Chapter Text
Someone was on the island.
There was a stranger.
They sat up and checked on their brother, he was sleeping soundly. He was a heavy sleeper. That was good.
They picked him up gently and carried him over to his little hidey hole, placing him securely in the soft fabric of their hat. He liked sleeping in their hat.
They scratched between his horns and he cooed softly. They chuckled, he was so cute.
They left him sleeping while they went to check out the intruder.
The Guard was making it's rounds. It must not have detected the threat yet.
Small rocks fell far ahead. Cursing followed, sounds echoing through the empty stone halls.
They snuck closer, flying so as not to alert the intruder to their presence.
They caught a glimpse of orange near the entrance. There was someone in their home.
"Who's there?!"
They backed out of the sudden beam of light shot towards them. They didn't like others in their home.
"Go away." They called out.
The light swiveled towards them, they covered their eyes and hissed.
"Wha- you're a kid! What are you doing here?" The stranger asked.
They backed out of the brightness and got a better look at the stranger.
She was a witch, she had fluffy short orange hair, was wearing a lot of red, had an owl staff, and somehow had a familiar presence.
"I live here with my baby brother, we're waiting for Dad to come back." They said.
Dad is coming back! He is, he is! He's not the Isles, he's not! Philip lied. He's a liar, liar pants on fire! Dad's coming for us! He pinky promised! They swore to themself.
The witch gave him a sympathetic look, pity. They didn't like pity, they didn't want it.
"Go please, you'll wake my brother, then he'll be upset and I'll be upset." They told the witch.
"It's raining, kid, I can't do that." The witch gestured outside at the rain.
They cocked their head to the side.
"I can go in rain. Dad can too. What's wrong with you?" They asked.
"Your pop must have one hell of a protection spell." The witch chuckled.
"Protection spell? No, no, I don't need that." They shook their head.
The witch gave him another strange look.
"You are a weird kid, aren't you?" She prompted.
"Rude." They stuck their tongue out.
The witch did it back.
"I'll help you go." They said.
The witch was from the Isles, they could send her there easily.
"Bye." They snapped their fingers and she was gone.
The island was safe.
He was safe.
He would always be safe here.
XXX
Eda ignored the persistent itch in her mind to the best of her ability. The Owl Beast had been rearing its ugly head ever since she found the island with that strange kid on it.
She'd be lying if she said she wasn't the least bit concerned about them, they were young, about eight she'd say, and they had a baby brother, and they were living on an isolated, remote island in the middle of nowhere.
The kid had gotten her back to the Isles with just a snap of their fingers, whatever they were, they were insanely powerful.
Maybe that's why they're hiding. Most dangerous, powerful demons have gone into hiding since Belos took over. Maybe it's better to leave this alone. She thought.
The Owl Beast scratched at the mental wall between them, surfacing again. Shit, the bird brain was getting annoying.
That kid's dad probably isn't coming back. She sighed.
It was a very high likelihood that the kid's dad was dead somewhere. She could only assume that they had no other parent as she would've seen them instead of the kid.
The Owl Beast barked at her. She groaned and set down the human toy she was fixing to sell at the markets. Three days of dealing with the bird brain had drained her patience.
"Alright, what do you want me to do about it?" She asked.
She certainly had not been expecting an answer.
"Feed, warm, safe." The voice was raspy and sore sounding.
She couldn't believe what she was hearing. The Owl Beast, the vicious, wild animal living in her head wanted her to feed and take care of some random kid?!
"How am I supposed to do that Bird brain?! I don't even know how to find that island! It popped up out of nowhere!" She shouted.
Titan, she must look crazy, just a crazed witch, pacing her living room and talking to herself.
"Know it, I'll find." The beast said.
"Whoa, slow down, you'll guide , not find." She said.
"So we go?" The energy in her head almost felt like a puppy begging to go out on a walk.
Eda slouched down onto the couch, she was tired and if this could make the stupid thing shut up, it might as well be worth the try.
"If we go, will you shut up?" She asked.
She could almost see the smirk on the stupid bird's face.
"Ugh, you're gonna kill me, bird brain." She grumbled.
XXX
The witch was back. She had a big bag today, it wasn't raining.
They stuck close to the shadows, watching her scan the entrance to their home, the crumbling building gave plenty of places to hide.
