Chapter 112: Nirvana - All Apologies
It had been centuries since anyone had clung to him this way. "I am truly sorry. I am."
She pulled back just enough to look into his face, still streaked with tears but steely with resolve. "Promise me you will try."
Morvakar hesitated—for a fraction of a second. Then he nodded. "I promise."
"Is there anything I can do to ease his pain?" she asked.
Morvakar finally gave her the first true smile he’d worn all day. It was crooked. Oddly charming. "Well, that I can do." He stepped back, rolling his neck dramatically. "But I should warn you, it’s going to hurt a bit. So, please don’t stab me again."
Luna managed a weak laugh through her sobs. "You do deserve to be stabbed, if we are being honest."
"True," he agreed, and then spread his hands wide.
The air shimmered like heat above a fire as his fingers began to trace an ancient sigil in the air. Luna felt the change immediately. A tightening at the base of her throat, then a pulsing warmth that built into a sharp, stinging flare.
She gasped, her hand flying to the mark. It glowed fiercely. Her knees buckled slightly as the sting intensified to pain, bright and searing.
"Breathe through it, princess," Morvakar said with far too much enjoyment.
The mark dimmed and finally settled into a soft throb. The pain ebbed. Luna straightened with a ragged breath, sweat beading at her brow.
"You were his poison, now you will be his balm. As long as he is close to you, the pain will be minimal, tolerable."