by Jay Boyce
Brodie looked seriously uncomfortable right about then, knowing his mom was referring to the fact that both he and his father tried to kill her at one point or another. Jade put a comforting hand on the frail woman’s shoulder, giving her a reassuring squeeze. “It’s water under the bridge. There are more important things in life than holding a grudge.” Helen reached up, placing her hand over Jade’s and giving it a return squeeze as she nodded in acceptance, though Jade had the sneaking feeling this wasn’t the last she’d hear of it.
“Jade, Duchess, I’m sorry to interrupt, but we’re ready to start the ceremony. Are you ready?” Jade turned to look at Ren Delaney, happy to see the two little fellacai flitting happily around her head and shoulders.
She glanced at the small family, who nodded back to her, then turned to face Ren and nodded. “Sure. Let’s get this show on the road.” Everyone was moving forward to the open caskets, and she took a moment to check who else had joined them as Amber flitted back to her.
Aside from Tevon and Christopher’s family, the entire royal family was present. There also seemed to be a few other families that looked like they could also be cousins. She guessed that there were representatives of the other most prominent families in the kingdom, considering she made eye contact with Alisha Ri’Tine, who nodded cordially back to her while standing next to what she assumed were Alisha’s parents and brother. She counted at least eight other noble families being represented.
As for Christopher’s side, it consisted more of guards who’d come to pay their respect. She picked out Logan, Andrews, Cozzens, Tanner, Count Ammon, and a couple other guards she’d seen around. There were a few people who were probably friends, but she didn’t have time to verify, because it looked like one of the church orators was now standing between the two caskets.
Clearing his throat, he began, “Today we are gathered to celebrate the lives of two honorable men, who have given much to this kingdom…”
Chapter Twenty-Five – Funeral
The orator spoke eloquently about the lives of Tevon and Christopher respectively, though Jade was having trouble focusing. Ren was still standing next to her, so she figured when she was needed, Ren making a move would signify that she needed to act as well. Or when anyone moved, really. For now, everyone was standing there listening to the orator as he went on about the cycle of life. She was devoting enough of her attention to it that she could recall it later if she needed to, but most of her attention fell onto the trees as she surreptitiously studied them.
Rather than trying to look at any of the trees surrounding them, she chose to study the trees behind the orator so that she’d be looking in the right direction. Now forewarned, when she activated mana sense she closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again, starting with the ground and slowly moving up to acclimate herself. That wasn’t too weird, considering that plenty of people present closed their eyes in silent supplication to the heavens or in trying to get their emotions under control.
Looking over that nearest tree was a strange experience. The ground beneath it glowed with earth, water, and blood magic, but the tree itself, down to the roots, was chock full of nature magic. The strangest thing was that the tree had its own aura, like she was used to seeing around humans. This was where the flashes of other random colors were coming from. The wood had its own affinities. Looking at the trees next to it, no tree was the same, and she came to the conclusion that each tree was influenced by what went into it. Whether that was the nature mage who raised it or the body beneath it, she wasn’t sure, but she figured it was probably a combination.
Her eyes flicked to the right, pausing before she reached the next tree. For there, floating above Christopher’s casket, was a pale green glow. Ashanna’s words echoed in her head. Most spirits move on after they die, but there are some that linger, and they can be captured after death. Trying to act casually, she moved her gaze to the queen, who was staring at the air above Christopher’s casket. Okay, so that was literally happening. That was fine, as long as Ashanna didn’t attempt the whole capturing thing. She didn't expect it of the queen, but she was watching her closely just in case.
However, through the rest of the Orator’s eulogy, Ashanna made no move, other than a few discrete nods, as if she was communicating with Christopher’s spirit. A pang of longing hit her, and she wished that spirit magic hadn’t been the one she’d struggled with. If she’d been able to utilize it, she could see Christopher one more time. Also...if his spirit was still here, following his body around, did that mean she’d shoved him into a pocket dimension for days? Dangit. She still had the tialon bodies in there too. How crappy would it be to be stuck in a pocket dimension with the bodies of the things that killed you?
