Chapter 208: Hags and Dreams

Chapter 208: Hags and Dreams

"No, we can't do it. And before you ask why, it's because we're a White Circle. Using part of someone to track them isn't White Magic. It's grey at best and probably Black in this case. That's part of your man's breath in there, stolen by a sentient windstorm. In some cultures, your breath is part of your soul. This type of spell just can't be done by a White Circle." Titania wasn't happy telling Suzette ‘No', she knew how desperate the woman was for news of what had happened to Ozzy, but she wasn't going to shatter the circle. She'd been an outcast too long to want to go back to that. The spell would fail, things would go bad. "There are other ways you might look into."

Suzette was too tired to be angry. She wasn't sleeping well, and all of her old nightmares were back. Sleeping next to Ozzy kept them at bay. She felt safe with him. "Tell me about the other ways then."

Titania considered her next words carefully. "Do you know what a hag is?"

Suzette snorted. "Yes. It's someone who wants to get her hands on my boyfriend more than she wants to eat the porkchops he brings her every morning. I've known what Jenny is for a long time, and her guests popped up on my radar as soon as they joined the town. I have three hags living in town, and I can form a "Hag Hollow" if I wanted to. Whatever the hell that is."

"Oh. Well, that makes things easier to talk about." Titania hadn't really suspected how much a mayor might know about their town. She'd destroyed towns, but she'd never run one. And this town was stranger than most, and probably had a lot of strange options. "Well, a Hag Hollow is like a circle of witches, only with Hags. They form a pact between them, and agree to work together. Hags are fiercely territorial. Only one Hag per village or valley is normal. The more powerful the Hag, the more room they need. But if they form a Hollow, it keeps things under control and they can agree on how to use their pooled powers. Jenny might be willing to do some magic, and go look for Ozzy. It's worth talking to her. But I'd send your courier instead of you."

Suzette was curious about that. "Why, I'm the Mayor."

Titania sighed, and paused for a long time. She really wasn't good with people beyond yelling a lot. Giving advice was difficult for her. "You also have a temper, and like you said, Jenny has her eye on Ozzy. I don't trust the two of you to talk about him without problems. And before you start in complaining, you have to understand it isn't all Jenny's fault. She's just following her instincts. Hags are attracted to males with certain qualities."

"Ozzy is like a magnet to her. He's big, strong, and has a dark aura that's appealing to creatures like her. Plus he smells like meat and would be a good provider. Jenny has to eat ten pounds of raw meat and fish each day. Less than that and we learn firsthand why hags are feared."

"If you go to talk to her, she'll be talking with a rival. If Ben goes, then she'll feel like helping to get Ozzy back. If she asks for a favor, know that by paying her, you bind her to service. That's a good thing. Hags are like misbehaving children; They need firm boundaries and a strong hand on the switch."

Vivian grabbed an open bottle of Red Wizard Whiskey and drank out of it. "No fee, I want to see this Butcher with a huge bag for myself."

Granny Gorpunkle looked at Ben. "I want his dreams."

Ben was startled. "Excuse me?!"

The old woman waved him to stay seated. "Just the bad ones. Not the good ones. You have nightmares so bad they make me wake up in the middle of the night, hungry. Every damned night you run from that star spawn and see things mortals shouldn't ever see. I'm a Night Hag, bad dreams are meat and drink to my kind. Let me have you nightmares and I'll take them as payment."

Ben had been tormented every night since they had fought M'Fargle. "You'll take only my dreams of M'fargle, take nothing else, and leave nothing else? I will pay that price."

Granny handed him a cookie. "Eat that please, and come back for one each day. I only eat the bad dreams of those who eat my cookies. It's why I usually give them to the kids. Keeps me fed and lets them sleep better. Too many monsters in this world. Including this household."

Jenny thought a little. "I want to form an official Hag Hollow, and I want it recognized by the town. As long as we don't harm the town, you don't kick us out."

Ben stood up, but he smiled. "I'm sure Suzette will agree to that. You've been a good neighbor, miss Jenny. Things are a little weird in this town, you fit in fine. Is that all you need to find Ozzy?"

Granny handed him a second cookie. "Tell the Mayor to eat that before bed. She's having some bad dreams about missing her man. Those will help us to find him. She'll sleep better too."

Ben took the cookie. "She could use the sleep. Let us know when you find out something."