A Witch's Trial (Witch's Path Series: Book 3) (30 page)

When I finished with the clearing, Julius and I marched through the woods to the site where we found the now cool remains of the man. This shield wasn't as bright and quickly flowed back into the earth. His ashes were also sown with salt and shoved into another jar. All the jars were returned to my backpack, and I was grateful that I'd overprepared for cleanup.
 

Back at the clearing, I found Wells pocketing his spent brass, Elron unconscious on the ground, and Varro taking ragged breaths. I sat next to Varro, holding his good hand in mine, but the icy feel wasn't encouraging.
 

"We did it… we killed the demon."
 

His lips moved in a slight smile.
 

I cleared my throat, trying not to cry. "It wouldn't have happened without you. You've given us the ability to fight back. I won't forget that, and I'll make sure the knowledge is preserved so it can be used in the future."

"You'll do. That boy, Elron, will do too, he just needs to sort through things." Three ragged breaths later, Varro was gone.

Elron was awake, looking at the two of us and crying. I sat there, clutching Varro's hand like it would bring him back, tears running down my face.

The three of us couldn't figure out how to get Elron and Varro back to the lodge without making two trips. I didn't have it in me to cast any spells, and I had to take the backpack full of demon ashes with me, which didn't leave a lot of me to help move Elron. Wells could help with one of the men, but he couldn't take both of them. Julius was strong enough to carry Varro, but he couldn't do it walking on his hind legs.

In the end, Julius flew back to the lodge to get help. He returned with Landa, Mander, and surprisingly Paxton, who was braving the first hints of dawn. Mander gave me a hug and took the backpack from me. After Paxton picked up Varro, Wells and I got Elron on his feet.

It was a slow walk home that felt like a funeral procession, which was appropriate given the circumstances. Landa and Mander led the way, frequently looking back to check on us. Paxton walked behind him, with Varro's broken body in his arms. Julius soared overhead, keeping an eye on us.

The trees dipped their branches to touch Varro and tucked their roots under the soil to give us a better path. Even the rocks moved to the side, and we traveled a smooth path, always wide enough for three abreast, through the woods.

I lost track of time, vacillating between sorrow, despair, and detachment. The last one was the best because I didn't have to feel the slew of emotions the night had unearthed, and I could simply be in the moment. It was too much to take in at once, and there was more to be done before I could rest and start to see what was left of my life now that Gremory was gone.

When we got back to the lodge, Elron stayed awake while Landa cleared off my altar and Paxton laid Varro on the stone. The two of them arranged him into a position that masked much of the damage. They stepped back, and Mander moved forward. He took a small handful of dirt and sprinkled it on top of the fey. The wind picked up, clearing the earth off him, and the trees swayed. The protections snapped to life, keeping Varro's body cool and untouched until we could return for the funeral.

Under Landa's orders, Paxton took Elron from me. Mander held the doors open as the four of them vanished into Elron's apartment. I picked up the backpack Mander had left at my feet and motioned for Wells to follow me. In my apartment, I set the backpack in my workroom and tried to find the right words.
 

Wells shook his head. "We can talk about it later. By then both of us will have had the time to process."

"Thank you. Not just for being understanding, but for everything you did tonight." It was the best I could do.
 

"You're welcome. Get some rest." Wells tipped his head in my direction and slipped out the door.

For a moment, I stood there, trying to figure out if I'd said the right things. Fatigue and the nasty smells clinging to me forced me into action. My shoes were the only thing I removed before getting in the shower. My clothing got a light wash on the floor of my shower, and I scrubbed at myself until I couldn't see a speck of dirt or smell anything but soap.
 

I was naked when someone knocked on my door. Yelling for them to hold on, I hurried to pull on my favorite pajamas, the ones that seemed to keep the world at bay when life had been mean. My slippered feet were quiet as I crossed to the front door.

"Landa, what do you need?" My words were directed at her, but my eyes were stuck on Elron, who was clean and wearing pants, thick socks, bandages, and a robe loosely tied around his middle. Paxton was smiling slightly as he held up Elron.

