Warsworn

for her.
    She knelt before me again. "I must prepare the village, Lara and then do what must be done. You understand?"
    I bit my lip. "Do you promise?"
    She nodded. "I will keep to my oaths."
    I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the stones, listening as her steps faded off. The only sound was my ragged breathing. Even the larks were gone. But in the back of my head, I could hear the litany, a prayer for the dying and the dead. It seemed to ring in my ears as if I could hear the words echoing in the temple as they'd been chanted at my father's bedside
    …
    Gracious Goddess, Lady of the Moon and Stars, be with me in the hour of my death … Oh, I was going to die and never see my Keir again, never ask his forgiveness or feel his body moving in mine. Tears overcame me, and I wept at my loss, the loss of his love, of what might have been between us, he was so angry with me, so very angry…
    Gracious Goddess, Lady of the Moon and Stars, full of forgiveness, forget my offenses and my
    flaws … I'd made so many mistakes, and my pride had made me think I could deal with this illness and treat these people and now they were all dead and it was all my fault, my fault, oh forgive my arrogance and…
    A sound and I blinked open blurry eyes to see Isdra place a large basket at my side. The babe lay sleeping inside, tucked in with extra swaddles and her feeding cup. Such a lovely babe, whose name was lost now, because I didn't want to think that I could fail. I blotted my tears with my sleeve and let my head fall back again.
    Gracious Lady of the Moon and Stars, full of mercy, see my true repentance … for I deeply regretted my er-rors. Don't let anyone else suffer for my mistakes, oh please, keep Marcus and Keir, oh my Keü, and Othur and Anna safe, dearest Goddess, please… my people and his people… safe… the pounding was getting worse, my clothes were drenched yet I burned. I closed my eyes for what felt like hours, but dragged them open to see Isdra as she moved from building to building, opening doors and arranging fuel of any kind in the entryways.
    Gracious Lady of the Moon and Stars, full of kindness, incline your ear to my plea , and She was, for I could see in the gathering dusk the first twinkling of a star over the mountains. But I couldn't keep my eyes open to see Her gift because the sweat was in my eyes and burning them. I tried to wipe them on my sleeve again, but the cloth was soaked.
    Gracious Lady of the Moon and Stars, full of glory, guide me to a place in your garden and let
    me dwell there in peace . There'd be problems, I knew. My death would create such problems for Othur and the Kingdom. The cousins would try to claim the throne, and all would suffer thereby. But I couldn't find the strength to care, I'd be in the garden of the Goddess with Father, and we'd abide in the peace of that place together. And Keir, my Keir, would be safe, wild and free on his Plains. I smiled as I saw him mounted on his black horse, galloping in the sun, wild and free and safe, oh Goddess, please let him be safe and well. At some point, I faded out and awoke to find Isdra arranging Epor's body on a pyre that she had made of a table from one of the homes. She placed him close to the well, as if in a place of prominence. She was arranging his hair, and seemed to be speaking but I wasn't sure. What I could see was that she had strapped Epor's war-club to her back. I caught my breath at the sight.
    Finally she came to my side, and knelt to offer me water, and wipe my face. She took a long drink as well. "Almost done, Lara." She stood, and seemed to look around with satisfaction.
    "A fitting tribute to my Epor." She looked down. "I have only to light the fires, Lara. Be ready."
    "You… you are sweating." Fear bubbled in my chest.
    "With effort, nothing more."
    Gracious Lady of the Moon and Stars, full of glory, embrace my soul . I closed my eyes, content. All my beloved family and friends would be safe, and Keir, my beloved Keir, he too would be well and strong. Tears flowed and I gave up fighting my sobs. He's been so angry. Isdra stood before me, a silver figure in the moonlight. It was darker now, and I couldn't really see her face. But I could see the pitch torches in her hand as she stood over me, burning brightly. She ran off, the flames leaving a trail of light and sparks behind her. The flames flared from the buildings as she passed, throwing the torches into the building. Flames danced on the edge of