Page 133 of Burning Crowns

As Oonagh slumped against the Mother Tree, the tear slipped from her cheek and fell to the earth, disappearing into the soil. The ground thumped as it melted into the roots of the Mother Tree, as though the very heart of Eana were beating beneath them.

All at once, the ring of flames winked out, the fire falling away until only the branches of the great tree burned.

‘Look,’ said Rose, squeezing Wren’s hand. Wren tipped her head back, following her sister’s gaze. There, in the crown of flames, was the shape of two girls, standing hand in hand. For a heartbeat, Wren thought it was their own fiery reflection gazing back at them, but there was a voice in the inferno that did not belong to Rose or Wren.

No, not one voice. But two.

‘As sorrow falls upon the tree,

A broken soul is finally free,

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust,

Our spirits soar on this new gust.’

‘It’s Ortha and Oonagh,’ said Rose, in a whisper. ‘They found each other.’ At that, a warm wind stole up from the roots of the Mother Tree, quelling the flames that danced along its branches and scattering the vision of the Starcrest sisters. The wind travelled over the trees then, gathering up the glowing seeds that lingered there and carrying them east towards the sea, and the moonlit horizon beyond.

When Wren looked down, the body of Oonagh Starcrest had dissolved into the earth, the ashes of her bones joining her sister’s body in the ancient roots of the tree. Only the sword and dagger remained, Night’s Edge and Daybreak, so clean Wren could see her reflection in them.

The Mother Tree sighed, and Wren felt the same relief lifting in her heart. She watched the branches reach up to the sky, growing and twisting as though to touch the moon. The trunk swelled until the enormous tree was almost twice the size as before. It towered over them, bursting into life. New leaves sprouted that were pillowy and green, and within them, tiny flowers of every colour bloomed until Wren was sure she had never before seen anything more beautiful or full of magic.

For the first time in her life, she found she could look upon the Mother Tree not with sadness but with joy. Withhope.

Rose plucked Daybreak from the ground and held it to her chest. ‘It’s finally over, isn’t it?’ she said, as tears ran down her cheeks.

Wren nodded as she picked up Night’s Edge. ‘It’s really over, Rose.’

‘Well. Almost.’ They both turned around at the sound of Celeste’s voice. She was standing where the ring of fire had just been and wearing a look of such sadness,Wren’s heart sank all over again. Just behind Celeste, under the soft light of a melancholic moon, the surviving soldiers and witches were coming through the trees, carrying their dead.

Rose

CHAPTER 50

As the trees of the Weeping Forest slowly unfurled, no longer cowering in fear, the sound of weeping filled the air. There was no sign of Oonagh’s army.

Rose recognized her own pain in the cries of her soldiers, of the witches, all these people she fiercely loved. She heard their sorrow over those they had lost and their guilt that they had been the ones to survive. And yet in that pain, there was relief, too. The first to arrive told her what she already suspected – the undead had stopped fighting when Oonagh did, collapsing like wind-up toys that had taken their last step. The war was over.

But as she studied more and more faces coming through the trees, Rose swayed on her feet, overcome by an old, clawing fear that those she loved would not return to her. ‘Where’s Shen?’ she said, panic hitching in her voice. ‘And Lei Fan? And Tilda? And—’

‘Just wait,’ said Wren. But her voice shook just as badly as Rose’s did, and Celeste’s expression was so grave she didn’t say anything at all. Rose knew she was scouring the treeline for Anika.

As more soldiers spilled out of the forest, wearing torn and bloodied uniforms of green and gold, Rose realized they were looking to her and Wren,waiting for another command or a much-needed measure of comfort.

‘We need to take charge,’ said Rose. ‘We need to say something.’

Wren stepped forward, rising to the task like a true and capable queen. ‘Warriors of Eana, we have battled together through the darkness and at last emerged into the light. Today marks the end of the war in Eana and the beginning of peace in our land.’

‘You have all fought valiantly,’ said Rose, picking up the thread of her sister’s speech as easily as if it were her own. ‘For that we thank you. And we honour those we have lost.’ Her voice cracked but she went on. ‘As we mourn them, we will remember their sacrifice and their bravery.’ She gestured behind her. ‘Please, come and lay your dead beneath the great Mother Tree, where they will find peace in her magnificent shadow.’

She rolled her shoulders back, pressing on. ‘Those who can heal, come to me. Those who can stand, please help those who cannot. We must bring the injured forward, so they can be healed.’

There was a flurry of movement as soldiers and witches hurried to follow her orders. More broke off and ran back into the forest carrying forth Rose’s message.

Rose went to Celeste then, embracing her dearest friend. ‘You saved us,’ she said, her voice thick with emotion. ‘If you hadn’t fought your way through the forest to return Night’s Edge, I don’t know if we would have defeated Oonagh.’

‘You would have figured something out.’ Celeste hugged her back, tightly. ‘But that certainly came a lot closer than I would have liked.’

‘That’s an understatement,’ said Wren, coming to embrace Celeste as well. ‘Thank you, Celeste. I really owe you.’

---