Changeling Witch

Magical Library

"'Casey, I know we've had our differences in the past,'" Hunter read aloud. "'But right now, this is too big for the both of us to solve on our own. If we want to get through this alive, we're gonna have to team up.'" He stopped and let out a little sigh, hugging the book. "God, I love Casella."

"Hunter, you're getting mushy again," King told him.

"Sorry, King, but when it comes to this, even the prospect of being a sap can't stop me. Casella has the perfect enemies-to-friends-to-lovers dynamic, and it becomes canon halfway through book five instead of just becoming canon at the end!" Hunter flopped back down on the couch. "Wouldn't it be awesome if your rival ended up becoming your friend? Or more?"

King snorted. "Rivals are meant to be annihilated, not befriended. Now keep reading! I've been sucked into your awful fandom!"

Hunter flipped the book back open. "'Suddenly, the door swung open.'"

The door to the Owl House opened. "Ding, dong, ding!" Hooty said. "Hoot, hoot!"

"The book has come to life!" King shrieked. "Burn it!"

Hunter went to the door and looked down, spotting a basket on the ground. He picked it up and brought it to the kitchen, King bounding after him.

"Hey, Eda, you got a package!" he said, setting it down on the table in front of her. "Looks like a gift basket."

"Probably an offering," she guessed. "Being the most powerful witch in the Boiling Isles has its perks." She pulled back the blanket, revealing a slumbering demon baby inside.

King clapped his hands. "Fresh meat!"

Eda wrinkled her nose. "Witches eating babies is so 1600s. What even is this?"

"Oh, there's a note." King pulled it off. "'Take care of my child 'till morning, yi yi?'"

"Nope!" Eda said automatically. "Babies are awful. Not happening."

"'You will be rewarded handsomely,'" King continued. "'XOXOXOX, Bat Queen.'"

She perked up. "Bat Queen? Reward?"

"Who's the Bat Queen?" Hunter asked.

"She's the wealthiest demon on the Boiling Isles," Eda told him, grinning. "Get in with her, and you're set for life." She cracked her knuckles. "So, we keep this thing alive for a few hours and we get paid! Easiest job yet."

"I could give you guys a hand," Hunter offered. "I've got a little experience from back home, and I got along pretty well with elementary schoolers. The only time I had an issue was when I played some of my Gold Day albums for this overly-churchy kid and taught them about anarchy, freedom, and equal rights." He winced. "Parents did not like that."

"No, not you," Eda said, summoning a huge stack of books. "You have to return the books I checked out from the library." She leaned in towards King. "I don't want him getting a cut of the loot."

King snickered. "Good idea."

"Now!" Eda pulled back the blanket entirely. "Let's get a look at this little darling, shall---"

The baby revealed itself to just be a head with legs and wings, and the second the blanket was removed, it started shrieking so loudly that the house itself shook.

Eda clapped her hands over her ears. "On second thought, maybe we could use your help!"

"Nope, you said it yourself, I gotta get to the library!" Hunter shouted, running out the door. "Byeeeeeee!"

......................

Hunter looked around in awe at the huge, book filled space, realizing that he'd managed to find something on the Isles even more amazing than the Owl House. And this time, the magical library was real, and not a fabricated illusion.