Blood of my Blood

CHAPTER FIVE

Anikoh’s pov

Zara has always loved being the center of attention, and if she’s not, she does everything she can to make it about herself.

The entire coven and senior members liking Adaline did not sit well with her. She always tried to get Adaline in trouble, but it backfires, which resulted in more profound jealousy.

The last incident caused Master Rosen to send her to TWITI (The Witches in Training Institute). Though we’ve passed through the academy, Master thinks it will help her learn to be a better person and harness more of her power. Our parents also sent us there because Zara is always mentioning our name each time her plans backfire, so she doesn’t have to be alone.

On the day of the Light festival, Zara was supposed to be the maiden carrying the bowl of Light on her head to the middle of the White forest while chanting, and the coven sings behind her as she leads the way.

The festival begins as it is usually done, but Zara wasn’t able to carry out her duty as she was going through her woman right that day. And as tradition would have it, you must be clean to carry the bowl of Light on your head. So Master Rosen asked Adaline to carry the bowl since both she and Zara had been prepared for the occasion in case something happens to the other.

Zara was furious and jealous that she couldn’t do it. She has been talking about it for months and boasting about it, telling everyone she can that she will be then maiden for the year. It’s always an honor to be the carrier as the maiden is embodied with more power on getting to Theia’s temple.

I tried telling her to let it go, it’s not like Adaline made it impossible for her to carry the bowl of Light, but Zara wouldn’t listen. Being the daughter of the coven master and not being able to carry it caused her to lash out by trying to pick up the bowl, but Master Rosen stopped her before she could as the bowl might just kill her for touching it.

However, he said some things that made her madder than she already was. It’s known that if you’ve been allowed to carry the bowl of Light to the forest, the power bestowed on you when you get to the temple isn’t just on you alone; it cuts across to your family also.

Master Rosen told Zara she was a disappointment for not bringing honor to her family and losing the opportunity to gain more power for her bloodline. Master Rosen has always compared Zara to Adaline, pushing her to be better than she is, which only fuels the jealousy and hatred in her heart.

Anytime Adaline achieves anything, Master Rosen makes Zara try it out even if it can kill her. So Zara blames Adaline for her predicament. After the festival, we all went home thinking it was over, but Zara never got over it. Instead, she was always talking about it, badmouthing Adaline, sabotaging her spells. Adaline never said anything; she will just smile and redo anything damaged.

On that fateful day, we decided to skip the training and go to the glass lake to swim. There were five of us, Moira, Trini, Blaze, Zara, and I. We met Adaline on the way at the edge of the White forest in the no man’s land picking flowers. Zara was the first to see her, so she called out to her mockingly. “Picking flowers for your boyfriend? Adaline. You know the boys are supposed to do that, not the other way round.”

Adaline just smiles at us. “Hi guys, I’m picking these flowers for old man Victor. He says it reminds him of his dead wife.

“That’s very nice of you,” Moira told her. I offered to help her carry the flowers’ basket, which pissed Zara off, causing her to yell. “She can carry it herself. She’s not a handicap.”

“It’s called being nice Zara, you should try it sometimes, and maybe it might get people to like you more,” Trini said to her.

“We are going to the glass lake, would you like to come with us?” I offered.

“Sure, but I have to drop this first.”

“Ok, we will wait for you at the lover’s rock. We can go to the lake from there.”

“All right, I’ll be back.” She left. At the same time, we went to the lovers rock and sat around it.

Zara was still her negative self. “Why do you have to invite her? We don’t need her getting us in trouble.”

“She won’t, but you will with your attitude,” I replied, giving her an angry look while walking away.

She came after me, grabbing my shirt, “you should be on my side, what’s wrong with you? I’m your girlfriend and not her.”

“Yea, and you’ve been annoying ever since. You’re my girlfriend, not my boss. Don’t expect me to go along with everything that comes out of your mouth.”

I’m sorry, but it’s like you have feelings for her, and I don’t want to lose you.”

“Being nice doesn’t mean I have feelings for her. She is nice to everyone and helps my grammie out with her chores. I’m just showing my gratitude for her help.”

“Ok, she said in a small voice.

Adaline came back, and we all went to the lake. We were all making jokes, laughing till we got to the lake.

Everything was going on fine; we were having fun till Zara got the brilliant idea to go into the Orland quarters. We all said no. Witches aren’t allowed there, but she refuses to listen. She kept saying how we all were chicken and too scared. We agreed to go with her, except Adaline. Nothing anyone said could convince otherwise; even when Zara called her a wimp living off her sister’s legacy, she still refuses to go. Instead, she agreed to wait at the lake till we got back.

