From The Ashes (Forbidden Trilogy Book Three)

Chapter Three: A Horizon Of Pyres

Constance

It took nearly all day and into the beginning of the night to get everything finished.

The entire stronghold worked together. Taking shifts. Rotating. Making sure everyone had a chance to get away from the death and destruction Balthazar wrought.

That is, except for the leaders. Obsidian, Raphael, Ryn and I worked tirelessly to help dig out the living and the dead from the caved in apartments and rubble strewn about the battle site. We wanted to be there to support the grieving families and friends of those who had been lost. We were the leaders. It was our job to be there for them in their hour of need.

The guard helped organize a procession to move the dead bodies up to the top level, where they were laid out near the entrance to the stronghold. There, more helpers tended to the dead: cleaning them up and doing their best to hide the blemishes. Some of them even went so far as to donate clothes and other items needed to see the dead respected. 

Mostly, the elders were in charge of overseeing that aspect. Death was something they had seen more often than the young. While it still affected them, they knew how to accept it and embrace it better than the younger generations did. Plus, it was easier for them to be in one place instead of running those worn out, tired bones all over the stronghold.

Uriel took it upon himself to lead another, younger group out into the woods. He took a few elementals with him and had them shroud the entire area in storm clouds to hide their activities from any mortal satellites. They cut down trees and, in a wide open field not too far from the stronghold, they built the pyres the dead would be laid to rest on that night.

I helped for as long as I could, but Obsidian knew I had my own dead to tend to.

So, about mid afternoon, I left with Ickarous. We first went and gathered the survivors: Jordan, Mark, Lance, Matt and Allen. While Ickarous teleported Lance to the stronghold, so the young boy wouldn't have to be scarred twice in one day, I led the rest to my father's place. We gathered up all the dead and I teleported everyone to the stronghold where they helped me lay out and prepare them.

It was hard facing Ulysses. Even in death there was still so much pain he wrought. So much destruction. His actions and the devastating effects would haunt all of us for many years, if not generations, to come.

"You are not to blame for his mistakes, you know that. Right?" Matt stated gently as he knelt down on the opposite side of my father.

"I know that," I whispered back emotionally. "But, it is difficult knowing how much pain he caused. How much injustice he was responsible for. And, unfortunately, not everyone will see it the same way that you do. Many will lay his faults and his wrongdoings at my feet. At Lance's feet. Regardless, we will have to deal with and answer for his every misdeed."

"That may be," he agreed softly, knowingly. "But that doesn't mean s**t. You are not him. And while others may try to blame you, you are not Ulysses. You are one of his many victims. Just because you are his daughter, and Lance is his son, it doesn't mean you should have to pay for his treachery."

I nodded before standing silently to move on to my father's pack.

And then came Erwin.

My beloved cousin.

I slowly lowered myself next to him and felt the instant tears cascading down my cheeks.

Such a misfortune, the accident that claimed his life.

We had all grown up together. Sword fighting had been one of those many past times we--Nikolai, Erwin, Matt and I--played at. We had fought each other so often we just knew how the other would move, defend, parry. It was a dance. A game. And, when it came down to it, the one who won usually was the one who had the most stamina. We hadn't played nice. We always fought dirty, which had helped us develop our skillset at an early age.

Erwin and Nikolai had been playing their usual games, making it believable to everyone who saw them when they had met on the battlefield. But Erwin slipped. He made one wrong move, one misstep and instead of meeting and blocking Nikolai's blade, he had fallen right into it.

I passed a hand over the wound just below his heart. Nikolai's blade had slid in between the ribs and gone straight through to the other side. It was a devastating wound. One that even the most skilled of healers would have had a hard time saving him from had one been readily available.

Around me, I heard Mark and Jordan weeping over their fallen comrades as they cleaned and dressed them for their final hour. It was my duty as their alpha to go to them. To help them. To let them know they weren't alone.

