The Call of the Beachwick

Chapter 20: The Plan

Aurelia felt her heart lump in her throat. Somewhere, deep in the back of her mind, she must have known a day like today would come. It was an inevitable part of war: combatants and non-combatants died in its wake. To her knowledge, no other event in all of Saintian history had destroyed the sanctity of life more than the devastation and carnage war brought about. Only the dead would see the end of it, while the living would spend the rest of their lives fighting its vestige. As Aurelia stared at Dinia's broken body, she realized she had been a fool. She wasn't some cog in one of Kesi's machines following a predictable path of order, but a leader who must shoulder everything that came with responsibility.

This was all her fault.

Almost immediately, guilt settled in the nubs of her horns. It was quickly joined by shame that started to make its way down her spine knowing it was her slip up that caused Dinia to dive upon her attackers. Dew started to form on her blue eyes and she closed them replaying the situation over and over in her head that went from wishing, to hoping, to demanding Thepa's spirit tell her what she should have done differently. However, try as she might, Thepa's spirit had no answers. Truthfully, she knew there were none. Some, most likely Devi and Krery might have demanded them, but at the moment words failed her. Even if they didn't, a part of her unrealistically hoped the day she would have to explain herself would never come.

"Aurelia?" Darby's voice pierced across the night.

Across the field, she could see Devi and Krery scolding a few younglings for getting too close to the burning building while toddlings bravely or foolishly, clung to their legs. About half way between her and them, three of the adults were trying to corral the rest of the younglings, while two more seemed to be giving orders. It was then Aurelia finally turned her attention back to Darby, who was standing next to the nondescript middle age man she had met only hours before.

"Darby...," she trailed. "Mr. Edgar. I'm sorry it took us so long to arrive." Not that either of them knew she was coming. They were just words. Empty platitudes she vainly hoped might ease any tension and her own soul. Again, her eyes looked towards her Sisters and as soon as Devi's brown made contact with hers, she knew she had betrayed herself.

"Aurelia, that was incredible. I thought for sure we..." Darby responded; hesitancy laced in her voice. Out of the corner of Aurelia's eye, she could see Darby look up to Edgar, perhaps for the first time in her life at a loss for words, but her attention was fully fixed on Devi, who pointed Krery in her direction.

Aurelia sniffed trying to hold back tears. She wiped at her eyes with the back of her calloused hands, already covered in grim and dirt. The combination only seemed to mix the two deeper into her socket, adding another layer of helplessness to her already tortured soul. By the time she finally managed to free herself from its debris, she could see Devi and Krery making their way over.

"Matriarch," Devi called above the chaos. We need to get these younglings to safety an—."

"NO!" Krery screamed startling those around her. Some of the toddlings retreated, but Krery ignored them throwing herself on top of Dinia's body. Cradling it in her arms, she allowed her own grief to overcome her, as Devi stood in shocked disbelief. Dumbfounded, Aurelia just stood there, like the useless leader she was. Again, her eyes found Devi and the woman gave her a look of contempt before quickly masking it in a contortion of clenched eyes and mouth. Not that she didn't deserve it.

This was all her fault.

When Devi finally looked back in Aurelia's direction, her features softened. Behind her brown eyes, she could see sorrow welling in the firelight. She looked down at Krery who seemed oblivious to her presence, still rocking Dinia's body back in forth in a blubbering mess. Gently, she rubbed the back of Krery's neck, before making her way over to her, stopping only a few feet away.