I gave Quinn’s hand a parting squeeze before loosening my hold. Always on the same wavelength as me even without our bond, Quinn gave me another quick kiss, sent more strength and love through our connection, and stepped back near where Uncle Everett stood behind me being consoled by Teddy. The others stood patiently, watching and flanking either side of the rose-petaled aisle.
I stared down at what was left of my mom. The large head of a mighty lava-breathing dragon and her great wings folded behind her. Nothing more. My tears fell onto the roses her remains were placed on, darkening them. I could tell the red flowers were in full bloom when they were cut to be burned to ash.
My tears were rivers down my face, but I didn’t weep or sob or make a move to wipe them away. I didn’t fall onto my mother’s remains like an altar, begging some deity for a different outcome. I continued to stand tall. I didn’t turn to the crowd, but I also wasn’t fully looking at Mom. I didn’t want to remember her like this. No, I still envisioned the Mom who was grieving her mother and her mistakes, who was whole and a person and not just a few parts left behind. But, in seeing her like this, I used it to help me draw from the same ache I had carried since I was thirteen and from my dragon who roared in soul-shattering sorrow within me.
“There are no words,” I started after a while without a tremble in my voice. “It is tradition for the daughter or theclosest to the deceased to give some speech about the life of the departed. But there are no words. It’s because my mother’s life speaks loudly for itself, even now, over fourteen years after her death. Her legacy is the love I and so many had for her that was so deep it could be felt by those who never got to meet her. We loved my mother so deeply that we thought she was invincible, yet it was impossible to understand until she was gone. If that love alone could have saved her, my mother would have lived forever. It is a tragedy what happened to my mom, but those who took her from me, from all of us, could never take away our love, memories, and what she meant to us. Years ago, I would have been such a wreck up here talking to you all as I said how much I missed her. But, I have realized that I am lucky to have known someone who has made saying goodbye so hard.”
I took in a slow breath to fill my lungs and steady me enough to keep going. “This is the Homegoing Ceremony of Eleanora ‘Doe’ Doriana Pierce. She was a sun that shone so bright that her warmth has touched so many, even beyond her passing. My mother once said that grief is like fire, slowly burning you from the inside out until it consumes you. Even if you put it out, the burns remain to always remind you of its scars. But, so much beauty comes from the flames as well.”
I held out one of my hands as I reached for the magic within me. A soft, sweet pulse radiated from my chest to my palm. A rose made of colorful opal glass appeared from the sparks of my chrysalis magic. It shimmered in the winter light, delicate and unyielding.
I continued as I carefully laid the glass rose among the real ones. I trailed the back of my fingers along Mom’s long jawline, watching the gold and bright red follow my touch. “I hope to have just half of your fire, Mom, because then I will be close to your greatness.”
My necklace pulsed with a burst of warmth just as the wind blew gently through the trees, carrying a familiar warmth. The corners of my lips tugged with a smile.
“I spent so much of my life running toward the horizon to meet you where heaven and earth collided, Mom. But the entire time, you were running right beside me. Now, I have stopped running. Now, I have so many around me to offer me a chair and some water to rest. I love you so much, and I miss you every day. You don’t have to worry, Mom. Not only have I found my okay, I have found my heaven on earth.”
I took a few steps back. Then, I finally faced the crowd. Their eyes were glistening if tears hadn’t already overflowed. I allowed my last words to fall like the petals around me. “And so, it is with the help of my family that I will return my mother home to nature and release her spirit. Through these flames, may she find peace. As the smoke guides us, so may her spirit.”
Wordlessly, Maisie, Izzy, Rosso, and Teddy stepped forward. Their purple, burnt yellow, red-orange, and pale green magic swirled from their fingers, braiding together and coiling around the pyre. The branches caught first. Then, the flowers. Finally, the flame bloomed fully over everything.
My crystal rose melted under the heat.
The fire curled high and bright, dancing with color and heat as it reached for the sky. The scent of roses and fire filled the air alongside the smoke. Even with my distance, the heat kissed my face. I didn’t flinch. I just allowed the tears to stream.
Quinn’s arms wrapped tightly around me from behind, holding me even as the despair longed to pull me to my knees. I leaned into her embrace, into her grounding love for me.
Somewhere in the smoke and blaze, from one heartbeat to the next, I felt some of the grief and sorrow and despair ease. Not disappear entirely. But, dull and fade and soften and settle into something else that was close to calm.
We all stood and watched the smoke curl upward. Mom’s ashes lifted into the wind and seemed to dance. The dying embers flickered like fireflies, fluttering away toward the immortal and everlasting horizon.
Volcano Eruption
BYRD
You know that feeling when you finally crack a window in a car that has been sitting in the Georgia sun for hours? Just when the heavy heat had sunk in, some of it gets pushed out and, while you are still sweating, you can at least take a breath while waiting for the AC to cool? The air felt just like that with the Homegoing Ceremony over.
Everyone mingled about the remains of the enchantment’s village, keeping their voices low as if they were on blessed grounds. Aunt Titi, Ayrie, and the Archive Guardians explored with an almost academic curiosity while they discussed dragon-shifting history and lore. I would be shocked if Izzy and Rhois didn’t ask me if they could take some of the literature they found back to the Archive to be stored in the Vault, and I was, of course, ready to say yes. Uncle Everett had managed to find Mom’s old house and was kind enough to sort through what remained for things to take back home. When he discovered that picture of Grandma, dusty but still beautiful, Teddy sent it back home immediately. Quinn, Leah, and Clarkson were off entertaining Bryson and Betty, their laughter pealing faintly through the brittle trees somewhere nearby. The others chatted with each other, since phone reception was nonexistent here.
Mom’s pyre was a humble pile of ash. The smoke that I could see from the village was a thin white trail that was fading even as I stared at it. As bittersweet as it was, I couldn’t ignore how much lighter I felt. The longing and sadness still lingered, but it no longer drew me down. I breathed easier without a lump in my throat or sobs. For the first time, it felt like maybe I could smile without it feeling like some kind of betrayal. My dragon even purred low and steady with some newfound contentment, the sound caressing down my skin like cool silk. A peace unlike any I had known settled over me like a second skin. I sighed, relishing the relaxed looseness of my shoulders.
Until we meet again, Mom.
“Hey, has anyone here seen Betty?” Leah’s voice cut through the air as she jogged toward us.
Rosso turned away from his conversation with Maisie, frowning. “I thought you were watching her, Leah.”
Leah shook her head, dark brown waves flying around her face. Worry and rising panic were clear in wide blue eyes. “I was—I mean, I am— but Bryson called me over for something. I told her to stay within sight, just like you and Mom always do—did—I mean… I only looked away for two seconds!”
“Wasn’t Quinn with you?” I asked, wings already flexing behind me.
“She’s looking for her now, but she told me to come here to ask just in case. I think Clarkson is with her. I promise I was watching her! I wouldn’t let anything happen to my sister. I swear!”
“Hey, hey, hey. It’s okay, kiddo.” I closed the distance between us with a soft flutter of my wings, landing lightly and placing my hands on her shaking shoulders. “Go easy, love. The enchantment is small, so there are only so many places she could be. Quinn is already on the case, but she’s got Clarkson with her, so I know she’s safe. That dog wouldn’t let anything happen?—”
“Auntie Byrdie!” As if summoned by my affirmations to her older sister, Betty barreled through the trees. Clarkson was close at her heels.
“See? I told you.” I gave Leah’s shoulders a reassuring squeeze. Her face remained tight, though, concern that belonged on someone older than her pinching her forehead.
