Adventures in the Boiling Isles

Eda's Requiem

One morning, I saw Luz and King doing pull-ups with Owlbert in the front yard. "What the fuck is happening right now?" I asked. "Are you leading a boot camp?" "I'm getting King ready to meet his dad." Luz explains. "King, what's the first thing you're gonna do when you meet your dad?" "And 10,000!" King grunted. "Well, once we're done training, I'm gonna move out of that closet, that's for sure. Then I'm gonna ugly cry. Hard!" "Have you told Eda about your decision to le..." I wondered before being shushed by King. All of a sudden, we heard the window shut. "I'm not ready yet. I'm not sure how she'll react." King confessed. "Well, you should tell her eventually." I said. To be honest, I'm also wondering if I should stay with Eda and leave my uncle to live on the Isles. Permanently.

Eda's POV

While the kids were outside doing who knows what, I turned on the news on my scroll. "And we're back live at the emperor's castle." The reporter said. "In light of Scooter Crane's retirement, today's ceremony will confirm Raine Whispers as the next head of the Bard Coven." "Do I have to be on camera?" I heard them ask. "For Titan's sake, just say something." Darius of the Abomination Coven complained. "Uh, I am honored to work with Emperor Belos in preparation for the Day of Uni-bee." Raine said. "I mean, Uni-ly. I mean... Oh, no. This is going all wrong. Get me out of here!" "Just cut the feed." Darius groaned as Raine ran offstage. "How are you supposed to be Head Bard with stage fright?" I wondered as the kids came back inside. "I'm sorry, Luz." King apologized. "It's okay, buddy." Luz replied. "Hey, Eda. Got another backpack we can borrow? This one got a little thrown-up in." Peter asked. "Closet." I replied. "So, why are you suddenly so interested in flying? Did you give up on returning to the human realm? I mean, I suppose you can stay here a little longer." "Oh, no. I don't know about Peter, but I'm still going home, but we keep running into some setbacks." Luz explains. "I was able to get the mouse back safely, but he needs to recover." "In the meantime, this weekend is the Gland Prix!" King announced. "Hexside, Glandus, and St. Epiderm students race to win glory, and honor." Peter explains. "And fame!" King added. "Winners also get an interview with the Boiling Isles News! Do you realize what this means?" "We're gonna enter the competition and get King on camera to send a message to his dad!" Luz announced. "Oh, that's... great." I smiled, trying so hard to hide my true feelings. "But, uh... There's something I'd like to talk to you about first." King said. "You see, I think it's time for me to le..." "Leave the talking for later." I interrupted. "If you wanna win, there's no time for talk. You gotta go practice. Now!" "Wanna head back out while your tummy's empty?" Luz asked King. "Okay!" King replied. "Let's go!" Luz exclaimed. "You guys go ahead. I'll catch up." Peter said, turning back towards me. "Something's wrong. Can we talk about it, Mom?" "Nothing's wrong with me, kiddo." I lied. "Your lies won't work on me." Peter said. "You sound like your father." I commented. "Is this about King?" Peter asked. "Actually, it's about all of you." I explained. "All of you are gonna leave me eventually. King's looking for his dad, and you're returning to the human realm with Luz." "To be honest, I'm not sure what I'm doing." Peter confessed. "I haven't even told this to Luz. As much as I miss my friends and sometimes even my shitty uncle on Earth, I couldn't just abandon you, my friends here, or even Willow." "Thanks, kid." I said. "But remember, this is your decision to make." Peter kissed my forehead and left the house with Luz and King.

I decided to go to the only place where I could feel relaxed, the pub. I ordered an apple blood and drank my feelings. Or, at least, I tried to. "I just don't wanna hear him say it, you know?" I confessed to the bartender. "I was finally getting used to having people in the house, then whoosh! Rug's ripped out from underneath me." "Sure, I get it. It's like every time you come in here, I think, maybe she'll pay her tab this time." He replied. All of a sudden, I see some guards from the Emperor's Coven capturing a wild witch. "Don't worry, citizens." Steve the guard said. "We are helping this wild witch find her place in society." "Throw it on my tab, Kevin." I said, bursting out of the pub. "Let her go!" "Back off, Owl Lady!" Steve shouted. "Yeah, no coven wants a powerless witch." Warden Wrath added as I punched him in the face. "How's that for powerless?" I asked. As he was about to cast a spell, the circle suddenly disappeared. I heard music coming from the Bard Coven, trying to protect me. "Look at the Emperor's lackeys, trying to, uh... do I really have to say this." Their leader asked. "We all agreed on the script." The bard replied. "Trying to... mute the music of our hearts?" The leader wondered, who's voice I recognized. "And weaken magic, by forcing witches into covens against their will. That's right, Bonesborough. They take your magic. They restrict your knowledge. They say they do it in the name of unity, but what they really want is control! You know what we say to that, folks? Shove off!" Raine used their violin to take control of the scouts. "Who are you hewoes?" Tiny Nose asked. "We are the Bards Against the Throne, aka..." Raine said. "Surrounded!" Warden Wrath interrupted. I was able to help the bards escape in the sewers.