"Hey kid, are you here?! I've got some, I dunno, they're snacks for most demons, maybe you'll like it?" The witch called out.
She sat down on the ground and started laying the objects in her bag out. There was food there, he needed food, he couldn't go nearly as long as they could without food. And toys and something soft.
Maybe a little peek wouldn't hurt.
They snuck closer and grabbed the nearest object. It was a big round fruit with a tough skin. They'd had it before. Their stomach rumbled with three hundred years of hunger.
They tore into the tough flesh, sweet juices washed over their tongue as they ripped out a large chunk. They swallowed quickly, barely chewing it. Their stomach eagerly accepted the food, it'd been so long since they'd eaten!
Half way through the fruit, a chunk got stuck in their throat. They gagged and coughed until it was dislodged and they spat it out.
"Whoa, slow down, there's plenty of snacks, you don't need to eat so fast." The witch warned them.
Wait. How long had they been sitting out in the open? Had they not thought to retreat after claiming their meal? Foolish.
They eyed the witch with distrust. She didn't seem like a liar, but neither had Philip at first.
They edged away from her, holding their food close to their body.
"I'm not gonna take it, I brought it for you." She told him.
She picked up a crab apple that had been set out and started eating it. Determining she wasn't a threat, yet , they sat back down to keep eating.
When they were done, they found another of the same fruit had been rolled over to them. They snatched it up and ate.
"I take it you like Blossom Bat fruit?" The witch guessed.
"Blothom Bat fruit?" They echoed around a mouthful of food.
"Yeah, that's a Blossom Bat fruit, blossom bats really like them so it got named after them I guess." She shrugged.
"They're pretty easy to find and cheap, I always have some around the house." She said.
"Mmm." They nodded.
They'd never known what it was called, just that they liked it. He would like it too.
"How did you find us?" They asked.
"Got some help from an annoying little bird." The witch pointed to her head.
They didn't know what that meant.
"I brought some stuff I figured kids would need or like, just in case you wanted it." She told them.
They nodded again. There was a dead jackalope sitting near them.
"Did you catch and stuff that yourself?" They asked, pointing to it.
"Uh, no. Why would I give a kid a stuffed dead body? That is a plushie." She said, looking slightly horrified.
"Plushie?" They tilted their head slightly.
"Do you not know what that is?" She asked.
They shook their head 'no'.
"Oh. Well, it's a soft toy made from fabric, this one's made from some real fuzzy and tough fabric, and then filled with stuffing, it's this soft fluffy white stuff that makes it squeezable and soft. So it's a toy. A lot of people sleep with them cause they're so soft." She explained.
They examined the jackalope plushie for a few seconds, then reached over and picked it up. It was very soft, it felt nice on their fingers, it was very lightweight and it smelled good.
"You can have that if you want, I'll see if I can find a smaller one for your brother." She said.
They examined the size, it was about his size, maybe a little bigger.
"No, this is good for him." They told her.
"Okay, whatever you want kiddo." She said.
She smiled at them, one of her fangs was shiny and golden. They hadn't been smiled at in a long time. It felt nice.
They talked with the witch for a few more hours, she explained all the new things she'd brought that they'd never seen before, then she left, declaring it was late, and she promised to come back again, with more toys. It had been nice to talk with someone again.
They took the blanket with the toys and snacks wrapped up in it back to their room, deep inside the building.
He was just stirring as they got back, he slept a lot. He'd probably eat a lot too if there was food. They were glad the witch brought food, they didn't know how long he could go without it.
He scampered over to them, his little tail wagging happily. They scooped him up and took him to their hanging bed.
"I've got some food for you now, buddy." Them told him.
They still hadn't given him a name, they were waiting for Dad to come back so they could name him together.
They pulled out a crab apple and split it into smaller pieces, then handed it off to him. He munched it down instantly and held his hands out for more.
They got all the snacks separated from the toys so he didn't accidentally eat any and gave him all the food they figured was safe for him.
Watching their little brother fill his stomach until he couldn't eat anymore made them feel happy. With him fully fed for the first time since he had absorbed his yolk, his internal food supply, he fell right asleep.
They giggled and picked him up into their lap, he was always so warm.
