A Promised Prophecy

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"Oh." The reaction came out of my mouth immediately, before I even had the chance to fully process his sentence. Of course, it made sense. I thought back to all those years studying with Celeste, the seemingly perfect mother, who never had any children and was so eager to accept responsibility for me when my parents dumped me. She'd had her own child taken away and I filled a missing hole in her heart.

I started to feel myself go through a few different emotions all at once. First the initial shock. Then, I felt silly for making a comment about how Celeste was a master of potions. His initial "ha" made more sense. Then I felt oddly connected to him that we could both look at the same woman and feel a bond with her. Then I felt sorry for him, because I loved those early years with Celeste and think back on them fondly. He missed those precious moments with his mother. Then stupid again for questioning his ability to lead and his fitfulness as the leader of Silverleaf. As is standard, the next leader of the coven should be a relative by blood unless one did not exist. I understood why it was concerning that he also couldn't reach Celeste.

"I hope you understand that this means I would never do anything to harm you. We might not have ever met before, but my mother spoke of you fondly." He started tapping on the table, waiting for a response, or maybe waiting for me to hurry up the conversation and get to the good stuff. Then, the final emotion hit me. I didn't have Celeste, but I had the next best thing in James. In this moment, the two of us in the vault, I truly felt safe for the first time since entering Dreadshade Summit.

"I need help," I finally answered him. Tears forming in my eyes and I wiped them away before they had the chance to spill onto my face. I spent enough years building a hard shell around myself, one that I didn't often let people in. Celeste and Ophelia were exceptions, not the rule. I didn't cry in front of just anyone and it felt shameful to cry in front of James.

James attempted to reach for my hand and I pulled it away. He pulled back, reading my body language, and waited for me to continue.

"On my eighteenth birthday, your mom gave me a prophecy. I still remember it like it was yesterday." I smiled, thinking back at how proud I was to get such an awesome prophecy when I was young and naive. Then I recited, "An ember has ignited; a crucible of trials awaits you. Beneath the shadows of Dreadshade Summit, through the whispers of a trickling flame, a phoenix will rise from the ashes. Thou shalt rise, the strongest witch forged in fire."

I took a deep breath, remembering my broken promise, and wishing I'd just done as I'd been asked.

"Immediately after," I continued. "Celeste made me promise never to go to Dreadshade Summit. I agreed and I upheld that promise until yesterday, or the day before, I honestly don't even know what day it is anymore. My coven went missing and so did my best friend, Ophelia. I would never have broken my promise if it wasn't for the right reasons."

I explained meeting the witch in Dreadshade Summit, losing my powers, and going on the run. After what felt like an hour of talking at James, I finally stopped and waited for him to say something.

"But you do have magic." He shook his head as if he didn't believe my story. "How else did you use magic in front of Cybill?"

"That wasn't you?" My heart started racing. Even though it wasn't much, that heat I felt meant that my body was responding to my magic. Maybe I could hone it. Maybe I wasn't truly fucked over by this prophecy.

"No, I didn't know you really couldn't use magic. I thought it was purposeful."

"Don't get my hopes up right now, James. I'm not ready for an emotional rollercoaster more than the one I'm already on. Why did you use magic to change my appearance then?" I motioned at myself, certain that I still looked like a middle-aged man.

He laughed and waved a hand in front of me, "There, now you're back to normal. I did it because I assumed you were under magic exhaustion, and I didn't properly have time to assess the situation. Based on your cues, you didn't want to be seen and I was just helping you out. I'm not a mind reader."

"But, if you didn't help me, then that means—"

"You still have magic."