“What? I was wondering why, if we have magic, do we not use it when burying our dead instead of this back-breaking work.” Lynx shrugs before patting down the last of Jillian's grave. “I thought it was a legit question,” he says, addressing the rest of us and landing on Delvin.
Delvin sighs, running his hand through his hair.
“Yes, of course it’s a legit question, and since you grew up with Rez, you wouldn’t understand why the breach of etiquette.” He gives Lynx a small smile before continuing. “There are two main reasons. One, the body has already been prepped and washed of any magical presence. Using magic around acorpse, even to bury it, is forbidden, and that is out of fear of necromancy.” He sends Zeke a look of pity, but the only reaction Zeke dares to show is the quick flash of yellow across his eyes, indicating he heard the pointed comment. “And second, it’s our last way of paying our respect to our loved ones by using our back-breaking labor, as you so eloquently put it.” He holds out his hands. “Now give me the shovels and get out of here. You guys should be resting up or getting your last-minute preparations done.”
He’s not wrong.
I hand in my shovel and step away from Jillian’s grave when I feel a cool ripple that flows over my body and find myself clean. It’s similar to what Levi does to clean us off, but this one feels crisper, sharper like a blade running over my skin.Delvin.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He nods and turns to someone behind me.
“What do you plan on doing?” I ask Zeke as we walk out of Jillian's resting place.
“I don’t know,” he admits, looking over at the waterfall. “I guess spending time with Rez tonight is out, huh?”
Tapping into our link, I feel how content and happy she is and know Knots is treating her right. “Yeah, I would think so.” I let a smile slip. “Plus, we all know they need this time together more than we all do. Come on, I’ll probably regret it, but let’s hit Nova and see the festival.”
“Knox? Volunteering to see the Gauntlet Festivities the night prior? Holy shit! Who are you and where did you stash my brother?” Ryker pulls on my shirt and gets in my face. I growl a warning, and he laughs, letting go. “Nope, he’s still there.”
“That sounds wonderful. I’ll come as well,” Levi says, already summoning a portal in front of us.
“Ahh.” Ryker cries out and crashes to the ground.
“Ryker!” Moni screams, rushing to his side, looking pale white. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s happened,” he whispered. “There are body snatchers. They’ve taken Levi.”
“You’re an ass,” Chester growls, kicking Ryker in the thigh before pulling Moni into his side.
“Very funny, Ryker. Now get up, unless you want me to leave you here and have you walk to Nova,” Levi tells him straight-faced.
Ryker scrambles to get up and follows us through the portal to Nova, and possibly our last night alive. Damn, if that’s not a sobering thought.
We pretty much stick together as we walk around, getting a sense of what this festival has in store for us. It’s a smorgasbord of food, potions, weapons, raw items, and game stalls. As a group, we grab some food and listen to the live band before deciding to tackle the rest of the festivities.
‘How about some steak bones? I love those,’Fluffers asks for the fifth time as I pass a food stall.
‘We already have everything weneed,Fluffers, but if I see something that catches my eye, I’ll grab it,’I promise my animals as I continue following my family down another street packed with different species of Supes.
‘I didn’t see you grab any grooming supplies for me,’Barron pouts.
Multiple voices speak up at once, causing a slight pinch to hit in my head.
‘Whoa. Shut up, guys! You’re gonna take me out of the Gauntlet before it even starts. Look, we’re camping, and we’re going to be in survival mode for the next week. So we’re just going to have to grin and bear it. Are you with me on this?’I ask, knowing that asking is better than demanding of my animals.
‘Always,’Dusky answers.
‘If I must,’Barron agrees.
‘Call me when I get to kill something.’I take Slayer’s answer for a yes.
‘Yuppers.’Fluffer's tongue rolls out as he agrees, and thankfully, my headache subsides.
I spot a carousel down the way, and Moni shrieks.
“Chester, look! Will you go with me? I want a ride?” Before Chester can even answer her, she grabs his hand and flies off.
