In my lifetime it was common practice to burn our dead. There were just too many bodies and not enough burial ground. When the spread of disease peaked around the early twenty-first century, it just became more practical. So this Spurnian death ceremony was something very new for me.
We learned that the Spurns look at birth and death as opposite sides of the same coin. They took Raror back to the waters from which they are born. An eeriness filled the air as thirty Earons entered the water. We stayed on the edge of the pontoon; we could see but were not too close. It felt very mystical here, situated directly under one of the moons. The ceremony started the moment the moons reached their highest peak. It was at this point I gasped, but quietly enough not to disturb anyone.
A luminescence of some type spread along the surface of the water surrounding them. It was like the most beautiful oil slick, shiny and filled with intermingled greens and golds. It wasn’t thick and filmy; instead it flowed.
At this point the Earons began a chorus of lilting song. There were no words, just a heart-wrenching keening that formed a melody. Talina appeared on the side of the pontoon, away from where we stood. She carried Raror, although he was now completely wrapped in white, even covering over his face. She descended slowly into the water, pushing her floating brother before her. Her brethren continued their song of mourning.
For what felt like the fiftieth time that day, tears gathered in my eyes, spilling over. I didn’t wipe them. The magic kept me immobile. There were no words spoken, no goodbyes or memories of Raror shared. Instead, they swam in a circle, keening their song, and letting the glow surround them.
Finally their music reached a crescendo. Talina paused with Raror in the center. She held him slightly aloft, as though he were an offering to the gods. And then she released him. I expected him to sink beneath the briny depths, but that wasn’t the case.
Talina moved away, and left Raror floating in the middle of a large circle of Earons. They continued to sing, although it was quieter now, coming to what felt like its conclusion.
Then slowly the luminescence moved across to surround Raror, shifting and growing over the top of his shrouded form. I wanted to rub my eyes, not quite able to believe what I was seeing, but my heavy arms still wouldn’t move.
Then he disappeared into that glowing slick.
The moment this happened the waters cleared, the moon moved from the peak of the sky and the glow, along with Raror, was gone.
None of the Earons moved. Raror’s body had been long departed before they broke the circle, making their way back to the pontoon. I raised my hands to wipe away the last traces of tears. The spell was broken. I realized that during the entire ceremony none of the Earons had cried. In fact, except for Talina’s tears, I hadn’t seen one shed. And yet the pain was clear on their faces.
“I am ready to leave with you now.” Talina interrupted my thoughts, her words were flat.
She stood there looking the same, just with red and swollen eyes, but she was also different, as if something inside her had died along with Raror.
“Are you sure?” I asked. “We can stay a little longer.”
That may not have actually been true. I didn’t know how urgent it was that we returned home.
“No! Raror is in the fade with our ancestors. I have no reason to stay on Spurn.” Strands of her emerald hair fell across her face, and for once she didn’t shift them away.
“We need you to stay and rule Earon.” The female from earlier was standing before us.
The rest had disappeared inside the pontoon. We were still on the lower decking.
“And ... I need you to stay. I am pregnant with Raror’s young.”
For the first time since her brother’s death an emotion besides devastation crossed Talina’s features.
“You have no idea how happy it makes me to know that my brother’s essence will live on. But I cannot stay here. I have never been welcome on Spurn, and this is not going to change. If anything, Raror’s ... death …” She hesitated over the word. “His death is only going to make things harder for me.”
She moved closer to the smaller Spurn. “It is your responsibility to rule now. You are carrying the only true heir to Earon.”
And with those words she turned away and held out a hand to me. Her message was clear: get me away now.
Chapter 12
We’d been back on First World for two days. And for the first time since discovering my home planet the skies were cast in low dark clouds. Heavy shattering rain trapped us inside my parents’ massive house. The weather was almost a direct reflection of the darkness Talina was living in. She barely left her room, and refused to speak with anyone while she struggled with Raror’s death.
The first morning I’d found her standing out on her balcony, letting the pouring rain wash over her.
“I wish Raror could have seen this,” she said as I leaned in close to her.