26

26

I didn’t sleep.

I watched the night fade away as dawn stretched pink fingers across the sky. A knock at the front door dragged me out of my bed, and I found Brecan waiting on the landing. I squinted against the early morning sunlight and waved him inside.

“Are you okay?” he asked tenderly.

I nodded, afraid that if I spoke, my voice would crack.

“She was your mother…” he started.

“I do not mourn her, Brecan. She was no mother to me.”

I mourned Bay and Wayra. I even mourned Ela. I mourned for the witches who would have nightmares of Cyril – who my dark looks unfortunately favored – for years to come. But most of all, I mourned the loss of Tauren. Nothing would ever fill the hole of his absence in my life.

Fate attempted to comfort me, but I wouldn’t allow it.

“Tomorrow, a new Priestess of the House of Earth will be anointed.”

“Who will it be?”

“A few have indicated their interest. One seems to be more powerful than the rest, though.”

I nodded and looked out the back door. Not a single living leaf hung from the branches of the deciduous trees. They’d all turned brown and brittle, curling in on themselves. Even the evergreens had dried from the root up, their deep green color nowhere to be seen. The earth needed to be revived. A new Priestess could bring life to what was now dead.

“Did you take Tauren home?” he asked, looking out over the Center, studiously ignoring my face.

“Yes.”

“Is he expecting you back soon?”

I swallowed. “No.”

He closed his eyes for a long beat. “I will urge the Circle to ignore the mandate placed on you before you left.”

Hand-fasting. I hadn’t thought of their forced decree since I returned. Decrees, typically, were sealed with magic. If Brecan didn’t succeed in persuading them, I would have to honor my word.

A tear fell from my eye. He saw it before I swiped it away. “I know it was hard for you to leave him there.”

It was the hardest thing I’d ever done .

“I just hope you know that things will be different for you here in Thirteen from now on. Mira and I, and even Ethne, will not tolerate anyone showing you disrespect. Not after all you’ve done.”

“I didn’t do anything, Brecan.”

“The hell you haven’t!” he whispered angrily. “I know what you did, what you sacrificed for us, and I’ll make sure that you’re not only respected, but treated like the Guardian of the House of Fate.”

“Thank you,” I told him. What more was there to say? “I want to help,” I said, taking a deep breath and straightening my back. “I want to help set this mess right.”

“Come with me,” he urged, clasping my hand and pulling me toward the door. “There’s something you need to see.”

He threw open my front door and tugged me onto the landing, where I gasped at the sight of every witch in the Gallows staring back at me. “What is this?” I whispered, inching backward.

Brecan was the first to bow, then everyone did. Ethne, Mira, and every witch from every House. “Thank you for saving us, Sable,” Ethne’s voice rang out over the crowd as she straightened.

Tears clogged my throat.

I didn’t do enough. I hadn’t saved Bay or Wayra. I was too late to help them.

My fingers trembled as the assembled witches bowed again and then meandered back to their chores.

Brecan hugged me from the side. “You are revered . ”

A strange laugh bubbled out of me. I didn’t deserve it, but for the first time in my life, it felt good not to be looked upon as a pariah.

That evening I washed my hair, scrubbed the soil from my cuticles, and donned the best dress I had left. Arron waited patiently downstairs near the door, peeking out the window across the lawn. “I’m not sure I’ll be welcome,” he said with a wince.

“You are a member of the House of Fate, and we have been invited to mourn. You are as welcome as I, Arron.”

He inclined his head, but I could see he thought we might be in for a fight.

As the stars began to wink, the two of us walked across the lawn side by side, our strides falling in sync. Brecan waited on the landing, greeting each witch as they entered his home. Each wore the colors indicative of their Houses, a kaleidoscope of red, blues, and green. Arron and I added black to the hues.

Brecan had cleaned up, too. He donned new, pale blue robes that somehow made his lavender eyes brighter. I was absolutely certain Mira had helped with those.

Two Fire witches climbed the steps, pausing to greet Brecan. They bowed to him, expressed their condolences, and entered the House of Air on silent slippers.

