Sly

The Muses dressed me, and I could do little more than let it happen and try not to cry on the fine fabrics. Dirk was the one who found me in the ruins of our old house. I was grateful that he said nothing, the old rogue just picked me up and put me on my feet before walking us out of there. But not back to the Dragon, not yet. He wisely took me to Orchid, and the Muses took over.

I don't know if I ate anything, I do remember bowls of easy food appearing before me. Broth or porridge or something like that. I also remember the drag of a brush through my hair, and the feel of clothes being peeled off and pulled on my body. A whirlwind of faces. The muses, Jexa, Addah even made time to come see me despite how busy her work at the inn was.

I slept, but it was fitful and peppered with bloody dreams. As if summoning my monthly cycle I woke up from one such dream needing to freshen my underthings, cramps now adding physical pain to the pain in my heart. Wonderful.

Today I was provoked out of Orchid's bed by Panther, who told me it was Davery's burning day. I was dressed for the sendoff. My hair was washed and combed, tied in a bun of small braids and curls. They put me in a dark red silk dress at first but I was nearly nauseous at all the blood-colored fabric until they took it away. Finally, they put her me in a deep blue gown that didn't cover my shoulders. But it fit and I wanted to look nice for the ceremony. At some point they got me out of my boots and into matching slippers for the gown. I was clean, my lips were even painted. Someone pulled me towards the door.

Fae drove the cart of horses, Panther sat beside me on the bench, and everyone else climbed in back. The ride was silent. We passed outside the city gates and rode south to the pyre grounds. Spirit's temple was next to the field of stone slabs funeral burnings were held on. There were half a dozen of them around the field, but only one was prepared for use today. The priests had cleaned Davery's body and laid him out on the black stone. I could barely look at it. The empty husk that was full of life just two days ago. Or maybe it was three, I really coudln't tell anymore. It was all a blurr of burning pain.

Jexa was there talking to a Devoted of Spirit, his eyes were red. Bricker and Dirk stood silently by the pyrestone. Graham seemed to have brought Abe and Addah in a small wagon, they couldn't have made the walk otherwise and I knew they didn't own such a cart of their own.

More people were there than I expected to see. I didn't bother getting out of the wagon, but stared at the scene. People the Daggers had helped were there. Marak, the carpenter. Many faces I recognized from Swamp district, neighbors, friends, nearly everyone from our street. Regulars at the Dragon's bar, children Davery used to buy sweets for, he had a soft spot for little girls probably because of raising me. People he fed, clothed, helped. If I wasn't numb all over I might have felt something like appreciation to all the mourners.

"It's time." Jexa had come over. There were dark circles under his eyes and a wearyness I'd never seen on him. Offering a hand, I stared at it a moment. How many times had this very hand helped my brother? Me? The city? I took it. He helped me out of the wagon and we walked together to say the last goodbye. The pyrestone was covered in flowers. Offerings of incense burned all around the field, some people held candles. Everyone wore their best clothes and those who could afford it wore colorful ribbons. A young Devoted of Spirit walked forward and began the farewell song. Everyone joined in, it was a slow song of peace and rest that filled the air and brought fresh tears forward. I sang, it was the first noise I had made since the night Davery died. It was also my goodbye for him, and I put all my love, all my tears, all my heart into it. Jexa's baritone joined in next to me. Panther's soft notes on my other side. Orchid played her lap harp to the tune, a few other instruments were spread through the crowd as well. Davery would have loved it.

The head Devoted brought his lit candle down towards the dried flowers on the bottom of the pile. They lit easily and the flames licked around Davery as the lament continued. But I couldn't watch the burning, so I looked down at my slippers as I sang. A gasp brought my eyes back up.

A man walked out of the Temple of Spirit and came towards the pyrestone. He had the bluest eyes I had ever seen and wore all white. And he glowed. The song wavered as people spotted him, but it continued. One of the stunned priests dropped his incense burner but quickly recovered. But I knew this figure, I'd seen him once before on the worst day of my life. Spirit himself walked right into Davery's fire and bent to kiss his forehead.

I watched on as Spirit then straightened, smiled, and disappeared. On Davery's forehead, a mark had surfaced. It shone with a blinding white light, it was the shape of a flower of some kind. A dream lilly, I realized. Spirit's own flower. As the song concluded the fire roared to life. It rose higher than it should have, and in an instant, the pyrestone was completely empty. Everything gone, the flowers, the candles, the incense. Davery.

It was more than I could have imagined for my brother. For all he called himself a criminal and a thief, he earned the ultimate rest in Spirit's court. The lord of dreams and sleep weighed a man's deeds, only the truest hearts were honored by Spirit in the afterlife. It would seem he held to deeds of good and bad, the law must not be a factor. 