"A witch came by today, she brought all the food, and she brought toys for us to play with. I think she's coming back soon." They whispered softly.
They grabbed the jackalope plushie and held it next to him close to their chest. They breathed in the soft warm scent and closed their eyes, cautiously hopeful of what was to come.
XXX
The witch had been visiting every couple of days for the past couple of months, she always had food and toys of some kind for them to play with while she was gone.
They liked the witch. She made them feel happier, they felt comfortable with her around, she felt warm and honest and safe .
They hadn't felt safe in such a long time, they'd almost forgotten what it really felt like.
The witch felt entirely different from Philip, he'd felt cold from the very start, something had been off, there was a gut feeling that told them not to trust him, but they had. They'd been tricked and lied to and hurt.
Their lip stung where their scar was, Philip had hurt him, they didn't want to be hurt again. They were hopeful that the witch wouldn't hurt them or their brother.
They looked up as the witch landed outside their home, she was carrying a bag as usual. They waved to her happily. They liked it when she came. They liked it a lot.
"Hey kiddo, how ya been?" She asked.
"I'm good, my brother likes the jackalope a lot, and he used the coloring book the other day and I drew this!" They held up their paper in her face.
"Do you like it!?" They asked.
"Whoa kid, this looks better than my wanted posters, you are really good at drawing." She reached her hand out towards them, they froze, panic gripping them, they flinched.
Nothing happened.
"Did I scare you? I didn't mean to. I was just gonna pat your head, I should've asked first."
They blinked and stared at her in disbelief. She apologized? She stopped and she apologized? To them?
Nobody had done that for centuries.
"Um... thank you..." They whispered.
"No problem kiddo, I don't really like people touching me either." She told him.
The rest of the day went nice. The witch told them stories and made little visuals with her magic. It was nice.
"Hey, what's your name anyway kid?" The witch asked as she was preparing to leave.
"I..." They didn't know how to respond to that.
When Philip had asked what they were called, they'd said they were the Collector, that's what all the witches and demons called them, but they didn't really like that title, it didn't fit them any more. Dad called them Enzo, yeah, they could give the witch that name. They liked it more.
"My dad calls me Enzo." They said.
The witch smiled.
"I call myself the Owl Lady. See you around, Enzo." She waved and took off.
Owl Lady. I like that.
XXX
It was raining today, again. A big storm had formed over the seas and was bombarding Bonesborough with boiling rain.
Eda paced her living room, the storm was so bad here, she could only imagine how it was on that tiny little island Enzo and their brother lived on. And it was driving her crazy that she couldn't do anything about it.
The Owl Beast was shouting at her again, it had been shouting since the storm started, telling her to find the young and bring them to the safety of her nest, since their nest was not a good place.
She still didn't understand the Owl Beast's interest in the kid, the bird quieted down when she was on the island and resurfaced every couple of days to tell her to go back.
Eda felt this increasing sense of worry over Enzo, she didn't understand it, or why she was compelled to keep going back without the influence of the Owl Beast. Perhaps the kid had grown on her?
Psht, yeah right. Like some kid could weasel their way into the heart of the fearsome Owl Lady.
Nah. The most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles didn't care about some random, abandoned, hungry, lonely, likely traumatized, kid raising their brother alone on an island in some vain hope that their father was coming back for them.
Well, when put like that , maybe she did care, just a little.
Or maybe a lot.
She sighed and slumped against the wall, tapping her finger on the topaz embedded into her dress. She felt the Owl Beast pushing for her to go, brave the storm and find Enzo.
Something in her gut told her something was wrong. She just had a feeling Enzo needed help.
"Fuck, I must be crazy." She groaned.
She stood off the ground and went to the basement where she usually brewed her potions, and stored random things that she might need at one point or another. She grabbed a knapsack and put a few kid friendly healing potions in it, she snatched up some healing plants she had, just in case she needed them. She grabbed a few other potions that might come in handy, then went to the kitchen.
She took a few Blossom Bat fruits from the bowl on the counter, she snagged two packs of crab apple sauce, it was the closest thing to baby food she had. Then she went to the living room and grabbed two blankets, one for Enzo and one for their brother. She put on her red cloak and fastened it securely.
All of this preparation was just in case the kid needed it, just in case.
