Petra Venj slowed as the sight of two bodies caught her attention; and not Eliksni bodies, but Guardians. Both were familiar, though one much more so.
Cayde-Six, the Hunter Vanguard, laid dead on the floor. One limp hand was still cradling the other Guardianâs head, holding it in the darkness to the still chest.
Corinth didnât look up as she approached, not even as she kneeled down next to him. He didnât want to leave. If he left it would be admitting it was over, that Cayde was dead. That this wasnât a nightmare.
Petra gently removed the dead hand from the young Guardianâs neck, laying it respectfully on the corpsesâ chest. She looks for the familiar white and black gun, to place in the still hands, and she growls when she finds nothing. âHe took the gun too.â Is all she says, feeling misery welling up in her chest, like water threatening to overtake a dam. No, she had to be strong. At least for a little while longer; there would be time to mourn later.
Corinth hadnât moved an inch, his head still pressed to the gap between chin and chest, as if listening desperately for the hint of a spark, or a hiss of electricity through wires; praying for something to mask the horrible silence. Cayde was never silent, never. He couldnât be now.
The young Hunterâs shoulders shake violently, a little eruption threatening total destruction.
She wished he hadnât been here for this. Cayde had been insistent on the kid joining them, to give him some âreal world experienceâ and âget him out of the Towerâ. And while sheâd agreed, hell two Guardians were always better than one, she now felt a gut wrenching sense of guilt rising up from her stomach. If sheâd just have said no..
Carefully, Petra unclips the cape dangling from her shoulders, gently wrapping it around those heaving shoulders. âItâs not your fault,â is all she can say for a moment, as the Exo throws himself into her arms, sparking tears running down his face; mask long since casted off. âLook at me, itâs not your fault, okay? You did better than I did. You did amazing. Itâs not your fault.â
Her hands grasp the child-Exoâs shoulders, firmly pushing him away, to look her in the eye. âItâs not your fault, Corinth. Itâs Uldren Sovâs fault. Donât ever forget that.â
Her words were firm, but she lets the young Hunter fall against her again, patting his back. She could feel tears pricking at her own eye, and she blinks furiously to push them back.
âLetâs get you out of here. Iâll come back with some Corsairs to get..â her words break as she looks back at the body.
The Queenâs Wrath had seen many bodies in her time, and while all of them had been awful to see, there were only a few that hit as hard as seeing Caydeâs; of seeing the death of someone she had admired so much.
She stands slowly, offering Corinth her hands to steady himself, but he didnât get up, unable to force his legs to move, to carry his heavy weight.
âI canât.â He sobs, spark-tears threatening to ignite the remnants of ether clinging to his faceplates. âI canât, Petra. I canât leave him.â
âI know, I know. Iâm so sorry.â She leans down, using her cape around his shoulders to wipe away the staining ether. âBut we need to get out of here.â
The kid suddenly stood bolt upright, looking past the body, towards the shattered wall that Cayde had been flung through.
He runs then, as fast as his leadened legs could stumble him forward, through the gap, frantically looking for something on the ground.
âCorinth? What are- we need to go! Before the wall collapses!â
Corinth didnât pay Petraâs words any heed, searching incessantly. Finally, he stoops down, picking several pieces from the ground. He steps out from the rubble, walking solemnly to Petra with the shattered remains of Sundance; Caydeâs faithful Ghost.
âOkay.â He murmurs, numbly. âLetâs go.â