Chapter 63 - Mana Sources

Emma made iced tea for everyone, then they migrated to the living room. Morrigan hadn’t thought she’d need permission from Death before asking for Hilda’s assistance, but Noir seemed to think otherwise.

“Master, this isn’t a good idea.” Noir said from atop the coffee table in the middle of the room. Emma sat on the floor, legs tucked under the table, sipping her tea. Morrigan was on the couch next to Death, who had his gamer headset resting around his neck. “Spending time with these witches is one thing, but just as I suspected, they are already involving her in their schemes.”

Hilda stood nearby with her hands in her back pockets and shrugged. “It’s not like I’m forcing her into anything. I’ve just been providing my services and knowledge for free up until now, and I figure it’s fair to get some compensation. I used an entire year’s worth of moon water helping to heal her, which I was happy to do, but I think it’s only fair to ask for a little something in return now.”

Noir scoffed. “Yes, you’ve been quite generous. It was certainly effective for snaking your way into our good graces.”

Hilda rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. I've been more than fair. And let's not forget, without my help, Morrigan might still be struggling with that injury. Look, if it bothers you so much, why don’t you supervise? Keep tabs on what I’m doing.”

Death, who had been silently observing the conversation, finally spoke. “Hilda, you must understand Noir’s concern isn’t out of mere malice. Morrigan is still new to this world and its complexities. He is just worried about the possibility of her being taken advantage of.”

Hilda shook her head. “Nah-uh, she’s my little cousin’s bestie. You really think I’d take advantage of her? Emma would kill me if I did.”

Emma folded her arms and nodded with a smug look. “I definitely would!”

Morrigan took a sip of her iced tea and nearly choked as she saw the overly serious look on Emma’s face. She coughed and cleared her throat before speaking.“Well, I trust them. If that’s the only reason your turning Hilda down, then that’s kind of not cool. They’ve done nothing but help me.”

“Oh, I didn’t say I was turning her down,” Death said. “I was merely getting to the point that I will agree on one condition: Either Noir or myself must be present so that we may observe. It is not just distrust for the witches but to be sure you are all safe.” He turned his gaze toward Hilda. “And I mean that moreso for you. I want to be sure you and Emma are safe.”

“What do you mean?” Emma asked.

Death’s skeletal face turned to the younger witch. “We reapers deal in death, young Emma. Morrigan is inexperienced with the great power that is available to her.”

Hilda nodded, her expression more sober. “I understand. If having you or Noir around makes you feel better about this, I’m fine with it.”

Morrigan glanced at Hilda and then at Death. “So, we have your blessing?”

Death nodded. “Of course.”

Noir still looked skeptical but didn’t voice any further objections. “Very well, Master. I will keep a close eye on their activities.”

"Very good, Noir, but no need to be so serious about it."

With the terms agreed upon, Hilda clapped her hands together. “Great! Now that that’s settled, let’s get down to business.”

Morrigan smirked. “Right. So, what exactly were you planning, Hilda?”

Hilda’s eyes lit up. “Well, first of all, I have a tiny little confession to make. I grabbed some of your hair from the hotel room you first stayed with Emma in and… studied it a bit.”

“Yeah, that’s how we made my Morrigan GPS,” Emma said, pulling the amulet from inside her shirt to show it off. “It’s out of juice now, though.”

“Master, do you see? This is exactly what I was talking about!”

Hilda raised an eyebrow. “A tracking spell’s got you worried?”

“More the fact you’re studying reapers,” Noir said.

“Well, it’s interesting,” Hilda said. “I suspect reaper magic and witch magic are actually quite different, though there are intersections in how they function.”

Death intertwined his skeletal fingers and laid his hand over his lap. “So, I take it you’ve made a few discoveries already. Just what else have you learned?”

“MASTER!”

“Come now, Noir, she seems willing to share, so I see no harm in hearing her out,” he said, dismissing Noir with a wave of his bony hand.

Hilda smirked. “Well, at first, I thought witches’ glamour and reapers’ perception blocking were the same thing, just with a different name. I figured reapers were just more effective since you guys have such strong attunement. Now I suspect that’s wrong, and they actually operate on completely different fundamentals.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“Interesting. And how did you come to that conclusion?” Death asked.

“It became pretty obvious when we were out to dinner with you. You hadn’t just changed your appearance but how people were perceiving you. It’s a subtle difference in approach when observed, but clearly not the same thing. So, that got me wondering about your attunement and where exactly you’re drawing your mana from. I still haven’t figured it out, but I’m working on the theory that you use a different kind of magic altogether.”

“Ha! Well, yes,” Death confirmed. “This was once well known but has fallen into the realm of forgotten knowledge. In fact, there are many different kinds of magic, though the most common on this plane are the two we are discussing.”

“There’s more than two!?” Hilda asked, jumping forward slightly. Morrigan thought her expression looked like she had just won the lottery.

