Selena saw Aiden and Lyrra rush over to Morphia. She heard Liam whisper, “Mother’s mercy.” And she felt Ashk walk away as Morag dismounted and walked closer to them.

Morphia’s face crumpled in disbelief and horror. “Morag!”

Selena grabbed Rhyann’s arm, pulling her sister behind her. An illusion of protection, nothing more. But Morag stopped a man’s length in front of her. She saw something savage in those dark eyes, something that would ride through villages and leave nothing but empty corpses in its wake. But the woman Morag must have been was also shining out of those dark eyes, pained and so weary.

I have the power to shape a world beyond this world, but I don’t know how to change this. I know nothing that can change this.

“What do you want, Morag?” she asked gently.

One tear spilled down a dark, leathery cheek. “I want to go home.”

Silence.

Then…

“Merry meet, and merry part, and merry meet again.”

A moment caught by the eye, frozen by memory.

Morag, standing straight and tall, turning toward that voice. Ashk, waiting, the bow drawn back, her eyes clear and yet filled with a terrible grief.

Then the arrow sang Death’s song. Pierced the chest. Found the heart.

And Morag fell.

“Noooo!” Morphia screamed as Aiden struggled to hold her back.

Ashk dropped her bow, moved forward slowly.

“How could you?” Morphia screamed. “How could you?”

Ashk stared at the body. “I promised to do what needed to be done.”

Mist rose from the body, took the shape of a slender, lovely woman.

Morag turned to look at her sister. Raised a hand in farewell to Aiden and Lyrra. When she looked at Ashk, she smiled.

“You’ll be missed,” Ashk said softly. “Don’t stay away too long.”

Morag raised her arms. Her ghost changed into the shape of a raven. As she flew toward the shimmering road that suddenly opened in the field, Selena watched ghosts flow up the road behind her as Morag led the spirits of the dead to the Shadowed Veil for the last time.

Before Selena could say anything, do anything, Ashk turned away from all of them and started walking toward the rise.

Ashk reached the top of the rise before Breanna caught up to her.

“Ashk! Ashk!”

Ashk stopped walking, but didn’t turn to look at her.

Breanna reached out but didn’t touch. Ashk looked like a woman about to shatter. She knew how that felt. “She shouldn’t stay in that field, Ashk. She shouldn’t be buried near that…place. Where should we take her to give her back to the Mother?”

Ashk swallowed hard. “Morphia is her sister. It should be Morphia’s choice.”