Chapter 47

Rayna

Today was likely the most difficult of her life since her father died. Rayna stood among friends and acquaintances in a church, paying her respects to the man in the coffin up front. The song “A Long Time Traveler” by the The Wailin' Jennys began playing soulful lyrics from the speakers. It was so haunting in its beauty and depth that her throat tightened as memories of lost loved ones filled her mind.

Despite the crowded room, she’d never felt lonelier.

Danae, in the front row, wept as Bailey and Trish did their best to console her. They were good friends, and Rayna had no doubt they’d do all they could to help Miles’ wife as she grieved her husband’s death. Everyone should have people in their life like that.

Before long, nearly everyone in the front row was crying, including Justin. He didn’t strike her as the type to shed tears very often. The song continued to play, and Rayna thought of her memories of Miles, especially during their road trip to Oklahoma.

He’d been a nice guy and always had everyone’s back in a fight. Too many good people were lost in the war, but he had been one of the best. Tears pricked her eyes as she thought of the saying that the good die young. In this case, it was true.

Her younger brother, nineteen years old at the time, had died three days after the dragons arrived. He didn’t get the slayer gene, so when she and her father were racing with him to safety where their mother waited, he burned in the flames that engulfed their car. They survived. That image of him screaming in fear until his voice cut off still haunted her nightmares. There had been nothing left of him to bury.

They didn’t understand why they survived and wouldn’t learn the truth until weeks later. For years, she’d blocked out that horrible day and never spoken of it. Why did it have to hit her now?

A minister came forward and spoke of Miles’ bravery and good heart. He said all the right things, but it was hard to concentrate if Rayna didn’t want to cry. Somehow, she had to regain her composure. She was here for Danae, even though they weren’t close friends.

Then, the widow moved to the pulpit and spoke of her husband, starting with a strong voice. “Miles and I had a rough start, as some of you know. He was the kind of guy who didn’t play around, and when he committed to something, he did it with his whole heart. I was young and dumb when we dated for the first time. It didn’t last and that was my fault.”

She paused to dab a handkerchief at her eyes. “It was only after the dragons arrived that I realized what I’d given up with him. He had a big heart, but that man could also hold a grudge like you wouldn’t believe.”

People in the audience let out a subdued laugh.

“But eventually.” She paused to swallow hard. “He forgave me, and we tried again. I swore I’d stay by his side forever and make up for lost time. We have a beautiful daughter…”

She looked at three-year-old Alyssa in the front row. Bailey’s son held the little girl’s hand as she quietly cried for her father. He whispered that it would be okay. The little boy’s solemn expression was so serious one would have thought he was twenty years older. He pulled Alyssa into a hug and promised he’d be there for her.

“You’re not alone,” he told her.

Weren’t those the words everyone wanted to hear?

It was so sweet and heartfelt that those in the room who hadn’t been crying began now. It was as if the floodgates had opened inside Rayna, and every barrier she’d erected to protect herself fell with a resounding crash. The years of traveling and loneliness since her father passed tore at her soul. She felt like she’d walked the Earth alone for far too long, and no one would ever say those soft words to her. People saw a killer and assumed she had no feelings. Even her own mother had turned her back.

Aidan stood in the same row, and when she glanced at him, she caught a look of pride in his tearful expression as he gazed at his son, still consoling Alyssa. It said a lot that even the pendragon couldn’t contain his emotions at this moment.

“…Ahem, sorry,” Danae continued, her voice hoarse now. She’d began crying again, too. “I guess I should be thankful that Miles left me such a beautiful gift. It’s only too bad he won’t be here to watch her grow up and become the amazing woman I know she’ll be.”

Rayna understood the sentiment. At least she’d made it to age twenty-seven before her father passed, and they’d had a full year together fighting as slayers. Then, one day, they ran into too many dragons, and her father had sacrificed himself so she could escape. That was when she’d stopped caring about the future and only lived for the moment.

At least, until she joined the present group of people. Escaping this place soon would be a good idea. Galadon had made it clear how he felt, so she had no reason to stick around much longer. It was bad enough that she’d begun to care about so many of the ones here today.

Miles had fought bravely by all accounts. Rayna wasn’t stationed along his border section, but she’d heard stories of how well he led his troops. Also, she’d seen how he trained at the dome and fought while traveling. There were too few men like him in the world. He loved hard, battled hard, and willingly put his life on the line to give his daughter a brighter future.

Danae took a deep breath and ran her gaze across the room. “Anyway, Miles will always be the love of my life. I hope we can all make his sacrifice, as well as everyone else who died on that battlefield, worth it. Let’s live our lives to the fullest.”

After finishing, she stiffly returned to her friends and daughter.

