I prayed they didn’t. He had too much to answer for.
“You’re not going with them?” I asked Nikella.
She shook her head. “Renwell most likely went back to the ship. He’ll leave now that he got what he came for. We need to gather the dead and the injured and start treating?—”
“Princess,” a voice croaked from the ground.
I dropped to my knees next to Yarina. Her eyes were open, but still unfocused. Until they narrowed in on my hand.
“What in the bloody Abyss are you doing with my Soul Stealer?” she growled.
A painful smile pinched my cheeks. “Protecting your ungrateful ass. You can yell at me later. We need to get out of here first.”
“In a moment.” Nikella nudged me aside and examined Yarina’s head and eyes. “Pupils look normal. If you feel nauseous at all, lie back down.”
Yarina huffed. “I’m fine.”
I threaded my arm under her shoulders and helped her sit up.
“What happened to your face?” she grumbled. “It looks like you were?—”
Her words cut off. I followed her gaze to where Davka’s body rested.
Yarina let out a blood-curdling scream and pitched herself forward. She fell on her hands and knees and crawled to her sister, sobbing her name.
My body shook and my eyes burned at her wild grief.
Nikella gripped my shoulder. “Stay with her,” she whispered.
I stumbled forward. Nikella didn’t know why Davka died. Neither did Yarina. I slowly stepped closer to her. She’d curled over Davka’s chest, hugging her tightly.
I could simply comfort her. Tell her how sorry I was. That I’d lost my parents and my siblings’ fate was uncertain. I could lie and say I had no idea how Davka had died. I could tell a partial truth and say she’d died a true warrior. But not because of me.
Not my fault. I don’t want it to be my fault.
My thoughts—the lies and truths—tangled with each other until they were a knot of fear in my mind.
I sank to my knees next to Yarina. I hesitated, then placed my hand on her shoulder as she wept.
“Sh-she can’t be dead. She’s the strongest. The best. How did she die? Those fucking Wolves! I’ll send their souls to the Abyss and tear their bodies to pieces for this.” Yarina gasped for air, tears mixing with dirt and blood on her pale cheeks. “Fucking Four, was she alone? Why wasn’t I there? I could’ve saved her and I didn’t.Why wasn’t I there, Kiera?”
I closed my eyes at the onslaught of her grief. I remembered staring down at Mother’s body and demanding the same thing of myself.
Why didn’t you go with her? Why didn’t you see the danger she was in? Her last moments were filled with fear because you weren’t there to save her. To love her. She was stolen from you, and you’ll never get her back.
My eyes flew open, and the truth spilled out. “Davka died saving my life.”
Yarina jerked away from my touch. “You . . . She . . .”
I swallowed hard and forced myself to continue. “She was the better warrior, which was why the Wolf tried to stab her in the back. I... I was with her in her final moments.”
Yarina’s bloodshot eyes filled with more tears. “Did she suffer? Did she ask for us?”
Gods, this hurt more than any battle wound.
“She didn’t suffer long,” I murmured. “I tried to stop the bleeding, to tell her we could heal her. But she shook her head and... and...”
Yarina curled her fingers over my clasped hands.
