Cecilia had already fled the scene. Laina no longer had a target. Using the moment of distraction, Thorne ran up to Laina and hugged her from behind. It grimaced as the flames of fire and sun engulfed him too.
He leaned in close to her and whispered in her ear, "It's alright, Laina. You did it. You've saved us all. Rest now."
Laina blinked. Thorne's voice got through to her. The flames began to simmer down and fizzle out. As soon as she came to her senses, Laina dropped to the ground gasping for air. She did not know what had just happened.
One moment, she was losing consciousness from being strangled. The next, she was released. What had happened in between was a mystery to her.
"Laina! Oh, thank the heavens you're alright!" Margaret cries as she hugged Laina tightly.
"She's far from alright. We need to get her to bed at once," Thorne said solemnly as he pointed to Laina's hand.