He wouldn’t change a thing.
The sun’stangerine rays crept over snow-capped mountains as Kalie reached the wide stone staircase. Powdery white drifts coated the lush hill on either side of the broad stones. Tremors racked her body, and as misty fog plumed from her lips, she nearly lost her grip on the bouquet of white lilies in her arms.
She could do this.
She’d walked along this path days after Aunt Calida’s murder, but she’d lost her courage at the top of the steps and fled. Zane, Mylis, and Uncle Jerran had all offered to come with her today, but she’d turned them down.
This was something she had to do alone.
Taking a deep breath, Kalie began to climb.
Her boots crunched through layers of snow. Frozen air burned her lungs, and by the time she reached the top of the slope, she was panting, gripping the stair railing for support. A sea of granite statues jutted out from the snowy valley below.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she trudged down the hill.
The names on the marble sculptures were familiar, even if the faces weren’t. A statue of an aged woman in a rustic dress stood beside an elderly man—Duchissa Coriana Roth and her husband, Dux Aleksander Leighton. A smiling woman had her arm looped through a young man’s. The boy resembled Uncle Jerran, but Al and his mother, Jenessa, hadn’t lived long enough for her to meet them.
Kalie glared at a flat stone beside them. Madeleine was the reason Uncle Jerran’s family was dead, but he’d buried her here anyway, against the Collectivate’s wishes.
The stretch between Madeleine’s unmarked grave and the shining monument beside it marked twenty cycles of happiness. Twenty cycles of soothing words, smiles, and hugs.
Carik had ruined it all.
Names gleamed on shining bronze plaques as Kalie wobbled towards the next set of statues.
Between two towering sculptures stood a little girl with a broad grin and flowing hair. One hand clutched a book; the other was buried in the folds of her tiny gown. Mother had made sure every detail was immaculate, right down to the dark flecks on the stone where her freckles had been.
With a shaking hand, Kalie brushed specks of ice from the crown of Lexie’s head.
Behind Lexie stood an older statue of Uncle Jacyn. The rigid sculpture looked nothing like her boisterous uncle, but the woman standing beside him was every bit as regal as she’d been in life.Sapphires were set in the stone diadem on her head, and a flowing gown framed her slim figure. Her gentle smile shone down on Kalie.
She crumpled. Snow seeped into her pants, freezing her kneecaps, and she placed the bouquet at the feet of the smallest statue.
“Happy birthday, Lex.”
A breeze whistled past, carrying with it the sound of Lexie giggling. Tears streamed down her cheeks, landing in the snow and leaving frozen crystals behind.
“I, um… I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner. I should’ve. I miss you all so much.” Her voice cracked, and she wiped her eyes. “My coronation is tomorrow. Well, my second one. The first was interrupted. Did you see that?”
The silence wrapped around Kalie like a warm blanket. If she closed her eyes and concentrated, she could almost feel the gentle press of Aunt Calida’s hand on her shoulder, or Lexie’s arms wrapped around her legs.
“I’ll make you proud. I promise.”
“I think she’d be glad to hear that.”
Kalie bolted to her feet.
As Mother stared at Grandmother’s grave, her grip tightened on the bouquet in her arms. Sighing, she trudged past Kalie and placed the flowers at Lexie’s feet.
“Do you mind if I join you?”
Kalie shook her head, and they stood in silence, gazing at the mountaintops as the sun peeked over the horizon.
“She loved you,” Mother said quietly. White wisps of breath blew towards the statues. “So much.”
Kalie swallowed thickly. “You did a beautiful job with the sculptures.”
“Thank you, but I don’t think a statue could ever do Lida justice. She was the best of us, you know? Without her…”
