He had insisted on doing it alone. He was glad that she insisted on helping him. It wasn't much, but he had to find dry wood to burn, and with all the rain it was difficult. As dawn began to approach, many of the others began to waken and realize what had happened during the night. There was no hiding Eris' funerary pyre, which Barret began to assemble at the edge of the glade. He knew that it would send up a column of smoke, and it was bound to attract anyone in the area, but he didn't care. He was going to send off his brother the right way. As Haelith brought over a few more logs, she set them down with a grunt, her brow dripping with sweat. "You should have gotten some sleep." Barret said as he glanced over.

"It'll be a while before I sleep easy. Heh, I barely slept while we were in there, why start now?"

"I'd sleep better if I knew you weren't going to fall over while walking."

"I'll be fine. How much more do you need?"

"This should be enough. Raine still has some lantern oil, so we can use that to make sure the flame spreads quickly." He stalled as he reached for another branch, and sighed as he hung his head. "I wish I didn't have to do this again. It was only January when I watched the last fire burn. And now, I'm doing it again for the only blood I have left. I wish… I wish it hadn't been like this. I wish I could have stopped it all."

Haelith knelt down next to him, and put her arm around him. "So do all who see times like this. But it is the Fate of all things that live: all must also die. Nothing lasts forever, though many have tried. All we can do is make the best of the time we have."

"You're right. But it doesn't make it any easier to accept."

"No. It doesn't. But it's a start. Here." She pulled him up and held him close. "Let's send him off properly."

It took only a few minutes to collect him. The camp was silent as the man who freed them was lifted from where he lay and escorted to the pyre. Laid on top of the wood, Barret poured the oil across everything, and held out his hand. Many watched him as he focused his power, the wellspring of magic flowed through his fingers and sparks flew to the liquid, igniting it quickly. Though many stood there, silence reigned over them. Barret stood next to Haelith and Raine at the front of the small crowd, when a hand touched his shoulder. "May I say a few words?" Barret turned to see an Ishtaer standing behind him. He recognized the voice as the woman who was in the cell next to him, but he never actually paid attention to her while he was in jail, not even knowing her name. Barret nodded, and she stepped around them, her yellow and white scales gleaming in the fire. "Erisdar was a Templar General, he was a monster and a villain. He turned many of our kind in, and caused much suffering. But we would not be free if it was not for him. He gave up everything, chose to fight against the Templars, chose to free us, and he chose to lay down his life for all of us. I do not know how to feel about him, but I will at least show him the respect he deserves. May his soul find rest today."

Another stepped forward, his blue and gray scales glimmering in the shadows. "I feel the same way. I hated him every day for months. I did not think I would be free ever, and yet here I am, standing free with many others. And it was he who freed us. May his soul find it's place to the halls of the ancestors."

Many others said things of similar nature as the pyre crackled and burned. Eris had been laid on the wood with his armor on, as they could not remove it, and the flames eventually rose to consume the whole body. As they burned brightly, Barret began to walk around the wood, even as smoke rose high into the air. "I had thought for years that I had lost you. I didn't know how close I was to right. I thought you were dead, and I was so close to right. When you found me, I couldn't believe that you were alive. My brother, back from the dead after so long, only to be ripped from my arms days later. You turned on me. You were not my brother. You were an impostor, masquerading as him. You had destroyed the man I loved. But then, like a spark to dry tinder, you rekindled my hope. You came when I needed you most. You were there, ready to take on the world for me, ready to abandon all you had done, all you had accomplished, all you had earned. And you gave your life so I could live mine. I am proud to call you my brother. I am proud to know that you are the man I remember you to be. I am proud to tell everyone who you are. I am proud because you are my brother. Eris, son of Baehemuth and Tinaiat, may the wind be ever at your back. May the ancient fire in your veins consume you, and lead you to eternal rest in the halls of our ancestors."

For a while, they all stood in front of the burning wood, and as the sun began to creep over the trees, many began to disperse. Raine gave Barret a gentle hug, and went to help clean up the camp, leaving him and Haelith alone. "I am sorry."

"You did all you could. I should have known that this would happen. It seems to be my Fate that my family will die in my arms."

"No. Not all of your family. I am still here."

"And I'm glad. But that also frightens me. I don't want to have to do this for you too."

"You won't. I have you to protect me, and that is the difference. Eris gave his life for you. Your mom was ripped from you, but your dad gave his life trying to protect you too. You may suffer for a while, but it makes you stronger over time. Like a jeweler making a ring, you have to hammer the metal. Bend it. Shape it. Heat it, pull it and hammer more. But in the end it becomes beautiful. People are the same way. Suffering doesn't break you. It shapes you."

"Medicine and metalworking? You really do know a lot."

"I read a lot of books." Barret chuckled as he pulled her close, their tails wrapping together. "We shouldn't stay too long. Edinmire won't get any closer with us standing here."

"I know. But I wanted to send him off right. Go help them pack up, I… I need a minute."

"We'll be waiting for you." And then she did something unexpected by both of them. She leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. He turned to her, blushing, and she smiled, blushing back as she walked away. His heart was hurting, but that helped.

He walked forward and began to focus his magic, the fire fading and the smoke clearing around his arms. He reached into the fire unharmed, and from within the ashes his fingers found purchase on what he needed. Scales of orange with a hint of yellow, hardened by the fire and polished by ash. Holding the scales close, Barret knew that this was the last he would see of his brother. This was the end of him. "Goodbye Eris. You are my brother, and you always will be. You gave your life to save not just me, but everyone. I know that I will see you again someday, when my time comes. I will find rest with you, and with mom, and with dad. Then we can all be together again. Forever. I love you." With that, he turned away from the pyre, and walked away, the weight of the world suddenly on his shoulders. Many of the prisoners looked to him as he walked, and he could feel them watching his every move. They were wary, but they were also curious. There were only two bags left on the ground now. He went to pick up his longbow, but he saw that it was not the only weapon by his belongings. A glaive, sharpened and polished to a gleam lay next to his bow. For a moment, he hesitated. He sighed, and picked up the longbow, stringing it over his back, and grasped the glaive. The polearm felt heavy in his hand, but it also just felt right. He hoisted his bag onto one side, and put Eris's bag on the other, before turning to the group. They were ready to move, they were ready to follow him. He put on a brave smile, and began to lead them forward. Southeast.

To Edinmire.

End of Book 2