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Several people knelt in front of the simple stone altar in the centre of the circular room, upon which Pete's body lay. Wrapped in the same linens he'd been bundled in after his death, no one could see his wounds.
I remembered them all too well; it was not a sight for his widow or family.
I exhaled softly through pursed lips. That was enough to make the candles dance and throw distorted shadows. A winged dragon on the wall nearby looked ready to take flight, until the flame settled again.
Pete's widow knelt with her forehead on the altar, a long-fingered hand atop her husband's body. A simple silver ring adorned her middle finger to signify their marriage. Long hair obscured most of her face, but once in a while she would twitch with silent sobs. Deep grief rolled from her in waves strong enough to force me to take a step back.
Dex gave me a knowing look, but said nothing. He couldn't have felt what I did, but he understood grief and loss. The Keeper turned toward the widow.
"I offer my condolences—" Dex began.
The widow didn't move, but the man beside her twisted, rose and leapt at Dex. A blade in his hand flashed in the candlelight.
"You let Pete die!"
The man staggered as I shoved him back and threw myself between the Keeper and the blade.
The grieving man managed to keep his footing and stood with a heaving chest, teeth bared slightly
I held up my hand, eyes on the knife. My other hand rested on the hilt of my own knife. When I spoke, my tone was even. I didn't want to provoke the man further.
"Pete knew the risks, just as you know the penalty for attacking the Keeper."
"He's distraught," Dex's voice was tight. He stepped out from behind me, a slight smile on his face. His stance was loose, relaxed, as if he was in no danger at all. "He didn't know what he was doing."
I moved to put myself back between Dex and his would-be attacker. "Keeper—"
"Stand down, Bain," Dex said lightly. "And you. Aydin, is it not? You work in the kitchens. Pete was your son-in-law?"
"That's right," Aydin replied, his voice rough. His cheeks were wet with tears, but his mouth was set in fury. His knuckles were white around the blade.
"Hasn't your daughter lost enough today?" Dex sounded reasonable, but each word would have been chosen with care. When I learnt to be a soldier, Dex had learnt to be a statesman. An unconventional one at times, but a good one when it mattered, when his life was at risk.
From the corner of my eye, I saw the woman rise. Like her father, her face was also tear-streaked, but fearful.
"Papa?" Her voice was deep, sensual under other circumstances.
"I should not have…" Aydin sagged.
"No, Papa." The widow sobbed, a hand over her mouth. "Please. Please!"
"The penalty—" I started.
"Thank Hades he missed," Dex said firmly. "Bain would be grumpy if he'd had to add both of our bodies to the pyre. Mercifully, Hades will only get one new soul tonight."
Grumpy? I raised an eyebrow but nodded. Although, the soul of anyone who murdered a Keeper in a fit of grief would likely go to the goddess of fools. I stepped toward Aydin, hand outstretched for the knife.
Aydin turned it and handed the knife to me, hilt first, head down in shame.
I accepted it and tucked it away at my hip. Unlike Viva's, this was not ceremonial. It looked like nothing more than a kitchen knife, used to carve poultry or some such. Dex would likely joke later that he was almost assassinated by a man with a chicken knife. For now, however, it was safely out of anyone's hands.
"I'm sorry for your loss," I said. "Pete was a good man. His sacrifice saved the lives of many travellers." Platitudes such as these weren't my thing, but I owed it to the man and his family.
Pete would have laughed at the flowery words.
The widow wiped her cheeks and offered a wan smile. In one hand she clutched the dragon scales. When she spoke, she addressed both the Keeper and me in barely controlled words, hoarse with emotion.
"Thank you. We won't forget his sacrifice. Keeper, Pete would have been honoured if you both helped us to place him on the pyre."