She took a deep breath and cast her protection spell before opening the door to face the storm.
XXX
Eda spotted the entrance to the tower Enzo lived in and immediately felt something wrong. She just didn't know what.
She landed at the key shaped entrance and spelled a few witch lights. The atmosphere of the place felt off. There were the little statues everywhere, as always.
"Enzo?! Enzo! It's me! It's Eda the Owl Lady!" She called out into the shadowy ruins.
She went in further, she had never gone very far in since Enzo was always waiting for her at the front. She caught the scent of fear, it was heavy and gave her more reason to worry. She hoped nothing bad happened to them.
"Enzo! Are you okay?! Is something wrong?!" She called out again.
Her ears picked up fast movement. She lowered her staff and turned just in time for Enzo to ram into her. She was almost knocked off balance by the sudden force.
Wait a second. Was Enzo crying?
She looked down at Enzo, who'd buried their face into her dress. Sure enough, the poor kid's body was shaking and trembling as they cried. She didn't know what to do, she'd never dealt with this. She tried to remember what Lily did whenever she was upset as a child.
She put her hand on Enzo's shoulder, got on their level and gently coaxed their head up. She panicked seeing Enzo's upset face.
Shit! Shit! Shit! What do I do? What the fuck do I do?
"Help them! Comfort them! Get them to tell you what's wrong!" The Owl Beast screeched at her.
For once, she was thankful for the bird brain, mostly it's instinctive parental knowledge.
"Enzo, buddy, I need you to tell me what's wrong. I need to know how I can help you, okay? Can you tell me what's going on?" She asked in the calmest, softest voice she could find.
The kid hiccuped and sniffled, whipping their eyes, but nodded.
"Mybrotherissickandhe'snotgettingbetterandI'mreallyworriedcauseIdon'tknowwhattodoandyouweregoneforalongtimeandIwasworriedyouwouldn'tcomebackandIneedhelpcausehe'ssick!" It came out as all one blur of rushed words and crying.
"Enzo, I need you to slow down. Take some deep breaths, in then out, slowly, breathe with me." Eda told them.
She took in a long deep inhale, held it for a second, then let it out slowly. Enzo copied her, they did it much faster at first but their breathing slowed down and they stopped shaking soon enough.
"There, that feel better?" She asked.
"Much better." They nodded and wiped their eyes.
"Good. Now what's wrong?" She asked again
"My brother is sick! He's really sick and not getting better and I don't want anything to happen to him!" Enzo cried.
Eda let the kid cry into her again. She patted their back very gently so she didn't startle them.
"It'll be okay, I'm here, I can help, I'll help him." She said softly.
"Thank you, he's this way." Enzo grabbed her hand and led her down a path she could see had been used a lot.
They stopped at what looked like just another wall, but then Enzo tapped it lightly and it opened. Instantly, Eda was overwhelmed with the smell of sick and sound of a baby crying.
Enzo ran across the room, around a raised platform with a cracked eggshell to a hanging bed and grabbed something off of it. They turned around with a crying, fussing little dogish creature with a horned skull on his head. Eda had never seen anything like him before.
"He's sick and won't stop crying!" Enzo held their brother out to her.
She gingerly took the squirming little guy and sat down to check him over. He wasn't physically hurt, he seemed healthy enough minus the sickness. The poor thing was burning up with a fever.
She dug through her sack to find that yes, she had packed a potion to bring a fever down, but before she could give it, she'd have to check his temperature.
It was easy enough to cast a temp check spell, it would tell her his recommended temperature and how far off it he was. In his case, his recommended temp would be about one hundred two and a half, and he was currently at a temp of one hundred and seven, four and a half degrees off.
Yikes!
She gave him the potion without much difficulty, he must've gotten tired by now. Once the potion had been in his system for a few minutes, she checked his temp again and saw it was closer to where it should be.
Alright, temp's down, now to find the problem.
She ran her hand over his stomach, he flinched and squealed loudly. So his stomach was hurting. That didn't exactly narrow anything down, there were so many ailments that could cause an upset stomach, she needed to know if this was life threatening and he required emergency care, or if this was something she could actually handle.
"I gave him medicine so he won't be so hot, but I still haven't figured out what's wrong with him. He might have a stomach flu, or it could be something else." She said to Enzo.
