The Blind Witch
Chapter 20

Darkness can be fed, so it spreads faster. Shadows can be extended. But the eternal darkness can grow too quickly. You must not fall as I did, child. You must not fall to him.

Three days have passed since Clarissa’s return from the Lode Star. The first night was spent explaining what happened during her Welcoming Rites, how she saw four gods, and how each of them blessed her. There were so many questions but not enough answers. A sense of uncertainty lingered in the air once all went to sleep that night.

Ophelia and Sybil had spent their days preparing to pull Clarissa into the Astral realm. It wasn’t something that you could do on a whim. There was incense that had to be prepared. The fresher the sticks, the longer you could pull someone from their body.

They worked in a small room. The smell of lavender, rosemary, and stars of anise filled the air. These three ingredients were placed in a pot and slowly being distilled. The distilled liquid from the boiled contents would be later mixed with charcoal and sandalwood, creating the paste for the incense sticks. As they worked, there was a knock at the door.

“Lady Ophelia,” a young girl said once she entered. “High Priest Craigen and High Priestess Anneliese are here for you.”

Ophelia glanced at Sybil quickly. It had been only three days since they left. It has been three days since Clarissa created the miniature sun. They had not gotten the chance to look further into her soul yet. She wiped her hands on a rag and left, following the girl.

When she entered the front hall, she could see Craigen was angry. She slowed her breathing, trying to appear calm as she approached them.

“Come to visit so soon?” She asked with a smile.

“What happened?” He questioned harshly. “She was gone mere minutes, and something happened. Why did I have to hear of it from a Requiem messenger?”

“We were still trying to figure things out,” Ophelia replied as she rubbed the back of her neck. Then, as she mulled over his words, she began to frown. “Wait. What do you mean you heard of it from a Requiem messenger? When?”

“Yesterday,” he answered. “They have called for a Gathering of the Wicca, and Clarissa’s presence has been requested. The messenger said she committed a crime against the Earth.”

“She did no such thing,” Ophelia scowled. “Come with me; let me show you the damage to the Earth.”

Ophelia led them through the palace to the inner courtyard where the damage had been done. There were men outside, patching the cracks in the stone facade.

“What happened here?” Anneliese asked as she surveyed the damage. It seemed only the walls of the palace were cracked. The ground was bare but not damaged beyond repair.

“She created a small sun,” Ophelia replied.

“And I am just now learning about this!?” Craigen yelled as he raised his hands. “You have blessed crystals. You could have told me within hours of this happening! At least warn me that something happened! But instead, I had to look like a fool in front of the messenger!”

“Are you done?” Ophelia questioned as she crossed her arms.

“For now,” he huffed. “If I don’t like what you have to say, I might continue with my scolding.”

“Look around,” Ophelia instructed as she pointed at the various cracks. “This is all the damage there was. The Gathering of the Wicca is unnecessary. Yes, Clarissa created something volatile, but the damage was to this room only. No one got hurt; the Earth is still here, and no one outside of this palace should know.”

“Yet they do,” Anneliese interjected. “The Requiem knows about this. Or perhaps some of it. But now you need to go answer for what the girl did.”

“Then let’s go. I need to do things, so the quicker we get this over with, the better.” Ophelia scowled as she walked to Anneliese and Craigen.

Craigen grabbed her left wrist roughly. He looked at her with a piercing gaze. He was angry. Angry that she had not told him what happened. Angry because it put her life at risk. But he had no control over Ophelia. Even without the title of Queen, she was, at minimum, his equal. He could not force her to comply with his wishes. But as he looked into her eyes, his grip softened.

“Please, next time something happens, will you at least let me know?” He pleaded with her.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized sincerely. “I’ll be sure to keep you informed when things happen.”

Craigen nodded his head and took Anneliese’s hand. He closed his eyes as he transported the three of them. As the High Priest, he had several blessed crystals scattered throughout the world. For the Gathering of the Wicca, they met at an old willow tree. It was tall, with its leaves and branches stretched outward. It created a secluded space, one that was protected by magic.

The Gathering of the Wicca was when the High Priests and Priestesses of the four covens came together. It was a time for council, a time for negotiations, or a time to pass along knowledge.

As Ophelia stepped between the branches and leaves, she realized they were the last to arrive. She saw the leaders of the Sacred Mountain sitting alongside the leaders of the Earthen Circle. Standing closer to the tree’s base were the leaders from Requiem. They were both vampires and though the tree had a magical barrier to prevent the sun’s rays from coming in, they were always cautious.

The High Priest of Requiem noticed Ophelia and glared.

“Where is the girl?” He questioned.

“You get me,” Ophelia replied as she held up her right hand. The palm was glowing white.

“Katalasso won’t save her,” he hissed, annoyed with Ophelia and her trick. “She has caused destruction upon this earth.”

