Her Witch, Her Demon [WxW]
17. The Selection

Three days after Nyx crushed Crescentra, witches of Green Front met at the Coven Hall. It sparked a storm within the witch community since a meeting in the Inner Sanctum implied that something massive was about to happen.

Meredith had some idea what it could be. She bet it had something to do with the death of the grand elder. Although the rumors of Ida’s death had been floating around, with each version more ridiculous than the last, it had still not been officially announced to the community.

Being one of the first witches to arrive, Meredith sat in the very front-row seat, right next to Alicia. A little over a hundred witches from all over Green Front filled the Coven Hall. The magically-spelled letter they received the night before had insisted that this was an emergency, and every witch needed to be present.

Hushed murmurs heightened the tension in the room.

“What’s taking the elders so long?” Alicia whispered to her.

Meredith shrugged. She’d already told her best friend everything that happened with Nyx and Crescentra. But that was just about the only thing they both knew. Last night when Meredith asked her parents what was going to happen now that Ida was gone, they seemed quite secretive about the whole thing.

All Meredith knew was that they would have to choose a new grand elder. Perhaps, the elders were about to announce Ida’s death so that the selection process could begin as soon as possible. Except that this whole process typically took about two weeks. The selection of the three candidates took seven days. Even if Meredith hadn’t been alive when the last grand elder was chosen, she still knew this tradition very well because her grandmother had told her stories about it.

Maybe the elders were taking too long because they were still deliberating on which candidates to choose. Or maybe, she was overthinking the whole thing. It probably had nothing to do with choosing a grand elder. She’ll just have to be patient and find out.

Before Meredith could say something to Alicia, the nine elders shuffled out of the elder’s meeting room. She searched her parents’ eyes, hoping to get answers. But there was no expression on their faces.

Hector, the vice elder, took center stage and cleared his throat. The room quietened immediately.

“Thanks for coming on such short notice,” he began. “By now most of you have already heard the rumors about Ida’s death.” He paused briefly, his wise dark eyes sweeping over the crowd. “Well, the rumors are true. The grand elder is dead. She was Crescentra.”

The words of the vice elder snuffed the silence into the ether as whispers and murmurs arose everywhere.

“I still can’t believe this shit,” Alicia whispered. “She was such a sweet old woman.”

So sweet that she tried to kill me. Meredith sighed.

“We need a new grand elder,” the vice elder continued. “The selection process usually takes at least two weeks. However, things have changed significantly in this city. And we need to adapt. Half a century ago, the Witch Council acknowledged the authority of the Demon Circle so that witches and demons could live in harmony. It wasn’t a perfect relationship. But it worked. The Demon Circle checked demons from attacking us just as we stopped witches from picking a fight with demons. They didn’t only hold demons accountable, but vampires and werewolves as well. Unfortunately, the Demon Circle is no more. Onyx Castle made sure of that.”

Shit.Meredith’s heart sank. Was this what this meeting was about? To demonize her girlfriend? Granted that her girlfriend was already a demon, but still...

Completely oblivious to the turmoil brewing within Meredith, Hector continued, “Onyx Castle has replaced the Demon Circle and she has the power to back it up... she’s a royal demon after all.”

Of all the topics Meredith had expected to be discussed at the meeting, never once did she think that her girlfriend would be at the top of that list. Hopefully, this wasn’t a demon hunt. She wouldn’t let that happen if that were the case.

“The day Onyx Castle destroyed Crescentra, she sent us a message,” said Hector. “I’ll let the messenger speak for themselves.”

Hector nodded at Meredith’s father and paved the way for him to take the stage. Meredith knew Nyx had talked to her parents but she had no idea what it was about. Nyx wasn’t one to keep things from her. But in the last three days, she sensed that her girlfriend was hiding something from her.

God, this whole thing was wrecking her nerves. Why did it feel like something outrageous was about to happen? With each second Baba waited, Meredith’s heart raced faster. It wasn’t until Alicia gently put a hand on top of hers that Meredith realized how much she had been shaking.

Alicia gave a small smile. “Just breathe. Everything will be fine.”

She nodded, conjuring the image of Nyx in her mind. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, the memory of her girlfriend calming her considerably.

“Thanks,” she muttered and Alicia squeezed her hand.

Baba’s warm eyes fell on Meredith. Although her father kept a fairly serious expression, Meredith caught the twinkle in his eye.What are you up to?She looked at her mother, sitting next to one of the elders. Meredith gulped as her mother’s grave eyes pierced her.Fuck. What the hell did Nyx say to them?

Perhaps, certain that he had the undivided attention of everyone in the room, Baba began. “Onyx Castle destroyed the Durug and Crescentra. These were both extremist organizations hellbent on killing witches and demons. A few days ago I spoke to Onyx and asked why she would massacre the Durug.--her fellow demons. She told me there was no such thing as her ‘fellow demons’. There was just her and the people she loved.”

Baba gave Meredith an endearing smile. She’d never heard her father speak so fondly of Nyx. While she was glad that her parents had finally accepted her demon girlfriend, she still couldn’t figure out what all this speech was about.

“The Durug and Crescentra were a threat to the safety of her loved ones,” he continued. “So she destroyed them. But... simply destroying two hateful organizations wasn’t enough. Even if they were gone now, the hatred witches have for demons, and demons have for witches, is still alive and well. What Onyx wants is to eradicate that hate so peace will reign. She believes that this is the only way to truly protect the people she loves.”

