A MAZE OF GREED

Zoe searched the whole house and finally found her brother in one corner of a terrace of the easternmost part of their house. When she reached there, she saw him looking ahead in a distance, his back facing her.

The Sun was still blazing above the head. The only chillness available was provided by the blowing wind. Although younger than her, Cyfrin carried that mature aura around him. He was way ahead of everyone in their breed. His projection of the future for their people sounded foreign and impossible.

But his conviction and faith in himself never seized to amuse her. He knew he had no chance of taking the reigns, but still, he tried his best to become a person who was worthy of that title.

His maturity was what made Zoe ignorant of her responsibility of next in the line of ruling their breed. As Cyfrin handled most of her responsibilities and covered up for her, she had time to discover herself. The taste of freedom did not let her tie her ankles in the chains of responsibilities.

Zoe was not born for that. She was born to fly free in the high sky.

As she observed her brother, the day that changed both of their lives resurfaced in her mind. That was the day, Zoe told her father that she did not want to assume the position of leader of the Shades.

*** Her father was outraged, to say the least. He thought she was disrupting the natural cycle, and that would bring shame to not only his family but also to their breed. The fight began, and one turned into the other.

The situation escalated from the roof when her father raised his hand on her.

Unlike in the human world, it was not acceptable and, was considered disrespectful to misbehave with a woman. And to add her embarrassment the whole fiasco was happening in the Academy, where all her batchmates were witnessing her downfall.

When her father raised his hand for the second time, someone held it back. She heard students around her gasping in shock. Her mentors were also there. They tried calming her father, but everyone was wary of Shades. Nobody really wanted to interfere in their business.

The few people she had gained the trust of, stood there helplessly. Her father's neck snapped to see who dared to interfere. Zoe's heart stopped beating for a moment to see Edwin's face. His cerulean blue eyes that she loved were now dark blue with anger swirling in them.

She knew her father very well. He would not only get offended by Edwin's action, but he would also connect it with the rivalry, werewolves and Shades were sharing since the great war.

Sometimes she wondered was that the reason why Edwin never reciprocated her feelings?

"Father, please!" She cried.

"Edwin O'Dell?" Her father hissed.

Cyfrin, who was standing at a hand's distance from them, had his eyes trained on Edwin. He had heard so much about the young man who was elder than him. For Cyfrin, Edwin was someone he could look up to.

Although, nobody except his sister agreed with it.

Her father infuriated and shocked that a young lad dared to stop him, threatened Edwin, but he did not budge. The fight that broke afterwards between the two leaders was a fight the Academy would remember for ages to come.

People only cheered for Edwin. Whenever her father overpowered him, they cursed at him. Everything that was happening made Zoe sick. She blamed herself for creating such a blunder.

She asked Cyfrin to do something, but he just stood there with an expressionless face. He was not delighted to see his father gaining a score, neither he was angry when the game turned to Edwin's side. He was only a mute spectator waiting for the result.

Frustrated, she ran to stop her father when he used a deceiving move, and Edwin was on the ground, ready to take his blow. Zoe was too angry at her father. The Shades were so unpopular that she wondered how they allowed her in the Academy.

And her father was proving everyone right that the Shades had no morals and always deceived others.

She jumped on her father's back to stop him, but a leader was always stronger to compete. With a cry, he threw Zoe from his back, and she landed hard on the ground that the sound of bone cracking was heard by nearby onlookers.

She saw Lester running her way with worry through her teary eyes.

"Zoe... Zoe... Someone get the water. Zoe?"

She heard him screaming in panic, but everything felt unreal to her as she found herself walking away from reality. Her vision turned blurry then darkness started clouding it.

Lester made her drink a sip or two of the water, but she had no energy left in her to drink more.

"Edwin..." She mumbled.

The last thing she remembered before slipping to darkness was Edwin's concerned voice as he called her name.

The next morning when she woke up, she found herself in the physician's room. She was told that the bone in her lower back broke due to the impact, and she would be fine after a week.

Lester was with her. He started filling her on how Edwin knocked some sense into her father. They were discussing it when Cyfrin and her father walked into the room.