Brecan took a deep breath and let it out when he saw me. “I’m glad you came.” When I tried to bow like the other witches, he wouldn’t allow it and instead pulled me in for a hug. “Thank you, Sable. ”

I squeezed him tight and stepped away. Brecan accepted Arron’s brief bow and waved us inside.

Every wall was painted sky blue, and on every ceiling was painted a different type of cloud. It was light and airy, just the way the witches of the Wind would want it. The furniture was painted white, accented with silver candlesticks and pale tapers. Even the soft-spun drapes looked like airy extensions of the sky.

In a large, open room where rows of witches lined the walls, Wayra’s body hovered in the air beneath a constant torrent of wind that held her upright and still, as if there was a slab of marble beneath her. Her long, white hair stretched to the creaking floor boards. Once all had mourned her, she would be offered to the sky. Brecan would float her up until she vanished from sight, and the goddess would receive her body.

Wayra wasn’t as young as most of the witches in The Gallows, but you’d never know that by looking at her. She didn’t have a single wrinkle. Her skin was as flawless in death as it was in life.

Arron and I paused in front of her for a long moment and then moved further into the House to allow others to pay their respects, before exiting out the back and making our way to the House of Water.

Mira’s dark blue robes swirled around her like a whirlpool, wrapping around her legs. A tear fell from her eye when she saw us in Bay’s line. She took a moment to usher in three Earth witches and then threw her arms around me. I cried into her soft hair.

“I’m sorry,” I sobbed.

Her body shook with the sorrow that tore through her .

Arron waited on the step, giving us a moment to grieve together. When we parted, I pulled him up onto the landing to stand beside me. “You remember Arron,” I said politely, desperately trying to regain my composure.

“I do. Thank you for helping us. At first, I wasn’t sure we could trust you,” Mira said honestly.

His cheeks turned scarlet and he stared at his feet. “It was nothing.”

“Do you know where the witches who helped your mother are hiding?” she asked.

I gave a nod. “In the Wilds.”

“I want to hunt them with you.” A calculating chill took over her demeanor. Mira wanted them to pay. In addition to the witches, they killed the animals she’d brought to life and sent to Thirteen.

“I plan to leave at midnight.”

She grinned wickedly. “Count me in.”

Arron’s silver, slitted eyes narrowed at her. “You hunt?”

“I do now,” she sassed with a quirked brow that dared him to question her again.

With our plans settled, we turned our attention back to the somber processional. Inside the House of Water, everything was painted in varying shades of blue and teal. Some faded from pale to dark, reminding me of the graduated pool in the palace.

Bay rested on a column of water rising from an indoor fountain. The tips of his wavy gray hair were tugged along with the current. We stood in front of him for a moment and stepped away to allow others to pay their respects .

Ethne waited in the hallway, standing straighter when Arron and I approached. “May I speak to you for a moment?” she asked quietly. “Alone.”

Arron told me he would be nearby but stepped away, making small talk as he walked further into the House with a small boy. The child showed Arron a small twister that he swirled between his palms and Arron pretended to be most impressed.

I turned my attention back to Ethne. She swallowed thickly. “I felt you should know that Bay was your father. He was hand-fasted to Cyril in the months you were conceived. He wanted to tell you, but Ela forbid it and I seconded her. Even Wayra believed it unwise.”

The revelation knocked the breath out of me.

It was why he was kind. Why he tried to empathize with me. Why he supported me in accepting the invitation and sent Mira to help me.

My eyes began to water. “Thank you for telling me.”

She inclined her head, her fiery hair falling over her shoulders. “I am so sorry, Sable, for how I treated you. We thought Cyril had twisted you. We were afraid of you, but that doesn’t excuse how we treated you. If I could take it all back, I would.”

“Thank you,” I whispered despite the knot in my throat.

I stared at Bay again as Ethne took her leave, patting my arm as she passed me by. Bay – my father –loved me. He was bound by a duty I didn’t fully appreciate or understand, but he did what he could for me when he was able.

