Darkest Death

Chapter Fifteen - Penelope

The day of the funeral, the sun was shining. Almost Every Dark Being in England had come to Arundel Cemetery to honor the dead, which expanded so much further than just those who had died in the battle. Everyone who had been slain for Liam to raise in power, the people Kali had accidentally killed on her quest. It was meant to honor all those who had fought against my cousin even if they hadn't all cooperated. Monsieur De LaCroix and the Dragomirov woman we'd met in Paris had come as well.

I arrived with Noah and Maia, the rest of our friends in a car behind us. The gravel was loose beneath us as I stepped out of the car. Around us, the first leaves on the trees were showing and flowers were beginning to bloom. The car park was packed, so the guy who'd driven us said he'd find a spot close by. I helped Noah out of the car, careful not to touch his bad arm. Once he was out, I tried to see if there were any familiar faces. Close by, Sam was pulling Kali after her, their hands intertwined. The sight made a smile appear on my face. I grabbed Noah's good hand, as Maia hopped out the car as well.

"Lovely weather for a funeral," she noted as she missed her eyes against the sun. I shrugged, as we started walking towards the graves that had been cleared out. I wondered what the town believed was the reason for a funeral for hundreds of people.

"They deserve some sunlight," Noah said.

Maia nodded at him. "I suppose," she said, stumbling a little away from us. "But right now, I see a Smythe I don't really wanna talk to so good luck guys."

She disappeared in the crowd of people walking towards the ceremony, just as Lord Montague came over to us.

"Penelope, Noah," he gave a forced smile, "Thank you so much for coming here today."

I raised an eyebrow, Noah coughed to hold in a chuckle. "Yeah," I said. "We helped arrange the funeral."

Monty shrugged seemingly not caring about it. "Anyways," he said, "Still nice you came." He left us and walked over to the next group of people. I sent Noah a glance, which he returned. I bit my lip to not break out in laughter. Laughing wasn't really appropriate at a funeral.

The dead had been buried, the ceremony was purely a memorial, but we'd decided to host the memorial in a funeral-like manor, meaning the crowd gathered at the graves filled with flowers. It was a beautiful sight in the brisk spring sun.

"Penelope," a voice said. I looked around, my eyes landing on the High-Lord, who'd come up next to Noah and me. "Can I talk to you?"

I sent Noah a glance. He suppressed a frown as his gaze travelled from the High-Lord to me. I gave him an encouraging nod.

"Of course," I said letting go of Noah, who sent me one last glance before disappearing into the crowd. I turned to the High-Lord. "To what do I owe the honor?"

The High-Lord wrinkled his nose slightly, not looking at me. "I do not condone that tone Ms. Smythe," he said. I rolled my eyes. "And I do not condone your choice of burying traitors here either."

So that's what it was about. I tilted my head slightly, my mouth pointed. "Without Julia we wouldn't have been able to touch Liam. I forgave her and she deserves a hero's grave," I said, turning to the High-Lord, forcing him to look at me. "And as for my cousin. Everyone deserves a grave. Even those who wanted to see the world burn. If for nothing else, then for people to remember the consequences."

The High-Lord raised an eyebrow. "So, you chose to bury the Hybrid in a marked grave to scare people away from following his footsteps?" He chuckled slightly, nodding. "Maybe you're not as stupid as you look."

I clenched my jaw slightly, straightening my back. "I chose to bury my cousin in a marked grave because I once loved him. My friends loved him. My aunt died loving him. I chose to bury him there because he deserved a marked grave even after all he did. But I realize you like the other explanation better, so that's the one I'm giving you." My voice harsh. The High-Lord looked at me, a smile around his lips.