Knock, knock, knock!

Morg started awake when her pillow leapt up and rushed out the room to growl at the front door. The young child groggily stared after the wooly wolf that had been cuddling with her mere moments ago. It was a shame- she had been so cozy! After taking a moment to wake herself up, she blearily followed the wolf to see what the commotion was about.

“Gah!”

Walking into the main room, she nearly squealed in fright at the sight of a rather menacing looking statue looming over her.

…Oh right, she thought as she tried to calm her pounding heart, Song Laoshi is still a statue…

Now fully awake, Morg wandered over to Baigu’s side. She was just about to peek out the window to see what the wolf was so upset about when-

Knock, knock, knock!

Wah! Someone’s at the door!? Morg cried internally. Xisa, who had wandered bleary-eyed into the room behind Morg, also jumped at the noise. Should I answer!? Morg thought, starting towards the door by force of habit. Wait, if I answer, it could be someone Maisha doesn’t want in the house- someone that would find me and Xisa suspicious! With that thought in mind, Morg backed away.

But! Morg suddenly thought again, maybe it would be more suspicious not to answer! What if this mystery person doesn’t leave and comes inside anyways! Then with me and Xisa inside and not answering, it will look like we’re hiding something! Morg groaned internally. But then again, maybe they’ll just leave! Then I would have invited trouble inside for nothing!! I mean, who enters someone else’s house without permission, right?!

As Morg was having this rather stressful internal dilemma, Xisa frantically ran around behind her. Luckily Maisha had made the young witch drink her hair dying potion last night, otherwise her hair would still be that unnatural snowy white. But the potion ingredients were still laying around everywhere and more than that, Songbai was still a statue. Even if they could explain the miscellaneous potion ingredients scattered about, how could they explain the statue?! Xisa’s head swiveled back and forth, looking for a solution.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

“GRRRRRR,” Baigu growled louder.

But why would they leave?! Morg asked herself in a panic, her dilemma seeming to have no end. No one lives within a mile of Maisha’s hut, the closest people are in the village, so this person must have walked at least a mile just to see Maisha! Which means they’re sure to stick around or if not, to come back! And if they’re from the village, we probably know them anyways…

Morg looked over her shoulder just in time to see Xisa throw a large blanket over the Songbai statue. The suspiciously obscured mass looming in the middle of the room would be impossible to miss, but there was no way the two of them could move it somewhere else…

Ack! Even if we know them, there’s no way I can let them in!!

Just as Morg made up her mind, the door cracked open and a man’s voice floated through the room. At the masculine timbre of his words, Morg briefly thought it might be Henry. But that hope died once her brain fully processed the unfamiliar voice.

“Maisha? Are you here?”

“AAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!”

Wah! What do I do now!? Do I make him leave? No, that's suspicious… right? Ugh, I don’t know!

Xisa, who had been frantically hiding the potions and spellbooks strewn about the kitchen, flung herself into a chair at the kitchen table. Morg patted Baigu’s head, quieting the restless wolf, and ran to the door.

“Uh.. Hello! Are you looking for Maisha? She’s not here right now!” Morg blurted out. This was, of course, a lie. But you never know, maybe such a claim would inspire the unwelcome guest to leave!

“Oh? Is that so? And who are you?” The man spoke with a thick accent, unlike any Morg had heard before. As he stepped through the doorway, his lean frame came into view. He was much taller than Maisha, with feathery black hair and a pale olive complexion. His square jawline and well-proportioned features gave him a statue-esque handsomeness, and even his nose- long and slightly hooked- fit his face in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

Though Morg noticed none of this as her gaze was immediately drawn to the man’s eyes. Even hidden behind a pair of rectangular glasses, his eyes shone like sunlight through stained glass, the icy blue color even more pronounced by his thick black lashes and brows. Morg stared at the man, trying her best not to panic.

“I, oh, uh, I’m… Morg…”

The man smiled kindly, “Morg? It’s nice to meet you. I’m Dante Auclair, I live in the village, Cyewen,” he waved a hand in the direction of the town. “May I ask, where is Maisha?”