Of course, the laws of men didn't matter to a god. What do they care of our ways?

I stayed there, in front of the empty pyrestone for a long time. People moved around me, some who knew he was my brother spoke to me but I didn't have it in me to respond. Panther tried to get me to come back with them, but I mumbled something about staying. Jexa finally said he'd take me home and Panther took the muses back to the house. Addah and Abe hugged me before they left. Addah was still crying heavily. Dirk begged my forgiveness for not catching Grethan that night. I knew they all searched for Grethan still. Bricker apologized for his part and I hit him weakly in the arm. Even the brand new recurit was broken about Davery's death, and if I opened my mouth to scold him for it I'd end up crying again. Grahm hugged me and told me how honored he was to have known me and Davery. I didn't feel like anything about me brought honor but I didn't say it. 

Jexa said nothing, just staying steadfast by my side through the entire terrible procession of grief and mourners. It wasn't until they had cleared away from me that he turned and caught my attention. Jexa didn't have anything to say to me. Fair enough, I didn't have anything I wanted to hear. His presence was enough. But he handed me Davery's knife. 

I stared at it, the weight in my hand like a mountain of lead. It was the one he fought Grethan with that night. I wrapped my fingers slowly over the hilt and held it to my chest, not willing to ever let it go.

One by one they left until Jexa and I stood alone in the field. Even the priests had scrubbed clean and blessed the stone anew. At some point Jexa had put his light coat over my shoulders. It was far too big for me and probably made me look like a child, but I appreciated having it.

It was mid-day when we arrived to the field. It was now dinner time when we began the slow walk home. Neither of us said anything for the mile walk back to Southgate. We reached the border of Swamp district when I stopped walking. Jexa stopped and looked at me, a question on his face but he waited for ne to speak first.

"I . . ." Icroaked, my throat had taken some abuse the last couple days. "I can't."

"Where will you go?" Jexa asked. He understood, he wasn't going to dwell on the 'why' I couldn't go back just yet. "There is always room in my place."

I shook my head. We stood there for a while as I gathered my thoughts slowly. The sun was going to touch the wall and start sinking soon. Fah, the early moon, was already rising.

"Panther house, for now. I think Orchid wouldn't mind me in her room for a few more days."

"Alright," Jexa said softly. He turned us around towards Lights district.

"No, not quite yet. I, can I walk back myself?" I was near exhausted from no food and little sleep, but I wasn't ready to be around that many people right now, either.

"I can't leave you alone how you are right now. Panther would have my hide, for one thing." Jexa patted my back as softly as he could.

"Jexa, do you know why Grethan . . ." I couldn't finish that thought. "Why Davery died?"

"The map. I heard that much of it. We're still looking for Grethan but it's as though he vanished. May have left Unays. We never found the map though. Not that we couldn't try to put it back together, but I'm not sure what Davery was even going to do with it. I thought he said we couldn't do anything about it." Jexa fell quiet again. "What's it all about, Sly?"

"It wasn't just the map. I think it was who we would show the map to that Grethan cared about." I pulled Jexa's coat off and handed it back.

"The prince?" Jexa asked, I nodded. "I heard Davery tell you to find him. Who is the prince?"

"In the palace." My eyes fell on the towering shadow in the distance, around the bend of the lake where it stood over the rest of the city.

"Wait, a prince prince? Like, a Dalvnae?" Jexa sputtered.

"Yes."

"As in, the royal family?"

I shrugged a shoulder. He had the infomation now, this was just his way of letting it sink in as I stared at the castle in the distance.

"How did Davery know Prince Braeton?" Jexa asked.

He didn't. But I could see why Jexa would think of Braeton first. The prince in the spotlight, the one that would take charge and lead people. Rourik kept to the side on purpose. I could see that now, and he'd done such a damn good job of it that his very presence in the royal family was forgetable.

"I can't say more right now. I think it would just bring more danger to us. I need to find something out for myself. Maybe Davery didn't . . . didn't die in vain." My voice cracked at the last part.

"What are you doing?" Jexa now pulled his coat on. I was taking off the fine slippers and jammed Davery's sheathed dagger in my bodice.

"I'll find you later," I said. I took off sprinting. Jexa would never be able to catch me, as tired as I was I was still faster than any of the guys, especially big Jexa. I leaped up the nearest climb to High Road and kept running. Jexa called after me but it wasn't long before I couldn't hear him anymore. Jexa had never taken to the climb, the alleys, as I had. If I didn't want to be caught, it wouldn't happen. Not from Jexa, anyway.

The paved stone of the road wasn't easy on my bare feet, but at least it wasn't cutting them up. I ran through the dusk light, heading for the palace.