Changeling Witch

(S2) Who Is He, Really?

As time continued to pass, the shadow of the Day of Unity steadily grew.

Hunter found ways to distract himself, of course—experimenting with new glyph combos that he found in the margins of the diary (a couple of which he instantly blotted from his memory the second he used them), spending time with his friends, even getting Eda to tell him and King the story of how she met Raine. But there was no ignoring the ticking clock looming over their heads, or that they had no idea what the Day of Unity even entailed.

And the fear of the Titan ran so deep in the Isles, it even found them in the Night Market.

"Hey, Prim, did you get into the Night Juice again?" Eda called, knocking on the shop door. "Helloooooo?"

The walkie-talkie in Hunter's hands crackled. "Is this thing on? Demon King to Quince, you copy?"

Hunter looked over at the bowl of skulls King was hiding in. "It's on, don't worry."

King poked his head out. "Use the walkie!"

"Right, right." Hunter pressed the talking button. "10-4, Demon King, Quince here with Echo Delta Alpha, what's your 20? Over."

A pause came from the other end. "Um, hable mas lento... por favor?"

"That was trucker-speak, not Spanish, but I'm glad you're remembering your lessons. Read ya loud and clear, fuzzball."

Eda brightened up as a small, hooded witch opened the door. "Hey! Prim! There ya are!" She kneeled down. "Listen, I need more witch's wool. I got a kid with cold shoulders and a knack for getting into—"

"The shop is closed, Eda," Prim said quietly, pushing up her sleeve. "I've decided to finally join a coven."

Tattooed on her wrist was the purple eye sigil of the Oracle coven.

Prim hunched her shoulders. "Emperor Belos says that wild witches celebrate destruction and pain."

"What?" Eda let out a little scoff. "I mean, I know I can be abrasive, but—"

"He also says that the Titan punishes those who aid wild witches. I can't have you here." Prim closed the door.

Hunter's inner BS-meter broke.

"Well, what the hell does he know?" he shouted, banging on the door. "Your emperor is a power-hungry, lying shitface who isn't even a full witch! And I'd bet all of my Fool Fighters albums that he can't even talk to the Titan! He just makes up bullshit to keep you in line, and you fuckers fall for it!"

Gasps and murmurs throughout the marketplace followed that little outburst.

"Hey! Hey, hey." Eda put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll be fine, all right? You gotta be careful here."

Hunter brushed her hand away. "I don't know about you, but I think people have a right to know who that old fuckweed is—"

"And who is he, really?"

He opened his mouth, ready to give a full-on, curse-riddled answer, but he realized too late that he didn't have anything he could really say.

Eda sighed. "Look, Hunter, Belos has been emperor for fifty years. People are used to this. Nobody's gonna want things to change unless you have proof that he's up to something." She gave him an encouraging smile. "Come on, let's see if there are any respectable criminals left in this city, all right?"

As she walked away, the crowd gave her a wide berth, looking at her like she was an escaped mental patient.

"UGH!" Hunter slammed a fist against the wall, then let out a yelp of pain and shook it. "Why is everyone else on the Isles an idiot? It's beyond obvious that Belos is evil! How can we be the only ones who've picked up on it?"