Chapter 117 - A Chilling Realisation

Elena looked at the papers in her hands and put them down on the desk with a loud thump. "These?.. God, no!" She shook her head, smiling. "This is just fresh paper for the printer. Look, it's clear."

Indeed, it was. I watched with relief as she put the paper into the office contraption and printed a single sheet worth of lines for me to fill.

There wasn't anything special. My contact information, names of my parents, whether I intended to stay at the headquarters or my address if I didn't, my payment information for sending me my monthly allowance and so on. After I finished with it, the time came for the important stuff.

"You said, Diana, that you Awakened only recently, and didn't yet have more than basic magic education, is that right?" Elena asked me. I nodded, and she continued, "Then I'd like to offer you my personal tutoring. As I'm not an arch-witch, I'm unsure how much good it will give you. From what I know, most of them succeed or fail in their studies without help of others. Still, if that would help you, I'd like to try. It would be an honour."

I wanted to ask Elena how good of a witch she was, but that sounded like an awfully rude question. I clasped my fingers together on my knees to stop them from nervous fidgeting and asked instead, "Do you know about seals strong enough to contain a vampire?"

Elena raised her brows. "Seals? That's quite useful category of magic, but not the easiest to learn. To contain a vampire… It's difficult, but it can be done. Not by me—I'm not enough of an expert in this area—but there are people in our coven. Is this an area of interest for you?"

I shrugged. "I just realised that I know so little about real, big magic…"

"Of course." Elena's expression softened. "It couldn't have been easy for someone of your talents to be picked up into a mutt coven."

"What does that mean? 'A mutt coven'. Why do you keep using these words?" I frowned, feeling an urge to defend my friends when I finally could. "It's insulting."

"I… I'm sorry, Diana, I didn't mean to use… offending language with your… your former coven. It's just an established term for people like them." Elena shifted away from me, but didn't seem entirely cowered or remorseful.

"People like them?" I pushed.

"Yes. It's a long known fact that genetics affects not only whether a child will have a talent for magic but also how big it would be. Ever since the first ideas about blood carrying traits from parents to children, powerful clans of witches preserved their legacies with arranged marriages and built covens around their families. But there were always weaker witches, bastards and others, unaccepted by these. They tend to band together into their own covens, if one can even call these groups that way with how tiny they are. Mongrels, mutts… These are just the nicest of the words some people use for them. After you spent time with them, it's only right for these to offend you, Diana, but the truth is that someone like you could've only come from a big clan, even if you are unaware of it."

A tense silence descended on the room as I mulled over what Elena was saying. In this moment, I saw her not as an older woman who was embarrassingly eager to please me, but as a leader of her own dynasty, who believed herself to be born to be better than others. Than certain others, especially. And she was trying to convince me I belonged with her 'better' circle instead of whenever my head and heart were.

I wondered what she was really thinking about me being around. Was she hoping I will end up falling in love with someone in coven and marrying him and helping her coven that way? Or was she after my power first? Both, I decided. There was no reason for her to not hoping for both. And, I imagined, even if—when—I leave the coven, the bragging rights and the gratitude I would owe her were worth something on their own. Quite a lot, probably.

With a chill spreading through my blood I realised I was doomed to wonder forever from now on whether my witchy—and even not-witchy acquaintances were acting kind towards me because they were trying to become friends with an arch-witch or because they just liked me for me.

"I see," I finally said. Now I had to think. I pinched my lips, unsure. I didn't want to study under Elena that much, but what were chances of other witches being any better? Of course… If I really cared for the personality of my teacher—and I did, considering that I would be spending quite a lot of time with that… There was a better solution.

"Elder Elena, actually, it's me who you honour with your offer, but I've only seen just a few of the coven members yet. Can I meet with everyone here and then pick myself a teacher? I'm sure not only you would be eager. After all, teacher is very important. I think, Chinese even say that teacher is like a father… or something." An old wisdom that came to me from a piece of trash romance. Ha!

The disappointment on Elena's face was visible like the moon in the clear night sky, but she nodded. "That's a wise thing to say, Diana. I will organise a day for you to meet everyone. When it would be convenient for you?.."

Oh, what a great question. I had plans stacked on top of plans. Considering that studying magic was something that required a lot of time one way or another, I guess it won't be too bad for me to put this thing off for a little while.

"Actually, I'm sort of busy this week… And the next, probably. But I will contact you again, and you can call me if anything happens."