Rivers and Runes

Chapter 2: The Owl Lady and The Demon King

Hey, DragonflyPines here!

Sorry it took so long to finish this part of A Lying Witch and a Warden, I was working to finish Tourist Trapped of my other fic, Dragonfly. I finished it!

I've decided that I'll alternate between Rivers and Runes and Dragonfly, so sorry if one fic or the other takes longer to update.

Disclaimer is in the first chapter.

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We followed the tiny owl through the abandoned house's door.

"Stop adorably hopping away you... huh?" 

"Luz... where are we?"

We appeared to be in some kind of flea market tent filled with knickknacks and old clothing. 

"Whoa. I thought I had a lot of weird stuff." Luz picked up a plush lizard with a fork arm and a doll head strung through a coat hanger. "But this? This is impressive."

I cringed away from the creepy lizard baby thing. "It looks like an attic crossed with Sid's room from Toy Story." I scratched an itch on my arm.

"Finally. You're back."

We gasped and the new voice. Luz dropped to the ground behind a box, and I dove behind a grandfather clock. We poked our heads out from our hiding places.

I looked over to Luz. I gestured my head in the direction of the voice, silently asking her, should we investigate?

She discreetly shrugged. I don't see why not.

We crept over to the tent flap, and quietly pushed it open. A grey-haired woman, with a red dress and a green bandana with yellow spots, stood with her back to us. The tiny owl dropped its bag in front of her.

"Well, let's see what we've got here."

The owl fluttered to land on the walking stick--no, a staff--in the woman's hand. She turned the owl like she was screwing it into place. When the owl had turned around completely, it was a wooden staff topper.

Luz and I both gasped. Magic.

The woman rummaged around in the bag before pulling out a smartphone.

"Garbage."

She pulled out a glittering diamond ring.

"Garbage."

She pulled out a shining goblet that looked like it was made of solid gold.

"Garbage."

The woman gasped. "Now this..." She pulled something out of the bag, and turned around, revealing She was wearing googly-eye glasses.

She raised both fists in triumph. "This will make me rich."

She grabbed something else out of the bag. The Good Witch Azura!

"And this... eh, this'll make good kindling." She held Luz's book over a candle.

"NO!"

Luz gasped and snatched her book. "'Scuse me, sorry, that's mine, thank you!"

We booked it (hah, booked) for the weird door with the yellow cat eye. It slammed shut in our faces, and folded itself up like a promotional poster from a book. It flew upwards. We whipped around in fear to see the woman standing behind us holding a key with the same eye on it as the door. She took off the googly glasses to reveal golden eyes narrowed in anger.