Chapter 195 - The Right Thing

"Actually, that's pretty simple." Prom Queen tapped her fingers on the table. "Except for a few parts."

I leaned closer. "Yeah?"

"Nightingale Coven is an old, established presence. We have resources. I have resources, I know people, right people. There's something to be said about all the vampires around, but I already found someone who'd be ecstatic to have us on TV. One of the big channels, too." Prom Queen grinned and lifted her chin with pride. "We only have to solidify who exactly is going. Even though keeping anonymous isn't an option anymore, but we can't forget about the repercussions. We, after all, are still a part of Nightingale Coven. Except for you, Jean-Jacques, of course. But you, Diana, aren't just any other witch, either!"

I gave Prom Queen a level look. "In other words, you are afraid that Elena will take away your pocket money if she gets a wind of you taking part in something like that, but you think she won't do anything to me because I'm an arch-witch, and because I don't take her pocket money, anyway."

Though I've been offered. Businesses owned by Nightingale Coven made more than enough for all its members to have comfortable living, for some more comfortable than for others. But it didn't feel right for me to just take this money. The more I took from the coven, the more obliged I was to them. The more shackled to them. This was just letting them more opportunities to use me, and witches were prone to that.

Maybe it was just because they ran in a sort of unofficial matriarchy. Women were snakes, weren't we?

"I don't need Elena's pocked money." Prom Queen pouted. "But she will do her best to interrupt my work of bringing enlightenment to people, and what good will it do to everyone? Either way, the show only needs one witch, but it needs one! It needs someone who won't be afraid to stand up and say to everyone in the world that they aren't afraid to walk in the light, even if it burns them!" She glanced at JJ and cringed a little. "I didn't mean that literally."

He grinned with amusement. "No harm done, Alyona."

After another careful glance at him, Prom Queen turned to me again and leaned forward. Her eyes blazed with almost fanatical fervour. "I believe you are the one who has that courage, that bravery, to be the face of the revolution! And not just bravery, but the power, too. The power of your heart!" She poked at me with a finger, so suddenly that I jerked back even though Prom Queen didn't actually touch me. But she looked like she would.

Unbidden, Panda's gloom face came to my mind. She sounded like a voice of reason. "Diana, this insane and suicidal. You will make yourself a target for everyone. Not just you, but your shop too. Think about me, if you can't think about yourself! I work for you, after all. And Kirill. He's even more innocent."

On my other shoulder was Rita. I imagined what she'd say to that… Something like, "Girlfriend, Sveta is right. I know it's in your blood to be magic, and this is cool—but that doesn't make you that kind of hero. These sorts of things have to be approached with care. How many revolutionaries ended in a noose or a guillotine?"

Yeah, they'd agree on that. And the rational side of me agreed with them, too. But the visions of a dark future of riots and witch hunts kept haunting me. It was against all I believed in (like, say, not dying), but there was a heavy weight in my heart that told me…

If I don't agree to do it, there it will stay, and grow, until it swallows me. Sometimes, you just had to do a right thing, because otherwise was too unimaginable to even contemplate. It was the kind of force that made people sacrifice their life for a cause.

Well, I planned to do things for the cause and live a long, long, long life afterwards, but I had to prepare myself for trouble in the near future.

"Alright, you can not believe in the power of the heart," Prom Queen seemed to take my silence for a refusal, "but someone has to do it, Diana, and you have the best position. As an arch-witch, whether or not Elena likes what you do, she'd lose too much face if she didn't protect you from the fallout with all she has. And then, of course, you, Jean-Jacques. The mighty Dragonslayer acting as your protector, Diana! This will make everyone who knows what they are dealing with to back off. It's like you won't be threatened at all!"

I looked at JJ as I finally replied. "Even if I agree, that doesn't oblige him to join the fun, too. This is still a significant risk to our lives, even though what you say is true, I suppose."

He smiled enigmatically at me, but didn't speak, didn't show in any way what his opinion on the matter was. Under the table, though, his hand found and squeezed mine.

I squeezed back and hoped that it meant that he was supportive of my choices, whatever they would end up being. Then I looked at Prom Queen again and steeled my resolve. "But I do agree that someone should do it. I guess, if not me, then someone else will have to risk their lives." And that was another weight on my heart. "So you can move away a little and chill."

Prom Queen beamed at me with all her bleached-white teeth. "Thank you! You are a true hero, Diana, true hero!"

"And what about me?" JJ teased. "Since I will be together with Diana in this endeavour, don't I deserve that title as well? Hm, maybe after all this people will remember me with something better than Dragonslayer, don't you think so, ma chèrie?"

The future guaranteed turmoil, but a heavy weight on my chest was replaced with light and warmth. "No, I'm sure that it will be the opposite, and everyone who didn't know it yet, would learn about the nickname's origins." I grinned and winked at him. "But you will get a princess, anyway."