Polynatural-Book 1

Chapter 26

I must have slept for less than a few hours because when I woke up, I could still feel the exhaustion in my body. There was no longer a soft rhythmic breath pressing against my back. I sit up, wondering where Brody is. He must have left when I fell asleep. No wait, but isn't right now...oh my. Hastily, I run to the door and open it. Marching to a somber beat are the Divames. Down the hallways they walk in a straight line. No one daring to speak for everyone's thoughts are focused on one individual and that individual only, Audric. Their heads dangle limply on their necks as they bore their eyes into the floor. They each wear a ghastly shade of blue robe with two pockets placed symmetrically on the side. Each of their hands are hidden in the pockets and the hood of the robe is raised to cover their heads. They are in mourning. I try to pick out Brody from the crowd. It's difficult because everyone looks the same and their faces are slightly hidden beneath the hood. I decide the best way to look for him is to join the march. I exit my room and merge into the line. Slowly we all walk to the destination where Audric will greet the dawn.

"Psst!" Whispers someone from behind me.

I turn around to see a familiar face hidden under the hood. It's Brody.

"Here," he says, " put this on. I grabbed you one."

I grab the robe that everyone else is wearing and follow suit.

The line curves down a few corridors but then we reach a dead end. I look around confused, not seeing where we are suppose to go. The area is too crowded for Audric to greet the dawn, plus there is no dawn to greet. I stare at Brody, asking for an explanation, but he shakes his head at me and murmurs the word patience to me. In the front of the line are The Elders. All three of them raise their palms to the roof and everyone's attention is focused upwards. I watch as the ceiling above us begins to reel back. Like someone is pulling up a carpet from the wooden floor. Then a staircase constructed from the mound of earth is formed, connecting us to the ground above. At that moment I begin to realize the Divames dwelling is underground. That would explain the lack of windows and light in some rooms. We all make our way up to ground level. There I see a lonesome Audric standing there, looking off into the distance. He is trying to keep a good composure but I can tell there is an immense struggle inside of him. He is suppressing and trying to imprison the evil inside him that is waiting to break free. The Elders go up to him and each of them put a comforting hand on him. I look over my shoulder to check on Brody. He looks at Audric as if he's soaking up the image of him and storing it away for memory. He nods at Audric, and Audric nods back.  

"Adieu," Everybody says as a chorus.

"Non, Au revior, mon amies."

"Oui, Au revior Audric."

Audric walks over to the pyre and ties himself up at the stake. He looks to The Elders and gives them a court nod. I can see the sadness in Audric's eyes but also the pride. He is a good man. The female Elder starts the fire. Through the mirage of flames I can see Audric giving the coven his last smile before being completely enveloped. The other two male Elders manipulate the wind to disperse the smoke. The smell of ashes twinkle past my nose and those of others. They are Audric's ashes. Brody reaches his hand into the air and grabs a few. He stares at them with glassy eyes, starting to fog with droplets of water. He places the ashes to his chest and murmurs a few words that I can't make out. The female Elder then comes up behind Brody and places a strong hand onto his shoulder. She whispers something in his ear and then lets him go. Slyly, she steals an angry glance at me, cursing me viciously under her breath. I bite my tongue, restraining myself from spouting fowl words back at her.

I walk over to Brody and place my hand onto his back, trying to offer some comfort. He shakes my hand off and turns to the other direction.

"Brody..." I say gently.

He doesn't respond back. The hand at his chest, clutching Audric's ashes, grips tighter than ever. His knuckles turn white.

"Let go Brody...let go."

He shakes his head and only tightens his grip.

"Brody...Le----"

Before I can finish my statement the female elder interrupts.

"Let him be, your help is neither desired, nor constituting of sustenance or calamity. So to what meaning would you represent in offering nothing?"

"I just want to comfort him." 

"If you would really like appease him, you would do what we ask of you."

"You know that I would like to, but I have reasons that I explained last time."

"Oh so the problematic issue is still your lover. If you are so dear as you proclaim to be to him as he is to you then where is this fellow? Isn't it common courtesy to search for your lady when her presence is of absence? Surely he would have come storming in on his white chivalrous horse to rescue you or perhaps even try to find you, but has no actions of this manner be conducted? I believe not. So stop your foolish idiocy for you must not mean enough to him. Or if anything at all." 

That silences me. She does have a point. I've been gone for a few days and Parker hasn't come to my rescue, and neither has The Society. Perhaps they believe I can handle it by myself, or there is a reason for my disappearance. Right, that's it. Parker and The Society wouldn't desert me like this...would they?

"Come child, I should have handed you this when you first stepped in, but I didn't think persuading you to do the deed would prove to be so...well its not what I though it would be."

She reaches her hand into her robe and pulls out a beige colored envelope and hands it cautiously to me. I take it and examine the envelope first. It's of a standard size and the weight seems to only be of a folded page. I flip it over and that's when I nearly drop it. It's addressed to me from my mother...