“As we send off these brave spirits, we offer our promise that they will not be forgotten. We offer our blood to light the way, knowing that we will be connected evermore.” The orator’s final words caught her attention. “As dust we began, to dust we return, a new life to nourish.” There was a sharp dagger in the orator’s hand, and as he went first to Tevon, she realized part of the preparation she’d missed was in the form of a large stone bowl placed on each of their stomachs. The orator cut open his palm, holding it over Tevon’s bowl to drip out some blood before clasping it and walking over to Christopher’s body and once more dripped blood.
When he was done, he walked over to a woman at the side, who took his wrist in her hands, and through sense magic, she could see the bright green of healing flash as the wound was closed. In the meantime, the crowd moved forward and, one by one, went through the same process, starting with Helen and Allison. When Allison leaned forward, planting one last kiss on her husband’s cheek, she saw the green glow of spirit magic envelop her for a second before she wiped away her tears and cut her palm. The same thing happened when his brother and parents went through the line, and she fought to hold back her tears.
Not wanting to watch anymore, she glanced at Ren, raising a brow when the other woman shook her head slightly and muttered so quietly only Jade could hear it, “We’re last.” Turning her eyes back to the front in acknowledgement, she realized that after they’d been healed, Allison and Helen now stood behind the open pit, each holding a small sapling in hand.
What sparked her curiosity was that every single person, whoever they originally came for, paid respect to both bodies. She thought the nobles might consider it below themselves to give blood for a guard, or that Christopher’s friends would think twice about mixing their blood with the nobles, but in this instance, it was as if the classism of the world didn’t exist. Everyone was in harmony.
Finally, it was down to the last four people to go: the Queen, King, Ren, and her. She watched as Ashanna went first to Tevon, paying her respects, then to Christopher. She looked up as she let out the blood, and her lips barely moved. Only because Jade was straining to hear the words did she catch her speaking to his spirit. “I promise, your family will be taken care of. You have my word.”
She walked to the side as if nothing happened, and the king stepped forward, going from one body to another. After he was done, the healer came to him as he stood in the middle of the caskets, obviously preparing for whatever came next. As Jade walked forward, Ren indicated that she should start with Tevon while she started with Christopher.
Standing above the dead man’s body, she whispered softly, “I’m sorry that I couldn’t save you, Tevon. Rest in peace.” She didn’t pull out a knife, instead using a tiny slash of air magic to open her palm, dripping the blood into the surprisingly full bowl. Holding her palm up, she moved to Christopher’s body, passing Ren with a nod. Her babies fluttered a little anxiously, obviously feeling her anxiety...and maybe more. They’d been able to tell when the spirit of their queen was there, after all.
Holding her hand above Christopher’s bowl, she looked at the green glow in front of her. Now that she was so close, it looked more man shaped than green blob, though she still couldn’t see edges. She looked up, to wh
ere the top of the green glow was and where she assumed his head was as she whispered, “I’m sorry I was too late. And thank you…thank you for having faith. It’s our turn to carry that on. It’s time for you to take the next step in your journey. Move on in peace.”
From the corner of her eye, she saw Ashanna jerk her head up abruptly, staring at the space where Christopher’s spirit was. Instead of waiting for the healer to finish with Ren, she simply healed her own hand, glancing over to see what was supposed to happen next.
King Derrick cleared his throat, his voice carrying clearly as he spoke, “May the blessings of Heavenly Mother be upon you as Father Earth welcomes you home once more.” She was startled when everyone behind her repeated the saying as Derrick began to glow with earth magic. She watched green tendrils stretch out from him, curling around the pedestals and slicing off the top section. The bodies moved slowly along what looked like a ground ripple, lowering gently into the holes without a single drop of the blood being spilt. He called to the rest of the pedestals then, and they broke down, moving to cover the bodies in the fresh soil.
