Hunter flew out of the castle, getting as far away from the castle as he could before he had to stop. They landed in the middle of a forest so Flapjack could rest, while Hunter used this to clear his head, or at least, think of some sort of plan. "I can't go back to the castle, or I'll be killed. There's too many coven scouts in Latissa and I'll be caught for sure. I need some place where I won't be found."
That's when It dawned on him. His eyes went wide as he realized. He went against his uncle's orders. He was a traitor. He was at the top and he threw it away for a palisman. Guilt began to eat away at his mind, but at the same time, there was something unfamiliar.
He shook away his thoughts and decided where to go. "Belos has the least control over Bonesborough. I stand a better chance there over anywhere else. You ready, Flapjack?" The bird gave a chirp and returned to its staff form. Hunter hesitated a moment, looking at his mask, which he still had in hand. He sighed, dropping it on the ground and cracking it with his staff. He removed his cloak and threw it to the ground. "It won't fool Belos, but it might buy me some time." He left the items there and took off.
After about an hour of flight, the two made it to Bonesborough and landed by the library. Flapjack returned to his regular form and perched on Hunter's finger. Hunter looked around and much to his relief, he saw no coven scouts. "What do I do now?" He sighed, holding his palisman up to his face. Flapjack chirped. "I don't have anywhere to go. I don't know anyone outside the emperor's coven," another chirp, "No. Out of the question. There is no way I'm going to ask for help from the human!"
Then, as if on cue, Someone came bursting out of the library, bumping into Hunter and causing him to stumble back a few steps. He looked back to see who it was only to be greeted by the aforementioned human. "You!" The human's eyebrows furrowed and she glared at the former coven head.
"Nice to see you too, human," He grumbled, almost as unamused as the human. "Look, I'm not here to cause trouble, I'm just trying not to get caught, so if you would maybe not alert everyone in Bonesborough of my presence, that would be great."
The human raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean 'trying not to get caught'? Caught by who? And what happened to your eye?" She gestured to the wound over his left eye.
"The emperor's coven," He said plainly, looking down at the palisman on his finger. "I have a palisman and Belos found out about it. He demanded I give it to him, but I couldn't. I should have given it to him as soon as I saw it, but I didn't. When I refused, he got angry and that's when Flapjack showed up. I used my staff to give me an opening and I flew away."
"Wow," The human stared in disbelief. "I didn't think you would ever go against Belos' orders. Welcome to the rebellion I guess," She giggled. Hunter just sighed. The human frowned and looked at Flapjack. "So, Flapjack, huh? You're the one he found?" She sat down on one of the steps.
Hunter sat beside her and nodded. "Yep. To be honest, I didn't expect it. I don't know why I didn't turn it in. I guess part of me knew that what Belos was doing with the palisman was wrong." He shrugged. "I'm a traitor now. I really deserve to be punished." He admitted.
"What?! No you don't! You did the right thing by not giving Belos your palisman!" The human argued. "Look, I know You think you're in the wrong here, but you're not. What Belos is doing is wrong. He just wants power and control."
Hunter just stared. He wasn't sure what to believe anymore. He had been raised by Belos, but maybe the human had a point. He shook his head. "Whatever, it doesn't matter now. I have no place here."
The human sighed, rising to her feet. "I know it's not what you meant, but if you promise not to put any of us in danger, I can ask Eda If you can stay with us. But you have to PROMISE you won't do anything 'on behalf of the emperor'," she held out her hand.
Hunter hesitated a moment, but he took her hand and stood up. "Are you sure?"
"Just accept the offer before I change my mind!"
"Alright, alright!" He sighed.
"Oh yeah, and it's Luz, not human"
"Whatever." He looked at Flapjack.
"Looks like having a palisman has softened you up, Hunter," Luz teased. Hunter growled and Flapjack chirped. "Anyway, we should probably go before it gets any later." Luz said, starting to walk back to the owl house, but stopped for a second. "And Hunter, you made the right choice. It may not feel like it, but you'll see how bad Belos' rule really is from the outside," She smiled reassuringly.
Hunter just nodded. "We'll see. . . Thank you."
"Of course. Now come on. Last one to the Owl House is a rotten griffin egg!" She said before darting toward the Owl House. Hunter glared but then looked at Flapjack and nodded. Flapjack went back to his staff form, and Hunter hopped on, flying in the same direction Luz ran. He eventually caught up and passed her up, making it to the Owl House a few minutes before her. "Looks like we have a winner," He teased when she made it, completely out of breath.
"You cheated, you have a staff," She accused.
"Really? I don't remember that being a rule," He smirked.
Luz stuck her tongue out as she caught her breath. She finally stood upright and walked to the door. A gasp could be heard, and as he followed behind her, he saw some sort of owl worm thing emerging from the door. "Luz, I didn't know you were bringing home a friend!"
Luz sighed. "Hi, Hooty. We just need to talk to Eda," she said. Hooty opened the door and the two entered. "Eda, I need to talk to you!"
The owl lady came from around the corner, a mug with the words "30 & flirty" in her hand. "What's up kid?" She asked before she saw Hunter. "You! What are you doing in my house?!" She said, her staff appearing in her hand, pointed toward Hunter.
"Woah, Eda, chill! It's okay, he's not with the emperor's coven anymore," Luz defended, stepping in between the two.
"You're not?" Eda lowered her staff in confusion.
"No, I'm not." He replied, the events replaying in his mind, making him cringe.
Eda frowned. "Okay, I may not be the brightest witch, but I'm smart enough to figure out that something happened. I'm not gonna make you tell me what it is, but I'm assuming you need a place to stay. As long as you don't try to hurt anyone or try to turn us in, You can stay here."
Hunter looked back at her, surprised she would allow him to stay so easily. Especially after what happened at Eclipse Lake. "Thank you." He said simply. She nodded.
"I know you're probably conflicted right now, but trust me. You'll feel better about it eventually. Now, we don't really have any extra rooms, so you'll have to either take the couch or the basement." She put a hand on his shoulder, to which he flinched slightly. Eda smiled softly. "You're safe here. Welcome to the rebellion, kid. You're stuck with us," She ruffled his hair before walking away.
Hunter smiled softly. Maybe they were right. He would need time to figure things out for himself, but maybe it wouldn't be too bad.
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Hey there! I hope you like this part. Something to keep in mind, Hunter was emotionally manipulated almost his whole life, so in his mind he is the one in the wrong. He still has that damage from Belos. He's not going to completely change his mindset over night
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this part, and don't worry, the Edric will come in soon enough
till next time, guys gals and nonbinary pals!
YOU ARE READING
Of Poison and Glass (goldric)
Fanfiction(cover art not mine) tw: slight descriptions of abuse, possibly self harm (i'll put the warning in the chapter and before it starts) Nothing is worse than the betrayal of the one that raised you. But what if it means you're finally free? Hunter can...
