A while passed as the Golden Guard and I sat in silence. My eyes narrowed from under the mask as I stared at him attentively. Who even was this guy?
My thoughts were interrupted as the ship heavily back and forth. Due to the restraints, I stayed still. The Golden Guard slid off the desk from where he sat and fell, letting out a gasp as he roughly hit the ground.
I snickered to myself. What an idiot.
He managed to hear my stifled laugh and looked towards me. "Shut it! I should be the one laughing, because when we get back to the mainland, you'll immediately be sent to the Emperor!"
"You'll immediately be sent to the Emperor," I mimicked, making my voice high pitched and annoying. "That's what you sound like, you little nerd. Let me guess, you don't socialize much?"
King, who was somehow awake now, laughed at the Golden Guard despite not being able to see him. "This guy's a loser!" He exclaimed.
The Golden Guard froze and scoffed. "Shut it, you bird!"
"Hey! I am no bird, I'm the King of Demons!" King snapped.
The three of us heard Salty call out to the crew to get ready and help Luz with restraining the Seikodomus.
"Well, it's showtime. Don't be squeamish, or I'll shut you up myself," The Golden Guard lifted me up and carried the bird cage with his other hand.
I yelped in reaction to that. "Put me down, you big, fat, sack of-"
"Whatever," The Golden Guard and kicked open the window of the Captain's Quarters before jumping out.
I saw the Boiling Sea grow closer to us as we almost impacted the ground. I closed my eyes and braced myself, before some water prison surrounded us as we went underwater.
I opened my eyes and softly gasped in surprise. It was also incredibly hot inside and I could feel some steam form from inside my mask.
"Wait, how is this water not boiling us? I thought-"
"You witches are clueless. This is a water spell, perfected by some of the coven members in the Emperor's Coven," The Golden Guard rudely interrupted before he boasted.
"And why did you jump into the Boiling Sea with a water kinda-spell that's.. oddly shaped like a fist?" I deadpanned.
He stayed silent for a few moments.
"Dramatic entrance?"
"Dramatic entrance."
"Cool," I shrugged and stayed there as he still carried me. "So how long are we gonna stand here for? Your arms are kind of stiff."
"Deal with it, witch." He retorted.
I chuckled. "Geez, okay, don't be so uptight, Goldie." I flicked the top of his hood, to which he whipped his head towards me and stared.
"What did you just call me?" He sounded offended by the name.
My eyes widened a little in shock of his offended response. "Wow, you really don't socialize."
After however-many minutes, we relocated to a nearby island. I heard some familiar voices that I could recognize as Luz and.. Eda's? Wait- what is she doing here?
"Eda?" I murmured under my breath.
"Watch and learn how a true entrance is made," He confidently said.
"Definitely insecure," I mumbled to myself in a sing-songy tone, hoping he didn't hear.
He lifted me up again and gripped the bird cage tightly.
I heard Eda speak, apparently scolding Luz. "Now, why were you on that ship to begin with?"
Luz stammered, trying to find her words. "But Y/N-"
"Y/N was here too?! Where are they?! You both coulda' gotten killed!"
"That can still be arranged," The Golden Guard spoke, loud enough for them to hear.
My eyes went wide with awe as the giant water fist rose up from the sea, elevating us high up. It then burst as he jumped out and landed on the sand as steam floated from his mask.
"I hate to admit it, but that was actually impressive," I angrily mumbled.
"I know," He mumbled back with a sassy tone.
Luz and Eda's eyes widened as they saw me being carried by him. I awkwardly waved.
He cleared his throat. "Hello, criminals. What's about to happen should be relatively painless, if you just do what I say."
"And why would we do that?" Luz interjected.
"Because none of you can use real magic, and the only one of you who can is currently tied up right now." He answered.
"You don't know that!" Luz crossed her arms and looked away.
He shrugged, "Maybe not, but I do know you're standing on a plant that eats flesh," He pointed out.
Luz and Eda look down and notice that the plant is steaming. They quickly jump off it, freaking out.
The Golden Guard chuckled, "Okay, okay. So the human will remain a sailor to repay all the money she lost, while the Owl Lady will be arrested again, for attacking one of the Emperor's ships, and this wild witch will come along too for aiding and committing acts against the Emperor." He concluded.