“She has done no such thing,” Craigen stated as he sat at the table. “I went to survey the damage myself. Only the palace sustained damage. No living being was harmed.”

“It would be nice if someone could explain what you’re talking about,” the High Priest from the Earthen Circle said.

“A young witch named Clarissa created a sun within Haerford Palace,” The Requiem Priestess replied. “She is a rogue with unimaginable powers, causing chaos wherever she goes.”

“She is no rogue. She belongs to the Lode Star,” Craigen corrected. “She had her Welcoming Rites several days ago.”

“How old is the girl?” Someone asked.

“A few months shy of being 16,” Ophelia answered.

“Why is she just now having her Welcoming Rites?” The Requiem Priest questioned. “That is rather old for a witch, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Due to no fault of her own,” Ophelia argued. “Humans raised her. We did not even know she existed until several months ago.”

“Enough!” A woman yelled. She pointed at the Priest of Requiem. “Dray, tell us why we are here!”

“Sorry, Mae,” Dray said with a smile. “The girl, Clarissa, has lived outside of the Coven laws for most of her life. Recently, it has come to light that the heir to the King of Kings is her fated mate, something Lode Star has kept hidden from the rest of us. There are reports that she has killed one person and injured another. The depth of her magic is unknown. She has also created a sun within the very walls of Haerford Palace. For these reasons, I say we vote on a proscription.”

“Craigen, rebuttal?”

“Thank you,” he said as he stood to speak. “Yes, we do not deny that the girl has lived outside of the Coven laws, but she broke no laws, witch nor man, while humans raised her. In fact, she kept her magic hidden. Few knew of it. She is indeed the mate to the Prince of Princes. We suspect that is because of Ophelia’s blood in Prince Aiden’s veins. This was not something we kept secret. Many of the Alphas and human kings knew this.”

“We shall also not deny she has killed someone, but it was in self-defense,” Ophelia continued. “Vampires came in one night, attempting to kill the prince. Clarissa fought two. One died by her fire magic, and the other escaped. These men invaded Haerford. She had every right to defend herself and the prince. Now, regarding the witch she injured, a witch with dark magic cornered her and the prince. The witch hurt the prince, breaking his back in an attempt to take Clarissa. Again, she had every right to defend herself.”

“What of the sun?” Someone asked. “Was that in self-defense too?”

“No,” Ophelia sighed. “It was not. I shall accept responsibility for that because it was a lack of control on her part. But I’d like to stress that she has only been actively training for several months. Considering her age and lack of training, she should be allowed some leeway.”

“You said she has had her Welcoming Rites? What was the God that came to her?”

“It wasn’t just one god,” Craigen replied as he took a deep breath. “It was four. There was Inti, Bil, Frigg, and Nyx.”

Everything went still around them. Even the air stopped blowing through the leaves of the old willow tree. Four gods. All were stunned at the revelation. Even the leaders from Requiem were at a loss for words.

After a moment, the high priest from the Earthen Circle stood.

“We were called here to vote on a proscription for the girl, and you say her crimes are against the Earth. As High Priest of the Earthen Circle, I say there is insufficient evidence for such a vote. Just because she is powerful doesn’t mean she is dangerous. It sounds as if she is still learning and growing. I think it unreasonable to try and sentence her to death before she turns 18. All in favor of ending this Gathering, say aye.”

All but the leaders of Requiem agreed to end the Gathering. Dray frowned as he watched the leaders leave, one by one. His eyes shot daggers at Ophelia. But deep down, he was smiling.

“You best keep an eye on that girl,” he hissed.

“How is that witch? The girl who tried to take Clarissa?” Ophelia questioned as she walked up to him. She stood mere inches from his face. “Were you able to heal her, or is she permanently disfigured?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” he responded as he bared his fangs to her.

“Or did she die from her wounds?” Ophelia continued. “I was there; I felt the heat of her fire. I could smell her flesh as it burned. What was her name.”

“Give it a rest, Lady Ophelia,” Craigen commanded.

Ophelia backed up, but she spat on the ground before Dray. She knew he would call the witch a rogue. Anyone who got caught was a rogue. She looked forward to the day she could take out her revenge and anger on him. But for now, she could not. She returned to Craigen. He took her and Anneliese and transported them away. This left only Dray and his High Priestess.

“Well, that wasn’t a useless meeting after all,” he chuckled.

“Do you think they told the truth about her having four gods bless her?”

“Craigen would not lie, not to the Gathering. If he says she has four gods, then she has four. Inti, the source of her fire. Bil, the creator of the mate connection. Nyx, the source of her dark magic. But why Frigg? What does she get from Frigg?”

“Perhaps this is a question that should be asked of Erebus?” The Priestess questioned. “He would know.”

“We should also check on his oracle. It is almost the new moon; the time of darkness is upon us. Erebus will need another sacrifice.” Dray replied as he looked out in the distance, past the willow tree leaves.