Chapter 11

The next few days were a torrent of inane social visits and bouts of quiet weeping. The family had gone into mourning but not many of the noble families took much notice. A tragedy such as this was an opportunity to dig their nose in and get the inside scoop on who would succeed to the throne now that the heir was dead.

Byron had been one of the strongest vampires. The only ones in knowledge who could surpass him in strength and speed were his brother and his father. The thought that their great warrior, their chosen prince, had been killed was enough to cause unrest and disruption all over.

Colbie sat on the floor, the cool marble odd comforting against her bare feet. Her back was pressed against the wall outside of her father’s office. The door hadn’t quite caught when her brother had entered only a few minutes before which meant that she was able to hear the discussion happening inside. It only made her queasy stomach churn more violently.

“- Several riots in the north. You know Malachi has been looking for a moment to cause trouble.”

Her father sighed wearily. She knew the sound too well.

“Send up a few men. Show our presence in the area. They usually have a bark worse than their bite.” The scratch of pen on paper followed. “Offer them invitations to the coronation as a good will gesture. It will dampen any fires.”

Sebastian’s voice was curious when he responded, sounding so different to the being that had showed up in her room just a few short days ago.

“Are you certain she will choose our life? That she will step up to the plate?”

William did not respond for a long while, obviously lost in thought. Colbie almost thought he had fallen asleep.

“Yes, she is stronger than both of us. She just doesn’t know it yet.” Colbie could picture scratching his jaw as he stared out of the window and into the darkness. “She has always been cared for and protected, as the only girl to be born to us we thought it was our duty. She has never had to prove herself but now is her chance.”

“I hope you are right father. When I was her age, I did not want to even think about responsibility and duty. Why do you think I joined the brotherhood? I didn’t want to responsible for a kingdom, I wanted fame and glory. I wanted to slay beasts and be remembered forever as a great protector of our people.”

Sebastian fell into silence.

“I hope I am right too. But for what it is worth my son, you would have made a great king. You may not have believed in yourself but I always did.”

Colbie felt her own heart melt at her father’s words. She knew that the years had been difficult on her brother. No doubt he had wanted to leave the brotherhood at some point over the years but once you have been inducted and experienced the horrors they have, it was inconceivable that they could ever truly assimilate to normal life. Most suffered some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder.

“Thanks papa.”

Seconds later, there was a clapping sound as father and son embraced, patting each other on the back as they held each other tightly.

“You don’t have to thank me Seb. It’s the truth.”

Colbie smiled to herself and pushed to her feet. It was strange to know that her older brother, the one who lived solely in the darkness, could revert so easily into being a child again – desperate for his father’s approval. And yet it strangely warmed her heart. It gave her hope that she would be able to keep who she was inside, even after the centuries fighting the darkness.

Her footsteps were silent as she floated down the hallway. It was a skill learnt early in a household where nearly every occupant possessed sensitive hearing as part of the vampire gift. It was only those who had not yet reached twenty one who were disadvantaged. As soon as she turned the corner, she took slow steps towards the service stairs and breathed deeply.

Every moment when she was not occupying her mind, her thoughts would instantly drift back to the choice that she would have to make. Colbie liked to believe that her father was right , that she would make the ‘right’ decision but there was doubt. Her stomach cramped up in uncomfortable knots at the mere thought. Which vampire in their right mind would stay loyal to a monarch who had been in existence what would be just a blink of an eye to most of them?

“What do I do?”

Colbie ran a hand through her hair and followed the familiar path ways through the walls of the building. Only small slivered of light seeped in. It was the way that Colbie liked it. There was something comforting about the shadows. Lights were fitted in the corridors but considering most vampires had the ability to see in the darkest of places, it was a bit redundant. The Carrington daughter supposed it was all part of her families effort to appear more human.

As she stepped through the narrow walkway, Colbie counted under her breath. She knew that there was a real threat out there and the next king or queen would determine how the following battles would go. It was a true thing among human and vampire’s alike that they looked to a leader to show them how to stand up against the enemy. Most would not stand and fight if they did not have someone telling them to. It was a sad state of affairs but it was the truth.

“Sixty four.”

The whispered words sounded hollow within the space between walls. Colbie shivered and tried not to let it scare her. Stretching out her hand, she pressed fingers against the wall and running them over the surface. After a few moments , it moved outwards into the room beyond.