But I was hurting too much to go to them. I was afraid my grief would drown theirs.

So, I decided to be selfish for once, even though I knew it was wrong.

I wiped away the caked on blood and mud from Erwin's body. I gently cleaned the rest of his body and dressed him in a pair of his nice, clean clothes. As I was doing this, I reached out to Jordan and Mark and connected our minds. If I couldn't be physically with them, I could at least be there with them mentally. 

We shared our fondest memories as we continued our tasks. Crying, laughing, wailing all the while we were doing this. While it hurt, it eased the pain. It eased the emotional strain from having lost so much within the last twenty four hours.

As I finished up, Mark and Jordan joined me and we all laid hands on Erwin, sending up a silent prayer.

Not long after, Uriel came back stating the pyres were ready.

And so, we gathered all of our dead and carried them to their final resting place. I was sure nearly everyone from the stronghold was there: some mourning their dead, others lending support. There were babies, siblings, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, grandmothers and grandfathers. Hundreds, if not thousands of survivors huddled together around the pyres. Hundreds of torches lit up the night as thick storm clouds hovered overhead.

The night was cold, the air crisp. If it wasn't for the elementals hiding our activities from mortal eyes, I was sure the night sky would have been clear and dotted with stars.

As I knelt next to my cousin, looking upon his face for the last time, I looked up and studied the horizon of pyres and my heart broke even more. There had been too much unnecessary death. And this was only the beginning. If Victor wasn't stopped, so many more innocent souls would be laid at death's door.

Taking a deep breath, I gently laid white rose petals over Erwin's eyes. Jordan and Mark had already done the same to the others. Moving to the other side of the pyre, I helped Lance up so he could pay his final respects to his father and mother before laying rose petals over their eyes.

I held tight to Lance's hand, both of us holding a torch with our free hand, waiting for the signal to set the pyre ablaze.

"Was he a good man?" Lance asked shakily, and I knew the boy was silently crying. I eased my hand out of his and wrapped my arm around his shoulders.

"Ulysses?" When Lance nodded in confirmation, I continued. "Well, that depends on who you ask. But, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Was he a good father to you?" I asked instead of answering with my own opinion, refusing to burden Lance with his father's reprehensible acts.

Lance nodded emotionally. "Yes. He was. He loved my mother. And he loved me. I just hated how much he was gone. But he gave us a good life. He kept us safe. He made sure we never wanted for anything."

I bit my lip, forcing myself to remain quiet. Lance didn't need to know of the atrocities his father had wrought. Not yet at least. There would be a time and place for that difficult talk. But it didn't need to be right now. He could remain in blissful ignorance for a while more. 

When the time came, I would tell him who his father had been and what he had done.

"Was he a good father to you?" he asked so innocently, those big, caramel eyes of his staring up into my soul. And for some reason, I had to wonder if he could see everything I wasn't saying. They were just as soul piercing as Ulysses's had been.

"He did his best," I replied gently, even though I knew it was a lie.

"He told us about you," Lance continued on, his gaze dropping down to his feet. "He talked a lot about you. Told us how proud he was of you and your strength. He always praised you for being braver than he was, though I don't understand why. Do you?"

A knot formed in my throat at the innocent question. "Yes," I choked out. "I know exactly why he would say that."

"Will you tell me?"

"Someday, I will. But not today," I responded, letting him down gently.

There was silence for a few moments before he asked another question. "What happens to me now? I am a demon half breed. My father is no longer alive to see to my needs, to make sure I am safe." I could hear the panic rising in his voice, the unshed tears as an uncertain future yawned before him. It had to feel so overwhelming for him.

Looking to my left, I quickly handed my torch to Matt before stepping in front of Lance. I knelt down before him and took both of his shoulders firmly in my grip. "I will protect you. I will be your provider," I told him fiercely. "You are my blood. My half brother. I will not abandon you."

