Page 27 of Witch's Dawn
"I don't know, dear." Diana's expression was grave. "For thousands of years, there has been a long-standing resentment between witches and demons. Whenever Christians have caught wind of any kind of witchcraft, they immediately associate it with the devil when that couldn't be farther from thetruth."
Her eyes welled with tears as she looked off to a farawayplace.
"Too many innocent witches and non-magical humans have suffered due to mob mentality and fear of the devil. But the true devil worshippers? They don't blink an eye at innocent liveslost."
I wanted to protest, to tell her these three weren't like that. An entire race couldn't be that heartless, could it? But the truth was, I didn't know. They were practically strangers to me and yet every instinct within me wanted to jump to theirdefense.
Instead, I just said, "How could they notcare?"
Diana gave a sadsmile.
"The deaths of innocents don't matter to those who areimmortal."
16
DEJA
"So on a scaleof typical Christian belief to fluffy baby animal," I said, still bewildered by this revelation. "How bad are demons,really?"
Diana sighed heavily, suddenly looking older and far more tired than I perceived her up to thispoint.
"Generally speaking, they're not all terrible I suppose. They're just like any other people, with some good eggs and some bad. Most have a mixture of both. But," she added sharply. "I'm one of the few witches of my generation with such an open mind. Because of their nonchalance toward the sanctity of life, the general attitude is not soforgiving. "
"What will other witches think of me when they see my aura?" A flash of panic hit me. The thought of being ostracized for something I had no control over made my gut twist intoknots.
"Don't worry about that, dear," Diana said, taking my hand. "Dark auras are rare, but many witches do have them due to their family's encounters with demons in past generations. Sometimes they go dormant and reappear after skipping a couple of generations. No one would discriminate against you based on that. Besides," she added, her tone growing more lighthearted. "Shadow work is a coveted magical skill that few witches can master. You may be able to work with the subconscious and the darker side of magic more easily thanothers."
Something else gnawed at me and I wrestled with the idea of asking her about it. I remembered how cautious all three of the demons were about what they said to me, and I wondered if I would be better not knowing this particularinformation.
But if Pandora's box had already opened, there was no use trying to put the lid backon.
"They mentioned something about demons giving birth to the first witches," I said, weighing my words carefully. "Is thattrue?"
Diana's eyes flashed with such anger that it legitimately frightened me. I wrenched my hand out of her grasp and even backedaway.
"No! It's not fucking true," she growled, swearing for the first time since I met her. Her aura suddenly erupted in a fiery halo, growing three times in size and crackling with her fury. Gone was the sweet, encouraging grandmother figure, replaced by the archetype of the scary oldhag.
"We draw our power from the natural world, from our Mother Gaia," she declared in a timbre that rattled the window panes. "We respect and honor life at every level. We may have similar powers but we didnotcome from those born of deception andbetrayal."
"I'm sorry, grandma," I stuttered, raising my hands in surrender. "I didn't mean to imply anything likethat."
Calling her grandma seemed to placate her enough. The anger surrounding her dulled from a blazing inferno to a low roar and her voicesoftened.
"Be very careful when you talk to demons," she warned. "Chances are every other word out of their mouths is alie."
I nodded solemnly but she didn't seemconvinced.
"I'm serious, Deja," she snapped. "They may be charming and seductive but they always want something. And if the Christians got one thing right, it's that a deal with the devil is never in your favor, no matter how good itseems."
All the fire seemed to leave her as she let out a long sigh and reached out to touch my cheek. Her fingers were warm with the blazing energy she justheld.
"I just found my beautiful granddaughter again after so many years," she said in a mournful voice. "I couldn't bear to lose youagain."
"Don't worry about me, grandma," I said earnestly, smiling as I took her hand in mine. "I've taken what you've said to heart. I promise I'll becareful."
Her lighthearted smile returned as she patted myhand.
"Very good, dear. We'll take a break from casting tomorrow but I may be back for another cup of that wonderful chamomile! How much do I owe you forit."
