I… I mean, yes?"
Luz whirled back around. "See?! Come on Eda, how can you look at those big eyes and think he's going to do something evil if you help him?!"
Eda met Lambert's gaze. Swallowing the last bit of his pride, he let his lip pathetically wobble.
The witch groaned and looked away. "I… n-no Luz, no."
She was breaking, he could feel it! Just one last push!
Shuffling forward on his knees, Lambert bowed all the way down until his muzzle was pressed against the carpet. He poured every bit of emotion that he could muster into his cracking voice and he couldn't help but mean every word.
"Please Owl Lady… I beg of you… I need your help."
Eda bit her lip at the sight, a war waging in her mind.
Her eyes drifted to her student, who wore an imploring frown on her face.
"Please Eda… for me?"
She let out an aggravated moan, throwing her head back over the couch, a hand raking back her hair. She sat like that for several moments, no one making a sound until;
"...fineeeee…" She ground out.
Lambert felt his darkened soul shine like an exploding star, raising his head in disbelief. "You… you will?!" He gasped, not having to fake as much of the joy in his voice as one would believe.
"YOU WILL?!" Luz cheered, hopping up and down like a rabbit finding a golden carrot.
Eda heaved a sigh and brought her head forward, fixing her and Lambert with a tired, annoyed look. "Yeah, you're lucky the kid wore me down. The more I thought about it, the more I got scared of who you would turn to if I didn't budge. Least this way I can try and keep whatever disaster that will inevitably happen under control."
Lambert grinned so wide he felt like his face would split in half. It worked. If anyone back home learned of the many circles of hell he had sunken in the last minute he would probably give a blazing jellyfish a hug. But it worked!
'The power of cuteness is terrifying indeed.'
Springing to his hooves, he ran up to Eda and held out his paw. "Thank you so much! You will not regret this!"
Eda eyed him for a second. She reached out and lazily shook his palm. "Remind me to throw those words back in your face later when I do."
Luz threw her hands in the air and whooped. "Thanks Eda! This is going to be great! You can hang out with us, Lambert! We can learn stuff together, go on adventures, play games, play with each other's wool…"
He frowned. "You don't have any wool."
She beamed innocently. "I know. Wait, do you have a place to stay?"
"Not really, no. I do have a tent though." He shrugged, lifting his bag.
"Pff, tent, shment! You can stay here with us!"
"Woah, woah, woah…" Eda leapt to her feet, crossing her arms into an X. "...helping him out is one thing, but letting him live here is another!"
Luz's face fell. "But Edaaa, you can't seriously be thinking of leaving him outside where he could freeze to death or get eaten by a cyclops or something!"
'I'd like to see them try.' Lambert snorted. Eda shook her head.
"Nuh uh! None of you freeloaders pay rent, I'm not adding a fourth! I scrape by enough as it is and my profits from the Bazaar got cut in half today so I'm in the red. Only way he is staying here is if he can actually pay for it! And on the topic of money…" She turned to him, hands on her hips. "If I'm going to be risking my neck to bend the laws of nature for you, you better cough up a lot of snails to make it worth my while."
Lambert paled. "Um… snails? That's what you use to trade here?"
"Yup. No snails, no spooky spirit stuff." She bent over him, smugness coming off of her in waves. "If you got squat, you're out of luck, pal."
He bit back a curse, rifling through his cloak pockets. "I'm afraid I am completely out of snails, used those as an offering to the old ones years ago…" He pulled out his drawstring pouch and dumped a small pile of gold coins into his paw. "I don't suppose you'll take these, will you?"
Eda's eyes grew big as saucers, her pupils completely dilated and filled with sparkles. Her hand whipped out in a white blur, snatching the coins.
"Welcome to the Owl House! Luz, get this guy set up in a closet or something! Momma needs to introduce herself to her new, precious, little friends!" She giggled, cradling her new treasure close to her cheek like it was her own child as she left the room.
"Woohoo! We did it!" Luz cheered.
"WE HAVE A NEW BEST FRIEND! HOOT HOOT!" Hooty howled in joy, not wasting a second in coiling around Lambert like a snake. "This is going to be so much fun, we can stay up late, eat mice and bugs, tell each other all of our deepest core memories that make up our personalities on an emotional and fundamental level, eat more mice…"
"W-Wow, sounds great… tell you what, I'll get back to you on that!" Lambert coughed and wriggled his way out the top of the Hooty trap. Luz clapped her hands and stepped over.
"Welcome to the club little buddy! Wanna let me carry you and your stuff up the stairs?" She offered.
Lambert gave her a cautious glance. "Depends, are you going to bear hug me again?"
"...maybe…"
"I think I'll walk."
"Yeaokay." She sagged, leading him up the staircase.
"Hey, wait for me! I'm coming for that crown!" King called out and scrambled up the steps behind them.
The small god took a moment to breathe as he followed his guide. Finally. He had finally found the first step to his goal. But he had also stumbled across an odd little family. An arcane master of repute, if a bit cantankerous and full of herself. A little skull wearing mammal with a god complex. A rampaging bird worm with the mind of a child. And finally "yoo-man", whatever that was, with a pure if naive spirit.
A collection of odd souls, eching out an existence for themselves in a quaint little house.
'Then again, the grandest things often come from the unlikeliest of places. Got to love the irony.' He thought with a spot of mirth. It reminded him of the early days, when he had nothing more than a few outcasts to call a flock, a wooden statue and some sleeping bags made of shrubbery to his name.
Yes. He didn't need Clauneck's foresight to know he was on the right path and he, for one, looked forward to what would come next.
~|o|~
Meanwhile beyond the red forest and halfway through Bonesborough, a dark haired witch glided through the air, astride her white staff topped with her raven companion. Her mint green eyes narrowed as she spotted her destination within a back avenue hidden away in the alley ways of the town. A dozen identically cowled Coven Scouts milled about the black and smoldering ruin of what was once a small cottage.
