The Light in the Dark ✓

Chapter 21.1 Farewell

It was late morning. Everyone was sitting on the grass for a while, too exhausted physically and emotionally to do anything. No one said a word, too afraid that the grief and despair might bubble over the surface if anyone broke the silence. Finally, Myrica got back on her feet and ordered them all to march towards their camp. Her voice was unrelenting, but it was easy to hear the strain and deep sadness in her tone, especially when she asked Arlo to carry Marcus' body.

The way back took them almost three hours. Iris was numb. Her mind was blank, and she purposefully banished all thoughts, focusing only on her steps.

Left, right.

Left, right.

Left, right.

If she let herself think about what happened, she knew it would crush her. For now, the fact she was able to breathe, to feel the rays of Lord Sun on her skin, no matter how faint they were, had to be enough.

Once they got back to the camp, Myrica kept her role as a taskmaster and ordered them to prepare some food and then get ready to give Marcus a proper burial. No one questioned her. They went through the motions, just like so many times before, letting the routine of mundane tasks take over. But there was one person that tried hard to hide his enthusiasm.

'Oh, Lord! I forgot how amazing real food tastes!' Sam exclaimed while they were eating. Everyone looked at him with a start, surprised by his cheery voice. 'What? It's true. Try living for years on inhaling shadows. Then you can judge .'

Jayden scoffed, his dark eyes throwing daggers at the Mage, but he said nothing.

Kara wrapped her arm around her husband's waist and rested her head on his shoulder. At least there was one good thing that came out from their trip to the Shadow Realm, thought Iris, looking at the couple.

She could finally take a better look at Sam in daylight. It was even more evident now how bad he looked, with his ashen skin stretched thin on a gaunt, starved body. The ragged robe was dirty and hung loose as if meant for someone twice as big. But the most disturbing of all were his eyes, completely black.

But despite his gloomy appearance, he was the most cheerful of them all.

After the meal, they moved again, following Myrica, who said there was a good place for a burial nearby. The area was beautiful. It would be hard to find by any regular person, as no paths were leading there. The huntress guided them through the bushes and thicket as if she could see the trails invisible for anyone else.

The clearing had an enormous ancient tree in its centre. Its trunk was so thick that it would take at least six grown men to embrace it, and it was so high that Iris couldn't see where its branches ended. Its crown covered the whole clearing, letting only the tiniest rays of Lord Sun through, engulfing the entire place with an otherworldly atmosphere of mystical secrets.

Myrica stopped in front of the tree and rested the shovel on the ground. 'We'll make the grave here. It is an ancient and holy place. The forest Spirits will take good care of him.'

Arlo and Jayden started digging while the rest dispersed, looking for other things, like little stones to put over the grave to prevent the wild animals from ploughing through it or the flowers. Iris would do anything so that she doesn't have to stand there and look at the empty husk, which used to be Marcus.

The place Myrica chose was beautiful. There was an abundance of colourful flowers around the clearing. A little stream ran nearby, filling the air with a cheerful whisper of water playing on the pebbles. It seemed almost unreal that they were preparing for the funeral. Iris let her mind go numb again before the overwhelming wave of emotions could surface again. She focused on her fingers, working on the flower rings, plaiting the long stems together. Iris used to do that all the time in her youth. She always made flower crowns and put them on Cody's little head. He hated it.