It was a perfect day for a funeral.

The sky was a dull gray and dotted with pensive clouds threatening to cry. Birds cawed above as they tore through the air. Beyond the thick, stormy veil, the sun fought to reveal itself. Even it wanted to pay its respects to the dead.

The entire population of Hodvekt had seemingly come out of their homes to honor their fallen leader. They all stood on the shore of the twin rivers tucked at the base of the snow-capped mountain range surrounding the village, sullen looks on their hardened faces.

Sebastian observed the funeral pyres sitting atop wooden ships bobbing on the surface of the rivers. Weapons, shields, and old pieces of armor decorated the pyres. At the very front of the ships was a much larger vessel. It held a single casket crafted out of gold and encrusted with emeralds.

He could see the vague outline of Achilles' still face.

It didn't feel real. Achilles Washington, the greatest battlemage of the modern era. Dead. This had to be a dream. Or, rather, a nightmare. He wanted to wake up. But as he looked around at the solemn faces of those around him, he knew he was already awake.

At his side, Ajax stood with an arm wrapped around his mother. Catherine stared ahead with silent tears rolling down her face. His three brothers were with them, along with Remy and Imogen.

Makaela remained off to the side dressed in black. She hadn't spoken a word to Sebastian since their talk in the woods last night. He wasn't sure if she had spoken to anyone since then. He watched as she ran her thumb against the black medallion in her hand.

Sebastian knew exactly what it was. Much like Jasper's honorary Shade mask, the medallion was a jumpkey. His was it would take her straight to Castle Braexus. Right into Thorian's clutches.

Under no circumstance was he to let her use it.

He didn't know the full extent of her conversation with his father, but he knew his old man. Thorian likely made her a proposal; the Illumio in return for her uncle's life would've been the wager. His word couldn't be trusted. Every promise he'd ever made had been broken-one way or another. The man didn't care about Makaela. He didn't care about anyone. Sometimes Sebastian wondered if he even cared about himself.

All that seemed to matter was the completion of his quest.

Someone near the front of the crowd blew a horn. The note was long and somber as it broke through the air like the daggers of sunlight escaping the stormy clouds above.

No one spoke. There was nothing to say.

House Brynjir was in mourning.

Eventually, Ajax stepped forward. He was dressed in a collared shirt the color of the pine needles around him. For once, it looked like he brushed his unruly hair. His orange beard had been twisted into braids, decorated with green and white beads. Sebastian had never seen him dress so formal before.

His housemates stared back at him. Expecting. Waiting.

Ajax faced the crowd and started to sing.

The people of Hodvekt bowed their heads and beat their fists against their shields. The slow, building beat reverberated through Sebastian's bones. He didn't know the song Ajax sang, but he could feel the emotion in the boy's rumbling voice. He felt the pain in his words, in his eyes.

The song was for his father.

When he finished, so did the Brynjirs.

"Many great men and women were lost in battle yesterday," Ajax said. "Among them was our chief, our king. Achilles Ódinn Bjørn Washington. They gave their lives protecting our home. For as long as our house stands, their sacrifice will never be forgotten. We will sing songs about them, stories will be written in their names. Their memories will forever live in our hearts."

The crowd murmured in agreeance.

"We lost our king. We lost our artifact. But we will not lose hope." He summoned his vayrir-a double-sided axe fit for a giant-and hoisted it in the air. Muted sunlight glinted off the iron. His housemates did the same. "The Order of the Black Lotus took those things from us. We will get them back."

A chant rippled through the crowd.

Ajax walked toward the first boat leading the funeral pyres on the river. He kissed his hand before pressing it against the hull. With his eyes closed, he whispered a prayer in the old language to his father.

Archers stepped forward from the crowd. Green flames danced along the tips of their arrows. With a satisfying twang, they released them into the sky. Each one found its mark on a pyre, sending it up in flames. They swallowed the flags covering the dead. The ropes keeping the ships at the shore were cut. One by one, they cruised downriver, their flames dancing in the wind.

Cheers and roars rang out as the battlemages saw off their dead. They banged their weapons against their shields once more. The deafening sound rang out across the land.

Sebastian didn't understand most House Brynjir traditions, but he admired this one. A celebration of the dead. It felt right to him.

Cheers and roars rang out as Ajax finished. The warrior magicians banged their weapons against the silver shields they wielded, a deafening sound ringing out across the land.

Alight with blazing fire, the wooden vessels passed through a veil of fog and disappeared from view. Gone forever.

❁

Following the ceremony, the Brynjirs returned to their damaged village. The festivities in honor of their fallen leader began shortly after that. Sebastian was grateful for the change in pace. He could've used a bit of uplifting. The funeral was heavy, heavier than anything he'd ever experienced.

He'd been too young to fully grasp the weight of his mother's funeral.

"That was sad," Imogen said as she leaned against the wall of a building. Part of the wall had been caved in. "And trust me, I've seen some sad shit."

"I just met Achilles." Remy rubbed his eyes. "And now he's already gone. I didn't even get an autograph."

"Seriously? That's what you're worried about?"

"It was on my bucket list."

Sebastian chuckled. Imogen and Remy joined in.

"Hey, has anyone seen my cousin?" Remy asked. "I thought she was following behind us after the funeral ended but I don't see her anywhere."

He stuffed his hands into his pockets.

Imogen squinted at him. "Alright, what's up with you two?"

