The Blind Witch
Chapter 34

I shall offer you a deal, little one. Surrender yourself. Give yourself to me, and I shall not unleash my destruction upon this world. You have until nightfall to decide.

Clarissa stood outside, looking across the vast emptiness of the barren wasteland. Her arms were crossed as she listened to Erebus whisper to her. For a moment, she contemplated his offer. But there was still hesitation; what if he was lying to her? What if the moment he had her, he destroyed everyone and everything? What if she chose not to take his offer, and she could not stop him?

She closed her eyes and looked up to the sky. She could feel the sun bearing down on her. With each breath she took, she felt as if she was absorbing more of the sun's energy. It had been eight days since Labraid had come to her. Eight days of gathering armies and traveling. They were now camped about two miles south of Thresnora. But since it was daylight, the vampires would all be hidden away within the tunnels of the volcano.

Clarissa could hear men behind her talking about their plan of attack. Some wanted to go in and attack now, while Erebus and his army hid from the sun.

"No," she said as she glanced over her shoulder. "There are too many tunnels in the volcano. It is dangerous to run in blind. Not only that, we would be constricted to such a small space. There is no way we can reasonably fight them in there."

"You have fire magic; why don't you send a burst of flames into the volcano and smoke them out?" Someone questioned.

"That would use up too much magic," Aiden protested. "She only just recovered from when Erebus held her captive."

"Not only that, but I do not wish to destroy the temple," Clarissa added as she turned to face the group.

"Who cares about the temple?!"

"I do!" She snapped. "Nyx is the goddess who blessed me, and I shall not destroy her only remaining temple on this Earth."

"What if the temple is being destroyed from within?"

"It was not me who did it, so my conscience is clear," she replied with a shrug.

"Then what shall you have us do? We followed you here!"

"Erebus spoke to me only moments ago. He offered me a deal. He said that if I surrender myself, then he shall spare everyone and this realm." Clarissa explained as she walked up to the table they were standing around. "But I wanted you all to choose what I should do. Because if I don't surrender, then we are fighting. You all are fighting, along with your friends, your brothers, and your sons. I don't want to be selfish and choose my own ambitions over your lives."

The group had gone silent, listening to the words that she spoke. They had an out, a chance not to fight but to live and be free of him. But then they would lose Clarissa, the person whom they had followed. The King of Kings title had been created so everyone could follow one man, and yet here they were, following their Queen of Queens instead. They followed because of her power, her strength, and her goal of bringing down Erebus.

"My pack lived in a valley under the shadow of the old Requiem castle," one Alpha said. "I have lost an unknown number of my friends and family due to their blood lust. We had begged the old King of Kings to help us, but Requiem always accused us of hunting their witches down. So, it meant we never received the help we so desperately needed. But then, we saw the fireball that destroyed the castle. Come dawn, we searched the dungeons that had remained untouched, and we found so many of our own within. No, my Queen. You shall not give yourself up. My people shall die for you because we have seen what you can do. We believe you can stop the darkness looming over us."

The men around the table cheered in agreement. There was no doubt that they wanted to end their suffering. But they would do it alongside their queen. They would not send her away to be used as a token for their freedom.

"Then everyone must prepare for the fight," Clarissa instructed. "At dusk, we begin. In the meantime, I order everyone to rest. There are members of the Lode Star and the Sacred Mountain with water abilities that can help keep you and your men cool while we wait. I forbid anyone from dying of heat stroke before tonight!"

They laughed as they bowed to Clarissa. Though she had meant it as a joke, there was still a risk of heat exhaustion. The barren wasteland was hot while the sun was out. But once the sun would set, the air would cool off. Until then, they had to take precautions.

"Craigen, have you heard from the Earthen Circle?" Clarissa inquired as the men around the table began to disperse.

"They are waiting on the other side of the Great Chasm," he answered. "The High Priestess said that her people would not fight with us, nor would they fight with Erebus. They will stand watch, and the moment they see a sign of something happening that could be catastrophic, they will then intervene."

"So the Earthen Circle shall watch, and the Sacred Mountain is only here to heal, great," she replied sarcastically. "At least your people are willing to fight alongside me."

"You are a sister of our coven," Craigen smiled as he touched her shoulder. "We shall stand by you, no matter what happens."

"Thank you," she whispered as she felt him walk away.

Clarissa looked at Aiden. She wished that she could see his face. That she could tell what he was thinking. She reached her hand out to him, wanting to feel his warmth. He pulled her close to him when he took her hand. In silence, he led her back to their tent that stood in the center of the camp.

Once he closed the tent flap, he took her face in his hands and kissed her. His lips stayed on hers, his tongue reaching into her mouth. He wanted to savor her, to taste her one last time. He did not know what was to come; he did not know what they would face. But he did not fear for her life. No, he feared for his own. He was not as strong as her nor as powerful.

"Issa," he murmured as he tried to keep his composure. "I-"

"Hey," Victor said as he entered the tent. He froze, realizing that he had interrupted them. "I'm sorry. Shall I come back?"

