A Den of Tricks (A Shade of Vampire #54)(22)

Soon enough, the Imen’s coffins were buried beneath flower petals, with the cleric moving on to address the deceased Maras’ families in his speech. The Maras’ caskets were mounted on funeral pyres, surrounded by flowers, and were getting a different funeral service. The cleric walked between them, setting them alight with a small torch.

As the fires burned and crackled through the wood, the flames rising and black smoke billowing, Rewa stepped forward in front of her father’s pyre, which had yet to be set on fire.

“We’ve all lost someone today,” she said, her voice raw and trembling as she swallowed back tears. An Iman servant came to her side with an umbrella, so she could take off her mask and hood and reveal herself to the people. I assumed it was part of the tradition. “Whether you all knew the deceased or not, you have lost someone today. An Iman, a Mara, a brother… a sister, a father, a mother… a friend or a loved one… or just the neighbor you never speak to, or that person you bumped into the other day… You have all lost someone today. And I have lost someone, too…”

She choked up, and the cleric came by her side and gave her his flaming torch.

“I’ve lost my father,” she continued, barely holding it together. “My best friend, my mentor… the only creature who has always understood and loved me unconditionally. Today, I burn the body of my father, Darius Xunn, Lord of Azure Heights. Today, we burn the body of our leader, our teacher, our protector and our fellow citizen. Tomorrow, the sun will rise again, and our world will be poorer without him, but far richer with the heritage he leaves behind…”

She took a deep breath, tears streaming down her cheeks, then turned around and set fire to her father’s casket. The flames engulfed the funeral pyre, the wood crackling as the fire ate its way through it, turning everything to ashes.

I wasn’t one to cry at funerals, but the atmosphere got to me—I realized that as I felt tears soaking into my mask. Caspian’s hand took mine, and I gazed up at him. My eyesight was a little hazy with tears, but I managed to see the pained expression he wore as he looked at me. He gently squeezed my hand, a small but reassuring gesture that somehow meant the world to me.

As a sentry, I could see the sadness and frustration emanating from him in deep shades of blue and crimson. He had every reason to feel that way, and yet there was something more beneath those obvious layers. The golden tendrils I’d seen before, warm and almost palpable as they tickled my face. It was so strange and beautiful to experience, in the midst of all that grief.

Caspian had this effect on me, and I found that it didn’t bother me. It didn’t scare me, either. Sure, it confused the hell out of me, but his presence and his touch seemed to make it all worth it. He was an enigma I was determined to unravel, one layer at a time.

For the time being, however, I was thankful to have him standing next to me, holding my hand and filling my heart with an unfamiliar, peculiar, but wonderful kind of warmth.

As I lifted my goggles and wiped my tears, I glanced at Rewa for a minute. Her grief seemed genuine. Tears rolled down her pale cheeks and dripped into the short grass at her feet. Her head was down as the flutes and drums produced a mournful ballad to which they all knew the lyrics.

Her lips parted, then moved as she sang. Soon enough, the entire crowd joined in—a sea of voices singing about the ephemeral nature of life, about how a second and a thousand years are suddenly equal in the face of death.

It sent shivers down my spine, reminding me of how precious life was. Sure, I’d opted for immortality as a vampire. But that didn’t mean it couldn’t be taken away from me. It didn’t mean that it wouldn’t all come to an end at some point.

I instinctively squeezed Caspian’s hand, then gave him a sideways glance as I wondered… If my life were to stop right here and now, I would never see him again. Something clawed at my heart in response, painful and unforgiving.

As our eyes met, I understood.

Caspian was slowly but surely becoming an extra reason for me to live and keep fighting.





Caia





(Daughter of Grace & Lawrence)





A luncheon was organized at the White Star Hotel, with a massive buffet covering the ground and first floor of the building, along with seating and more stalls on the front terrace, for all those who wished to join the grieving families of those lost in last night’s attacks.

The banquet hall on the ground floor was enormous and beautifully decorated with floral spheres and black ribbons hanging from the domed ceiling. It was simple, but elegant and full of expression—an artful way of mourning, I thought.

Our team was given a table at the far end, secluded between large potted flowers that gave us a mild sense of privacy. Servants brought over pitchers of blood and mixed platters from the buffet. My gaze quietly followed them as they then took more blood pitchers to the Lords’ table, on the opposite side of the hall.

The funeral ceremony had been quite intense and emotional, but something else bothered us, collectively. It hung heavy in the air between us, and it had to be addressed sooner rather than later.

“Why aren’t they here yet?” I asked, and they all looked up at me. Their expressions told me everything I needed to know—I wasn’t the only one thinking about it. “Seriously, it’s been days now, and GASP isn’t here yet. There’s something wrong.”