And now he was gone .

A tear fell from my eye. Standing in the middle of the House of Water, I cried for Bay, for all he did for me, for his sacrifice, and for all the wonderful moments life would offer that he wouldn’t see come to fruition.

Arron came to stand at my side, silent but present. I appreciated it more than he knew.

Soon, Mira would take Bay’s body to the lake, situated in the wood far beyond the Center. She would place him in the water, where the Goddess would absorb him. Then, she would come find me. Together, we would hunt down the witches who tried to kill Tauren.

Who sided with my mother.

The witches who deserved to die.

Using a concealing spell, Fate led me into the Wilds, where the undergrowth was thick and thorny for many miles before the forest thinned in a quaint valley. A brook babbled nearby. The witches had warded the area. Charms made of bent, woven wood swung in the breeze.

If it weren’t for the spell I’d conjured, the charms would have alerted them to our presence. We passed charm after charm, and as the trees became scarce, the charms thickened. Three hung from the branches of larger pines. We were close.

Fate gave me a vision of his sigil, a mark that darkened the closer we came to our targets. We found the male witch sleeping in a dilapidated cabin. The only part of the roof not covered in a thick carpet of moss had caved in. He never saw us coming .

Mira kicked the door open. The witch threw his blankets off and siced his pet on us. The large canine had been dead a very long time, from the looks of the rotten bits of flesh and fur dangling from his underbelly. I ordered the dog to sit and he obeyed.

Arron appeared in front of the witch. “Is that any way to welcome guests?” he teased.

The witch flung spell after spell, but Fate’s sigil pulsed on his head. I used my hands to bat the desperate attempts away like pests until finally, the witch relented. He begged me not to take the life of his lover, which enraged me.

“You tried to kill the man I love and you’re asking me to spare your lover? I don’t think so.”

Rope in hand, I started toward him, but Mira reached him first.

Mira, thick tears clinging to her eyes, let out a roar and drowned him with a torrent of water so strong, it plastered him to the wall, holding him in place until his lungs filled with fluid. Once she was sure he was dead, she let him fall bonelessly to the ground. Arron strode toward the body, his heavy boots bowing the floorboards. Clouds poured from his hands, swallowing the male witch whole. When they dissipated, the witch’s body was gone.

“Where is the female?” Mira asked, glancing around the filthy space with wild eyes.

“Farther… she is near the sea,” I answered. Grabbing each of their hands, I spirited us to his accomplice. She wasn’t just near the sea, she was in it; standing knee deep, looking out at the incoming tide. The waves rose and crashed into her legs with a ferocity that heralded Mira’s rising anger.

When the woman sensed us, she turned, Fate’s mark emblazoned on her forehead. “You found him, didn’t you? We knew you’d come for us eventually. Since Cyril’s death, we’ve been almost powerless. We can’t even spirit ourselves away from harm.” She sniffed, wiping her tears away.

“Your lover is dead,” Mira informed her coldly, watching as the witch deflated. “Just as you will be.”

The witch’s smile wobbled. Her auburn hair thrashed in the wind. Moonlight turned the tears in her eyes to glitter as she gritted out, “Then I shall be reunited with him and the goddess on this night.”

The girl didn’t fight back. She didn’t whisper a single spell. She steeled her spine and faced us as Mira strode toward her on steps fueled by purpose, never sinking into the sea. The girl turned around just in time to see Mira grab her hair. She dragged the girl far beyond the line of breakers and disappeared beneath the surface with her.

When the girl had drowned, Mira dragged her body back to the shore for Arron to dispose of.

“They deserved it,” he said with finality as the doomed witch’s body disappeared.

I didn’t feel bad about claiming them. Fate may not have ordered it, but he guided us to them.

“Were they the only two helping Cyril?” Mira asked, waiting as I felt for Fate’s answer. He’d been strangely quiet since Cyril’s death. I could still feel him, but things between us were different .

He confirmed my suspicion with a warm flutter. “Yes. There was only the two of them.”

