The Zodiac Stone

Chapter Fifteen: Fiammetta

The next morning it seemed like everyone was in a rush. Aine walked along the halls, dressed in his Sagittarius outfit to return to the academy in while Ophiuchus's ran around him a blur of grey.

Once he had made it down to the animal pens below the first floor of the castle, his first time down there and he got lost and turned back and took longer than he should have to get there but finally made his way.

He came up to Caedra and stood beside her not saying anything.

"The castle is in a rage," he heard her say to him in a low voice.

"Do you know why?" he asked, chancing getting slapped again after her change of character the night before.

She seemed to be in a better mood since she replied to him in a normal tone. "Talber died last night."

Aine's eyes widened. He felt cold seep into his bones as he had an odd thought.

"Do you... do you know he died?" Aine asked hesitantly.

"He was old," she said dismissively with a wave of her hand. But the lack of empathy toward the loss of an older brother, even an older person, Aine had a bad feeling about it. He remembered back how she had distinctly told him she had taken care of his service to Talber.

He watched her stand there watching an Aquarius get her chariot ready with a stillness that seemed rather cold and looked at her with a pair of new eyes. He feared her taking care of it, went beyond just speaking with her father.

"We are finished miss. We can fly when you are ready," the Yasmin said standing beside one of her teal-colored avaeyas.

Caedra turned to Aine, looking him over for a minute and then her gaze shifted to something behind him.

"Aine, you'll be carrying my things until we reach ShynCity," she said and then headed for the Chariot.

Aine turned around and saw a bag on the floor.

He watched as the chariot soared high into the sky heading for MountOdonn. He brought his attention back to the city before him and headed for his mother's house. He passed a few Sentiens who wore deep orange clothing. Their outfits were different but the shades were very close. In the kingdom, the different clans had their own colors they could wear. Aine might have been taught who had came up with that idea or he hadn't, but he couldn't recall, and after seeing what goes on in the castle and then coming to Shyn City with the Sentiens, he could see the define line between the two and didn't have to compare any of the other clans. He was beginning to see that while they were taught they were a kingdom working together, they were very much separated.

He passed by one of the areas the Sentiens worked at. It was on ground level with a flat roof but there were no walls. Pillars inside stabilized the roof in the weaker parts and curved arches one could walk through decorated the perimeter of the space. There were many brick ovens and tables set up and podiums for workers to write their recipes on.

But as Aine passed he only saw a sorry bunch of overworked and under appreciated workers. They all wore the same long face with dark shadows pillowing their eyes and the only sound from inside the area was the smacking of dough as a couple workers used a technique to make the bread softer. Their job for the kingdom was making all the baked goods. In a way they were pushed to the background while the royals, the hunters, and the medicine makers, were pulled to the top of the list as most important.

Aine looked away, staring at the dirt ground he walked on until he reached his mother's house. It was a small hut-sized home, but was cozy and everything they needed. And when his father died, it seemed as though there was suddenly the feeling of more space. He wished he knew why his father had died. He had thought about it a lot after it had happened. He believed his father had been killed, but he didn't know what he would have done to be killed.