>>Aelin
The light in my room had dimmed with the passing hours, but I hadn't bothered to rise and turn on the magic lamps.
I lay curled on the edge of the bed, my cloak still tangled around me, boots half-undone. I hadn't moved since I'd gotten back. The silence here wasn't comforting—it just felt heavy, like the weight of my failure had followed me and settled across my chest, pressing until it was hard to breathe.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her face.
That confused, broken stare.
The way she walked toward me like she believed—for one flickering moment—that something might change. That I might save her.
And I couldn't.
I couldn't save any of them. My magic was useless here.
A soft knock at the door broke the silence, but I didn't answer. I couldn't bring myself to.
A moment later, the door creaked open.
