Chapter 105 - Free Cheese

"You can't, my dearest, you can't. There's just so little difference between ninety-nine percent and one hundred, but at the same time, so, so much of it! Only time can make sure, or another arch-witch, but you have luck here too, Diana! This year we are honoured by Princess Sofia, who will attend the celebrations and the Wreath-Giving. If you are truly an arch-witch as I hope you are, she will announce so. Even if you aren't, though, don't worry about a thing, dear Diana. The family doesn't leave their own, and you will be welcomed into the fold. People with talent are always valued, and you won't have a need for anything in the future."

"Princess Sofia? Like a real princess?" I blurted. It wasn't the most important question I had, but damn me if I wasn't curious.

"Yes, dear, a real princess. She is over five hundred years old, a living show of arch-witches' unimaginable power. Ah, if only I was born this way… But it may still be possible for me to live vicariously through you, my Diana dearest. The entire family will be ecstatic to meet you after all these years and after all these news about your mother, let her rest in peace."

"Right, family, coven. I still don't even know what coven you are from. Is it a big one, Aunt?"

She gave me a look bordering on pity. "I doubt you know enough of the world to appreciate how much bigger Wakerobin Coven than any of the mutt covens you've met. Its roots spans generations into the past, with our lineage purer than that of the inbred French kings! All the doors will open for you when you join us. You can become a celebrity if you want, or just enjoy the riches we accumulated over the time. Everything would be possible!"

Yes, and mousetraps were full of free cheese. I narrowed my eyes. "Just like that?"

My aunt looked at me like on a silly child, waving her hand at me. "Of course not, my dear. You would need to contribute and report back to the coven, as everyone should, but it's no more of a trouble than you must have on your boring common job. Do you have a job now? The last time we've met, I remember you still in the college. You didn't finish it yet, did you? Well, you would be able to get into a much more prestigious on in Moscow, so it doesn't matter."

Yes, it didn't matter, because I didn't intend to join that Wakerobin Coven, no matter how much I smiled and nodded. Moving to Moscow just wasn't an option. Either way, I had my answers for now. Mutt covens… I could see that Alexandra and others from that circle didn't know that much about magic. But if I really was as valuable as a member as Aunt Lisa gushed, then at the next sunrise would be my perfect opportunity.

It would be the time of Wreath-Giving. As Alexandra explained to me, it was a time when unaffiliated witches, or just ones wishing to find another coven, would present themselves and show off a little in front of gathered covens. If a coven liked one witch or another, their leader would give her a ritual wreath and an offer to join. Sometimes, a witch might get more than one wreath, in which case she could choose.

No one from Orion Coven expressed a desire to participate, but now I wanted to.

I stood up from my seat. "Thank you for the information, Aunt Lisa. You really opened my eyes. I should join my own coven for now, but I will see you later. Have a good evening."

⠀⠀

"Diana, you are almost late! Come, let's take our place," Alexandra greeted me when I found her at our campsite. I followed her obediently, my mind still churning with revelations.

My mom came from a powerful coven, ones that were like witch nobility… Or witch oligarchs. I might (might!) be a very rare super ultra absolute witch, able to do anything. I didn't feel all-powerful yet, but from what I knew about magic, I had a feeling that absolute power didn't come easily or without training.

But, absolute power. All my own. It was enticing, to say the least. It was also all dividing a pelt from a not yet killed bear, so I forced myself to concentrate on what was going on and on what I knew about the rituals that would come to be.

As I mulled over all that, Orion Coven took their place amongst the crowd of witches and witchers around a huge, unlit bonfire. Above us, the sky was dark, and I could see the last rays of the sun shining over the treetops behind the river, the name of which I never bothered to remember.

Nine witches stood in a closer circle around the bonfire. All were dressed in long white dresses with elaborate embroidery along the hems, but each had a distinctly different ornament. What caught my eyes the most, though, wasn't the embroidery—it was the face of one of these nine witches.

She was stunning. Not just beautiful, but a pure vision, to the point of inhumanity. Her face was perfectly symmetrical, with not even a hint of a flaw, cold and detached, and she had a presence that made her a head of the circle even when there were no other indications that she was it. Her body was perfectly proportioned too, which was visible even under her formless dress, and her movements held grace that I before only saw on vampires.

I'd think she was one too, if not for her healthily rose cheeks and the fact that this was a gathering of witches, not vampires.

Her presence and a glance thrown over our heads were enough to make everyone dead silent. Only wind broke the quiet, playing with leaves and grass, and the river murmured just a couple dozen meters to the side. Then, the last part of the sun hid behind the horizon, and the bonfire roared to life so suddenly that I jerked back, hitting one of my coven-mates.

The Ivana-Kupala had officially begun.