be given a place of honor at my side within the Realm of the Dead. You have to let him go now, Synthia.”
“I’m not ready.”
“You’re not, but he is. You can never prepare for death, sweet Goddess. No one is ever ready to say goodbye to their loved ones when death comes for them. Dristan knows what you want to say, they all do. You think you owe them an explanation, but you don’t. They sense your grief and know the price you’re paying for loving them. The pain you endure after such a loss? That, in itself, is the ultimate price for having loved a soul. Look at them,” Thanatos said encouragingly. His words forced me to stare at the other souls we’d lost, gathered around us, smiling at me.
Keir, Adam’s father, held his wife at his side while his sons and daughters stood behind him, staring at Adam, who still stood sentinel at the foot of their large funeral pyre.
My father, Lasair, stood beside Madisyn, who had carried me in her womb, witnessing my powers even though I wasn’t her biological daughter. Their eyes were bright with pride, even as their ghostly images shimmered in and out of sight with the wind.
Sevrin stood beside Dristan, his smile firmly in place as his hand cupped my cheek.
“Watch over Savlian, keep him busy. You got this. You know that. You can let us go because we’re okay now. You did everything you could, and you got there in time to save the babes. That’s all we had hoped to achieve at that moment. You weren’t the only one who felt Death creeping through the hallways of the stronghold. Be brave, Goddess, and keep them safe. I couldn’t have asked for a better death than to die, protecting the ones I loved most in this life.”
“We still need you,” I whispered brokenly.
“No, you want us. You don’t need us. Miss us, but don’t be sad forever. Death is a part of living, even for immortals.” I stared at Sevrin, shaking my head as he reached up, wiping away the silent tears I cried. “Destiny is preordained, but sometimes it changes. You changed this world when you came into Faery, and you made it better. You made us better, Synthia. Don’t weep for us, for we are free, sister of mine.” Smiling, he stepped back, then took Thanatos’s hand and vanished.
I gasped as a sob echoed through my chest, escaping my lips. I brought my hand to my mouth, covering the cries that tried to escape. One by one, the dead began to vanish from this world the moment they touched Thanatos’s outstretched hand. I stood, silently observing until Darynda stood in front of me. Her green eyes glittered, turning to Dristan with a mischievous smile.
“I think I flirted with the wrong brother for too long and ended up missing out on the one I actually wanted. Now I get him. I mean, who else is going to feed him in the afterlife?” She smirked, batting thick black lashes flirtatiously toward Dristan, who grinned.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, taking in her beauty, even in death. “I should have been inside the tower.”
“To do what, die with us? Bilé isn’t a normal god, Synthia. I’m glad you weren’t there, because death for us isn’t the end. We will be reborn. We need you to fight for this world so that can happen. I served you well as my queen, but you are my friend first. You taught me much, and also got me addicted to caffeine, which I’ve been assured is readily available in the place we are going. Sevrin was right. We’re the lucky ones and our fight is over, but yours is just beginning. Thank you for being my friend.” She placed her hand into Thanatos’s and vanished before I could reply.
I studied Cailean, my broody protector since the moment I was born, as his soul approached, gazing at me in with pride. “From Blood Princess to Queen of the Horde, and now Goddess of the Fae. It’s been an honor to guard and serve you and keep you safe until you no longer needed