Ren was following the dirt on her side, so she did the same. She knelt with the three other women. Ren reached forward, gripping the tree with Helen, so Jade followed half a heartbeat later, meeting Allison’s eyes as she clasped the tree, her hands brushing against the bark. Together, they lowered the sapling into the small hole that she now saw Derrick left for just that purpose. Allison and Helen remained kneeling, though they sat back while Jade and Ren still had their hands on the trees.
Again, she glanced at Ren, noting that the woman first caused the tree to spring a root that went straight down until it hit the bowl of blood that was now blood enriched earth. She watched as it then split, sighing slightly when it not only encompassed Tevon’s body fully, but went into the body, using it as nutrients. That was a little gross to her, but she supposed it was the point of this whole thing. Letting their old life fuel the new life of the tree.
She quickly followed suit, pouring magic into the tree. She felt the instant it hit the blood of the bowl, realizing how much charged magic was in the blood that it soaked up. She barely managed to keep a straight face as she cocooned and impaled his body with roots. Instead, she turned her attention to the tree.
The trunk was a dull off-white, reminiscent of the beech trees of her world. In fact, she thought the whole tree was probably similar to a beech tree, and while that was nice...she wanted more for this. She was no horticulturist, but she learned with magic that where there was a will, there was a way. Her eyes closed in concentration as she focused on what she wanted the tree to become. The more changes she made, the more quickly her magic was draining. She heard a few gasps, but whether that was because of what the tree was becoming or because she’d started absorbing the last rays of light in a tiny focalized area by her left hand, she wasn’t sure.
When she was finished, she finally opened her eyes, smiling softly as she rose from her knees and looked at the tree in front of her. The bark was still white, only instead of being the dull off-white offset by brown knobs, it was a shining silver white that glowed softly, continuing in a smooth line until it reached about eight feet high, where it split off into full branches. The leaves glowed a vibrant jade green, almost as if it was a tree of emeralds twinkling in the last rays of light. Perhaps her favorite part were the flowers.
With three layers of pointed petals, the body of the petals were white shot through with the tiniest amount of royal blue, which made them appear almost light purple. The edges were tipped in that glorious dark blue, with matching freckles of blue heading into the center of the flower, where the stamen were a cheery light yellow. They were beautiful flowers, and the blue perfectly matched the color of Christopher’s eyes.
A gust of wind, almost as if the world was shivering, rocked through the branches of the trees around them. It had the effect of dislodging some of the blossoms and a few leaves, however. It was a beautiful picture as they swirled to the ground, and Jade deftly grabbed a blossom from the air, holding it out to Allison, who was crying silently. As Jade offered her the flower, she was surprised when Allison instead went for the hug, grabbing her around the middle and sobbing softly into her shoulder, “It’s so beautiful. Thank you!”
Jade stood there, arms around Allison as she finally heard soft conversations starting up now that the funeral ceremony was officially over. She realized she could see the light green blob approach them, and she almost thought she felt the faintest touch on her shoulder as the green slowly faded, disappearing. Eventually Allison’s family came, taking her from Jade’s arms with their own thanks and leaving her to mingle with the others once more.
She wasn’t surprised when Ashanna was the first one to her, asking in a soft voice, “Jade, did you manage to grasp spiritual magic after all?”
Shaking her head, Jade responded wistfully, “I wish. I was using mana sense, so I could see the spiritual magic, I knew he was there...but I couldn’t do more than that.” She paused, then asked, “What did...he say?”
Ashanna smiled sadly as she replied, “He asked that we take care of his family in his stead. When you were next to him, I heard him tell you that it wasn’t your fault, it was his choice, and he still had faith in you. He...asked you to tell his wife that he will always love her. And then there at the end, he told her he loved her and their son, then thanked you for the wonderful gift.” She paused, then asked, “Would you like me to tell her?”
