Mermaid Tear (The Fated #2)

05 | Things Left Behind

There was no burial.

Kain had never experienced a proper funeral before and apparently Melitta's death would be no different. They were too far from the ocean and everything that would fulfill a traditional ceremony for one of the merfolk. He had thought that perhaps Callias would protest the issue, but after a hushed argument with one of the priests, then Isidor, he promptly turned on a heel and disappeared without a word.

"He won't go far," Isidor said. "Callias knows the dangers as well as any of us."

But does he care? Kain wondered. Even with as little as he knew about the man, he was willing to hedge a bet that in his current mood Callias wouldn't object to a fight--dangerous or not.

Whatever the truth of the matter, Kain decided not to argue. Instead, he nodded, before crossing the temple to where her body had been dressed and laid out across a marble slab. Natia twined around his legs--much to the obvious discomfort of the priests--the press of her flank against his thigh just comforting enough to keep his mind from spiraling.

Even in death, she stole his heart.

Her golden blond hair had been brushed to pristine perfection, before being allowed to sprawl around her still form. Her close lids were veined with blue, an unsettling reminder of how they got here, but still flushed enough that he could have considered her sleeping. It had to be magic. Were they planning on keeping her bespelled until her body was returned to the sea?

The long-sleeve dress she wore was new and free of blood. A ribbon covered her throat--no doubt to block the evidence of a wound that couldn't be disguised with make-up or magic. It did nothing to ease the knot in his stomach, however. The sensation grew, threatening to make him sick. Natia whined softly at his side. His hand sunk into the fur at her neck as he drew in a steadying breath.

One of the priests approached, their eyes warily shifting between Natia and Kain.

"I..I know this is a hard time, but given your...circumstance, I wasn't sure if we would have another chance," the priest ventured. "The lady's things...we recovered them. It took time, but we've cleaned and organized what we were able to save."

He gestured behind him, causing another priest to break away from the rest, a stachel in their hands. Kain bit the inside of his cheek. The pressure in his chest felt like it might suffocate him.

"I..."

Rhode stepped forward, offering a hand. "I'll take care of it."

Relief flooded his mind as Kain nodded, tension slipping from his shoulders. The priest handed the satchel over, before leaving Kain and Natia alone with Melitta once again. His fingers soothingly carded through her fur as he closed his eyes, a traditional prayer on his lips.

Standing there, looking at her, it was all terrifyingly real. Grief threatened to overwhelm him, but this time it was held back by the awareness it wasn't the time nor the place. He had already collapsed once before--anything more and he would be wasting the time they had left.

'What would she want?'

The question had been circling through his mind ever since he'd arrived in the temple. And if he were truthful, the answer was obvious.

Melitta had been a part of the attempt to rescue Iliana from the beginning. She had witnessed it all and had continued despite the wyvern's venom raging through her veins. If Isidor was to be believed, she'd acted knowing this would be the end. She must have had faith in whatever choice he would make afterwards. So, Kain had to do it right.

She would want them to keep moving.

If they lingered any longer, lost in her death, the chance to rescue Iliana this year would slip through their grasp. The mountain pass into Cieon wouldn't stay open much longer--they had to leave.