I repeatedly blinked, muttering quietly, “I thought I heard him say…”
He waited.
I shook my head. “It didn’t make sense. I don’t think I heard him right.”
Magic.These beings were made of magic. I had to remember that. Nothing would ever be normal with this group.
“Maybe I can help you.” Rune kissed my forehead.
“Well, what I heard was…” My face scrunched up. “Give him a bad nickname.”
Rune’s eyes widened, then his head tipped back as he laughed in the quiet chatter—everyone talking about what they’d heard if they wanted to share. He shook his head adamantly, hurrying to blather, “Please don’t. Don’t listen to him. He hated that I called him God. And it stuck. All of his friends started calling him that.”
I blinked. “But it’s a dying man’s wish. I can’t deny that.”
His expression turned serious in an instant. “Please don’t.”
My lips pinched in subdued humor. “I guess it wasn’t technically a dying man’s wish.”
His chest heaved in relief, truly worried I would have done it. “Thank you.”
“But if he comes back to haunt me, then I’ll do it.”
“Ghosts aren’t real.”
“Are you sure? Because what would you call what just happened?”
“A final good-bye. God was powerful. If anyone could have waited a few days, it was him.”
“Is he actually gone now?” I questioned honestly.
Rune’s eyes flew to the sky, his lips thinning into a straight line. “He’s gone.”
I pulled his muscled body closer to mine. “I’m here. Remember.”
He nodded, staying quiet.
Gradually, all the discussions and excitement quieted down.
Poppy held the urn and stared down at it. “I feel silly now doing this.”
Theron stepped back and walked to stand beside her. “I’ll do it. It’s okay.”
She shook her head instantly. “I’ll do it. It’s what he wanted.”
Her father held her shoulder tight as she stepped to the very edge of the cliff.
She removed the lid and handed it back to her father. He took it with his free hand.
“I miss you,” Poppy whispered, a fresh wave of tears falling. “I love you.”
Her hands tilted the urn to the side.
And Godric’s ashes flew through the air, fluttering across the expanse of the ravine.
A man who was loved. A man who would never be forgotten.