"Wait, Emperor's ship?" Luz whipped her heard towards Eda.
"They're the only ones worth robbing! Never mind that, get your hands off of my kid! And why are you guys even hunting down the Seikodomus? It's a peaceful creature, and you're provoking it!" She demanded before questioning the Golden Guard.
"The Emperor ordered me to slay one, I'm just following orders," He hummed.
"Well, I'm just gonna smack you around a bit!" Eda ripped off her arm and wielded it as a weapon. She swung at him but missed as she got blasted away.
"Eda!" I yelled. I furrowed my eyebrows and tried to squirm out of his grasp.
Luz ran behind him and attempted to use a fire glyph. "Leave Eda and my best friend alone!" She yelled.
"How about," He hummed and powered his staff. "I leave you dangling above the Boiling Sea?" Using his staff, he manipulated the land to move them right just above the steaming water.
"Around these parts, just the steam is enough to cause third degree burns," He informed and then brought them back to land.
"But I don't have to be that mean. No one will have to be a sailor or get arrested, if one of you follows those Selkidomus tracks and slays the beast. Here! I'll help!"
He materialized a sword and handed it to Luz, to which she whined.
"You're not really gonna make her do it, are you?" I worriedly asked.
"She's making this difficult," He groaned in response. "Go, or I drown the bird and kill your little "best friend" here," He gestured to me and lifted up the tarp on the bird cage, revealing King.
"Wait, what-"
"Weh?" King exclaimed as the tarp was raised. The Golden Guard then dropped the tarp, and he lied back down.
"Ah, it's dark now." King went back to snoring and sleeping.
Luz's eyes met mine and I could tell she was considering it. Titan, I hate being helpless. I hate this.
"Fine, I'll do it!" She was quick to reply. Wielding the sword, she quickly walked into the cave.
Eda followed behind. "Luz, wait, Luz!" She called out.
While we waited for Luz and Eda to brutally murder a harmless creature, I sat there on the sand outside as I listened to the Golden Guard drone on and on about some dumb stories about training and how much he appreciates the Emperor. I groaned as he continued talking.
"You know you're allowed to speak about anything other than the Emperor, right?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as I looked up at him.
"You are? How ridiculous. You see, unlike you disrespectful witches, us valued and loved coven members need to truly show our gratitude towards our good Emperor," The Golden Guard said.
I rolled my eyes. "Okay. Riddle me this, Golden Boy, why would this so called "good Emperor" need to restrict our freedom and magic just because he sees it unfit?" I asked.
"Because wild magic is dangerous. He witnessed it firsthand. It killed our family. My family," His voice darkened as he clenched his fist and walked towards me.
"How do you know this? Did you see it yourself?"
He scoffed and raised his hand to speak before he paused. "I- well- the Emperor said so, and I trust the Emperor!"
"The Emperor said so? Really? You know it's so easy to lie, right?" I laughed.
He grabbed me by the collar of my cloak and lifted me up to look at him. "The Emperor is a good man and only wants the best for the people of the Boiling Isles. If you continue to slander his name this way, I swear by Titan, I will teach you a lesson myself." He threatened.
I stayed silent and he scoffed once more. He aggressively let go and I was shoved down onto the sand.
I sat upright and looked at him as he just sat there in silence, not saying one more word.
More time passed as we found ways to pass the time. I was just digging for some random shells I found in the sand while the Golden Guard was messing around with King.
He would raise up the tarp, make King wake up, watch him spin around and drop the tarp, watch him get adjusted to go back to sleep before raising it and watching him do it all over again. He did it three times before he chuckled to himself.
"You're actually weirdly endearing," He said.
"No I'm not," King quietly managed to say before he went back to sleeping.
I turned to look at this. I don't know why, but I smiled. Why was I smiling?
"Stuck-up coven members or not, King is still just a little guy," I chuckled.
He then looked towards me and then back at the tarp. "What even is he?"
I shrugged. "It's different depending on who you ask. Eda says he's a demon, Luz says he's a "good boy," he says he's a King of Demons, I'm personally not sure. He doesn't look like most demons I've seen in some books." I truthfully replied.
