I easily keep pace with Soraya as we step back inside the building.
“Do you think Delaney has something to do with this?” I ask, the twisting in my stomach intensifying.
It would make sense. She’s the leader of the coven, and everyone listens to her. What she says goes. She was the one who unofficially declared war on the Hunters during dinner the other day.
But what does she hope to get out of all of this? What’s her end goal?
“I don’t know,” Soraya answers honestly. “But it wouldn’t surprise me if she’s involved. Mother Delaney has always held a grudge against the shifters, especially after what happened to her sister—your mother.”
“When my mother died, you mean?” I keep my tone blank, not wanting her to hear the pain just that one question costs me.
“That’s one reason,” Soraya agrees.
“One reason?” Ethan asks.
Soraya sighs and absently fiddles with the end of her hair. “There are rumors…”
She doesn’t immediately continue speaking, and I stare at her intently, wordlessly encouraging her to tell me more.
She hesitates, nibbling on her lower lip, before relenting with a sigh. “Keep in mind, these are nothing but rumors. I don’t know if they’re true or not.”
I nod to let her know I understand.
“Well, you already know that your mother was an immensely powerful witch. So powerful that most members of the coven believed she would hold a position in the Trinity when the Crone retired.”
At my confused look, Soraya explains, “Being on the Trinity is a lifelong commitment, for the most part. You have to undergo a series of tests that will determine your power level when you reach the age of twenty. When the Crone retires, the Mother will become the Crone, and the Maiden will become the Mother. The most powerful witch between the ages of sixteen to twenty-five will become the Maiden.”
“You said being on the Trinity is a lifelong commitment,” Ethan interjects. “What do you mean by that?”
“If someone is challenged for her position, then she’ll have no choice but to prove she’s still the most powerful. Whoever wins will take over the position that’s been challenged. If no one challenges the witch on the Trinity, then she’ll remain in power until she passes away.” Soraya shrugs nonchalantly, though her eyes turn distant. Glazed. Lost in a memory, perhaps? “Fortunately, challenges are rare. The last time one happened was years ago.”
“Why are they rare?” I ask.
From what I heard, witches covet power above all else. Their social standing isn’t based on money or looks or anything like that. No, if you have power, you’re automatically at the top of the food chain. I wouldn’t be surprised if witches constantly fight to secure a seat on the exclusive Trinity.
“Because the battle has to end in death,” Soraya says calmly, sliding her gaze in my direction. “You have to be one hundred percent certain you’re capable of defeating the witch in power. Because if you fail, you’re dead.”
A lead weight sinks in my stomach, and I swallow before turning away.
“You said witches…” I can practically hear the cogs in Ethan’s mind churning as he takes in this new information. “Do warlocks not hold positions on the Trinity? Is it a sexism thing?”
He doesn’t ask to be an ass. Ethan is honestly curious. He’s a lot like Ansel in that respect—both of them thirst for knowledge.
“Warlocks and witches are not gender-exclusive,” Soraya tells him, reiterating what I learned in my first class. “Though it’s rare, females can be warlocks, and males can be witches. But to answer your previous question—no, warlocks can’t be on the Trinity.”
“Why’s that?” I interrupt before Ethan can ask a follow-up question.
I’ll fill him in on the witches versus warlocks debate later.
“I’m sure Doctor Mort touched briefly on the debate in the community whether a witch or warlock is more powerful,” Soraya says, once again glancing at me, her eyes heightening with a keen intensity I feel in the marrow of my bones. “And for the most part, no one has the answer to that question. However, there are a few elitists who insist that witches are by far the most powerful because they’re capable of pulling magic out of virtually anything. That mentality was prominent hundreds of years ago and hasn’t faded with time.”
She shakes her head with a wry twist to her lips.
“You don’t agree with it?” I phrase it as a question, but I don’t need to.
It’s evident from the irritation in her eyes that she has strong feelings about this particular debate.
“I think that most witches—and even a lot of warlocks—are archaic and stuck in the ways of the past,” Soraya says stiffly. “And I think that this mentality is what’s causing the coven to act rashly when it comes to the shifters.”