"Can he stay with you? He shouldn't be alone with a wound like that." Landa motioned in Elron's direction.
 

"Um, sure," I stammered. Stepping back from the door, I tried to figure out why Elron would need to stay with me. There had to be a better person to watch over him.
 

Landa came in, bedding floating behind her, and Paxton slowly guided Elron forward. Landa went to my sofa, moving pillows and tucking sheets over the cushions. When it had been prepared to her satisfaction, Paxton helped Elron lay down. Landa quickly stocked the coffee table with water, crackers, nuts, dried fruit, and two biscuits.
 

While this was going on, I stood off to the side, baffled at the turn of events. The elf whose wife I'd just killed was on my sofa with my neighbor and landlord offering snacks. It was one more turn of events that I didn't know how to manage.

"He'll be fine. You did the right thing with the healing charm, but it will take some time for him to be back to his normal tricks." Paxton patted me on the shoulder and left.
 

I walked over to the sofa and got good look at Elron. He looked better than he had in the woods, but the silver hair and white bandages didn't do anything to help his skin tone.

"He's ready to nap, which is what you should be doing. I'll come check on both of you at lunch, and I'll bring food. Michelle, don't poison the poor boy, and Elron, you need to stay in bed and rest." Landa went from lightly scolding to somber. "We'll be holding Varro's funeral this afternoon."

"We'll be there." I answered for both of us because I didn't have to ask to know Elron would want to pay his respects. On the sofa, Elron nodded.

Landa patted Elron's hand. "I know you will. When the two of you feel better, I'd like to know when you were blessed by Leshy Apalchen. Eat and get some rest."

I gave her a funny look, but she didn't see it as she hurried out of the room, probably to go cook breakfast for the rest of the residents and guests. Life at the lodge didn't grind to a halt because of a death and a few injuries.
 

"Are you sure you don't mind?" he whispered, taking shallow breaths.
 

"I don't mind at all. You're always welcome here." It was true, but I couldn't help but wonder why he wanted to be around me right now. There had to be someone whose presence didn't bring up painful feelings.

"Thank you. I needed to be here."

I sat on the floor next to his head, afraid that perching on the edge of the sofa would hurt him. "Why here? Why now?"

Elron sighed. "I need time to settle my feelings, get past what has occurred, but I need to be with you. I had to be here because it's always been you. If I remember correctly, I owe you a date. It will have to wait, but it will be special."

To keep my hands from trembling, I clasp them together. My voice wobbled. "You remember?"

He brushed my cheek with the back of his hand. "Every second."

The rest of my questions could wait. I grabbed his hand and held on as I cried happy tears. When I dried my eyes, he was starting to drift off, but he was alert enough to smile when I scooted the coffee table to the side and made a pallet next to him. It wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep, but I had the most important thing next to me.

We didn't awaken until Landa knocked on the door, lunch tray in hand. Lunch was quiet, the morning joy overshadowed by the night's events. Not so deep down, I knew Elron had been serious when he said he needed time. He needed lots of time and space, and so did I.
 

Last night I'd killed a person and a demon. The demon didn't bother me, but I couldn't un-see Sylvia burning. That was something I needed to find a way to live with. It wasn't as simple as having done the right thing, which I had, but being able to accept the consequences of that choice.
 

Taking a life shouldn't be easy, even when the person begged you to kill them, but I'd done it, and the truth was I'd come close to killing before and stepped back. Elron or Liam had been there to do it for me, saving me from making the decision. It was a position I never imagined I'd be in, one where that death was the best choice, not because it saved me but because it saved other people.

Sylvia had to die for Gremory to die. Gremory had to be killed so I didn't have to look at the body of another child and know that I had allowed their death. For a split second, I was back in that morgue, with all the bodies around me, looking at children who should've been playing in their tree house or racing their bike.
 

