“Yeah, but still, they expect too much from me.” I shrug. “I’ll do what needs to be done. I always do. We will win whatever challenge we face next.”
“Yes, we will, and then we have the opportunity to rest.” He raises an eyebrow at me.
“Right, rest until the next time something goes terribly wrong.” I lean my head back, squeezing my eyes shut tight.
“You don’t have to be a part of the next challenges, love.”
“No, I don’t but if the shifters need assistance and ask me for help, then I’m going to help. We’re friends and that’s what friends do. Also, Aggie had a warning for Kira when we were at the gas station. I think Kira is the ‘chosen one’ for that particular conflict.” I sigh.
“Dammit,” Jayden growls. “Now I’ll never force you to rest instead of helping one of our best friends.”
“It’s inevitable.” I shrug.
“Kira won’t contact you unless it’s an absolute last resort, though, because she’s seen the stress and how many times the gods have put the weight of the world on your shoulders. That’s the only solace I have in this mess.” Jayden pulls me into his chest.
“It’s getting late. We should get to the courtyard for the ceremony.” I lean my forehead against his chest.
“Do you know what you’re going to say?” Jayden asks.
“Not exactly. I don’t know them so I can’t say anything other than honor them as heroes for dying in battle.” I shrug.
“That’s enough, baby. You don’t need to know them to honor them.”
“Maybe you should do this. You were basically the general in the battle. I wasn’t even here until the end.” I grip his shirt.
“No, you are the one who is constantly saving them and protecting them. Even if they don’t like training, you’re the reason we had very few casualties. You made them put their differences aside and work to survive. They want to hear from you, not me.” Jayden rubs my back. “You’re their hope.”
“Fine. I still think you would do a better job at this. Our friends tried to get you to hang back during the battle, butyou refused to be anywhere but at the front, stopping as many monsters as you could before they got to the others.”
“You guys ready?” Kira jogs up, juggling three golden urns with the most beautiful filigree designs on them along with their names in flowing script across the sides.
“Those are beautiful, Kira. You guys outdid yourselves on the metalwork on these.” I grab one with the name Lily on it.
“My dad helped us with them. He showed us the designs that they used in Ancient Greece so they would be fitting for heroes.” Kira beams.
“They are truly fantastic.” Jayden nods.
“Let’s get this started, then.” My hands shake as we get to the courtyard.
I’m not good at heartfelt speeches. If we need to rally people around a battle, I can do that, but a heartfelt speech sending people off to the underworld? Not so much.
The courtyard is buzzing with activity as we make it over to our friends. Three stretchers sit around them with the bodies of the fallen all draped in flowing tunics, eyes closed as if they were sleeping peacefully.
“This sucks,” I choke out the words.
“It will be over before you know it.” Jayden rubs a hand down my back. “The pyres are set up across the courtyard. It will be a short procession, and then we light the pyres and you give your speech.”
“Okay. Do we have everything we need?” I glance at the stretchers again. Only the bodies lie there. “Where are the items they would want to take to the underworld?”
“We’ll place them on the pyres with them.” Jayden squeezes my hand.
We grab the stretchers, and the crowd of students falls silent as we begin the procession to the pyres. A few of the girls areopenly crying and tears streak down my own cheeks. We lay them out on the pyres and Draven steps up next to me.
“We just lay the objects around her on the wood?” he asks.
“Yeah, all except the coin. That goes over her mouth so she can pay Charon to ferry her across the river.”
Draven reverently places the items on Lily’s pyre and positions the coin over her lips, then steps back. I glance at Jayden, and he nods to me. I take a shuddering breath and turn to the crowd.