A cloud of dust floated through the air as she stumbled through into the room beyond. The brunette froze abruptly, coughing as the dust caught in her lungs while she kept her wide eyes on her mother.

In her absence the woman had completely taken over, lighting the lamps and tidying the room so it was actually fit humans. Colbie had made herself a nest on her bedroom floor following her arrival at the family estate and had barely moved from the comfy spot since then. It was too painful to admit that she did not want to see her family. It made her heart hurt because she saw Byron in each of their faces. And then it made her insides twist uncomfortably at the idea. Guilt.

“Mother.”

Colbie greeted, pressing the door closed behind her. It disappeared almost seamlessly into the wall. Only those that knew it was there would see the faint crack to the passageway. It had been incorporated into the building as a secret escape route but had become used by servants over the last few centuries to make their duties easier.

Eleanor Carrington’s face was pale and drawn, her lips pressed into a thin line as she stared at her daughter with obvious disapproval.

“Why are you not ready? There is only an hour until the ceremony, do you not have any love and respect for your brother.”

The words cut like painful lashes to the skin. Colbie flinched and turned away from her mother. She wrapped her arms around her waist and paced up the length of the room trying not to let her heart take the words to personally. Mother is grieving, she reminded herself, she doesn’t really mean it.

“How dare you say that,” Colbie’s voice was hard and sharp as she walked away from her mother.

Her bare toes sunk into the fluffy carpet as she crossed the room. Upon reaching her dresser, she pressed her two hands on the top and ducked her head.  Emotions swirled beneath the surface but she grits her teeth in order to rein them in. Instead the brunette focused on the fact that someone had thoughtfully placed a bowl of hot water and a cloth. She would have loved to indulge in a hot soapy bath but there was no time. She would not be late for her bother.

“You know that I loved Byron. He was my best friend growing up. My only friend.”

Eleanor was unmoved. Instead she was busy riffling through her daughter’s huge mahogany wardrobe, humming under her breath as she did so. The woman had selective hearing and did not mind utilising it when the conversation did not suit her purposes.

“You can wear this one. It’s respectful but it will make you look strong and powerful. I don’t want to know what your decision will be but I can guess – even if you do not yet know your own mind.”

The older woman stepped over to the bed and laid down the long black garment. The dress was a beautiful black lace but it was a high necked collar. There was something about it that made it seem like it was fit for a femme fatal. It was understated in that there was no garish skin on show. Long lace sleeves would cover her arms and the long skirt stretched down to the ankles. Yet it the high collar and the black crystals sewn into the lace immediately drew the eye.

“How do you know what I am going to choose?” Colbie asked, taking up the washcloth and gently dipping it into the steaming water.

Using the mirror as her guide, she wiped the dirty smears from her cheeks and soothed away the blotches that remained from the two days she had spent ensconced in the bedroom, crying while no one was there to witness it.

“I knew - .”

Eleanor had returned back to the wardrobe, her attention now on the shoe rack placed in the bottom. It always dismayed her to note her daughter’s complete lack of interest in kitten heels and designer stilettos. Her hands snagged a simply black patent pair and set them by at the base of the bed before answering her daughter’s question.

“- because you are just like me. You may not think it or even want to think it but we have many similarities. I wasn’t meant to be vampire. My family had chosen the mortal path for decades before your father came into town. We all had the capability of becoming should we follow the ritual but our life had been peaceful and there had been no signs of evil.”

The older woman truly looked her age as she let her weepy gaze meet that of her daughters. “

But then death rode through with your father hot on his heels. My entire family were slaughtered before he rescued us. And I fell in love with my knight in shining armour. When he offered me a life at his side I jumped at the chance. Until he told me who and what he was that is. How could I, a farm girl -.”

Colbie’s mouth dropped open as she stared at her mother in incredulity. She struggled to reconcile the farm girl with the prim and proper ball breaker she was now.

“Don’t look at me like that. Do you think I honestly came into the world like this? I had to grow up and learn just like you will.”

Closing her mouth abruptly, Colbie placed the washcloth back into the bowl before moving towards the bed. She eyed her dress and tried not to frown.

