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She smiled and sat down without a hint of embarrassment. “I’m in my own home and will sit in my skivvies if I want to. You’re lucky I was wearing those. I didn’t realize it was such a wide angle, though.”
“Bathsheba, honey, it’s a video call, not a portal,” the first witch added.
Everyone heard the yowl of an agitated cat. Then Bathsheba’s screen tilted sideways. They watched a younger witch run into view, pick up the laptop, and set it back into place. Bathsheba sat back in a wicker chair as a horned mountain lion nuzzled her leg.
“Grandma! You promised you wouldn’t let them break my stuff!”
Bathsheba shook her head, and a second cat joined her. “No, I promised to try. You know Sebastian and Amadeus don’t like electricity. They say it makes the air too spiky. It’s a good thing the cubs aren’t here.”
The younger witch hit a few buttons and looked at the screen. “I will stand guard, so her stupid fae cats don’t break the connection. Grandma really does want to be part of this. Her social skills are…let’s call them rusty.”
“I heard that, Stari!”
She grinned at the camera before turning away. “You were supposed to, Grandma. Now, tell your furballs to behave so we can get started.”
Ash and Dani sat out of sight, stifling their giggles at the witches’ technical difficulties. The spectacle was as funny as Ash had pictured. Something about a group of such powerful people struggling with a simple video call got to her. The reality of magic and how it was going to change the world for everyone struck her at odd times.
Maerlin gave them a stern look for making noise, but her lips were turned up.
Eiko waved her hand and sent a ball of white light at the blank wall across from her. It spread and formed a rectangle the size of a projection screen. With another wave, Eiko mirrored her computer screen for the others to see.
Maerlin raised an impressed eyebrow as she examined Eiko’s magic. The witch was spectacular and had an inherent grasp of the nature of magic she’d seldom seen in a human. She made a mental note to find time to get to know her better.
“Ladies! If you’ll quiet down, we can get started. Most of you have other members of your families present, and I have some non-witches with me, so this conversation is not strictly among witches. I trust these women unconditionally, and I consider them family.”
She turned the camera to show Ash, Dani, and Maerlin. Maerlin had agreed to be introduced to the witches on the condition that they kept her existence a secret from the humans. They had decided not to reveal Ash’s lineage outside their inner circle.
“Ash is the queen of Gaia Vampira, an exceptionally gifted witch, and the bearer of a spark brighter than any I have ever seen.” Eiko’s voice rang with pride. “Next to her is Dani, her sister, and her right hand. Finally, it is my great pleasure to introduce you to Maerlin.”
There was silence for a full minute. Eiko grinned smugly. Then, the witches bombarded them with questions and exclamations.
Several of the boxes representing witches went black as they lost connection, and many looked confused by the loss of sound or their video feeds.
“Chikushou,” Eiko muttered. “This is a disaster.”
Maerlin cleared her throat and came over to stand next to Eiko. “Ash mentioned a different method that didn’t work with a group. Will you show me?”
“Of course, Maerlin-sensei.” Eiko opened a communication portal to Ash. Maerlin studied it for a moment and nodded. “May I?”
The witches went silent again, anticipating seeing Maerlin do…whatever she planned to do. Eiko waved her forward. “Please do. You can’t make it worse.”
Maerlin chuckled and touched the laptop, envisioning how she wanted the call to work. Around the world, a two-foot magical screen hovered over the device each witch was using to communicate. The image and sound were crystal-clear and didn’t rely on an internet connection.
“Let’s see if that works any better,” Maerlin stated.
The witches watched the screens in amazement. Seeing a spell that spanned the globe created so easily stunned them into silence once more.
Ash grinned at Eiko. I guess magic can fix anything.
Eiko shook her head in amusement and looked at Maerlin in awe. “Better than the best IT team in the world. Thank you, Maerlin.”
Once the communication issue was eliminated, it took little time for the witch matriarchs to unanimously elect Eiko as the public representative for Gaia Magika.
Eiko bowed her head respectfully and smiled. “Thank you, ladies. I will take this honor to heart, and I will not disappoint you. We must discuss what we want humans to know, fact versus fiction. Like the vampires, we have a great deal of lore working against us.”
The group was adamant about keeping the reality of black magic hidden. None of these witch families practiced it, and those who did were considered rogues, as the traitorous Therians and evil vampires were. When Ash explained SPARK and asked for volunteers, a number of young witches said they were interested. After their family heads approved, Eiko took down their names and contact information for Ash.
The call continued for several hours. The witches decided how to handle essential issues and chose to forego having an official witch stronghold if Ash would dedicate a compound at her new location to serve as an embassy. The witches had been independent for too long to desire a formal hierarchy, but they wanted to have a place to gather to discuss important matters and meet with world leaders.
