"You must hate me now," Quen sobbed. "You've always been so nice to me and you helped me with my magic and I ruined it." She knew how he felt about her, but she thought— Well, it didn't matter what she thought. She had been wrong.
But still. She couldn't leave Merri standing there. She felt terrible, but he obviously felt terrible, too. She sniffed and wiped her eyes with her sleeve, swallowing her tears. She took a deep breath and straightened up.
She didn't turn back toward Merri. She didn't want her face to give her away. "I'm sorry, Merri," she said in a quiet voice that was still a bit shaky, but no longer thick with tears. "I'm- I'm fine. You don't have to stay."