him comes Peyton, who is decidedly more serious, railing against the injustice of it all with a barely-contained rage that seems out of place in someone like him. By the time he comes back to the bench, his hands are clenched into fists at his sides, and I can see that he’s trembling from the intensity of the emotion.
I’m the only one left to speak, and I do my best to still the pounding of my heart as I stand up and make my slow way up to the podium. Looking out at the mournful faces of my loved ones only increases my despair, and for a second, I feel like I can’t speak, my throat dry in spite of how wet my cheeks are. Swallowing hard, I look to Killian, who gives me a reassuring nod, and that’s enough to make me clear my throat and begin to speak. “My brother was…a good man,” I begin, “although that was probably obvious to everyone who knew him. He had a good spirit. You got the sense that he really did care about balancing the scales in the world, about rewarding goodness and bringing evil to justice. That was what made him so good at his job, and it was also what made him such a strong presence in our lives.” Swallowing, I go on, “A lot of times I envied him, because he seemed to be everything that I wasn’t. Strong, capable, successful, good-humoured…but I think we should try to keep those qualities alive, even if…” I choke back a sob, squeezing my eyes shut. “Even if he’s not with us anymore.”
I take a shaky breath. “Hugo was dedicated to karma, even if he sometimes got up to mischief along the way. He really believed in it, believed in balancing the scales. Considering everything that’s happened, I think now is the time to continue to live by his example. By spreading good where we can, and…and putting a stop to evil. Whatever it takes.” I can feel the others’ eyes on me, and I know that they’ve picked up the underlying meaning of my words; I catch a glimpse of Peyton giving me a grim nod, and that spurs me on. “No matter what else happens,” I say, my voice full of renewed courage, “we owe it to Hugo to put a stop to the people who took him away from us. I can’t promise much else, but I will promise everyone here today that his death will not be in vain. I will continue to fight, whatever it takes.”
Backing away from the podium, I move to go back to my seat, but then pause in my tracks and turn around. Slowly, I approach the coffin, staring down at my reflection in the shiny black surface, and gingerly lay a hand on it. “I promise,” I whisper, not loudly enough for the others to hear, as I run my hand over it before letting it drop to my side. “Goodbye, Hugo,” I tell my brother, my voice low with finality. “We’ll never forget you.”
Chapter 15
The others and I don’t speak much for the next day. I meant what I said at Hugo’s funeral: the time for revenge is now, and I’m not about to let Neritous get away with what he’s done. He’s made it personal, more personal than it ever was before, and we owe it to Hugo to make sure he can never hurt anyone like that again. In spite of that, though, I keep to myself, practising my powers when I know no one is watching and praying for the strength to do what I have to do when the time comes. I think I’m slowly starting to get the hang of the life magic, but it’s intimidating in its power, and I feel uneasy using something so destructive. That said, if it can help us defeat Neritous, I’m willing to risk it.
I think on some level, the others know I need to be by myself, and I sure as hell know that they need to. We’re all processing everything that’s happened, and it’s going to be a long time before things go back to normal. Having the funeral for Hugo does seem to have given some closure to my family, especially mum, who’s doing her valiant best to step up and help us plan our next move, but I can tell that she’s hurting. We all are.
Neritous and the twins having access to life powers has