Clasping Ashanna’s hand, she leaned in, giving her a quick hug as she said, “No, I’ll do it. I’m having dinner with them tonight.” Ashanna nodded, hugging her back, then the separated to talk to other people.
Ren was the next one to approach her, giving her a quick hug and kiss on the cheek as she admired the tree Jade altered. “I don’t recall that being what the crannea tree looked like.” Her tone was teasing, and Jade glanced over to find that the tree Ren has raised for Tevon was something like an oak tree, majestic, and even it had a little more glow to it than normal, which was funny, considering none of the other trees around them seemed to shine like that.
Her babies hopped out of her hair, and they seemed to go inspect Ren’s pair before the dozen of them rose up, flitting among the trees much to Ren and Jade’s amusement. “I may have gone a little overboard with the changes. I just wanted it to be a representation of who he was, and to me, that was my light in the darkness. Yours looks a little more sparkly than the other ones around here too.”
Sighing helplessly, Ren shrugged. “I think it might be a side effect of your blood, and the amount of your magic that was still present in his body. It’s pretty potent stuff. I could practically feel the tree eagerly slurping it up.” Now that was a vivid mental image. However, it reminded her of something else, and she gestured to the trees around them.
“Actually, I meant to ask about that. Every single tree here is glowing not only with nature magic, but all other kinds of magic. Are these trees ever used for anything?”
Looking aghast, Ren vehemently shook her head, “No! They’re the trees of the dead! Do you think we would chop them down?”
Backtracking as quickly as she could, Jade held up her hand to forestall more, “I didn’t mean chopping the tree down, I meant like...growing an extra branch and using that. Not killing a tree, but just, you know, growing a little extra to take out.” She could tell Ren was still pretty against the idea, and decided to explain why she was even considering it, “The thing is, with how magically charged the trees are, anything that was made from them would be extremely easy to make magical items with.” And yeah, maybe she was thinking of wands. In practically every fantasy story ever, the mages and sorcerers had wands or staffs to help them channel their magic better.
At least Ren calmed down as she said softly, “Perhaps that’s something you should talk to Their Majesties about. And no one else.” It was a subtle warning that if she did this, it was going to be completely on the down low. If Ren’s i
nitial reaction was anything to go by, people wouldn’t be happy with her appropriating any bits of the trees of the dead. It did creep her out the tiniest bit too, but at the same time, it was such an amazing resource that wasn’t being tapped at all.
Still, she nodded and squeezed Ren’s hand. “Understood. How are you and your bonded getting along? What did you name them?”
Much happier with this new topic, Ren proceeded to gush about her babies and how much she loved them. It was perfectly understandable to Jade, given how much she loved her own little ones. Seeing the light in Ren’s eyes made her experiment on bonding worth so much more. They chatted for a little longer, catching up until other people pulled them apart to chat. She didn’t do it immediately because she thought it might take her a while, but she made a mental note that she still needed to check on Ren’s infertility issues when she had a few minutes with her.
Jade found herself being introduced to most of the nobles, who made polite chit chat and complimented her on Christopher’s tree. The one that stuck out to her was a stick in the mud who introduced himself stiffly as he bent over her hand, “Hello, Lady Jade. I’m Duke Declan Silverstone. It’s a pleasure to meet you at last. My younger brother has told me so much about you.”
It took Jade aback for a moment, until she realized he resembled a much sterner, more stressed looking, and older Eric. That would also explain the arsenal of weaponry he carried about his person. She smiled back politely and responded, “It’s lovely to meet you, Duke Silverstone. You have a wonderful younger brother.”
He grimaced slightly at her description of Eric, but nodded, obviously not agreeing, but not wanting to get into it here. “Yes, of course. He’s certainly unique.” Unique? Jade wanted to punch him for his casual dismissal of his brother, and instantly realized that this was so much of the reason why Eric had issues with taking pride in his work.