“Maisha? Oh um, she’s…” Morg stopped herself from finishing the sentence with ‘still asleep.’

Ah! I almost contradicted myself!

“She went into town to pick up a few things… if you head back now, I bet you’ll catch her on the trail!” Morg tried again. Xisa’s eyes flitted back and forth between the two, trying to glean some meaning from the gibberish.

“Hmmm I see. If you don’t mind, I’d rather wait here?” he asked politely, flashing Morg a dazzling smile. Morg caught herself grinning back and quickly fixed her expression.

“Um, sure… Would you like some tea?” Morg asked, walking over to the teapot on the stove. “I was about to put on a pot for when Maisha gets back.”

Why am I smiling at him like a fool?! This is terrible! Now if Maisha comes in from her secret room, I’ll have been caught in a lie! That’s SO suspicious!

“That’s alright,” the mysterious man replied, snapping Morg out of her musings. He began studying the books on Maisha’s shelves.

But, Morg thought, slipping into yet another internal quandary, why would Maisha come out from her secret room? It’s secret after all. As if struck by a bolt of lightning, Morg suddenly had another thought; how else would Maisha come out of her room?! Could she even know that Dante was here? Would her mentor be stuck in there until Dante left?!

Do I need to lead him away? Or distract him?! Or would that just make things worse?! Aah! Maishaaaa, Morg wailed internally, What should I do?!!

Morg chewed on a lock of her own hair as her thoughts spun in wild circles. She thought she ought to do one thing, but then another thought would come along advising her to do the opposite. She wished she could communicate with Xisa, but the two couldn’t seem to understand each other anymore. Having been able to communicate briefly yesterday only for that easy communication to disappear mere hours later was a disappointment almost as big as having her harp destroyed. Almost.

Eventually Morg gave up and decided to simply wait for Maisha before doing anything rash. And although the stranger had said that he didn’t want tea, she decided that she would make some anyways. Maybe he would stop snooping around and instead sit at the table if she made tea. At worst, a hot beverage would help calm her own nerves.

Meanwhile, Baigu kept trying to herd Morg away from the kitchen and toward Xisa, letting out a low growl from time to time and circling them protectively. Morg found it a little funny, but even still, felt safer with the wolf by their sides. Eventually she gave up her endeavors to make tea.

Xisa, too, nervously eyed the strange man who had barged into their home. He was standing uncomfortably close to Songbai’s blanketed statue. It would only take a touch of curiosity for him to lift up the blanket and see the incriminating figure. Morg didn’t help, anxiously pacing while she chewed on her golden hair. Xisa thought she could even sense a faint wisp of anxiety from that dark abyss- no- the passageway that connected their minds. Though she could have been imagining it. She still wasn’t sure what that passageway really was or what it did. She wasn’t even sure if ‘passageway’ was the best word for it…

Dante soon meandered over to the table to sit across from Xisa. Baigu’s growls rose in pitch, her snout furled in a snarl and her fangs glistening a pearly white. Dante smiled and gently held out his open hands for the wolf to investigate. Baigu warily sniffed his palms and stopped growling, though she never took her eyes off the man, her muscles tensed.

“And who are you?” Dante asked, addressing Xisa. Morg came to the rescue, quickly interjecting,

“That’s Xisa! She doesn’t speak English.”

“Xisa, eh?” He repeated before momentarily falling silent.

“Ahahahaaa what interesting names the two of you have! Then, do you speak Mandarin? Cantonese perhaps?” he asked, switching between a couple different languages as he spoke. Xisa stared at him silently. Morg guessed at the situation,

“She uh, doesn’t talk very much either…”

*

Maisha groggily ascended the stairs from her room only to hear a man’s voice on the opposite side of the hidden door. Her still half-asleep brain jolted awake. Though the door was thick, she immediately recognized who it was.

What is he doing here? Did he see the statue?! Has he guessed Morg and Xisa’s identities? Maisha ran a hand part way through her thick black hair, her fingers snagging on the densely packed strands. No, I need to stop panicking, she scolded herself. She had been too easily ruffled these past several days.

