Jules sat back in his chair in disbelief. "Why do I feel no relief then? If these rites are for us like you say then I should feel something other than this constriction of my breathing and the inability to face another day." He blinked as tears came to his eyes, and looked away from Sarai, not wanting to meet her gaze.
"Some grief needs more than the rites. Sometimes time is the only cure. And sometimes time cannot do anything but a small, almost minuscule lessening of the pain, and it only sees you through until sweet oblivion takes it all away." Her voice was quiet and choked, as if she could hardly bear to say what she had to.
A silence fell between them. He should have felt angry, to discover such a large part of Athering's religion was based on lies but, beyond a momentary surge of