Meredith had worried that none of the witches would be willing to hear about a demon, a royal demon no less. But everyone seemed completely invested in what Baba was saying. Yet, that wasn’t enough to lower Meredith’s guard. Things could easily go south.

“Onyx wants to make Green Front a safe haven for all witches, demons, vampires, and werewolves. She wants to build a home where demons don’t kill witches simply because they are witches or vice versa,” said Baba. “But... she cannot do that without our cooperation. And by our cooperation, I don’t just mean witches. I mean every supernatural community; witch, demon, vampire, werewolf. All of us. She wants to meet the leader of each community to discuss our collective future. This is Onyx’s message to us. She’s already sent the same message to the vampires and werewolves.”

So that’s what she’s been keeping from me.

“We currently don’t have a leader yet, so Onyx has postponed the meeting for a week until we do. It’s why we need a grand elder as soon as possible. We-”

“Wait...” someone said loudly. He stood up so everyone could see him. It was Yussif. There wasn’t a single strand of black hair on his head. Rumors had it that Yussif was one of the oldest people in Green Front. He had lived through a time when the Demon Circle and Witch Council never saw eye to eye, and the Hunter Guild was the bane of everyone’s existence. Yussif was supposed to be an elder, but he always turned down the invitation. “Sorry for intruding, Charles,” he continued, in his slow drawl. “But I couldn’t help but notice that you said Onyx postponed the meeting for a week until we choose a new grand leader.” He paused, as though waiting for Baba to confirm it. Baba nodded in agreement.

Yussif frowned. “Does this mean the elders have already decided to follow this demon’s orders?”

Oh shit.It had begun.Relax. Huang. It was a fair question.

“We’re not following anyone’s orders, Yussif.”

“Oh, enlighten me then.”

Baba was unfazed. He was pretty skilled at that. “You already know what it was like when there was no peace between our communities. Our relationship with the Demon Circle was tolerable at best, but it kept the Hunter Guild at bay. Shouldn’t we be glad that the next demon replacing the Demon Circle wants to maintain that relationship and even take things further by promoting peace?”

“Peace?” Yussif laughed. “Don’t be naive, Charles. Do you really believe that a royal demon wants peace with witches? Those monsters have been the sole perpetrators of our genocide. And you expect her to fulfill the end of her bargain?”

People started muttering under their breath.

“Fuck,” Alicia whispered. “He’s swaying the crowd.”

“But he’s got a point,” Meredith whispered right back.

“Well, you’re right about one thing. Royal demons are our worst enemies,” said Baba. “But Onyx Castle is not our enemy.”

“We can’t say that for sure. She’s still a demon. A royal demon.”

“Our enmity is with Earth-born royal demons. They instigated all those witch hunts throughout history. Demons born in the Demon Realm couldn’t care less about witches or humans or whatever. They just don’t care. They have far too many important things to care about than the persecution of creatures in a whole other realm. Onyx is not an Earth-born demon. Besides, not all Earth-born demons hate witches. Can we at least acknowledge that?”

“And how do you know that?” asked Yussif. “How could you possibly know how a demon thinks? Or are you under Onyx’s spell?”

For a moment, Baba was left a little stumped, but he quickly recovered himself. “What exactly do you want, Yussif? Are you so much against peace?”

Without missing a beat, Yussif said, “I lived through a war with these demons. And it was more devastating than anything you could possibly imagine. So, Charles, do not lecture me about peace. We all want peace. That doesn’t mean we can trust any demon that offers it.”

“You’re right.” Baba nodded. “We haven’t come to an agreement with Onyx yet. We’ll only find out her full proposition once our new grand elder meets her with the other leaders. We can always reject her offer for peace if her demands go against our values. But we’ll gain a lot if Onyx stands by her word and brings peace. So why don’t we just give it a try and see where it goes? We lose nothing if we hear her out, will we?”

Yussif paused for a while. Although he was not an elder, he was still highly respected by everyone including the former grand elder. His insights were invaluable in keeping the Witch Council in check. If Yussif refused to understand, Meredith was certain this could cause a huge rift within the witch community. Their community couldn’t afford to be broken right now. Too many things were at stake.

“The last thing I want is another war,” said the old man. “I don’t trust that demon. And I have no intention of doing so. But, if there’s a small chance of peace, then I’m all for it. But that’s all this is. I am in no way acknowledging Onyx’s authority.”

“And we’re all with you on that, Yussif.” Baba nodded. “The situation is dicey. We’re not taking anything for granted. It’s why we’ve decided to do something drastically different in this new election.” Baba paused for a moment. “Instead of the usual three candidates, we unanimously nominated one.”

Alicia exchanged glances with Meredith, but Meredith only shrugged. She had no idea what was going on either. Per tradition, the elders had to nominate three elders as candidates. Later, there would be a general election, and the candidate with the most votes would become the new grand elder.

Meredith wondered which of the elders had everyone’s unanimous support. Would they even be accepted by the rest of the witch community? Even if one elder became the sole candidate, a referendum would still take place. The grand elder must be accepted by the majority or the selection would be void.

Her money was on Hector. He was already popular in the witch community and would certainly get everyone’s vote. It was no wonder all the elders chose him.

“Meredith Huang, please step forward.”

What the fuck? Meredith’s jaw froze. Why the hell was her dad calling her on stage? Was this some kind of a joke?

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