A future worth fighting for
We’ll move forward in your name
Forevermore
When Eddie choked up behind me, I managed to process a few lines. I’ll be forever broken, as you were my purpose in this life.
I wondered if that’s how Eddie would feel about me once I inevitably corked off. I had Hawkei blood in me, which meant I would live an average human lifespan. Even if I lived to be a hundred, I’d still die relatively young by Elvish standards.
Eddie, though? He was a full-blooded Elf, and would live for centuries longer. He was immortal, which meant once I died, Eddie’s spiritual purpose died with me.
It really fucking sucked holding someone else’s purpose in my hands. I didn’t want it. I realized that out of everyone, Eddie was the one who stood to lose the most. Even if we defeated the Warden, time would eventually take everything that mattered to him. I wasn’t the only one he’d lose; Alistair was a warlock, and they had short lives in comparison to the Elves.
Eddie would have to bury me, then Alistair, then he’d be alone in the world for the rest of his existence on this planet, which could be thousands of years. He’d receive love and purpose that was limited to only a short amount of time. He must’ve realized this, but he still chose to serve me and be with Alistair anyway, knowing eventually he’d have to let us both go. He’d reconciled himself to this fate, and still been so kind and generous in spite of it. It was something I could never do. He was a stronger person than I could ever imagine being. Eddie’s ultimate destiny was to be alone, and he didn’t deserve that.
What a sick world we lived in.
Once the poem finished, my grandfather’s court gathered at the front of the temple and performed a song and dance. They circled the tree that grew within the temple, chanting an Elvish funeral rite as they spun, crying out to the Elvish goddesses to guide Cassiel’s soul into the afterlife. I didn’t notice it’d ended until Oberi nudged me.
What? I was irritated he’d bothered me. I’d been dissociating through the whole experience just to get me through it. Couldn’t he leave me alone?
His voice cut through the momentary silence. It’s time for the Presentation of Gifts. Guests will pay their respects by placing offerings on the altar, which are traditionally items that once belonged to the deceased, to be buried with them.
I didn’t get it. Emperor Cassiel wouldn’t be buried, because there was nothing left of him to put in the royal tomb. This felt so pointless and empty. A bunch of theater performances that wouldn’t bring my grandfather back.
Your grandfather’s guard has placed Cassiel’s crown on a velvet pillow, Oberi told me.
I wasn’t familiar with this tradition and didn’t have anything to present, so I didn’t rise. Others began to shuffle toward the altar and place their offerings for burial. Oberi narrated it all as my grandfather’s closest Associates presented Cassiel’s pistol, precious gems, and his silk robes as a final goodbye.
They were useless items that meant nothing.
Silk robes swept across my feet, and the voice of the Great Mystic spoke. “Charlie, it’s time.”
I startled. “Huh?” I wasn’t sure what she was asking.
The Great Mystic wasn't alone. I felt someone else grasp my wrist… soft, cool and gentle. Though our bond had been broken, I knew her touch from memory. I’d felt her incredible hands on my skin every night for a year, and I’d never be able to forget it, not even if a thousand ages passed without her giving me a single caress. I couldn’t believe she was grasping my hand. Not after the harsh words we’d spoken to each other, what cruel things we’d said.
But she did, and it was the only miracle I needed to happen in my life ever again.
“It’s time for the final rites,” Ava whispered. “As is tradition, your grandfather’s wedding satchel must be presented upon the altar. Since I am… since I was the Holy Mother, it’s my duty to give it to you.”
I recalled the bridal spell Ava and I had performed during our nuptials. We’d combined herbs that represented abundance, love, and fertility into a satchel, one for me and one for her. We were supposed to keep them with us until we were buried.
“I don’t understand.” I felt Ava upturn my palm, then press a small bag into my hand, one that smelled of roses and cinnamon.
“Usually, this ritual is reserved for the spouse of the deceased, but since your grandmother is no longer with us, the authority is passed on to the person the deceased cherished most,” Ava hushed. “Your grandfather chose you.”
Oberi nudged me with his nose again— hard this time. I nearly fell out of the pew, but I managed to stumble to my feet. My comprehension lagged behind her words, and I couldn’t understand what she was trying to tell me.
“Me?” I stammered.
“Yes, Charlie,” the Great Mystic encouraged. “It is you who must close the ceremony with the presentation of the wedding satchel.”
From a pew across the aisle, I heard Cameron snort, like he was trying to hide his displeasure. He was pissed that my grandfather had chosen me over him.
That’s when it really hit me. My grandfather had coordinated his funeral with the mystics before his death. I’d been the most important person in my grandfather’s life, and he’d wanted me to be the one to deliver the final goodbye.
I didn’t know what the others had done when they’d presented their gifts, but I moved on instinct. Slowly, I approached the front of the temple. It was deathly quiet in here. There was no casket for Cassiel, only his items laid upon the altar. Two steps led up to the altar, and I found myself kneeling upon the first step as if in prayer.
