Chapter 33: Gone Too Soon
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The sun was high, but the temple felt cold, not the kind of cold that came with wind or winter but the kind that settled in your soul and stayed there. The kind that made you feel so...empty.
Maia’s body lay at the center of the courtyard, wrapped in white linen, her hands folded over her chest. Flowers had been placed around her, lavender, white lilies, and the pale blue blossoms she used to grow in the temple garden and a few more that Xander was sure didn’t exist in his world.
Vimea stood at the head of the pyre, her voice steady as she recited the rites, but her hands trembled with every word as she kept stopping herself from sobbing.
"May the stars guide you." She said, "May the gods receive you. May your soul find rest in the light."
Gaea stepped forward next, her jaw clenched, her eyes red. She placed Maia’s staff beside her...Vimea has explained that it was used to give her the title of the High Priestess, laying it down like a sword at the feet of a fallen warrior to be buried with her.
"You always did what was right," she said, her voice low and rough. "Even when it hurt. Even when it cost you everything."
Eli knelt beside the pyre, whispering a prayer in the old tongue. His voice cracked halfway through, but he didn’t stop.
Alyhana stood last, her hands were shaking as she stepped forward, her aura flickering yellow around her fingertips. She lit the pyre with a soft breath of magic, and the flames caught slowly, like even the fire didn’t want to take her.
"M–may the gods carry you gently," she whispered, her voice breaking as she sobbed. "And may you find peace where... we could not."
Xander stood apart from the others, his arms crossed tightly over his chest, his jaw locked, his eyes were fixed on the fire, but he wasn’t really seeing it. He was literally somewhere else.
’You were supposed to protect her,’