Maria Kaina

Maria Kaina (Мария Каина) is the eldest child of Nina and Victor Kain. After her mother's death, she is heir to the title of Scarlet Mistress.

Although young, and her abilities not fully developed, she already has a considerable amount of mystical power. In particular, she shows the gift of foresight, predicting the arrival of the Bachelor.

Description
The traits so typical of her mother Nina are vividly seen in Maria: coldness, absolute self-control and total sobriety, with the ability to perform foolhardy deeds. A merciless and temperamental woman, character traits that she displays on occasions when her father grants her authority over the town, or when dealing with somebody she deems unworthy. She also acquired her mother's patrician manners and beauty, with the same demonic face and narrow waist. She carries herself imperiously, as though she's dancing, but without primness. Has expressive hands, a long neck, and her appearance is always sensual, even erotic.

From her father she inherited authority, and from her mother a passion for mysticism and black magic. She is intelligent, but not an intellectual. Instead she has a penetrating mind, a sensitivity towards falsehoods and lies, and is able to immediately grasp a person's true nature. She is not a psychic, but it's as if she has a parallel channel through which she receives interesting and exciting sensations. Periodically she tunes in to the channel, but she does this delicately and unnoticeably. She doesn't have a firm goal besides a present obsession with a design she has in mind.

She spends all of her time residing in some sort of trance, a psychological adjustment to the Steppe. She loves toying with people, and, as a child, loved to torture animals.

In spite of her nature, Maria does not speak ill of Capella—she actually admires her.

Andrey's take on her:
«Maria is concealing her true power for the time being, but it has already become apparent that she will stop at nothing when the time comes. Her sheer power will justify any despotism that would spring from it. The brilliance of her talent is going to surpass even Nina's one day. Maria will be grabbing stars by the handful while sipping earth's magma. And that means there are still things in this world worth living and hoping for.»

Katerina's take:
«Whenever I imagine what this town is going to become when she grows up, I feel nothing but dread. It took all of us to hold Nina the Terrible back—Victoria, me, and even the Kains themselves. Little Victoria will not be able to stand up to Maria on her own; I will not be staying in this world for much longer; and Victor adores her... so who will harness the midnight filly?»