I won’t let them bury him. Never another dark, closed space for Trick. Certainly not for eternity.
I stand for my friend as his body burns, singing the lullaby no one ever sang to him when he was a child. And then I dig into the tube holding all I own in the world and pull out the pages of my favorite book,Captain Wynona Wavedancer and the Battle of the Krakens.Trick and I spent hours reading and talking about this story and planning future adventures we both knew we’d likely never have.
I toss them into the flames. It’s only right that I sacrifice something for this man who sacrificed everything for me. For our quest.
Not the carving, which is all I have left of him.
Not my freedom papers—Trick would never have let me give those up.
But the pages of my favorite book, infused with the laughter he and I shared. With the hope I dared to have when Trick was at my side.
“Nowwe call the goddess,” I tell my companions, gathered with me to honor my friend. “We tell her that Trick was a hero.”
“Soli,” Kaelen says, standing next to me. “You … you used her amulet. What if—”
“I know. I knew it was wrong when I did it. Knew Artemisen might kill me for it. But Trick …” My voice breaks, and I can’t continue.
“Trick died a hero,” Kaelen says firmly. “Trying to protect you. You made the right choice, and damn the goddess if she doesn’t agree. I’ll stand between you and Artemisen. Between you and death itself if I have to.”
“As will we all,” Andras says, his voice ringing out against the crackle of flames.
“Yes,” Chitai says.
“Always,” Bern says.
Agreements come from Elianna and Sergeant Neville, too.
My heart fills with this support from the people I’ve come to know as my friends.
As my family.
“We should call her.” I pull the key out of my pocket and add it to the chain, but hold it separate from the amulet and the first key for the time being. Then I gaze in turn at each of my friends’ faces. “But first, I need to say something. To all of you.”
I have to fight back the tears and speak past the sudden lump in my throat. “I haven’t had any real friends in my entire life. And I haven’t had a family since I was four years old.” I stop to inhale a deep, shuddering breath.
“But you—all of you—have become more than just my companions on this quest. You’re my friends. Even … even my family. I’ll be so sorry not to get to know you better if … if she kills me for what I did. I hope … I hope you will remember me with kindness. I—”
Angrily, I use my sleeve to wipe away the tears I can’t stop. “I know it wasn’t enough, but I promise I did my very best.”
I whirl around to put my back to them. I can’t look at them any longer without totally breaking down.
But they don’t let me avoid them for long.
Oneby one, they approach. Elianna and Bern hug me. Andras touches my arm and bows. Chitai hands me another of her seemingly limitless supply of blades.
“In case you need it in the afterlife,” she says solemnly.
I take it, a smile breaking through my tears.
Sergeant Neville gruffly pats me on the back, then grunts and envelops me in a bear hug.
And then Kaelen.
My Kaelen.
He pulls me into an embrace and kisses me. He’s gentle, and the kiss lasts only a moment, but then he bends his head to mine and whispers in my ear. “She’ll have to go through me to take you.”
“You know she can,” I whisper back, anguish all but choking me.
