Rise of the Night Witch

Chapter 5.10 - Christmas Celebration

For Christmas, sorry, winter solstice, we went all the way back to the October Mountain State Forest. The villages had been rebuilt after Grief Eaters attacked in September. Last time, it had been so empty, with only ten houses and no souls in its cobble streets except for the caped Black Knights guarding it.

That changed. A parade of practitioners in colorful robes, Victorian dresses, and Santa hats marched through the streets, flanked by Black Knights ensuring that nobody broke the rules. Those who knew ice-related magic made sure we had proper snow.

The older practitioners drank flying witch's ointment around the town square as if it were beer while exchanging news. Apprentices tried riding their staves through the sky while the youngest of all, those without familiars, couldn't wait to eat from the gingerbread houses. Isa became addicted to them.

The war against the Horseman had slowly faded into a distant memory that gave rise to a bright festival. Even so, about a third of practitioners made faces as if they only arrived out of obligation.

Like Halloween, it was one of the most hotly celebrated holidays in the Society. There were tensions between the culturally Christian and the more pagan-oriented parts, and debates if we should call it Christmas or Winter Solstice.

It reinforced how small our Society was. Just a few thousand people from all across the Americas had come and represented roughly half of it. Even though the young people were overrepresented due to exams before the party, most had graying hair or white beards in the men's cases. An expected consequence of wizardly longevity.

My friends and I – except Nathan, who never arrived on holidays – found ourselves at a nice wooden table around the big fireplace. I had a feeling that it had been reserved for us, seeing how most of the robed people around the fire had to stand.

In the crowd, I tried to make out Dad who, despite how much he hated the Council, had come to see me receive praise for my accomplishments against the Horseman. Isa's parents were unaware of where their daughter sat while Darcy's and Simon's parents were near Dad, talking to other adult practitioners.

"Man, why do they have so little!" Isa said, sitting next to me as she licked the gingerbread rests of her fingers and wiped the crumbs off her beautiful red dress.

"Because you're not the only one celebrating Christmas?" Simon said.

"It's Winter Solstice," Isa said. "Christmas is in three days!"

"Yeah, but everyone here treats it like Christmas, so it's Christmas for me!"

Darcy smiled. She was clad in a black robe like Simon and me instead of wearing a more extravagant dress like Isa. "So, you want to form a coven with us?" she asked Isa.

"Yep!" Isa said. "All I need is a name! How about the Scoobie Avengers?"

"You stole that from Buffy!" Simon protested.

"Not true! Then, how about the Magic Rangers or the Horror Sentai? Weird sisters is a bit weird if we're gonna have a boy. Or two boys, if this changeling guy is part of us."

Darcy laughed. "He'd probably slap us if we knew we initiated him. How does it feel Simon, being the only boy?"

He grinned. "Well, I can't complain."

I'd have loved to laugh and joke with them, too, but this discussion with the Melas haunted my head. Speaking of the devil, Cornelius held her picture frame while the other Councillors were here in person next to them.

"My fellow Society members," Melas opened, "we have gathered for the day with many names. Winter Solstice. Christmas. It is a day of importance for everyone in the supernatural community, as it represents the peak of Winter Queen Nicvenin's strength. After the tragedy of Halloween, I am glad to announce that our relationship with the Unseelie Kingdom has improved. Autumn King Gwyn ap Nudd is willing to make amends. He claimed he had his hands tied by horrors from beyond the Otherworldly gates summoned by the cowardly Coven of Primordial Revenants. We will not forgive his inaction, but we will accept his amends.