"May the heavenly spirit guide the souls of Helena, daughter, wife, and mother…"
They were clustered around Edwin. Each had taken a hold of his coat and had refused to let go. They watched him, his face unreadable, as the priest continued to drone on.
The children hadn't known about Helena and the triplets. They had been mortified when they learned about the prophecy. But Hadrian hadn't wanted any secrets between them.
A secret is like a weed, his grandmother always said, it chokes the healthy plants and steals away their water.
Growing up, Hadrian had always tried to keep secrets from the woman. She had been his only family, and he felt it would be better not to burden her. He never let her in, no matter how hard she tried to be there for him.
Looking back at that, he regretted it.
"And, just as we were ashes in the beginning…"
