Chapter 126 Grief and Healing

Chapter 126 Grief and Healing
Three days passed.

Kaela spent most of that time sleeping. Her body demanded rest, and she gave it willingly, sinking into dreamless darkness for hours at a stretch. When she woke, Maren was forced to eat. Soup thick with vegetables. Fresh bread still warm from the oven. Tea that tasted of honey and something herbal that made her muscles unclench.

Dagon stayed close. He slept in the room next to hers, and she often woke to find him sitting by her bed, watching over her. They didn't talk much. Didn't need to. His presence was enough.

On the third morning, she finally felt strong enough to face the world again.

She found the others gathered in Maren's common room. Louise sat by the window, staring at nothing, with dark circles under her eyes. Taren hovered near her, close but not touching, offering comfort she seemed unable to accept. Brin was reading, his face hidden behind a thick book, processing grief the only way he knew how.

And Selene sat alone in the corner.

The girl who had once been Kaela's enemy looked hollowed out. Empty. She hadn't spoken more than a handful of words since Vanya's death. Hadn't eaten much. Hadn't slept, judging by the shadows beneath her eyes.

Kaela crossed the room and sat beside her.

"Hey."

Selene didn't respond.

"I never thanked you. For what you did in the arena. Fighting beside us. Protecting Vanya until the end."

"I didn't protect her." Selene's voice came out rusty, unused. "She's dead."

"She's dead because she chose to save me. That's not your fault."

"I was supposed to look after her. She was younger than me. Scared all the time. And I promised her parents that I would keep her safe." Selene's hands clenched in her lap. "Now they're all dead. Aunt Aria. Uncle Valen. Vanya. I'm the only one left."

"You're not alone. You have us."

Selene laughed bitterly. "Us. The commoner from the slums and the general's children. A year ago, I would have spit on all of you."

"A year ago, you did spit on us. Multiple times."

"And now look at me. Sitting in a healer's hovel, orphaned and broken, being comforted by the girl I tormented." Selene finally looked at her. "How did everything change so fast?"

"The Emperor changed it. He destroyed our world and forced us to build a new one." Kaela held her gaze. "You can be part of that new world, Selene. You can help us make sure nothing like this ever happens again."

"Why would you want my help? After everything I did?"

"Because people can change. Because holding grudges takes energy I don't have. And because..." Kaela hesitated. "Because Sophia believed in second chances. She would want me to give you one."

Selene's eyes glistened. "I was horrible to her. Called her names. Made fun of her magic."

"I know."

"And she saved my cousin's life anyway. During the trial. Without asking for anything in return."

"That's who Sophia was. She saw the best in people, even when they didn't deserve it."

Tears spilt down Selene's cheeks. She didn't wipe them away.

"I don't know how to be good," she whispered. "I was raised to be cruel. To see everyone below my station as lesser. How do I unlearn twenty years of poison?"

"One day at a time. One choice at a time." Kaela put her hand over Selene's. "You start by being here. By grieving with people who understand. By letting yourself feel instead of hiding behind walls."

Selene stared at their joined hands. Her breath hitched.

Then she crumpled.

The sob that escaped her was ugly and raw, nothing like the composed, noble girl she had been. Kaela pulled her close, held her while she shook, let her grief pour out without judgment.

The others watched in silence. Louise's expression softened with sympathy. Taren looked away, giving them privacy. Brin lowered his book, his eyes sad but understanding.

They had all lost someone. They all knew this pain.

After a long while, Selene's sobs quieted. She pulled back, wiping her face with shaking hands.

"I must look terrible."

"You look human. That's not a bad thing."

Selene almost smiled. Almost.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "For not giving up on me."

"Don't thank me yet. We have a lot of work to do."

The door opened, and Elena entered, followed by several people Kaela didn't recognise. Council members, she guessed. Important people who wanted to discuss important things.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Elena said, "but there's news. The Emperor..."

She trailed off, her expression complicated.

"What about him?" Dagon asked, appearing in the doorway behind his mother.

"He's asking to see Kaela. Says he has something to tell her. Something about her brother."

The room went still.

Kaela's heart clenched. Kieran. Even now, even at the end, the Emperor was using her brother as a weapon.

"It could be a trick," Louise warned. "One last manipulation."

"Probably." Kaela stood slowly. "But if there's any chance he knows something about Kieran's death, something I don't already know..."

"You have to go," Dagon finished. He didn't look happy about it. "I'm coming with you."

"So am I." Selene rose, her grief momentarily set aside. "Whatever he says, you shouldn't face it alone."

Kaela looked at her friends. Her family. The people who had walked through fire with her and come out the other side.

"All of you," she said. "We started this together. We finish it together."

They left Maren's safehouse as a group, walking toward the prison where the Emperor waited.

One last conversation.

One last chance for answers.

And then, finally, an ending.