The only sign of weakness Jirni allowed herself was to clench Kamila’s hand in search of support, to gain the strength she needed to carry the burden of the entire Ernas family.
Her children were too distraught to even stand and needed Jirni to comfort them whenever their eyes fell on the closed casket.
Lith envied Jirni, yet he didn’t speak nor did he approach Kamila because he was afraid of what might have happened if he lost control in front of so many witnesses.
Headmaster Marth spoke first as the man who had been Quylla’s Professor, mentor, and the one who had given her first job as Assistant Professor at the Whit Griffon. Manohar and Vastor were beside him, forming an unusual picture.
They had one hand each on either of Marth’s shoulders, to help him keep his composure. Vastor looked like someone who was inwardly praying for someone to attack him and give him a reason to unleash his full power, yet it was an unlikely event.
The Royals had brought the Saefel set and there were so many protections in place that Lith doubted that even one of his Nova spells could put a dent in the barrier surrounding the funeral.
As for Manohar, he looked dead serious for the first time since he had fought Dawn. No one needed to punch or restrain the Mad Professor to keep him from running away or speaking out of place.
Seeing him shut up and be civil was beyond amazing, especially considering that he had left his mother home, to not put her into danger.
Once Marth was done, Manohar said a few words.
“Quylla Ernas was born an orphan, with nothing to her but a name someone else had chosen and a few clothes that other people had tossed away. Yet she didn’t let any of it affect her path in life.
“Even though she was born amid trash, dressed with trash, and fed with trash to the point of almost dying of malnourishment, she turned what others threw away into a treasure.
“She picked up the books that others were too stupid to understand and became a self-taught magico first, then a healer, and then she enrolled in the prestigious White Griffon academy, where even the children of noble and magical bloodlines can only dream to enter.
“Quylla’s life can be summarized with two words. Magic and will. Will gave her the strength to rise above the dumb masses while magic gave her the means to fix her life one bit at a time.
“At the academy, she found more than education. She found friends, a family, and colleagues that loved her. I want to remind all of them that our Quylla didn’t die, she has been taken away from us.
“When I find the person who hired the Loser Magus, and I will because I never fail, I pray to the gods that none of you will try to stop me. I hate attending to funerals and I would hate even more causing another.”
While Vastor was giving his eulogy, Archmage Deirus and some of his most loyal retainers walked near the fringe of the barrier surrounding the funeral site. They all dressed in bright colors as if they were at a party, speaking loudly without a care in the world.
They stopped walking for a moment while Deirus savored his final victory. Orion’s tears, the people’s wails, the fury twisting Lith’s face, and even Jirni’s stone expression were akin to a victory march to him.
One of his bodyguards whispered gibberish into his ear, giving the Archmage the pretext to laugh heartily as if he had heard the best joke on Mogar while looking at his defeated opponents in the eyes.
Orion’s muscles tensed up, turning into steel as he prepared to launch at Deirus’s throat, but Jirni clenched his hand and stopped him.
“Don’t. I can’t afford to lose my husband so soon after losing my daughter.” She pointed at the many weapons that Deirus and his men wore in the hope to use them for “self-defense”.
Lith was armed to the teeth as well and unlike Orion, he had no one capable of stopping him. Not with Solus enraged as much as he was, feeding him her fury along with images of War shutting Deirus up for good.
“Don’t.” Kamila held his right hand as hard as she could, ignoring the awkward feeling that the contact with the stone ring gave her, making her skin crawl.
“Deirus’s actions have been utterly rude and tactless, but they are not a crime. If you attack him in front of so many powerful witnesses, you are just going to give him even more spoils of war.
“After Quylla, he would also take your reputation and have you charged with treason for attempted murder on an Archmage of the Kingdom.” Kamila looked him straight in the eyes, glad to see that there was no trace of the blackness of Lith’s Abomination side.
“He sent that fucker and you know it, Kami. Deirus has deep ties with the Night Court. He sent them after Phloria at the Feymar mines and Zavra had a fucking black prism in his chest. The two things can’t be just a coincidence.”
Lith wanted to snarl, but his voice came out soft and his grip was gentle rather than furious. That and using her moniker made Kamila’s heart skip a beat.
“Knowing and proving are two completely different things. The truth behind the events of the Feymar mines is just hearsay without proof and Tiennon Zavra was a notorious killer for hire.
“Maybe Deirus paid him, maybe Night just sent him to screw up your life, or maybe one of Jirni’s many enemies, if not all of them, requested his services. Now that the Lost Magus is dead, we will never know the truth.” She replied.
“I had no way to take him alive nor any will to do it.” Lith replied at the words that sounded like an accusation to his ears.
“Please, don’t let your grief twist my words.” Kamila said while having a hard time keeping her conflicting emotions in check and not bursting into tears.
She knew and liked Quylla a lot, but now Jirni and Lith needed her more than she needed to cry.
“Stopping a Magus is something that usually requires an army. Stopping an undead Magus fueled by a Horseman is the stuff of legends. You survived the encounter, avenged our friend, and put an end to Zavra’s threat.
“It’s more than I- I mean, than anyone could ask. I was just pointing out how good Deirus is at covering his tracks. He planned Quylla’s murder just like he planned his coming here, right now, when everyone is at their weakest.
“Best case scenario, some of us fall into a frenzy and he ruins them. Worst case scenario, he still gets the fun of flaunting his victory knowing that there’s nothing we can do to him. Yet.” Kamila clenched her fist, wishing for a bolt of lightning to strike Deirus.
What happened, instead, was a tall albino figure covered in eyes and Adamant that charged at Deirus’s group from their blind side, unleashing a hail of ice, thunder, and darkness.
Morok wasn’t in the first rows because Quylla’s parents despised him and he didn’t want to cause them any more trouble.
09/12/2021: Extra chaps. Thanks to Brian Mc and Scott D. May Mogar smile upon you.
