Page 28 of Before the Bond Breaks
“From ash to ash, from the slain to eternity.”
She tipped the bowl toward Jessica’s body, dusting her body, then passed it to Nicky. Each sister took it, in turn—Nicky, then Candra, then Sybil, Kyley, Rina, and finally Winter again. They marked their dead with ash, each touch deliberate. The low sound that rippled from the women was less song than prayer, a litany of names and fates, woven through with the language of our gods.
After the Valkyries, the bowl came to me. My hand didn’t shake as I pressed ash to Jessica’s forehead, a single line traced from brow to hairline, marking her for safe passage. Then I passed the bowl to Jenson. He did the same, followed by Larc—who paused just slightly, gaze unreadable—then Shaw.
Quil took the last turn, dusting the ash across the bier itself, sealing it. Then Winter reclaimed the bowl, setting it on a stone at the foot of the pyre.
Next came the small stones, etched with runes similar to the larger ones that circled the pyre. Sybil and Kyley set them along the base of the pyre, each rune chosen for safe travel: protection, courage, memory, and peace. Candra uncorked the flask of consecrated water, her hand steady as she poured a measured stream over each stone. Liquid caught firelight, scattering tinyprisms across the gathered faces. The scent of moss and smoke filled the air.
Jenson intoned a blessing in the old tongue—a promise that no curse or dark force would follow Jessica into her next life. His voice was low, barely more than a growl, but everyone there heard it.
Silence followed. The kind that turned the world inside out. I kept my attention on Maze, watching how she waged war with grief and pride at the same time. She did not look away, did not falter. Her breathing skipped only once, then steadied.
Candra stepped forward first, her head bowed, shoulders rigid. “Jessica could outrun any of us on tracking drills. She used to hide the evidence, making us think she’d never even been at a scene. First month at VPA, she solved a case no one else could crack, then left Sybil a coded note that took two weeks to decipher.”
Soft laughter rippled through the Valkyries. Candra’s lips lifted in a faint, stubborn tribute.
Kyley followed, voice rough with history. “Jess always said rules were for people without imagination. She broke half of our security protocols once, just so she could prank Nicky on her birthday.”
A snort came from Nicky, but her eyes glistened. “She set the alarms off, then blamed me for it. No one bought it. Not even you, Maze.”
Maze’s gaze softened, just a fraction, and for a breath she looked almost undone.
Sybil kept hers brief. “She made me promise to keep you all fed. Even when I threatened to quit cooking for you bitches, she’d bribe me with extra coffee runs. She said, family stuck together or not at all.”
Rina, always the quietest, added, “She taught me how to see when someone was lying. And she never held it against me when I called her out.”
Each memory hit like a punch. I counted the breaths between them.
Maze reached for the torch, the appointed spark. Her hand trembled faintly as she pressed it into the pyre’s kindling. The fire caught slowly, then climbed, licking along the wood with silent hunger. Shadows threw Jessica’s outline into sharp relief—a Valkyrie to the last, even in death.
Maze recited the second invocation, this one for passage:
“Light the way, lead her home. Through shadows and into peace.”
For several heartbeats, no one moved. The flames climbed, snapping blue and white as the magic threaded through them.
As the fire burned, a bowl of mead passed from hand to hand. The custom of acknowledging the fallen, pouring a libation so the soul would not thirst on the road. Maze held the bowl last.
She spoke the final prayer. “Jessica, you are never forgotten. Your journey does not end here. We carry you with us, always.”
Her voice broke on the last word. The pain of it was raw, undiluted. She squared her shoulders anyway, and poured the mead onto the blazing wood, letting steam and scent curl upward to the dusk.
The sisters closed ranks around the fire, arms linked, voices joining in harmony. “The raven flies, soul free. Valkyrie take you. To honor and rest.”
My clan members and I removed our robes and shifted into our animals. Then we lifted our faces to the sky and let out the howls. The echoes rolled across the grounds, calling to blood and kin, a promise that none would ever be taken alone.
As the last howl faded, the fire burned steadily, reducing what remained to ash and smoke. For a moment, nothing separated the living from the dead. We stood together in the heart of it, the old bonds reforged in loss.
Maze’s hand found mine, fingers cold but unyielding. I squeezed once, anchor to anchor, and let my own grief spiral out in silent tribute.
Night pressed in, but we did not move—not until the last ember glowed out, and Jessica’s memory settled itself deep inside every heart present.
After a little while, Maze and I led our clans into the living warmth of the clan’s great hall. Timber beams stretched overhead, their grain dark against the soft flicker from wall sconces and the central hearth. The long wooden table sprawled beneath woven banners in the center of the room. Around it were several other smaller tables. When my brothers and I built it, we made sure there would be enough room for all fifty or so members of our combined clans. Larc called it our Viking ballroom.
Maze settled at my right side, her spine straight until she dropped into the seat and let exhaustion soften her angles. She leaned against me, her shoulder pressing into mine, just for aheartbeat. The next moment, she caught herself, but not before her sisters noticed. Candra’s gaze locked on Maze, unreadable, while Nicky and Sybil exchanged a silent look across the table. Even Rina’s focus flickered toward Maze, a soft smile lifting the corners of her mouth.
Sybil led a few of the Valkyries and shifters into the connecting kitchen while the rest of the clan took their seats. Soon, plates of roast meat, cheese, and fresh bread covered the table, along with bottles of whiskey, mead, and a light purple wine favored by the Valkyries.
