Free Burn With Me (Legend of the Sun Whisperers) by Christle Gray Page B

wouldn’t be gone if you hadn’t dragged us out earlier!”
    Draco winced outwardly at her harsh outburst. A small spot of rationality in her brain warned her that she was blaming him for something that wasn ’t his fault, but the grief in her heart was more in control. She wanted him to hurt as much as she was. She wanted the universe to know how cruel it was to watch someone you loved die. Someone innocent, that deserved better.
    Why have I been tortured with seeing all my family members die one by one? Why?
    The tears flowed down her face freely now, the wet trails burning her cheeks. With still shaking hands, Maddelyn pulled Serra’s limp body backwards, cradling the tiny frame of her niece in her lap like a baby.
    Draco moved to help her, but Maddelyn flashed him a warning glance that stilled him.  She hugged Serra to her chest and rocked their bodies together, smoothing the blond curls away from the child ’s face.
    Maddelyn should have been more prepared for this moment. Everyone who had contracted this sickness had eventually died. Everyone . Friends. Family members. Lovers. But losing little Serra was the worst kind of pain for her heart to bear. Not only was she the last blood relative Maddelyn had, Serra was the last connection Maddelyn had to her heart. The one tiny space that had not been hardened by war, sickness, and death. The death of Serra was a hole in Maddelyn’s chest that ached, a descending blackness that she was unsure she would come back from at all.
    Maddelyn hummed as she rocked her niece, resting her cheek on top of the head of blond curls. Time had no meaning as it passed. Back and forth. Back and forth. Though she still sobbed, no more tears ran down her face. It was as if her body didn ’t have the capacity to make anymore, even if the sadness had no end itself. 
    After a time, Draco gently touched Maddelyn ’s arm and she froze. She blinked at him rapidly, her eyes trying to focus. Her brain seemed to be having issues processing information.
    “Maddelyn, it’ s almost dawn.”
    Maddelyn furrowed her brow as confusion swept over her at his words. What did dawn have to do with anything?
    “We need to take care of Serra, Maddelyn. And we need to do it before dawn. Otherwise, we will be seen.” His hand moved to the child’ s cheek, one finger traveling over it gently.
    Maddelyn stared, her mind a blank as a darkened numbness to spread over her. It flooded through her body, cold and sharp, and disconnected her from everything. It was like watching a movie of herself, yet being aware that she was the one who should be experiencing the events.
    What did he say? That they needed to take care of Serra?
    She licked her lips, her mind racing to allow her to form the words she needed. “Serra is dead,” she croaked. Her voice was flat, emotionless. It sounded alien to her ears.
    “Yes.  And we need to take care of her resting place.”
    Maddelyn licked her lips again, her mouth still dry. “Serra is dead.”
    Draco cupped her chin in his hands and looked intently into her eyes. The concern that shimmered in the golden depths faintly registered through her fog. “Yes, Serra is dead. And we need to bury her. Do you understand?”
    Maddelyn ’s head nodded, though her mind felt unaware of the action. She spoke in that voice that sounded, but didn’t feel like, her own. “Behind the house is a place. Her parents are there.”
    Draco reached out towards Maddelyn. She cocked her head, confused, then realized he was asking her to pass him Serra ’s body. Reluctantly, Maddelyn relinquished the hold she had on the little girl and clambered to unsteady feet.
    She watched as Draco wrapped Serra in a sheet from her bed, swaddling her lifeless form like one does an infant. For an instant, a pang of despair smacked her in the stomach and she doubled over in pain, gasping for breath. Draco started toward her, but she held her hand out to stop him as the black numbness took control once more. With