I was grateful there weren’t more. Given the size of the House of Fate, there must have been many more, but most chose not to remain loyal to my mother. Most were wise enough to cut ties with her and move on with their lives.

And now, we had to do the same. We had to move forward, one minute, one day, and one choice at a time…

“So, who is Night, and does he speak to you?” Mira asked Arron as we walked away from the shore.

He nodded towards me. “Yes, but not in the same way Fate speaks to Sable. Night – darkness – is a vital part of nature. That said, Night is a separate natural affinity – not like Fate, who is very much alive.”

Grasping their hands yet again, together we spirited to the Center where Mira lingered. It was obvious that she wanted to talk to me…alone. Luckily, Arron was very good at taking hints. He hooked a thumb over his shoulder and pointed back to our House. “I, uh, have… There are things I should do.”

Mira giggled. “Then by all means, go and do them.”

He strode to our House and disappeared behind the door.

“He has the biggest crush on you,” I told her when we were alone.

“He does not.”

“Yes, he does. Since you told the water who was boss, he hasn’t stopped staring at you.”

Mira smiled, but the smile soon fell away. “Sable,” she began, “the moon is almost full. ”

I looked to the dark sky above and wished I had the power to drag the shadow back again, to hold it in place so the moon would never be full. I wished Fate would ask me to heal the King, ensuring that Tauren’s heart wouldn’t break from the sight of his father drawing his last breath. That he wouldn’t have to hear his mother’s cries.

“You should go to him.”

“I left him.”

“If anyone could understand, he would, Sable. He understands duty and responsibility better than anyone.” She squeezed my arm. “Thank you for letting me tag along tonight.”

I appreciated her help, but was sad it came to this. To death. But with death would come rebirth. That was the cycle of life.

“You might be interested to know,” Mira started, “that Tauren sent Rose and Estelle home. He was very nice about it, but told them neither one was his match.”

My heart leapt, trying vainly to escape via my throat. I couldn’t speak, couldn’t find the words to tell her how glad I was to hear this news. I thought he might just choose one at random and hope for the best, just so his father could attend his wedding. Truthfully, I liked Estelle, and I knew she liked Tauren, too. But like wasn’t love , and that was what Tauren deserved more than anything.

“I still say you should go to him. Arron can stay in your House, and I’ll watch over him and it while you’re gone,” she offered. “Think about it.”

I nodded .

Mira waited until I looked at her. “Promise me you’ll think about it.”

Sighing, I replied, “I promise.”

The next morning when I woke, the din of conversation grew in the Center as witches from every House gathered. I woke Arron and we went out to join them. An Air witch excitedly informed us that the new Earth Priestess was about to be introduced.

As soon as she said it, Ethne, Brecan, and Mira emerged from the wood with a fourth witch. Ivy, from the House of Earth, had been anointed as the new Priestess. She was lovely, with hair and freckles the same dark, earthy shade of pine bark. Her kind, evergreen eyes fell on everyone who came out to applaud her, including Arron and me.

I felt the pull of her power from where I stood. Tender grass shoots flourished beneath her feet as every step she took brought life. Every tree she touched regained its color, and while leaves wouldn’t come until spring, she promised they would return. That all would be as it once was.

With regard to nature, all would be restored. With regard to life? Nothing would be as it was.

Ethne stepped forward, a rare smile on her face. “Witches, I give you Ivy, Priestess of the House of Earth.”

Ivy bowed as Ethne crowned her with a wreath made of twisted vines. As soon as the dry vine touched her head it came alive, small flowers budding and then blooming around the circlet.

“We have much to do to set things right,” Ivy said in a sweet-sounding voice. “But, as soon as the balance has returned, the Circle wants to celebrate with an Affinity Battle, which will take place on All Hallow’s Eve.”

The witches gasped collectively and then cheered.

There hadn’t been a battle in at least five years, but from what I remembered from watching the last one, it was something the witches enjoyed. They challenged one another to retrieve a specific crystal from the porch of each House. No spiriting was allowed; only Earth, Air, Fire, Water, sweat, and determination.

