Later, in a place far from the village
The Padishah crossed his arms and stared at the flames dancing over the woman on the pyre. The silken shroud that cocooned her body valiantly resisted the flames—a final, desperate fight to preserve her beauty from the infernal halo surrounding it. And through the translucent gossamer draped over her face, the woman’s porcelain skin refused to brown or crack, instead only growing more radiant with every searing moment.
In life and in death, she--the last elected Lightning Shadow of Cloud--had always been tenacious. He had admired that about her above all else, even when they’d fought, and even when she’d finally driven him away—to death, even—with her maddening desire for the one thing he could not give her back.
Don’t lie to me. You wanted her back. She was no mere daughter-figure to you.
He drew a breath in, and notes of juniper and allspice stung his sinuses. He disliked it when the other voice spoke, for it had a bad habit of being truthful most of the time. We were in my homeland now. That means you’re to keep quiet.
Had you listened to my counsel, we could’ve spirited her away from here. Alive. Instead, you embarked on foolishness, though I daresay I enjoyed playing a priest again. Did you really think that your old home would be as worthy a place as you left it? You should’ve stayed if you didn’t want everything to go to shit. And now the woman you loved is dead. Satisfied?
The Padishah nodded his head. Very much so. He has changed, that mountain I once called a friend. Now I have no qualms about erasing this place from the world.
Then we should head back. Mobilize the Army. Bring Liberation to this place. Show them the Way.
With a flash of light, the body was finally overcome by the flames. The change was instantaneous, from marble beauty to shimmering sublimation. And when the Padishah let out a final, quavering sigh, the delicate embers crumbled into nothingness.
He turned to face the two figures on bent knee. “Aslatiel, Lucatiel. We leave tonight. When we return, we will turn this land to ash.”