Hours before Alyssa walked Diane to school that following Monday, after a weekend of peace and quiet, Gabriel left the building and walked over to Mrs. Goldman's place of residence before the sun came up. As he walked into the hallway of the building, standing there at the end of the hall was the same black cat that had been following Gabe and Pablo around town for a while now. Gabriel looked down at the black cat as he sat pretty, constantly keeping an eye on the vampire.
"Hello again," Gabriel said to the small ball of fur. "Oscar, right?"
"Correct blood sucker," Oscar replied. "Are you just going to wait here for the next few hours?"
"Yes, I am." Gabriel answered, "And I have a name too."
"My apologies, Gabriel." The cat said, "I don't normally converse with vampires long enough to be on a first name basis."
"Understandable," Gabriel conceded, "We can be a finicky bunch."
"I've never heard a vampire admit that," Oscar admitted, shaking up a bit.
"There are some of us who are humble," Gabe offered, "It just takes us a lot longer to get there. A lot longer."
"Fair enough," Oscar said, "She is expecting you downstairs."
"I'll stay here," Gabriel countered, "I promised to wait for them. It's best not to leave them out, because they've got enough issues with trust."
"I understand," The cat said, "Our reputations tend to cause some of those issues with the humans."
"Mine more than yours," Gabriel countered, "Yet I completely understand why they fear me, because they're my food. It's like asking a rat to trust a cat, the distrust is not assumed and is quite earned."
"I see," the cat replied, "My master and I have known about your presence here in the town since the beginning when Alyssa was sent out on her first salvage mission and didn't come back for over a week."
"Since the beginning," Gabriel said, thinking about it. "I guess I should thank you for not confronting or exposing my secrets."
"Exposing you serves no purpose," the cat said, "It also risks exposing ourselves. It doesn't make any sense if you're not causing trouble."
"Usually I'm accused of causing trouble," Gabriel admitted, "Most vampires are well known for stirring things up."
"But you're not most vampires," Oscar noted, "My master is old enough to know your history, hence another reason why she is not that concerned but still cautious."
"Not a bad attitude in this world," Gabriel agreed, "You can't afford not to be."
"Indeed," the cat concurred.
There was a long silence that took over from there, as the vampire and the cat stood there at the staircase for what seemed like a few minutes to them but was a few hours to the rest of the world. It was only a matter of time before Pablo and Alyssa arrived after dropping off Diane at school. They seemed surprised to see Gabriel and the cat waiting for them, but Gabriel was offended by their shock.
"Let's not keep her waiting any longer," Pablo said, "I have to report for wall duty in less than two hours."
The cat started to head downstairs instead of up.
"Isn't her apartment this way?" Alyssa asked.
The cat stopped, looked back at them and meowed.
"He said she's not waiting for us there," Gabriel said.
"Lead the way fur ball," Pablo said, as he didn't honestly care where they were meeting as long as they got things started.
The cat descended towards the basement to a part of the building that Alyssa had never seen before. When the reached the bottom of the stairs, if looked like a dead end but the can walked up to the wall and growled for a moment. As if controlled by machines, a secret door popped open, much to the surprised of the three people watching. The cat led the and walked through the opening and Gabriel went second as the two humans followed behind. Once they were all inside the door closed behind them, but they didn't look back but preferred to see what was in front of them. There was an assortment of plants, and in the middle of all it was a big black pot that many of them had read in stories but had never seen in person until then.
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"Where the hell are we?" Alyssa asked.
"This looks very creepy," Pablo added.
"It's a cauldron." Gabriel answered, "But one that hasn't been used in a while."
"Quite correct," the old woman said, as she smiled to greet them. "This cauldron hasn't been active since Diane's mother passed away."
"Why not?" Pablo asked.
"Rules," Mrs. Goldman said, "It takes two witches to safely control a cauldron. I haven't been able to use this puppy since I lost my friend, but that might change soon."
"You're talking about Diane?" Alyssa asked.
"Yes, I am." Mrs. Goldman replied, "While an active cauldron might scare some people, it's actually very beneficial to the town."
"How so?" Gabriel asked.
"They can repel the undead," the old lady answered, "The power from the cauldron gives the undead a bad vibe and they stay miles away from it. Alyssa, haven't you notices more undead activity since Diane's mother passed away?"
"She's right," Alyssa said, "The dead at the walls and even the herd activity did go up a lot around the time mom passed away."