“Just like you are now, I wondered if I would be able to lead a country and inspire the people as I stood at your father’s side. He wasn’t king at the time but his father was tired of fighting. He wanted to stand down and let someone younger and less jaded take the helm.  But then I realised it was about so much more than just me. People require leadership and your father was a striking and powerful being even then. So I made the changed and vowed that for as long as my life allowed I would support him through the hard times and become what he needed, what the people needed.”

The older woman’s face crumpled and she sniffled delicately as one lone tear leaked out of the corner of her eye.

“I just never thought it would mean outliving my own children.”

Uncertain what to do with the sobbing woman before her, Colbie slipped out of her comfortable clothes and warily eyes the dress laid out for her. It seemed a farce, pretending to be a strong woman capable of ruling.

She picked up the dress and carefully slid down the zip.

“My only advice to you when you step up is to find someone as strong as you to stand at your side. Don’t rush into the decision but find someone who will stand at your side and support you, not try to suffocate you.” Eleanor shuddered delicately and let her lips lift into a smile as she met her daughter’s gaze. “Poor Judith, she was stuck with the great big oaf Olaf for six centuries before the pig of a man got himself on the wrong side of a hunter. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer person.”

“Mother!”

“What? It’s the truth. Now the point of the matter is I know best about this. If you choose the wrong person, the years to come will be lonely and you will probably forget who you are under the job title. Everyone needs someone to remind them that they are a person too, not a machine. Everyone needs someone to love and someone to love them back.”

Crossing the distance between them, the older woman took hold of her daughter’s hands and squeezed them tightly.

“I want only the best for you.”

“Love you mum.”

In a rare show of affection for her mother, Colbie leant forwards and pressed a kiss to her cheek. She felt the wetness on her lips as a tear leaked from the older woman’s eye and trailed down her cheek.

“I love you too my little girl.”

The two of them held each other for a long while. When they pulled apart, both adopted a haughty stature, sniffing and avoiding each other’s gaze as if they hadn’t just been hugging each other and being all touchy feely.

“Now, help me into this. If you insist on my wearing this dress, then you will have to help me get the damned thing on.”

**

The night was coming to a close when the family gathered at the far end of the Carrington land. For centuries it had become a place a ritual and celebration. A huge stone circle fifty feet wide was inlaid into the ground. The hard white limestone had been embedded with small gemstones and coloured glass to make a beautiful platform that glinted even in the smallest of lights. At the most central point, a tree, old and gnarled, stretched high up into the sky. Its bark glowed silver in the moonlight and the flickering light of torches glinted off of the ornaments hung from its branches.

Colbie felt her heart warm at the sight of the beautiful and yet ugly thing. Everwood, as it had been lovingly dubbed, was old. It was older than even her parents and grandparents. And yet it stood tall and proud despite the storms it had weathered and the wars it had watched. It was a symbol of life, a symbol of hope for the vampire race even in the darkest of times.

Little pieces of mirrors were now hung from the branches of the tree as was tradition. They winked and sparkled in the light coming from evenly spaced points on the perimeter of the stone circle. It was part of a tradition, to help light a soul’s way towards their next life.

 Already, vampires of all shapes and sizes stood around the edges, heads bowed in reverence as they held hands. Mourning was a strange thing to those thought almost impossible to kill. It wasn’t often that a member of the vampire race died. It was even rarer for a member of the vampire monarchy to die, especially one as beloved as Byron. He had been a warrior, a symbol of strength even as her father’s had drained.

It was why there was an underlying tension in the air. Anyone truly looking would be able to see the tension in nearly every person, the way that even as they mourned they kept themselves tense and alert. They were afraid and ready for danger to strike. Byron was strong, one of the strongest. He was supposed to take over from his father and lead them all against those evils that were coming. But death had struck and, despite their fears, the mourners had flocked to the Carrington estate and the site of Everwood to pay their respects.

A heavy magic filled the air already. A normal human would just feel goosebumps or the crackle of static as it jumped from the ground up to her. Colbie had been around it all her life and if she wasn’t already believers in the supernatural and the wonders of magic because of who she was, there was no way she could deny its presence after witnessing the wonders that radiated from Everwood that day.

Vampires were beings of magic. They were created by Hecate, a goddess in her own right. The mundane people of a small dying village were infused with magic becoming supernatural and connected to all of the magic around them. It was what sustained their immortality and their gifts.

