feel all right?”
He canted his head without changing his expression. “You really should work on controlling your emotions. I know raising a human child was taxing, but you can’t let that experience mar the rest of your existence.” With those parting words, he turned on his heel and left.
Rois slumped back on the ground. She wrung her hands and looked at the floor to hide her face. The Lady rose from her throne and came to Rois’s side.
“My son is gone,” she whispered.
The Lady rested a palm on her shoulder. “He is alive. The rest will work itself out.”
Rois shuddered and looked up to Fiach. “You warned me, but I did not believe it.”
She cast a glance at Cilia, but still spoke to Fiach. “You would have chosen death rather than be parted from her?”
Fiach paused. He might have tried to find a kinder way to soften the harshness of his truth, but he had lived a new life in a new body without his mate. He unknowingly had committed sins against her faith in him that left scars on his soul. “I would have, yes.”
Rois shook her head in silent agreement and rose from the floor. The Lady looped an arm through hers and guided Rois towards her private parlor, away from the shell of her offspring.
“We should leave them to mourn in peace,” he said.
Cilia agreed. They walked hand in hand through the great hall and to the edges of Faerie. The few Phoenix that they had brought over followed behind them solemnly. The weight of what had happened lay heavy on their hearts.
At the edge of Lielos, the Phoenix gathered. All but the youngest stood in pairs. As Cilia and Fiach approached, they bowed low.
A yellow plume of flame glided forward and bent a little lower than the rest. “My Neir and Neiro , much has changed in this world since we left it. What will we do?”
Cilia met the stares of all her worried subjects. “I have lived contentedly among the humans for a very long time. I plan to offer any who would come with me that same chance at happiness.” She gave a little laugh at some of their shocked expressions.
“Anyone who is more comfortable here or in Faerie may have leave to settle in these places as well. The purpose for your new lives will be yours to decide. After what you have all suffered, I only want your happiness.”
After a nervous pause, the Phoenix divided themselves into thirds, one-third for each plane. The couples wishing to stay in Lielos banded together and waited. Most were of the oldest families, too long away from home for comfort and too set in their ways to desire any new adventure. They would be fitting guardians for the Living Ash in Cilia and Fiach’s absence.
“Thank you friends for your faithful service. Enjoy your freedom.” The group dispersed, each seeking their ancestral homes to begin the long process of rebuilding.
A young woman, whose purple aura was coiled with the black swirls of misery, caught her attention. Enveloped by the crowd, she disappeared from sight, and Cilia turned her attention back to her remaining subjects.
The third wishing to migrate to Faerie was more animated. Their excitement showed clearly in the way they each stood and cast surreptitious glances towards the border that wavered just on the edge of their horizon like glittering beacon that called them towards the excess of the Faerie court. Most would burn out with time and seek to return home, but for now their enjoyment would be a worthwhile change of pace for those trapped too long in the basin of Ash.
“Enjoy your stay with our fae cousins. If you tire of courtly life and wish to come home, you each know the way.”
The small crowd briskly set off for the border of Faerie and the acceptance of the fae’s hospitality.
The third wishing to brave life among humans stood silently together with linked hands for courage. Cilia grinned at their trepidation. She recognized each face as belonging to a devoted friend. She appreciated their courageous attempt to forge a new life and
He canted his head without changing his expression. “You really should work on controlling your emotions. I know raising a human child was taxing, but you can’t let that experience mar the rest of your existence.” With those parting words, he turned on his heel and left.
Rois slumped back on the ground. She wrung her hands and looked at the floor to hide her face. The Lady rose from her throne and came to Rois’s side.
“My son is gone,” she whispered.
The Lady rested a palm on her shoulder. “He is alive. The rest will work itself out.”
Rois shuddered and looked up to Fiach. “You warned me, but I did not believe it.”
She cast a glance at Cilia, but still spoke to Fiach. “You would have chosen death rather than be parted from her?”
Fiach paused. He might have tried to find a kinder way to soften the harshness of his truth, but he had lived a new life in a new body without his mate. He unknowingly had committed sins against her faith in him that left scars on his soul. “I would have, yes.”
Rois shook her head in silent agreement and rose from the floor. The Lady looped an arm through hers and guided Rois towards her private parlor, away from the shell of her offspring.
“We should leave them to mourn in peace,” he said.
Cilia agreed. They walked hand in hand through the great hall and to the edges of Faerie. The few Phoenix that they had brought over followed behind them solemnly. The weight of what had happened lay heavy on their hearts.
At the edge of Lielos, the Phoenix gathered. All but the youngest stood in pairs. As Cilia and Fiach approached, they bowed low.
A yellow plume of flame glided forward and bent a little lower than the rest. “My Neir and Neiro , much has changed in this world since we left it. What will we do?”
Cilia met the stares of all her worried subjects. “I have lived contentedly among the humans for a very long time. I plan to offer any who would come with me that same chance at happiness.” She gave a little laugh at some of their shocked expressions.
“Anyone who is more comfortable here or in Faerie may have leave to settle in these places as well. The purpose for your new lives will be yours to decide. After what you have all suffered, I only want your happiness.”
After a nervous pause, the Phoenix divided themselves into thirds, one-third for each plane. The couples wishing to stay in Lielos banded together and waited. Most were of the oldest families, too long away from home for comfort and too set in their ways to desire any new adventure. They would be fitting guardians for the Living Ash in Cilia and Fiach’s absence.
“Thank you friends for your faithful service. Enjoy your freedom.” The group dispersed, each seeking their ancestral homes to begin the long process of rebuilding.
A young woman, whose purple aura was coiled with the black swirls of misery, caught her attention. Enveloped by the crowd, she disappeared from sight, and Cilia turned her attention back to her remaining subjects.
The third wishing to migrate to Faerie was more animated. Their excitement showed clearly in the way they each stood and cast surreptitious glances towards the border that wavered just on the edge of their horizon like glittering beacon that called them towards the excess of the Faerie court. Most would burn out with time and seek to return home, but for now their enjoyment would be a worthwhile change of pace for those trapped too long in the basin of Ash.
“Enjoy your stay with our fae cousins. If you tire of courtly life and wish to come home, you each know the way.”
The small crowd briskly set off for the border of Faerie and the acceptance of the fae’s hospitality.
The third wishing to brave life among humans stood silently together with linked hands for courage. Cilia grinned at their trepidation. She recognized each face as belonging to a devoted friend. She appreciated their courageous attempt to forge a new life and
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