The Blind Witch
Chapter 19

You are a creator, too. You just don't realize it. Fire and darkness. Ruinous and violent. It takes a steady hand to create wonders.

The next day, Clarissa stood at the front entrance of the Lode Star castle. She stood in the cold air, watching all the orbs fly around. She held her bag in her hands, anxious to return to Haerford. Though she had enjoyed her time speaking with the witches and being surrounded by magic, she missed Aiden. She missed feeling the sparks when their hands touched one another. She missed the quiet times when they would sit there, enjoying the company of one another in silence.

"Are you ready?" Victor asked as he walked up to her.

"I am," she replied as she glanced over to him. "Where is Lady Ophelia and Lydia?"

"Lydia isn't coming," he answered softly. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "She wanted to return home."

"I understand," Clarissa nodded. "She had talked about her little cottage often. Plus, I suppose there wasn't much left that she could teach me."

"Lydia is a creature of habit. She prefers to keep to her routines and keep to her ways. Taking her to the palace was out of her comfort." Victor added.

He kept his hand on her shoulder as he looked into the air around them. He could not see what she saw, but he could feel it. He held out his free hand as smoke seeped from his palm. The smoke began to form an image in Clarissa's vision. It was a woman. She could see the outlines on her face, her hands, her dress. Clarissa walked up to the smoke, amazed by what she saw.

"It is your mother," Victor whispered as he watched. "Or, as much as I can remember."

"She was beautiful," Clarissa replied as she touched the smoke. It caused the image to fade away. She turned toward Victor as she bit her lip. "I'm sorry."

"My magic would not have lasted much longer," he said with a deep exhale.

"Thank you for showing me," Clarissa uttered softly as she reached out to Victor.

He took her hand, thinking that was what she wanted, but she moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around him. He stiffened at her touch as he placed his hands on her shoulders. He held his breath, unsure of what he was to do. This embrace, this closeness, was not something he had felt in so long. It was foreign to him.

Clarissa stepped back as Ophelia neared them. Ophelia shot Victor a smile before she took his arm.

"Are you ready?" Ophelia asked Clarissa as she took her hand.

After Clarissa nodded, Ophelia began to transport them. As they faded away, Clarissa's vision darkened as she was pulled from the Lode Star coven. When they landed, Clarissa began to look around. She was unsure where in the palace they were.

"Victor, you and I should go talk with Azrael and Sybil," Ophelia said as she motioned to a nearby guard. "Clarissa, have the guard take you to your chambers so you can get your bearings."

Clarissa nodded, happy to have the assistance. She was quiet as they walked, but her eyes were constantly searching; she was searching for Aiden. After several minutes, they were in her room. One of her servants took the bag from her hands. This gave Clarissa a chance to look around. She was surprised; Aiden had yet to come to her. She wondered if he was in his bed, still sore from his attack a few days ago. She walked into his room, but she did not see his aura.

"Aiden?" She called out. There was no response, not even from a servant.

She furrowed her brows. Where could he be? Surely, he would have greeted her when she arrived. She stood in the corridor, wondering where she should look first. It was cold outside, but it was not snowing. There was a chance he was out at the training grounds. She looked around at the darkness. She was unable to see anyone.

"Tasaeyoule," she whispered as she began to walk. With each step, a wave of fire energy left her feet. It illuminated the corridor all around her. She could see the walls, the windows, and the doors. But she still saw no one. She was hoping that she would have walked into someone by now.

After she turned a corner, she could finally see the aura of a wolf. She recognized him almost instantly. She smiled brightly as she approached him.

"Good Morning," she greeted. "Do you know where the Prince may have gone?"

The man was silent for a moment after her question. She waited patiently, her hands clasped behind her back. He was mind-linking the other guards or perhaps with Aiden himself.

"The Prince is currently in an audience with his majesty," the guard eventually answered. "He said he will meet with you later."

"Oh," she murmured. "Thank you."

She walked away slowly. Later? He would meet with her later? She found it odd. In the months she had been here, they were rarely ever apart. He was not there to greet her upon her arrival, but now he would not see her until later. She wondered if something was wrong.

She looked up after another wave of energy dispersed. She knew where Azrael's study was. She could get there on her own. She would wait for him so he did not have to search for her. She smiled as she thought to herself. As she neared her destination, she stopped using her energy waves. Her magic scurrying across the floor and walls would give her away.

She could see two vampires ahead of her. It was Azrael's guards. Clarissa knew Azrael was nearby, which meant Aiden was nearby, too. She smiled as she stood beside one of the guards. She could feel the cold coming from his skin. She leaned back against the wall as she waited. But as she did, she heard voices from behind the wall.