It was why as the tree came to life, its bark glowing with an inner light and the ground beneath their feet heating with the throbbing and pulsing essence of magic and life, the vampires took on an ethereal glow.

Looking at both her mother and father for guidance, she felt her heart skip a beat when she glimpsed the wooden pyre stood proud and strong behind them. It was only a few feet tall but she knew that there was a large dug out pit beneath. She had glimpsed her father and brother toiling against the hard dry soil the day before.

Once the pyre was lit and the fires had life, the wood would burn down and crumble. Eventually the remnants would fall into the pit and the hole would be sealed up. Life would take hold in the soil and nature would carry on as if nothing had happened. It was the way of the world, life came and went but eventually things would continue on with only the pained mark in their hearts to show that they had lost someone very special.

The young woman shuddered and looked away. Instead she stared past the outer ring of people and to the tree of life and hope. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, letting the comforting warmth of magic flow through her veins as it brushed against her chilled skin. It brought her a moment of peace.

Soft chanting began. The sound was lilting and musical as it carried on the gentle yet chill breeze.  Opening her eyes, Colbie added her own voice to the chant, stepping forwards towards the circle on instinct. She knew the chant well. It wasn’t a normally a song associated with grieving. It was a ballad about life, hope and everlasting love. The lyrics were in the old language, Colbie didn’t even understand what half of them meant but the feeling and emotion behind the voices told her enough.

The vampires stood closest too her, stepped aside on her approach. They did not even see her but their amazing senses and the magic welling around them meant that they could feel her presence before she was actually there.

Colbie kicked off her shoes before taking her place in the circle.  The stone of the circle was surprisingly warm underfoot as she stepped on to it with her exposed feet. She wiggled her toes as she felt the magic connect with her. It was sluggish but compared to the rush and euphoria everyone else seemed to be experiencing but still she relished the experience.

The young woman stretched out her dainty hands and clasped those of her neighbours. The sky was lightening, a precursor to the rising sun. For once, no vampire in the vicinity paid any heed. They threw their heads back, raising their hands above their head as their chanting got louder and louder.

As she sang with all of her soul, Colbie let her eyes stray to the tree. She didn’t want to do it but the action was involuntary. They dipped down to the base, where the tree disappeared down into the earth, beneath the layer shimmering rock. And there they fell upon the dais and the shroud covered body. From the distance it was difficult to see who was lying beneath but she didn’t have to see his face to know the truth.

Byron’s still form was laid our under the white shroud. He would have been cleaned and bathed in ceremonial oils by her father as tradition dictated. Normally it would be a son taking care of the father but Byron’s life decisions meant that he had no heir. Like Sebastian, he had been married to his duties.

Pain lanced through Colbie’s heart as she watched the firelight dance over her brother’s – corpse. She choked on the bile that was forcing its way up her throat.

Breathing in deeply through her nose, the young woman drew in the magic from the air around her and let it soothe the churning emotions within her.

Out of the corner of her eye, Colbie noted movement. Most were oblivious, too lost in the power of the earth and the enchantment to notice, but there was a subtle shift. King William and Queen Eleanor stepped into the circle, their clothes rustling in the breeze.

In that moment, as soon as they had made themselves known, they had changed from being her parents into being people of power – into leaders. It was bizarre how even she, someone who had been around them all her life and was related to them by blood, felt the need to bow down in deference to them.

Started from the outside, walking in slow painstaking circles, they moved from the outside of the circle, chanting along with every other person in the vicinity, winding their way closer and closer until they reached the centre. As they had moved, her mother had bathed the ground beneath her feet in rose petals so the gentle fragrance filled the air while her father blessed the earth in a spiced wine mixtures – a offering to the great goddess who had blessed them all with their gifts to thank her.

When they finally reached the centre, the matriarch of the Carrington family knelt down before her son’s body and bowed so that her head touched the ground. Though she couldn’t hear from where she stood, Colbie knew that her mother was whispering prayers to Hecate, thanking her for the gift of her son and asking for aid in carrying her son onto the afterlife.

Biting her lip, the young woman allowed herself to fall into silence as her father raised his hands up towards the sky. Lightning darted through the sky in answer to the gesture and then fell still and silent in anticipation.

