The Blind Witch

Do you not feel the darkness call to you, child? I feel it. It envelops me, like a warm embrace. You were made for it, just as I was.

The following day, Clarissa met with Lydia in an indoor training room. The room had been cleared, leaving nothing but bare walls around them. Clarissa would need to be able to concentrate with no distractions or interference. And if she used her magic, she wouldn’t damage anything.

First, Lydia spoke to Clarissa about how to identify the different races. Witches have flittering auras that consist of hundreds of orbs that circle around the body. The orbs and their various colors correspond with the type of magic that they had.

Green magic refers to both healing and earth magic. The darker the green, the more in tune they were with the earth. These witches could potentially move mountains if they ever concentrated their powers. Though, for most, they were usually healers, focusing on growing medicinal herbs.

Orange magic meant that the witch was strong in fighting. Some of these witches could conjure weapons or shields from within their bodies. For a rare few, their magic would generate a hardened armor on top of their skin. These witches would often become instructors or even have high-ranking positions within armies.

White magic was considered light magic. This type of power is astral in nature. These witches draw their powers from the gods themselves. This would allow them to do a variety of magic, not tethered to a specific type. The brighter the light, the stronger the connection to the heavens above. A few of these witches would go on to be oracles for the Gods, living out their lives in temples.

Blue magic controlled the waters. Whether it was the seas far away or the rain that fell from the skies. These witches could create storms at will, helping to end droughts or save villages from floods.

Red magic was fire magic. They could both create fire or take it away. There were not many witches who possessed this ability. For those that did, they were similar to Aiden, whose magic was dim. Clarissa was one of the few who possessed the power that she held.

Lastly, there was dark magic—the powers of the unknown and the darkness. Not many of these witches remained. Many feared them. Few were jealous of them.

Then there were the werewolves. Their auras were a light within their souls. Lydia explained that it would look like a fire that was centered in their stomachs. But this confused Clarissa. Aiden’s fire was higher than the other wolves she had seen. She turned to look at him, scrunching her face as she studied him.

“What is it, Clarissa?” He inquired.

“Can you have another wolf stand by you?” She asked him.

Aiden furrowed his brows, but he nodded to her request. He stood from the floor and walked over to a guard against the wall. Clarissa narrowed her eyes, looking at their auras. Aiden’s was much higher on him.

“Why would Aiden’s fire not be in his soul?” She asked. “It’s higher up than the other wolf’s.”

“It is in his soul; I can see it,” Lydia replied with confusion. “Where are you seeing his aura?”

Aiden walked over, allowing Clarissa to touch him. She reached out and placed a hand on his shirt. He smiled as her hand pushed against his chest, above his heart. He reached up and took her hand, kissing it gently. He smirked when she blushed.

“That is my heart, Issa. You see my heart.” He explained.

“That is not where I see your aura,” Lydia argued.

“I might look normal for you, but you are not my mate.” He said as he kept his gaze on Clarissa. “Perhaps the gods gave her a way to connect to me? Or perhaps the witch in me has altered my aura?”

“But...” Lydia mumbled. Then she stopped. His aura could not be in two places at once. Perhaps it did have something to do with the mate bond. It does involve both the heart and the soul. Then, perhaps, to Clarissa, his soul was his heart. “Come sit. Let’s continue.”

Next was the vampires. There is a silver line that outlines their whole body. It is their cold skin that they can see in the darkness. They can distinguish their arms, their hands, and every part of them. Lydia and Clarissa can also feel the cold air before they can see them. But, for vampires, it is harder to distinguish between a friend or foe since they look alike.

Lastly, there are the humans. They are harder to see in the darkness. Magic is the only way to see them. They would either need to be touched by it or use an incantation. Otherwise, they are invisible to Clarissa and Lydia.

“I had a powder that I would blow into the wind to help me see humans,” she explained. “But it takes time not only to create the powder but also to wait for it to spread. For you, we shall have to work on finding a way to help you see them.”

“For you and I, humans are more dangerous than any other creature,” Lydia warned.

“But I was raised by humans,” Clarissa refuted.

“And did your parents tell you to hide your magic? Did they tell you stories about people coming to take you away because of what you are?” Lydia questioned.

“They did,” Clarissa mumbled as she looked down.

“Then my point still stands,” Lydia replied with a frown. “Humans fear many things. They hurt things they fear. They are not inquisitive like witches; they are not protective like the wolves.”