I didn't feel good about Sylvia's death, but I felt better knowing what I'd prevented. Gremlins wouldn't be attacking jails, trolls wouldn't be eating people, bird-women wouldn't be cutting up dwarfs, baby dragons wouldn't be kidnapped, and children wouldn't die. Feeling good about taking a life wasn't going to happen, but if I could go back in time and kill Sylvia and Gremory before they caused all that pain, I'd do it, no questions asked.
 

Landa pushed open the door and said, "It's time."

Standing on my own hurt. The wound from the werewolf would take days to heal, and until it did, each breath, twitch, cough, and turn would hurt. Michelle had used a second healing charm on me with limited effects. I'd declined additional charms. It would be days before she was up to producing more, and time would do the trick.

The events were still fresh enough that I had not had time to process all of them. That disconnect was giving me time to find perspective without being completely overcome. The pain in my chest was a good distraction as well. There was only so much obsessing I could do when I hurt this much.

She stood beside me, paler and thinner than she'd been yesterday. On Michelle's other side, her mother kept a close eye on her, darting the occasional assessing look in my direction. Her father kept his eyes forward, but I wasn't fooled; most of his attention was on his daughter. With the cold wind biting exposed skin, I was glad I had insisted she add an additional layer. Even so, I could see her shiver when an especially persistent gust blew through.

It was worth the chill to honor Varro. Death hadn't changed him as much as the end of the spell. The frail, worn-out husk on the altar bore little resemblance to the old but sturdy man in the woods.
 

Besides the four of us, Landa, Mander, Julius, and Baden were in attendance. Paxton would have been here, but it was still light out, and that would not have ended well for him. The small group seemed disproportional to Varro's sacrifices and dedication to improving the world, not just for himself but for everyone. Had I known if he had friends, or how to contact them, I would've delayed this until they could attend, but from all appearances, he'd kept himself apart from the world.

No one said the pointless, human words explaining why we were spending an afternoon in the cold. The memorial began when Julius stepped forward. He sat on his haunches, cupped his wings, and sang. It had been long enough since my last experience with gargoyles singing that I had forgotten the impressive and disconcerting nature of the sound.
 

The first note out of Julius was a steady tone. It was low and had a slight vibration. The note shifted down a step, his lips moved, and a sharp whistle joined the tone. Whilst Julius held the tone steady, the whistle moved up and down the scale. With a deep breath from him, the sound changed, and the whistle-like sound was carried and the deeper tone fluctuated up and down.

During his song, part of my grief eased. Varro's passing was sad, but I'd known since shortly after he arrived that his time was limited. In the end, he had completed his mission and passed along his legacy. It was a small thing, but he'd seemed to find satisfaction in teaching the two of us.
 

Sylvia's passing had its own emotional baggage. The past week had been spent coming to terms with one change after another, none of them good and each of them unwelcome. Last night had brought it all to a head, and the outcome had been surprising.
 

She was dead, and I had spent two centuries grieving the first time she died. This death did not summon the same emotions because I didn't have any grief left. It was time to put my guilt over her abduction to bed, as there was not a single action on my part that would have changed it then or now. Between the diary and her words, the meaning had been clear: she did not blame me.
 

Her other words had clarified the remainder of my feelings. Sylvia wanted me to move on, not fall back into grief. Last night, I thought it was the wound and shock that was preventing my grief. Today had changed that view. There was simply nothing left to grieve. I had mourned her death, been tormented by her return, berated myself over her abduction, and been overwhelmed by the guilt of my betrayal. It was time for me to move forward.
 

When the last note faded, we stood silently honoring Varro. I was sure each of us considered what we knew of the man and what we should say to commemorate his passing. I prepared myself for the pain of talking, only to be halted by a shape moving in the woods.
 

It was faint and indistinct at first, but as it drew closer, I recognized the leshy. He came out of the forest and went to Varro, resting a hand on his forehead. Leshy Apalchen gently moved Varro's head, sliding a leather necklace off him. After realigning Varro's head, the leshy unknotted the end and pulled two medallions off the leather thong. He pressed one of them into my hand and the other into Michelle's.