"Do you know what kind of demon he is?" She asked.
There was a brief glint of hesitation in Enzo's red eyes, as if the kid was debating whether or not to tell her something. They shook their head.
"No, I know he's something really strong though, but as little babies they can't do much." Enzo told her.
Now, Eda figured they weren't telling the whole truth, but she wasn't going to pry. They were protecting him and it was clear they had some sort of trauma, and that scar on the orange half of their face... She wanted to rip the throat off whoever did that. Enzo had a reason for lying, it was probably a good reason.
"Since I don't know what he is, it'll be a little harder to figure out what's bothering him, but I can do it with the ingredients I have at home." She said.
She didn't have what she needed to diagnose and treat him here as all she'd brought were physical healing spells, and she didn't want to risk waiting any longer. She stood up to leave.
"Wait! Dad said we can't leave!" Enzo pulled her arm back.
Eda bit her inner cheek, this kid had been waiting for who knows how long alone, it couldn't have been good for them. If she told them, they'd be upset, of course, but if she told them, they might come off the island. She could take care of two unidentified demon children, right? She decided to bit the bullet and say it.
"Enzo... I don't think your dad's coming back. If he were, don't you think he would've been here by now?" She leaned down to their level.
"I know it's hard to process, right now, I think you both need to get off this island, you can live with me, and if you want, we can look into what happened to him, but your brother needs help and I can't give it to him here." She told them.
Enzo looked up at her with teary eyes.
"b-But... h-he pinky promised...?"
Fuck! This kid was going to ruin her with stuff like that.
"Sometimes, even the best of people can't keep a pinky promise. I know he must've tried super hard and fought like hell to get back here." She tried comforting them.
"Really?" Enzo sniffled.
"Yeah, who wouldn't with you waiting for 'em?" She said.
Enzo giggled and wiped his eyes. He hugged her and held on tight.
"Don't worry kiddo, you'll be okay soon." She whispered to him.
The door slid open behind her. She turned and saw a weird, gooy rock creature standing behind her. It's eyes were flashing and sparking out. It looked like a predator waiting to pounce.
"That's the guard Dad left." Enzo said.
"I-" Eda broke off as the guard thing swung at her.
She lurched back with the baby and Enzo in her arms. She ducked another swipe. Enzo scampered back to grab the few possenions they had, mostly from her. They grabbed the blanket she'd given them and the jackalope plushie.
She summoned Owlbert, scooped up Enzo and shot straight past the guard with both kids in front of her to shield them from harm.
She cast a protection spell right before they went out into the rain, she didn't even look back. She should've.
The sound of something being fired came from behind, she swerved to dodge it, but it managed to graze the baby's horn, clipping it and knocking part of one off. The impact sent her into the ground.
"Got it!" Enzo shouted, they had the horn in their hands.
The guard fired another arrow, Enzo sent it flying back. Eda scooped up the unconscious baby that had fallen and grabbed Enzo then got out of there as fast as she could.
"Is he gonna be okay? Can you fix his horn? Is he gonna die?" Enzo was panicking.
She had to calm him down, but she couldn't make a promise she might not be able to keep.
"Enzo, I'm sure he'll be fine, he's not going to die, I'll see what I can do for his horn once he's better, okay?" She settled on saying.
Enzo looked up at her with their large, teary red eyes. She tried to give them a reassuring smile, it must've done something since they seemed to calm down.
"Okay... thank you... owl lady..." Enzo whispered quietly.
"No problem kiddo, I've got you."
XXX
Eda checked the baby's temperature, it was going down at a good rate. The little guy had a nasty bug that was making him very sick, and once the parasite was removed, his condition began improving almost instantly. He was a cute little rambunctious gremlin.
Enzo was calming down considerably too, that was also good. They hadn't slept since arriving and stayed glued to their brother at all times, no matter what they were, they had to get tired eventually.
And that time was now, three days after she had brought them into the owl house. She could see the kid was wearing out, practically dead on their feet as they built more of those statues with their brother.
Kids were supposed to go to bed at a decent time, right? Eda glanced at the clock, it was getting pretty late, they should probably get to bed. She stood and went over to the pair of kids.
