Witches and Devils

Cordelia

A few weeks pass and Michael and I continue to study and prepare for the Test of the Seven Wonders. Ariel has sent word to the witches and they were to arrive soon. The afternoon they arrive, we are all waiting in the study to greet them, all of us dressed in the ceremonial black of our kind. Only three women come to our schools Cordelia Goode, our current Supreme. Myrtle Snow one of Cordelia's council. And Zoe Benson, one of the trachea at the witch's coven. The three of them are also dressed head to toe in black and dark colors. Cordelia wastes not time getting down to business once they arrive, "let the record show that, at the request of Hawthorne School, that we assembled an emergency meeting of the council."

"In order to address what must surely be a matter of grave and pressing importance," Myrtle finishes, sarcastically.

"Proceed."

Ariel stands from the table, where the four member of the warlock council are seated, across from the members of the witch council, "illustrious members, I want to thank you for coming and giving us the opportunity to share with you what we've discovered. We recently took in a boy here at the school. At first we thought he was simply one of us, a warlock who needed our help and training."

"But?" Zoe looks to Ariel, rather bored and unimpressed.

The council of warlock look to Zoe, rather shocked that she would be so disrespectful to Ariel, but Ariel ignore this and continues, "the things he did were extraordinary and after conducting the requisite test of his powers, we came to the conclusion that his abilities are so impressive that they rise to the level of Supreme." Ariel sits back down.

After an element of shock, Cordelia chuckles. Myrtle doesn't find this as funny as Cordelia, "did you say this was a boy, as in male?"

Cordelia sighs, "Ariel, you actually believe this?"

"We wouldn't have summoned the council otherwise." Ariel nods.

"In all recorded history, no man has ever approached the level of Supreme."

"Time for a change then, don't you think?" I smirk over to Cordelia from my place in the doorway.

Cordelia looks around Ariel to me, "men are simply not equal to women when it comes to magical abilities. Rose, after being here and learning beside them, surely you must see that."

"Not the mention everything else," Myrtle mutters.

"No," I shake my head, stepping forward, "in fact, I've learned quiet the opposite."

Cordelia shakes her head, "testosterone is a known inhibitor. It impedes access to the ethereal realm. Frankly, I question your judgement by calling us here for this."

"And frankly, I question your ability to lead if you are so afraid that a man may actually take your place. If you are, then you truly are Fiona's daughter." I take a few steps forward.

"Why would you say that?"

"Well, didn't your mother kill several of the girls she believed to be the next Supreme, only to try and keep her title longer. She even killed the previous Supreme to gain power, did she not?"

"This is ridiculous. There is no reason for us to be here, because it is just not possible."

"You're not even hearing us out." John Henry shakes his head.

"There's nothing to hear." Myrtle looks over to John Henry, "there will never be a male Supreme. It will simply never happen."

"Listen to yourself," Ariel sighs, "you say that something hasn't happened, so therefore it can never happen."

Cordelia straightens up at the table, "what exactly do you want from us?"

"We want you to administer the test of the Seven Wonders."

"That is out if the question."

"What?" I chuckle, "because you don't want to find out you're wrong?"

"No, because I'd be condemning this boy to his death. I lost one of my most promising witches, Misty Day, by sanctioning a test before her time. I won't make that mistake again. I take care of my own."

Ariel shakes his head, "at least the ones you care about."

"What do you mean by that?"

"One of your own, who you abandoned. Two in fact. But I am talking about Queenie."

Chablis sucks on his teeth, "of course, it's the black girl you leave behind. I see you, Ms Supreme."

Cordelia smiles, weakly, "you don't know what you're talking about. Queenie was missing. She traveled to Los Angeles and never came back. I knew something awful had happened to her. Her life force just vanished. So I went searching for her. And when I found out she was trapped in the Hotel Cortez, I went immediately to bring her back from that monstrous place. And I had no illusions about it being easy. The Cortez is a place of evil. A hell mouth. I could hear the souls screaming in the walls, desperate for a way out. I realized then that the hotel wasn't merely haunted, but an entryway to all things dark and satanic... where the devil regime. We went through every door and every window, but we couldn't escape the hotel. All my spells and incantations," Cordelia's voice begins to break, "were useless in that dark realm. The light from which we draw our power was extinguished by Satan himself. I was there for days. The ghost of March got bored and finally left us alone. My effort to rescue Queenie is by far my greatest failure as Supreme. But I tried. And I do care about our people. All of our people. So I won't throw this boy's life away on some undoes endeavour. There will be no test. That is this council's decision."

"Why do you get to decide that?" Ariel questions.

"Because I'm the fucking Supreme."

"No, Rose is right, you're just a scared bigot."

"Scared of what?"

"Of the Alpha. Of a man rising to the level of Supreme. And an end to ages of female dominance. I'm telling you, that time has come."

"And you're time is up, this council is close. The decision is final. There's nothing more to be said."