by Zora Marie
“Get me ready for what?” Zelia asked once Eadon had gone.
“We would like you to do the honors of lighting the pyres, dear.”
“Why me?”
There was a glance exchanged between the adults, and Koin sighed.
“Because Leena loved you as a daughter.”
“And we thought there would be no one better to honor our fallen. Zelia, would you do us the honor of freeing our loved ones to take their places amongst the stars?” Queen Orania asked.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. Now if you will all excuse me, there are things I need to attend to before tonight.” Orania leaned in and whispered something to Eleanor before walking away.
“Come, Zelia, let us see what we can help with and clean up for this evening.”
Eleanor held out her hand for Zelia to take, but she couldn’t help but see the distant look in Koin’s eyes.
Zelia glanced between Eleanor and Koin, then took his hand in hers. His hand was clammy to the touch, and he didn’t look down at her until she moved in front of him.
“Koin, would you do me the honor of helping me tonight?”
She stared up at him, waiting for his response. She wanted to help him, and this was the only thing she could think of.
“I think Aunt Leena would want you to, Koin. Come on, let’s go get you cleaned up.” Alrindel grabbed Koin’s other hand, and together, they pulled him along.
When they came to the third-highest pyre, Koin stopped following along. He stared at the thin cloth that covered a slender figure.
“Alrindel, take Zelia and go inside. See if there is anyone the two of you can help. We will catch up with you there in a few,” Eleanor said.
Alrindel nodded and took Zelia’s hand. She watched Koin over her shoulder until they passed the big stone gates, and she turned to look at her surroundings. Great stone buildings rose around her, their make of Dwarven quality. She ran her hand across a smooth wall as they walked. She could not feel a single seam in the stones. Alrindel stopped the first guard they saw.
“Where are the wounded being treated?”
“Why?”
The guard stopped, but he favored his right leg.
“Because we can help. We are children of Eadon,” Zelia replied.
“Vainoff and our healers have gone ahead of us, and we are to assist them,” Alrindel added as he stepped in front of her.
The man looked them over for a moment before pointing down the widest path.
“Follow the path to the stairs. There will be another guard to direct you the rest of the way from there.”
“Thank you.” Alrindel nodded, then pulled Zelia along.
“You’re not an Elf, and people will recognize this. Not everyone will be our friend here.”
“I know, but I’m going to light the pyres, so won’t everyone learn of me then?”
“Maybe or maybe not. I’m not sure what Eleanor is planning to do. For now, let’s go see if we can put that first aid training to work.”
He tapped her nose as they came to the bottom of a set of stairs. Two guards stared down at them, their hands on the hilts of their swords.
“Halt! Who goes there?”
“I am Alrindel. Queen Eleanor has sent us ahead of her to give aid to the wounded.”
“And who is she?” The man nodded towards her, and she felt compelled to step closer to Alrindel.
“She’s with me. Come on, you two, I could use a couple extra sets of hands.” Vainoff appeared at the top of the stairs and waved them to follow.
The guard who had asked gave her a curious stare as they passed.
“Where are Eleanor and Eadon?” Vainoff asked. “The two of you shouldn’t be on your own.”
“Eleanor is with Koin, and Eadon is… busy. Eleanor told us to go help where we can and that she would catch up.”
Vainoff nodded, his lips pursed for a moment. “Yes, Koin needs her. Well, come on, we’ll find you someone where the skills of a young bowman and a Zelia can help.”
Vainoff winked at her and turned down a hallway lined with doors. Moans and cries came from behind most, and whimpers came from those who sat in the halls. Women and a handful of Elves moved from place to place, doing what they could. Vainoff stopped in front of a warrior who appeared to be about eighteen, still young to be in a battle. He held a cloth to his side where blood trailed down his front. His skin was ashen and sweat beaded his forehead. When he opened his eyes, his gaze first met Zelia’s.
“Here, let me look.” She dropped Alrindel’s hand and pulled the top of the soaked bandage from his side. “It’s not deep, but it needs stitches.”
She glanced back at Alrindel as he pulled off his pack. Vainoff stood behind him, a distant look in his eye as he watched.
“Well, I shall leave you to it then.” Vainoff gave her a nod and walked off, swinging his staff with each of his long strides.
“He’s acting weird today,” Zelia said as she wiped the blood from the boy’s side with a clean cloth.
“Of course, he would, he was a friend of the King, and our Aunt,” Alrindel said. “Here, your stitching is better.” He handed her a threaded needle.
Zelia took the needle and watched the boy’s expression for a moment.
“This will hurt, but it will stop the bleeding. You’ll have to be careful not to tear the stitches out though.”
“Who are you?”
“Zelia. Now hold still.”
She put her hand above the cut and pushed the needle through, being careful to do it as Eadon had taught her. Alrindel went on to the next person as she stitched the boy up and tied another clean cloth to his side.
“Now, keep it clean, and you can have the stitches removed in a couple of weeks. Other than that, just take it easy so you don’t rip the stitches out.”
“How did you learn to do this?”
The boy held his side again, but now more for comfort than out of necessity.
