The Immortal Gardens - Emergent (book 1) (Wattys 2013)

Epilogue

"A funeral?" Elijha scoffed, as he jerked a jacket over his white dress shirt that had slits for his wings. "Im surprized they didn't just burn him and scatter his ashes.." 

"Haha, very funny," I secured my braid at the end with a clip. "It's Tradition for a gardener to be buried in  Vale Vale. Even if he's evil...." 

"The burial starts in 10..." Ohanzee stated from the corner of the small room in the Inn we were now accompanying about 15 minutes away from the Vale. It was a stuffy room, with a tiny window beside the 2 small beds, separated by a lamp. There was mulch coloured carpeting all over the floor and the walls were painted a dirty creme colour. A single picture hung from the wall where the  heavy oak door was situated. It was of a boy and his father, Riding on horse back into the sunset. 

I gave him a firm nod, then turned to Elijha to fix his tie. 

 "Honestly Bella, I don't want to wear a tie..." Elijha fumbled with his collar. 

"It's just for an hour."  I said as I pulled the knot up to his throat.  "Besides, you look great.."

Ohanzee snickered as he looked at Elijha's overly formal garment. His shadow, siting on the lamp hid his face as he laughed.

"That's it, im wearing my T-shirt and a jacket..."  Elijha shrugged off the jacket then took iff his shirt, exposing his Heavenly body. "You like it? $7 an hour." He winked at me as he scooped his T-shirt off the bed and threw it over his head.

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The walk to Vale Vale was mostly comprised of steep hills, Confusing signs and meditating nomads we tried to ask for directions.  After the first few minutes of endless wandering throughout the lifeless hills, Ohanzee sent his shadow ahead of us to clear the path. I still didn't trust Ohanzee, my heart wasn't fully with him and i had a hard time figuring out why. But everytime I thought of him, I only saw evil, even if he did assist us in battle, But so did Ryder. 

His shadow returned to us, pointing and Hissing in the direction of a blue hill that seemed to scrape the sky. 

"How did you find that?"  Elijha asked, removing his hand from it's position on my shoulder. 

"He's a shadow Elijha, he just 'expiramented' with a monk's mind." Ohanzee smirked at the shadow who snickered in responce. 

"He overshadowed a monk?!" I turned to him viciously.

"Well it was either that or we die out here! It was your idea to go to the funeral in the firstplace..." Ohanzee retorted His shadow rested it's hand on his shoulder, as if it were trying to get him to cool down.

"I wanted to make sure he was dead." i snapped back.

Ohanzee flicked his hair out of his uncharming eyes. Giving me the same look he had written across his face when we first met at their cottage.  

"let's just go..." 

Elijha glanced at me from the corners of his eyes. I knew he wondered why i disliked Ohanzee, aswell. I just wished I could provide him with an answer.  The shadow led us on for 5 minutes over a multitude of hills till we were standing right above the procession grounds. Vale Vale was a plain full of emerald green grass and gravestones made from different kinds of marble and Quartz. There were a multitude of trees all over the Valley. Each tree assigned to a a cluster of graves.  

"This is my stop. I don't want to go down there..." Ohanzee  Stated blankly, looking down at his feet.  His hair fell over his face as he drew circles with his feet. 

"Okay..." Elijha replied for me, took me by the hand, and led me down the hill to the procession.  There were about a dozen people there, including the 4 people carrying the coffin to my family tree. I sighed. Even if he was family, I was resentful towards having Hezikaya burried where my father was burried 4 days ago. 

"Why is everyone wearing red?" Elijha leaned over to me and whispered as they set his coffin above the hole to be submerged between the roots  of my tree.

"It's actually Crimson and it's the colour of our blood." I replied, staring Dry eyed at the Coffin. 

Secretly, i was anticipating something dramatic to happen, like he kicks the cover off the coffin and sits up, or he taps my shoulder and knocks me into the grave. But Instead, he was just slowly being brought down between the roots of our tree. Wilted flowers were distributed among the population, as a mark of respect for our fallen anscestors who died in good.

The plant of the deceased was often given to the spouce or mate of the fallen gardener. My eyes scanned the small crowd, then fell upon a woman dressed in a Crimson cloak with a red Hijab, covering her eyes. One of the fortunes had offered her a wilted black rose but she refused with the shake of an out stretched hand.  

"Let us bid this fallen gardener farewell..." On of the fortunes dressed in full gold with a crimson sash instructed. We all surrounded the coffin, bowed our heads then recited the farewell.

"Domine, benedicito cecidit hortulanus anima."  the entire crowd choroused, then kissed the index and middle finger of their right hand and rested it on the coffin. They held it there for 4 seconds then removed their fingers and scattered quietly along the grass. everyone had gathered into groups of hushed whispers except for the Crimson hooded womannwho still held her fingers on the coffin. Tears were rolling down her chin and wetting the grass beneath her small brown booted feet.

"That's it.." I whispered to Elijha, relieved that he had gone down without any supernatural occurences. I turned my head in his direction, partially surprized he was already looking at me. 

"yes?" I asked him. 

"You know what... I just can't tear my eyes off you," He ran his fingers through a curl in my hair. 

"Stop it, you know what could happen. What if somebody sees you..."  I pushed his hand away.

His chest rose then fell slowly, as his hurt eyes scanned my face. "I'm sorry. You're right. From now on i'll only treat you like a heart angel should treat their gardener. I won't ever touch you again.."  His face hardened, like a greek staue. Serious and only showing the un tainted beauty of creation. I swallowed hard, then opened my mouth to speak.

I rested my hand on his wings "i didn't mean-"

He jerked away then took a step backwards. "Its for the best..."

I bit my lip then nodded as i watched his eyes shimmer with silver against a background of gold. 

"Escuse me..." A small, aged womans voice called as she gently tapped her fingers on my shoulder. 

I spun around, facing her partially covered face which only revealed a chin, pink whispy lips and flushed cheeks.

"Venus? I-is that you?" She slowly uncovered her face, revealing short brown hair with streaks of gray, aged brown eyes and a small straight nose, covered in red from her crying.

"I'm sorry, I'm her daughter Rosabella.." I responded,shocked by the sound of my mother's name on unfamilure lips.

"My name is Irene and- oh my God- You look just like her," She breathed then covered her mouth and batted her watery eyes.  

"how do you know my mother?" I responded, still stunned by her dramatic greeting. 

"She married my husbands brother." She dropped her hand from her mouth, twsting it into a frown.

"I-I" I was rendered speechless. A knot tied itself on top of the knot that was their previously before she came. My breath stopped in my throat, and i felt my head getting dizzy as it suddenly became hard to breathe.

"Relax child," Her features calmed and her frown turned into a gentle, closed smile. She got down on one knee then bowed her head with he hands balled together in fists. "I wanted to thankyou for murdering my husband. Forgive him of his corrupted ways. If you have any questions about your mother i will answer them. Oh blessed offspring of the garden angel."

Elijha and I exchanged glances as we watched the woman grovel beneath my feet.