"Away, melancholy,

Away with it, let it go."

- Stevie Smith, "Away, Melancholy"

*****

Soundtrack of the chapter: Heart by Thomas Bergersen ( ok seriously YOU NEED TO PLAY THIS TRACK WHILE READING, TRUST ME. And prepare a lot of tissues)

Media: Farewell, Jasper

*****

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Forever

Josh did not expect whatever that was inside the main Hall-millions of broken glass, the bloodied floor, and his sister cradling a dead person. When he tried to move her away from the body, she had screamed and bit his hand, no longer recognizing him.

Firaun turned up a few minutes later, bloodied but unharmed. He appraised the situation with his stone-cold blue eyes, lips pursed. "Move Cady from Jasper. He is gone."

"Keep your troops away from this. Cady wouldn't like unwanted attention."

The High Priest nodded. "Make it swift. The Chaldean Order has almost arrived and they need to speak to Cady. Apparently, news of the last Walker spreads fast."

Firaun swept out, his cape billowing behind him. Even in battle, he held himself with a cold dignity, sparing no emotions when it comes to Starlet affairs. Josh turned back to his sister. He slid his hands over hers which were so tightly wrapped around the dead boy's it was as if they were fused together.

"Hey baby sis, it's okay. Big brother got this."

Cady didn't respond. She continued rocking the body to and fro, crying silently.

The boy in her arms must have been Jasper. Josh was a little surprised. He looked no older than he was, perhaps only by a couple years. Shocking how a young man could call forth an army of the dead, killing people as though they were mere flies.

"Cady, it's over. We won the war."

Her eyes fluttered open. "We didn't win anything," was her reply.

"The Chaldean Order wishes to talk to you," he prodded her gently. "You did us a great favor."

"Killing Jasper isn't something that should be glorified. I don't want to meet them. Tell them to go away."

"Well, you got to leave this place at some point," Josh said.

"I want him buried in the Hall of Shadows," she suddenly said. "I want him to be home."

Josh patted her shoulder. He was trying his best not to prise his sister from the boy--Jasper and sweep her into a hug. But he knew even if he tried, she would never release Jasper. He looked at Jasper's face again-the face of a child, just like him. He looked beautiful, even in death, the face of innocence where death had purged the darkness from.

"I'm sure Firaun would say yes. His troops are already rounding up the dead bodies, preparing a pyre to burn them and bury them in the catacombs."

"I want to burn him with my own hands," Cady said, brushing a lock of Jasper's hair out of his face.

Josh looked at his sister, trying to see through her. Suddenly, it felt as if he didn't know her anymore. She was no longer the child fighting him over bed space, or even throwing jokes around with him. It was as if someone had ripped an essential part of her soul out with a sharp blade before pushing it deeper, hollowing it out so that it may never be replaced.

Stars Alive, what had Jasper done to my sister?

It took several more minutes of coaxing before she finally allowed Josh to touch Jasper and carry him out to the pyres. The troops, busy clearing the bodies and picking up the discarded weapons from the hall grounds, hastily stepped aside as they made their entrance. All had their interest fixated on the frail body he held in his arms. Jasper weighed like paper, having liberated of the human soul.

"We need a pyre," he called. "At once."

Firaun nodded to his men who bustled about at once, finding dried wood from the stores of the Hall, piling them high. He was aware that the entire Hall was watching, both dead and alive. Their stares were daggers digging into his back. Whispers filled the air.

Is that the Walker? Is that the person who attacked the Hall of Spirits? Did a Walker kill a Walker?

Cady was unfazed by the rumors burning around. Her hands were clutched to her chest where a set of glittering cards were pressed. She had picked them up along the way out, clapping her hands together so that they zoomed toward her. Josh hadn't asked her about it, now was not the time.

When the pyre was erected, Josh laid Jasper in the middle of it, careful not to jerk the body too much. He shot Firaun a fleeting look. The High Priest didn't object the burning. In the past, Starlets who had betrayed his people were not allowed burning upon death. They were instead, buried, so that their soul might never find their way to the Celestial Kingdom. It was the greatest humiliation to a Starlet to be buried and not burnt. Jasper, in every way, was a traitor for turning upon his own kind. But the High Priest's decision was final.

"Let me," Cady said. Someone passed her a burning torch. She held it in her shaking hand, tears still streaming down her cheeks. She tossed her head to the sky and started to sing.

Cady wasn't much of a singer. The only times he had heard her sing was during her long bathroom sessions where she would belt out the most ridiculous songs. This song, however, was nothing he had ever heard, as though as it was in another language entirely.

"The ancient tree grows tall."

Its branches wide, its leaves silver,

Hush, child, it said.

Dream of me, and I will grant you a wish."