"What do you mean you want to reject her?" Ophelia questioned.

"I don't want to, but I have to," Aiden insisted.

Clarissa covered her mouth with her hands. She closed her eyes tightly as she shook her head. Aiden wanted to reject her.

"She needs to go back to the Lode Star!" He continued.

This must be why he was not there to greet her. He wanted to send her away. She flinched when she felt a cold hand touch her arm. It was the guard that she stood near. Was he trying to comfort her? His hearing was better than hers. What more had he heard that she couldn't?

She pulled away from his touch and hurried off. On the other side of the wall, Aiden was in tears. He gripped the back of a chair, doing his best to hold himself upright.

"She would be safer if she were not around me," he mumbled. "She has been attacked twice since she arrived. I cannot protect her here."

"And you think sending her to the Lode Star is in her best interest?" Ophelia asked harshly. "Her magic, her powers, are tied to her emotions. She will not take the rejection well."

"She won't feel it, unlike how I can feel it." He argued.

"No, her soul won't split in half, but it will still break her heart," Ophelia replied. "Why are you suddenly bringing this up now? Why, after months of spending time with her?"

"Because I thought about how much of a loss she would be if she died because she was with me!" He answered angrily. "She is powerful. I didn't even have to go to her Welcoming Rites with you to know this. I won't even live as long as her."

"That never stopped me," Ophelia whispered as she approached Aiden. She cupped his face in her hands, forcing him to meet her gaze. "I have outlived both men that I loved, but I knew this when I chose to be with them."

"The only other thing I can do to protect her is to step down," Aiden said as he trembled. "I could go with her to the Lode Star."

"And what of the King of Kings?" Azrael questioned. "I am keeping myself alive until you can take the throne, but now you want to, what, throw that all away?"

"No, uncle," Aiden replied as he pulled away from Ophelia. "But what other choice do I have?"

"You can stay here with Clarissa," Victor interjected. "You say you want to send her away to protect her. But she will be followed no matter where she goes. She is in danger, with or without you."

"Why?" Azrael inquired. "What did you learn while you were away?"

Before anyone could answer, the walls of the palace began to shake. Azrael stood from his chair as everyone looked at one another. As the shaking grew worse, a loud roaring sound came from outside. Azrael, Victor, Aiden, and Ophelia hurried from the study. They ran in the direction of the noise, followed closely by guards.

They ran out to an inner courtyard. Clarissa was sitting on the stone steps, but in front of her was a large yellow and orange ball. It was spinning slowly, fire shooting off of it sporadically. There was an intense gravity that pulled everything towards it. Everything but Clarissa. Her hair was not even moving. She was still, frozen in place. Her hands were placed in front of her, her fingers twitching as she controlled the ball.

Ophelia instantly created a shield in front of them, helping to prevent them from being dragged into the spinning fireball. But the pull was strong; she had to focus intently on her magic. This was magic that she had never seen before. But the gravity pull, the intense heat, the rotation; this was a small sun that Clarissa was generating.

"Clarissa!" Aiden called out. But she did not move; she did not respond. She only looked ahead of her.

Aiden stepped from behind Ophelia's shield. He was pulled forward slowly against his will. He covered his face with his arms, trying to protect his eyes from the bright light that was being produced by the fire. He slammed into a column and held onto it. He repositioned himself so he faced Clarissa.

After a deep breath, he jumped, grabbing her by her arm. She felt like stone. Even with his hand tugging on her, she did not move. He put both hands on her and pulled himself so he was in front of her. He gripped her face tightly, trying hard to keep himself steady. He looked into her eyes. They were not solid black as they usually were. He saw things in her eyes. He could see planets and stars swirling around. He was frightened.

"Clarissa!" He yelled at her.

Could she not hear him? Could she not see him? Aiden was unable to shake her from her trance. He pulled himself to her and brought their lips together. If he could not call to her, if he could not move her, perhaps a kiss would pull her back to him. As their lips touched one another, Clarissa slowly began to soften. She shot up as the color left her eyes, leaving them with only darkness.

She looked ahead of her, noticing the magic that was swirling wildly. She held her hand out and called the fire towards her. The sun slowly grew smaller, its fire rushing quickly into her palms. But it was not just the mini sun that she extinguished: all fire within the palace rushed to her. Not a single candle, torch, or fireplace remained lit. All the fire went into her.

When it was finally dark, she gasped. She felt like she had been holding her breath for some time. She felt as though she was about to collapse, but then she felt hands holding her. Aiden was keeping her steady as she caught her breath.

"What were you doing?" He finally asked. He was in shock, unable to comprehend what she had just done.

