Chapter 459 (2/2)
“The honor is mine,” Windsom replied solemnly
At the same ti and his gaze focused on the floor instead ofWindsom, I took his hands He released me almost immediately and continued into the mausoleum, where one of Kezess’sat the center of the rooon’s twin sister, aze with deadly intensity as we repeated the for
“I’ly
A fine line forave me the smallest of frowns, then she pulled away
Besidethe third asura “Welcoed the for in front of ly oblivious to aze never met my own, and when he turned away after a couple seconds, he stared around as if lost until Anakasha took hion bowed to them and then followed after Sarvash and the other
More dragons arrived after that, some introduced as members of the Indrath clan, others of Clan Matali There were a few dragons froh there were noKordri
I foundoff My course after Epheotus still wasn’t clear, and the decision weighed heavily onto Oludari before Windso, but the keystone was even more so—and this was perhaps the first time I’d had a real lead, shallow as it was Despite that, I was also separated froe to reconnect with them as well But a decision would need to be made, and soon
“Welco the Great Eight”
I reached automatically for the next pair of hands, then I saho I was shaking hands with, and my focus renched back to the present The ons as a das froht it was almost blue, and was so wrinkled he looked to be a hundred years old Whichhis teills, and beneath them, his eyes were ainst rip was firm and confident “Ah, the Leywin boy At last”
“Welcome, Lady Zelyna of the Eccleiah clan,” Windso woman
She had a similar aquatic look to her as the old man, with aquaes that ran along her terew like aunderwater Her dark garb and her expression—just as dark—both suggested she could be there either to ht
When her storly expected the latter
Lord Eccleiah’s right hand released mine, and his arm swept around my shoulder with unexpected fahter, Zelyna Zely, this is Arthur Leywin A human! They’re fro, isn’t it?”
Zelyna released Windsom as if his hands were covered in feces, and she crossed her arh, father” A muscle in her jaitched “The lesser who killed Aldir…”
Windsom cleared his throat “Please, if you would be so kind, make your way into the mausoleum You will find the Matali clan over there, as you can see, should you wish to offer your condolences”
A bright-eyed young servant bowed and offered her ar instead to force a falsely sweet smile onto her purple lips “Of course Thank you, Loathsoue, it is a long journey to Mount Geolus” The slare, then whisked off to Lord Matali without waiting for the servant
Meanwhile, Lord Eccleiah still had his arm around my shoulder “Oh, don’t worry about her, Arthur Is she outwardly upset with you? Yes, but as you executed the man she hoped to wed, I’naniainst her Besides, I strongly doubt she’ll run you through with anything but her eyes”
“I—what?” I blinked over at the asura
“Ah, but, although Aldir and I were old friends, I have lednot to understand such necessities” Lord Eccleiah paused and looked at ly, his nose a scant few inches from mine “But let us speak no more of this sad tale, because we are here in support not of the Thyestes clan but of Lord Matali and his people” He gave my shoulder a friendly squeeze “Co words of our race”
“I’m afraid I can’t, my lord It would be remiss of me to abandon my duties—”
“Oh, I believe we are the last,” Lord Eccleiah said happily as he steered me away from Windsohter, or even the bier at the center of the room Instead, we circled around the bulk of the attendees and made our way to the back corner of the chamber Once there, his thin but powerful arm slid offus any ht her looking away just as I turned
“What do you really ith h to h asuras to know this dotty old uncle routine is just a pantouard”
The leviathan s so Indeed, spending all your time with the likes of the Indrath clan and even Wren Kain IV, it would be quite unlikely for you to come to any other conclusion But I assure you, I am not inclined to falsely represent myself, not for you or any other I a, and it isn’t in the leviathan’s nature Which is exactly why Zel—forgive me, Zelyna—will have such a difficult ti her desire to pick her teeth with your bones”
I let out a surprised laugh, then sobered “Were she and Aldir really…?”
Lord Eccleiah smiled fondly, but I detected a wry bent to the emotion behind it “Ah, well, perhaps it was more complicated than that, but I won’t risk her ire further by talking anytime indeed since we leviathans held the tradition whereby rulershi+p was passed down to the young who proved capable of ive hter reason to resurrect the tradition” His eyes twinkled as his sive me I simply wanted to exercise ifted with an asuran physique And all that despite having nodevelop time”
“The old world?” I asked
“Most don’t think of it as such, perhaps” One side of his browless forehead scrunched up “But then, most asuras don’t think of it—or the lessers who live there—at all, despite the connection that still binds our world to yours But neveron his palht blue pearls As I let him roll theift from the Eccleiah clan to the Leywin clan Tears of the Mother…orpearls, if you prefer Powerful elixirs”
“Thank you, Lord Eccleiah,” I said, rolling the ht blue liquid inside bubble as it shi+fted
“Veruhn Let us leave the ‘lord’ stuff for ht, shall we?”
“Thank you, Veruhn Butto hand the,” he replied, taking half a step back “It is a gift of respect, of…acknowledgeiven, yes?”
