Page 125 of Betrayer

I inhale sharply as Luc stares at me with enough fury to murder me where I sit.

“Heal him, Kyanite. Or I will slice your throat.”

Heal Hector?

My heart shudders at the reality, the truth. I can never give Mother the peace she deserves now.

I’m too weak. Too vulnerable. Too drawn to the man lying in the grass.

Before, Hector was an enigma. A shadow. A target.

He wasn’t the man in front of me. He wasn’t Gabriel.

Forgive me, Mother.

I dig deeper into the world of Kyanite magic. Drawing from a different ancient verse—one capable of more powerful healing. The Kyanite healers, who trained me, rarely used it since it always took so much from them.

The words slip from my lips, the utterance a plea to Olah. To the ground beneath us. To the trees wavering. To my heart, pounding against my chest.

I chant them over and over again, begging Olah for a reprieve from my folly.I don’t deserve his grace, his redemption. I plead for it anyway.

For Gabriel.

No, for Hector.