No. Please don’t look at me like that.
He was staring at her with a desperate hope that she would undo it. Like he still thought she might fix everything.
“Don’t–” The word was only a breath now, his eyelids heavy.
“I’m so sorry,” she choked out.
The hope in his eyes faded to nothing as they closed. She laid his head gently on the stone floor, her magic pulsing, still wrapped around him like ropes. Its work was done.
He was under.
Bound in the enchanted sleep they’d demanded of her. She kept her hand on his cheek longer than necessary, but she couldn’t bring herself to pull away. As she looked at his sleeping face, something inside her shattered.
Not because she’d failed.
But because she’d succeeded.
What the hells have I done?
She tried to wipe the tears away, but they kept falling even as Henry’s footsteps crunched behind her. His magic hadn’t been needed in the end; Kara had been dangerous enough alone. He knelt beside her.
“You did well, Kara,” Henry said, clearly surprised at how easily she had done it. “He never saw it coming.”
Kara didn’t answer. The words lanced through her.
He never saw it coming.
Henry looked down at Sebastian, unconscious and unmoving. Then back at her – saw the way her shoulders shook, the tears still slipping down her cheeks.
“...Kara?”
She still didn’t speak. He didn’t understand.
Henry placed a gentle hand on her arm. “Why are you crying?”
Kara couldn’t look at him. Her eyes stayed fixed on Sebastian’s face. It was tense even asleep – as if he might wake at any moment and demand to know why she betrayed him. She’d exploited the trust Sebastian rarely gave anyone. But how could she say that to Henry? To him, Sebastian was a traitor, nothing more.
She swallowed, her throat tight. “I’m not meant to use my magic like this.”
“You did what the Council asked. You protected Vallenna, saved lives. You should be proud.”
“Proud?” Kara echoed, her voice hollow.
She watched her magic hum, poisoned with darkness, corrupted by her intent. Sebastian bound with it – like a criminal at her feet. The sight of it made her feel physically ill.
She hated herself. What she’d done.
Henry pulled the satchel roughly from Sebastian’s shoulder and checked inside it. His expression was both awestruck and disgusted.
“All three Shards are here.”
“Good,” she replied.
“We should take them all back to the Council. I don’t know how he got through the protections,” Henry placed his palm against the dark ruby shield. It was unyielding – like stone under his hand. “But I certainly can’t. Fatàn will have to do it.”
Kara just nodded.
Henry sighed and rose, brushing the dust from his knees. “Let’s take him to camp for the night,” he said, voice practical, business-like. “Tomorrow, we ride back to the City.”