Using a simple vanishing spell, Maisha walked through the back wall of the hut so as not to reveal her hidden room. Even if she liked Dante, she didn’t trust him. Though knowing him, the man might already know of the door hidden in the fireplace. Or would soon enough- who knew what the girls had told him. She had warned them countless times of the dangers of revealing their little family’s secrets, but between Morg’s happy-go-lucky attitude and Xisa’s chilly and distant demeanor, Maisha had no idea how much of those warnings sunk in.

Still, no need to show all her cards. Calming her expression, the elder witch wandered around to the front side of the house.

Maisha swept into the room, her expression the epitome of surprise- which was easier to feign than she had expected, because she really felt surprised at the scene in the kitchen. Dante Auclair had a pair of lenses held up to his eyes, one making his left eye enormous, the other making his right eye miniscule. He kept making funny faces at the girls, who were giggling uncontrollably as they also made funny faces with the little glass lenses. A variety of optical tools lay scattered across the kitchen table. The moment Dante and the girls noticed Maisha, they quieted down considerably.

Maisha: “Wh-”

Dante: “Mai-”

Morg: “MAISHA! YOU’RE BACK from the village! Ahahaha… !” Morg exclaimed, rudely interrupting the adults and running over to Maisha’s side. “Did you find what you were looking for??”

Maisha smiled and ruffled Morg’s hair, quickly catching on to Morg’s cover story. It seemed she had worried over nothing.

“Unfortunately, they were out. But Dante, why are you here?”

“Out of what?” Dante asked, avoiding Maisha’s question with another question.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Newt eyes,” Maisha said with a dramatic sigh. “They were out of such a necessity, can you believe it?”

Dante frowned at Maisha’s light teasing- his familiar was a newt, after all.

“But seriously, Dante, what are you doing here? You haven’t paid me a visit in years.”

Dante stared at Maisha. Her black afro curled around her skull and past her shoulders like turbulent river rapids or foamy whitecaps, and her dark eyes blazed with a smoky brightness. Yet her gaze was cold, calculating. He had left Cyewen a little over a year ago, and while he and Maisha weren’t especially close friends, he felt glad at her familiar appearance. After a moment of silence, he spoke with a vague smile.

“Olga is off again,” he waved a hand through the air, “who knows where. And Sajni’s in no state to cast those sorts of spells. So when a tree came” his fingers pattered against the table like scuttling crabs or tentacles “through the town from the north side, who else would it be but you?”

Though her expression didn’t so much as twitch, Maisha’s soft umber complexion instantly blanched. She could only hope that she didn’t look as panicked as she felt.

A tree? Don’t tell me the girls animated a tree as well!? Did they? Could they have!? My spell yesterday would only have worked on mere objects, not living things like trees… I should have grilled them for all the details. You’re losing your edge, Maisha!

With what she hoped was a nonchalant tone, Maisha opened her mouth to speak, but Dante held up a hand and interrupted her.

“Ahh, no need to explain. The tree’s back in the ground now.” Dante stood up and began packing his various optical tools back into their cases. “I was wondering- how had ‘Maisha the All Knowing’ managed to animate a tree?” the olive-skinned witch mused, “but this young witch already has a familiar; I think I’ve found my answer.” Maisha felt her face must be green with panic as Dante gestured to… Morg and Baigu? Maisha’s eyes flashed with understanding. “They must be twin souls, yes? How else would a young girl’s abilities manifest this early?” Dante finished as if stating the obvious.

Maisha studied the three witches before her. Dante knew she had little mana to waste on useless endeavors like animating trees. It was only natural that he came to investigate the mysterious phenomenon- his curiosity tended to get the better of him. And Maisha had a good idea of the picture he saw when he arrived; Yuzan was no doubt tucked away under Xisa’s shirt- of course he hadn’t seen the little frog. Baigu, on the other hand, stood out. The exceptionally large wolf had become rather protective of both Morg and Xisa, and since Morg tended to interact with her more, it was easy to assume that Baigu was Morg’s familiar- especially since Dante had never met Songbai in person.

