"May you be given peace in the afterlife, Naira of the Willows clan of the Madera Rojo Aztec Tribe. May you be forever in our hearts," Chief Quetzalcoatl said before turning away from the wooden altar.
The altar was a wooden table with carvings of ancient Aztec gods, flowers, trees, and the name Naira. A young woman lay on the altar dressed in a vivid red and gold skirt and a gold sleeveless tunic. The skirt was embroidered with zigzag patterns. She wore a matching red and gold tilma, embroidered with the Aztec gods and butterflies, birds, and wolves. The tilma was held closed with a ruby and spread out under her, draping over the sides of the altar. A sword was sheathed at her hip, the handle inlaid with rubies. The sheath was made of leather, with similar etchings to her tilma. On her head was a simple red scarf, fringed in gold. Her hair was braided to the side, the braid reaching her waist. Ivy and flowering plants surrounded the altar.
"Xochiquetzal, the bundle." Chief Quetzalcoatl stepped back, taking a lit torch from his wife, Itzel. The torch had carvings of Tonatiuh, the Aztec god of the sun.
I stepped forward and tucked a woven ayate blanket around Naira's cold shoulders, chocking back tears. The blanket was gold and red with the same images as her tilma. I leaned over and pressed a kiss to her forehead, whispering, "I'll miss you, sister," in Nahuatl under my breath.
Taking the two steps back to stand by Itzel, I bit my lip in an attempt to stop the sobs. Itzel wrapped an arm around me, patting my elbow gently. "It will be okay, child," she soothed in her soft Nahuatl.
"May the afterlife be peaceful for you, Naira," Quetzalcoatl said, lowering the torch to the vines surrounding the altar.
The flames lapped at the vines, soon surrounding the altar. I watched as the fire consumed the wooden altar with Naira on it. I watched as the ayate blanket became a blanket of flames. I stayed there watching until Naira's body was ashes and then crouched by the ashes, sobbing for my sister.
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Golden Irises
FanfictionA Vampire Cohorts Fan Fiction "'Her name was Darcy.' I came to Hexham on a whim. Looking for healing, I never expected to encounter a different form of wolf, much less a wolf chief with his own scars. And those scars were named Darcy." Xochiquetza...