The torch flew through the air and fell onto the dried wood. Instantly, it caught fire, tongues of flame soaring high into the skies.

"I will cloak you in my leaves,

Take you into my arms,

There will be paradise.

Dream of me, and I will bring you the stars."

Cady's voice trembled, but she held on, singing as though her life depended on it. The flames circled the body, eating away at the ruined cloak and burning the hair away from his head.

"Come sit on my branches,

I will give you a view of the world,

Now close your eyes,

I will give you pleasant dreams."

The flames danced higher, embracing the rhythm of Cady's song. Jasper vanished behind the wall of flames. The world fell quiet, even the birds stopped thrilling to listen. The song of the last Walker tugged the strings of everyone's heart. The stars watched, silently but surely, at the burning pyre.

"I will cloak you in my leaves,

Take you into my arms,

There will be paradise.

Dream of me, and I will bring you the stars,"

Higher and higher the fire danced, until it filled Josh's vision with red and gold. Ashes rose to the skies-Jasper's ashes, ready to fly into the embrace of the Stars and head off to the Celestial Kingdom.

"Come sit on my branches,

I will give you a view of the world,

Now close your eyes,

I will give you pleasant dreams."

Cady stayed on until the fire died down. By then, the crowd had already dispersed, resuming their tasks of cleaning up the Hall. None dared approach his sister. The silhouette of a man appeared by the entrance. Josh squinted. He approached them, slowly. Josh noticed that he walked with a slight limp, and the stagger of a tipsy person, constantly stumbling for support.

Elijah Sanguinis came to view, his golden hair a disheveled mess and his armor coated with dried blood. Josh already knew what he looked like-all sharp angles and eyes, just like the photographs his Masters and Mistresses showed him in the Hall of Warriors. There was a wound on his chest, a long slit slicing across the skin as if someone had shot him. He knew at once, it was a fatal wound. But the person standing before him, wide eyed and surprised, was as lively as a corpse could get.

"You were dead," Josh said. "I thought Jasper killed you."

"That was what I believed as well." He furrowed his brows. "There was a river, and-a set of scales. I was about to board a boat but then, something snatched me from the river-Cady."

His eyes flickered from Josh to the pyre before it landed on Cady who knelt by the smoking pyre, still singing softly to herself. Realization settled in both.

"Cady," he said, lunging forward. Josh held out an arm, stopping him. "I don't think this is a suitable time, Your Honor."

"But-but." Eli seemed unlike a High Priest right now. High Priest and Priestess were supposed to be composed and steady all the time. But this High Priest was trembling from head to toe and he seemed to have trouble even keeping upright.

Firaun grabbed his arms. "Elijah, we need to talk."

Eli floundered about like a dying fish. "I don't know what is going on, can someone please tell me?"

Firaun jerked his chin toward the smoking pyre and Cady. To Josh's surprise, he drew the Iambicum Trimetrum from his belt. "You were brought back from the dead with this."

The other boy frowned. "But I am very much alive, not a living corpse. I-I don't even feel dead."

"That Walker sacrificed his soul for yours, apparently," Firaun said.

His eyes grew as wide as dinner plates. "But he was the one who killed me!"

"Ask no more questions. Cady will answer them for us when the Chaldean Order arrives."

Poor Eli looked as though someone had dumped a sack of bricks over his head. "T-the Chaldean Order? Stars Alive, what is happening?"

"This was war, Elijah. Everything must be investigated thoroughly. The Chaldean Order is here to judge matters."

"Josh," Firaun addressed him. "Go buy us as much time as you can from the Chaldean Order. Cady needs some time to heal."

"She wishes to take Jasper's ashes to the Hall of Shadows."

"That can be arranged." The High Priest bobbed his head. "Right now what you need to do is to calm your sister down. Make her ready for the Chaldean Order. It's time for the whole story to come to the light."

"She won't tell," he said. "Cady wouldn't spill her secrets out for a stranger."

Firaun's smile was sad. "Unfortunately, the Chaldean Order consists of people with Affinities of sensing truth and lies. Cady cannot hide the truth from them forever. This is for the best, Josh. Whatever information she has might be useful to us in the future to prevent such controversies."

Firaun helped Eli limp his way back to the Hall of Spirits, to prepare for the Chaldean Order, no doubt, leaving Josh alone with his sister.

Strands of darkness hovered around his sister's small frame, waving their arms in a demeaning fashion at Josh. He couldn't help but to wonder how much pain and hurt did Cady went through to be so...broken.

*****

A/N

Much sadness since last chapter. Thank you so much for all your comments, keep them coming! :') 

It's official that Jasper would not return, they've burnt his body. But he still lives, in her heart.

Two more chapters left before the story ends! 

fried fish,

Stef