I don’t know how long I kneel beside the bed, holding her hand.
Long enough that my tears finally dry up.
Long enough that the sun sinks behind the drawn curtains, and more sconces flare to life around my room.
Torin hasn’t moved from his vigil by the door. His arms are crossed tight against his chest as if the action can hold him together.
My breathing slows, and my mind and body are numb when firm hands grab under my arms and pull me from the floor.
Cedar and rain.
“Shhhh,” he murmurs, holding me firmly to his chest. “I’m here. I’m here. You’re not alone.”
It’s all my fault. If I had fixed the magic sooner, maybe it would have been strong enough to bring her back. I should have worked faster, harder. I should have been better and this wouldn’t have happened.
Lachlan rubs a hand down my back while the other holds me to him.
“I was too late,” I cry. “It’s all my fault,”
Someone clears their throat and I feel Lachlan lean away from me to look at whoever it was.
“Aye.” His voice rumbles through my ear that I have pressed against his chest.
A small hand squeezes my arm. Luna.
I turn my head to the other side to meet her gaze.
“You did not do this.”
Her eyes shine, the tears she’s holding back threatening to spill over. Her nose wrinkles as she fights through it. “You did not do this.”
She gives me a stiff nod before whirling on a heel and taking up position next to other people who have gathered by the door.
Evander, Tane, Mathilda, and Torin.
All standing side by side.
Tears sparkle in the candlelight as they trail down Mathilda’s cheeks. She leans for comfort or support, into Tane’s side. His face is shadowed by the furrowing of his large brow.
No one makes a move to leave. They’re here with me. I’m not alone.
The grief wells up and overtakes me, dragging me into the depths of its despair.
I’ve been here before. I know what this is like. I was alone then, wallowing in the grief my parents left behind and Gran’s subsequent diagnosis. But I’m not alone this time.
Breathing through the pain, I embrace it.
Footsteps echo down the hall, someone running, and quickly.
“Lena!” Mina screams.
Her boots skid to a stop on the marble floor as she catapults through the door. As her eyes lock onto Gran’s still body before meeting my own, she forces a swallow. “I’m so sorry. But you need to come with me.Now.Something is happening with the rune.”
Istomp across the room. Anger pulsing through me with each step away from Gran. I don’t even check to see if anyone follows me out the door, but I know they do.
Mina leads the way, her scarred wings still out. I’m so close to her that I wouldn’t even have to stretch out my arm to grasp one of her feathers.
“As soon as I landed, it was fully golden. Not flickering anymore,” she says over her shoulder.
