The shattered remnants of Yara's shield crackled, sending a pulse of jagged energy across the forest. Her legs trembled, and she dropped to one knee, her chest heaving with each strained breath.
The exhaustion crushed her; every ounce of energy drained into maintaining the barrier had left her feeble and vulnerable. She cursed herself under her breath, her mind clouded with guilt.
I almost collapsed in front of them again, she thought, her eyes darting to Val, whose gaze was now piercing and full of frustration.
"Dammit, Yara," Val muttered, his voice hoarse with a mixture of anger and concern. "I told you to stop!"
I'm a liability. The thought was bitter in her mind as she pushed herself up, feeling the magic inside her ebb away like a slow tide. She didn't want to be the one holding them back, didn't want to be the fragile link in the chain.
