The Witch

Chapter four: Aziza’s POV

I was taking care of Naya. She was a lioness that came to my home when I was little. She was very sick, and I helped her get better. Once she was healthy, she decided to come to my home once or twice a month. Her short fur was very warm, and sometimes she liked to rest on top of me like a big cat.

She was purring while I petted her. One of her cubs was running near us, chasing a fly, I think. It was funny to see her trying to jump as high as she could but coming back empty-handed. She became frustrated, and she showed in with a whine.

“Hey! One day you’ll be as big as your mama, and you are going to be a great hunter.” The cub looked at me and call me crazy, but it was like it smiled at me.

She turned around and continued her chase with the fly. Naya started licking my hand, like she was saying thank you for cheering up her cub.

“Don’t worry Naya, you are like my family. I love your cubs as much as I love you.” Naya stood up and licked my face. I started giggling as she tried to lick me, showing me her affection.

But my happiness was interrupted when I heard my mom screaming my name. She had gone to the river to get more water while I helped with the chores.

“AZIZA! HIDE!” She repeated over and over again. I wanted to look for her, she was my mother and I could protect her, but Naya didn’t let me go to her. She kept biting my skirt and pulling me to the other side.

“Stop it Naya, my mom needs me!” I tried to take the dress out of her mouth, but she was resilient, until we heard a gunshot.

I looked in front of me and saw my mom. She was right in front of me, looking at me with sadness, as a stray tear fell from her cheek. She opened her mouth and a trail of blood came out. I looked at her chest and realized that she had a huge hole.

“MAMA!” I yelled as I saw my mom’s life leaving her body. The last thing she said, just before she fell to the ground, will always stay in my memory.

“I told you to run my baby. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you. I love you.” And then she dropped to the floor, lifeless. I ran towards her, I didn’t care if the people that killed her shot me as well.

I tried shaking her, but it did nothing, she was gone. My mama was gone.

My heart broke at that moment, I could literally feel it. My eyes filled with tears as I mourned her death. I heard some voices surrounding me. They were saying stuff that I didn’t understand, but their voices were becoming very irritating.

“Stop, shut up.” I tried to make them stop, but they continued. I covered my ears, but it wasn’t enough. They were already causing me a headache, and then I heard him again.

“You should kill them, Aziza. Your mother is gone because of them. You should avenge her, or are you going to let them run free with their crime?” Why am I hearing it now? I should only hear it in my dreams.

“Shut up!” I yelled once again, but then one of the voices touched me, and tried to get me off my mother’s body.

I felt something inside me snap, and a huge flow of energy come through my veins. It hurt, like lava was running inside of me.

“Kill them.” It didn’t sound so crazy what the voice was saying. They did kill my mother, they took the light from her. My mama, someone that was too good for this forsaken world.

They tried to take me away once again, but this one would be the last mistake that they made. I concentrated on the power running inside of me, and I pushed it all out.

“LEAVE ME ALONE!” I yelled as a huge blast of energy left my body. The problem was that after I used all that power, I felt exhausted. And so the darkness claimed me once again, and I was left there, defenseless.

Third-person POV

He waited until she fainted. He knew she was powerful, but what he witnessed today proved that she was more than he could ever wish for. To him, it was clear as day, she was the answer. And now she was at his mercy.

He took the cuffs that he was given by a shaman. They had some strange symbols on them that supposedly could contain her. He didn’t have much time as he didn’t know how long she was going to be asleep. Once he put them on, he called the other warriors that had come with him, and they carried her all the way to his village.

His father was waiting anxiously for him, he could almost taste her power. Who would have thought that she was still alive? After all these years, he still got what he wanted. Power.

His son arrived with the woman on his shoulders. She had fainted, and he moved her around like a rag doll. He wasn’t sure if it was her, not until he saw her eyes. Those were the key to confirming her identity. The evidence that the devil was still inside of her, her long-lost daughter.

"You came back victorious, my son." His deep voice resonated, making everyone look at the prince that had just arrived. He was loving the attention. He was finally recognized by his father. It was the first time that he had called him his son in public, and his heart swelled with pride.

"Yes father, as I promised you, I brought you the witch." He dropped Aziza to the ground, making her wake up from her deep slumber. She was still drowsy from the exhaustion, she had used too much power, and didn't know what had happened after she fainted.

As she was waking up, she still had trouble focusing on her sight. Everyone looked blurry, but it was clear that she wasn't in her home anymore. No, that was lost forever with her mother's death.

"You lost everything, Aziza. You have no one. I'm the only one you can trust." The voice inside her spoke. He poisoned her from the inside, trying to break her apart.

Still, she stood stoic, not showing her emotions to the people that surrounded her. She quickly noticed that she was handcuffed, meaning that they were up to no good. She could finally notice who was in front of her. It was a man. He was sitting on a high chair. He looked in his forties, and if it wasn't for her gray hair he would have looked even younger. But it was clear, by the wrinkles in his face, that something was going on with him. She could sense it. The evil inside of him was eating him alive.

Everyone looked at the woman, she was beautiful, her dark skin glowed with the sun, and her hair looked like it was on fire as it had some sections that were red. Her eyes were what stood the most. Bright red, like they were made of blood.

"Welcome back, my dear daughter." The man acknowledged her, making everyone in the room gasp. What does this mean? A daughter? But the chief's daughter died.

Aziza heard everyone whispering, she had an idea of whom this man was, and considering his actions he was certain that he had killed her biological mother. Now this man, this village, owed her two lives.

"You are not my father. A father wouldn't have killed my mother and tried to kill me as well." She said, looking straight into the man's eyes. Then she directed her sight to the rest of the people. "Your chief is someone evil, he tried to get rid of me, and got rid of my mom. A kind woman protected me, and now he has killed her as well. He is only going to bring disgrace to you all."

"Enough! Take her away." They expected her to scream and cry, but she didn't give them the satisfaction. She was going to make them pay, one by one, for the life of her mother.

And they soon regretted her bringing her to the village. They thought they could control her, but she was far more powerful than they could ever imagine.