The Realm Protectors - Chapter 55: Chapter 55

The weather for today is very fitting. Cold, windy, and gray. I can feel the chill through the balcony doors, seeping in through the cracks like shadows. Shivers run down my spine, and I make my way over to the kitchen.
It's been three weeks since the battle in Civitastella, dubbed by the news reporters as the "Battle of the Realms." Griffin Gray was placed in secure custody, and the Nox haven't made any attempts to break him out. It appears as though they're done with him.
I almost feel bad for the guy.
While Nikolina, Avani, and Nile focus on interrogating Gray for information, Lyra and Faris have been focusing on reopening the major gateways. Repairs to the old gateway structures are already underway: stone arches are being constructed for Mork and Dunia, bronze is being formed into sunray swirls for Leve, and a new hourglass is being built for the Tijd gateway. Once the structures themselves are finished, Lyra and a team of space elemental scholars and expert tunnelers will open new major gateways, restoring the balance of the realms.
Ciana and I have been working together a lot, going back and forth with our friends while they work. Carter's been working with the teachers this last week to plan the graduation ceremony. It's still hard to wrap my mind around the fact that in the midst of everything that's happened this year, I had my fourth sect year of school. Next week Nile and I graduate from Asavanra, and then... the rest of our lives as High Arches waits ahead of us.
I sigh, pulling a glass out of the cupboard and filling it with water. The liquid jumps in the glass as Nile rounds the corner. A big splash of it jumps up from the glass and hits me in the face. I cough and sputter, Nile laughing at me and my soaked shirt. He notices my expression and outfit and stops laughing.
"You're not ready yet?" He asks, taking the glass from my hands. He twists his wrist, and the water sucks itself out of my sweatshirt, flying back into the glass. I notice he's already in his perfectly tailored gray suit, ready for the funeral.
The funeral, I think, remembering what I'd been avoiding. Everyone has been getting ready for the last hour or two. I let the stylists come in and do my hair and makeup, but I didn't put in the effort of putting on my dress yet. "I am ready. I just need to get dressed."
Nile furrows his brows, concern and understanding in his eyes. He holds out his arms and I walk into them, letting him wrap his arms around me. I lean my chin on his shoulder, careful not to get any makeup on his suit jacket.
"I know you don't like these things," Nile says, pressing a kiss to my head. "I know they make you think of everything that happened with your dad."
Memories of long past flash behind my eyelids. My father, a soldier in the Fajran army, was killed in an attack on the visiting High Arches. As a reward for his bravery, the High Arches offered to have him buried in the High Garden. Mother turned down the offer, wanting to keep his grave close to home.
"They deserve their rest," I tell him, pulling away with a deep breath. "Just because I'm not happy about the fact that they had to die doesn't mean they don't get an honorable service."
"Always so strong," Nile says, kissing me on the forehead. "That's why you're Grand Arch."
I smile, his words already making me feel better.
"You should probably go get dressed, E," Nile reminds me gently. He pushes me towards the hallway, smacking my butt playfully. He laughs at my pitiful yelp as I scurry to my room. The gray gown is hanging on the dresser where I left it. The gray fabric is sewn together in layers that make me look like a whirlpool of clouds when I wear it. It's not that it's an ugly dress – it's gorgeous, just like all of Jaq's designs.
I just don't have fond memories of funeral gowns.
I slip on the gown quickly, the fabric slipping over my skin like cool water. Jaq adjusted all the dresses for the weather, adding sleeves and fur shawls to wear over top. After quickly tying the belt of fabric around my waist, I'm ready to go. I turn to my reflection in the mirror, giving myself a firm nod.
Be strong, I think to myself. Shoulders back, head high. One more nod and I'm ready to go.
The rest of my friends are waiting in the living room for me. The boys all look good in their suits, Nile, most of all, and the other girls all have their fur shawls wrapped around their shoulders.
"Everyone ready?" I ask, looking around at all my friends. Ciana nods, her face set in a grim expression. Avani and Nikolina nod too, Nikolina pulling her shawl tighter around her shoulders.
"Let's go," Nile says, stepping forward and grabbing my hand. He squeezes it gently, a reminder that he's here if I need it. I squeeze back twice: Thank you.
The walk down to the High Garden is a tedious one: back upstairs into Arch Hall, through the Atrium, outside the main entrance, and finally the descent down the hill. Avani waves her hand as we approach, lowering the stone walls surrounding the cemetery. A line of families already waits on the path leading into the Garden, pushing coffins on carts between them. The sight of so many bodies to bury makes my heart pound in my chest.
Be strong. Shoulders back, head high.
The senators from all eight countries stand at attention in front of the entrance. Anders Larson, the new Mork senator, stands stoically between Senator Sorin and Senator Fintan. This is one of his first outings with the other senators, but he seems to be carrying himself well. The funeral master is waiting just inside the walls of the cemetery, gray robes blowing softly in the wind.