"Nothing."

"No, something is definitely up. You guys were all over each other, like, a day ago. What changed?"

Sebastian blew air from his nose. "We just got attacked. People died. Hell, I almost died. It's probably a lot for her to process right now."

Imogen nodded slowly. She backed off.

Truth be told, Sebastian had no idea where Makaela was. Something had shifted in her. He saw it when he spoke to her in the woods. He felt it in the way she spoke to him. She had never talked to him like that before.

He clenched his jaw at the memory of their tense conversation.

Was she right?

He thought it was the prophecy that influenced him to defect from the Order. A divine calling changed his trajectory and compelled him to rescue Makaela and Remy. That's what he told himself. But Makaela sowed the seeds of doubt in his mind with her vitriol.

Cold air gripped his arms, sending goosebumps down his pale skin.

His father's shadow loomed over him for as long as he could remember. The Shades never let him forget who he was and what he was expected to live up to. All he ever did was disappoint them. He wasn't strong enough. Not ruthless enough. He'd never amount to half of his father's legacy.

He was the little prince. Not a king. Even if the prophecy said that's what he'd be, he would never be a king.

All he ever wanted to do was escape that shadow. He wanted to run away and hide from his destiny.

He wanted his mother back.

Running a hand through his shaggy locks, he exhaled. His breath clouded before his eyes before disappearing.

Perhaps Makaela was right.

"So, what now?" Imogen asked.

"What?" Sebastian asked her.

"What's next? We don't stop here, right? Those metal-faced freaks stole some stuff from us. We have to go get it back."

Remy laughed nervously. "We can't just go take it back from them."

"And why not?" Imogen shrugged. "I mean, that's what they just did to us."

Sebastian could barely focus on their conversation. All he could think about was the black lotus medallion Makaela had. What if she had used it already? She could have already been inside the walls of Castle Braexus, confused and alone. Shaking his head, he cast his eyes to the forest.

No, she was there. He could feel her.

His eyes widened.

"Imogen's right," Sebastian blurted out.

Both Remy and Imogen cocked their heads at him.

"She is?"

"I am?"

Sebastian nodded. "The Shades hit us at House Brynjir's home. Maybe it's time for us to hit them back."

"But how?" Remy asked. "We can't just portal to their headquarters and storm their base. That has trap written all over it."

"No, you're right," Sebastian said. "That's why we're going to jumpkey inside."

The boy blinked. "You lost me."

"I'll explain on the way," he began while heading off into the woods. "For now, follow me. We have to find Makaela before it's too late."

He didn't bother checking to see if they were following him or not. They didn't have any time to waste.

❁

The trio found Makaela sat on the edge of a creek about a mile into the pine forest surrounding Hodvekt. She stared down at the black medallion in her hands.

Sebastian slowed up once he spotted her. Holding a finger to his lips, he urged Remy and Imogen to stay put.

He took a deep breath. Then he stepped out into the open.

"What are you doing here?" She kept her face forward.

"Makaela, I can't let you use that," he told her. "I don't know what my father told you-"

"Exactly." She cut her sharp gaze to him. The look on her face made him want to squirm. "You don't know. You can't possibly think you know what I should do."

Sebastian nodded. "You're right. I can't tell you what to do. But I know my father. You can't trust a thing he told you."

Makaela huffed. "You know, he might be a genocidal maniac, but he's never lied to me. Not even once." She turned away from him. "He told me the truth about myself when no one else would. I'm a halfling. A monster."

Glancing over his shoulder, he spotted Remy and Imogen watching him with confusion.

He ignored their looks. At the moment, they didn't matter. Nothing else mattered except for the girl sitting in the grass ahead of him. Pain erupted in his legs as he limped over to her. Gritting his teeth, he sat down beside her.

The two of them stayed like that for a few moments, quietly listening to the peaceful sounds of nature around them.

"You're not a monster," he told her. "I've seen monsters. They raised me. Trust me, Makaela, you're not them. You're good and brave and full of light. Don't let this one thing define who you are."

Bringing her knees to her chest, she curled her arms around her small frame. She rested her chin on her legs.

"I don't want it to be true."

Sebastian grabbed her hand. She let him.

"It doesn't have to be."

In the blink of an eye, she had him wrapped into a tight embrace. He felt her shuddering breaths against his chest. He planted a kiss atop her head. Nothing else in the world mattered but the girl in his arms.

What she told him the night before stung like a wasp bite. He could still feel her venomous words burrowing under his skin, picking away at his insecurities and confidence. Yet, he knew she was right.

The Shades would always be a part of him.

But it was up to him to decide what to do with that part.

For years, he'd been trying to find a way out of the large shadow his father and the Order created. It followed him everywhere he went, trailing behind him like an anchor. Not anymore. His destiny wouldn't be defined by them. He was the master of his own fate.

The prophecy said he was the King. Not his father. Him.

It was time for him to act like it.

Makaela pulled away from him. She held out the medallion in her hand. "He told me he'd let my uncle go if I joined him. He said to use this when I made up my mind."

Sebastian took the jumpkey from her and examined it. The black, glass-like substance caught fragments of the light, bending and disfiguring the jagged rays as it poured through the opaque surface. He closed his fist around it.

"We're going to get your uncle back," he promised. "And House Brynjir's artifact."

"How?"

Cupping her face with his hands, he stared deep into her eyes.

"Together."