and shook her head slightly, not understanding. Chime looked up at Moon then, blinking, startled. The other warriors stared at him, confused. Stone winced, but didn’t look away from Flower. Frustrated, Moon said, “Know what?”
Chime said, slowly, “She’s been dying. We’ve known for most of the turn. Since before you came.”
Stunned, Moon looked around at the others. It was in all their expressions. This hadn’t been a surprise to anyone but him. He sank down on the end of the bed. “How did you know?”
“When her skin and her scales lost all their color, it’s the sign. It means your time is coming…” Jade said, then hissed in realization. “But you didn’t know that.”
Moon couldn’t answer. Of course he hadn’t known. Before Indigo Cloud, all the Raksura he had known had died by being torn apart by Tath, not from old age.
Nobody else said anything, not even River or Drift, as if the subject was too sensitive. Chime twitched restlessly, folded his arms. He said, “She should have died at home.”
Stone made a softly derisive sound. “If she hadn’t come with us, we wouldn’t have a home.”
In a dry rasp, still without opening her eyes, Flower added, “And don’t you forget it. Now, each of you come and talk to me.”
Everyone took turns to sit by Flower and speak to her one last time. When Stone prodded Moon to take his turn, he held her hand, the skin and bones as dry and delicate as old parchment. She said, “Don’t give up. Promise me you won’t give up on us.”
He wasn’t sure if she was having an augury, or if she had just noticed his uncertainty, or both. He said automatically, “I promise.”
It didn’t take long after that, as if she had only been holding on long enough to say goodbye. Vine left, to go back to guarding the first floor. Moon and the others stayed, as Flower’s breathing grew softer and slower and more shallow, until finally, it stopped altogether.
Moon turned away, went blindly through the common room, out into the corridor. He couldn’t watch the others’ grief; it felt private. They had known Flower all their lives, she had held them when they were fledglings. In Stone’s case, he must have watched her grow up. Moon’s feelings couldn’t compare to that.
When he walked into the exhibit hall, he saw Negal and Esom at the bottom of the stairs with three other groundlings from their crew. Esom looked bleary and half-awake, as if he had been dragged out to talk to the dangerous Raksura when he would rather be sleeping. He called, “Moon, what’s going on? Is there a plan yet for how we’re going to—”
“Flower died,” Moon said.
Taken aback, Esom stared. “Oh. I’m— I’m sorry. I didn’t realize she was injured.”
Moon shook his head; he couldn’t explain now. “Just give us a little time.” Without waiting for an answer, he shifted and leapt up to the gallery, ignoring the startled exclamations from the other groundlings.
He paced the hall there, past the decaying Tath and the other creatures, half-listening as Esom persuaded Negal and the others to go back upstairs to wait. It was hard to believe that it had really happened, that Flower was really gone. He had never seen anyone die from old age before. It had been so quiet.
Moon ended up standing in the cubby with the dead sea kingdom woman. He wondered what would happen to her when someone else took over the tower, what they would do with her body, if there were any other imprisoned spirits here like the waterling, or if Ardan’s death had released them. After a time he heard movement and looked up to see Jade, moving slowly down the hall, looking at Ardan’s collection. She was in her Arbora form, her spines flattened in dejection.
When she reached the cubby, he shifted back to groundling, and said, “Are you all right?”
“Yes, just…” Jade rubbed her temple and frowned down at the sealing’s body. “I have to get used to the idea that she’s gone.” She looked up at him, wincing apologetically. “Moon, I’m sorry. I never thought that you didn’t know.”
He shook his head. He didn’t want her to apologize to him for something that wasn’t anyone’s fault. “She didn’t tell me.” Moon had asked Flower if Raksura were born live or in eggs; she had to have realized he didn’t know how they died of old age, either.
“Maybe she wanted someone to talk to who didn’t know.” Jade touched