“But that doesn’t mean we’re on the same side. We both know that freeing the demons is an act of war. The streets will run with blood, and innocent people will die. And I know that’s what you want.”
He turned away from me, shrugging. “If mortals decide our freedom is a pretext for their aggression, that moral failure is on them, not us. And Rowan, the tensions have already begun. You and I were the tinderboxes that lit the spark. The revelation of your presence scared the shit out of them. A demon embedded in the mortal world, one who spent years around a demon hunter, no less—they’re feeling extremely vulnerable right now. They no longer know who’s mortal and who’s a demon, and panic is running through their world like wildfire. They’re terrified that there are more of us out there. They’re not going to let us live.”
I swallowed hard. “Do you have any evidence, or am I supposed to take everything the Lord of Chaos says as truth?”
“You’ll have to trust me.”
Nope. “Sure. But how about we let the gods decide who should rule? Through the trials, like we agreed. And as for whatever happens next—we’ll just cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“Fine.” The corner of his mouth twitched in something like a smile. “The gods will decide. Since they’re always so fucking rational.”
12
ROWAN
Distantly, I heard the sounds of mournful singing echoing off the city’s stones, beautiful and eerie at the same time. My heart felt heavy.
“It’s starting,” said Orion quietly.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out two objects, a pale white clay pipe and a pearl necklace. “On the night of challariu, this is one way to honor the dead. The Lilu used to believe that rivers and the sea connected us to the underworld. Before we began singing, we would give the river something that belonged to the departed so that the ones we mourned would have some of their favorite things in the afterlife. Then we’d walk along the water and sing the songs of the dead. We believed it would help them have an easy journey to the underworld.”
“Did those belong to your parents?” I asked, staring at the pipe and the necklace.
He shook his head. “No. These belong to yours. I found them in your parents’ house. You can keep them, of course, if you want, or you can give them to the river. It’s your choice.”
I found my eyes stinging as I took the necklace and pipe from him. My mom never had anything this beautiful in Osborne. “Thanks,” I said quietly.
This seemed…oddly thoughtful of him?
Tears brimmed in my eyes as I took a few steps to the river’s edge, and I thumbed the smooth pearls on the necklace, imagining how it would have looked on Mom. Maybe she’d look beautiful wearing this in the underworld…
I dropped it in the river, watching as the dark waters claimed it. Then I turned the pipe over in my fingertips—a man I’d never known, but one who’d been looking out for me when he died. I let that go, too, watching it tumble in the waters. Now that the sky had grown dark, moonlight shimmered over the river’s surface.
On the river bank, Orion knelt beside me. Warmth radiated from him. “The silver ship goes in, too,” he murmured. “It’s supposed to light the way.”
I dropped the model ship into the river and watched it float along the surface, swirling a little in the eddies.
“One for each soul,” said Orion. He let his go in the water, too, and our twin sparks of light moved toward the ocean.
I glanced at him through blurred eyes. Had he known I wouldn’t want to do this in front of the crowd?
I couldn’t read his expression as he held out a hand to help me up.
When I felt a tear slide down my cheek, I wiped a hand across my face. “What did you bring for your family?”
His mouth opened and closed, and he took a moment to respond. “I already let them go in the river earlier today. For my mother, I brought her favorite book. My stepfather, I gave him back his pocket watch. My big brother, Molor, had a suit I returned—” His voice broke, and he looked away into the alley from which we’d come. He cleared his throat. “The others should be here soon.”
Without entirely realizing what I was doing, I found myself putting my hand on his chest. He turned to look at me, his lips parted in surprise. I started to lift my hand, but he covered it with his. He breathed in deeply as the crowd grew nearer.
An ocean of candles floated toward us, like stars in the night, the sound of singing floating on the wind.