The wind howled in my ears as Eda veered through the sky, twisting and diving between jagged rock formations and floating islands.
Luz, still gripping Eda's arm in a death lock, dared to peek down. "I—I think I'm gonna be sick."
"Not on me, you're not," Eda snorted.
I adjusted my hold on Knight, who was not thrilled about being airborne. His ears were flat, and his claws dug into my jacket as he clung to me.
I wasn't exactly thrilled either.
"Are they still following us?" I shouted over the rushing air.
Eda glanced back, then grinned. "Nope! Lost 'em a while ago."
Luz let out a shaky breath. "Oh, thank goodness…" She slumped in relief. "Okay. Crisis over. We're safe."
"Ehhhh," Eda said, tilting her hand side to side. "Mostly safe."
Luz tensed. "Mostly?"
Eda cackled and gave her staff a sharp jerk, sending us into a sudden drop.
Luz screamed. Knight growled.
I bit back a scream.
Then, just as quickly, Eda evened us out, the shape of a crooked, wooden house appearing in the distance. It was perched atop a giant skull, with flickering lanterns and hanging bones giving it an eerie, almost alive appearance.
Luz gasped. "Is that your house?!"
"Sure is," Eda said proudly. "The Owl House. Home sweet home!"
Luz, to no one's surprise, was already enchanted. "It looks just like a witch's lair from a storybook! This is so cool!"
I narrowed my eyes at the crooked architecture and flickering lights. "It looks haunted."
Eda wiggled her fingers. "Ooooh, spooky~"
Knight made a noise of pure judgment.
Eda ignored him as she swooped lower, circling around before coming to a smooth landing on the wooden balcony.
The second we touched solid ground, Luz flopped off the staff and collapsed onto the floor.
"I missed you, ground," she mumbled into the wood.
I hopped down, adjusting Knight, who immediately leapt from my arms and shook himself out, as if trying to rid himself of the shame of being carried.
Eda stretched, tossing her staff aside. "Alright! Welcome to the Owl House, kiddos. No coven rules, no annoying neighbors, and best of all—" She threw open the door. "Magic."
Just as Luz was starting to relax, a voice echoed from the front door.
"OooooooOoOOoooh, Edaaaa! Who are these intruders?! Are they here to STEAL YOU AWAY FROM ME?!"
I turned toward the source—only to see something stretching out from the doorway like a grotesque worm. A long, owl-like face, unblinking eyes, and a too-wide mouth loomed over us.
Knight instantly stiffened, his fur bristling. His body went low, muscles tensed. He let out a low growl, ears pinned back in clear warning.
The thing—whatever it was—perked up.
"OH! A NEW FRIEND! I MUST WELCOME HIM PROPERLY!"
Before I could react, the creature lunged straight at Knight.
Knight exploded into motion, twisting to dodge, but the creatures unnatural length let him stretch and curve mid-air.
Knight snarled, his fangs flashing—
SMACK!
It suddenly jerked backward, knocked aside by a sharp slap from Eda's staff.
"HOOTY!" Eda barked, scowling. "No time for this!"
Hooty flailed dramatically. "But Edaaaa! I was just saying helloooooo—!"
"Yeah, yeah, save it." Eda rolled her eyes. "We just got back, we're exhausted, and nobody wants to deal with your nonsense right now."
Hooty recoiled, looking deeply offended.
"Oh… oh, I see." His voice wavered with ridiculous levels of fake hurt. "You bring home new people, and suddenly, Hooty isn't IMPORTANT anymore? I GUESS I'LL JUST GO CRY MYSELF TO SLEEP!"
Luz stared, wide-eyed. "What. Is that."
Eda waved vaguely toward the door. "That's Hooty. He's part of the house."
Luz blinked. "The house talks?!"
Knight let out a sharp huff, still watching Hooty like he expected another attack.
"More like whines," I muttered.
Hooty let out a deep gasp. "HOW DARE YOU!"
"How about you take a nap, bud?" Eda said dryly. "Real long one."
Hooty let out an exaggerated sniffle. "FINE! I KNOW WHEN I'M NOT WANTED!"
And with that, he dramatically slurped himself back into the door, grumbling nonsense all the way.
The room went quiet.
Knight flicked his ears, then let out a disgusted noise, as if shaking off the whole experience.
Luz rubbed her temples. "This house is insane."
Eda clapped her hands. "And now that that's over, who's ready for snacks?"
Eda strolled inside, stretching her arms over her head. "Alright, kiddos, make yourselves at home. Just don't touch anything that glows, moves, or whispers your name."
Luz let out a nervous chuckle. "That's… oddly specific."
I nudged her. "Maybe don't question it."
Knight, still on edge from whatever Hooty was, stalked in cautiously, sniffing the air as he moved.
The inside of the Owl House was just as chaotic as the outside—crooked furniture, scattered trinkets, bubbling potions, and an overall sense that the place was barely holding itself together.
Eda flopped onto a couch, propping her feet up. "Alright! Now that the fun part's over, let's—"
"Eda! The royal bath is finally complete!"
A new voice echoed from the hallway, deep and commanding.
Luz perked up. "Ooooh! Who's that?"
I glanced over as something small and round marched into view.
A tiny creature with a canine-like face, short limbs, and a big personality strode out, steam still rising from his damp fur. He shook himself off dramatically, his skull-like face lifting high.
"I, the King of Demons, am refreshed and prepared for—"
Luz gasped so hard she choked.
"OH MY GOSH."
King froze, his head tilting slightly. "Huh?"
Luz clutched her chest. "You are so. Freaking. CUTE."
King blinked. "Excuse me?"
Luz practically vibrated in place. "Eda! Why didn't you tell me you had the most adorable little demon gremlin living here?!"