Before I could respond, there was a flaring of ht onbeside the bier, his back to me The pressure receded i,” he said as all eyes turned to hi Clan Indrath to host this returning cereedy of unparalleled proportions whenever a dragon warrior is taken before their due time And yet we also celebrate those who sacrifice themselves in the defense of their clan, their race, and their home, as Avhilasha did when she faced the soldiers of our oldest ene at Agrona’s na our respect for the fallen Anoint yourselves with her heart’s blood so that we may all be, in this ether froe in our remembrance”
Kezess stepped around to the front of the bier and dipped two fingers into the red liquid He touched his red-stained fingertips to his temple, then splashed the last couple drops across the deceased dragon’s white ar aside, he bowed his head
Anakasha stepped forward next When she dipped her fingers, she touched just below the corner of her right eye, and a red tear ran down her cheek Then she, too, flicked a few drops of cri to stand beside the bier, her hands resting atop it next to the spear
Lord Ankor approached the bowl next, but he only stood there, incense slowly rising to fra, Sarvash stepped forward and helped the unusual dragon dab his fingers He smeared the substance haphazardly across his face, then flicked the remnants all over the altar around the bowl Sarvash quickly ether they moved to Anakasha’s side
I felt Lord Eccleiah lean in beside o this ritual, or to go very last per your station as a lesser It will emphasize that you are here as an equal to show respect to the dead if you do not wait”
Not seeing any reason why the old leviathan wouldto forave me a surprised look or did a double take, but no one intervened with my presence there
When it was ers in the liquid—it was thick and oily to the touch—and dragged it across my closed eyes like warpaint “I a the words I had given her sister From the periphery of my vision, I saw Anakasha’s eyes narrow as she watchedthe last couple drops of oint to stand beside Kezess, my head similarly bowed
The ritual continued until everyone had anointed both themself and the deceased By the end, her arh she’d just returned fro, the re of Avhilasha’s life by her clan, her family, trainers, and friends One elder joked about her hatching with a spear in her hand, while a young dragon recounted how she had out-trained hiht, and no matter what he did, he could never keep up Her sister described their endlessly rivalry for the respect of their parents and lord before telling the story of a hunt they had taken together when they were only seventy years old, and how her sister had both ed to save her life and still slay the seven-headed serpent without taking a wound
Over the next two hours, these and , others ied with somberness and loss
When it was done, Kezess stepped in front of the bier again “And so we rereat and small, and the shape of her in our shared lives entwined by her heart’s blood Please, stay as long as you wish, nourish your body with our food and drink, your ”
The low hum of conversation that followed his statement was like a dull roar after the sole
I noticed that several asura immediately went to the Matali clan and handed over a series of s intoA surreptitious glance at Lord Eccleiah, as sa so to reinforce my sudden suspicion
What was it he said? “Such things are ift-giving, of course Had he correctly assumed I didn’t, and prepared ive ahat he gave ain and made up my mind
When a four-eyed pantheon stepped away from Anakasha, I approached “Lady Matali,” I said soberly, pulling the three orbs out of htly, holding them out “Your sister’s sacrifice was ive you today in return is nothing compared to the sacrifice of the Matali clan, but I want you to have these: three Tears of the Mother to ”
There was a sudden burst of hout the mausoleu, looking shocked
It was Lord Ankor who reached out, but he didn’t take theavewith tears yet to form
Sarvash looked pale and crestfallen Anakasha herself was unreadable, her gaze distant Neither said anything, and so, with the pearls still clutched in my hands, I bowed a little deeper, stepped back, and turned away, uncertain if I had read the situation correctly But I caught the old leviathan’s eye for just an instant as I turned, and he winked before stuffing a skewer in his mouth
Suddenly unco whether to return Lord Eccleiah’s gift back to hiaze froone
Unable to find hie of the dark curtains hiding the Indrath toiven , I ie rune onto happen to thee rune called out to me I felt a wave of sentimentality wash over me as I considered the ite around, I assuredtoo close attention, and I slipped through the black-flowered vines and into the small alcove on the other side
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I had been holding, and ed as I relaxed The noise of the subdued conversations wasme cooled, and I let atory noble veneer like a cloak
Lady Sylvia Indrath watched me from her portrait on the wall
I withdrew her core, holding it delicately in both hands There was no aether left in it, or any e, no hint at how to continue It was sion Soon enough, the asura lying on the bier thirty feet aould be little more than this But she had been I’d heard her stories, seen her sacrifice Despite ons had failed to protect the people on that ed that they had been ready to lay down their lives to fight the Wraiths
The core in my hands wasn’t Sylvia anybeside Avhilasha were her I still couldn’t wrapit to me, but I was pretty sure that he hi to do whatever he could to help Cecilia
Just like back on Earth
I closed ainst the core’s rough surface I hadn’t been here for her own reiven her one—but she deserved so, no matter how small
There were doors inset in the front of the shi+ne holding the silver candles I opened them, and inside was a small bowl full of oily red liquid An empty incense holder stuck up fro in the tip of a single finger, I closed my eyes and pressed it to my forehead between my brows
“You opened my eyes to a life I had yet to live Saved me twice from a death come far too soon Trusted me with a vision of the future you wouldn’t live to see And”—h—“most important of all, welcole drop of ointment drip on the core and set it carefully on top of the incense holder “I’ her someday When she is safe”
I carefully closed the doors and stood, a subtle weight off my shoulder as I left the core behind The eyes of the portrait see that unknowable depth of understanding that Sylvia had reflected when alive
Sing the eh the vines anda few feet away She frowned and turned away