The Art of Rebellion

An Act of Kindness

(Kol's P.O.V.)

Just as I promised her before she died, we're taking Ry's body to the mountain called Sandalphon. It's on our way back to HQ, so it's not like we'll be wasting a lot of time. Mad isn't complaining, either, since seeing the world is what he wants above all else.

The pain from her loss is still there, but I'm getting better at handling it. I guess it's been a while since the last time I lost someone dear to me. Telling myself I no longer cared, and that I wouldn't get attached to anyone - none of it was anything more than a child's prattling. All it took for me to realize this was a close friend dying.

"You ok?" En asks as the ship stops, hovering above the mountain top due to their not being a place to land. I turn to look at her, and see she's holding the wrapped body. Do I tell her the truth? Ry and I lying to each other only complicated things, but I still don't want En to worry.

"Not sure," I reply, figuring those words wouldn't have any particular impact. "Ready?"

She nods, and my shadow swallows all three of us, then takes us down to the forest. Normally, I would need to travel along a surface to do this, but the bits of Drusilla Shishi absorbed have given me a big boost in power. Once we land, I shadow-make, a term Mad has taken the liberty to create, two shovels, and the two of us start digging. With En's strength, it doesn't take very long for a rectangular hole to appear in the ground, after which I gently place the body inside. We refill the grave with dirt, and then stand there, silent.

"Do we say a prayer?" En asks, and I shrug. "She wasn't all that into gods." Another uncomfortable silence, since neither of us was sure what to do. Do we just leave her here? We don't bury people at the Rebellion. It takes too much time and effort to retrieve bodies, so we let the militia do whatever they want to do with them.

"You can just say a few last words to her," Mad suggests, walking up to us. I turn to see how he got down, and realize there's a rope ladder hanging from the ship.

"But she won't hear us," I counter, and he gives me a look I don't recognize.

"She might."

"No," I insist. "Corpses don't do anything but rot."

"Kol, that's Ry," En says, and I snap.

"No, it's not! It's just a body." Yet another silence, during which I'm shaking. I'm not sure if it's anger, sadness or frustration, and it doesn't really matter. "It's just... a body."

I summon my shadows again and move myself back to the ship. I can't afford to break down now. Ignoring my feelings my not be the most effective strategy, but I can still suppress them.

'That isn't healthy, either,' Shishi says.

"No one asked you."

'I am only trying to help, Kol.' Is that his first time using my name? The sound came off weird from him.

"I'm not Drusilla. You don't have to tend to my every desire."

'I am not offering the help of a servant,' he explains. 'I am offering the help of a friend.'

At least he finally caught on to that bit. Still, I think I'd rather be alone. What kind of help could he offer, anyway?

'Have you forgotten I have access to your mind, Kol?' Oops. That bit completely slipped my mind.

'Perhaps I've not restored your memories completely.'

"Shut up," I grumble, frowning, and the crow actually laughs a little. It's definitely his first time doing that around me. I pause, looking at the wall in front of me, and then sigh. "Ok, what's the help?" Trusting him after he proved himself a traitor may not be the smartest idea, but I'm gonna go inside if I start suspecting everyone. I'd rather die a fool than live a fool.