That night the funerals took place. Certain doors hung black crepe on the frame to tell others they were in mourning. Jon relieved Kel of her duties for a time, but the Yamani knight insisted that she still do her responsibilities. The king left it at that, knowing Kel needed a distraction.
Midori let the veil of black cover her face, tears making tracks down her cheeks. Gazing into the mirror at herself dressed in a black kimono and sash with silver hair ornaments, she sighed heavily: "Time to say goodbye…" she turned from the mirror but glanced at the chain around her neck, glinting in the soft candlelight. She took the chain and the token of the hawk, making sure it was visible. Midori would wear Kalen's last gift in pride.
She made her way to the chapel, glancing at others who walked around her. Her friends. Amyl gave Midori a small smile in which she did not return, Oriana patted her arm, Sheba gave her a nod with her sympathy, and Emrys' squeezed her shoulder, giving her a comforting sense of peace.
As they entered to join the crowd, dressed in black, twelve men entered in groups of four carrying three caskets, draped in black.
They set them down and joined the crowd of mourners. Midori saw her very young cousin, Shale, in a smaller casket, face ashen. She choked back a sob as she was reminded vividly of the time when he once asked her to teach him how to 'spin a stick' like she and his mother did. Midori also saw her uncle and wondered what he must have thought in those few precious moments before death. He must have thought of his son and of his love. How he would leave them, cut down by a single, well-aimed arrow.
"That was a brave death to die uncle," she thought. "But it took your son as well and Aunt's future dreams…but it wasn't your fault"
Midori's breath hitched in her throat when she realized the only face she hadn't recognized was Kalen's. Her lover's face was composed and calm with the hint of a smile, but so white in death. Midori couldn't imagine him dying alone in the forest, too weak to continue and watching as his blood stained the ground in a puddle of red. She buried her head in her hands, unable to watch the funeral continue.
A priest stepped forward, murmuring prayers and spreading incense over each of the bodies, the smoke of the sweet-smelling incense burned her nose. Her mind was screaming and her heart weeping. She felt numb. Colors and sound blended in the haze of her tears, blending like the blood that was spilled and the tears that were now being shed.
I hardly hear what's being said
As you lie there, now on your deathbed
Blood stained on the ground, so red
You cannot now be dead
I stand here now, not knowing what should be done
I feel I have lost when I should have won
I have become numb I cannot now run
I know another day will come, but for you, only this one
I want to sink in my sorrow, drown in my tears
I cannot imagine the later lonely years
Oh please, Goddess protect me from the jeers
Of my scorners and many peers
They are blind to what I feel
So why should their feelings be real?
Their insults ring inside my head, their laughter begins to peal
They are waiting for me to yield
They strip me bare of protections
They are waiting for my contradictions
Only one of them waits for my affections
Of which I will never give, I will build a wall from my rejections
Midori now stood to pray to the gods for the safe passage of the spirits, gripping the hawk token tight, the chapel glowed with a strange purple and black light. The Goddess stood before the smaller casket, beckoning a child-shaped white light to her. The Goddess took Shalem's hand as he turned to Kel, hazel eyes questioning. The Great Mother turned to the Black God who stood before the ghosts of Dom and Kalen. The god of death nodded and Shale ran up to Kel and hugged her tight around the legs, Kel gasped and looked down, Alanna handed her the ember-stone, and the younger knight took it gasping in surprise at the sights before her. Dom turned, blue eyes shining with tears of his own and walked up to his wife, placing a hand on her shoulder and kissing her lips and cheek briefly before whispering something in her ear and turning back to the Great Gods.
Midori kept a grip on the hawk token as the specter of Kalen came closer he smiled at her tenderly. "You are no more alone then you seem, my love. Keep them—he gestured to Sheba, Oriana and Emrys standing behind her--close for I must go."
"No. I want to keep all of you close to me." She whispered.
Her friends gave her curious looks. "They can't see him." she realized. She took the token from her neck and told them to put a hand on her own. They gasped softly as Dom, Shale and Kalen's ghosts came into focus.
"Death has come, so I must obey" Kalen replied.
"Go in peace. We shall duel together in death," Emrys murmured.
"An offer stands, Sir Emrys of Northwatch. Now I must go. Carry your shields in pride, all of you."
All four nodded and Kalen turned back to the gods, the Great Mother picked up Shalem and beaconed him to a deep slumber, the slumber of a true death.