"That's fascinating," Gabriel said, taking note of it. "What about the cauldron repels them?"
"We think it's the aura of death," Mrs. Goldman answered, "The cauldron kind of reminds them of the underworld and that's why the undead stay away from them. It's like a sixth sense, as they can detect it miles away and make course corrections."
"That's amazing," Pablo said, "So how soon can you get it fired back up?"
"Not yet dear," Mrs. Goldman said, "I'm sure Alyssa would prefer I take things slow with Diane when teaching her the craft."
"Yes, I would." Alyssa said, "But are you sure she's strong enough to handle it?"
At that moment, Mrs. Goldman let out a bellowing laugh, as if the young woman had said something that was very funny.
"You have a nothing to worry about that, dear." The old lady replied, "Diane is a special one, as you can see from all the guardians that have been gathering."
"How many are here now?" Gabriel asked.
"I've honestly lost count," Mrs. Goldman said, "I've never seen anything like this outside of Salem."
"Why is this happening?" Alyssa asked.
"It's because of her aura," Mrs. Goldman answered, "A witch's power broken up into seven magical fields. The first four are the elements, which are magic used through earth, wind, water and fire. Then there is light and dark magic. As a witch grows up, her aura will naturally gravitate to the one that fits her abilities. Some witch's auras are strong enough to take on two powers, classified as a main and a minor. When a witch has two, they often compliment each other. For example, my specialties are in earth and water. This is why I also work with herbs and potions, as that's part of my special abilities."
"That's quite interesting," Pablo said, "But which one is Diane?"
"The seventh," Mrs. Goldman answered, "Which is called the heavenly aura. We haven't seen or felt an aura like this in centuries but she has it."
"What does that kind off aura do?" Gabriel asked.
"Everything," Mrs. Goldman said, "Diane's aura allows her to access any of the other six powers at will. She can control them all. That makes her the most powerful witch in the country, possibly the world."
"Wow," Alyssa said, trying to grasp what was being said. "So not only is my sister a witch, but she's like a super witch?"
"Not exactly," the old lady corrected, "Because she can access all elements that makes her an idea person to lead. Leadership is often chosen from those who have a heavenly aura as they are able to work with everyone. Now that a new aura like this has arrived, I'm unsure how the others will respond."
"The others?" Alyssa repeated.
"The witches in Salem," Mrs. Goldman answered, "They will no doubt send someone to find out where this aura is. Do you think I'm cleaning up around here just for kicks and to be nostalgic? I'm preparing for company."
"How many?" Gabriel asked, as he was suddenly concerned.
"I'm not sure," Mrs. Goldman answered, "But I will use whatever powers I have and the rule of law to stop them if they try to take here away. I should also let you know that the guardians here all came to serve the heavenly aura. If Diane doesn't want to leave, these guardians will defend her, even against other witches and fellow guardians. I hope the witches will notice that and use diplomacy rather than do something stupid that we'll all regret."
"I don't even know if I want her to take part in all this," Alyssa said, concerned for her younger sister.
"You don't have a choice dear," the old woman said, "Sooner or later Diane was going to show signs of powers, and I would have had no choice but to step in if she didn't talk to me about it first. This isn't a bad thing, dear. Diane has a power that she can use to protect herself and this town from the undead. And because of what she is, Salem will always offer her a home if she wants it. She has a place that will welcome her with open arms, and accept her just the way she is."
"If it's like that, why did you leave?" Gabriel asked.
"Politics," she answered, "Without a heavenly aura to lead, the elemental council had no choice but to become the ruling body. There's been infighting and conflict ever since. It's not as bad as I make it out to be, but it was too much for me so I left to find a better and quieter place to do my thing."
"But now they're coming to us?" Pablo asked, "How will we explain this to Max?"
"I'm not sure, but we'll burn that bridge when we get there." Mrs. Goldman answered, "What I need is permission to train the child and get her caught up to what a witch her age should know. Is that alright with you, Alyssa?"
"It is," Alyssa said, surprised herself to hear it. "You knew my mom, so I assume you'd be her first choice too."
"I appreciate that dear." The old woman said, giving her a hug. She turned to look over at Gabriel, "Now, you wanted to talk to me about the undead... something about some questions your council wanted answered?"
"I did," Gabriel said, "But it can wait. We have to get ready for your company. Tell me more about the witches that might be coming..."