Nora sat down in the kitchen of her mother's home. It had not changed much, but like her aunt her mother didn't like change. She was holding a cup of tea in her hands and her mother sat opposite to her, Eviar lay in her old bedroom he was bone tired after training the whole Coven. She couldn't blame him, compared to him her job was easy. Put up some shields to protect the village, that was once her home.
"Nora honey, did you really need to be so hard on your aunt?" Her mother asked and Nora's jaw dropped. Was her mother really asking her this? After her aunt had ignored the warnings for years. Her aunt who brought the whole Coven in danger because she didn't listen.
"Yes mom, I had to. Otherwise, we all be dead tomorrow, and the children under the age of fifteen in reeducation camps." Nora said calmly. "Even the Necromancer who are abroad will not be safe, because this purge will spread until there is nothing left of use." Nora looked at the mug in her hands, the warmth and the smell didn't reach her as it should be. She was scared that after they had done today, that it still wouldn't be enough and that the rest of the Lunar Coven will come too late.
"But honey..." Her mother started, but Nora shook her head. Was her mother really that blind to the truth.
"No mom. This is how it is. Rather we change and survive, or we got stuck in the old ways. Maybe not tomorrow, but then tomorrow will only be the beginning." Nora said, why could her mother not see this. "Dad would have agreed with me." This was a low blow and Nora knew it, but she did not care. If her mother wouldn't see reason...
"Your father is dead." Her mother snapped at her, Nora nodded.
"And the day he died he gave me this neckless, saying that he had found it on one of his travels. I have learned what he meant, dad had traveled the nine kingdoms to study magic. To improve are own to change our ways, he met Eviar's mother, and he taught her healing magic. Which is Necromancer magic, something we have neglected." Nora said. Her hand was clenched around the amber neckless. Her mother nodded slowly.
"It is true, he traveled a lot. But he was punished by the Gods of Mirror World for his ideas." Her mother said.
"According to aunt Soritia, but if that was true then I would be dead not him." Nora said, and she knew that to be true. There was no greater punishment than to watch your child die. Her mother nodded slowly, probably seeing sense in Nora's words. "I think that the Gods, who ever they are, saved me to finish his work. To see change in this Coven, to save our type of magic." Nora said.
"So what will you change?" Her mother asked, and Nora looked with narrow eyes at the blood stone brooch on her mother's chest.
"First, I will ban those brooches. They make us easy prey." Nora said, and pointed to the piece of jewelry. "We need the other types of magic, to create balance. Which in turn will make use stronger." Nora said, and her mother nodded slowly. "Then we have the ability to heal wounds, which in turn can prevent people from dying. If we use that gift inside hospitals, doctor's offices, pharmacy's. Then we give those how want to do use harm, less course to do so. Because we will be a vital part of the kingdom." Nora said, and more ideas that she will not voice out loud started to form in her head. After this was done, and they had survived all of this, she will go to Dragon King Mira to request that the hunt on Necromancer would be an act against the law. Also, there will be large gaps inside the council, she wants some of those gaps filled with members of her Coven. So that there are voices in their favor.
"And what about bringing people from the dead?" Her mother asked. Nora shrugged.
"Accidents will still happen, so there will always be need for that." Nora replied and her mother nodded.
"You just sound like your father, I know that he would be so proud of you." Her mother said. "But there is only one problem. You are not the leader of this Coven. Your aunt is."
"I am being trained by her, ever since dad died. Everybody knows that, she herself those not have any children. And more importantly she brought this Coven in danger. So after this is done, she needs to step down of that position." Nora said.
"But you are not a full..." Her mother started and Nora raised her eyebrows.
"Why do you think I needed to flee Achua? I was inside Master Goodwings manor for months, and suddenly I need to flee." Nora said, her mother looked towards the ceiling. Nora's old bedroom was just above the kitchen.
"You brought Eviar, back to life." Her mother said, and Nora nodded. She told her mother about the fight with Casandera and Eviar's dead.
"That was the most horrible day of my life." Master Goodwing entered the kitchen. "Seeing my son, lifeless in your daughters arms. I never told him that I was his father, I still didn't tell him. Only I have the feeling that somebody else has done it."
"His mother." Nora said quickly. "I wanted to do it. But it was not my secret to tell." Master Goodwing nodded.
"You have raised a fine and strong young woman, madam. You should be very proud of her." Master Goodwing said, and her mother looked at the man.
"I am proud of her, I always have being proud of her." Her mother replied.
*********
Nora looked at her now cold and empty mug. It was time for her to go to bed, get some sleep. But the Dragon Lord's knew that she would not get any. There were so many things that she wanted to be done, before the hunters under command of Casandera will arrive.
"Go to bed Nora." Her mother said. Master Goodwing nodded.
You need your strength in the morning." He said, now he sounded like a worried father. "I feel a lot better, if you are fight alongside my son rested." But she would not be fighting alongside his son, Eviar had forbidden her to do so. Normally she would not have listened to something like that, but she needed to think about the baby.
"Master Goodwing, I need to tell you something. Eviar has asked me to stay close to the bunker, and I have agreed to that." Nora said.
"Why in the nine kingdoms will you do that? Have you forgotten what happened last time?" He said rather loudly. Nora shook her head.
"Those memories are hunting me, every time I close my eyes." Nora snapped at him, she needed to tell him the reason why. "The reason that I am not fighting at the frontline is."
"So you talk the talk, but do not walk the walk." Her aunt stepped inside the kitchen. Great she really could use that, not. "And you really think that you are fit to lead this Coven."
"Hold your tongue! She is pregnant for Dragon Lord's sake! That is why I asked her to stay by the bunker!" Eviar screamed. Everybody looked shocked at him, everybody except Nora. "Are you really thinking that she would stay behind for any other reason than that?" Nora's gaze went to her aunt, whose mouth was slightly ajar.
"Pregnant?" Her mother then said.
"Yes I am pregnant, and Eviar is the father." Nora said, and she stood up. "And I am so done with your tone towards me." She walked towards her aunt. "I am no longer that nine-year-old that just lost her father. I am no longer that teenager that you can boss around, I can and will no longer play the role of the obedient niece." She gazed down on her aunt. Her hands were surrounded in flames with a white light. Fire magic with a touch of Lunar magic, the kind that could kill her aunt. "I have grown up since you left me at that house, told my mother to leave me there, because I was good as dead. I have grown stronger, and I will lead this Coven into the future. A future were do not have to look over our shoulders, in fear of hunters. I will do what you couldn't do, I will protect them, I will protect my family. And now get out of my house!" Nora pointed towards the door. Her aunt looked at her with a deadly gaze, lucky for her those couldn't kill or harm her. Not anymore. Her aunt opened her mouth.
"Satoria, get out." Her mother chimed in. "You are no longer welcome here." Her aunt was looking at her mother with that deadly glare.
"My brother was a fool to marry you." Aunt Satoria said, before storming out of the house.
"So that is one gone." Eviar said, pride was audible in his voice. He then turned his gaze to them. "Nora go to bed, you need to take care of yourself and the baby." Nora nodded. "And is anyone else has a problem with Nora fighting in the back, they can bring it up with me." Eviar looked at his father with narrowed eyes. "Not because she can not fight her own battles. But she has a larger battle to think about." Nora walked past him, stepped on the bottom tire of the stairs. She could hear Evair arguing with his father, probably asking why she was allowed to fight in the first place. Now he had changed his mind, but she didn't care. Nora fell on her bed, she didn't even bother to change her cloths. Not that it mattered, she fell a sleep a soon as her head touched the pillow.
