Sewn & Scarred (The Fated Creations Trilogy #3)

Chapter One HundredWyott

Chapter One Hundred

Wyott

A fter Evaline, Maddox, and I had helped Kovarrin to stand, we joined the other Kova in gathering the dead to take them ashore, to give them a proper funeral service. Kovarrin didn’t let Vasier’s body out of his sight.

The Vasi who fled tried to take it but must’ve decided the fight wasn’t worth it, or perhaps they were only afraid of the Gods making another appearance.

Many Vasi left but promised to live peacefully, and even more surprising, many stayed to help us.

And after hours had passed, after the ships neared the marina, the Vasi that had chosen to stay, approached Kovarrin and Maddox. Most of them were on one of the ships that aimed for docking, but a few came to him as if to represent all the others who’d come back.

“Some of us want to stay,” the Vasi said, looking back at the ship behind him. Where all his comrades stood, watching. He turned back to Kovarrin. “We want to live peacefully. What the Sorceress said, what the Gods said…” he trailed off, before taking a deep breath. “They were right. Some of us have known, that we didn’t have to hurt people. That we didn’t have to kill,” he swallowed. “We chose to because we thought we would be cast aside by the other Vasi if we did not.”

Kovarrin straightened and I saw Maddox hold his breath.

“We want to know if you’d grant us entrance to Rominia. If you’d allow us time to prove that we can be peaceful. If you can allow us space to be better.”

Kovarrin’s jaw ticked as he seemed to think it over. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again and pursed his lips. Kovarrin cast a look toward Rominia, and his eyes shifted.

“We have been betrayed too many times for me to allow you full access, for me to trust that after one encounter with the Gods, that you will keep your word to be peaceful,” the First said, looking back to the Vasi, and past him, to the ship of others who hung onto each of Kovarrin’s words.

Their faces seemed to fall, but Kovarrin looked up at Maddox.

“But I also know that you can be redeemed, if you truly want to be.” He looked back to the Vasi. “I can discuss with Sage, and see if she can adjust the wards to give you some space on the far side of the island. For at least a little while, where you can’t harm any of our civilians.”

The Vasi nodded vigorously as Kovarrin spoke.

“We will bring in fresh blood for you, but in rations. If you aim to be better, not to drain humans to feed, then you’ll need to begin to adjust to a smaller intake of blood.”

“We can do that,” the Vasi said.

Kovarrin nodded. “We will begin tomorrow. Do you think you can stay the night on these ships, anchored out here? We all need rest.”

The Vasi nodded, then looked to Maddox.

“Some of us want to remain ourselves, to remain Vasi because it’s all we’ve ever known. But others, others who were turned after spending much time as Kova, they wanted to know if you’d show them.”

Maddox straightened.

“They wanted to know if you’d help them turn back, be Kova again.”

Maddox nodded. “Of course.”

The Vasi, lastly, turned to Evaline.

“And others want to be a Silver,” he said. “Some have killed too many innocents to be able to handle another death on their conscience.”

Her face flushed, but she nodded. “I can help with that.”

The next several hours passed by slowly. We brought the ships in, and carried the dead to the beach. Found loved ones inland, for all the Kova who’d died, and the Vasi watched from the water, as we laid out all of the dead, both Kova and Vasi, on the quick and makeshift funeral pyres that some of the Army had begun to build while the rest of us worked on the fleet.

Kovarrin said the words he always did when we mourned the loss of Kova after a battle with the Vasi.

That he was honored to have fought alongside them. That he was honored to have been in their presence. To have known them. That the world was a better place for their existence and a darker place for their death.

The crowd that had gathered—most of the island it appeared—wept. The soldiers who’d fought alongside the fallen, and the family who’d been protected inland because of their sacrifice.

I looked to Evaline as she sniffled, and followed her gaze to where Charlotte and James laid together, hand in hand, atop a pyre. I wondered if she had positioned them that way.

I looked to Cora beside me, and saw the way her teary eyes moved over all the members of her Navy who had fallen. Saw her hold her breath as if she were afraid a sob would interrupt Kovarrin if she didn’t.

And despite the fact that we’d never held a funeral service for Vasi before, Kovarrin spoke over them, too.

He said that he was sorry this conflict between him and his brother embroiled them. That he was sorry for the wars, the revenge, the initial betrayal between him and Vasier.

That all we could do now was look to the future. That we could hope for a better life for the Kova, the Vasi, and the Silvers.

He looked to Evaline, and Maddox nudged her forward. Her brows were furrowed, but she strode to stand at Kovarrin’s side.

“You can send their souls to rest,” he said, nodding to the pyres.

She swallowed, finally understanding what he was asking of her, and she took a step toward the pyres and raised two hands.

And just as the entire crowd at the Ball all those months ago had stood silent and watched Lauden light the lanterns, we stood with only the whisper of wind and muffled cries amongst us as we watched Evaline throw gentle streams of fire to all of the pyres, until all of them were alight.