ELEMENTS: Acquiesce by Kathryn Andrews (snow like ashes series .TXT) 📕

“No, no it doesn’t,” said Triton quietly, “now let’s try and resolve this calmly.”

“Calmly?! Whoever did this should be expelled immediately. I bet it was that new girl. I knew she was trouble.”

“You can’t throw around accusations without any proof Morwen,” said Triton.

Morwen scowled at him. “I want a full investigation.”

“Don’t you think if anyone knew anything they would have come forward by now?” said Mazu.

“By now?” said Morwen. “How long have I been in there?”

The staff exchanged sideways glances.

“No more than a few days,” said Triton.

“A few days!” shrieked Morwen. “Didn’t anyone think to do something?”

“Why do you think we came back?” asked Mazu.

“We’re here to investigate your disappearance,” said Triton.

“Well you didn’t make a very good job of it,” moaned Morwen. “Looks like I’ll have to do my own investigating. Heads will roll for this! I want every student questioned, starting with Cordelia.”

Triton and Mazu looked at each other, talking in code with their eyes.

“What is it?” snapped Morwen, “What are you hiding from me?”

“Cordelia is unwell,” explained Amatheia, “she’s on complete bed rest. If you want to conduct your own investigation you’ll have to start with the other students.”

Marilla smiled, relieved that Morwen had no memory of what happened and confident that nobody else would either, aside from Cordelia.

“Trust you to find this amusing,” scowled Morwen. “I expect you’ve all been having a good laugh at my expense.”

“Nobody’s been laughing at you,” said Wade. “We’ve all been quite concerned.”

“Not concerned enough to find me or the culprits responsible,” replied Morwen.

“We’re not making much progress bickering amongst ourselves,” said Triton. “I think it’s time we got on with the day. If anyone needs me I’ll be in the lookout with Irvin.”

In the coming days, Morwen interviewed the entire student body, all except for Cordelia, but nobody had any answers. Amatheia took care of Cordelia, Triton and Irvin kept watch from the lookout and the rest of the staff continued with indoor lessons. Meanwhile, newspapers began to circulate the town with tales of the premature deaths and the landlord who was never found.

A funeral had taken place for Conall and William within two days of their tragic deaths. Keeva hadn’t spoken a word since that fateful night, she had mostly observed her own reflection in the mirror, her father’s parting gift now evident on her cheekbone. She knew it would soon fade but for now it was a reminder of the last time his hand touched her delicate face, the last mark he had made on this earth. Dressed in white she walked in silence behind Misty and the cart that carried her brothers to church. The somber sound of the church bells jarred in her head while crows squawked loudly from the rooftops. She stared at one, its beady eyes staring straight back at her. It squawked again even louder as it flew straight towards her. Keeva cowered and covered her head with her arms. There was no one to comfort her. The babes were too young to understand and were being looked after by a neighbour, her mother was a train wreck walking beside her and Breck was riding Misty. She looked at the ground, unable to rest her eyes on the two coffins in front of her. People assumed business had been going well but in truth they’d paid with the few gems that her father had found in the fire. With every footstep the sound of Misty’s hooves and the wheels of the cart became more prominent, drowning out even the church bells until they were all she could hear. The cart stopped outside the entrance to the church and Keeva stepped aside, away from the sea of black mourning clothes. Her shoulders shook as she started to cry. Breck jumped down from the cart and walked over to her.

“Come on,” said Breck, softly.

“I can’t,” she sobbed.

“We’ll go in together,” said Breck.

“I can’t look at the coffins,” said Keeva, her voice breaking.

“Come on, they’ll be starting, it’s your last chance to say goodbye properly.”

Keeva reluctantly walked into the church with Breck. The stale, musty air hit her immediately, causing her to sneeze and the wooden floor creaked beneath her feet. The church was packed with people, many of whom she didn’t recognise, stunned mourners who had come together to pay their respects for what had become a very public tragedy in an otherwise quiet town. It became apparent that to live in Kilfearagh was both a blessing and a curse. Breck held Keeva’s hand and pulled her towards the front but she resisted, instead choosing to sit several rows back. Her chin wobbled uncontrollably and when she glanced up at Breck, his chin was wobbling too. The sight of seeing a man cry made her even more emotional. As the mourners sang Abide With Me, a river of tears poured from Keeva’s eyes to the point that she couldn’t see clearly. From that point the service was a blur. At the graveside, Keeva reached out and held her mother’s hand as the coffins were lowered and tears fell in slow motion to the ground. After the burial, Keeva returned to the tavern with her mother and Breck, immediately returning to her room without speaking another word.

When her condition allowed, Cordelia was visited in her chamber by Trition and Mazu. She was reluctant to speak at first, blaming herself for the deaths and for putting the school and the Kingdom of Meren in danger.

“You’ve come to expel me, haven’t you,” she eventually said, laying in bed with her arms folded.

“Not at all,” said Triton, his voice calm.

“Nixie was right, I wasn’t ready,” continued Cordelia, completely missing Triton’s response.

“We all need to try harder to protect the town folk,” said Triton. “That’s why it’s best they don’t