Mika was baffled. “But all new witches are orphaned, not just the ones in a certain place or country. I’m struggling to believe any one witch could have had the power to cast such a timeless, far-reaching spell.”

“Well, of course not,” said Primrose, tutting like Mika should have somehow known the impossible. “It wasn’t just one witch who cast the spell, was it? It was fifty-three.”

“Fifty-three—” Mika broke off, incredulous. A fourth scone seemed like the only logical next step. “Fifty-three witches? Cast a spell? Together?”

Primrose didn’t reply immediately because the stiff, butler-like waiter had returned with the second pot of tea. Once he had left, she poured a fresh cup and said: “Haven’t you ever wondered why witches never spend too much time together?”

“Yes,” Mika said tartly, “and I have also asked the question many times, only to be told We would attract too much attention, poppet and Dangerous things happen when too much magic gathers in one place, poppet.”

“Both true,” said Primrose. “But both of those things were true back then, too, and yet witches took those risks because they believed the benefits were greater. Then the spell went wrong, proving that some risks are just not worth taking, and we scattered.” She took a sip of her tea. “For centuries, witches formed friendships with other witches. Every few months, representatives from every part of the world met to share spells, offer each other advice and assistance, and chat. Just as we do now, but on a much bigger scale.”

“But it must have taken forever for everyone to travel to one place!”

“Hardly,” Primrose sniffed. “They were witches. They flew.”

“On actual broomsticks, you mean?”

“Well, the specific tool depended on the culture, but yes, broomsticks were the most common. It was a simpler time. There were no aircrafts, no satellites, nothing in the sky to catch them out. Our ancestors were free to travel as fast as their magic could take them.”

Mika pictured this rather wistfully, this world where witches from all over the world were friends. She couldn’t help thinking it a terrible, beastly pity that here they were, centuries later, in a world where, no, it wasn’t possible to ride broomsticks across the skies without attracting an awful lot of attention, but a group chat on a phone that fit in their pockets could serve exactly the same purpose. How long were generations of witches supposed to let an old spell dictate the way they lived their lives?

“So when the witch-hunters started gaining a lot of political power, a generation of witches decided to cast a spell together, one that was supposed to protect all new witches across the world,” Mika said, thinking out loud as much as anything else. “Primrose, please tell me you weren’t one of the witches who cast that spell!”