"Alright kiddos, time for bed." She said while picking the baby up, he still didn't have a name.
"Do we have too?" Enzo yawned.
"Yes, you haven't slept in days kid, time for some shut eye." She told them, holding her hand out.
They grumbled but took her hand and let her lead them up to the spare room she had been using for junk she couldn't find a place for in her room. She still hadn't finished cleaning it out, but she'd gotten a mattress set down for the siblings. The baby slept soundly curled inthe middle, Enzo wouldn't sleep, they just stayed up all night looking out the window if Hooty was correct.
Eda set both kids down onto the bed and the baby found his favorite spot right in the middle. Enzo sat at the edge near the window, they looked like they had absolutely no intentions of sleeping, they were already looking out the window. Children could be difficult, she knew that, but she was learning that talking to them helped a lot.
She sat down at the edge near Enzo, not close enough to invade their space, she'd learned they were sometimes uncomfortable with that. Enzo quickly glanced at her then refocused on the night sky. She let the window open so they could see clearly, the storm had finally died off and the sky was visible for once.
The moon shown with a bright, cold silvery light, the stars a harsh, pale yellow. Both beautiful.
"You like star gazing?" She asked.
Enzo giggled, a slightly devilish smile formed.
"You could say that." Their smile changed to something more wistful and longing.
"Dad and I used to watch the stars together, he'd let me sit on his head and point out all the shapes to me, I liked that." They rested their chin on their hands and leaned against the window sill.
Eda got a warm feeling looking at Enzo, just sitting there, staring out the window and reliving good times with their father. There was something oddly peaceful about it all.
She let them sit there until their exhaustion caught up with them and their eyelids started drooping. She gently rolled them back and let them curl up next to the baby, she really needed a name for him. She closed the window and pulled a blanket around the pair.
"I need you to sleep tonight, okay Enzo? I'll leave some witch lights so you can find the bathroom, and my room is just right upstairs if you need me. Okay?" She told the sleepy demon kid.
They nodded sluggishly, their eyes drooped closed and they snuggled closer to their brother. She took their hat off and set it aside for the morning, then she gave both kids a light head scratch, made the promised witch lights and went to her room.
Kid's finally getting some sleep.
XXX
Enzo curled around their brother in their sleep, wrapped tightly around him to keep him safe.
Something felt wrong.
They had been feeling it since they arrived on the Isles. It was an uncomfortably familiar feeling. It didn't feel good.
They suddenly went cold. They could feel their brother with them yet when they looked down, they didn't see him.
What they did see was almost worse.
They were shadowy and flat. They were shadow projecting, but they hadn't chosen to do it.
They had been summoned.
The only beings who could do that had the summoning tablets they made so they could go multiple places at once. There were only two left, they'd gotten rid of the rest to protect him better, and one didn't work anymore, they'd broken it themself.
There was only one left that could function, but that one had been sealed away by Dad so nothing could happen. The only person who might have access to it, maybe, please no, was-
"Ah, Collector."
Enzo froze, their heart tripled, no, quadrupled, in pace. They didn't want to look up and see it was true. But that voice, sure it might have changed in the last three hundred years, they could still hear what it used to be, it was one that haunted them.
Slowly, they looked up. There, summoning tablet in hand, stood the worst being they had ever known.
"It's been a while since I last saw you, Collector, how long would you say it's been?" Philip smirked, there was sadistic malice in his cold, lifeless eyes.
"Not long enough." Enzo blew a raspberry.
"That's not very mature." Philip scolded.
"Says you!" They blew another one.
Philip gave them a calm glare and slowly approached them. Their instincts told them to get away, but they couldn't, they were confined to projecting on a pillar for the time.
"It seems you've left whatever was keeping me from using this," Philip gestured towards the tablet, "You're in the open now, Collector."
Enzo hissed at Philip, wishing shadow projection let them do something to that horrible human.
"You'll never find us!" They growled.
Philip circled them, an evil look in his eyes.
"Oh I will. You might not know this yet but I am doing far better than where you left me, I am the Emperor of the Boiling Isles, I have all the Isles resources at the tip of my fingers, I will find you, one way or another." Philip sneered.
In the flash of an eye, a disgusting gooy arm flew out and struck Enzo's head, they could feel the pressure from the harsh impact. They clawed at the hand gripping their face to little use. Philip came closer and invaded their space, he always got to close for comfort.
