Spoilers about life (3)
Gamayun tilted her head like a dove, her smile less gentle than before. She had thousands of years on her wings, yet she would always meet unwise people who wouldn't show respect.
Couldn't they all be well-behaved as the witch Vera? She liked her very much because she could be entertaining during her tedious immortal days. She had followed her adventures with much delight, waiting for the day - she knew it would come - when she was going to show them her true potential.
But that other witch there, Sara, was not as interesting. She was just an accessory in the whole story, more annoying than entertaining. She didn't like her, but she could add drama and spice.
However, when she threatened her, Gamayun's nerves twitched.
«Not so fast?» Gamayun repeated.
Gamayun could fly away, and no one could have reached her. However, she needed to teach a lesson to that witch. Just because Sara was born with a pure aura didn't mean she could decide about other beings. And she couldn't bully Vera just because the other had a bigger chest! Gamayun all knew and all could see, so she was well aware of the first concerns of those she met. Sara's most hidden issue was that, no matter how much she tried, she couldn't look as attractive as Vera did without putting in some effort.
She would often blame it on dark witches' charms, but it still hurt her from within.
Sara turned to Vera and, with her head, pointed at the bird. The latter arched her brows, dumbfounded but not fully surprised. After all, they knew who was stronger among the two.
«Go,» Sara whispered, but Vera just shrugged as if to say she didn't understand.
What was she supposed to do?
«Do something,» the white witch continued. «You must know how to, right? Do it!»
«You're nuts,» Vera exclaimed. «Are you serious? You must wish to die!»
Gamayun chuckled, bowing forward to listen to the drama closely.
«Yes, yes, tell her!» she voiced. «It won't make a big difference, so you can just tell her what you think.»
«Won't make a difference?»
Vera blinked again. Sara would have picked on her regardless of what she did or didn't say. It didn't make a difference in the end.
Just, she could get free of a couple small stones in her shoes, telling her mind to the other woman.
«You know, just because you're a white witch, you think everything you do is just and fair. Let me tell you: it's not. You're just as hypocritical and greedy as everyone in the agency. You want more influence just like they want more creatures to cage and control! You're not as pure as you think. Wake up and look at the mirror with genuine eyes, Sara.»
It did feel good. She hadn't said her mind in a long, long time. Except, sometimes, with Ethan, she hadn't had the chance to express her feelings to the other agents she happened to work with.
«There's that other little thing,» Gamayun whispered, moving her weight from one foot to the other, dancing on the railing like a pigeon.
The beautiful and elegant bird of paradise could act like that when excited.
«Why are you resisting?» Sara said. «You should just follow my orders while I'm still kind. Now go, and capture it!»
«Go and capture? Oh, capture her by yourself!»
She crossed her arms and waited for Gamayun to scold her for how she referred to her, but the bird didn't. She was having fun.
«I'm ordering you nicely. You should do it before I take out the pendant.»
«You know what I think, Sara? You have no pendant with you. The amulet is with the General.»
«H-how... What do you mean? Of course, I have it.»
«If you had it, you would have ordered me around already. I wouldn't be here, simply following you.»
«When we get back, I will report about this! You will be imprisoned for treason!»
«Treason? Just because I refused to waste my life like this?»
«Yes. Just wait and see!»
«Oh, Sara. You might be older than me, but you lack the ability to see the truth. Gamayun is a celestial creature. Even just thinking of capturing her is an offence. Please, don't make us both lose our lives like this. There are smarter ways to die.»
«You don't know what you're getting yourself into.»
«You know what? I don't care.»
Vera turned to Gamayun and bowed her head in a sign of respect.
«I greet you, creature of the heavens. I wish you a good journey,» she said in the old language.
She had bickered with Sara in modern-day Italian, which made her realise that Gamayun had no trouble understanding languages. Of course: she knew everything!
«Come back here, you slut!» she heard after turning her back to the scene and leaving, but she didn't pay much attention.
She heard Gamayun's wings hit the air, and she saw - from the corner of her eye - the bird leaving towards the east. She was going back home, likely.
Vera reached the stairs towards a lower level of the terraces without being caught, but, at the second step, she knew Sara was behind her.
«And now?» Sara complained. «She left, and we failed our mission!»
«First time?» Vera teased her.
Her words made Sara's face turn red with fury. It wasn't the first time she failed. But it was Vera's if they didn't count the mission in Paris.
After ninety-nine completed missions, Vera Bogdan had failed. Twice in a row, according to her superiors.
Was the world turning in the wrong direction? Or was the idea to trap her with an enchantment counter-productive?
Sara didn't know - and she didn't care. It was not her problem to solve; they had superiors for that.
Her role was to write a report and pinpoint the parts that could have been done better. Luckily, she had more credibility than Vera in the agency.
Her mood improved - even though just a little. She followed Vera down the second flight of stairs, a cunning grin on her lips.