Caged in Darkness (Caged #1)(34)

“Oh dear, I don’t mean to worry you. I’m sure it’s nothing.” She patted my hands and looked at Maye.

Josephine was a close friend of Maye’s, but was at least ten years her senior. She was on the elder council and a prominent psychic in the witch community. Witches traveled across the world for her to read their cards. She was strong with divination tools, such as tarot cards, runes, and reading tea leaves. However, she was more potent when a vision overcame her without provocation.

When Josephine was taken by a vision, she was often left weak afterwards. I worried for her. As she aged, the visions took more out of her, but there was nothing she could do to stop them. Josephine saw them as a divine gift that should be cherished.

“What did you see?” I moved to sit next to her and pulled the blanket from the back of the sofa to wrap around her frail body. She took it with a thank you.

“It wasn’t very clear, child.”

“Josephine, just tell Savannah what you saw.” Maye’s voice was laced with irritation.

“I will. I will, just give me some room to breathe.” She waved her hand at Maye and turned to face me. “My visions aren’t as clear as they once were. It’s rather like wearing prescription glasses when you don’t need them. All blurs.”

“Just tell me what you could make out. You’re here, you must have thought it was important.” I spoke softly the way I would to a wounded animal or frightened child.

“I was watching television at home, when it happened. I fell against the cushions. Thank goodness I wasn’t standing.” She coughed into her palm and cleared her throat. “I saw that boy and Ash, there was so much darkness.” She grabbed my wrists with all the intensity of her words. “You and your friends are surrounded by death. You need to remove yourself from your current path or death will come.” Tears flooded her eyes and her body slumped into a deep sleep.

“She’s exhausted. You don’t know what it took for her to remain awake long enough to talk to you.” Maye moved forward and ushered me away to put Josephine’s legs onto the couch and covered her with another blanket.

“Why didn’t you call me?”

“She wouldn’t let me. This was your first date and neither of us wanted to ruin it for you.”

“What makes you think that Liam is the cause of this darkness? What if I am the cause?” I thought of the demon and knew Liam wasn’t the one who was bringing evil into this community.

“Liam is new in your life and has set you on a new course. It makes sense that she would have this vision when he comes into your life. I just want to protect you. I can’t tell you who to date, but I want you to be careful.” She kissed me on the cheek and walked towards her bedroom.

I wanted to go after her, to tell her everything, and for her to tell me it would be okay. Josephine’s vision was confirmation that the demon was not going away. My ascension couldn’t come soon enough. I needed the power to protect my loved ones and I would not allow them to be harmed. If I had to raise hell to protect them, I would.





9: AScension





After school the next day, Izzy came to my house. I gathered everything I would need to discover her elemental affinity and we walked to my covens circle. Izzy stood awkwardly and waited while I lit the candles placed on each boulder.

I was surprised by Izzy’s acceptance of this part of my life. Willow and I kept Izzy separate from the world of magic, but now I was actively carrying her into it. She stepped through the shield that bars humans from our world. Her eyes had been opened and I vaguely wondered if she would regret it.

“What do you need me to do?”

“Come here.” Izzy stepped fully into the circle and sat on the cloth placed on the ground. I sat across from her.

“There are five elements; earth, air, fire, water, and spirit. Most witches excel at one affinity, but are proficient in all of them. In the case of someone who isn’t a witch, they can affect the elements a bit. Usually a non-witch will only have a single element that barely responds to him or her.”

“If it’s barely going to respond to me, what’s the point in helping? Wouldn’t you guys be just as well off without me?”

“Um… not really. Even though you aren’t a witch, you strengthen the circle. Look at it this way; you know the game Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board?” She nodded. “If a single person tried to use their fingertips to lift someone, it wouldn’t work. The more people who join in the game, the more likely they will succeed at lifting the person.”

“Great, so you guys need my fingertips.” She smiled. “How do we figure out which element is my ticket to taking over the world?”

I laughed, took objects from my backpack and placed them in front of Izzy. I placed a candle, chalice, a bowl filled with dirt and a hidden seed, and a feather.

I motioned to the object between us. “Okay, each of these objects represents one of the elements. Now…”

“Wait, there are only four objects. What about the fifth?”

“The fifth element is spirit, which is more of a metaphorical element. You don’t usually use an object for that element. However, if you were religious I would suggest a symbol of your religion.” I grabbed a bottle of water from my bag and poured it into the chalice.