There was no burial.

Kain had never experienced a proper funeral before and apparently Melitta's death would be no different. They were too far from the ocean and everything that would fulfill a traditional ceremony for one of the merfolk. He had thought that perhaps Callias would protest the issue, but after a hushed argument with one of the priests, then Isidor, he promptly turned on a heel and disappeared without a word.

"He won't go far," Isidor said. "Callias knows the dangers as well as any of us."

But does he care? Kain wondered. Even with as little as he knew about the man, he was willing to hedge a bet that in his current mood Callias wouldn't object to a fight--dangerous or not.

Whatever the truth of the matter, Kain decided not to argue. Instead, he nodded, before crossing the temple to where her body had been dressed and laid out across a marble slab. Natia twined around his legs--much to the obvious discomfort of the priests--the press of her flank against his thigh just comforting enough to keep his mind from spiraling.

Even in death, she stole his heart.

Her golden blond hair had been brushed to pristine perfection, before being allowed to sprawl around her still form. Her close lids were veined with blue, an unsettling reminder of how they got here, but still flushed enough that he could have considered her sleeping. It had to be magic. Were they planning on keeping her bespelled until her body was returned to the sea?

The long-sleeve dress she wore was new and free of blood. A ribbon covered her throat--no doubt to block the evidence of a wound that couldn't be disguised with make-up or magic. It did nothing to ease the knot in his stomach, however. The sensation grew, threatening to make him sick. Natia whined softly at his side. His hand sunk into the fur at her neck as he drew in a steadying breath.

One of the priests approached, their eyes warily shifting between Natia and Kain.

"I..I know this is a hard time, but given your...circumstance, I wasn't sure if we would have another chance," the priest ventured. "The lady's things...we recovered them. It took time, but we've cleaned and organized what we were able to save."

He gestured behind him, causing another priest to break away from the rest, a stachel in their hands. Kain bit the inside of his cheek. The pressure in his chest felt like it might suffocate him.

"I..."

Rhode stepped forward, offering a hand. "I'll take care of it."

Relief flooded his mind as Kain nodded, tension slipping from his shoulders. The priest handed the satchel over, before leaving Kain and Natia alone with Melitta once again. His fingers soothingly carded through her fur as he closed his eyes, a traditional prayer on his lips.

Standing there, looking at her, it was all terrifyingly real. Grief threatened to overwhelm him, but this time it was held back by the awareness it wasn't the time nor the place. He had already collapsed once before--anything more and he would be wasting the time they had left.

'What would she want?'

The question had been circling through his mind ever since he'd arrived in the temple. And if he were truthful, the answer was obvious.

Melitta had been a part of the attempt to rescue Iliana from the beginning. She had witnessed it all and had continued despite the wyvern's venom raging through her veins. If Isidor was to be believed, she'd acted knowing this would be the end. She must have had faith in whatever choice he would make afterwards. So, Kain had to do it right.

She would want them to keep moving.

If they lingered any longer, lost in her death, the chance to rescue Iliana this year would slip through their grasp. The mountain pass into Cieon wouldn't stay open much longer--they had to leave.

It was ironic. The chance to chase her trail had finally fallen in his grasp, but for the first time in months Kain had no desire to move. He wanted to fall stagnant at Melitta's side, lingering so he could watch her, even if just a minute longer. It would be so easy to pretend that she was merely sleeping and that if he stayed, she might open her eyes and smile at him. He could practically hear her voice in his ears.

If he stayed...perhaps that ache would fade, even the slightest, allowing him to think. Or breathe.

But, he couldn't.

So, with trembling hands, Kain laid a last, parting kiss to her forehead before turning away. Each step tore something away from his insides, but he kept walking.

There was no other choice.

Mara waited outside the temple. He bit back any words that might have escaped him at the sight of her, but her slight flinch told him exactly how aware she was of his opinions at that moment. Instead of retreating, however, she dropped into an appropriate curtsy. Did she find courage in formal etiquette?

"Kain."

He hesitated. Was he in the mindset to be polite? Did it matter?

"What?"

She bit her lip. "I--a guest arrived at the palace. I thought you might like to know."

His brow knitted. Who could possibly be important enough for her to come all the way to the temple just to tell him about? The palace was in chaos.

While he hadn't seen her since that night, Kain knew Konstantia was barely holding the threads together. Countless dignitaries had flooded the halls with their "grief," acting as if they weren't there just to shove their greedy hands into the power vacuum Alekos' death had created.