At the quarters, Zara dared the girls to a magical duel, which they agreed to until Moira got hit with an aborium spell, almost killing her. We tried everything we could, but nothing worked. Zara refused to call her dad or any elder to help. So I called Adaline and told her what happened. She rushed over with some herbal plants and performed a sacrificial spell that restored Moira to herself.

But performing such a spell requires a blood sacrifice, which Adaline got from a purple ferret that we saw in the bush. We didn’t know that the ferret wasn’t ordinary, and it belongs to Vyron Orland. The minutes the ferret died, he felt it. He sent his enforcers to find it, and they found us with the body of the ferret.

When they got close, before we could say anything, Zara pointed at Adaline, saying she was the one that killed the ferret. We were too shocked to give a reply after finding out who owns the ferret. The enforcer grabbed her, saying she had committed treason. First, by coming onto their land to perform magic and killing Vyron Orlands pet. So they took Adaline away.

We all turned to Zara and asked why she just did that.

“I just saved our lives. You should be thanking me.”

“Saved our lives!!! You just condemned Adaline to death.”

“Better her than us; besides, they won’t kill her yet, which gives us time to go and tell my dad.” She said, hissing and walking away.

“You can go, I’ll follow them. Hopefully, I can convince them of Adaline’s innocence.”

“But she killed the ferret.”

“Yeah, to save Moira, whom you blasted with the aborium spell. Something that’s forbidden to us all because it has consequences. How did you even know the spell?”

She replied, smirking, “I have my ways.”

“Congratulations, you just graduated to being a killer.”

I told her, walking away.

Ani, Ani, Ani!!! She kept screaming but I didn’t answer.

I tried tracking them but I couldn’t as I’ve never been to the quarters before and I don’t know the way. In the end, I ran into some vampire, and they arrested me, calling me an intruder. I told them I wanted to see Vyron Orland that I have some information to share. They agree to take me to the castle.

At the castle, I said everything I could, but they refused to reason with me. The council agreed that since Adaline was the one that killed the ferret, she has to pay for the crime, and they kicked me out of their land.

No amount of water could put out the raging fire in her eyes as she turned to us. I could feel the entire building shaking as her powers raged with her. I think I peed on myself, Moira and the others were shaking.

 Even her mother and the entire coven moved back, too afraid to get close to her. Our power combined is inconsequential to hers when she's playing much less when she's angry. After all, she is the Lady of Light

"You led my sister to her death because of petty jealousy." Said her bellowing voice. We all tried talking with our stammering voice. "Silence!!!"

"Do you know why that ferret is special?" She asked in a really creepy voice. It sounded like a thousand voices.

"I'll tell you. That ferret has been alive for 200 years. It was given to Vyron by Lady Athena, the queen of ice. She was a witch that found her light in a vampire, which everyone thought wasn't possible. Their love affair sparked the blood wars. With each side claiming superiority. Witches can’t be with vampires and vice versa. Athena lost her life during the war.

With her dying breath, she passed her essence into the ferret he got her because she loved the animal a lot. The war affair resulted in the death of 1000s of people on both sides till a peaceful arrangement was met at pines, the place you call lovers rock today. That peace treaty agreement states that we all stay on our side, never to go to each other's land."

"You took my sister to a land that's not ours and left her to die there all because of your petty jealousy."

She walked a few paces away before abruptly stretching her hands out, magically dragging Zara to her. She held her by the neck gazing at her with a menacing look and squizzing her neck. Zara Pointes, your betrayal led to the death of one of our own, and you will face the wrath of goddess Theia.

"Noooo." Master Rosen and her mother screamed on their knees.

"As the rules of the coven, she has to face an honor court. You can't kill her. The coven gets a voice in her punishment. Besides, why are you punishing only her? They were all there” he said, pointing at us.

"Fine, they can face the honor court. However, I want to know what happened to my sister after Anikoh was kicked out of Orland quarters."

"Remember, Rosen, you may have bought some time for your daughter, but she won't escape my wrath." She said, walking away from the room.

Mama King stood up, asking where she was going.

"Adaline was ours, even if she committed a crime, the vampires owe us the courtesy of informing us. Not just killing her off. It's an act of war. If it's a war they want then it's a war they will get."

Mama King ran after her, Ema, you can't just declare war without all the facts.

We were still lying on the floor, suffocating in our own pool of blood.

"What about the kids? You can't just leave them like this. They will die." Someone screamed from the back. They have to face honor court. They can't be dead before their sentence.

She kept walking till she got to the door and then turned her face a bit, "give them mandrake root tea, and they'll be fine" before leaving the room.