"How'd you find him?"
I shook my head. "That's a story for another time. Mostly because I don't recall Eda ever telling me."
We stayed silent for a few more moments before he finally spoke again. "Why do you wear that mask?"
I stayed silent. I didn't like answering that question, so I lied. "Don't want people finding out what I look like. Unlike Eda, I'd rather have my actual life hidden and private. I don't want people to recognize me in public when I go out without it. What about you?"
"Exact same reason."
I nodded. Is he lying or does he genuinely wear it for the same reason? Maybe it's some weird coven uniform rule?
"Why are you a wild witch?"
I looked back at him. "What?" I asked, beckoning him to repeat his question.
"I said 'why are you a wild witch'?" He repeated.
I rolled my eyes. What kind of dumb question is that? It's obvious.
"Because our magic and freedom shouldn't be restricted or seen as dangerous because some weirdo outlawed it. If wild magic is so dangerous, why did the Titan gift it to us?" I raised my eyebrow and crossed my legs in a criss-cross position because it was more comfortable.
The Golden Guard let out a small breathe as if he was about to speak before he paused and looked down. "Whatever. You clearly don't know your stuff," he shut-down and looked away.
We then both hear yells at the same time and look towards the cave's entrance, seeing the shadows of Eda and Luz fighting the Seikodomus.
"You think they're doing alright?" I asked.
"Probably not. You?"
"Me neither," I admitted.
He let out a quiet laugh, holding his gloved hand up to the spot where his mouth would be.
"Well well well, looks like you laughed!" I pointed out with a proud voice.
He stiffened and shook his head, waving his hand dismissively. "I did no such thing, I just.. let out a sneeze!"
"Awe, come on, you know you laughed." I exclaimed.
"Did not!" He denied once more, sounding slightly frustrated.
"You totally did," I quickly replied in a sing-song fashion.
Our banter was interrupted when we heard Luz yell out and a clean slash. We both flinched at the noise and jerked our heads back towards the cave.
On time, Luz walked out with the head of the Seikodomus. I stared at its lifeless head. Ouch, that's gotta be rough.
"Oh, that thing smells awful. Why are you touching it with your hands?" The Golden Guard screeched, waving his hand in front of his mask to express disgust. "Gross," he added.
"You're gross! Now give me back both of them back!" Luz retorted.
"Actually, the dog smells pretty bad too. Plus, the witch is annoyingly talkative. You're doing me a favor. Here, have them back."
He lifted the cage King was inside of and threw it towards Luz.
"Thank you for your service. You can find your own way home. And try to stay out of trouble," The Golden Guard then held me up by the collar again and stared right at me. "The Emperor is not a merciful man," he spoke in a sinister voice.
He then untied me and lightly nudged me towards Luz before he waved. "Byee!" He bid goodbye as he swiftly got on his staff and vanished.
Luz blew a raspberry towards the spot he was before he left before turning to me, giving me a big hug. "I'm so glad you're okay, Y/N!" She grabbed me by the shoulders and inspected me all over.
"Did he do anything to you? Are you okay? I swear, if he put a single finger on you, I'm gonna go crazy!"
I chuckled, gently grabbing her hands and putting them back on her sides. "Luz, Luz, I'm okay. I mean, he did put more than a finger on me, but seriously, I'm okay." I reassured, awkwardly patting the top of her head.
"Okay, good, sorry. I worry a lot. But I'm working on it!" Luz gave me a thumbs up before running to the birdcage and opening it, freeing King.
I crossed my arms and paused. I furrowed my eyebrows and looked back at her. "Hey, I'm actually surprised you went through with the Seikodomus killing thing. I didn't know you had it in you."
Luz waved her hand dismissively. "No, you're right, I didn't kill it."
My eyes widened with shock from this revelation. "Wait, really?" I stammered. "So- how'd you drag out its head?"
I looked towards the Seikodomus' head and saw it was all purely vines from up close. I gasped.
"That's actually really clever! I underestimate you sometimes," I chuckled and playfully punched Luz's arm.
"You know me, I'm not just the brawn," She raised her arm and attempted to flex, but no muscles showed.
I laughed and shook my head. "Okay "Miss. Nerd Arms", whatever you say," I teased.
