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I bless you with goodbye
We had a life together
But if it’s right with fate
I’ll meet you in my spirit
Right at Alora’s gate
As the funeral song continued, Cornelius jumped into the grave. He nudged Grammy’s hands a few times, as if he could get her to wake, but she didn’t move. Then he curled up on her chest and laid his head down. His whole body sagged as the breath left his lungs.
I looked around to see if anyone else was as shocked as I was, but they all seemed to take it surprisingly well. I guess it made sense. Cornelius had incarnated in this life to serve as Grammy’s companion. Now that she was gone, his purpose had been fulfilled, and his soul energy could return to Alora with her.
The song concluded, and Hattie lifted her hands to control the earth. Her elemental powers shifted the dirt to cover Grammy’s body, until the grave was completely covered. Hattie commanded the grass to grow over the grave, until it looked as if the ground had been left undisturbed entirely. My breath caught in my throat as I witnessed a lily spring from the grave, growing before my very eyes.
It should have been a beautiful moment, but it was difficult to watch. This wasn’t right, and I hated the priestesses even more now. Grammy didn’t get to be buried in the cemetery next to Grampy back in Octavia Falls. It was too dangerous for us to go back to town and bury her there, a place that had always been her home. The priestesses had torn her community from her, and now she’d been laid to rest here all alone. It wasn’t fair.
Verla blew out the candle, and I couldn’t believe it was over already. It all happened so quickly, which was all too symbolic of the way she died. Twenty-four hours ago, Grammy was helping me into my wedding dress, and now, she was buried in the ground.
Lucas reached for me, but I couldn’t take his hand. The walk back to the house felt hollow. I should be walking inside to ask Grammy for a cup of tea, not retreating from her grave. I didn’t know if everyone else felt like they’d said a proper goodbye, but I certainly didn’t.
“I’ll put on some coffee,” Verla offered, and Onyx followed her into the kitchen to help.
I didn’t want coffee. I wanted tea—Grammy’s tea, specifically. Something I’d never get to have again.
“Nad,” Lucas whispered. He gestured me down the hall away from the others. I appreciated the moment alone, because I desperately needed it. Isa and Oliver followed, but they stood at the end of the hall, making sure no one interrupted. Lucas didn’t say anything—just wrapped me tight in his arms and rocked me back and forth. This time, I didn’t pull away.
“I didn’t say enough,” I cried into his chest.
He stroked my hair back. “Everything you said was perfect.”
“But there’s so much more I want to say to her,” I sobbed. “I never got to say goodbye. Why didn’t she stay, Lucas? I wish she’d just stayed one more minute so I could let her know how I feel.”
“I don’t know what it’s like to die, but I know that if someone’s ready to go, they’re not going to hang back,” he stated gently. “Your grandmother knew her time was coming.”
“It was too soon,” I argued. “She was only seventy. She could’ve had another twenty or thirty years left.”
“I’m not sure she wanted those extra years for herself,” he said hollowly.
I wasn’t sure what he meant. When I glanced up, he couldn’t quite look me in the eye. “What do you mean… What was her last thought?”
Lucas swallowed, like he was hearing it all over again. “I died protecting what I love most.”
My face grew hotter, and my lips trembled. “She died thinking of me?”
He nodded. “I think she’s been prepared for this for a long time. She always knew there’d be a chance she’d die protecting you.”
I drew away from him without thinking about it. “I didn’t want her to!”
“But she was okay with it. I think that’s why she went with her reaper so quickly. She was already prepared to go.”
A lump rose in my throat. I tried to swallow it down, but it didn’t budge. My words squeaked past the lump. “I just wanted to save her.”
“She needed to save you,” Lucas said in a small voice.
I looked into his eyes—really looked at him this time. Tears brimmed his bottom lids, and the corners of his lips twitched like he was trying to hold back a pained cry. I realized he was trying to hold it together for me.
Grammy was as much of a grandmother to him as she was to me. She had been a safe place to come to after his brother had died. She had been a mentor to him.