A new, empty patch of the cemetery waits down the packed dirt path. Earth elementals easily expanded the walls earlier this week, allowing more room for the soldiers to be buried. Camera crews and reporters stand in various spots around the plots, black lenses pointed toward the eight of us as we make our way to the new plots. The funeral master follows us, clearing his throat when we've reached the spot. I turn around to see all the families starting to make their way inside the gates of the cemetery, their eyes red and shining with unshed tears. They wait for me to speak, wait for me to assure them their family died for a good cause. They stare at me and wait for me to tell them that their children, parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, and friends died for a noble cause as if anything I say will fill the hole left in their hearts––
Nile steps closer to me, grabbing my hand and squeezing it gently.
"Breathe," He whispers. My heart pounds in my chest, in my head, reverberating the pain reemerging in my heart. Spots dance on the edge of my vision.
"Enya," Nile whispers. He squeezes my hand three times slowly. I am here. I love you. "Breathe,"
I suck in a breath, black spots disappearing from my vision. Everyone is still staring at me, waiting for me to start the ceremony, but their stares no longer look judgmental. Faris clears his throat, looking at me out of the corner of his eye. I nod in reply and he waves his hand, the air over the cemetery beginning to shimmer as he bends the acoustics.
"Family and friends of our fallen soldiers," I begin, my voice sounding stronger than it feels. "We welcome you to the High Garden on this solemn day. Your loved ones died for the noblest of causes, and because of that, they will be remembered as heroes. To pay them the respect they're due, they will be laid to rest in the highest place of honor."
I turn around and nod to Avani, who turns to the empty plots behind us. She curls her hands into claws and pulls them up, pulling stones and rocks from the ground. They stack and meld themselves together, creating a new arch for the empty plot.
"This plot behind us will now and forevermore be known as the Garden of Heroes." I continue to the audience as Avani finishes. "Your loved ones will be the first ones honored in this hallowed place. They knew what they were signing up for with this battle. We asked for volunteers and they stepped up. The Elemental Realm, our home, is safe because of their bravery. For that, we are all forever grateful." My eyes and throat burn with unshed tears, and I can tell my voice wobbled a bit on my last words. Ciana is crying behind me, doing her best to hold in her sobs. I don't turn back to look at her for fear of breaking down myself. The families of the dead cry silently, their hearts already tired from the sorrow.
Nile steps up beside me when he notices the fact I'm getting choked up. He places his hand on my shoulder and says to the crowd, "Let us set aside our tears – enough has been shed."
I take a deep breath and continue with what I'm supposed to say, grateful for his distraction while I composed myself. "I will now read the list of names of the brave soldiers who laid down their lives for our home."
The list must have over a hundred names, multiple pages stapled together in my hands. A light mist has started to sprinkle down on us, making the day feel even more solemn. Avani and other Earth elementals lead each family to a plot, helping them lay the coffin inside. Nobody speaks, everyone just listens to the sound of each other's presence. My eyes glaze over as I watch over one hundred families lay a loved one to rest, dropping in the first handfuls of dirt before the Earth elemental fills the grave. Trinkets, flowers, ribbons, and pictures in frames decorate each pile of fresh dirt, marking where the tombstones will go later.
I have to choke back a sob as I watch a young girl stand with her grandparents, holding a stuffed bear. Her family lowers two coffins into the ground, right next to each other. The girl cries for her mom and dad, and Nile grips my hand tightly, trying to turn my attention away. I bite the insides of my cheeks to keep from crying out to the girl, knowing that nothing will ever heal those wounds for her.
The eight of us wait outside in the mist for hours, watching and waiting as each family says their final goodbyes. The sky turns a lighter gray as if someone had been breathing on a pane of glass and now is wiping it away. No sun peeks through the clouds, and Ciana doesn't even try to lighten up the sky. The weather is suiting for what tasks were performed today.
I clench my jaw as the last family leaves, three children and a mother, all quietly numb from their tears. Avani gives the other earth elementals a nod, signaling them to go. The eight of us stand in a line in front of the Garden of Heroes, staring out at all the new graves. Tucker waits somewhere behind us, watching our silent mourning. Avani looks up at the entryway and raises her hands, flicking her fingers in tiny motions. The rock on the keystone begins to chip away as she carves, letters appearing from the mossy gray stone. We watch her work, painstakingly chipping away piece by piece until she's finally finished.
Garden of Heroes, it says. A five-pointed star––the symbol of the military––rests underneath the words.
I grab Nile's hand and look around at my eight friends. Ciana, her face tear-streaked and sad. Avani, jaw clenched and her pain hidden away. Nikolina, with her wan skin and shadows pooling at her feet. Faris, his face solemn as he watches Ciana cope with her sadness. His eyes are shadowed as if he'd imagined this scenario a different way––when Ciana wasn't here with us. Carter and Lyra huddle together, hands intertwined. Carter hunches over slightly, the wound on his chest still healing. Lyra's lips are moving, muttering some Stellune blessing for the dead probably. Nile looks into my eyes when they meet him, communicating that he knows my pain and that he's here with me. I squeeze his hand gently, communicating back that I know.
"Come on guys," I finally say, voice soft. "Let's go home."