She felt Lester taking a defending stance in case her father again went berserk on her.

But she knew her father very well. After his people, she was the one he loved the most. She could see the guilt in his eyes even though he tried masking it with a deep frown.

And for the first time, she saw a small smile playing on her brother's face.

Her father did not say much, he only said one thing.

"You do not need to be a leader if you do not want it. You are free to choose your freedom. Our people need someone who genuinely cared for them, and that is why I have decided to pass the reign to your brother.

I hope now you are happy!"

With that said, he left without asking her how she was or, waiting to see her reaction. Zoe's eyes watered with tears of joy.

"Cyfrin..." She took her brother's hand in his.

He patted her hand with his free one and said, "You got what you want, and I got what I deserved. Get well soon sister!"

He too left immediately, for he had finally achieved what he always desired and thought belonged to him.

Zoe looked at Lester for some explanation, to which he only answered that it was because of Edwin

And since then, Zoe's feelings for Edwin only intensified more.***

"I think you are not here to enjoy the moment dear sister."

Zoe was broken out of her reverie by Cyfrin's voice. Shaking her mind of the past thoughts, she walked near him.

"You know me vey well, do not you little brother?"

She liked the way his jaw twitched every time she called her that.

"I know why you are here."

He said, directly jumping on the point.

"Then you should provide me with some explanation." Zoe crossed her hands under her chest.

"Whatever you heard or know is right. I have accepted alliance with the Vampires. They are planning another war." He told calmly.

Zoe looked at her brother, ridiculed by his calmness.

"Cyfrin! Do you even know what you are saying?" She reprimanded him.

He did not like the way she raised her voice at him. But did not point it out just now.

"Very well sister."

Zoe shook her head in denial. Her brother could not be that dense to see the obvious.

"Cyfrin, you know that the Vampires can not be trusted. You have heard how the hell broke loose on every living being during the great war. It took thousands of innocent lives and hundreds of sacrifices by all great warriors from every breed to bring this peace.

Please Cyfrin, we should not disturb this equilibrium. We do not have any right to do so."

Cyfrin's face morphed in anger.

"Equilibrium? Which equilibrium you are referring sister? Look... look closely." He pointed his hand to their village.

"What do you see, huh? What do you see other than poverty, backwardness and primitiveness? Do you see two-storey houses for our people as they all have? Do you see carriages running on the well-maintained roads?

Do you see any clinic or school for our children? Do you see any shops of clothes, gadgets, watches, jewellery, spices and gazillion things like that?"

"Cyfrin..." Zoe was shocked to see her brother so agitated.

"Do you know any Shade who knows how to write and read other than our family? Do you know any Shade who is a successful buisnessman or merchant or a politician? Do you even see a single thing that can put us on the same line as other supernatural breeds? Do you?"

Zoe always knew how passionately her brother advocated modernity and development. His zeal for improvement in the life of his people always amazed her.

"No, because nobody considers us amongst them. We were and are isolated from them because of our stubbornness. Do you even have any idea what others think about us?

They consider us as deceivers. We spy and kill people for humble profits. We were never loyal to anyone, even to our own people.

Cyfrin, we left half of our population to die at the hands of these same vampires because they promised us this safe place and protection from the werewolves after we betrayed them.

And you still want to ally with those morons?! I can not believe you!" Zoe had enough of her brother's nonsense.

He had never left Sanchena as he lived as a shadow of her father. But she had an opportunity of living in the Academy for years. Her passion for travelling and learning new things had taken her to different places and met different people.

Cyfrin did not know anything about reality as he always lived in his own delusional world.

He did not say anything for a minute. And when he opened his mouth, he left Zoe stunned and shocked.

"The word is already given and, no one has any right to question the judgement of the leader of the Shades. And before you think of manipulating father or that small group who considers you their goddess, do not forget that your visit to Vincardine to help Edwin O'Dell is still a secret.

I hope you understand your little brother now!"

Cyfrin left, leaving Zoe to wonder if he was the same brother she was proud of before.