More people got up to speak and said nice things, but it all became a blur. As much as Rayna knew they were lucky to have won the war, the cost had been high. She had tossed and turned the last couple of nights while thinking about it. They couldn’t have done much differently, but she hated that the sorcerers put them in such a position in the first place. And for what? Power?

The service ended. Rayna started to make her escape, but Aidan and Titan pulled her aside. The pendragon appeared solemn. “We would like to invite you to Eliam’s burial this evening.”

She blinked. “Shouldn’t that be for Taugud only?”

“Normally, yes, but Eliam liked you, and he’d want you to be there,” Titan replied earnestly.

Rayna wanted to be honored. “I don’t want to cause friction while you’re grieving your dead, and you know not everyone will be happy if I’m there.”

“I don’t care what they think. They answer to me, and I say you’re welcome,” Aidan said, voice resolute.

She took a moment to mull it over, but she did want to say goodbye, and it would be her only chance to witness a shifter’s funeral. “Okay, I’ll be there.”

He nodded. “Good.”

Titan gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Thank you.”

Something cracked inside of her as she realized neither shifter showed a hint of fear or wariness in her presence. She only detected kindness in their gazes.

***

Freya, Bailey, and Phoebe stood by Rayna for the burial ceremony. They made certain no one looked at her twice, and the solidarity of the females felt…nice. Somehow, along the way, she’d won a certain degree of loyalty from them. They’d explained beforehand that the service would be simpler than most humans’, but it would appropriately honor the dead.

Eliam’s body was laid out on a stone slab erected there for all ceremonies. He was wrapped in a black cloth. Normally, she’d heard, the face would be uncovered for attendees, but since the shifter’s horrific death didn’t leave that part, it wasn’t possible.

Rayna had been far away when it happened, but she wished there could have been some way to save him. He’d been a great fighter. She’d also always felt safe and respected around him. Once again, she rued the fact so many good people died in this war and that they’d found a way to warm her heart.

Unable to handle too many funerals, she’d missed Xanath’s a couple of hours before. She’d needed to recharge and be alone for a while after attending Miles’. Rayna hadn’t known the elderly sorcerer that well, but he’d been kind the couple of times she’d been around him. She heard his service was nice and did him justice.

Aidan stood before the shifter’s body, torchlight illuminating his sorrowful features.

“Eliam was one of our best warriors,” he said solemnly. “He died protecting the fortress and my sister with her unborn child. He knew the risk of going up against a Kandoran with green fire, yet he did it anyway. I will forever be grateful for his sacrifice. May he go with Zorya and find peace in the afterlife.”

His words were brief, but Bailey had told her that was traditional.

Kade came forward and handed the pendragon a smooth, round, white rock about the size of a softball. Aidan took it, closed his eyes, and blew light flames onto its granite surface. Three seconds passed before he opened his lids. She knew he’d sent a silent prayer for Eliam.

He handed it to Titan, who took over standing in front of his best friend’s body. The shifter’s features appeared ragged. Rayna had spoken to him a couple of times since the war ended and knew he was having a rough time, though he tried to hide it and be brave.

“As many of you know, Eliam and I were as close as it gets.” Titan rolled the rock in his hands nervously. “He was the toughest, kindest, most generous shifter I ever knew. I can’t imagine how the world will endure without him, but I’m grateful to have known him because he made me believe there was good in life, even during the toughest times. May he go with Zorya.”

Titan blew a small flame over the stone with his eyes closed and sent his prayer. When he looked up, he stared directly at Rayna and held it out to her. She froze. Of course, she knew Eliam’s parents had passed years ago, but she’d thought he had some other friend or relative who’d take it. Only three people were chosen to hold the stone, no more or less.

“Eliam respected you,” Titan said, emotion in his gaze. “He said no one could make him laugh harder than you just by being yourself, and he looked forward to hanging out with you after the war. I know he’d want you to take it.”

Tears poured down Rayna’s face. She’d wandered the country alone for too many years with only her horse. Now, Titan was handing her a silly rock and saying she deserved to hold it instead of any other shifter standing there. It hit her then that she’d lost a truly good friend and would never get him back. The ache in her chest grew.

Rayna drew in a deep breath and took the stone, holding it before her. “I’m grateful to say I never fought Eliam, but I did fight by his side. He was incredible in all the ways Titan mentioned. Eliam made you believe there could be a better world and that we just had to work hard to get it. May he go in peace with Zorya.”

While she didn’t have fire, she did have electricity. Rayna took care with the charge to make it as thin as possible, then covered the ball in tiny lines of blue lightning. Closing her eyes, she hoped he was in the shifter version of heaven, flying freely through the air with no more pain or worries. She prayed he found peace.

Maybe someday she would, too.