The Blind Witch
Chapter 15

If light seeps into the darkness, it is absorbed. The greater the light, the stronger the pull. Darkness will be all that remains.

Ophelia, Victor, and Azrael walked some distance down the corridor. All three were silent. All three were thinking to themselves. But only two of the three understood the gravity of what happened today. Only the two pure witches, whose knowledge exceeded that of the third, knew of the danger of what happened that day.

But it was not Clarissa's magic that worried them. No... Her magic was truly something to behold. Both Victor and Ophelia replayed the scene of Cyrus being on fire. A fire that did not hurt him, but damaged the witch beneath him. A fire that melted snow and singed the grass a him.

No... what was worrying was the Requiem witch asking which coven she belonged to. This meant they knew that Clarissa did not have any protection, other than those that guarded the palace. It did not matter that she was the future Queen of Queens; she was a pure witch. She was a powerful witch that the Requiem would seek to control. She needed a coven, and quickly.

"Take her to Lode Star," Victor instructed, filling the silence of the hall with sound. He glanced over to Ophelia. It was as if both knew what the other was thinking. "Both Edith and I belong to them. No sense in trying to decide where she should go."

"Wait, I thought we said that the girl would not leave the palace," Azrael countered as he stopped walking.

"It would not be to take her away," Ophelia insisted as she looked at her son. "She needs to join a coven. She needs to go through the Welcoming Rite. Once done, the Lode Star would not hesitate in offering to help protect her. She needs the help of witches."

"When do you want to leave?" Victor asked.

"Tomorrow," Ophelia answered. "I want to get this done before anyone else tries to attack her. Or, heaven forbid, before she is kidnapped."

"Who is going to tell the kids that they will need to be separated for a few days?" Victor asked as he motioned back to Aiden's room.

"Let me," Ophelia said as she smiled.

She left Azrael and Victor, returning to Aiden's room. As she walked in, she saw Clarissa sitting beside Aiden on his bed. They were talking, only their hands were touching. Ophelia could not help but smile at their young love. It made her remember when she was young, and she had fallen in love with her human husband. She cleared her throat, alerting them that she was there.

"Oh, I am sorry, Lady Ophelia," Aiden said sheepishly. "I didn't notice you come in."

"It is alright, my prince," Ophelia said as she walked over. She noticed Aiden was still under the covers, while Clarissa was on top. "I came to talk to you two."

"Are we in trouble?" Clarissa questioned.

"No," Ophelia smiled at her. "Far from it. But I do have something to tell you that you won't like. Clarissa, I need to take you away from the palace for a few days, without Aiden."

"Why?" Aiden growled as he slowly sat up in the bed.

"I need to take her to the Coven of the Lode Star," Ophelia explained as she ignored his growl. She allowed him a little leeway with his tone. "She needs to go through Welcoming Rites."

"What is that?" Clarissa asked curiously. "Does it hurt?"

"Far from it, child," Ophelia laughed as she sat on the foot of the bed. "Every young witch goes through this ceremony to be allowed to join a coven as a full-fledged member. You stand in the middle of a circle, the elders will hum around you, pulling you into a trance. You will be pulled into your inner self. But it won't just be you; the god or gods that have blessed you with magic will be there too. The diety that you see will represent your path in life. For example, some see Eir, or sometimes Eir with Frigg, and they know they are meant to be healers. Once you know your path, the coven welcomes you with open arms."

"Can Aiden come?"

"No, only witches are allowed during these," Ophelia replied gently. "He would not be allowed to watch. Plus, he has been wounded. He needs to stay here and recover."

"It is alright, Issa," Aiden said as he rubbed her hand. "You need to do this. Remember, it is you that everyone shall bow down to, not me. If you need to go, then you go. I will be right here waiting."

"Go pack a small bag," Ophelia instructed. "We will be gone just a few days. Come find me in the morning."

The next morning, the air outside was cold. The temperatures had plummeted. The soft snow that had fallen just the other night was now rock-hard. Walking on it was like walking on ice. None dared to venture from their homes until the sun was high in the sky. None, except for a woman. She walked up the path to the palace.

She walked in, past the guards, without ever uttering a word. She went through the palace as if she knew the path to her destination. Servants bowed to her, but none spoke a word to her. But it did not matter. None of these people were who she searched for. She stopped at a set of double doors. She looked up to the vampire that stood guard. His being there meant the person whom she searched for was behind these doors. She smiled as she pushed them open.

On the other side of the doors was Azrael. He was sitting at his desk, reading letters while chewing on dry bread.

"Little brother," the woman said as she removed her cloak and tossed it to a chair.

Azrael looked up. His lips curled to a smile as he saw her. She was a tall woman, with dark blond hair that was pinned up. He stood, closing the distance between them. He embraced her tightly.

"Sybil," he gasped as he held her. "It has been quite some time since I have seen you."

Sybil closed her eyes as she rested her head on Azrael. As they held one another, Azrael was able to feel her tremble under him. She was crying. He pulled back and cupped her face with his hands gently.

"No tears," he commanded.

"I'm sorry, I can't help it," she sniffled as she looked at him. He was only 41 years old, but he looked older. The curse that was put on him had slowly destroyed his body. She knew he was dying, but she could not face death, not like her mother. But she suddenly regretted her time away from him. The time that was lost because of her fear.

