“Give her to me.”
Torin eases Gran out of his arms and into mine. Her frail body is empty. A shell of the woman she once was. The queen that once ruled here.
“I’m so sorry,” Torin mutters to me, while stroking Gran’s arm.
My chest aches as if someone has pulled my heart out roughly through my ribs. I stutter out a breath, trying to pull myself together.
A burning constricts my throat, but I breathe through the pain. “Luna, get a healer and send her to my room.”
Luna vanishes in a puff of black smoke and I pray to the gods she makes it back to me in time. A flash of light has me looking at the two guards standing sentry at the rune. Tension radiates down my spine and I stride towards my room. Her body is so small, so light. It’s not even an effort to carry her.
“Just hold on,” I whisper under my breath. “Hold on.”
The walk to my room takes ages, the hallway stretches out before me, and seconds drag on as if time has slowed. Torin holds the door open as I step through and walk to the bed. With the curtains drawn, the afternoon light can’t fully penetrate the space. So the room is dim. Flames flicker in the sconces as I pass.
I set her down gently on the bed, tucking the stray pieces of her coronet braid back in.
“Gran,” I murmur, hoping she can hear me. “It’s me. You’re home.”
I hold my breath, listening for any sign that she heard me. I cast my eyes to the door, desperately hoping to see Luna or a healer.
“Lena,” Gran breathes.
My head whips back to her. Tears prick my eyes and blur my vision.
“Gran!”
With an excruciating slowness, she opens her eyes. The slate blue has turned a pale gray.She’s fading away. She reaches out to me, cupping my cheek. My tears run down her fingers, but she doesn’t wipe them away.
“It’s almost my time.”
I shake my head. “No. Please don’t go. I need you.”
The smallest of smiles curls her lips as she closes her eyes again.
“Gran, please. Please don’t go. I need help.”
Her eyes crack open again. The gray bordering on white now.
“You don’t need my help, dearie. You already know what to do.” She breathes in and the air in her chest rattles. “Believe in yourself, for you were meant for this life—to be here.You are the true queen.”
She exhales, and her eyes fall closed. Her hand slips from my cheek, falling to the side of the bed.
A sob cracks my heart in two.
My head falls to the bed and I scream, letting the despair take me.
A small hand shakes my shoulder and Luna pulls me from the bed.
“Let the healers try.”
A gray-haired woman with steely eyes walks forward,putting her hand against Gran’s neck. She looks at Luna and shakes her head. “We’re too late.”
Luna’s head drops between her shoulders. Her grip on me slips as I fling myself back to the side of the bed.
“No! There’s magic here. Bring her back. I fixed it! There’s magic here.”
No one moves, no one says anything as I cling to Gran and sob.
