A Sea of Shields

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Reece knelt in the black of night, atop the cliffs, cradling Selese’s body in his arms, as he had been for hours, numb to the cold and to the wind and to the world around him. Thousands of people held torches in the night, a massive funeral procession, all crowding around the open grave, all waiting quietly, patiently, for Reece to let go of Selese’s body.

But Reece could not let go. He had been holding her for hours, weeping so much that he had no tears left to shed, and feeling completely empty to the world.

He still felt it had all been his fault. How stupid and reckless and irresponsible he had been to give in to his passions in the Upper Isles, to even look twice at Stara. How stupid he had been for his lapse of reason.

Because of his stupid feelings, because of his lust for Stara, this beautiful girl, who had been so devoted to him, who had risked it all for him, now lay dead.

All Reece had wanted was a chance to make up for his mistake. If it hadn’t been for Tirus’s son, Reece surely would have had that chance. After all, no one else even knew of his encounter with Stara, of his affections for her. Selese never would have known, and she’d be alive today. If it hadn’t been for Tirus’s son, Reece would be marrying Selese now, instead of burying her.

Reece hated himself. But even more so, he hated Tirus and his sons.

As Reece knelt there, he felt that Selese’s soul cried for vengeance. And he would not rest until he exacted it.

“Reece,” came a soft voice.

Reece felt a soft hand on his shoulder, and he looked over to see Gwendolyn kneeling beside him.

“It is time to let her go. I know you don’t want to. But holding her here will not bring her back to us. She is gone now. The fates must take what they demand.”

Reece was overcome with anguish at the idea of letting her body go. He just wanted her to wake up again. He just wanted this nightmare to be over. He just wanted one more chance to make things right. Why couldn’t he have just one more chance? Why did his one mistake in life have to be a fatal one?

As Reece clutched her tightly, he knew on some level that Gwendolyn was right. He could not bring her back. Time for that had passed.

Reece leaned over and slowly, gently, lowered Selese’s body into the open grave, into the earth below.

He wept as her body slid down into the fresh dirt. Selese’s body spun around and landed face first, looking up to the sky, her eyes open. One of her arms propped up, her finger pointed toward Reece. Reece’s blood ran cold. He felt it was pointed at him accusingly. He wept and wept.

Reece looked on as others all around him began to shovel fresh dirt on Selese’s corpse.

“NO!” Reece shrieked.

Several strong men held him back, and soon, Selese’s body disappeared beneath the soil. It was all like a horrific dream. Dimly, Reece was aware of people he knew and loved, Gwendolyn and Thorgrin, his Legion brothers, faces that were now all just a blur of grief. They all tried to console him. But he was past consoling.

The love of his life—the true love of his life—was now dead and buried. He could not bring her back. But he could exact vengeance.

Reece slowly began to harden inside, as a resolve began to set hold. He looked out into the black of night, into the howling winds, and vowed that, no matter what it took, vengeance would be his.