Without Cordelia among them, Noah's stomach twisted harshly. Word of the war on this side of the Draig came to him from all tongues -- hers included. He wanted to hold her close as they honored those that had fallen. Whatever Halo thought of her was not for him to dispute or to rage against -- merely, it was his shame to hold. She had only done what she had promised him, the man she loved carved of ice.
He stood sentinel and silent, eyes red and cheeks hot. The lump in his throat swelled as Hotaru moved in. His heart ached for her, for her loss. He let this be known over the bond, but from her he felt only blackness and stone. Ice and despair. He closed his eyes. I'm sorry, Ru. He gave her, the only words he could bring just a whisper over their shared attuned bond.
Talyson moved in with the fire from the shrine, and finally the hunter shifted. He let glacier eyes move to Deimos, and gave the Sword a small nod of his chin. When they held Morgan's funeral, it had been Noah that presided over it. A duty as warden. Now, the honor and grief was in Deimos' (and Evie's) hands.
noah olson
the emptiness of broken flesh, at the mercy of the thorns
