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Once I’d exa left to do but what I’d come here for: to say my final farewell to Mab

I approached the coffin once htly warped reflection in the wood

"Well," I said "Now that I’m here, I have to ad, I thought it would be you standing here in the end instead of ht that too: that you would be the one who finally came out on top in our battle You probably would have if Fletcher hadn’t trainedhappened The wind didn’t pick up, the flowers didn’t flutter, the tree branches didn’t oed streaks of lightning didn’t zigzag across the sky I hadn’t really expected any of those things to occur, but that still didn’t keep htning certainly wouldn’t have been out of the reals I’d done over the years

I kneas probably foolish ofto the closed coffin of my mortal eneht that Mab had friedwith the rest of me But I did it anyway, just like I always talked to Fletcher whenever I went to put fresh flowers on his grave I needed to say the words, if only for myself

"I know this is when I’one," I said "But I’m not sorry - not one damn bit And you wouldn’t be, either, if it was you standing here instead of ic to burnthe funeral and roasted some marshmallows over the fla you that final indignity"

I drew in a breath "But it’s not really about you and lad you’re dead because that means Bria and the rest of my friends and family are finally safe from you At least, as safe as they can be in Ashland Still, I have to aduess I’one, just like everyone else in Ashland They’re all scra each other off as fast as they can I’et through your funeral I think you would at least enjoy that, knohat a tizzy your death has left everyone else in"

I didn’t knohat else to say, and now ca to decide whether or not I wanted to open the coffin

It had been closed throughout the service, and no one had approached it, much less opened it, after the sniper attack Maybe I was being ain, but I was curious about as inside - if anything I knew Mab had been just as badly burned by our ic as I’d been, and I wondered if the funeral hoone ahead and incinerated the rest of her or if soed as left of her skin and bones on top of the silk lining

The curiosity was killing me

I reached for the coffin lid, determined to open it and see for ers touched the smooth wood After a moment I dropped my hand to my side No, I didn’t want to see as inside I didn’t need to I’d never forget theher screa that I’d finally killed her The iic had h the Fire ele to insult her by peering at her re for one last bit of flesh to peck at

Even Mab deserved to rest in peace now, here, at the end

So, instead of opening the coffin, I bowed ether in front of ether, just like they had the night the Fire ele she’d done to me, I had to admit that Mab had been a worthy opponent, a nemesis who had kept me on my toes and made me work and work just to stay alive Part of , but being the Spider ho and what I was In a way, I had Mab to thank for that and everything I had today

I was still standing there, head bohen soether, and I noticed so up behind me in the reflection in the wooden coffin

I jerked tohit over the head by a dith a shovel

The shovel slah the air,from the sharp sound I whirled around and had to duck back the other way to avoid getting hit by a second dith a second shovel, and there was yet a third dwarf aret in on the action

Looked like the sniper in the tree hadn’t been the only one lying in wait for me here today I should have known it was too easy: that the dwarf falling out of the tree and then getting shot by all the bodyguards had been too si salvo Looked like whoever was after me was a little more clever than I’d realized Use one assassin to foolthe plan had completely failed, and then wait until I was alone to blindsideI’d expect from Jonah McAllister

"Time for you to die, bitch!" one of the dwarves hissed at me

The three dwarves raised their shovels once ainst Mab’s coffin I looked left and right, but there was nowhere to go I couldn’t break through the group of dwarves in front of me, and I couldn’t exactly turn h Mab’s coffin - and whatever remained of the Fire eleold handrails on the side of the casket and waited - just waited for the right lanced at one another, then all rushed forward at once, ready to bash my head in and beat me to death with their shovels I squatted down, then kicked up withon top of the coffin - and I didn’t stop s up as well and rolled over, slipping off the casket and landing on the grass on the far side I landed aardly, le I hissed as pain shot throughsensation to the back of raceful et !

The dwarves’ shovels banged into the side of the coffin where I’d been standing, their blows hard enough to chip the polished wood They’d easily put enough force into those swings to crack er began to burn in my heart Noas time to show them that I kne to play dirty, too - dirty and very, very bloody