Page 74 of Demons & Damnation

Lily poured herself another glass of squash. “Good, I’m glad you like it.” She took a mouthful of drink and set the glass back down. “Now, first things first.” She looked down at the dog. “Your new little friend there doesn’t need taking to the vets. They won’t find a microchip nor a home. He is yours.”

Kyla swallowed her food and then frowned. “How do you know that?”

“He’s your familiar, Kyla, like a guardian spirit. Familiars always appear to their witches in times of great need. Your living memory today was that catalyst.”

Kyla took another bite of her sandwich and mulled over her gran’s words as she chewed. “So,” she said, finishing her mouthful. “Why did he not appear when Tony was doing...you know, what he did? Why did he not appear when I had years of depression and struggling to even bear the weight of living? Why now?”

“It’s not quite that simple with familiars, dear. They are summoned through the presence of magic and fear.” Lily looked down at the ring on Kyla’s finger. “That has certainly been a hinderance in terms of your familiar making an appearance but also the fact that you knew nothing about your powers. You have to be accepting of your place in the world and ready to start your journey as a witch before you can accept the aid that comes your way. Does that make sense?”

Kyla nodded and glanced down at the ring. “What is the deal with this thing anyway?”

A small smile tweaked at Lily’s mouth. “Are you ready for a history lesson?”

“Always.”

“Back in the thirteen hundreds we had an ancestor by the name of Alice Kyteler. Alice lived in Kilkenny in Ireland. There are obviously no photographs of her but what we do know of her is that she had our trademark fiery red hair and the personality to match.”

“Thirteen hundreds?” Kyla asked. She slipped the ring off her finger, lifted it up to eye level, and twirled it around in front of her, studying it. “There’s no way this thing can be that old.”

“Just listen,” Lily said. “Alice knew from a young age she had abilities that other people didn’t. It didn’t take her long to figure out those ‘abilities’ were supernatural and she could wield them at will. Not only that, they were powerful. In the small community Alice lived in, she knew that her fellow towns folk would not accept her unusual talents.”

“Does this story end with her being burned at the stake?” Kyla asked, setting the ring down on the table. “Because if it does, I’d rather not hear it.”

Malcolm chuckled. “No, it doesn’t.”

Smiling, Lily continued her story. “To protect herself, Alice crafted this ring. Everything in it she chose for a purpose—amethyst, emerald, diamond, gold, and silver—they all have a connection to purity, healing, and balancing your spirit. Alice placed a spell on it for an additional layer of comfort and from that point on, it became like a powerful blanket, an immensely powerful one at that.”

Kyla stared at the two teardrop stones, wondering what stories those little gems would have. If only they could talk. “It doesn’t look that old.”

“It’s said that wearing a ring on your middle finger promotes power, stability, and balance so bear that in mind when you wear it in the future.”

“But if I wear it, I have no powers, right? I can’t do any magic? Does it affect my mental shields as well?”

Lily shook her head. “It doesn’t affect your mental shields. It dulls your magic down but you can still use your powers. Think of it like a fire blanket smothering an out of control blaze. The heat and the smoke is still underneath the cover, but the raging power is contained. No one else can see it anymore nor be hurt from it, does that make sense?”

“But I take the ring off and others can sense my power?”

Malcolm nodded. “Especially other witches.”

“But you said earlier that all creatures shield themselves from being tracked by others, right?”

“Right. And that applies to all creatures but one, well, two if you count demons. We can sense everything, except werewolves.”

“And what’s that one exception apart from demons?”

Malcolm shot Lily a quick glance before returning his attention to Kyla. “An elemental witch.”

Kyla took a second to put all the pieces together, double checking herself in case she’d read this whole situation wrong. “Are you saying that’s what I am?”

Lily nodded. “We’re ninety nine percent certain of it. Elemental witches are born from the coupling of a witch and a demon. Not just any witch either, there are distinct bloodlines that have more abilities than others. All elemental witches that have lived have only ever come from those four bloodlines.”

“And ours is one of them?”

Lily nodded.

“And my dad is a demon?”

Malcolm nodded.

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