Among them...

He stilled. "The truthsayer?"

"Arrived an hour ago," Mara confirmed.

For a moment, disbelief reigned, before flickering into ever burning, frustrated anger. Too late. It was all too late. What point was there in seeing Semele now? Their names had already been cleared by a god. Melitta was already dead.

"She's heard the rumors and wants to talk to you."

He grimaced. Memories shifted through his mind of Callias explaining his theories back when everything was easier.

Kain needed to talk to her.

Rhode appeared at the temple exit, her eyes scanning him, as if searching for something unseen. Her expression was bordering blank--something that seemed to be the norm after that night. His eyes fell to the bag in her hands.

"I understand. Tell her I'll stop by when I get the chance."

Talking to Semele was important, but first, they would deal with Melitta's things.

┈♔◦𓇣◦☽◦❤◦☾◦𓇣◦♔┈

The leather bracelet felt mocking his hands. Gods, he'd forgotten about that when deciding to ease Callias' burdens.

"Do you think he'd want it?"

Isidor snorted and dropped his head against the back of his chair. His eyes slid shut. "I doubt he knows what he wants, Kain. Just keep it if you're so unsure."

He knew it was all in his head, but the leather felt like a life flame. Part of him was tempted to slide it onto his own wrist. The other wanted to toss it as far from him as it could fly. But, that wasn't a decision for him to make.

If Kain closed his eyes, he could almost feel himself pick up from a market table and offer it to her. He could see the flush in her cheeks and hear her embarrassed thanks. Fates.

He couldn't keep it. She would be a constant presence in his head--and how could anyone live like that?

"I think--" he broke off to the loud echo of frantic footsteps in the hall.

Before he could make up his mind a familiar voice cut the air. "You can't just go in--"

The door burst open.

Dim gemlight cast shadows over the intruder's dark skin, but what Kain could see was more than enough to provide their identity. Afterall, there were very few harpies with reasons to break into a guest room.

He slid the bracelet on.

"Semele, I presume?" Isidor drawled. His gray eyes flicked open, flaring with gold. Had he still not completely regained his control? "You are aware of the hour, aren't you?"

The truthsayer ignored him, her hawk-like eyes searching the room until they landed on Kain. Satisfaction flooded her face as she stepped further in, giving him a clear idea of just how massive the tall woman's mottled, brown-black wings were.

"You're the king killer?"

"I told you he's not!" Lyre practically screeched as he ran into the room after her. "Listen when people speak, Milady. Everyone knows it was the ambassador's wife! His Highness is innocent. Even Lady Taisol said so."

Semele rolled her eyes and shoved her hand through her brown hair. Her eyes fell to where Mara dozed, curled against the corner of the couch. Contempt curled her lip. "And I told you I checked that woman out. Everything she says is the truth, yet I swear to the bleedin' fucking fates she doesn't have the nightmare balls to pull something like this off."

"Milady! Your lan--"

"Oh, shove off ya little shit," she interrupted, before focusing her sole attention on Kain. He resisted the urge to flinch back from her unsettling gaze. "You. What do you know about all this?"

Anger flooded his veins that now familiar way. He was reminded, again, of how if Semele had arrived earlier, they would have been able to leave before Mara decided to kill a king. It wasn't her fault, but gods if he didn't want to blame it on her.

Emotion stole his tongue. "You should listen to Lyre. I wasn't involved in the king's death and likely know less than you on the subject."

An unsettling sensation swept over his skin, raising his hair on end as Semele studied him. She was weighing the truth of his words as any harpy would. He hadn't lied--but gods if it didn't make him reflect on his words, searching for the nonexistent. After a long moment, satisfaction once again flooded her face, alongside a large dose of disbelief.

"Huh. Guess I underestimated the little lady," she mused. Her yellow eyes flickered away from Kain, studying the room, before she opted for striding in further and simply sitting on the end of his bed. Why that was her choice of perch, he had no idea. "Apologies, Princeling, I may have gotten a bit carried away. I got into town this morning. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the king dead and the palace awash with rumors of his countless misdeeds."

"You interrogated Mara?" She didn't mention that. "What did she say?"

Unbidden, Melitta's soft, heart wrenching voice almost seemed to brush his ears as his mind dragged their conversation forward. 'You can't forgive her for this just because she cries.'

He wouldn't. That much was certain.

But he still needed to know the rest of the story. The bits and pieces that had come to light weren't enough to soothe the anger. Not that he was sure anything would.

