After this chapter and the epilogue I'm done! This makes me both happy and sad. Luckily, I have the outline of an idea for my next story, but no solid plotline/conflict yet. I'm excited to start it but I won't work on it until I have completely completed Playing with Fire.
Well, here you go.
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Of course there was a funeral.
Everybody, and I do mean everybody, showed up. Townspeople, nobles, foreigners, all of them joined together in honour of the lost Dragon Masters. The trees that surrounded the enormous Dragon Master cemetary were strung with flags and ribbons of different colours, representing the fallen.
The ground was like a sea of black. As one of the remaining Dragon Masters, I sat in a tower high up from the ground, able to observe the mourning and sadness going on around me. I myself felt empty and cold. The last funeral I'd attended had been much more festive; a celebration of a life well lived rather than a greivance of young lives cut short.
I sighed, staring out over the mourners as they one by one payed their respects to the dead. Flowers were placed on mounds of freshly tossed dirt, trinkets and jewelery set upon large and ornate tombstones.
With each passing second the sadness in the air became more and more palpable. Families of the dead clustered together and sobbed, strangers sat back and remained silent in the face of such anguish.
Lee, dressed in the same black mourning robe as the rest of us, shifted uncomfortably in his seat to my left. Tears filled his black eyes and he blinked them away, his gaze locked onto Lucas' grave. The two of them had always been... close.
I pulled my knees up, huddled against the back of my seat and staring out at the crowd. There was one grave free of people. They kept away from it, as though going near it would bring disease. All that sat on top of the intentionally scratched-up tombstone was a bouquet of burning roses, the sickly sweet smell wafting up to hover over the scene.
"Hey," a deep voice sounded from my right, filled with sadness and worry. "You okay?" I nodded slowly, reaching out behind me to grasp onto a strong hand, entwining my fingers with his. Hayden settled himself in next to me, squeezing my hand and staring blankly out at the mass of people.
"There're so many of them," I murmured, silently brushing away a strand of black hair that fell into my face from the breeze. "So many graves, and so many who have come to mourn. They didn't even know them, but they're here. Crying."
These people have good souls, little one. It does not matter that they had never been in contact with the dead. They mourn over lost children, lives that could have developed into much more if only given the chance. They mourn for the loss of hope, the loss of innocence, the loss of what those children represented.
A small smile spread across my lips. Yín sè was there, she would always be there. And Hayden. Oh, how lucky we were. Somehow, despite his injuries and the lack of proper medical supplies, I'd managed to help him heal. His torso was scarred, and his movements still jerky, but he was alive. That was what mattered.
"Those poor Xuétú," Hayden sighed. Icy blue eyes met mine, sad and glistening with a thin layer of tears. "Never even had the chance to meet their Dragon. Never even got to become Zhǔ." He shook his head.
Oh, how I feel for those Dragons. They are here, mourning along with the rest of us. You can hear them if you concentrate hard enough.
Sure enough, when I focused my ears on the Other World, I heard it. Deep, depressing songs, mournful and beautifully haunting. Resonating through my mind, bringing tears to my eyes. Dragon's songs could portray so much emotion.
"It's depressing," Lee whispered, leaning his elbows on his knees. "How many people come out to see the graves. I'd stay away if I could. I can barely handle this." I glanced his way, seeing the pained expression on his young face.
"But don't you want to give your respects to the dead? Don't you want to say goodbye to your friends?" Hayden sputtered, then clutched at his side with a tiny wince. "Dammit that hurts."
Lee closed his eyes. "I would pay my respects. I would say goodbye. But not at a funeral. Funerals aren't people. Funerals are ceremonies, and I don't want to go to a ceremony after... After my best friend has died." A lone tear spilled down his cheek.
I could have said I was sorry. It wouldn't have done any good. Instead I just gazed at the crowd, watching them as they surrounded the graves in a ring; the final service was about to begin.
A hush fell over the crowd as the Zànglǐ zhǔ emerged, thick black robes billowing around his feet with each slow step he took to the haunting organ music. I allowed my senses to drift, and the music merged with that of the Dragons, creating a beautiful tune that portrayed loss perfectly.
"Nǚshìmen, xiānshēngmen," Ladies and gentlemen, "Wǒmen huānyíng nín jīntiān zài zhèlǐ āidào értóng de sǔnshī," We welcome you here today to mourn the loss of children.
He reverted back into everyday language. "These children did not deserve to die. They were taken from a place where they should have been able to feel safe. The monster who took them from us, the monster that shall never be named, deserved to die a horrible death. We were not given this peace of mind, but we can rest knowing that he has paid for his crimes." The Zànglǐ zhǔ spoke with a lilting voice, despite what his age indicated. His eyes were filled with sorrow.
"Today, let us mourn them, let us mourn for the options that were taken away. Today, we stand as one, mourning the dead and uniting against the evil being who did this. Today, their lives are remembered." As soon as the last words left his dry lips he turned away. When he once again faced the graves, he held in his hands two large pearls that shimmered in the sunlight.
Once the pearls were positioned inside the mouths of the Dragons that watched over the garves, everybody took it as a cue. They tossed roses and daisies, diamonds and coins. I dropped two painted roses, one blue and one yellow, over the side of our tower. They drifted down in sync.