“Master, I must caution you in—”

“Now, now, hush, Noir,” Death said, waving off the feline once again. “This is knowledge humans once possessed, but it was lost through history. Besides, I am merely confirming what she is fully capable of discovering on her own. No harm in that.”

“So,” Hilda leaned back, her eyes drifting to the ceiling and pointing a single finger upward. “Witches' magic essentially comes from outer space. We also get it from nature, but it’s thanks to the sun that those energies exist within nature in the first place. Other than that, our next best friend is the moon and then the stars. Ultimately, whatever the specifics are, witch magic originates from outside the planet itself. Reaper magic, however, doesn’t come from anything I just mentioned, does it?”

“That is correct,” Death answered.

“So then, where does it come from?”

“Now that, I’m afraid, is where I’ll have to stop answering your questions,” Death said.

Hilda smirked. “Oh, come on! You can’t just edge me like that!”

Emma snorted, but the joke went over Morrigan’s head as she analyzed the phrase to try to figure out why it made Emma laugh. Edge me?

Death let out a dry chuckle. “You’re quite the inquisitive one, Hilda. But some mysteries must remain just that.”

Hilda sighed dramatically. “Alright, but you can’t blame a girl for trying.”

Morrigan leaned forward. “So, what exactly do you need me to do?”

Hilda grinned. “I want to teach you witch magic and combine it with reaper magic. Glamour and perception blocking is a great, safe place to start. If we can develop a hybrid between the two, I’ll bet we can get you using a nearly impenetrable glamour.” She folded her arms and smirked. “That’s my hope, anyway.”

“Wait,” Emma leaned forward over the coffee table. “If you can really pull it off, then that means it won’t matter who Morrigan is talking to. Whether she’s talking to her mom, the police, or standing on stage in front of a crowd of people… nobody would be able to see what she really looks like.”

“That’s the idea.”

“Then…” Emma grinned and looked at Morrigan. “She could even go back to school, right?”

Hilda shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”

Morrigan smirked. “I can think of a dozen reasons why not. I’d still have my list to go through every day, you know.”

“That’s correct,” Noir cut in. “Morrigan returning fully to her human life is a foolish proposition. If that is indeed what you are suggesting.”

“Hey, it’s up to her what she wants to do,” Hilda said. “I’ll give her the power, it’s up to her what she wants to do with it.”

“You won’t be giving her anything,” Noir said. “Either way, witches’ magic will not come to her as easily as reaper magic. She is only attuned, as you call it, to the mana of reapers since it was a part of her contract.”

Hilda’s face lit up. “Contract!? So there was a contract involved?”

Noir flinched, ears folding back as he realized his mistake. Death chuckled.

“Yes, there was a contract involved,” Death confirmed. “When Morrigan became a reaper, she entered into a binding agreement with certain forces that see to fate and the balancing of the planes. It’s through this contract that she is granted access to our mana.”

Hilda’s eyes gleamed with curiosity. “Fascinating. So any chance of me getting to study one of these contracts?”

Death chuckled. “I’m afraid not. While I’m open to sharing rudimentary information that your ancestors once had access to, there is still a limit to what I can allow.”

Morrigan sat back, staring into the iced tea. “So… reaper magic I naturally have access to, even if I’m not very good at wielding it yet, but I’d have to get attuned to witches’ magic to use that as well, right?”

“Yup, that’s how it works,” Hilda said. “Unless you’re secretly from a line of witches, in which case it’ll still be some work, but you won’t have to start from zero.”

“Okay, so let’s assume I’m starting at zero with no witch genes whatsoever. How long will it take to learn glamour your way?”

“Normally, I’d say at least a year.” Hilda winked, lifting the crescent moon locket so Morrigan could see it. “But that’s why I said we’re going to cheat. Luckily for us, a full moon is coming tomorrow, so we can start working on your attunement with one of our most basic traditions. I’m going to teach you to make moon water. We can give it a practice run tonight. The moon is full enough it’ll have some effect but full moons are way better.”

“Hey!” Emma sat up. “I’ve been asking you to do that with me for years! You just met Morrigan, and you’re already showing her?”

Hilda winked. “The difference is, I’m not worried about what Morrigan’s mom will say like I am with yours. But you’re old enough now, Emma, I think it’s fair for you to have a say in what you do with your life over Aunt Sharon’s wishes.”

“So you’re going to let me join in this time?”

“Sure. As long as you can give your mom an explanation for why you’re not coming home tonight.”

Emma folded her arms and smirked. “Fine, just let me handle that. I’ll get Lacey to cover for me.”

Hilda nodded and looked toward the window. The sun was beginning to set with an orange glow coming through the window. “Hey Death, any natural water sources near here?”

“If you go far enough into the woods, you’ll eventually find a creek.”

“Alright, girls,” Hilda said, pushing off the wall. “Let’s get hiking before it gets too dark. Once we collect some water, I’ll show you how it's done. You can consider tonight practice for the real thing tomorrow!”

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