The Memoirs of Elikai: The Children of the Solstice

Chapter XXII: The Third Funeral

We walked in silence down the path as we carried the dead weight of our friends. I held back the tears and my emotions as we headed down to the town that had protected me, the town I had failed to protect. I knew there hadn't been a real chance of stopping the rising of the Crusaders, but I had convinced myself that we could do it. I could not help but believe that the good guys would save the day in the nick of time, due to the countless happy endings that every story taught us to believe.

I carried Jesse down the hill, and a dark feeling began to consume me. It was the feeling that my story would not end happily. I tried to push that feeling away, but it lingered as we reached the end of the trail.

I was not sure what I expected when we reached the entrance to the path, but it certainly was not this. My uncle and aunt stood in front, holding each other tightly as their eyes widened in shock as they saw us. Mrs. Daniels stood alone, clutching Jesse's cowboy hat, and she crumbled to the ground in sobs at the site of her son. Mr. Pescador also started crying as Michael carried his daughter. Several others were waiting, including the mayor, a couple deputies, and some EMTs in an ambulance.

"Danny," my uncle said as he pulled away from my aunt and rushed to help us.

I looked him in the eyes and said, "They have risen." My words were soft, but they rang clear. The mayor looked sick, and my aunt cried.

The EMTs came up to me with a stretcher to take Jesse. I backed away, grunting in protest as flares of fire escaped from my nostrils in warning. They stopped dead in their tracks.

"Danny," Michael said gently, "let them take him. There is nothing more you can do for him." I turned to Michael, and I saw he had sympathy in his ever-changing eyes.

"I cannot let anything else happen to him," I cried.

"He'll be okay, my King," one of the EMTs said. "I will make sure nothing else happens to him." His words were soft as he approached me. The EMT was an inch or two shorter than myself, but he had kind brown eyes that matched his olive skin tone. I felt my body relax, and I nodded as they approached with a stretcher.

"Thank you, Alec," I said, his name somehow escaping from my lips. He smiled at me as he gave me a small bow, and loaded Jesse onto the stretcher.

Another pair of EMTs pulled up to the scene, and they placed Izabelle onto another stretcher. With a loving look from her father, they disappeared into the ambulance. Mrs. Daniels hugged me and thanked me for bringing her boy back. She then entered the other ambulance and disappeared. I looked at the small group of people around me.

"They said they would give us a small window of time to prepare for the next attack." I looked at the mayor, who nodded and left without another word. She looked like she was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

I turned to my uncle, and he dismissed his deputies. Instead of leaving immediately, they stood there hesitantly, wanting to hear the truth.

"I will let you know later," my uncle said authoritatively, and they nodded. They gave a small bow to me, and then left. I felt really uncomfortable with everyone bowing, but I didn't say anything. I was too exhausted, physically and mentally, to do much more than recount the events of the last couple hours. The wall I had buried my feelings behind would crumble shortly, but they needed to know everything.

"Tell me everything," my uncle said calmly, as if he had read my mind.

"Not here," I said looking up at the cliff face. "I can't be here right now."

I walked away toward the Jeep. They followed me without question, and I slowly got in the back as Michael sat next to me. I knew he would not leave my side no matter what.