Llyniel screwed her eyes shut, swallowed a sob that almost escaped her. “It’s me that should throw herself at his feet, me! I just stood there, damn it, unable to free myself of Aralas’ clutches. I stood frozen as I watched my world stand still, my heart as it stopped, my soul as it faded away.” She stood so suddenly that her chair toppled backwards. “I just stood there and watched them die! I’m no mother, no lover, no soulmate. I deserve nothing but misery!”