With a swirling landing and fluid dismount befitting of her station the witch's heeled boots clicked against the cobbled road. Noticing her arrival the acting senior private snapped to attention with a straight spine and a salute.
"Mistress Lilith!" He greeted, drawing the attention of his fellow scouts around him who quickly bowed their heads.
Lilith only raised a palm in response and they returned to their work. Stepping past, she returned her gaze to the crime scene. She covered her nose to spare herself the sweet-acrid stench of ash and burned sugar. She had been overseeing conduct and security in Bonesborough today. Bizarre Bazaar had the habit of turning festivities into catastrophes in past years, meaning it was always a good idea to have Emperor's Coven there to keep an eye out. Not to mention it was one of her wayward sister's biggest profits of the year, giving chances to apprehend her. She had been working on that when she had gotten the call, pulling her away painfully. But she was one of the Emperor's closest aids and her duties were to him first and foremost.
"When was the incident reported, Scout..?" She trailed off.
"Scout Steve, Ma'am. Sometime late last night. Apparently it was a huge red fire, definitely magical in nature."
"As expected." Lilith muttered. It was easier to count the times that incidents that occurred from mundane sources than magic. "I suppose we are just lucky the blaze didn't spread anywhere else."
She kneeled down and turned over a half burned board. She could just make out eggshell blue letters reading: "-itty Cafe." Her lips twisted and Lilith fought the urge to vomit. It was the small themed cafe whose owners had gotten mixed up with her attempted arrest of Edalyn about a week ago. Yet another attempt that ended with failure and humiliation, specifically with her mind stuck in the body of her squad's tracking cerberus for the better part of a day.
Lilith shuddered at the memory. She still woke up sometimes craving gravy covered dog treats after that fiasco.
Swallowing the bile rising in her throat, she brought her soot covered fingers up and sniffed. Her brows knit together. "This doesn't smell like any fire magic I know. It's still very fresh too. How long did it take to quench the blaze?"
The scout scratched his head and glanced away. "We uh… didn't actually manage to put it out ourselves."
"What?" She asked, making him stiffen.
"W-W-Well when we got the call we DID try to do it! Used water and ice magic, flame command incantations, just as Wyldfire Protocol said to. But no matter what we did the fire just wouldn't die out! We kept trying, but eventually it just sort of… burned itself out."
Lilith studied the nervous scout and clicked her tongue. He didn't seem to be lying and if they really did follow the Wyldfire protocol then she couldn't be angry. "Very well. Good effort then. Do we know if this was intentional?"
The scout sighed a little and rested his hands on his hips. "Signs are pointing to arson. I mean, aside from the fact you have to be a bit of a monster to burn down a cafe run by old grannies feeding and pampering cute ickle, whittle-"
"Steve."
"Right! Sorry! F-From what we can tell the fire started outside the cafe and not the kitchen, so probably not an accident. I mean, there's also the two owners saying that it was totally on purpose."
Lilith perked up. Finally, it sounded like progress. "The owners are alive? Did they get a good look at the culprit?"
Steve shifted anxiously again, his boot tapping the road. "Uhhh… yeah… about that…"
The coven head glared. "...what?"
"Well… we do have a rough description of the culprit, but, uhh, the witnesses were a little… ehh…" He wagged a finger near his head and whistled.
Lilith groaned and pinched her nose. Leave it to unbalanced witnesses to stymie an investigation.
"Just… tell me everything."
Steve nodded and started leading her off to the side of the alley. He gestured up to the wall and Lilith's eyes bulged in shock. A wave of deep blue ice crystals had been created from the middle of the path, leading up and engulfing almost the entire side of the building. Despite being the middle of the afternoon and covered by the sun, the crystals showed no signs of melting. In the center were two, humanoid shaped indents in the ice. Oddly, a tarp had been hung up over the wall on the left.
"We found them here in the morning, shivering and rambling a bunch of crazy hoopla. Muttering things about evil teenagers in disguise and glowing red eyes."
"And are they still alive?"
"Against all odds." Steve snorted. "We tried to get them out, but no matter what we did we couldn't melt or vanish the ice. Next we tried chiseling, found out REAL fast that wasn't going to work. Eventually we just used a shrinking spell to make them smaller than the hole and pull them out. They were blue in the face and shivering, but alive. We sent them to Chimerean General for recovery and psychiatric help."
Lilith let out a breath. That saved her some dreary paperwork at least.
"Good. Did anything they say give clues as to the perpetrator?"
Steve made a wavering motion with his hand. "Kind of. It was a little hard to piece together. One sec…" He pulled out a small notebook and flipped to a page. "Let's see… from the sounds of things the suspect is likely a beast type demon. They mentioned features like horns, hooves, white wool I think… was wearing a red cloak and a black crown of some kind that seemed to be alive. Maybe a palisman. Oh, and a red eye. A lot of referencing of those."
Lilith used Steve's words to paint a picture in her head, one of a tall, imposing beast, swathed in a cloak stained red in blood, casting gouts of flame and ice from their claws. "Hopefully with a profile like that we can find this scum before he wreaks further havoc."
'The sooner he's behind bars the sooner I get back to catching Edalyn and making her see reason.' She added silently.
Her eyes flicked to the tarp hanging over the side of the wall. "What is this?"
Steve tensed more than ever. "Oh yeah… that… that's kind of the reason we called you. We didn't know what to make of it, but we covered it up to prevent a panic."
Frowning, Lilith strode over. With just a hint of trepidation, she gripped the corner and pulled the cover away.
Ice coursed through her veins, eyes wide at what was carved into the stone.
"When the lone bell tolls, Death claims what is his."