"No, Dad, it's alright," Clarissa answered as she stepped away from Aiden's hands. "What can we do for you?"

"I have brought you something," Victor replied as he stepped towards her.

He held out a circlet made of gold. He slipped it over her left wrist and whispered magic over it. She watched as the faint white magic became visible to her. She looked at him, confused.

"What is this?" She questioned. "Isn't Aiden supposed to be the one to put this on me?"

"It isn't a bonding circlet," Victor explained as he held her hand. "But it is a circlet, and I have put a spell on it. It is a protective spell that works similarly to Sybil's magic barrier. This means if you get hit, it will send your attacker back from you. But, it will only work once."

"What if I get hit more than once?" She asked.

"This is more to protect you against Erebus. Aiden and I can protect you if you fight others, but should you face Erebus head-on, there is a chance we won't be able to defend you. Hence why I am giving you this circlet. He shouldn't notice it because it resembles any ordinary bonding circlet."

"And it'll work against Erebus? Even with his powers?" Aiden questioned.

"It should," Victor sighed. "The problem is, this spell has never been tested against the powers of a god."

"Thank you," Clarissa said as she embraced Victor tightly.

"Anything for you, baby girl," Victor whispered as he hugged her back. After he pulled away, he gave a deep bow to both of them. "Now I am going to go replace some shade; I shall see you both in a few hours."

Victor left the tent, making sure to close it behind him. Once alone, Aiden sighed as he took Clarissa back into his arms. He put his head into the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent. She hummed softly to his touch as she ran her hands through his hair.

"If I die, I want my ashes spread at my parent's cabin," he whispered.

"What?!" She gasped as she pulled his head up.

"You will make a great Queen. It does not matter if I am here or not." He continued as tears brimmed his eyes. "If I die here tonight, I hope you replace another. I don't want you to live your life alone."

"Aiden!" She yelled as she gripped the collar of his tunic. She pulled him towards her roughly. "You shall not die. And if you do, I will bring you back to life. Do you understand me?"

"You don't have the ability to bring me back to life," he chuckled as he cupped her chin. He lifted her head a little higher to look into her darkness.

"Labraid knows that his very being would be in danger if he took you from me," she hissed. "You shall not die."

"Yes, but on the chance that I do, I want you to know how much I love you," Aiden continued.

Clarissa reached up, kissing Aiden. She wanted him to stop. She did not want to hear that he could die. She would rather spend the next few hours with him, enjoying her time with him. She began to pull his tunic over his head as her kisses became more intense. Aiden could not resist giving in to her lips. He could not pull away from the heat that was building between them.

He growled as Clarissa's hands traveled down to his trousers. She easily undid the button, giving her space to slip her hand in. She wrapped her fingers around him as she moved her hand slowly. It was unbearable for Aiden. He wanted more; he needed her. Yet she tortured him with her slow, gentle movements.

His hands reached behind her back, replaceing the laces of her dress. He pulled the strings and began to loosen the fabric. His lips went down to her neck and her freshly marked shoulder. His lips hovered over it as he inhaled her scent. She was his. He roughly tugged on the dress, pulling it slowly down her arms. Clarissa released him so she could slip out of her dress.

Aiden smirked as he grabbed her arms. He waited until she stepped out of her dress, and then he laid her back on the straw cot on the ground. He groped one of her breasts as he kissed her roughly, stifling her moans. His other hand slipped down between her legs, feeling the wetness that was leaking from within her.

He slipped a finger in, causing a moan to escape from her mouth. Her arms wrapped around him as she dug her nails into his back. With his middle finger deep within her, he reached for her bud with his thumb, nudging it with each thrust of his hand. Clarissa turned her head away from his as she gasped for air.

"Do you want the entire camp to hear you?" He growled as he nipped at her earlobe. She shook her head in response as she turned red. "Then you best remain quiet."

"I can't," she replied as she bit her lip. Aiden's finger continued to thrust within her, making it difficult for her to keep silent.

Aiden smiled as he pulled his hand away from between her thighs. He took her legs and wrapped them around his hips. The tip of his member slipped into her entrance, causing her to close her eyes.

"I'll go slow and steady," he groaned as he thrusts deep into her. "I don't want anyone to hear you. You are mine, your moans are for my ears only, and your pleasure belongs to me."

Clarissa arched her back, her hips matching his thrusts. She placed a hand over her mouth, doing her best to keep quiet. As Aiden reached the peak of his pleasure, he leaned down, recapturing her lips with his. It helped to muffle the moans that he could not hold back. With his final thrust, he collapsed on top of her, resting his head against her chest. He smiled as her hands caressed his back.

"Do you want me to get off of you?" He asked, knowing that he was heavy against her small frame.

"No," she answered as she shook her head. "We can stay like this until the end of eternity. Just you and me, alone in the vastness of space. No gods, no mortals, no darkness or gloom. I just want this; I just want you, always."