6. Initiation
Marinette felt something over her face and barely managed to collect herself before screaming.
"Your ladyship, Lady Lenoir is waiting for you."
Marinette watched the shadow that had woke her up disappear into thin air and sighed. Marianne hated it when she overslept, if you can call that a three hour sleep.
"Your ladyship? Whose idea was it to give speech to servitors?"
She got up the bed and murmured a few words while she put on a simple crimson dress.
"Spirituum pulchritudinis, Regina dulcia facit," the shadows of the room revolved around her like hounds greeting their master. Her hair strands built a chignon aided by the darkness and the grease and stains of the sleep abandoned her face like wiped out by a cloth of black.
She yawned and grabbed her black robe to go down stairs. Marianne was waiting for her impatiently.
"I do hope you have regained your energies, Marinette."
"Forgive me, nanna. I was tired."
They advanced the forest from behind the house, surrounded by a cloud of darkness that Marianne conjured without a single word.
The two women walked fast for about half an hour, until they reached a specially thick part of the forest. Marinette smiled excitedly; she was an apprentice, but she knew a glamour when she saw one.
"Revelare!"
Marianne smiled approvingly. Where there was but darkness and trees, now shone a bonfire and a group of women dancing, laughing and singing while serving wine and cakes. Marianne called back the illusion around them while Marinette looked for her friends.
"Marinette!"
She turned around excited to see two girls of black hair and dark eyes running to her in red dresses identical to her own.
"Fei! Kagami!"
She ran to them too and embraced them. The older women around them smiled at their affection for each other.
Kagami took Marinette's hand between hers and smiled comfortingly.
"No need to be nervous, Marinette, you are the best witch of our generation."
"I am not nervous! I am excited!"
"Yeah, that's why you're half an hour late."
Kagami glared at Fei. Marinette only smiled at their little quarrel, she knew they were trying to support her in their own way.
Marianne let her hair down and received her staff from another woman.
"Marinette, Fei, Kagami. It is time."
The three girls walked to the bonfire and waited. Three women filled their buckets in the stream and three crones grinded blueberries, strawberries, red and white rosebuds and chicken hearts in boiling wine. Once they were done, Marianne tapped on a rock with her staff.
"Sisters, the time has come that we receive and accept our new maidens. The Moon and the Sun know that we needed some," some women laughed. "Who volunteers to anoint Marinette Lenoir, witch by blood?"
An old woman stepped further.
"For Kagami Tsurugi, witch by blood?"
Another one stepped in line.
"For Fei Wu, witch by learning?"
Three elders took a step. Marianne smiled and Fei blushed with a little smile.
"Very well, Xana will."
The old women walked to the girls, who stood perfectly still as the women undid the straps of their identical dresses and left them naked. It was cold, but they didn't have time to shiver before the women anointed the hot mix on their skin. The boiling alcohol hurt Marinette's skin, but she didn't even whimper, she could behave when it was necessary. When the girls were all covered in the red ointment, the women around them made a circle and began praying.
"Sol et amour et vitae, Luna et odium et mortem. Sol et amour et vitae, Luna et odium et mortem. Sol et amour et vitae, Luna et odium et mortem. Sol et amour et vitae, Luna et odium et mortem. Sol et amour et vitae, Luna et odium et mortem."
"May the Sun lead you through the path of creation, may the Moon lead you down the path of destruction. Welcome to the Coven of Miracles, girls," said Marianne. She took Marinette's hand and smiled with pride. "I present to you my heir, daughter of my daughter, Marinette Lenoir. Get dressed and now, let us feast!"
Marinette, Fei and Kagami washed their bodies in the stream and put on their red dresses.
Kagami smiled while she served two strawberry cakes for her friends and a cream one for herself.
"We are officially sisters of the coven," she said, "and by the next month, we will have our familiars! Aren't you excited?"
Fei grinned.
"I sure am. What about you, Marinette? You are officially the heiress to High Priestess! You should be happy."
Marinette sighed.
"I am, very much. But I fear I know nothing about leading a coven, what if I am not capable enough?"
"You will learn to be! You are strong and caring!"
"I am also very dumb. I think I almost fell into a trap today, with the Agreste son."
Fei and Kagami widened their eyes.
"What do you mean? Adrien Agreste?"
Marinette nodded. Kagami's mother was Madam Tsurugi, widow to the minister before Gabriel Agreste, so she was respected in town and Kagami regularly met with Adrien.
Fei frowned.
"You know the guy, don't you, Kagami? What do you think?"
"He is nice but I don't think he will ever defy his father."
Marinette closed her eyes with shame.
"He was sweet to me and seemed honest when he said that he didn't believe in witches."
"Did you tell him something?"
"No, but what if I said something suspicious?"
Kagami surrounded her shoulders with her arm.
"It is okay, everything will be easier when we are there with you next week. Make sure that you look for us in the charity ball then, so we can hang out in public without drawing suspicions."
Marinette nodded.
"Kagami! Time to leave."
Kagami walked to her mother and departed while the other witches did the same.
"Fei," called Marianne, "child, could you give this book back to your father? Fu would've delivered it himself, but he's too old to go around the woods at night."
Fei nodded and left. And so, Marianne and Marinette did the same..