In a flash of black and purple light they disappeared into the Peaceful Realms, never again to return to the mortal way of life.
The blessings were finished and as the twelve men bent to pick up the caskets, the priest stopped them and told them to step aside. They did without question and the four friends each took one side of Kalen's casket and balanced it on their shoulders. Mourners were surprised at this strange act of pure support. Midori felt the heavy weight of the casket on her shoulder, but it felt strangely light with the four of them. Here she was, a pillar of support. This was her place in the circle of friendship she shared with the four friends and of the friendship they had all shared with the fifth member of their group now in the Realms of the dead.
Kel, Raoul, Corporal Wolset, and Dom's father walked up to the second large casket and each took a side, carrying it on their shoulders to the courtyard.
Neal and Buri then took the smaller casket of Shalem to the courtyard, following the other two groups. The crowd dispersed through the courtyard to create an aisle for the carriers to place the caskets.
Three holes and gravestones lay in waiting for their charges. Here, the men took the burden and carefully lowered it into the ground. Moonlight washed the stones in an eerie light and gave the courtyard a sense of death. It told the crowd, death had passed overhead.
Midori went to the stables to speak to Yukiko; she needed the mare's calm presence now in this time of doubt. While walking to her mare's stall, she saw a shadowed figure move as if to hide. The shadow seemed to be of no harm but as Midori drew closer, she realized Yukiko was shaking. "What is it girl?" Midori asked. Yukiko neighed and gestured to the shadowed empty stall beside her and Midori realized with a pang of loneliness that the empty stall had been Velvet's. Midori pat Yukiko on the nose as she entered Velvet's stall. "Is anyone there?" she called.
"So the sprout I have been seeking comes toward the sun," said a distinctively female voice.
Midori looked around, confused, "Who's there?"
"I am" replied the voice.
"Who?"
"You will find out soon enough," replied the voice.
"Who are you?" Midori pressed, getting annoyed.
"A organism not of your species" chuckled the woman voice.
"Show yourself! Step into the light" Midori commanded.
"As you wish, juvenile squire" the woman replied.
Midori wheeled around as a woman stepped into the mage-lights, hazel-green eyes twinkling and long brown-blonde hair sighing in the nightly breeze. The woman also looked as if she spent a long time under the sun, working, for her skin was tanned and her hands looked calloused. The loose, white cotton shirt and plain brown breeches were slightly dirty from her hiding in the stall. The riding boots on her feet were scuffed and looked worn.
The woman smiled, "So now that I am 'in the light', squire, what will you have me do?"
Sighing heavily, Midori crossed her arms over her chest. "Stop being so secretive for start and tell me why you were hiding."
"Can't a person hide if he or she feels obligated to?" replied the woman.
"You've read too many books on words," Midori muttered.
"I read a great many things, Squire Midori," the woman pointed out in a soft voice. "I have been sent by the Seer Goddess, Shakith to guide you."
"Not more god business" Midori rolled her eyes and found them stinging with tears. "I've got enough business with my shield that I don't need gods to meddle with my life too!" she sobbed, turning away.
Walking up to Midori, the woman placed her hand on Midori's shoulder. "You buried your friend tonight, didn't you?"
"Yes" she whispered. "My cousin and uncle too"
"I've never felt the way mortals feel death. It's different for us, immortals because we can't exactly die the never-returning death. Like this spiritual cat, called Faithful, died and became a constellation. That's the afterlife for us… my ma and da blessed me with the ability to shape shift after Faithful allowed one babe per hundred years to receive this rare gift."
"How?" asked the stunned squire.
"They call it Faithful's Blessing. That cat doesn't give it often, so I was glad to receive it. I can shift into this…" The woman's body rippled and her shadow shrank to that of a white cat with hazel-green eyes. Midori's eyes widened and she stumbled backwards, watching as the cat shifted back to its true form.
"Now, enough of my chatter, what about your training?" the woman asked.
"On one condition…" Midori told her.
"Oh the conditions always apply, don't they?" muttered the woman, rolling her eyes and turning to leave the stables.
Midori laughed quietly, remembering bitterly when Kalen made a promise to her. The promise still stood, even while he dwelled in death. "…You tell me your name."
"Nicola Renee of Cria. But please just call me Nicole" she replied, over her shoulder.