Manon's Child

Part 5

Abraxos takes off toward the Witch-City, and I welcome the cool air that rushes into my face, clearing my mind, if only a little bit. We fly al the way to the ruins, Abraxos dating over them as we go deeper into the once-great city. I watch the ruins silently as they pass underneath us.

The city is rubble. there's no other words for it. Only a few half crumbling walls still stand, weeds weaving through the gaps in the walls.

Abraxos lands in the very centre of the city, in what appears to be a market square, or something of the sort. There, I slide off him, and in the eerie silence of the dead city, walk into the very heart of my ancestral home.

I look around me, watching the birds and other animals that now inhabit this place. It's as if no one has been here since it fell. To be honest, they probably haven't. I slowly turn in a circle assessing further the damage inflicted here, when something behind me brushes me lightly, and I spin around to face it.

There's a rock in the very centre of the square, how i didn't notice it before, I don't know. It's jagged, and points to the centre of the setting sun. Moss grows over the bottom of it, and in little cracks and earthy crannies in it, grass grows. At the very top of the rock, a single purple flower blooms. It's not unlike the ones on the field in front of the city.

A wave of emotion hits me, and I suddenly can't take it anymore. I sink to my knees as an overwhelming amount of grief hits me. Grief for my Thirteen. Grief for their deaths. Grief for the fact that they're not here now, by my side, as they should be.

I sob shamelessly for them, in the middle of the square. The sound of it echoes around the empty space, and I am glad there is no one but Abraxos there to witness it. My wyvern comes over to me, nuzzling me, sorrow and worry in his eyes, but he can do nothing to numb the pain that now over takes me.

"Asterin," I sob into the empty air, "Sorrel. Vesta. Faline, Fallon. Edda, Briar, Thea, Kaya. Lin, Ghislaine, Imogen. Why did you have to die?"

Abraxos can do nothing for me as I sob at the bottom of the rock, overtaken by grief.

"Manon."

My breath catches.

"Manon."

It's Asterin's voice. I look up, and they're all there. They smile at me, and I let out another sob, tears streaming down my face. Trying to gather up my wits, I stand, but can't stop the tear flowing down my face.

"Manon." Asterin comes forward, the rest of the Thirteen still there, but hanging back.

"Asterin," I gasp. I basically throw myself on my cousin, embracing her tightly. I step back, wiping my eyes. "But - you're dead.*

"Yes," Asterin says gently. I look around me at all the Thirteen. They're slightly glowing, but otherwise look exactly the same. Asterin's face falls slightly. "We don't have long."

"How are you here?" I ask, no longer crying, just in shock.

Asterin doesn't reply, just smiles. "We may not be alive, Manon, but we'll always be here for you. We're always watching you."

Sorrel nods, stepping forward and touching me arm. "It's been nice to see the Witch-Kingdom with you, Manon."

"If only once," Vesta says, smiling. The Shadow's nod in agreement.

"Even if you can't see us," Edda says.

"We're here for you," Briar finishes.

"You don't need to grieve us," Thea says.

"We gave up our lives for you, Manon," Kaya agrees.

"We left you to live, Manon," Lin says.

"We had to die to save you. Save everyone," Ghislaine says.

"We knew what we were doing, Manon," Imogen agrees.

Asterin steps up to me. "Manon, without our sacrifice, you would all be dead. Don't deny it, you know it's true. We knew we wouldn't survive going out there, but we did it anyway. We did it for you, Manon. Because we love you."

I push down on the sob that threatens to escape my throat, fresh tears filling to my eyes. They start to fade away. "No!" I reach out to them. "Can't you stay a little longer?"

"We have to Manon," Asterin says, smiling sadly. One by one, my Thirteen disappear again, until only Asterin and Sorrel remain.

Sorrel smiles. "You'll make an excellent HighQueen, Manon," she says, and then she, too, disappears.

Only Asterin remains. She takes my hands in hers. "Please, Asterin," I bed "Don't leave me again. Don't leave me alone."

"You're not alone, Manon," Asterin says, and great sadness fills her eyes. "Good luck with your new family. Your new life."

And then she, too is gone, and I am alone but for Abraxos, sobbing in the ruins of my broken kingdom.