“Yes, I know, I know,” Arina sighed. “I leave them alone, too . . . more or less. I might hex them with eczema on a tender spot . . . sometimes, if I get angry—just to teach them a lesson. And sometimes when I can’t take anymore I feel like teaching them a serious lesson. But then I think: just what am I doing? We could end up boiling in cauldrons next to each other in hell—me because I deserve it, and her for sheer stupidity and greed!”

I scratched the tip of my nose. The conversation was getting interesting.

“Do you seriously believe in hell?”

“How can you believe in God and not believe in the devil?” Arina asked. And the way she said it immediately made it clear that for her “God” was written with a capital letter and “devil” with a small one.

“You believe in the cauldrons and griddles?” I continued. “Forgive me if that’s a personal question . . .”

“Not at all—what’s personal about it?” Arina exclaimed in surprise. “I don’t believe in the cauldrons, of course, that’s a figure of speech . . .”

“And the griddles?” I asked, unable to resist.

Arina smiled.

“Those too. But the system has to have a feedback loop, there has to be a reward for a righteous life and a punishment for a sinful one.”

“What system?”

“The relationship between the Creator and his creatures. Humans and Others, that is. And while humans have a choice, unfortunately we don’t—we’re all guilty and doomed to the torments of hell.”

This was getting more and more interesting.

“Okay, so you believe in God, that’s your personal business,” I said. “In actual fact, that’s not so very rare for an Other—but usually their view of God is more . . . er . . . humane.”

“What has being humane got to do with God?” Arina asked in surprise. “Humane attitudes are for human beings. That’s obvious even from the name.”

“Okay, let’s accept that, but . . . You know, the usual idea is that God values people’s good deeds, their behavior! You can be a magician, an Other, but still do good deeds . . .”

“That contradicts the rules,” Arina said strictly. “The Bible is quite clear, no ambiguous interpretations are possible—sorcery is evil. ‘Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek out wizards, to be defiled by them . . .’ or, more specifically: ‘There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee . . .’ ”

“Have you always been so smart?” I asked. “So why did you go in for being a witch?”