The Book of Glass

Aftermath (6)

Wake up.

Emory stirred in her sleep, her limbs were like wet cloth, just dangling around her without any control. Heavy, weak. She was able to open her eyes, but the light that poured in hurt her pounding head. Her mouth was like a desert and her eyelids were like rocks.

It's not your time, yet.

Suddenly, a wave of warmth surged through her body, rippling beneath her skin and warming up her chest. Warm, soft. Emory sighed at the feeling, as if a hand were caressing her cheek. Her Mother.

"Emory, wake up. You have to wake up, now."

Ingrid's voice flowed down, and Emory looked around to see Ingrid standing above her, pretty brown eyes darting over her face with worry. On her head was a warm cloth, and on her cheek rest Ingrid's loving hand. "Thank you, Rosalind!" Ingrid let out a prayer as she rest her forehead on Emory's shoulder. "Emory, how do you feel?"

"I feel fine," Emory said before sitting up and looking around the room to see no one else. "What happened?"

"Well, after you passed out, the coward of a High Commander took off. We brought Linus back to the village..." the woman trailed off. "Shay is out now, but come. Let's get you something to eat. A few carnations for your hair. Rosalind's hands have blessed you, I can feel it." Ingrid held Emory's hands, a smile on her lips as she looked over her friend.

Emory didn't say anything, but her brows drew together in thought. Was it Rosalind that helped her?

"Soup. Potato soup. It's your favorite, yes? You and Shay used to eat it up in the dining hall. Here, change while I get your food ready. I fetched your tunic while you were asleep."

"Oh, thank you." Emory realized she was still only using the High Commander's robe to cover herself up. She accepted her clothes and held them to her chest, letting out a breath.

Ingrid left Emory to change in the front of the apothecary. It didn't take long, so she just sat in the front and admired the plants on the shelves around her. She closed her eyes, laying her head back to rest just a little more before anything else.

Smoke greeted her nose. Rotten and acrid and digging into Emory's nostrils. She stood up, grabbing the muddy robe from the ground to cover her face. She made her way towards the entrance of the apothecary, knowing she was headed in the right direction because of the growing strength of the odor. Opening the door, afternoon light greeted her.

It shone upon an entire village of people standing before a burning pyre, their silence crushing everything around them.

Shay stood in front of them all, holding a torch as she spoke. "These people fought bravely not just for me or their Goddess Rosalind. They fought for you. So you can live and breathe another day without being harmed by those monsters. Every one of them will be remembered as heroes. Whether they were... a man who worked in the vineyards his whole life, or..." Shay cast her eyes to the ground and paused. She swallowed the lump in her throat before looking back over to the crowd. "A man who served by King Alaric's side. My father's side."

Emory's limbs became rags once more. She fell against the wall for support, looking behind Shay's tall body to see one unlit pyre. Upon it lay a broad figure wrapped in white linen and decorated in carnations, both fake and real.

"Emory and I wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for that man. He has taught many of us here today to fight, and to never back down. Zekiel was the closest thing to a father I had growing up. I can say the same for Emory. He was our hero, and for that," Shay faltered, her stone cold face breaking into tears. Her lips quivered without control. "For that, I thank him."