The woman's eyes widened—just a fraction, just enough to show that some part of her still remembered how.
He was dying. Bleeding out on top of her. And he was asking if 'she' was hurt.
Her mouth opened slightly. Closed. No sound came out.
She just stared.
"Young master!" Mira's scream dragged his attention back. "Stay with me! Please, gods, please stay with me!"
Across the room, Kaida finally managed to get to her feet. Her legs felt like water. Her hands wouldn't stop shaking.
She'd seen death before. Had killed before. It was part of the job—part of being a guard, a soldier, whatever the fuck she'd been before all this.
But watching Mira—watching her sister break down, watching her scream and sob and press her hands uselessly against wounds that wouldn't stop bleeding—
That was different.
"I didn't mean—" The words stuck in Kaida's throat. Her eyes burned. "Sister, I was trying to—"
