"We have an old tradition, dating back to the time before the mortal and immortal worlds were split," Jule said. "There are three of us who can release a Guardian's soul." He knelt beside Sean's body as he spoke.
"What happens if they're not released?" she asked.
"They're imprisoned in their bodies for eternity. They know no peace."
Her throat tightened at his words. She couldn't help thinking of all the Guardians buried in her yard. Jule's next words were low and in a tongue she didn't understand. The hand he rested on Sean's forehead glowed bright in the fog. Jule's hand grew too bright to look at directly, and a small ball formed in his palm. He tossed it in the air, and it dissipated into sparkles that floated upward.
Sean's body collapsed beneath the blanket, and the ocean's wind whipped the cloth into the air. Rourk snatched it before it flew away.
"Farewell, brother," he said.
Yully wiped her eyes, touched by the scene before her. Rourk passed her, the blanket clenched in his arms. She watched him go before facing Jule. Jule's eyes glinted with the magic in his body, and the air around him shimmered in a different power than that of her father. Jule's felt ancient, older than the energy in the cliffs and ocean combined.
He approached her, and she took a step back. He stopped in front of her and gazed down at her with quiet intensity. He didn't touch her, but the magics sparked between them.
"What made you come?" he asked She wiped her eyes again, overwhelmed by his presence yet comforted by the flow of energy between them. He wasn't like anyone else; she didn't have to try to feel his magic. It flowed between them: balanced, calm, powerful.
"It seemed right," she said at last. "I couldn't … I didn't know my father did this. At least I could pay my respects."
"Sean wasn't the first."
"I know," she said with some anger. "I know what he is. I'm sorry for your loss, Jule, but my father, he's all I have. He took me in when no one else would, and he protected me."
"From Guardians, like Sean, who are sworn to protect people like you."
"Look at me, Jule." She indicated the new bruises on her face and neck. "No one could protect me against him if I betrayed him."
"I can." His words were confident and soft.