"Curse! Forbidden magic! I did no such thing. I died once on the battlefield, fighting alongside my brothers and sisters. I felt helpless and cried out to the gods to help and give me the strength to defeat my enemies. I felt the cold darkness of bàs pull me into her bosom only to release me, giving me a new life. When I opened my eyes to see the slaughter and devastation that wracked our lands and clans, I felt and heard our brothers and sister crying out to me from the grave. I took their sacrifice and pledged to revenge their deaths." Euan walked over to Lochlan, grabbing his shoulders. "Lochlan, brother, it is time we take our lands back. Take revenge for our people. Fight with me."
"Fight with you?" Lochlan scoffed, brushing off Euan's hands. "And what happens when the rest of us die on the battlefield?"
"You will not die, Lochlan." Euan smiled, and Alistaire felt a shiver run down his spine. “We know of the power Olivia possess…”
"I will not listen to your forked tongue, Euan Gillies. As I said before, I will not align myself with traitors."
"Traitor! The traitor here is you, Lochlan McBain. You tried to slay me like our enemies, and yet you say I have a forked tongue." He turned to look around the room. "You have a traitor in your midst, but it is not me." He cackled. "Do you want me to tell them what you're hiding, or would you like to do the honors?"
"I'm not hiding anything from my people," Lochlan defended.
"You're such a man of confidence, Lochlan McBain," Euan sneered. "If only you’d sided with me, I wouldn’t reveal your secret to your clan.”
“I have no secrets, Euan Gillies.”
“A righteous man are ye, Lochlan McBain.” Euan snorted, shaking his head. “Let’s see if your clan still sees you as a righteous man when they learn you were aiding our enemies in killing our brothers and sisters."
The occupants in the room gasped, and Olivia rushed to Lochlan’s side. "Lochlan would never do something so heinous. He...we have remained neutral and will continue to do so. Your words hold no weight here, Euan Gillies."
Euan looked at Olivia, and his eyes softened in adoration of her. "To have a lassie like you by my side would be glorious. Your strong belief in your càraid makes me want you even more."
Lochlan raised his sword, pointing it directly at Euan Gillies’s head. "You speak false words against my good name as you lust after my càraid. I will disembowel you this time."
"False words?" Euan chuckled, reaching into his leather bottoms and pulled out a parchment, holding it up high for everyone to see. "This is my proof that Lochlan has been working with the other side. After returning from the dead, I wondered how the enemy knew of our movements and formation. Then in the second wave of battle, I intercepted a message sent to our enemies stating our position in detail with the McBain stamp on it. My goal was to stop them from attacking. But I was too late...we had already lost the war."
"Lochlan, how could you," Tivion shouted. Others joined in and called Lochlan a traitor as well as for his death.
"Don't listen to him," Olivia growled. "He's lying."
Euan scoffed, shaking his head. "Are you going to stand there and not defend yourself, Lochlan McBain?"
Lochlan sheathed his sword then took Olivia in his arms. Alistaire stood in his hiding spot, watching as his parents stared into each other’s eyes. They had a deep connection where they could use words without moving their lips. Alistaire saw tears roll down Olivia's face before Lochlan kissed her, then pulled her into his arms.
"I'll wait for you, my Olivia. Take care of our young one. Now go." He pushed her behind him to face the crowd of people calling for his death.
"Before I die, I, Lochlan McBain, chieftain of the McBain clan, will not claim innocence or guilt to words." The entire room of people grumbled at his words. He walked over to Tivion, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You were right, my brother. I am a coward for standing by, knowing that our sisters and brothers were dying at the enemy’s hands. But I do not regret keeping our people safe." He grabbed Tivion by his neck and pulled him close, whispering in his ear. Tivion's eyes widened, and Lochlan stepped back from the man whose knees buckled before falling to the ground.
"I..." Tivion gagged. "I..." He reached out for Lochlan, and that was when everyone saw the blood on his hand and the dagger in his stomach.
"Lochlan,mo ghaoil. Don't do this," Olivia cried.
He turned and cupped her cheek. "I must, Olivia. Or our son will grow up with the stigma of me as his father. Now go, take him far away from this place."
"No, I won't leave you," she screamed.
"Think of our boy, Olivia. He will need his mother." He pulled her into a kiss, then pressed their foreheads together. “I will wait for you in the afterlife, my càraid.”
He looked at the side and motioned for someone to take her out of the room. However, she fought them tooth and nail, refusing to leave Lachlan's side.
“Lochlan, don’t do this!”
Alistaire's little mind couldn't register what was happening. His father had just killed a member of their clan.
"Get her and my son out of here," Lochlan yelled and turned his focus to the room.
Alistaire didn't see what happened to his father because he was picked up and carried out of the hiding spot he thought no one knew was there. He was taken to another room with his mother, who banged against the door, crying and screaming until her hands bled.
"Màthair, where is Athair?" Alistaire cried, pulling on his mother's frock. He was scared and didn't know what was happening. He wanted his mother to stop crying and his father to hold and tell him that everything was going to be okay.
