Chapter 725: Time to Breathe
For several minutes after Isabell spoke, Ashlynn sat in near perfect stillness on the soft carpet before the hearth. Only the sounds of the crackling fire and the falling rain on the terrace outside filled the sitting room while everyone waited nervously to hear how Ashlynn would respond to Isabell’s words.
"I need some time to think," Ashlynn finally said, lifting her head and looking around at the chaos her loss of control had brought to her room. From the scorched rug to the door that Virve broke in her haste to reach Ashlynn’s side, even the puddles that formed after Heila charged in from the terrace, leaving the door open and swaying in the wind, in order to reach Ashlynn a few seconds sooner.
All of it combined to make it look like a fight had broken out in Ashlynn’s sitting room, and perhaps one had.
It was the people, however, who truly tore at Ashlynn’s heart. Heila stood anxiously at her side, trembling ever so slightly as if she were afraid to make a move. Her soft ringlets, usually styled neatly around her horns, hung limp and wet around her face, dripping more cold water onto the floor. Virve only looked better by comparison, but the veteran soldier’s eyes never stopped moving from person to person and the open doors to the room as if she was afraid some new threat would emerge to strike at Ashlynn while she was vulnerable.
Isabell’s appearance was the most heartrending. Heila and Virve had both come rushing because they felt Ashlynn’s pain, but Isabell had stood at the center of the storm, refusing to leave Ashlynn as she confronted the powerful witch with painful truths. Now, her skin was burned, her hair disheveled, and it was clear that her body had been battered by mystical forces beyond anything the aging engineer should ever endure from a friend.
"Isabell," Ashlynn said softly, lowering her head in shame for a moment before forcing herself to meet the other woman’s steely-eyed gaze. "I’m so sorry. I didn’t... I should never hurt someone who cares for me enough to tell me what you did. I..."
"Don’t," Isabell interrupted curtly. "Whatever you’re going to say, don’t."
"Master Isabell," Heiala began, clutching Ashlynn’s arm as she felt the powerful witch flinching back from Isabell’s words. "I know that..."
"Shush," Isabell said, holding up a hand, making a sharp motion as if she was cutting through the diminutive woman’s words. "I said, don’t say it because I don’t need to hear it. You think I’ve never seen someone lose control of themselves when they hear the worst, most heartbreaking news they’ve received in their entire life?"