Aries

Chapter 8.1

This is a bonus chapter. If you want you can read it, of not, leave it. It will not affect the flow of the story.

This is for the new year! Happy new year!

The witch before her gritted her teeth. "You are coming home!"

Kaina could care less. When she found her mate was in the Summer Tribe fifty years ago, she had been thrilled. She left her tribe impulsively and joined the Summer Tribe under Zayin Priscilla. Now she was paying the price for abandoning her mother tribe.

"Why?" Kaina drawled, swirling the glass in her hand. "Why should I return?"

The elder witch before her exasperated. "Is this how you are going to spend the rest of your life? Drinking away?"

Kaina opened one eye. Yet she did not bother to get up from the sofa. She was quite content how she was. Laying on the sofa, doing nothing.

"What about it?" she snorted and emptied the jin the glass had in one shot.

"Just because Roland left-"

Kaina snarled, smashing the glass on the floor. "Don't speak about him."

The door to her house was knocked. By the faint scent of lilies, Kaina knew who was out.

"Enter!" the witch of Summer Tribe said.

When the door opened, a fresh breeze carried away a fractal of pungent smell. Light tumbled after the winds and roamed all around her living room.

A young witch wearing a pastel blue dress stood at the doorway with a basket in her hand. Freshly baked cookies were in it. Kaina rose her eyebrows. Why did she not smell it earlier? Was the alcohol affecting her brain too much? Entering the house, she closed the door with a loud bang.

As soon as the young witch came, she glared at Kaina as she placed the basket before the Zayin of the Northern Tribe. Without a word, she drew the curtains and opened the windows. As if she was weaving a spell, the laziness in the house fled.

"What?" Kaina asked the young witch.

Instead of answering her, Esme turned to the elder witch. "I spoke to Zayin Priscilla. You can take her away, grandmother."

Kaina gasped and shot up. "How dare you, Esme!"

The witch snapped, her blue eyes filled with fury. "I can no longer see you like this, mother! I am pretty sure even your son will agree. You are wasting your life!"

"Wasting my life?" Kaina sniggered. "What life?"

Esme neared her and shook her shoulders roughly. "Wake up! You were meant to be the Zayin of the Northern Tribe. See how you are now!"

Kaina shrugged off her daughter-in-law's hands. "Zayin? I am pretty sure Zarola is being trained for that."

Her mother sighed. "Zarola is being trained. But if you return, her claim will be nothing. Even she recognises this. If you return, Zarola will give her claim."

Kaina snorted as she strode to her shelf. Taking a new glass, she refilled it. "She is meant to be the Zayin. Not me."

"Fine," Deanna said, getting up from her chair. "She will be the Zayin. But at least can you return home?"

Kaina shook her head. "Nope."

"Why not?" her mother asked. "You are just a hundred years old. Yet you want to give up so easily."

Esme snorted. "If anything, you still look sexy."

Kaina groaned and gulped the contents of her glass again. "Do you think I care about my beauty?"