Chapter 2: Meeting with the Coven (Part 2)

Inside, they were greeted by five elders in the round hall. They were each on large pedestals in a semicircle, gazing down at her. Jenny recognized one of them. Eryndor Veylin, an associate of her mother. They had helped each other over the years. Although her mother, Seraphina, never engaged in witchcraft directly, she had associates who did. Her mother had a sort of pragmatic mindset about it, and it is likely part of the reason she was burned at the stake. After her mother's death, Eryndor had watched out for Jenny on multiple occasions, and Jenny was thankful to her.

After the mundane formal greetings were out of the way, the meeting started. The elder woman in the middle began to speak, "Initiate Jenny Nachtdorn, to complete your initiation and become a full member of the Supreme Coven of Witches, you must have completed a successful summoning ritual where you contacted a demon and made them into your Familiar. Show us your contract and your Familiar undisguised."

Jenny's face turned an unimaginable shade of red at the mention of her contract with Dravisha. "Do I have to show the contract?" Jenny peeped quietly.

"What? Initiate, can you speak up? We can't hear you."

"Do I-I have to show the contract?"

Dravisha snorted, barely being able to contain her laugh. She found Jenny's embarrassment and the elders' confused looks beyond amusing.

"Of course you do, it is a necessary precaution so that we know you have your demon properly under control." The middle elder said.

That… made sense, Jenny supposed. She was fretting, playing with the long hem of her coat. The heat in it was suffocating. Sweat was already trailing down her back, and she could swear she heard her own heart beating. Why is it so hot in here? She thought.

"What's the problem?"

"Yes, what is the problem, Jenny?" Dravisha chimed in, smiling from side to side. "You look a little ill, are you alright?"

She shot the Demoness a pointed glare.

"After last night, I didn't think you'd be such a prude," the Demoness purred. "The way you were so eager to…"

"Alright enough! Fine, I'll share the contract." Jenny took a deep breath to steady herself.

The elders looked at each other, some confused, but some of them definitely had figured it out, and they were smiling in that old people way.

Jenny summoned forth the contract and gave it to the middle elder, who read it out loud. There were a lot of gasps and oh mys in the room, much to Jenny's growing shame. By the end, her face was tomato red.

The middle elder pointed to Dravisha, "We'll also need to see your Demon's true form."

Jenny nodded to Dravisha.

"Finally, this form is so restrictive," The Demoness complained while changing into her true form. Jenny thought her true form looked a lot more majestic. The feline predator grace she exhibited in it added a lot to her sensuality.

The elders, however, did not seem to agree with Jenny's assessment, as all of them gasped out. "Greater demon," they whispered amongst each other. A heated debate soon took place, which was at once stopped by the middle elder.

"Order everyone, order!" She waved her hands through the air, making a sip-it gesture. "Jenny Nachtdorn, do you have any idea what you have done?"

Jenny had, in fact, no idea what she had done and so strictly shook her head.

"You have violated Article Six, subsection four of our constitution, which clearly states, 'No Witch is permitted to summon a greater demon.'"

Jenny's heart dropped to the floor, metaphorically speaking of course. She probably should have looked at the Coven's constitution more closely. But in her defence, every law had a lot of subsections and so on. And she never had anyone who gave her truly formal training. Sure, Veylin had given her some, but for the most part, she was self-taught. How was she supposed to know all that?

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Jenny pleaded as her defence. It was a poor defence.

"Not knowing the law doesn't excuse breaking the law," One of the elders called out.

"Oh, come now, Tilda, give the poor child a break," Veylin said. "She is very new to this and didn't have any formal teachers."

"That is irrelevant, Eryndor. The child has put us all in grave danger. The wardens should execute her immediately." The same elder shouted.

"How dare you threaten what's mine?" the Demoness said while pooling dark power into her palms. The candles in the room flickered.

"Calm down, everyone. Order! Order!" The middle elder shouted. "Let's not be hasty, Tilda."

"Jenny isn't even a member of the Coven yet, so technically she hasn't broken any laws, since she is not subject to the laws yet." Veylin came to Jenny's defence.

"That is a technicality, Eryndor, it is the principle that matters, the principle. Great demons are too dangerous. Look at her threatening us right now. If we do not banish her now, she can bring great danger to us all."

"This is true," Another Elder nodded.

