Cailean shook his head. “It isnae a totem.” His eyes met Maggie’s. “It’s a prison.”
Haltingly, he told Maggie of what Rose had discovered. He told her about the stormlights, about what Lir had told Rose and that they planned to seal this prison so the god could not escape.
Maggie’s expression became more and more troubled as he spoke. By the time he’d finished his tale, she was as pale as a landed fish. “Ye canna do this!” she cried. “There must be another way!”
Cailean blinked, taken aback by her reaction. “There is no other way, Maggie. I would have thought ye’d be pleased we know of a way to combat the sickness.”
“Not like this!” she cried. “The price is too high! This clan needs ye, my laird. Catriona needs ye. And we need Rose too. We canna let ye sacrifice yerselves like this!”
Cailean rocked back in his seat. “Sacrifice? What do ye mean?”
Maggie wrung her hands. “Ye intend to seal the prison of a god! Only the strongest magic can achieve such a thing. Blood magic. Sacrifice. And that sacrifice must be made willingly.” She shook her head. “Dinna do this, Cailean. There must be another way!”
Sacrifice? Bood magic? What was she talking about? Rose hadn’t mentioned anything about blood magic.
Cailean suddenly went cold. Of course she hadn’t. Of course she’dmade light of it, made it seem like her magic would be enough as it was. Because if she’d mentioned anything about a sacrifice, she knew he’d stop her.
He jumped from his chair and strode to the door, heart suddenly hammering. “Take care of Cat!” he yelled as he slammed the door behind him.
As he ran from the infirmary towards the keep, he could hear his blood roaring in his ears and feel his heart thumping against his ribs. Only the strongest magic. Blood magic. Sacrifice.
No. She couldn’t. He wouldn’t let her.
Reaching the keep, he raced up the stairs and pelted along the corridor until he reached her room. He pushed the door open without knocking and burst inside.
Rose turned in surprise from where she was standing by the window, holding a hairbrush in one hand. “Cailean? It’s not midday yet.”
“When were ye going to tell me?” he growled. “Or weren’t ye going to bother?”Were ye just going to leave me?
She paled a little but defiance flashed in her eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Dinna lie to me, woman!” he bellowed, grabbing her arms. “Maggie explained it all. She explained that there is only one way to reset the old magic. Blood.Yerblood. Or do ye deny it?”
Her expression tightened. For a second she looked as though she was considering lying, but in the next instant, the defiance went out of her and tears gathered in her eyes instead. “There’s no other way, Cailean.”
“There’s always another way!” he roared. “Dear God, did ye really think I would let ye do this?”
“You can’t ‘let’ me do anything,” she said softly. “This is my choice, Cailean. This is what I came here to do.”
“I dinna give two shits what ye came here to do! I willnae let ye do this, Rose. I canna!”
“Even if it means saving your people? Saving your daughter?”
He recoiled as if she’d slapped him. “That isnae fair.”
Her shoulders slumped. “I know it isn’t. But it’s the truth. The old magic has to be reset, Cailean. It’s the only way to stop the sea god from breaking free and destroying Barra. But the old magic was woven by a goddess, a being way more powerful than I am. The only way I can even hope to match that power is by making a bargain. And the only thing that will be acceptable is a life. My life. My blood. That is how these things work.”
Cailean stared at her, appalled. How could she speak of such things so calmly? Like she was discussing the weather? His heart was thumping so hard he thought it might break his ribs.
He strode over and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Please,” he said. “Dinna do this.” He knew he sounded like he was begging but he didn’t care. Hell, he’d go down on his knees if that’s what it took. He was filled with a cold, gut-wrenching fear that filled his veins with ice and made it difficult to think. No. Not her. Please, God, not her.
He cupped her cheek in his hand. “I’m sorry, Rose. Forgive me.”
Then, before she could react, he slid his hand down, took hold of the thong around her neck, and snapped it with one quick yank. A key dangled from it. He strode out and pulled the door shut behind him. He’d locked the door before Rose had even realized what was happening.
She began thumping on it from the other side. “Cailean? What are you doing? Let me out this minute!”
Cailean pressed his forehead against the door and closed his eyes. That weight was back around his neck again, feeling heavy enough to crush him. “I canna lose ye,” he said, unsure whether Rose could hear him through the thick wood. “I love ye, Rose MacFinnan.”