“They teach everyone how to do this where I am from. I learned it, hm, a hundred years ago.”
“I’m sorry to pull you away, dear, but we must get ready,” Eleanor said as she walked down the hall from within the castle. “Alrindel, Vainoff will fetch you when it is time.”
Zelia nodded, then turned back to the boy. “You get some rest.”
She could feel the boy’s gaze as she followed Eleanor down the hall but didn’t look back. When the latch of the heavy wooden door clicked, Zelia gained the nerve to ask Eleanor the question that had been bugging her.
“Eleanor, why do they want me to light the pyres? Shouldn’t one of their men do it?”
“One day, you will understand, but for now, I want you to take this task with the grace I have seen you use as you dance in the starlight. If for no one else, do it for Koin and Eadon. I know you love them both and your Auntie Leena.”
Zelia nodded and shifted her feet. I love Auntie Leena, but why me?
“Let us get you changed, and then I want to show you something.”
Eleanor pulled a little silk black dress with edges dipped in gold from an armoire and held it up in the sunlight streaming through the open window. Its long sleeves glimmered as the breeze swept through the room.
“I remember the day Orania wore this when she was about your size. She asked that you wear it tonight.”
Zelia washed the blood from her hands and slipped into the long black dress. It was tight across her shoulders as she had been working with a bow more than most women. Eleanor gave her a sad smile and plated her hair back in a long braid.
“You know, this is the first time I’ve ever gotten you into an actual dress.”
“They’re not good for climbing,” Zelia said, turning to give Eleanor one of her mischievous grins. “So, what did you want to show me?”
“Something special that you need to see.”
Eleanor took her hand and led her through a maze of corridors, leading deeper into the stone castle. When they came to a large set of
doors, a guard nodded and pushed the door open for them. Orania stood at the edge of a platform, staring down at the water falling beneath it. A statue of a man stood staring at the open sky above them, his hand on the hilt of his sword, and the brim of his helmet shading his eyes from the setting sun.
“Do you know what this is, Zelia?” Orania asked.
Zelia shook her head, but Orania didn’t need to see to know.
“It’s a reminder of where the O’Fell family came from. Do you know the story?”
“They are descendants of Yargo, God of the Fallen Warriors. He hoped to unite the people by giving them someone they could follow. And this must be Lumid, guard of the bridge and keeper of the stars.”
Orania turned from the edge.
“That is right, and you will release their souls to live with their ancestor, Yargo, among the stars. It is a tradition for a daughter of a fallen King to lay him to rest, and since he has no daughter, we have asked that you do it.”
Zelia nodded, but she still didn’t quite understand why they would ask her.
“Now, it’ll be getting dark soon. We should start gathering people outside.”
Men, women, and children had gathered on the walls and in the field all around the long rows of pyres. Koin stood by her side with Orania. Whatever Eleanor had done seemed to have eased Koin’s pain. Orania had just finished her long speech and excused Elizabeth for not being there, saying the grief was too much for her to bear.
Orania gave Koin a nod, and he handed Zelia a torch. As soon as she took it, the flame grew brighter, and an updraft pulled it higher into the sky.
“I’ll be right beside you the entire time,” Koin whispered.
She started with Skalary and Skyral’s pyres but froze as she went to light Leena’s. Koin squeezed her shoulder as if to say it’s alright, and she stuck the torch into the kindling. When the fire took off, she stepped back and looked up at Koin. There were tears in his eyes as the soft light of the flames lit Leena’s face.
“You can stay here, Koin. I’ll finish.”
She gave his hand a light squeeze and continued down the row. With each one she lit, she glanced back at Koin; the flames had grown, but he hadn’t stepped away. With everyone entranced by the flames, she moved from pyre to pyre a little faster and circled around from one end to the other.
When she lit the last one, she threw the torch at the feet of the King as the flames of the pyres already burned high in the sky. When she did, something happened that made all the crowd gasp. The flames turned blue, and little orbs of light rose from the bodies of those fallen. As each one rose, the flames calmed back to their orange glow.
“Koin!” Zelia pulled him back from Leena’s pyre as a wave of heat rolled out, and Leena’s soul rose from the flames.
One by one, the blue orbs lifted into the stars, twinkling until they faded from view. Zelia glanced around at the mourners. The families crowded together, and those who stood alone held clasped hands over their hearts as they stared up at the stars. The crowd stood staring at the stars long after the souls had gone, but one by one, people trickled away, and the somber silence moved with them.
The next few days went by in a bit of a blur for Zelia. They had stayed and tended to the wounded, and Eleanor had scarcely let her out of her sight. Their trip home was much slower than their trip there as the Elves who fought in the battle returned with them; many were injured or had not slept as they tended to the wounded. When they stopped for the night, Eleanor called out to Zelia before she could run off with Alrindel.
“Stay close by, alright?”
“I believe the two of you have some archery practice to catch up on,” Eadon said.
“But I don’t have my bow with me.”
“We can share,” Alrindel offered. “Come on. I saw a board back there.”
“Do not go too far,” Eleanor warned again before the two of them ran off.