And if he had just returned, the elder witch probably didn’t even know that Songbai was in Cyewen. Seeing a mysteriously magical tree and a witch with a rather early familiar- and a fully grown familiar at that- Dante had come to one fatal conclusion; that Morg’s abilities had awakened early due to her having a twin soul. There had only ever been one other documented case of a witch’s abilities manifesting so young- that of Alexsei and Dorje, the twin souls from centuries ago. Xisa’s presence only further supported his suspicion.

Maisha couldn’t help the mingling feelings of annoyance and amusement bubbling up in her chest. For all the intelligence Dante had, he had always been terrible about jumping to strange conclusions. And this time, even though he was half wrong, he had somehow managed to stumble across a deadly truth! But his assumptions weren’t absolute facts.

All this raced through Maisha’s head in the split second after Dante gestured to Morg, leaving her with one thought;

This… this is salvageable!

Without missing a beat, Maisha widened her eyes in disbelief before breaking out into laughter.

“Ahaha! Dante, where do you always come up with such strange ideas? Baigu has taken a liking to the girls but ahahaha Dante, Baigu is Songbai’s familiar!” She let herself pick fun at the man, though the nervous knots in her stomach hadn’t fully loosened. “And besides that… even if these two were connected, it's not unheard of for a witch’s familiar to find them at an early age. Some witches are simply born powerful.” This was true, though such circumstances were rare.

“Jumping straight to saying my two girls are twin souls… Dante, are you trying to get us killed with your wild assumptions?” Maisha asked. Though her tone was light and teasing, she crossed her arms somewhat indignantly.

Dante raised an eyebrow, though didn’t look overly surprised that he had been wrong. Or perhaps he was simply unconvinced.

“Oh? Forgive me, Maisha, I seem to have jumped to some rather silly conclusions, yes? But, who is Songbai?”

“Ah, I don’t think the two of you have ever formally met. She’s a witch from the same coven as me. She’s been helping me with the girls.”

Dante cocked his head, curious.

“So you’re saying that this Songbai is the one who animated that tree? Where is she now then?” He asked as his icy gaze scanned the room, lingering briefly on the covered statue. “And she left without her familiar? You’ve got to admit, your story is a little suspect, no?”

Since the adults began talking, Morg had been holding her breath in a tense silence, afraid of letting something slip. And as Dante continued interrogating Maisha, she felt her heart must be racing as fast as a rabbit’s. She glanced at Xisa for some sense of camaraderie, but her gangly friend had the blessing of not being able to understand a word the adults were saying, and so happily continued playing with a little monocular. If it wasn’t for her mentor’s cool demeanor, Morg thought she might have a heart attack.

At that moment, Maisha gave another light-hearted laugh.

“What are you saying, Dante, does a witch’s familiar have to be stuck to her at all times? Is Ua here, wrapped around my shoulders?” Dante stopped himself from reaching up to his head where his own little friend preferred to perch. “Songbai, like me, has taken a liking to these girls. Naturally she feels some amount of trepidation at leaving them behind, especially since I’m simply unable to keep an eye on them every second of the day- what if some stranger barges in without warning?” Though Maisha kept her tone smooth, her words were pointed. Dante cleared his throat, feeling a little guilty. Indeed the girls had seemed stressed, and had stuck to the protective wolf’s side for his entire visit.

“And yes,” Maisha continued, “Songbai was demonstrating some magics to the girls yesterday. She must have gotten carried away, though I’ve no idea how someone loses a whole tree.”

Maisha apologized internally to Songbai for making her out to be such a sloppy spellcaster, but it couldn’t be helped. Not that reality would feel much better- being outclassed by someone one tenth their age would hurt the pride of any witch.

Dante rubbed the back of his neck somewhat abashedly.

“Well, I suppose there’s that mystery solved,” he said with a sigh. “I had better get going. As for intruding on your little family here… I apologize.”

Maisha watched the icy man begin packing up his bits and bobs.

