That World Called Zerigoph: The War's End

Chapter 21

Not every body held a tag. James realized this as he limped over to one he hadn't seen many of in the field. It wasn't Zakras or Elkonn. Darker blood covered its red skin and it held a roughly sharpened sword. Max put a gently hand on his shoulder.

"They don't carry tags, James," he said quietly. "They don't believe in names in battle, only honor."

"How do we bury them?"

"We wash them in the sacred pool of a nest. The rest is a closely guarded secret of the Gabrul."

Numbness was setting in as James limped through fields of corpses. Zulasai was no longer warm on his skin, the golden light no longer comforting. His head pulsed with each step, his stomach had been twisted for hours. He didn't feel the sword on his hip or the knife on his back. He didn't feel the chain on his neck. He was beaten. Kernasala arrived not long after, the same weariness in his face.

"We have to get you back, Kaj." His voice was gruff and scratchy. Max nodded, taking James by the hand. Marry me. It was nearly dark, Zulasai moving to hide beneath the cliffs once more.

"We have prisoners," Kerny said in an uncertain tone.

"Tell me they're alive," James said.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "They're alive. We're trying to figure out where to take them. I doubt they're the only surrenders."

"Asrain is going to be a mess," Max said. "The wounded have been there for hours, but the empty chaos of afterwar is going to burn for a few days."

"Days?" Kernasala asked, his steps deliberate as he shifted his weight side to side. James said nothing. They were all tired. He hadn't even noticed Max now under his arm, helping him limp back. "Kaj, this burn is eternal. The embers will go cold after a few weeks, sure, but the burns... the burns are always there." He glanced at Max as he said it. All of them knew what he meant.

He moaned as he hit the water. Max smiled, his eyes tired as he took off his ragged clothes. Armorless but covered in paint was not a good plan for protecting thin fabric. James floated for a moment, eyes closed as warm water seeped into his bones. Max slipped into the water with him, taking a rag and slowly washing paint off his love. James sat up slowly, his hand finding Max's face. He pulled him forward and kissed him, feeling the fire in his mouth again. He took the cloth and slowly wiped wet paint from Max's face, not wanting to look from his eyes.

Marry me. They washed the paint off, the question forcing its way to the front of James' mind every few seconds. Every movement the man made in front of him. When he tackled James into the warm water, laughing as he leaned close to his face. When James held him tighter, pulling their bodies close and he giggled, pushing him away.

"Not until we're married" he said jokingly.

Then marry me. He just stared into his eyes and forced himself to breathe, releasing more royal giggles as he leaned his head on James' chest. His hand found the prince's hair as he watched his smile drop. There was the look again, the look that bred fire in his chest and heat in his bones. The look that made him melt everytime Max gave it to him.

He had to convince Max to sleep instead of fretting over the proper arrangement of abandoned tags. He had to drag him by the hand towards their cot, pulling him gently onto the mattress and to his chest. He could tell by Max's deep melting sigh that he wanted to sleep, he just needed to be told sometimes. After all, this was his war. He had to honor the dead just right.

James watched the ceiling as he stroked his prince's hair. How would they clean up? What would they do with the bodies? How would they move on after losing so much? The kingdom would feel a lot emptier than it did, even now, once Kansha and Labshala's armies left. Once Kozan took his men back to Coshalak. He sighed, planting a kiss on top of Max's head. They all needed sleep. Best not to think of the dead before sleep.