His large eyes were filled with tears and more pieces of my heart shattered for him.

"Look around you. Who do you see?"

"I-I see people like you and me."

"Yes. There is a whole community of demon half breeds. They will help raise you. They will become your family. Your future. And, if I have any say in the matter, soon every demon half breed will be able to walk freely without fear."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise!"

He lunged at me, and wrapped me up in a fierce hug. I held onto him tightly too, not knowing just how much I had needed that hug. "Will you stay with me?" he asked hopefully.

"No. I cannot stay with you. There is a lot I must do before I can do that. But, once I have completed my tasks, I will return to you. We will be together at some point in the future."

"Promise?" He pulled back, and I saw the fear of being abandoned shining from his eyes.

"Yes. I do."

Behind Lance's shoulder, I saw Ickarous raise a curious brow and I knew it was a foolish promise, because no one knew what my fate would be. Even Raziel, the visionary, didn't know for certain. But, I couldn't stomp on Lance's heart anymore. He had suffered enough. He needed someone loving, someone tender who would take care of him. He needed some kind of light at the end of all of this pain and sorrow.

"Eidolon," Matt said gently, pulling my attention back to the ceremony.

Obsidian, Raphael and Ryn had taken to the sky so all could see. Obsidian said some words before Raphael said a prayer. And then, multitudes stepped forward to lay their torches upon the pyres.

Taking back my torch, I reached for Lance's hand and together we laid our torches upon the pyre. Stepping back so we wouldn't get burned, we stood and watched and bid our final goodbyes as those we had once loved and held dear burned to ash.

I took up Lance in my arms and took to the sky so we could look on in awe at the horizon of pyres that burned.

"Is it bad if I say it is beautiful?" Lance asked hesitantly, his little arms wrapping securely around my neck, his cheek pressing gently against mine.

"No. It isn't. Death, while painful, can be beautiful. Just like life can be beautiful and yet, at the same time, destructive. Every aspect of life--whether it be conception, birth, life or death--is like a double edged sword."

"I can feel all of their pain," he breathed in the silence, and hand rubbing his chest, over his heart. "And it hurts."

I held him tighter and reached out to Matt, silently asking for his help to shield Lance from the emotional onslaught he was experiencing. 

"But, I can also feel happiness and joy. It is as you described. A double edged sword." He sounded so surprised, and in awe. To be that young again and to experience everything new with wonder and awe. I missed those simpler times.

"This is a sad occasion. This ... Was unexpected." I started to explain. "And the amount of lives lost, especially innocent lives, hurts. But, many choose to remember those who have died by holding onto the good memories they have. By remembering those happier times when they were alive, rather than getting caught up on their deaths."

"I think I understand," Lance stated gently. "Like when my father would come, and bring my mother her favorite flowers. The joy on her face said it all. It is in the way he hugged her, and then picked me up and flung me in the air before blowing raspberry kisses on my neck."

I saw the longing happiness in his eyes, and how truly bittersweet death was. "Yes. It is like that. Just like I want to honor Erwin, and his pack, by remembering the fun times I had with them." As I hovered in the air, I told Lance a few stories and for just a few short minutes, I saw the pain leave the boy's eyes as he got caught up in them. We laughed at the antics I recounted and I felt a certain peacefulness settle over my heart.

Soon, other elementals stepped in to help speed up the process, to move it along before the sunrise came. They made the fires burn hotter. It didn't take long before everything was turned to ash. As the embers smoldered, a cleansing rain fell to put them out. It was then when most of the residents of the stronghold started to make their way back. It was dangerous being out here like this at all, but it was even more so when the sun had risen. At least in the darkness, us demons could hide. But in the light, there was nowhere for us to run.

I gave Lance over to Jordan's and Mark's care and had the demon guard escort them back to the stronghold while I stayed behind with the others.

The time for mourning was over.

It was time to discuss what our plan of action would be. 

It was time to determine how this war would end.