“I understand,” Clarissa whispered.

“Good. Prince Aiden,” Lydia said as she motioned for him. “Go see if one of your uncle’s guards could come in. I need Clarissa to practice feeling the cold nature of a vampire.”

There were only three vampires that worked in Haerford Palace. Two of them were personal guards to Azrael. For hundreds of years, they stood guard, protecting their king. There used to be more of them, close to a dozen. But several years back, many of them were killed during the attack on the palace.

Aiden was gone for several minutes but returned with a vampire. Clarissa and Lydia were sitting on the floor, legs crossed. Their eyes were closed as they concentrated. The vampire guard slowly walked in, keeping his steps quiet.

Lydia could feel the cold hit her skin. It caused the hairs on her arms to stand. She counted to five in her head. After five seconds, Clarissa had not indicated that she felt the cold. Lydia took a thin stick from her lap and slapped it across Clarissa’s hands.

Clarissa cried out and scrambled back away from Lydia. Her hands stung, the pain radiating across the welt. Aiden ran up, snatching the stick from Lydia with a growl.

“Back down, prince,” Lydia said sternly. “She would have been dead. I hit her to make her realize her mistake.”

“You could have just said words!” Aiden shouted as he broke the stick. “You do not hurt her! She is my mate. She is your future Queen.”

“She won’t learn if you protect her,” Lydia replied.

“She can learn without being in pain!” He growled. He looked to the shadows towards Victor. “Aren’t you supposed to protect her?!”

“Lydia isn’t going to kill her,” Victor stated as he stepped forward. “If that vampire weren’t a loyal guard, he would have killed her. She needs time to summon her magic, but she won’t have it when a vampire is on her.”

“No,” Aiden scowled as he took Clarissa’s arm. “Come Issa. You’re done learning for today.”

Clarissa held her hands close to her chest, whimpering from the lingering pain. Aiden wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him. Cyrus growled angrily within him. He didn't hurt Lydia only out of respect for his grandmother.

Aiden led Clarissa across the palace. He would stop, looking into certain rooms. He was looking for Ophelia. The welt on Clarissa’s hands had turned a dark red. They would not go away for some time.

Aiden finally found Ophelia with his uncle. They were in a meeting with some of the members of the leader council. Aiden had to calm himself. He could not lose his temper in front of them. Azrael smiled upon them entering the room.

“Everyone, I’d like to introduce Clarissa. She is the fated mate to our Prince Aiden.” Azrael said. This was the first time it was announced that the heir had a mate. It excited the visitors.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Aiden said as he quickly bowed. He turned to Ophelia. “Can I speak to you in the corridor for a minute?”

Ophelia nodded, standing from her chair. She followed Aiden and Clarissa. Once the door was closed, he silently showed Ophelia the back of Clarissa’s hands.

“What happened?” She gasped, horrified to see the long red line on the girl’s hands.

“Your teacher, Lydia, hit her with a thin stick,” Aiden growled. “I will not stand for that!”

Ophelia glared at Aiden, causing him to look down from her gaze. She understood his anger, but she did not tolerate being yelled at. To her, it was a sign of disrespect when someone resorted to yelling rather than having a calm discussion. She was also his grandmother; she would not allow his anger to be taken out on her.

Ophelia placed a hand over Clarissa’s. A bright light shined on them, healing the welt on the skin and taking away the pain.

“Thank you,” Clarissa said as she smiled up to Ophelia.

Ophelia gently stroked Clarissa’s cheek and smiled back.

“I shall talk with Lydia,” she said as she looked at Aiden. “I will make sure she knows not to harm the Princess again."

“Thank you,” Aiden replied.

Ophelia returned to her meeting, leaving Aiden and Clarissa alone. Aiden took her hands, surveying the healed skin. There was no scar or discoloration. They were smooth to the touch. He kissed the back of both hands, causing Clarissa to blush.

“Since training wrapped up early, shall we go visit with your Nana?" He asked as he smiled at her red cheeks. He wondered if she knew he could see her cheeks change from a pinky cream color to a deep red.

"Please," she nodded quickly.

Since they were kidnapped weeks ago, Nana's health has declined. The cold, horrid conditions racked her lungs, causing them to fill with fluid and causing her to have trouble breathing. Clarissa had gone with Aiden to pray to Eir, the goddess of healing. But she was not naive; she knew her Nana would not last much longer. The last piece of her childhood would be gone. All she would have left would be the memories.