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She said if I leave her now, I should never come back.
Oh. Rhia s heart twisted. Without her brother s power and ferocity, how could they overcome
Marek s captors?
With any luck, he said, she ll miss me so much while I m gone that she ll change her mind by the time
we return.
Rhia hugged him again. I m sorry.
Anyone who respects family loyalty as little as that woman does can He gritted his teeth. Never
mind. It was a bad idea from the beginning, me and Mali.
The rest of them approached her one by one with quiet embraces. Arcas had insisted on joining them,
because even though he had turned out to be a Spider, he d trained his whole life as a Bear and thus
could wield a sword almost as well as a natural-born soldier. Koli the Bat owned the boat they d be
taking to Velekos. Her stealth powers, scout experience and sensitive hearing would help them gather
information. She was also the fastest rider Rhia knew. Bolan would come, as well, bearing pigeons who
would fly home to Asermos so the troupe could relay messages in an emergency. Finally, Alanka s skill
with a bow had few rivals. She could hunt food for them on the journey and help ward off attackers.
Damen beckoned Rhia from the pyre. His dark eyes scanned the heavy clouds as she approached.
Everything s set, he said, as long as the weather holds.
She picked up his white ceremonial robe from the top of the pyre, then held it so he could insert his arms.
Its sleeves bore two rows of crow feathers.
He turned to let Rhia fasten the robe behind his back. I m going to miss her. His voice was flat, as if he
were observing his emotions instead of feeling them. She was a good friend.
She never felt like a friend to me, Rhia said. More like a mother, though she was nothing like my real
mother.
She worried about you.
Why?
She said you could be one of the most powerful Crows in a long time, if you d only follow the rules.
Instead of thinking for myself.
It s never that simple. You ll understand when you re older. You can t make the world the way you
want it to be.
Rhia s lip curled. She wanted to slap him. I m learning that very well now, thank you.
He was silent for a moment, perhaps realizing the carelessness of his remark. I think that more than
anything, she wanted your trust.
Which I never gave her, not completely. Now it s too late. She turned to the pyre. How did you die?
The question seemed to startle him. I ve never talked about that with anyone.
She waited, not taking back the question.
He touched the handle of one of the tall torches. I froze.
Me, too.
He nodded. But you thawed.
She watched the flame flicker against the dark clouds. Maybe I was never meant to.
Rhia stood with her family, listening to Damen s eulogy.
Thank you for coming today to say goodbye to a woman many of you never met. You honor Coranna s
Spirit with your presence. He paused. The Aspect of Crow is one of the rarest. Like most third-phase
Crows, Coranna had no one to teach her except the Spirit Himself. Few have adhered so tenaciously to
their Spirit s principles. Kalindos indeed, the world itself has lost one of its most valuable citizens.
Damen glanced at Rhia. She should say something about the person Coranna was, especially after
Damen s dry tribute. She stepped forward. Many people found it hard to get close to Coranna. She
acted proud of the distance she kept from others. She said it was the only way to fulfill a Crow s duty, to
pretend to ourselves that we don t care, that we don t hurt.
I think she hurt. Rhia s throat ached. I know she cared. Cared so much about doing right by others
that she shoved her own feelings deep inside her. She did it not out of pride, but love.
Instead of stepping back into the crowd, Rhia joined Damen at the pyre to sing home Coranna s soul.
They began to chant, a rousing song that would last until at least one crow came into sight, cawed and
flew away, symbolizing the flight of Coranna s Spirit to the Other Side.
It appeared quickly, beckoned as it was by Crow s own servants. It cut a harsh shadow against the
muted gray sky as it flapped low across the clearing.
Though the bird was alone now, it would soon fly home to its mate, perhaps feed a brood of hungry
mouths. Tonight it would share a warm, safe nest with its family. Envy sparked inside Rhia.
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