Eda snorted. "You didn't ask."
Luz zoomed over, hands hovering like she wanted to pick him up but knew she shouldn't. "Look at you! Your tiny horns! Your widdle paws! Your little tooth!"b
King recoiled, looking deeply offended. "Little?!"
Luz clasped her hands. "I have never wanted to hug something more in my entire life."
King barely had time to process what was happening before Luz scooped him up with an excited squeal.
"Look at you!" Luz gushed, spinning in place with him in her arms. "You're so small! And fluffy! And precious!"
King, completely caught off guard, flailed wildly. "UNHAND ME, MORTAL! I AM A FEARSOME BEAST, NOT A—ACK—STOP SQUISHING MY FACE!"
Luz, grinning from ear to ear, gently squeezed his cheeks. "But you're so soft!"
King let out an indignant screech. "Eda! Control your human!"
Eda, watching with a smirk, shrugged. "Hey, you asked what they were doing here. You didn't ask for personal space."
I chuckled as King continued to struggle in vain, his tiny limbs pathetically short against Luz's enthusiastic grip.
Knight, sitting beside me, exhaled sharply through his nose, as if silently judging the entire situation.
King finally managed to push Luz's hands off his face, glaring up at her. "Put me down this instant, or suffer my wrath!"
Luz gasped dramatically. "Oh no, not your wrath!"
King bared his tiny teeth. "That's right! I will—OW, MY SPINE—HUMAN, YOU'RE HOLDING ME WRONG!"
Luz immediately adjusted her grip. "Oh! Sorry, is this better?"
King went rigid. "…I am still being held."
Luz beamed. "Yup!"
King inhaled sharply through his nose. "Eda, I demand she be banished."
Eda cackled. "Not happening, shortstack."
King groaned, finally going limp in Luz's arms. "…Fine. But if she pets me, I bite."
Luz grinned mischievously. "No promises."
King groaned, rubbing his temples. "Alright, Eda, out with it. Why exactly did you bring two humans here? And don't say 'it felt right' or some nonsense like that."
Eda smirked, kicking her feet up on the table. "Relax, shortstack, it's simple. These two wanna go home, and they need my portal door to do it."
King's ears perked up. "Wait, the portal door? The one you keep in the basement?"
"Yup," Eda said, popping the "p."
King gasped, dramatic as ever. "But Eda, that thing hasn't worked in years! You said yourself it needs Hexium to power it!"
Luz frowned. "And we need Hexium to fix it, right? That's what we're gonna look for?"
Eda nodded. "Bingo. It's rare, hard to get, and not cheap, but if we can get enough, you two can waltz right back to the human world."
King rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hmmm. And what do I get out of this?"
Eda rolled her eyes. "Oh, I dunno. The satisfaction of helping two lost kids find their way home? Maybe a cookie?"
King scoffed. "Pfft. Please. My services aren't free."
Luz clapped her hands together. "Okay! Then what do you want?"
King paused, then grinned wickedly. "Tribute."
Luz blinked. "…Like, money?"
King gasped in offense. "No! Something worthy of my greatness! A gift fit for a king!"
I sighed. "You just want snacks, don't you?"
King pointed at me. "I like this one. He gets it."
Eda chuckled. "Alright, alright, you little gremlin. We'll grab you something next time we're out. Happy now?"
King puffed up proudly. "Very. Now!" He turned to Luz, his tail wagging slightly. "You may proceed with the hug."
Luz gasped. "YES!"
Knight huffed, unimpressed.
Eda stretched out lazily on the couch, clearly enjoying the chaos unfolding in front of her. "Alright, alright, as much as I'd love to sit back and watch you two become best friends forever, we've got business to discuss."
Luz, still holding King, looked up. "Oh, right! The Hexium stuff! Where do we find it?"
Eda smirked. "Normally? We'd hit the Night Market, but—" She gestured vaguely toward the window, where the sky was still a deep blue. "Kinda hard to visit something that only opens at night."
Luz deflated. "Aww, man…"
King squinted. "Wait, Hexium? What do you need that for?"
"To fix the portal," I answered. "Turns out, Eda's been using it so much it's falling apart."
King gasped dramatically. "Eda! You broke your own door?!"
Eda rolled her eyes. "Oh, excuse me, your majesty. Maybe next time I'll let you maintain the interdimensional gateway."
King huffed. "I would do a fantastic job."
Luz waved her hands. "Okay, okay, back on track—if we can't go to the Night Market, what do we do?"
Eda grinned. "We improvise."
Luz's eyes gleamed. "Ooooh, I like the sound of that."
I frowned. "…That doesn't sound legal."
Eda smirked. "Oh, it's very not legal."
King perked up. "Even better."
Luz leaned in, interested. "Go on."
Eda threw an arm around King's shoulders. "I've heard rumors that Warden Wrath—you know, big, scary guy who runs the Conformatorium—recently confiscated a stash of Hexium from some witches and demons he locked up."
King bristled. "And my crown! He took my royal crown!"
Eda snickered. "Oh, right, can't forget that."
Luz gasped. "HE STOLE YOUR CROWN?! That's awful!"
King crossed his arms. "I know! It's a grave injustice! A crime against demon royalty!"
I rubbed my temples. "Okay, let's think about this for a second—breaking into a prison run by the Emperor's men? That's insane."
Luz pumped a fist. "That's awesome!"
I stared at her. "That's dangerous."
King nodded sagely. "That's destiny."
I turned to Eda. "Please tell me you have an actual plan."
Eda cackled and slapped me on the back. "Oh, Lucian, I love your energy."
"That's not an answer."
Knight let out a low, suffering sigh.
Eda grinned. "Welcome to the Isles, kid."