“This year, we’d like to invite the House of Fate to join us as well.”

My mouth gaped for a moment before I recovered. “We accept.” I smiled and nudged Arron, who seemed confused. I whispered to him, “I’ll explain later.”

Mira explained that we would divide into our Houses and receive further instructions. Everything that had been marred would require replenishment, and since much had been affected, there was a lot of work to be done between now and All Hallow’s Eve.

Arron and I would help, too. We hovered in the Center to see where we could best assist.

Brecan found us first. “You ready?” he asked.

Arron glanced at me and answered, “We were wondering what was taking so long.”

Brecan laughed and waved for us to join his House.

It was strange to feel welcome here, but it gave me a sense of relief. I didn’t realize how tense and uncomfortable I’d been in my own sector until I left it.

Having a purpose made the hard days pass quickly, but I watched the moon in my empty moments, even during the day when the sky was clear. Tomorrow, she would be full. I was restless. Fate was so quiet, at times I forgot he was there.

“Does Tauren need me?” I asked him into my mirror while towel-drying my damp hair. “Should I go to him?”

Fate did not answer. But my heart did.

I threw the towel to the floor and jogged down the steps. “Arron, I need to go –”

Arron was in the sitting room, standing awkwardly beside Courier Stewart as he worried his hat. “Miss Sable,” he greeted with relief.

My eyes filled with tears. “Is he okay?”

“He’d like you to come to the palace, if you’re not too busy.”

I nodded. “I’ll go to him now.”

The Courier inclined his head. “Thank you, Miss.”

I glanced at Arron, who nodded in understanding. Without further thought or conversation needed, I raced to the door, flung it open, and spirited to the palace steps, surprising the two guards who were stationed there. Once they saw my face, they relaxed. “I need to see Tauren,” I demanded breathlessly.

They opened the doors and I slipped inside, scurrying on feather-light steps to the King’s chamber. The guards standing sentinel outside the door waved me inside without complaint. I entered and almost gasped at the heart-wrenching tableau spread out before me. Tauren sat on one side of his father and the Queen sat on the other, each grasping one of the King’s limp hands. King Lucius lay almost flat, his head elevated with a pillow. His skin was yellow and sagged on his bones. The thick blankets covering him could not conceal his swollen middle.

Tears pricked my eyes.

Tauren glanced up as the door opened, and I saw his face crumble when he saw me. Dropping his head with a trembling sigh, his dark hair and shoulders shook with every tear he tried to hold in.

With his free hand, he reached for me. I rushed to him and grasped him as tightly as I could, attempting to infuse every ounce of my love through my embrace. His arm wrapped around me and he fisted the fabric of the back of my dress. With every sob he let out, fissures spread through the wall I’d erected around my heart.

Annalina watched us with tears streaming down her face. “Thank you,” she mouthed. I nodded once, focusing again on Tauren.

I stayed for minutes, hours, holding the man I loved. Lucius’s breaths faded until they were shallow and spread far apart, and then, just after dusk, they stopped and the King faded away. His soul rose up into the room, regarding his loved ones. I whispered a blessing to him and urged him to follow the light. It would guide him to his next destination.

In all my years of dealing with death, I knew there was a moment of numb shock that hit each person after they lost a loved one. Even though they knew death was inevitable, in that moment it suddenly became real. The fact that their loved one was truly gone would pierce them like an arrow to the heart.

I was there the moment it hit Annalina. As if sensing the separation of her beloved’s spirit, she let out a wail that made the marrow nestled within my bones ache. I wished there was some way I could comfort her, but without speaking, Tauren went to her. He held his mother, rocking her until she calmed.

When she was exhausted and depleted, Annalina looked up and gingerly stood. “We need to admit the physician to prepare him for burial.” She squeezed Tauren’s hand tight and reached for me with trembling fingers. I walked around the bed to her and slid my hand into hers, and the three of us walked from the room.

Annalina might have been grieving, but she was still Queen, and it showed with the way she held her head up despite her tears. The way she straightened her back and put one foot in front of the other when I knew all she felt like doing was falling to her knees.

