They did, though. His comrades sought something from this experience that he might never understand fully. For them, he took a step forward, though he didn’t know what to say. What wouldn’t be inane? What wouldn’t be boorish? They probably wouldn’t be impressed if he spoke of Books’s progress in his training over the last year, and that it was unfortunate that chance had killed him even as he’d grown into a competent warrior.
Aware of all the gazes, of Amaranthe’s and Sespian’s in particular, Sicarius finally said, “In our memories he will survive.”
So much for not uttering anything inane.
People nodded though, and Amaranthe gave a sad smile. “Perhaps that’s where it matters most, and the history books are just… vanity of a sort.”
Sicarius stepped back into the circle of bystanders, and she took his hand. As the boughs were lit beneath the body, Sespian took his other hand. It startled Sicarius, but he managed to keep from commenting or staring with incredulity.
The branches, doused with oil, caught flame quickly. The faces of those watching as the fire enveloped the body were sad, but Sicarius couldn’t help but share Amaranthe’s belief that the future would be better than the past. With her on one side and his son on the other, his future already was.
THE END
Afterword
If you’d like to read more adventures set in this world, please stop by my site and let me know which characters you’d like to see more of. I’ll have a poll up there for a while where you can vote and leave comments. If I start working on a new novel that takes place after the Emperor’s Edge series, I’ll put the word out to my mailing list, so please sign up for the newsletter if you haven’t already and want to hear more. Thank you!
While you're waiting for my next book, you might enjoy checking out Kendra Highley's Matt Archer: Monster Hunter series.
Fourteen-year-old Matt Archer spends his days studying algebra, hanging out with his best friend and crushing on the Goddess of Greenhill High. To be honest, he thinks his life is pretty lame until he discovers something terrifying on a weekend camping trip at the local state park.
Monsters are real, and he’s been chosen to hunt them.
So begins Matt’s new life as a monster hunter. Serving with a top-secret paranormal military unit, and armed with a sentient, spirit-inhabited knife, Matt suddenly has a lot more to worry about than pop quizzes and hoping Ella Mitchell will notice him.
The series follows Matt as he grows—in some cases, literally—into the monster hunter, the soldier and the man he’s destined to become.
Join the hunt!
Also by the Author
THE EMPEROR’S EDGE UNIVERSE
NOVELS
The Emperor’s Edge, Book 1
Dark Currents, Book 2
Deadly Games, Book 3
Conspiracy, Book 4
Blood and Betrayal, Book 5
Forged in Blood I, Book 6
Forged in Blood II, Book 7
Encrypted
Decrypted
SHORT STORIES AND NOVELLAS
Ice Cracker II (and other short stories)
The Assassin’s Curse
Beneath the Surface
THE FLASH GOLD CHRONICLES
Flash Gold
Hunted
Peacemaker
THE GOBLIN BROTHERS ADVENTURES
Forged in Blood II Page 44