After I pulled my hands back slowly, I released a breath.
My body felt cold despite the heat radiating from my core that I had just overworked trying to pull the energy out.
Around me, warriors stood in a half-circle, faces shadowed with disbelief and fear of the unknown.
His brother bent down, chopped at his neck with a straight hand to knock him unconscious before lifting the warrior's now limp body against his chest.
"We'll take him back." His voice was rough, choked. He didn't look at me. None of them did.
My lips parted, but no words came out at first. Finally, a whisper escaped, a fragile sound. I felt like I was breaking apart inside. "I'm… I'm sorry."
It wasn't enough. Nothing I said would ever be enough. If only I hadn't kept the secret from them, if only I hadn't accepted the core from Hasef, if only I had been fast enough.
But I wasn't, and I felt the brunt of the guilt that hit me.
I stumbled backward, the weight of countless eyes pressing on me.
