Death of the Body (Crossing Death) Read Online Free Page B

no entertainers or music. The town was never quiet, but now the only sound was the slight gurgle of water that bubbled in a nearby fountain. The dark streets were covered in long shadows cast by the quickly fading sun. I felt isolated. The cobblestone looked cold. My imagination turned the shadows into nightmares.
    Strong , I reminded myself. Joshua told me to be strong. Just a little longer.
    I swallowed and pushed the fear down into my feet, allowing the warmth of the planet to ground me again.
    My dwelling wasn’t far from the gates, but we did have to go through the town square. Most of the damage was contained here, surrounded by pristine walls of marble. We walked briskly, but I couldn’t stop myself from hesitating at the trellis in the center of the courtyard where a charred rosebush slumped lifelessly over an archway of iron. This bush, only hours ago, had roots that interconnected in a massive underground network to those of Mother Tree, a tree whose unknowing sacrifice I would not soon forget. I found myself aware of an unmarred pocket that miraculously still contained the acorn I had plucked from her. I would care for her last child until I found the perfect spot to plant it.
    Ralph and Hailey hadn’t gotten far from me during my few quiet moments of reflection. They had stopped in the courtyard to gawk at a smoldering building.
    “Parliament?” Hailey’s voice cracked.
    The white marble building normally stood with a stately grandeur against the pale black sky.  At night its pillars would shine bright and warm. Now, one corner was completely collapsed, embers glowing like hundreds of pairs of flaming red eyes. The smoke had stained the marble the same color as the swirling billows that filled the air.
    “It’s where the Elders would have been,” Ralph whispered.
    “Are they… dead?”
    I interrupted before any of us could consider the question fully. “Joshua said he was gathering the others. He wouldn’t have said that unless there were others to gather. We need to keep going. I’m sure Joshua will sort this all out for us.”
    “But why would he send us into the town instead of sending us to wherever the others are?” Ralph asked, his eyes still fixed on the parliament building, not looking at me.
    “Maybe they already left. Maybe he’s looking for the other mages who weren’t in town or who ran away.”
    “But…”
    “You trust him, don’t you?”
    “He’s an Elder,” Hailey said, her voice filled with as much conviction as she was able to muster.  It wasn’t much, but it was enough to get Ralph to stop asking questions.
    His eyes slid to meet mine. “Okay. Let’s go then.”
    So we continued. I picked up my pace as an inky blue mingled with florescent pink in the sky. I didn’t imagine we had much time before the sunlight was completely gone, and if Joshua was going to come for us I hoped he would come before the men got back to our town.
    My house was small and simple—our people weren’t used to staying long indoors. Two rooms and a cellar was all that were needed for my mother, father, and me. The dwelling was used more as a storage area for our family’s possessions rather than a living space. The room we entered had an old wooden table in the center surrounded by three chairs, a sink in one corner, and a cooking pit in the other.
    Ralph pumped the sink for me while I rinsed the ash from my skin. The water stung a little on the blisters that had formed. Hailey disappeared into the next room and returned with clean clothes. She had found a pair of my pants but could only find a shirt that belonged to my father and looked like it might drown me. I dressed quickly, putting the shirt on anyway and tucking it in so that I wouldn’t look like I was wearing one of my mom’s nightgowns.
    The fresh material was harsh on my burned skin, but I found if I walked carefully the chafing was bearable.
    Ralph stared out the window at the dwindling light, half of his face pulled tightly