"What do you mean?" She questioned as she began to frown. "I was just sitting here!"

"Then explain what it was that you were conjuring!" He yelled at her. She could not see the cracks in the facade, the broken windows, or the damaged courtyard.

"I wasn't conjuring anything," she insisted angrily.

"Clarissa," he growled. "You were creating a fireball that destroyed this entire courtyard!"

"What?" She questioned. Her demeanor softened as she became confused. "I swear, I had just sat down, and then suddenly you were here kissing me... Why would you kiss me when you want to reject me?!"

"How?" He gasped as he froze. His grip on her tightened. "How do you know?"

"I went to wait for you outside of Azrael's study," She answered as she began to cry. "I could hear you say that you were going to reject me. Why? Tell me why!"

"Issa," he whispered as he wiped her tears. "It would be to protect you. You would be safer amongst other witches at the Lode Star."

"I don't want to be with other witches," she cried angrily as she gripped his shirt. "Should I not get a say? This is my life, not yours, nor anyone else's!"

"No, you're right," Aiden sighed as he put his arms around her shoulders. He attempted to pull her into an embrace, but she fought against him.

"No! Don't do that!" She yelled as she pulled away from him, backing into someone else. She looked over her shoulder, noticing Ophelia.

"You need to calm down," Ophelia instructed firmly. "You are making it the air hot. Take in a deep breath."

Clarissa glared in Aiden's direction and crossed her arms. Reluctantly, she took a breath in through her nose and let it out through her mouth. After a few moments, the air began to cool off, allowing Victor and Azrael to approach.

"I just want to know why," Clarissa stated. "Why all of a sudden do you bring this up, without even once considering what I want? Aren't I supposed to be you mate?"

"Y-you are my mate," Aiden stuttered as he looked down. "I'm sorry, I am. I just want to protect you. Sybil made me realize how dangerous it is to be here, and I cannot disagree with her. You've been attacked twice in the months since you arrived. I would not be able to forgive myself if you died. It does not matter if I die, but you are something, something special."

"Wait, wait wait," Ophelia interjected. "Was this Sybil's idea?"

"She suggested it," Aiden shrugged. He looked up, noticing the anger in Ophelia's eyes. "But this isn't her fault! Don't be angry with her!"

"Her fear of commitment has caused all of this!" Ophelia asserted as she waved her arm around to the damaged courtyard. "How could I not be angry with her? If the Lode Star or any other witch found out about this, it puts Clarissa in danger!"

"I'm still confused; what did I do?" Clarissa questioned curiously.

"You were creating a sun," Ophelia answered hesitantly.

"I was? I truly have no memory of doing that. I swear, I had just sat down. The next thing I knew, Aiden was kissing me. I wasn't using my magic... at least... not that I was aware of."

"Alright," Ophelia said with a heavy sigh. She pinched the bridge of her nose, doing her best to calm her own worries and anger. "Let's do our best to keep what happened here between us. I will speak with Sybil."

Ophelia left the courtyard, followed quickly by Azrael. Only Victor remained. He stood, looking at Clarissa. Tears still flowed down her cheeks. He knew she was still upset, still angry with Aiden. But the boy stood several feet away, looking down at his shoes.

"Aiden," Victor called out sternly. "Come here."

Aiden shuffled his feet, walking slowly to Victor. He jumped when Victor's hand gripped onto his shoulder.

"Everyone else seems to be upset over what Clarissa did, but not me," Victor stated. "You are still young, but there are some things you need to learn and understand. When you are in love with someone, you do not make decisions for them without consulting them. This thing that the two of you have is a commitment. Fated or not. You need to work together. Make decisions together. It doesn't matter if you think you are doing what is best for her. Believe me, you shall be wrong each time you make that decision for your partner. Do you understand?"

"I do," Aiden murmured as he nodded his head.

Victor looked at him before glancing at Clarissa. Seeing her upset pained him. But this was not something he could fix. This was between her and Aiden. He gave Aiden's shoulder another squeeze before letting him go. He blended in the shadows, giving them privacy. Aiden looked at Clarissa.

"I really am sorry," he whispered as he stepped up to her. "I was blinded with fear, and it made me foolish."

"It did," she agreed as she looked at his aura. He didn't touch her, and she could not deny that she wanted to be comforted. Even though she was still angry, she had a rough couple of days. She reached out, touching his chest. "Are you going to reject me?"

Aiden bit his lip as he wrapped his arms around her. His body shook as she rested her cheek against his chest. Her arms slid around his waist, gripping him tightly. He closed his eyes, inhaling her scent.

"I am not going to reject you," he finally whispered into her ear. "I shall remain with you for as long as I shall live."

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