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Three hundred and fourteen wooden urns and the twenty-seven coffins that held the royal family’s bodies were a stark reminder of the scope of their loss. The sight twisted Luca’s heart.
He had lost four siblings, six nieces and nephews, twelve cousins, and five aunts and uncles. The former king might have been insane and a terrible ruler in his final years, but his family members had been good people who hadn’t deserved their savage deaths.
Luca deeply mourned all the lives Nikoli had stolen, human or Therian, servant or noble.
Grieving people filed into the room after him, waiting for the funeral to start. As they claimed their places, he talked to people, sharing his sorrow for their losses and his hope for a unified future in which such a thing could never happen again. The people seemed thrilled to see and speak to him, and Luca enjoyed connecting with his subjects.
He felt Ash when she arrived and took her place at his mother’s side. Every cell in his body wanted to go to her and shut everything else out, but it was time to begin the ceremony. Queen Kittania would be the first to speak. When she rose and moved to the center of the raised dais, the room quieted despite its many occupants.
Luca stood next to his mother, aiming a loving and grateful smile at Ash, who remained with Viktorija and Mikhail.
“Thank you for joining us here today.” Queen Kittania’s voice was clear and strong. “I do not have the words to express my sorrow about the reason for our gathering or how incredible it is that we have united for this purpose. For many years, I have seen our world fall further from the greatness we once represented and the purpose that gave our existence meaning. We must rebuild and reshape the Therian empire as we recover from our tremendous losses, but I don’t see that as an insurmountable task.”
Regal in her mourning attire, the beautiful queen’s blonde curls spilled down her back. Her expression conveyed both unfathomable sorrow and boundless hope. “I would like to share what I see. Our new king has not been crowned, yet Therians of all stations are here alongside humans. We mourn as one, and it is my dearest hope that we move forward the same way.”
Her silver eyes glimmered with tears. “The Therian world once took pride in protecting and guiding humans, but we have allowed ourselves to be tarnished and contorted by the hatred of one man. I too was guilty of it, and I only recently realized how much we’ve deviated from our former path.”
Kittania turned to Ash. “That happened when I met a brave young human woman who sacrificed everything to save our people, though she is not one of us.”
Everyone turned to look at Ash, and she stared at the floor, uncomfortable with the scrutiny. Luca longed to go to her, but she was an independent, capable woman. She wanted but didn’t need him, which both comforted him and stung.
“Recent events reminded me of something I spent centuries teaching my children. We are no better than they are. Therians might be stronger and live much longer lives, but humans have just as much claim to this planet as we do.”
Kittania gestured at the rows of urns. “My children were good people, as I’m certain the others who perished here were. We are united in our shared sorrow, and we shall lean upon one another for strength in the coming days as our people and the world begin again. My heart breaks for every one of you and the terrible losses you’ve endured. May time bring us all peace as we work to create a future those who fell here would be proud of.”
Kittania stepped back and gestured for Luca to take her place. His throat was dry as he faced the crowd, speaking to them as not only a mourner but as their ruler. The Therians had made it clear that they already saw him as their king. He glanced at Ash, who offered him a smile of encouragement, and he felt warmth through their bond.
Turning to the mourners, he spoke from the heart. “No words can convey the depth of our loss. I cannot speak for you, so I will tell you what I feel and how I plan to honor the people we mourn today. ‘Loss’ isn’t an adequate word to describe what happened here. Evil. Madness, Tragedy. Those all fit too, but none of them are enough to express it alone. I feel the gaping hole these deaths leave in the world. It pulls at me like a black hole, and I know that if I give in, it will hold me as inescapably.
“Senseless deaths caused by madness and rage naturally inspire anger, but that cannot be our way forward. Refusal to address the underlying issues and our indulgence in anger got us to this point, and I will not tread that path. We must forge on and strive for a better world.”
Luca’s voice wavered as his gaze lingered on the caskets that held his family. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and felt Ash’s compassion through their bond. “The full impact on the Therian and human communities will not be clear for some time. In future moments of triumph and sorrow when we reach out to our loved ones and they are no longer there, we will feel the extent of this loss.”
The crowd gave him their undivided attention. Many wept as he spoke, but they were riveted. Luca felt the pressure to be the king that they sorely needed. Far too long, the Therian ruler had neglected his duties. Their kingdom was a mess, but Luca would work to fix things.
“We will travel this new world together. I see us standing united against the evil that threatens us. We have achieved a new peace, but we must cooperate to keep it. I cannot unequivocally promise nothing like this will ever happen again otherwise.”
Luca gestured at the neat rows of urns and caskets. “I can’t promise that we won’t see death because we will. That is the nature of life. What I can swear to you upon my soul that when we go to war, we will employ sound strategy, informed guidance, and unified strength. Never again will any Therian be forced to fight because a madman gave them no choice.”
His strong voice carried through the throne room and the cavernous hall beyond. The depth of his passion moved the mourners, and he saw the first sparks of hope bloom in many. “It remains to be seen how this new world will work and what it will mean for each of us, but I value the contribution every one of you will make, and I will be honored to have you at my side as we recover and rebuild.
“This palace will become a memorial to everyone we lost and remind us how far we can fall, a safeguard against this atrocity being lost to the sands of time. Today and for many days to come, we will grieve, but we will also reaffirm our dedication to creating meaningful change as the Therian world and the human world become one.”
Lacking another way to express their approval for the king’s speech, the crowd applauded, though it was short-lived and dulled by the emotion of the day.
Luca began the funeral. As he called the names of each victim, their families came forward to collect their loved one’s remains and speak about that person. The ceremony went on for hours, and many found the closure that would allow them to move on from this horrible event and heal.
Luca was glad he’d decided not to compel the humans. They deserved to know how their loved ones had died, and given Nadya’s public antics, the secret world wouldn’t remain hidden for much longer. Their new knowledge endangered them, but they’d come to the ceremony.
After the last expression of sorrow had faded, Luca moved toward Ash, but before he could cross the room, the rulers of the other Therian clans approached him. All six were royals, and their clothing and jewels marked them as people of wealth and power. They’d been frequent guests at the palace, but their relationship was different now.
They stopped five feet in front of him and dropped to one knee in unison, pledging their fealty in voices that carried through the huge room. Luca thought it was creepy and channeled Ash. “Maerlin’s saggy tits! Would you get up? You are all kings and queens. What in all the hells are you doing bending a knee to me?”
The group rose, looking confused. “Sire?” asked Indri Supandi, the queen of the tiger shifters.
“Nikoli insisted on that nonsense. I would much rather speak to you as equals. I accept and welcome your fealty and value your part in our world, but it’s a difficult day to be the high king.” Luca sighed.
The beautiful tiger shifter smirked. “We have bad news. Will that help?”