They weaved between the clusters of Elves that tended to each other’s wounds. When they found a weathered board tangled in the grass, they wedged it between two stones and stepped back. Alrindel went first, drawing his arrow back by his ear.
“Alrindel?” Zelia asked.
“Trying to distract me?”
“No. I just... do you think Koin will be okay?”
Alrindel released, and the arrow just hit the edge of the board.
“What’s this about me?” Koin’s curious voice made her jump as he approached them from behind.
“Zelia here is worried about you.”
Zelia twisted her foot in the long grass and fought not to look up at Koin.
“She is now, is she?”
There was a hint of the old Koin in his tone, and she glanced at him.
“How about you show Alrindel how a real archer shoots?”
Alrindel pulled an arrow from his quiver and handed it to her.
“Your turn.”
She took his bow and drew it back a little past her ear. A hand touched her arm and pushed her elbow down, so it was level with her arrow.
“Remember, release with the last of your breath.”
She stared down the shaft of her arrow and released as her breath steadied towards the end. The half-rotten board splintered as her arrow shot through, just off the center.
As the arrow shattered the board, it was as if the shell of dark emotion that had held her captive within since the funeral shattered, too. She spun around and gave Koin a hug, holding the bow across his back as she did so.
“Thank you, Koin.”
“You’re welcome.” He gave her a light squeeze and leaned back from her hug. “Now, give the bow back to Alrindel before you hurt yourself with it. It’s still a bit too big for you.”
“But we just started.”
“I will make sure you make up for the lost practice when we get back. Deal?”
Zelia couldn’t help but smile as Koin looked down at her with a raised brow.
“Fine. Here you go, Alrindel.” She tossed the bow to him and grabbed Koin’s hand. “Let’s go find Eadon.”
“Sure,” Alrindel said as they disappeared into the crowd. “Just leave me to pick up your arrow.”
Time seemed to glide by as she lay on Starjaina’s back. They had returned to Elyluma and life resumed its normal pace, but Zelia couldn’t forget the burning pyres. While she had stopped asking why they had chosen her, she could not stop her thoughts from questioning why. Riding Starjaina was the only thing that calmed her rolling thoughts.
“There you are.” Koin pulled her from Starjaina’s back and onto his own horse. “You are supposed to be at practice.”
“So are you.”
Koin squinted at her with his lips pressed together, and she giggled.
“Sorry, Koin.” She spun around on her knees and gave him a hug.
“How is it you are so graceful on a horse and in the trees but so clumsy on the ground?”
“Guess I’m just not meant for blades.”
“No, we will get you using a sword with at least a bit of skill one day. We just have to make sure you do not hurt yourself before then.” He tapped her nose and turned his horse around to start back across the pasture.
“Wait, you are forgetting Alrindel.”
“Thanks,” Alrindel said with a sigh and stood from his hiding spot amongst the tall grass.
“Hey, you’re the reason I’m out here. I came to get you, remember?”
“Well, at least you two have been paying attention to one of your teachers. Eadon must be teaching you the ancient Fairy language now.”
“Why do we learn languages the Fairies don’t even bother to learn anymore?” Alrindel asked.
“Why do you use contractions like the humans?” Koin asked, and he let that sink in as they crossed the pasture. “We learn the languages both to keep them alive and because we may one day need them. Just because the Fairies on the mainland no longer use the language does not mean Fairies elsewhere do not.”
Koin helped Zelia
from his horse and handed both her and Alrindel a bow.
“Now, you can’t leave until you each hit the target across the field three times in a row.”
Alrindel sighed, and Zelia laughed as she picked up a handful of arrows.
“What’s wrong, Alrindel? Afraid I’ll finish before you?”
“How about a wager? Last one has to retrieve all the arrows?”
“Fine.”
She pulled an arrow back to her ear and released, missing by a foot. Alrindel did the same, but he barely missed. Soon they both had two arrows in the target and they lined up for another shot. They released as one, and an arrow shot from the side knocked both their arrows aside.
“Koin!” Both children complained in unison.
“What? I never said there would be no interference. Try again.”
They sighed and leaned over to grab another handful of arrows.
“Rapid fire?” Alrindel asked in a hushed voice.
Zelia nodded and grabbed up a few more.
“You might need a few more, Koin!” Alrindel yelled as they began shooting arrows one after another at the target.
At first, they were in time with one another, but as they went, Zelia lagged behind. Still, they filled the target and surrounding ground with arrows.
“Alright, now go pick up your mess.” Koin laughed and walked off to where the other Elf children trained with swords.
“I saw some of the elder wizards this morning. Why do you think they are here?” she asked as they picked through the grass for their arrows.
Alrindel looked as though he was about to say something, but he shook his head.
“I don’t know, but they are watching us.”
Zelia glanced over her shoulder. Eleanor and the wizards she had seen stood on the dining room balcony of their home, their gazes all turned towards her.
“Why do they always watch me when they come here?”
“Why don’t you ask Eleanor that?” Alrindel asked. “But not until you find all those arrows.”
Zelia sighed and continued picking through the grass for her arrows, more of hers had missed than hit.