"You are here now; that is all that matters," he replied with a smile. "But your timing is quite poor. Our mother is leaving today with the girl for a few days."

"Where are they going?"

"She is taking the girl to the Lode Star to have her Welcoming Rites," he explained as he wiped her tears away.

"Then I shall stay here and keep you company," Sybil said as she stepped back. "Where is our dear mother?"

"Probably rushing the girl to get ready," Azrael chuckled as he offered his arm. "I can take you there."

Sybil wrapped her arm around his. She rubbed his arm gently as they walked. She could see how pale he looked; how cold he felt to the touch. She knew his time was limited. Perhaps another few years if they were lucky.

"Were your travels good?" He inquired as they walked.

"They were alright," she shrugged. "I did nothing worth mentioning."

"Did you meet a man?" He teased.

"Men... no. But women... yes," she smirked as she glanced at her brother.

"Beautiful ones?" He questioned as he raised an eyebrow.

"That is for me to know," she retorted playfully. "What I do behind closed doors is between me and the other woman. Not you, brother."

"Fair enough," he laughed.

Their walk slowed as they neared Aiden and Clarissa's rooms. Ophelia was standing in the hall, trying her best to reassure the two that the trip would be quick. They suddenly did not want to separate from one another. A night to think about their separation was a mistake.

"Mother!" Sybil called out, interrupting their conversation. Ophelia snapped her head to face the familiar sound: the sound of her first child.

"Sybil!" Ophelia yelled out as she embraced her daughter. "When did you arrive?"

"Just moments ago," Sybil answered as she looked past her mother to Clarissa and Aiden.

"Aunt Sybil!" Aiden smiled as he approached. She took her arms from Ophelia and wrapped them around Aiden. She squeezed him tightly as she held him.

"I've missed my little prince," she said as she released him from her hold.

Clarissa stood back, looking at the new woman before her. Her aura and orbs were very similar to Ophelia, except not as strong nor as bright. But she had noticed something about her. When she was not touching anyone, a light barrier went across her entire body. Clarissa was able to distinguish her arms, her head, her legs, much like she could a vampire. But this was magic, not the cold skin of an immortal.

Clarissa watched as Sybil released Aiden and the barrier returned. She could clearly see as the woman walked up to her. Clarissa took a hesitant step back, unsure what the magic was.

"She can see your shield," Ophelia said to Sybil. "She can see your aura and your magic."

"I'm sorry, did my shield frighten you?" Sybil asked as she consciously took it away. Clarissa saw as the outline around Sybil disappeared, making her appear like other witches, just auras and magic.

"Why do you need a shield?" Clarissa questioned as her gaze remained piercing on Sybil.

"It is one of my natural abilities," Sybil explained as she studied Clarissa's eyes. "It comes up on its own, protecting me. I have to force it down when I want to touch others."

"That sounds tiring," Clarissa remarked.

"It can be," Sybil smiled. "But the shield is there to protect me from magic. Magic cannot hit me when I have it up."

"Do you drop it for humans and wolves?" she questioned.

"No," Sybil answered. "They don't have magic on them, so they can penetrate the barrier."

"May I touch it?"

"My shield? Sure," Sybil replied as she let the shield go back up around her body.

She held out her hand to the girl. Clarissa studied her hand, looking at the magic barrier that she saw. She reached out and gently touched her fingertips to the barrier. She could feel electricity, but nothing that hurt. But she couldn't break the barrier. She cocked her head to the side as she thought.

A small flame appeared on her fingertips. Sybil stiffened, but she did not recoil. She was curious. The fire on Clarissa's fingers slowly tore a hole in the barrier, allowing her hand to slip through. Her hand was now touching Sybil's bare hand. No magical barrier separated them.

Sybil glanced over to Ophelia, surprised by what was happening. No witch, not even Ophelia, could get past the shield. As they watched, Clarissa could see the light of the barrier slowly creep up her own arm. But then, she saw black magic, no, she saw darkness creep down her arm, to the light magic. Clarissa watched as the darkness absorbed the light. She could hear Sybil wincing.

Clarissa yanked her hand away, pulling it to her chest as she stepped away.

"I'm sorry," she gasped.

"What happened?" Aiden questioned as he stepped up. No one saw what Clarissa could see. No one felt what Sybil felt.

"I felt part of my magic leaving me," Sybil uttered as she looked at Clarissa in shock. "She was absorbing my magic."

"It wasn't me," Clarissa protested as she shook her head. "I saw darkness seeping from me. It was the darkness that did it! I did not tell it to do that!"

Ophelia stepped forward between the two. She looked first to Sybil.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I am not harmed. I can recover what I lost," she replied as she looked at Ophelia.

"Be mindful when you touch Sybil," Ophelia instructed as she turned to look at Clarissa.

Clarissa nodded her head as Victor and Lydia's aura came into view. Victor looked at Ophelia. He could see the fear in her eyes and the worry on her face. Something had just happened. He would have to inquire later. Ophelia saw him. They exchanged glances before she took Clarissa's hand. She walked over to Victor and Lydia. Before she could give Sybil a chance to greet Lydia, they began to fade away, transporting them instantly to the Lode Star.

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