Tauren and I walked with her to a set of rooms she’d occupied temporarily during Lucius’s illness. When Tauren offered to stay with her, she shook her head dismissively and hugged her son.

“I need some time alone,” she said, her voice cracking.

Once she shut her door, Tauren turned to me, his chin quivering as he held back more tears. “I know it isn’t exactly proper, but would you come to my room? It’s private, and I just want–”

“Of course I will,” I answered .

We walked together to his room. He didn’t say a word; he tugged me toward the enormous bed, where we lay on the covers and eventually gave in to exhaustion together, falling asleep cradled within each other’s arms.

I woke before he did. It was hard to tell the exact time, as the sun was hidden behind the clouds, but I knew it was late afternoon. Tauren began to stir when I brushed away a strand of hair that had fallen across his eyelid.

When his golden eyes slowly opened, I saw the bloodshot veins that spoke of gallons of shed tears. “You stayed,” he rasped.

“I wouldn’t leave you,” I answered.

“You did, though.”

“I had to, then.” Maybe he didn’t understand, and maybe I should have explained my departure better, but I had a duty to my home and to find the witches still loyal to my mother’s cause, and he had a duty to spend every remaining minute with his father.

“I missed you,” he breathed, placing a sweet, chaste kiss on my forehead and wrapping his arms around me.

“I missed you, too,” I breathed, holding him tight.

“My father’s funeral will take place tomorrow. Will you stay for it and attend with me?”

I wanted to, but wasn’t sure if…

“What is it?” he asked.

“Am I welcome at his service? Witchcraft is considered evil by most religions. ”

He smoothed the worry line between my eyes. “You are welcome anywhere in this kingdom, Sable. Nothing about you is evil. Everyone knows that now.”

“Then, yes. I’ll attend with you.”

He swallowed. “Do you need to return to your House?”

“Not yet,” I told him. I could only help so much with the rebuilding of Thirteen without a nature affinity, but even so, there was nowhere else I’d rather be than with him.

Someone knocked at the door. While Tauren went to answer it, I stood and walked to the window to see black pennants flapping on the rooftops. The Kingdom was already mourning its King.

Tauren had a brief conversation with someone and then closed the door. “Would you care to dine in here tonight?”

“Of course.”

He walked to the window and looked out, his eyes locking on the flags. He stared at them for several long moments, his hands folded behind his back. “I’m afraid I have nothing planned for us.”

“Tauren, you and I don’t need fanfare or constant entertainment. We just need one another.”

He swallowed thickly, then nodded several times, pursing his lips tightly together.

There were no words to express how sorry I was, how I wished I could have saved his father, or how I wanted so badly to ease his pain. But I wouldn’t take even an ounce of grief away from him, because I knew more than most how he needed to feel his way through and emerge from it stronger and more resilient. If I took his feelings away, he wouldn’t be Tauren .

We had to process death with emotion, and experiencing death, and mourning the loss of someone you loved, was not only inevitable for all of us, it was something that transformed us into a stronger version of ourselves. Tauren would be stronger in time, I reminded myself.

For now, I would be strong for him.

Later that evening, someone knocked on Tauren’s door to wake him for dinner. He groggily rose and stumbled to the door on leaden feet, offering a soft Thank you . I sat up on the bed as he walked back across the room and sat beside me. His eyes were heavy-lidded and dark circles ringed underneath. “Thank you for staying with me.”

Instead of telling him ‘you’re welcome,’ I took his hand in mine, brushing my thumb over the back of it. I wanted to be here with him. “I was about to come anyway,” I confessed. “Before Courier Stewart arrived, I had already decided I was going to show up uninvited.”

“I invited you. Remember?” He tried to smile. “The invitation was never rescinded.”

“So I can just waltz back in here whenever I’d like?”

“Yes, and I hope you do so often.” He watched my thumb move back and forth in lazy circles. “Your things are still in your room. I started to have them sent to you a dozen times, but never did.”

“You’ve had a lot on your mind.”

