The Bloodstone Prophecy - Book 2 (complete)

Chapter 41 - The Funeral

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The cemetery that was to be Haji's father's final resting place was small and stark. Row after row of small stones marked the graves. They were small and inconspicuous, as part of the tradition of Haji's faith.

A hot wind swept sand through the small group. Liam glanced over at Kami, who held up a scarf to prevent the sand getting in her eyes.

Haji and a few of his father's closest friends dug his father's grave. He had told them that traditionally it was only the men who buried the dead, but Haji's mother had insisted on being there, and no one could deny the widow of the war hero that right.

Haji's mother stood with one arm around each daughter. She stood erect and strong, with an expression of love and anguish. No tear escaped her eye, but clearly she was bleeding inside.

Before the service, Haji and his mother had performed the ghusal, or the washing. According to tradition, the body had been washed three times, an odd number of washings being necessary. Then Haji's mother had shrouded the body in a white sheet and arranged the body, with his left hand resting on his chest and right hand resting on his left, in a position of prayer. The cloth was secured with ropes, one tied above the head, two tied around the body, and one tied around the feet.

The body had been taken to the mosque for "Salat al-Janazah," or funeral prayers, then transported to the cemetery.

Liam felt someone squeeze his hand, and he looked down into a pair of tired but gorgeous brown eyes. He smiled gently at Kami, and she met his smile with her own. They had stayed with Haji's family the night before. He had awoken to hear her screaming shortly after midnight and had rushed to her side. As he held her in his arms, she had told him her dream.

She was kneeling in the sand, the wind whipping through her hair. She heard a loud crack as a bolt of lightning hit the ground. Dazed and blinded by the bright light, she shielded her eyes. As her eyes adjusted, she could see a large blackened spot where the lightning had hit. The ground began to shake, and the black sand trembled, and something pushed up through the surface. The black thing stirred and moved, then limbs unfolded and the thing stood. It was a charred human.

Coughing and covering her nose to try to block out the pungent smell of burnt flesh, Kami scooted away from the strange being. As she watched, the charred shell cracked. Lava ran beneath the cracks and crisscrossed the human's body in all directions. Suddenly the pieces crumbled from the human's head, revealing the face beneath.

It was the shadow queen!

She was formed of fire, but there was no mistaking her haughty features. She slowly raised her arms until her body formed a cross. Kami heard another crack, and the charred pieces fell from her body. There she stood, a queen formed of fire. She grew brighter and brighter, and with another crack, her body transformed into the Phoenix. The Phoenix spread its wings and rose into the air, radiating waves of heat in all directions.

Kami felt an intense burning, then looked down to realize to her horror that her clothes were on fire. She screamed and awoke.

It had taken almost an hour for her to fall back asleep. Liam looked forward to the day when the memories would fade and they would be able to feel peace again.

He thought back to the cave. He marveled at the way Kami had moved with such confidence in the cave healing the people. Even with her tangled hair and her face smeared with dirt, he had never seen a vision more lovely. She wasn't the same girl he'd met on the plane. Alone. Timid.

Something had changed in her, something profound. He longed to have more than a moment alone with her to get to know the new Kami.

Next to Kami sat Yasmin and her grandparents. On the other sat Chris and his aunt and sister. Glancing over at Chris, Liam could see that although he wasn't crying, his red swollen eyes betrayed the tears that must have kept him awake much of the night. His little sister, Lora, clutched his hand. She was petite, with a long strawberry blonde braid over one shoulder. She wore a red jumper, and she kept staring up at her brother, as if she was rediscovering him over and over.