The three of us then walked into the cave with Eda and saw the Seikodomus corpse, which was also made entirely of plants. Eda was nearby, casting light glyphs before we walked over to her.
"My first glyph! Did I do good?" Eda proudly spoke.
"Yeah, you did great," Luz smiled.
"Cool beans," I added.
The Seikodomus and her baby then strolled towards us, with the baby going over and hugging Luz. King and I were both confused.
"Baby! Aww," Luz cooed as she hugged the baby Seikodomus.
"Wait, what is that?" King inquired.
"Don't worry, King. Once the mother saw we weren't a threat to her baby, she calmed down." Eda was quick to answer. She then turned and looked towards the Seikodomus. "This area is dangerous. You need to move out further out into sea." She advised.
The Seikodomus nodded and then regurgitated a large pile of golden Selkigris.
"Hot dang!" I gasped upon seeing the large pile of the shiny substance.
"It gave you the treasure of the sea," Eda added in awe.
Luz, confused, looked towards Eda. "Gold? Tuna?" She guessed.
"It's selkigris. Ah, people pay big money for it at the Night Market," Eda scooped up a handful of it and rubbed it on her face. "Ah, feel that money, Luz!"
Luz, who remembered it was basically Seikodomus vomit, yelped and tried to swat her hands away. "No, Eda! Stop!" She exclaimed.
Eda laughed, "Luxuriate in it!" She said in between Luz's yelps. "What, you don't like to luxuriate? There's a whole pile of luxury right in here!" She picked up Luz and I as Luz kept on yelling 'no's over and over before dumping us into the pile of selkigris.
I laughed as Eda yelled for us to move over before she jumped in with us, flattening the pile.
"Eda!" Luz and I exclaimed in unison.
The three of us laughed in delight as we all lay in the large pile of selkigris.
After managing to find a way back home, we opened the door as we all tiredly walked inside. Lilith was looking at a cauldron full of a bubbly substance and Hooty had healing ointment all over red spots. Yeah, I'm not even gonna bother to ask.
"We're home," Eda announced before she tripped over Hooty. I grimaced and helped her up before Lilith came over to us.
"Eda! Come here, I have a gift for you. To prove that I'm trustworthy, I'm giving you a peek inside the Emperor's castle." Lilith grabbed Eda by the arm and dragged her over to the cauldron. Luz, King, and I walked over to look at it as well.
The cauldron showed a corridor in the Emperor's castle that split into two paths. Four distracted guards at each side weren't doing anything, and a guard on the left turned to a guard on the right.
"'Sup?"
"'Sup?"
"What are we.." Luz began, pausing. "-supposed to do with this?"
"Whatever you want. Don't you see? These troops don't know what to do with themselves. So, go crazy. Pull whatever pranks your heart desires. They're clueless without me," She boasted, crossing her arms proudly.
"Oh, Lily, you couldn't have been more right. And that Golden Guard... what a chump. Oh, I'm in a good mood. Who wants to get takeout and draw faces on Hooty?" Eda asked as she stretched her arms and walked away.
"No.." Hooty disappointedly objected.
"Yay! Me, me, me! I do! Yeah! I'm in!" King and Luz chanted in unison.
"I'll protect you, Hootsifer," Lilith reassured as they all left.
I, however, stood there besides the cauldron. I looked down towards it and stared as I remembered the Golden Guard. Despite the whole holding me and King hostage thing, he seemed.. interesting, to say the least.
But that wasn't important right now. We were home.
I shrugged my shoulders and walked away, joining the rest of them in the kitchen.
"Alright, what do we want to eat?" Eda asked.
"Anything but seafood," Luz and I quickly spoke.
"Crackers!"
"We're not ordering crackers," Eda shut down.
"Bees!" Hooty cried out.
"I'm fine with whatever. Things are starting to feel right again," Lilith sighed.
So, you see what I mean? Life is messy, sure, but when you've got company like mine, the weight gets a whole lot easier. Belos, the Golden Guard, and the coven is a problem for tomorrow. Tonight, we eat and enjoy ourselves.
Titan, I love this family.
(PART 3 AND FINAL OF SEPARATE TIDES.)
(3120 WORDS.)