The Dragon songs reached a peak, their voices high and piercing until, with one last drawn-out note, they simply stopped. It was then that the crying started, heart-wrenching sobs that could only have come from a Dragon.
So, the other Dragons were restored? Yes, once George died the dark magic keeping them tied to his Běnzhí dissapated and they were able to return to the Other World. How long, d'you think, until there'll be another Blue or Yellow Dragon Master? Quite a while, I'm sure. Neither of them are ready for another bond just yet. Most Dragons get at least forty years with their Master to strengthen the bond and prepare themselves to let go. These Dragons did not have that luxury. I'm sorry, Yín sè. For what, little one? For making you worry. For scaring you and for putting my life in danger. Do not fret over it, Reiara. I am glad that you were willing to go to such lengths for the only purpose of making the world right again. You make me proud.
Tears pricked at my eyes when the silvery voice in my mind praised me. Despite the situation, I grinned a blazing grin, hugging my knees against my chest. Hayden stared at me with a small smile on his face.
"You are weird," he decided. I gave a watery laugh at that, leaning against him as much as our majestic chairs allowed. "Hmm. I don't think laughing at a funeral is really the appropriate social convention. People are giving you looks."
"Let them," I hummed, resting my cheek against Hayden's chest and breathing in deeply. Just being near him was comforting. Even after all that had happened, we were still best friends. More than that, really, but we had the same connection as we'd had since the first days of our companionship. The mood had just changed. For the better, of course.
Finally, although it seemed to take hours, the citizens disappeared. It was nighttime when the last one left, leaving just the Dragon Masters to climb down the tower and crowd into a luxurious carriage. The night was warm, and carriage top was down. Stars glimmered against the inky sky like diamonds; the moon illuminated everything in a silver light.
There were boats ready to take us back to the Dragon Isles. They swayed in the water, dipping back and forth. The gentle sloshing of the water was soothing, a soft sound that made me want to collapse on the deck and fall asleep right there.
* * * * *
"What the two of you did was stupid, illegal and very, very dangerous," Trainer Entille seethed, glaring at Hayden and I as we sat on the ground, surrounded by Trainers. "You could have been killed!"
"It's all your fault, isn't it," Trainer Ko hissed at me. He leaned down close, breathing hard, his rank breath so bad that I was forced to turn away. "You made the Grand High Emperor go on this stupid little adventure with you, nearly getting him killed and ending the line!"
"That's not what this is about right now," Trainer Entille berated. His sharp eyes met with Trainer Ko's for a moment, anger barely concealed behind his mature gaze. "There are two people to blame here, not one. Don't let your prejudice for Master Reiara cloud your judgement on this matter."
Trainer Ko grumbled, but under the harsh glare of his superior the complaints stopped and he directed a sneer at the two of us on the ground. I shifted into a more comfortable position and smiled up at him.
"Now, we all appreciate what the two of you did." Trainer Entille grinned slightly, a kind smile that let me know he was still on our side. "But you put yourselves in great danger and we cannot let it go without punishment. As of today, you will clean up the food area on Hǎo yùn dǎo every night for three months. That includes scraps of food, dirt and anything else left on the floors and tables. I want it to be spotless every morning; do you understand?"
We nodded vigourously, pleased with having gotten off so easily. There had been times in the past when we'd received much worse of a punishment, for something infinitely smaller. It was expected, I suppose. After all, we had just saved the rest of the Dragon Masters. And speaking of the rest of the Dragon Masters...
"What happened to Master Arden?" The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them. Judging from the look on Trainer Ko's face, they weren't welcome. Trainer Entille, however, smiled a placid smile.
"He turned himself in upon discovering that George was killed. We have put him into prison, although I believe he is remorseful and was under very subtle mind control. This theory will require more extensive testing, but he seems to be up for it."
Hayden frowned slightly, his tongue sticking out, but said nothing. The two Trainers dismissed themselves, leaving the two of us sitting together in peacefull silence. Until Hayden spoke up.
"You can do all of the cleaning. I'll supervise." I whirled around, purposefully slapping him with my customary four braids and glaring at him, one eyebrow raised.
"Really," I drawled leaning back on one arm to see the impish smile on his childish face. "Because I don't think so, Drake. You forget that I'm more powerful and boundlessly awesomer than you. And, anyways, you're the one always obsessed with things being proper. I mean, have you seen your room?" Hayden growled and slapped my knee.
"Actually," he mused, "not in a while. I think I'll go and get some sleep. See you later, hun." And with that he bent down, his lips brushing slightly against my temple before he began a quick jog out the door.
"Hey," I called after him, getting to my feet and chasing him into the sunlight. "Don't call me that. Did you hear me? Hayden!" Laughter echoed in the warm air. Sunlight hit my skin, filling me completely with a feeling of happiness. I was home.
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Well. Just the epilogue left. Kinda depressing, but I'm excited to finally finish a story for once in my life. Anyways. You know the drill.
Beeteedubs, the name of my new story (and that's all I'm going to be telling you at this time, unless you are a friend at school in which case you already kind of know about it) is "When the Lights Go Out". Yeah. Have fun with that!