blood.
“I thought, if you told her, if you comforted her…” Muriel whispered, shaking her head at the devastation.
“Losing a child is one of the worst losses there is,” Char said softly. “There are human words for losing a parent, a spouse, but the pain of losing a child goes so deep, there are no words.”
Muriel let that realization sink in, seeing the truth of it in Lucy’s vacant stare. Her son was gone, his body growing cold.
“I want to do something for them,” she said. “Can’t we do something?”
“You did,” he reassured her.
It didn’t seem like nearly enough.
It was Jack who signed all the paperwork, apologized for the bloody mess—literally—and walked Lucy to the car. She was barely conscious but she did manage to walk, with his help.
Char and Muriel watched him put her into the passenger seat before getting in on the driver’s side to start the vehicle. He’d put her coat on but she was shivering anyway. The sun was just starting to set, turning the horizon a bruised shade of purple and orange.
That’s when Muriel saw Jari.
It came back to her in an instant and if she hadn’t had wings, her knees would have gone out from under her.
The competition.
It had been hours. Almost a whole day. She’d already missed it. She knew it, from the look on Jari’s face.
“I thought I’d find you here.” Jari glanced at the car as Jack pulled away.
Muriel didn’t know what to say, how to even begin.
“Jari,” she managed. “Oh Jari, I’m so sorry…”
“Stop.” Jari held her hand up, shaking her head. “I came to tell you—I got a summons.”
“A… what?” Muriel glanced up at Char, panicked.
“The Fey Advisory Board summoned me,” Jari went on. “In the middle of the competition you didn’t show up for. Said it was urgent. I had to go.”
“Why?” But she knew. Already, she knew.
“It was about you. And him.” Jari didn’t even look at the seraphim. “They said they summoned you both.”
“Yes,” Char nodded. “A few hours ago.”
It was coming through loud and clear now, although Muriel would have sworn it hadn’t been there just moments before. Something had been nagging at her, but she’d been so lost in what was happening with Henry, she’d ignored it.
“We were…” Muriel hesitated, realizing it was no excuse. “The little boy… he died today…”
“I’m sorry.” Jari flapped her wings, readying herself to go, but Muriel grabbed her arm.
“What did you tell them, Jari?”
“What I had to,” she replied. “I told them the truth.”
The truth. Muriel wondered what that even was anymore.
“Oh, and Barbie and Ami won the competition.” Jari hovered. “In case you were wondering.”
“I’m sorry,” Muriel said again, wishing there was more she could say.
“So am I.” She shook herself loose.
“Jari, wait!” Muriel cried, but she was gone.
A summons before the Fey Advisory Board. It could only be one thing. She didn’t want to think about it, but she had to. She saw the reality of it when she looked into Char’s dark eyes. He knew it too.
“What are we going to do?” she whispered. “They’re going to separate us. They’ll never let me see you again.”
“What if I told you…” he hesitated, closing his eyes for a moment. “There was a way.”
“For us to be together?” There was that feeling again, hope, caged in her chest, beating to get out. “How?”
“You asked me once what I thought it would be like, to be human…” He reached out to take her hands in his. “To be flesh and blood. Do you really want to know?”
Did she? Muriel stared at him, contemplating the question. It had been a hypothetical, of course. Only The Maker had that
“I thought, if you told her, if you comforted her…” Muriel whispered, shaking her head at the devastation.
“Losing a child is one of the worst losses there is,” Char said softly. “There are human words for losing a parent, a spouse, but the pain of losing a child goes so deep, there are no words.”
Muriel let that realization sink in, seeing the truth of it in Lucy’s vacant stare. Her son was gone, his body growing cold.
“I want to do something for them,” she said. “Can’t we do something?”
“You did,” he reassured her.
It didn’t seem like nearly enough.
It was Jack who signed all the paperwork, apologized for the bloody mess—literally—and walked Lucy to the car. She was barely conscious but she did manage to walk, with his help.
Char and Muriel watched him put her into the passenger seat before getting in on the driver’s side to start the vehicle. He’d put her coat on but she was shivering anyway. The sun was just starting to set, turning the horizon a bruised shade of purple and orange.
That’s when Muriel saw Jari.
It came back to her in an instant and if she hadn’t had wings, her knees would have gone out from under her.
The competition.
It had been hours. Almost a whole day. She’d already missed it. She knew it, from the look on Jari’s face.
“I thought I’d find you here.” Jari glanced at the car as Jack pulled away.
Muriel didn’t know what to say, how to even begin.
“Jari,” she managed. “Oh Jari, I’m so sorry…”
“Stop.” Jari held her hand up, shaking her head. “I came to tell you—I got a summons.”
“A… what?” Muriel glanced up at Char, panicked.
“The Fey Advisory Board summoned me,” Jari went on. “In the middle of the competition you didn’t show up for. Said it was urgent. I had to go.”
“Why?” But she knew. Already, she knew.
“It was about you. And him.” Jari didn’t even look at the seraphim. “They said they summoned you both.”
“Yes,” Char nodded. “A few hours ago.”
It was coming through loud and clear now, although Muriel would have sworn it hadn’t been there just moments before. Something had been nagging at her, but she’d been so lost in what was happening with Henry, she’d ignored it.
“We were…” Muriel hesitated, realizing it was no excuse. “The little boy… he died today…”
“I’m sorry.” Jari flapped her wings, readying herself to go, but Muriel grabbed her arm.
“What did you tell them, Jari?”
“What I had to,” she replied. “I told them the truth.”
The truth. Muriel wondered what that even was anymore.
“Oh, and Barbie and Ami won the competition.” Jari hovered. “In case you were wondering.”
“I’m sorry,” Muriel said again, wishing there was more she could say.
“So am I.” She shook herself loose.
“Jari, wait!” Muriel cried, but she was gone.
A summons before the Fey Advisory Board. It could only be one thing. She didn’t want to think about it, but she had to. She saw the reality of it when she looked into Char’s dark eyes. He knew it too.
“What are we going to do?” she whispered. “They’re going to separate us. They’ll never let me see you again.”
“What if I told you…” he hesitated, closing his eyes for a moment. “There was a way.”
“For us to be together?” There was that feeling again, hope, caged in her chest, beating to get out. “How?”
“You asked me once what I thought it would be like, to be human…” He reached out to take her hands in his. “To be flesh and blood. Do you really want to know?”
Did she? Muriel stared at him, contemplating the question. It had been a hypothetical, of course. Only The Maker had that
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