“Apologize? I should thank you for taking care of that tree. And…” Maisha glanced at the girls, “I think the girls had a fun morning.” Dante smiled at her words.

Maisha opened and closed her mouth a few times as Dante prepared to leave, and just as the man finished packing his little items and started towards the door, Maisha spoke up again.

“Actually, Dante,” she paused, as if chewing on a string of words she was unsure she wanted to spit out. “Actually, I could use your help with something.”

Dante raised a brow.

“Xisa, go fetch that book of yours, will you?” Maisha called over in Mandarin, causing the sable-haired girl to immediately perk up. “The one that uses demonic energy. The Art of Shadow Manipulation.”

*

Dante left several hours later, his brain having been thoroughly picked on the topic of how to manipulate shadows with mana. This was close to his specialty- he manipulated light with his mana, and by default, also manipulated shadows. But the book in question was odd. Where most texts would emphasize the uses of light manipulation to enhance vision, shift perspectives, create illusions, etc., this text focused on the puppeteering of shadow creatures. Not that that was a novel idea or anything. Many texts mentioned similar ideas. He, too, had written a similar section in the book he had written all those years ago, albeit on creatures made of light.

But the whole book was written on shadow creatures, without so much as a sentence or two mentioning the more mainstream techniques. The book was niche. Too niche. And beyond that, it was completely incompatible with mana. Which begged the question; why would Suk and Safya have such a thing in their bookshop? He could understand it if their clientele included more demons. Or scholars desiring to branch out into such niche topics. But although Suk was one himself, hardly any demons dared set foot on the island, much less browse the shops. And the only witch in Cyewen who would really be interested in something like this was himself, Dante Auclair.

Well, he corrected himself, me or that kid, Xisa.

At any rate, the book seemed like something he should find only after days of searching through the nooks and crannies of LingXing Library. Not just sitting around some small town’s local bookshop.

Either Maisha was lying about where they got that book- which he doubted- or that little bookshop was hiding something. At least, that’s what Dante’s intuition told him. Though Dante had always found it best not to rely on intuition too much- even if he was right, some things only lead to trouble.

Dante pursed his lips. If he was being honest with himself, he shouldn’t have gone up to Maisha’s hut in the first place. He should have stuck that tree back in the ground and left it be. The whole ordeal stank of trouble.

But his curiosity had gotten the better of him.

Dante whispered a warming spell and blew hot air onto his hands. His body immediately felt the effects, the heat sinking down into his bones. The midday sun was hidden behind a curtain of dull clouds and the morning chill hadn’t quite dissipated, but between his magic and his layers of coats, he was comfortable as he walked along the wooded paths back towards the village.

Dante’s thoughts wandered to the strange little family residing in Maisha’s house. He couldn’t help but mull over certain unanswered questions. Where had Songbai gone? Why did she leave? Maisha had laughed at him for questioning it, but he felt the circumstances more than a little suspicious.

And what was with that covered object in the center of the room? Sure he had seen stranger things in that house before, but the conspicuous mass was eye-catching.

He could have asked all these questions, but… well he had already been antagonizing enough. And he had the sneaking suspicion that the more he learned about that little family, the more trouble he would find himself in… even if he was curious.

And besides all that, Dante could never tell if Maisha was telling the truth or not. She was a slimy woman- and he meant that in the best way possible- just like Yaga had been.

What would Yaga think of those girls when she returned?

If she returns, Dante corrected himself. He had more than a few speculations about Yaga.

I’d be willing to bet that Yaga would agree with me- those girls’ lives will be anything but normal, even by a witch’s standards.

Again, he didn’t want to make assumptions based on intuition alone, but the universe didn’t name someone something like ‘morgue’ and then give them a happy, care-free life, least of all a witch. He didn’t care how it was spelled, or if it was a nickname, or what the story behind it was. The girl practically had a sign on her that screamed “MY FUTURE IS FILLED WITH DEATH.” He didn’t need a fortune teller to spell that one out for him.

