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Luka nodded. The little ball of tension that was resting within his chest unraveled a bit, allowing him to breathe easier. There was no question Amaru was their mate. They would follow him wherever he wanted to go.
Hand in hand, they walked to the square that glowed with warm lights as the sun sank below the distant mountains and painted the sky with broad strokes of deep blue, purple, orange, and pink. Colorful bunting and streamers hung on the new buildings and old trees, swaying lightly in the breeze that carried a scent of moonlight and flowers.
After a few seconds of peering over the heads of the gathered crowd, they spotted Amaru waving both of his hands wildly over his head to capture their attention. Weaving their way through the solemn gathering, they met Amaru at a table.
“Here. Hold out your hands.”
When they both did, Amaru placed a large flower in each of their palms. It resembled a lotus, with flawless white petals and a center that was like hammered gold.
“What’s this?” Vasily asked.
“An old tradition to honor those we have lost,” Amaru explained.
He’d barely finished speaking when a heavy silence fell over the gathering. Luka turned his gaze toward the west, where a small platform had been set up. King Alric Burkhard, dressed in a sharp dark suit and red tie, strode up the stairs and turned to face the crowd.
“I wish to thank everyone for gathering here this evening for the memorial service as well as the coronation,” Alric began. His strong, deep voice rang out across the vast square, touching everyone. “The Sousa and Tupã Clans have suffered a devastating loss. We wish to honor their sacrifice. The Sousa and Tupã have lost precious family and friends but are here today because of the strength and courage of those fighters. Their legacy and memory will live on in the minds and hearts of the survivors. We will tell their story to our children and our children’s children so they are never forgotten.”
Cameron climbed onto the stage from the left, carrying two of those same large flowers. Very carefully, he handed one over to the king and took up a position next to him.
“To the Sousa and Tupã, we honor you,” Alric said in a low, solemn voice.
The words had barely left his lips when the flowers in Cameron’s and Alric’s hands started to glow with a warm golden light. A couple of seconds later, the flowers lifted from their palms, climbing slowly into the air, turning as they rose as if carried by hidden angels.
Luka tore his gaze away to find Amaru’s flower doing the same thing, but his and Vasily’s had yet to stir.
“Think about those you’ve lost,” Amaru whispered, naturally reading his mind.
It was on the tip of his tongue to remind Amaru that he’d never met the Sousa before. He couldn’t possibly know any of the dead. But Amaru’s words had already prodded loose old memories of Valerii who had died in the Dragon Wars.
Elga. Maks. Yasha. Deniska.
As one smiling face after another cascaded through his mind, the flower in his hand started to glow. The white petals turned gold, glimmering in his hands like a fallen star. But it didn’t remain still for long. Like all the others, it gradually rose from his palms, climbing higher and higher into the sky.
One arm wrapped around his waist, pulling him in close against Vasily’s body. With his other arm, Vasily drew Amaru back against them. Tears glistened on their faces as they remembered those they’d lost and cherished the good memories they had.
The heavy weight that had settled on Luka’s chest as he recalled the lost dragons and mages flew up into the heavens with the flowers until they twinkled like stars against the velvety sky.
“We send the flowers to the heavens to tell our loved ones that we remember them and we look forward to joining them one day,” Amaru whispered.
Luka leaned in and kissed away a tear as it slipped from the corner of Amaru’s eye. “It’s a lovely tradition. Thank you for sharing that with us.”
Vasily kissed Amaru’s temple and then pressed one to the corner of Luka’s mouth. His own eyes were red-rimmed and watery.
As the last of the flowers disappeared from sight, Cameron and Alric moved to the far side of the stage but didn’t step down. They were soon joined by King Roca Mayta and Queen Anawarkhi, as well as King Chalo and Queen Diya.
Rodrigo ascended the stairs last with Ha Na on his arm. Luka bit the inside of his mouth to hold in his chuckle. Their king always had a bit of swagger about him, but the man had become an absolute preening peacock since Ha Na had agreed to be his mate. Rodrigo walked to the center of the stage and pressed a gentlemanly kiss to Ha Na’s hand before releasing it.