Jenny glanced around nervously. Was she about to be executed by the very people she tried to join? This was beyond unfair. No one had told her it was wrong to summon a great demon, and she had just done what the Grimoire they gave her told her to do. Jenny tried to keep her emotions under control.

"We could also simply exile Jenny and let the inquisition deal with her," The middle elder said. "Why get our own hands dirty with witch blood? We are an institution built to protect witches. What reputation would we have if we executed those who came to us for help?"

"An interesting and pragmatic solution as expected of the eldest," the Elder who had not talked until now finally chimed in.

Exile, Jenny thought. It meant certain death. Every magical institution in Hochwalden would turn her away. All witches in the country would shun her. She would have an extremely hard time getting spellbooks, wards, magical items, potions, anything magical, really. She would be completely cut off. And to top it all off, the Inquisition would be after her. Jenny wanted to object desperately, but what case did she have? What could she use? She raked her head and looked at Veylin pleadingly.

"All those in favour of exiling witch Jenny Nachtdorn raise your hand," the middle elder said. Two out of five raised their hand instantly. Veylin joined them a moment later.

Jenny understood, of course. It was the only choice to save. It was certain death vs just instant execution. She did not hold it against Veylin and thanked her with a small bow.

"Witch Jenny Nachtdorn, you are hereby sentenced to exile. Vacate the premises immediately and never return," the middle elder said.

Jenny nodded and simply complied. All while they were escorted off the property, Jenny was in a stupor. Her heart had a stinging pain that only grew in intensity as she walked. The Demoness walked beside her completely unbothered. Sensing Jenny's emotional turmoil, Dravisha found the perfect opportunity to tighten her grip on her little witch. As they walked, she pulled Jenny into a tight embrace, her claws digging gently but firmly into her waist.

To anyone watching, it might have seemed like a gesture of comfort. But Dravisha wasn't motivated by kindness; she revelled in Jenny's despair, savouring the way her devastation made her more pliable. This is perfect, she thought, suppressing a smirk. She's broken, and now she has no one else to turn to but me.

"Don't be sad, little witch," Dravisha purred, her voice low and velvety. "You still have me."

Jenny didn't respond. She barely registered the Demoness's words, let alone the possessive edge in her tone. Her mind was elsewhere—or perhaps nowhere at all. The world around her felt distant, muffled, as though she were walking through a thick fog. Even the sensation of Dravisha's claws pressing into her skin barely registered. All she could think about was the crushing weight of her exile and the bleak future ahead of her.

Dravisha leaned closer, her breath ghosting against Jenny's ear. "You're stronger than you think," she murmured, her fingers trailing lightly along Jenny's spine. "And besides, with me by your side, you won't need anyone else. Together, we'll carve out our own path. We'll show them, we'll show them all."

Still, Jenny said nothing. Her silence was deafening. But Dravisha didn't mind. She preferred it this way. The quieter Jenny became, the easier it would be to reshape her—to mold her into exactly what Dravisha wanted.

Jenny still had one tiny hope that she could cling to, and that hope was Klaus Richter. A former trading partner and friend of her mother, and an Alderman of the Guildhall in Bramholt, where her father lived. After her mother died, he became like a father to her, and he had some resources and connections Jenny could use.

But reaching out to Klaus wasn't without risk. Now that she was a witch, any connection she had with him would put him in danger. Could she really endanger Klaus? Someone who was more of a father to her than her own father. It felt wrong. It was wrong. And yet she could think of nothing else to do.

Once they were left alone in the quiet forest, they heard a voice, "Jenny, wait." Veylin came in hurried steps. Despite her age, she still managed to maintain a jog.

Jenny turned to face the old woman. She wanted to say something, but there was a clump stuck in her throat.

"Before you go, I have something I want to give you," Veylin said, showing off a black and silver sceptre wand with small embedded amethyst gems that glowed lightly. "I wanted to give you this after your initiation. I enchanted it myself."

Jenny grasped the sceptre. It had some weight to it, like a sceptre should. "Thank you," she managed to croak.

"Here with this enchantment, you can turn it into a staff." Veylin activated her enchantment, turning the sceptre wand into a long sceptre staff. "It's useful for conjuring more powerful spells. Be safe out there, child, and I'm sorry I couldn't do more."

Jenny shook her head, blinking back tears. She understood Veylin had done all she could. Clutching the staff tightly, she watched as the elder disappeared into the trees.