“Today we commit my son, your prince, Byron Charles Carrington to the earth.” William Carrington kept his head high and his voice clear as the chanting turned into a soft hum in the background. “He was taken from us brutally, but here in the presence of Everwood we return him to the very earth he was created from. And his soul will move through the crossroads under the guidance of death. We will cremate his corporeal form to free his spirit and to keep it pure from the taint of evil.”

He paused and clenched his fists at his sides.

“Byron was taken from us too young but we must not take his death in vain. Wi will rally against the growing evil and we will fight. The solstice is drawing nearer, when the barriers between the worlds are thinnest. We must be prepared by then or we may find we are not prepared for all that evil and the malicious taint it spreads.”

The first ray of sun speared along the horizon as sunrise began. Taking it as a cue, the elder Carrington stood at his son’s head and slipped his hands underneath his shrouded body. Utilising his superior strength, he gently lifted the still and lifeless corpse that had once been his son and lifted him.

Every step he took was slow and painful to watch. It wasn’t so much the effort of carrying the body but the pure torment that lingered behind her father’s eyes. To do this, in front of all these people, was killing him.

He needed to grieve and cry like the rest of them but his station demanded he didn’t.  

William Carrington stepped out of the protection and warmth of the circle and approached the wooden pyre. A decorated platform lay on top, already prepared and embalmed with flowers and spiced wine. With his heavy burden held closely to his chest, he stepped forwards.

As if he was lowering a new-born baby into a cot, William gently lowered his son down onto the wooden platform. Ever so gently, he rested his son’s limp head down on the bed of white flowers. He had to press his lips together to prevent a sob from escaping. He knew he was a strong man, but even the king of the vampires was capable of feeling emotion.

Through the shroud, the elder Carrington could clearly see the marks and abrasions on his son’s waxy skin. The thin gauzy fabric did nothing to hide the fact that death had well and truly settled in nor did it hide the neat row of stitches that circles his neck in clean cut line. That was the death blow. Despite the rumours, vampires were not the undead. Decapitation was a death blow just like it would be for a human.

 There were other injuries too. He didn’t have to see them now to know that there were more stitches that sealed the gaping wounds on his chest and abdomen where some beast had slashed again and again even while he lay there dead. The older man thought it a blessing that his son had been taken unawares and as a result had died a quick death. He wouldn’t have been able to live with himself should Byron have suffered. The post-mortem desecration was punishment enough.

Gulping, King William touched his fingers to his lips and then pressed the tips to his son’s forehead. With one last lingering glance, he stepped away and moved to his wife’s side. He took her hand and held on to it tightly. With a stiff not of his head, several torch bearing vampires stepped forwards.

Each wore black robes with cowls covering their heads so that their features were hidden. Yet the firelight of their torches cast strange shadows where their faces should be so that the vague impressions onlookers received was that of the hollow skulls of the dead.

Colbie shivered and turned her head from the eerie sight. Instead she looked to the platform – to her brother. She had already said her goodbyes in private but it was still too raw – too open. Byron had been the one who had doted on her as a child. With no family of his own and being the next in line for the throne meant that he had not had much time to go out into the world. But he hadn’t seemed to care. Every good memory she had from her childhood had him in it. He had played with her when no one else wanted to, took care of her when she cried and promised that he would always be there to watch over her.

With a gulp, she jutted her chin outwards and attempted to blink past the tears that were threatening to fall.

There was a roar when the flames took hold. It was beautiful, the orange and reds dancing up to the lightening sky. If she looked behind her, the young woman would have been greeted by a tree that was pretty much aglow, as the tiny mirrors hanging from the branches caught the light of the fire and the rising sun, bouncing it back even stronger and brighter than before. It was a beacon to light to shine away the darkness that death always brought so that Hecate could take their lost hero on to his next life.

She blinked and refocused on the sight before her. Colbie could no longer see her shroud covered brother. He was hidden behind a wall of flames that quickly consumed all of the fuel in its path.

And then as the sun finally appeared on the horizon, there was a soft fragrant breeze that came up and swirled through the gathered crowds. It brought a sense of peace and comfort, dampening the intensity of the grief. The flames of the pyre rose higher and higher in response. The roar was all consuming. Colbie couldn’t even hear herself think as the flames stretched ever higher flicking and stretched as they did so. And then like all of the oxygen had disappeared, the flames were extinguished.