“It wasn’t that,” he admitted. “I just kept thinking if I left them there, you might come back for them. Selfishly, I wanted to see you.”

My heart cracked. “I thought about leaving you a token, spelling something so you could use it to reach me if you needed to.”

“I wish you had,” he said, his voice breaking. “How am I supposed to get through this day?”

“One minute at a time,” I answered.

He nodded and wiped a tear from his cheek. “It just might be possible with you here.”

The crack in the wall around my heart widened.

Folded neatly in my trunk was a dress I’d never seen before, but the moment I saw it, I knew Mira had made it. She either knew I’d come back here for him to mourn his father, or had spirited it here. I wasn’t sure which.

I brushed my teeth and showered quickly, towel-drying my hair before combing it and twisting it into a bun at the nape of my neck. The dress’s fabric felt like silk, but slightly thicker, with a pebbled surface. It fastened at the back of my neck, was sleeveless and fitted at the top, and flared slightly from the waist. The dress was black until it hit my knee, where it bled into the Kingdom’s signature dark teal. Lying in the trunk beneath the dress were matching teal heels and the box containing the necklace Tauren had given me.

I slid the heels on and secured the necklace, skipping the makeup still arranged on the bathroom counter, then walked back to Tauren’s room. I knocked twice and waited until he eased the door open.

He stepped out, locked his room, and slid the key into his pocket, offering me his arm. Ever the gentleman, and not because it was proper, but because he was just a good man. We met his mother, Knox, and Leah at the bottom of the staircase.

Annalina wore a simple black dress with a matching sheer veil draped over her head beneath her golden crown. Knox was dressed in a crisp black suit and Leah wore a simple black pencil dress. The couple held hands and stood closely together. The Queen handed Tauren his father’s thicker, matching crown. “Would you place it on his casket?” she asked.

Tauren nodded, accepting the golden circlet. Knox pulled away from Leah and threw an arm around Tauren’s shoulders and tugged their mother close, the three sharing a hug before taking a moment to compose themselves.

It was time for the service to begin.

Guards pulled the main doors open when the Queen gave a nod. When they parted, it looked like the entire Kingdom sat on the lawn outside. The rows of chairs situated on the grass were filled, but mourners flooded the palace lawn in every direction as far as I could see. Dressed in black, those who had been sitting stood to honor the Queen and Princes.

Lucius’s teal casket sat on a golden stand at the bottom of the stairs with a spray of roses in every color arranged on the glossy wood. I could smell Ivy’s magic mixing with their floral scent.

Tauren escorted his mother as Knox ushered Leah and me down the steps. The Queen paused at her husband’s casket, taking mine and Leah’s hands as Tauren and Knox stepped forward. Tauren placed Lucius’s crown on top of the floral spray .

The crowd was silent, but I could feel the weight of every breath being held.

Annalina gave me a wobbly smile and let go of my hand. “Go to him,” she whispered, before walking to one of five reserved chairs situated just in front of the casket.

I walked to Tauren, who stood in front of his father. His shoulders began to shake as he cried. I slid my hand into his and he gripped it tight as he fought the desperate sadness that death left in its wake.

Knox’s silent tears were just as heartbreaking. Leah stood at his side, her arm around his shoulders.

When the two princes were ready, the four of us took our seats beside their mother.

The service was beautiful; the sermon delivered was poignant. And at the end, Tauren, Knox, and four of the King’s personal guards hefted his casket on their shoulders and carried him far across the lawn to a small cemetery. There, amongst the Kings and Queens who came before him, Lucius was laid to rest.

I stood with Tauren as the casket was lowered into the ground, and as it was covered with earth. I stood with Tauren as the crowd thinned until only he, Knox, Leah, and Annalina remained. When they were ready, the five of us walked back to the palace.

I stayed with Tauren that night. As we held each other, I told him what Ethne had revealed about Bay. Together, we cried for the loss of our fathers. We cried until we were exhausted, and then we fell asleep in one another’s arms.

Mira came for me the next morning. I was needed in The Gallows.