He shakes his head. “She’s the easiest and most effective target for Dante. He’ll use her to get you to surrender. She’s safer with the horde. Graven can shield her…Please, Frankie, if things happen tonight…” He stops, gaze lifting to the ceiling instead of finishing the sentence.
I cup his cheeks, pulling his head down so I can look him in the eyes. “If Dante shows, I want you focused, not worried about me. I promise if things get bad, I’ll stay with Jess in the shield.”
His shoulders relax while he reaches for the back of my neck and pulls me closer. His lips brush against mine. “Thank you,” he says, softly.
He pulls back a little, still close enough that I can feel his breath. I rest my hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat with mine.
“So, what should I expect tonight?” I ask. “I don’t want to screw anything up.”
His thumb slides along the side of my neck. “We’ll stand with the horde. The parents will bring the body themselves and lay him on the pyre. They usually say a few words.”
I’m just sick thinking about those poor parents. “What happens after?”
“Sometimes the parents light the pyre, sometimes it’s one of the elders. His soul will travel on. The fire is our thanks to Erebus for guarding his path.”
His shoulders dip slightly when he speaks again. “Most of the time, it turns into a celebration. But a child…” he hesitates. “It’s different.”
Dread twists my stomach while I secure my sword at my hip. I’m not ready for this. Not for a child.
Zarreth slides his longer sword onto his back and reaches for my hand. “We stay together.”
I lace my fingers through his, straightening my spine. “Always.”
CHAPTER 21
Frankie
We stand near the front of the crowd, close enough to see the pyre but far enough back to give the family space. Jess is on my left, Graven hovering behind her like a wall. Ronin, Anatha, Beleth…everyone’s here, but no one is talking.
Jess leans toward me. “You okay?”
A wave of nausea rolls through my stomach, enough to make saliva gather in my mouth. I swallow. It must be my nerves. “Not really.”
She nods. “Me neither.”
The horde shifts. A low ripple moves through the crowd as bodies slide aside, creating a path down the center. The parents step forward, their son wrapped in a deep red cloth.
I want to look away so badly, but I’m afraid it would be disrespectful. I pick a spot on the mother’s shoulder and hold my eyes there because I can’t handle looking at the boy.
Zarreth’s fingers brush mine as Jess slips her hand into my other one. We don’t look at one another, but it helps to keep me steady.
The parents lay their son on the pyre with a kind of carefulness that makes my chest ache. The mother pauses, her hand on the cloth for a moment that feels too long and not long enough.
“May his strength rise again,” she says. Her voice barely carries, but it’s enough to cut right through me.
The father touches the pyre’s edge. “May his path be guarded.”
An elder steps forward, raising her hand to light the wood, when a shadow creeps in around us. An eerie laugh echoes through the square as a large demon with long white hair steps forward. His eyes sweep the crowd like he’s walking into a performance, like all of this was arranged for him alone.
He lifts his chin, voice cutting through the silence. “May Erebus guide his way.”
Jess squeezes my hand. Zarreth’s growl vibrates through his chest when he pushes us behind him.
Dante. I know we expected him, but I can’t stop the panic from pushing against my ribs. His gray eyes sweep the crowd, and I know exactly who he’s looking for.
The boy’s mother screams. Blades scrape free all around us as warriors snap into motion.
Ronin steps beside Zarreth, completely shielding us from Dante’s sight. Graven shifts in front of Jess, stance low and ready.
