Her jaw tightened as another thought—another wound—surfaced. “And Symond?”
Tehvan flinched.
“He took my punishments. Every one of them for years. Because of you.” She searched his face for any sign of regret.
Tehvan’s mouth opened, but no words came.
Elora swallowed hard, struggling to say what she needed him to hear. “He… he pinned me down. He spit in my…” She bit the inside of her cheek, willing her lips not to tremble. “I don’t blame him for what he did to me.” Her arms wrapped tightly around chest. “He deserved to be angry. To hate me.”
Tehvan froze. His whole body tensed, eyes wide, mouth slightly agape. When he finally looked at her, there was nothing restrained about his horror. He dragged his hand down his face, as if to wipe away the sickening look, but it clung tohim.
“Elora… I…” His hands twitched at his sides like he wanted to reach for her, comfort her. But he didn’t. “It wasn’t meant to be like that. Thorn wasn’t supposed to single any one student out; he wasn’t supposed to torture him like he did. He twisted everything.”
“He’s your brother. You know the man he is, and you agreed anyway.”
Tehvan’s gaze dropped. “I tried to help Symond. I confronted Abernathy—so many times—he said he’d lighten up on the boy. And I thought he did. But Symond just became worse.” Tehvan shrugged, his shoulders drooping.
Did he try to help?Elora wanted to pin the blame squarely on Thorn. It would be simpler that way. But she couldn’t. Tehvan still gave him permission. Even if he tried to fix things later, just one punishment meant for her, inflicted on someone else, was too many.
“And the trials?” Her voice sharpened, bitterness creeping in. “Thorn said I was always going to fail. That no matter what I did, he would never let me pass” Her jaw clenched. “But the worst part… He didn’t have to do anything. I failed all on my own. Because of how you raised me.”
His expression tightened. “Elora—”
“You taught me compassion. You taught me to think for myself, to believe the world wasn’t cruel. And look where that got me. I tried to save Arria, and it ruined everything.” Her voice cracked; anger tangled with grief. “You raised me for the world you wanted, not the one we live in.”
Tehvan’s lips formed a tight line, but when he spoke, his voice was steady. “And I’d do it again.”
She blinked, taken aback. “What?”
“I won’t apologize for raising you to be better than this place,” he said, gesturing vaguely toward the walls around them. “I refused to mold you into an empty husk as the others were. You weren’t supposed to become another obedient tool for The Empire.”
His gaze softened. “You sought to save your friend. That wasn’t failure, Elora. That was humanity. You chose compassion over cruelty. If that’s what cost you the trials, so be it.”
She buried her face in her hands, digging her nails into her forehead. This was all becoming too much. She wanted to believe all of it. She’s not Florence’s replacement. He was protecting her from Thorn. He tried to help Symond. He raised her right. That was her limit at this moment. The rest of his words: the doubts, the excuses, and conveniences, she needed to bury those away.
“I’ve been tracking the ship schedules.” She felt Tehvan’s arms wrap around her, pulling her into him. “I’ll help you escape from here. I promise. Just give me some time.”
She couldn’t move, couldn’t accept the embrace or push him away. If she pushed him away, if she rejected his words, she would have no one. She would be alone, and that thought scared her far more than his lies or betrayals. She would worry about that after he got her out of here. If it was even possible.
Chapter 20
Elora
Shewas unable to breathe, to think straight. Her mind was a blur of anger and hurt, Tehvan’s words echoing over and over in her head.
A tremor ran through her hands as she crouched back down by the flowerbeds, trying to resume her task. She clutched at the ground, her fingers trembling too much to grip anything properly. The tears she had fought to hold back now came spilling down her cheeks, each drop hitting the earth beneath her. No matter how hard she tried, it was impossible to stop them.
Elora sniffed, wiping her face roughly with the back of her hand. She had to pull herself together. She couldn’t let anyone see her like this. But the overwhelming wave of betrayal and grief was too unbearable, and the sobs shook her shoulders.
She was so focused on trying to suppress her emotions that she didn’t hear the footsteps approaching her.
A voice suddenly broke the silence, smooth and edged with amusement. “The new ones always cry so much at first.”
Elora froze, her hands submerged in the cool, gritty soil. A bead of sweat traced down her temple as she glanced over her shoulder.Gerard stood behind her, towering over her with his usual smirk playing on his lips. Another guard loitered beside him, arms crossed, looking more bored than interested.
Elora’s stomach clenched painfully. They had seen her. They knew. She was going to be punishedseverely.
Before she had a chance to speak, Gerard reached out, grasping her arm firmly enough to pull her to her feet.