The beautiful wooden structure had crumbled and ravished by the heat leaving only charcoal and smouldering embers behind. There was no sign that only a few minutes before there had been a body there. The heavy magic that had been an almost tangible energy since the entire ceremony had started, disappeared as the sun finally crested over the top of the hill of the Carrington manor, bathing the land in an orange glow.

The vampires gathered on the land closed their eyes and lifted their faces up to the sky. This time of day, when the strength of the sun was still low, most vampires could withstand its rays. Most preferred not to as their adaptation to hunting the night time beings mean that excessive exposure to the sunlight damaged and burnt their skin, just like it would a human’s. Spontaneous combustion was a very rare occurrence – at least that was what Colbie had been told from childhood.

Fighting her way through the crowds, Colbie made her way to her parents. The long skirt of her dress hampered her at every step but still she pushed on. A few people stepped on the ends of her skirt as she fought against the tide.

The vampires were heading back towards the Everwood tree. Colbie pushed towards her mother who was still in her father’s embrace. Both were standing straight and stiff, looking more like statues than people as the stood there facing the sun. Colbie winced. She knew from the books she had read during her childhood that they were feeling the incredible pain of the daylight on their irises. The direct light from the sun would be excruciating. And yet after centuries of perfecting their public facades, the pair didn’t even twitch in the discomfort.

Walking over to them, the young woman slipped her hand into her father’s callused one. It had been roughened from the many centuries of battle that he had had to endure. The demons and beings that had threatened his family – his people – and as a result William had had to destroy.

Resting her head on her father’s shoulder, Colbie enjoyed the rare moment in the silent with her parents. For most of her life the family had shared a nocturnal schedule. Sunlight while it did not kill them instantly, long term exposure surely would. Being in its presence was feat that was avoided at all costs until there was a specific reason for it. That happened more often than not since her father had taken up the family seat in parliament.

Still she tugged on her father’s hand and pulled him towards the Everwood.

“Come on daddy,” she murmured.

A shadow blocked the sun from them as a tall frame stepped before them. Acknowledging Sebastian’s presence with a nod of the head, her eyes rested on the white and red roses clutched in his hands.

She pulled harder but the older man refused to budge. She cast a beseeching glance at her absent brother. Colbie even had to pout at him before her brother blinked at her and then sent her a sharp nod in return.

“Father, the brotherhood wants to convene before the sun is too high.”

He held out the roses to his family.

Taking one each, they turned back to the tree where the rest of the vampires had congregated. They were only a small portion of the vampire populace but seeing this many together at one time reminded Colbie of just what they were fighting for – what she was giving up her freedom for. Gulping and raising her head, she fell into step behind her mother and father, keeping her head high as she finally drew the attention from those gathered.

She kept her head high even as many of them whispered and pointed at her despite the solemn setting. With her chin high and her impressive black dress and perfectly styled hair, Colbie was certain she was the picture of strength and maturity as she stepped forwards. Who cared if she was barefoot – she was the heir to the throne and she was proud of it.

When her parents reached the centre of the group, they each laid their roses onto the gathered tributes and then raised their palms onto the warm wood of Everwood. Colbie took a deep breath, aware that everyone else was watching her and her brother. She stepped forwards and laid her own rose onto the gathered tributes.

Bowing her head, she pressed her right hand to her father’s shoulder while her brother in all his stoic glory deposited his own flower at the base of the tree and laying his hand on his mother’s shoulder. And then Colbie could feel a hand being placed on her own shoulder. She didn’t have to glance behind her to see the other vampire reaching out and laying their hands on each other’s shoulder in a show of solidarity.

And then, when the magic fell away becoming only a background murmur, the vampires dispersed. They headed out in different directions, moving towards the horizons at rapid speeds.

  Colbie and her family were the only ones that remained under the Everwood tree. She met their sad smiles with one of her own and then sighed.

Byron’s death was only the beginning. Now that he had been laid to rest, vampires all over would be looking to her and her father how to proceed. She gulped and clenched her fingers into her skirts. Her father glanced down at her and patted her on her back and looked up at their house on the hill and frowned. Even from the distance, the presence of the black brotherhood was obviously.

Back in his role as King, William let out a breath. He became taller and imposing in a matter of seconds even though it was impossible for him to become more of either.

“Let’s go home.”

With the edict delivered, the family spared one last glance at the remains of the pyre and then with new purpose in their bones, the group headed towards their home.