Semele clicked her tongue. "If you want information, you barter for it. That's how these things work. Details for details."

"Aren't harpies supposed to be selfless justice seekers?" he countered.

Semele snorted. Her feathers ruffled as she waved a dramatic hand through the air.

"I imagine you'll find my kind come with just as much variance as yours," she said. "For example, I believe the rule is that all nobility are haughty and demanding?"

Heat warmed his ears. She smirked when he didn't reply.

"It's a jest. Well, mostly. My people are justice seekers, that's true, but the selfless aspect is not. We're just as selfish and vain as everyone else. More so, perhaps, because our sense of justice tends to stem from a sense of being wronged. Like Inna, Lady Taisol favors those who have experienced the harshness of the world. However, unlike sirens, we tend to face it. We are those who became angry."

She paused as a rustling behind her caught her attention. Kain watched as the harpy twisted about, only then seeming to notice the pile of dozing fur amongst his sheets.

"Well, I'll be damned. I had heard about a nightmare and the little siren's beau...but..."

Natia. He'd been so distracted by sorting Melitta's things that he hadn't noticed, but she must have fallen asleep on the bed instead of leaving when the hour grew late. Semele's fingers lightly ran over the wolf's collar, prompting a flick of her ears. She stroked her quietly for a moment, before seeming to refocus on Kain.

"Long story short, nothing is free, Princeling. You can either gather the information from the girl yourself, or you can offer me something as valuable to me as the truths I carry."

"What is it you want to know?" Kain countered.

She was quiet for a moment.

"When I questioned the soldiers about the situation, they said Lady Taisol instructed you to find the child of sun." She paused just long enough for him to nod before she continued. "Tell me what you know of him and I will share with you what truths the duchess gave me. Or, better yet, I will witness her telling you herself."

He hesitated. The request seemed fair--and given what they knew of her, it seemed highly unlikely he could share anything she wasn't already aware of to begin with.

"He is who you think he is," Kain risked.

Her eyes widened, before narrowing. The danger in them stole his breath for a moment, suffocating in the way she seemed to weigh his life.

"I doubt you understand how right you are," Semele eventually murmured. She dropped her eyes to where her hand was still buried in Natia's fur. "That man...the one you speak of, he already owned the hearts of this land. He didn't need a throne. They didn't know his name, but they've always known his deeds. He won the people over with a sword, a ship, and a smile." She fell silent again, before her yellow irises flicked to his, piercing. "Do you plan on doing as Lady Taisol asked?"

Did one have a choice when it came to gods?

"I will find him."

Her feathers ruffled. His half-truth wouldn't be overlooked, it seemed. "And then?"

"It depends on what your king does."

For what felt like the hundredth time since their conversion began, Semele seemed to judge his worth. Then, she smiled.

This was why she had approached him, Kain realized. Not because of Mara, but instead of her loyalty to the man she had placed her faith in.

"I can live with that. He is the Wolf, Lykos, son of Akaikos and chosen child of the mercenary king. If you tell him what has happened here, he will repay your goodwill." She paused, fingers curling deeper into Natia's fur. The girl stirred in protest, prompting Semele to withdraw her hand. "I...don't believe he wanted to take his current path. But, wild things aren't meant to be tamed, and he has been collared as long as I've known him.

"It may not have been obvious to those who don't know him, but he acted out of desperation as the cornered are prone to do. I've seen the scars and felt the lies in his voice as he murmured reassurances to his own. Lykos wants to live--and he wants his people to live, too, free of persecution and chains. But, he didn't think it possible without blackening himself. Offering him this throne is not only the best way to save your friend, but the surest method to place a blade at the throat of the one you no doubt hate more than anything right now."

There were no words to that moment. Only the sensation that Kain was standing at the foot of something larger than he could comprehend. When had his pursuit of Iliana turned into a game of gods and kingdoms? Was there any returning to the simpler times?

Did he want to?

Isidor cleared his throat. "I believe he gave you what you wanted."

Semele jolted, as if only then remembering they weren't alone. Then tension in the room fell away as she offered a dry smile. "That he did...I've decided. Given the circumstances, I'll travel as far as the mountains with you lot. Assassins will find you less tempting with one of my kind at your side. I have too many responsibilities to leave Eol, but I can do this much. Until the moment we part, I'll treat you as my own.

"Use me well, Princeling." 

A/N: Long chapter! Also either the last, or next to last before they finally head out! See you next week (hopefully!)