And the other child was also puzzling. Xisa was a wallflower to the point where she often went unnoticed. No, more than that. She was difficult to notice. And a witch as old as him shouldn’t have difficulties noticing somebody. Her name was also a bit odd, but not in the same way as Morg’s was. It was just… unique. And with her affinity for his type of magic, Dante felt she would make an excellent apprentice. That is, if she didn’t usher in too much trouble- which he suspected she might.

It was clear at a glance that these girls were both witches, though that wasn’t surprising. But he sensed something more to them. Maisha had fed him that bit about Songbai getting carried away, but he wasn’t sure he bought it. Sure anyone could be clumsy at times, but who brings a tree to life and then lets it escape? No, this felt more like someone had lost control of their mana- intuition again, but whatever, this would all remain his own private speculation.

But for all his deliberating, he couldn’t help but wonder if he had fallen into some sort of trap or not; was there something more going on here, or did Maisha simply want him to think that? Most all the witches he knew thought poorly of ‘Maisha the All Knowing,’ but he still hadn’t made up his mind. Indeed sometimes when he spoke to her, like today, he felt she really was the weakest of witches- low in mana and liable to collapse after uttering any sort of spell. Non-threatening. But other times, he felt something else. As if she knew his every intention and every action he took was according to some sort of plan she had carefully constructed. As if she really did live up to that sarcastic nickname her fellow witches had given her.

Not that her levels of mana ever actually changed, or that she ever cast any sorts of spells on him. Just… yeah, intuition.

Dante shook his head as he walked down the cobblestone path that led to his townhouse in the village. Either way, he wouldn’t breathe a word to anyone about the events of the day. Speculations aside, he liked Maisha. And he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if something he said put those two silly girls in danger. Plus, he saw no need to draw any undue attention to himself. He had secrets of his own.

Having finally reached his house, Dante pushed open the wooden door.

“Gluant, Suhail!” he called through the threshold, “I’m back!”

*

“Bah! Took you long enough!” Songbai suddenly cried, making everyone jump. Maisha had been painstakingly applying yet another layer of the potion to Songbai- who had regained quite a bit of her original color- when the witch’s head suddenly snapped down to glare at her. Though her movements seemed heavy and were terribly grating on the ears, the witch twisted her stony fingers and wrists at an ungodly speed. All at once, Songbai transformed back into her usual self.

“AWOOOOOO!” Baigu exclaimed, soaring through the air to pounce on her favorite person.

“Get off me you damn mutt!” Songbai cried, gently pushing Baigu down.

“And give me that,” she snapped, snatching the bowl of sludgy potion out of Maisha’s hands only to immediately set it down on a nearby bookshelf. “Why are you doing this anyways, why not get those little imps to do it instead! Shouldn’t you be,” Songbai waved her hands around nonsensically, “well I don’t know… off doing whatever it is you do?!”

Maisha felt like she should apologize, but Songbai’s words just left her feeling confused- wasn’t it good that she had finally restored the witch? What did it matter who applied the potion? Shouldn’t the girls be training to prevent something like this from happening again anyways?

“Or better yet, why didn’t you ask Dante to change me back, hm?!”

“W-well,” Maisha stammered, “that wouldn’t exactly match with what I had already-”

“You think he believed that nonsense you were spouting? Even as a rock I could hear the doubt in his voice! And you!” Songbai exclaimed dramatically, whipping around to face Xisa. The little girl jumped.

“Jealous my foot! I know you better than that and I should have known earlier! You ought to know by now that you can tell us when something’s bothering you!” Songbai declared, storming over. Maisha snuck a glance at the pale girl’s face. Rather than comforted, she looked a little frightened. Which was only natural as Songbai was showing her affection somewhat aggressively.

“Did something happen?! Miss your home?! Something with the harp?!” Songbai snapped her head at Morg, who was hoping she had escaped the freshly awakened witch’s wrath. “Did you do something to her?!”

Morg vehemently shook her head.

While Maisha had been hoping to broach this subject with a little more tact, she supposed this would work just as well. That evening, the four witches sat down together and, between Maisha’s steady encouragement, Songbai’s blunt questioning, and Morg’s guilty admissions, Xisa was finally able to share some of her troubles.