Adventures in the Boiling Isles

Agony Of A Witch

Is this mama ready for trauma? You'll find out soon enough. -Mal.

I woke up to the sound of Hooty beating the crap out of Lilith. "Hooty. Oh, you're a thorn in my side." Eda said to herself. "But you always dig your way into my heart." "Morning, Eda." I greeted. "Ooh, magic 'sghetti." Luz said, looking inside Eda's cauldron. "Hey. That 'sghetti is witch's wool." Eda explains. "It repels powerful spells. Every witch worth their salt has a cloak made from this stuff." "I'm worth salt." We replied. "I want cloak." "Easy, kiddos. With the Emperor's goons at my doorstep, I need this for protection." Eda explains. "They've really stepped up their attacks lately." "I think I finally understand why the Emperor wants you so badly." Luz said. "He's got the hots for you, doesn't he?" "Seriously?" I asked. "No, Emperor Belos wants to control all wild magic through his coven system." Eda replied. "He ordered my capture years ago because I refused to fall in line." "And he won't stop until he's got you." I commented. "Aw, don't sound so worried. I'm a master escape artist. The only thing that can slow me down is my curse, and that hasn't bothered me for weeks." Eda said as many feathers grew out of her skin. "Uh, oh." Eda starts transforming into the Owl Beast. "Oh, shit!" I yelled. "Peter, King!" Luz called. "Get the elixir, now!"

We grabbed as many elixirs as we could and gave them to Eda. "Oh, thanks for this." Eda sighed in relief. "And those." "Hey, your gem." Luz gasped, noticing the gem was both black and gold. "It's still dark." "Uh, no it's not! You're nuts!" Eda lied, hiding the gem behind her scarf. "The curse has been getting worse, and you've been hiding it." I gasped. "Ah, you're right." Eda sighed. "It's taking more elixir to turn me back, and more magic to keep the curse from rearing it's feathery head." "What happens if you use your magic up? Do you die?" Luz asked. "No, jeez. You're morbid!" Eda exclaimed. "I just kind of, sort of, turn into the Owl Beast forever. It's a fate much worse than death if you think about it." "We can't let that happen." I said. "Luz and I will do something about it. We'll find a cure, and then..." "Hey, don't worry. I just have to limit my magic use a little." Eda interrupted. "Go on, do the parallel arm thing." Luz and I hugged Eda. "King demands huggies, too!" King exclaimed. "Okay, it's time for school." She grunted. "Have a good day." "Get rest. Drink lots of water." Luz explains. "Stay out of the sun. Lift your knees, not..." Calm down, Luz." I laughed. "Eda's not a vampire."

On our way to school, Luz and I were still worried about Eda. "Poor Eda. Enemies everywhere, even her own body." Luz sighed. "I wish we could help her." "Is Hooty having a tea party with the Emperor's guard?" I asked, revealing Hooty behind the bushes. "The roughhousing was fun, but I like this part of our play dates even better." Hooty said as we ran to school.

As we arrived, our ride for our field trip was about to leave. "Guys, you ready for the field trip of a lifetime, to the one, the only, Emperor's castle?" Gus asked. "Right, we were actually gonna stay behind." Luz replied. "Peter and I don't like the way they treat Eda." "But, you're gonna miss out on all the cool stuff." Gus said. "Like what?" I asked. "Like ancient relics." Willow explains. "Look! It's the Plant Coven's Green Thumb Gauntlet, it can grow whatever you imagine." "And the Oracle Sphere. It shows you which path will help you become your best self." Gus added. "The Healing Hat. Made from the magic of the Savage Ages. It is said to cure the deadliest diseases and heal any curse?" Luz read. "Yeah, you can't miss this." Willow said. "All aboard, students." Principal Bump said. "Do you think this is a good idea?" I asked Luz. "Eda's done so much for us." Luz replied. "Let's do something for her."

While we were on the carriage, Luz wrote down a plan on her notepad. "Hey, guys." Willow said. "What was that, Willow?" Luz asked. "I was just saying we're getting close to the castle." Willow replied. "Emperor Belos built it as a symbol of unity. Before he came to power, folks were doing magic all wrong. He taught us that the only way to respect what the Titan gave us, is through joining covens."  "I do like the view from up here." I said. "It's a shame Amity and Alexa couldn't make it. They'd both love this trip."