"I will find you, Collector. Whatever it is you've been hiding will be mine. And there will be nothing you can do to stop me. Sooner or later, I will be coming for you, anyone who tries to stop me will die." Philip threatened.
Enzo ripped themself free of the grip and the summoning tablet's influence.
They woke up, terrified and panicked. Their heart was racing so fast, it was so hard to breath.
He knows I left! He knows! He knows we're out! He's coming! He's coming! He's still alive and he's coming for us!
Enzo was so caught up in the panic and fear that they didn't notice the absence of their brother. Or the door open with light illuminating the darkness and the person in front of them.
"Whoa. Enzo, buddy, are you okay?" The owl lady! She was here? She came when he was upset?!
Eda bent down in front of Enzo, the baby in her arms, he was worried and squeaking nervously. Eda raised a hand and started counting with her fingers, she breathed in and out slowly.
Enzo slowly copied her, tears started falling as the kid gave themself a chance to breath. Their body shook and trembled with sobs. Eda let the poor kid cry into her and rubbed their back.
The baby made soft chirps and snuggled close to his sibling. Eda scratched the baby's head gently. She'd woken up to the little guy scratching at her door in a panic and almost fell down the stairs in his rush to get her to follow. She was glad he'd woken her and understood his urgency once she saw what was wrong.
Enzo had a night terror.
She understood that all too well. The Owl Beast had made many nights difficult with the nightmares and terrors it caused.
It must've been a really bad one.
Eda stayed there in the small room until the panic and shock passed and Enzo would be able to process what was happening. She didn't want to move them and have them panic more.
Once the sobs became soft whimpers and their heart returned to a slower pace, Eda decided to try talking with them.
"Hey Enzo? Are you okay with telling me what's wrong? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." She told them.
Enzo tightened their grip on her sleeping sweater, they looked up to her. There was a bruise on their face. That hadn't been there when she put them to bed a few hours ago.
Her head quickly spun with possibilities of how it happened. They could've just hit themself in the panic of their night terror, she'd done that plenty of times, or they could've just hit something. However, the shape of the bruise looked like someone had punched then grabbed them.
Nobody had gotten into the house, Hooty would have alerted her way earlier. Something weird was going on. Not the good kind of weird.
"Let's go get you something for that bruise." She said, trying to raise.
Enzo buried their face back into her sweater and sobbed again.
"He knows. He made me project and he knows. He said he's gonna find us, he wants to take him. He knows I'm out! He knows! He's coming, he's coming, he's coming!" Enzo cried.
"Whoa, who's coming? Who's trying to hurt you?" Eda asked.
Enzo shivered, their lower lip trembled.
"He's the emperor now... he says he's gonna find us... he's bad, he's really really bad! I don't want him to find us!"
Well, that's a bombshell if I ever heard one. What does Belos want with Enzo? Eda frowned. If the Emperor wanted to get to these kids, he'd have to get through her, and the Owl Beast.
For Enzo's comfort, she could make a concealment stone for them, they could hide in plain sight. Yeah, she could make it work for them so they didn't stay inside at all times.
"Enzo, he's never going to get you or your brother. I promise I'll keep you both safe." She swore.
Enzo's crying paused for a moment.
"Pinky promise?" They asked cautiously.
Eda extended her pinky finger and hooked it around Enzo's with a binding oath spell to let Enzo know she was dead serious. Breaking a binding oath had disastrous consequences.
"Cross my heart and never lie, I'll protect you til the day I die." She recited.
Her hand glowed for a moment then fizzled out.
"C'mon, you two can sleep in my room tonight." She picked both kids up and took them to her room.
They all got settled in to her nest, Enzo got a healing patch for their bruise, and soon the sounds of sleeping filled the air.
Things would be different for The Owl Lady from now on. A single choice had changed her entire life.
The Owl Lady didn't make promises to anyone. The Owl Lady was attached to no one and cared about no one but herself.
At least, she hadn't until she stumbled upon an abandoned island inhabited by a lonely, traumatized kid waiting for their father to return for them and their baby brother that wormed their way into her heart.
The Owl Lady's life was about to change, for better or worse is up for debate.