Let me live! | Hunter X Edric The Owl House

8. Parade

[Hunter's POV]

Some weeks have passed since I've met Edric. Since then, we've met regularly. At times it got hard to sneak out without my uncle noticing, but I managed.

Right now, I'm once again standing inside the throne room with my uncle. Since we're alone I take off my mask and wait for him to tell me about my mission.

"You know that the annual Coven Day Parade is this afternoon, right?" I answer with a nod and uncle continues. "I need you to look out for Head Witch of the Bard Coven, Raine Whispers."

A little Surprised, I look at him. "What? Why would I need to look out for them?"

"Well, certain individuals started to show big interest in them. It's for their safety, understood?" Once again, I simply nod and he turns around. "Good. You can go." I walk over to the door, about to leave the throne room when I notice something.

"We always take our masks off when we talk alone..." I mumble and I turn around again to face him. "Has the curse gotten worse...?" I ask quietly. He's still facing away from me when he finally answers.

"Everything is fine, Hatchling. I have enough Palismen to keep the curse under control. Don't worry." He says and I can't do anything, I just sigh and leave the room.

Once I arrive in my room I grab everything I need, I write a quick note and give it to Flapjack. "Please bring this to Edric. Once you're finished come find me at the Parade, alright?" Flapjack nods and I open the window for him to fly out. After he left, I leave my room as the Golden Guard and make my way to fulfill my mission.

{At the Parade preparation }

As the Golden Guard I walk over the Parade, searching for Raine. They will perform at the parade and to look out for them I will have to stick close.

After a while I finally find them, sighing quietly I walk over to them. Can't believe I can't see Edric because of this.

"Hello, Raine." I greet them when I walk over to them. They turn around to me and smile.

"Oh, Hello Hunter. No, I mean Golden Guard.
Nice to finally see you again." They smile at me while putting their violin down.

"See again?" I say confused. "We only saw each other some weeks ago." They smile at me calmly when a plant with a flower starts to grow next to us. The next moment Terra, head witch of the Plant Coven,
steps out of the flower.

"Ohh, dear Golden Guard. There must be a miss understanding. Our dear Raine was sick for a few months, but thanks to me they are good as new."

"Sick?" I ask confused and Terra walks to Raine's side and places a hand on their shoulder.

"Terra's been helping me recover. I can't remember anything with these..." they grunt quietly and hold their heads. "Urgh...headaches."

Terra creates some flower petals and lets them drop inside a cup, shortly afterwards they liquified. "Here, sprout. Drink your tea." Raine holds the cup in their hands and they seem to blow over it to cool it up a little, creating a silent whistle sound. Afterwards they drink it and Terra looks at me.

"There's nothing to be worried about, Golden Guard. Raine is feeling better again." She walks away, chuckling quietly, leaving me alone with Raine.

I watch her leave and I look back to Raine, walking over to the parade vehicle they will perform on.

"What is going on here...?" I ask myself, quietly.

Raine was sick for months? But I've seen them only some weeks ago and they were fine. Something strange is going on and I haven't been told everything.

After a while I simply follow Raine to their vehicle. I can ask Uncle about this later. And about what my REAL task is by watching Raine.

{During the parade}

So right now, I'm standing a little behind Raine. We're standing on the vehicle, driving through the parade while Raine is playing on their violin for the crowd.

Well, at least they're still too embarassed to perform in front of people, that's something that hasn't changed.

However, this whole situation is still very suspicious.

The parade goes smoothly, until at some point, one of the vehicles behind us starts to fire off fireworks.

"What the-" I say shocked and I immediately walk up to Raine. "Something is going on." I say and suddenly a thick fog appears, covering the whole vehicle. I immediately grab Raine's arm and I lift my artifical magic staff.

"You stay close to me." I mumble quietly to them while looking around for something or someone. However, I didn't notice someone invisible sneaking up to me, right in front of me, untill they appear and both Raine and I are suddenly chained together by vines.

"Dammit, let us go!" I yell and the person snatches my staff from my hands.

"Sorry, chump. You gotta come with us for now." Says the person who trabbed us. They pick both of us up and jump off the vehicle. Only a few moments later they put us down inside an alley and the vines around us start to break. As soon as we're free, the masked person puts down their mask.

"Raine! I'm so glad you're okay!" Says the person while hugging Raine. That's the moment when I realize WHO that person is.

"Owl lady?" I say suprised and Raine let's go off the Owl Lady, walking backwards to me.

"Eda? What are you doing here?" Says Raine as they stand beside me and we both look over to the Owl Lady.

"I had to make sure you're okay after that fight with Darius and Eber." Says the Owl Lady.

"What fight?" Both Raine and me say at the same time. She takes a short look at both of us before continuing to talk.

"It was just a few weeks ago. I was with you." I look up surpised. What fight? Why would Raine fight two other Head witches? The Owl Lady reaches out to Raine, but they move her hand away. That's when I notice some sweat on Raine's face, are they feeling sick?

"Eda, I spend the last months sick in bed. I haven't talked to you for years." If the Owl Lady has also seen them some weeks ago, then they couldn't have been sick for months. So, I didn't imagined it.

"What is going here?!" I ask confused and both of them turn to me.

"This? This is the Emperors doing. I don't know what he has done to Raine..." she takes a short look at them. "But you noticed it too, right? Something is definitely wrong. Chump, maybe you have to start question that Emperor of yours." As she says that, my heart drops a little.

Uncle would never do something like that.

Would he?

The Owl Lady must have noticed my hesitation since she reaches out with one hand to me.
"It's okay. It's never too late."

I stare at her hand for a moment before shaking my head. "Y-You're lying!!" I yell at her. I hear a bird chirp, all of us look up and we see Flapjack flying over to me. He transforms into a staff and I grab him, pointing him at the Owl Lady. "Give me my staff back and leave!" I say, in a serious voice.

The situation gets even more tense, however all of us look up suprised when we hear two other voices.

"Whoa, what is happening here?"