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My heart sped up.

I walked slowly towards him.

When I reached his side, I looked down at the girl in his arms. Taina’s eyes were closed.

“Is she...” I stopped, not wanting it to be true.

He looked up at me, his face impassive. “She’ll live. She needs a healer.”

I wondered why he hadn’t already sent for one or begun carrying Taina to the temple. Everyone knew Kasie, the High Priestess, was the best healer in Camelot.

Then I took in the exhaustion on Crescent’s face. The blood. The way he held Taina towards his chest so carefully that I had almost missed the way his own arm was twisted at an unnatural angle.

I opened my mouth to offer to help. Then remembered.

“They came for me.”

He nodded. “I figured as much.”

“Odessa...” I stumbled over the name. I couldn’t finish. Couldn’t say it.

I looked down at Crescent’s face. He was looking at me as if he didn’t want me to continue.

“Don’t,” he said quietly. “Please.”

But I had to tell him. Someone had to know. I couldn’t hide this from him. Not when she had died to save me.

“She’s dead. Odessa is dead.”

The words hung in the air for what felt like an eternity.

I could feel the weight of condemnation without him saying a single word.

Finally I could take it no more.

“She died because of me. She died saving me. Sarrasine—one of my aunts—came here for me. I was going to go with her. Odessa tried to stop me. Sarrasine killed her.”

Still Crescent said nothing. In his arms, I could see Taina’s small chest rising and falling and was strangely grateful to the girl for simply staying alive.

I wanted to tell him it was all right. That I had killed Sarrasine. That it was over.

But somehow, I knew it wouldn’t be much comfort.

“You need to go,” I said, trying to restore his sense of urgency. I couldn’t understand what was taking him so long. “Odessa is dead. But Taina isn’t. You need to take her to the temple.”

I waited for him to tell me I had to join him. That it wasn’t safe for me here.

Instead, he simply looked down at his daughter. “Yes.”

“Go now, Crescent,” I said as gently as I could. “I haven’t seen any more of the...” What was I to call them? My grandfather’s soldiers? “The invaders. I think they’re gone now.”

To my relief, he pushed himself slowly to his feet. Still cradling Taina, he turned towards the door.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Crescent. I didn’t mean for her to die.”

He froze. “I should never have brought her here.”

They were the last words he said as he moved away from me.