Her chest suddenly felt all too tight as Andrew winced, bearing his teeth as he shut his eyes.
Donald gave no sign of easing his grip as he glared at Callum and spoke in a strained tone that betrayed his fear. Where theman had been calm and collected just moments before, he now seemed wild and almost deranged. “Talk? Is that what ye think will happen next if I lay down me sword? I have spent years forgin’ documents, threatenin’ lairds, bribin’ clansmen, and even resurrectin’ the names of the dead to earn me place among the clans. Do ye really think I would trust ye enough to simply talk?”
Callum took another step back, keeping his hands raised in the air. “If ye daenae wish to talk, leave the man be, and we can fight like men; there is nae need to spill innocent blood.”
Innocent blood.
Eleanor wrapped her arms around her waist and hugged herself tightly. Andrew was innocent in all of this, and if she had found him sooner, he would not have ended up in the position he had. Guilt wracked her chest as she watched the way his eyes remained shut. The bleeding was small, but significant enough to be causing him a great deal of pain.
“Innocent blood?” Donald almost screeched as he raised his voice. “Ye speak of innocent blood as if yer father, and his father before him, have nae spilled the blood of thousands of innocent lives. How do ye think that the Fraser clan came into power?” His eyes glowed with anger as he slightly loosened his grip on Andrew’s hair.
“The Fraser clan has always been in charge of these lands. We didnae steal it,” Callum called back, remaining calm as Bran stood poised and waiting at his side.
Barking out a harsh and humorless laugh that reverberated through the air. “Aye, that is what ye have always told yerself, ye and yer dog of a father. That the lands have always belonged to the Fraser clan by right of birth, just because yer father, and his father told ye that it was so. Men like ye and yer father write the laws and claim the deeds, while men like me are forced to live in the shadows.”
Taking a deep breath, Callum slowly nodded despite the tension crackling in the air. “That may be so, but yer quarrel is with me, daenae involve others like Andrew. He, too, has been forced to live in the shadows of others who have made the rules.”
Eleanor could scarcely breathe. Every word spoken felt like a thread being pulled tighter around her chest, strangling the hope she had clung to since finding Andrew. Letting go of her waist, she leaned forward and dug her fingers into the damp earth at her knees. She needed to do something, anything that would help her free her brother from the man’s grip, yet her voice felt strangled in the back of her throat.
Opening his eyes, Andrew looked at her, his face growing ever paler as the drops of blood flowed over the blade. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to speak, but even the slightest movements seemed to be causing him pain.
“Please, daenae do this to us. Ye must know that we have done nothin’ to offend ye…” Eleanor whispered, drawing Donald’s attention to her.
Shooting a sharp glare in her direction, Donald sneered at her. “Daenae address me as if ye ken who I am, lass,” he snapped. “Ye ken nothin’ of what I have been through.”
Pushing herself to her feet, Eleanor stood as the tears continued to pour down her cheeks. “Then tell me, what could ye have possibly been through that would make ye hurt an innocent man?” She gestured down to her brother, who seemed to be growing weaker by the minute.
“Nothin’? Ye say that yer brother has done nothin’? He bears an allegiance to yer precious Laird Fraser, who runs the lands. That is more than enough to make him pay!” Donald snarled.
Callum finally spoke up as he shot a warning look in Eleanor’s direction. “This conversation has gone on for long enough. If a man’s allegiances alone are enough to condemn him to death, then all of us should be dead. There isnae justice left in the world, if a man must die because of who he kens.”
Turning his head back to Callum, Donald’s gaze grew cold. “There never was any justice in this world. If the world were fair, I would have been a laird. It doesnae matter if innocent blood is spilled.”
A heavy silence followed his words, broken only by Andrew’s labored breathing and the distant rustle of wind through the trees. Even the forest itself seemed to hold its breath.
The squelching of Eleanor’s boots in the mud drew Callum’s attention to the side as she approached Donald a little at a time.Her voice wavered when she spoke again. “And what will ye gain if innocent blood is spilled? Ye already have us at yer mercy. Will me brother’s death erase yer past and make ye Laird of Clan Fraser? Ye can never erase the past, and Callum has already said that he will step down.”
Hesitating for just a moment, Donald’s brow knitted into a tight frown.
Inching forward, Callum spoke lightly as if he were speaking to a man on the edge of a perilous cliff. “This doesnae have to be the end, we can still talk about matters and come to an arrangement.”
Donald’s jaw tightened as he scoffed at Callum. “And what then? Will ye have me live alongside ye in yer clan? Ye think I am a fool to believe the likes of ye?” he snarled at Callum this time, baring his teeth.
“Nae, but nobody has to die,” Callum replied. “Ye can walk away with yer life and stop the trail of blood that had already been spilled. I have laid down me arms, as ye have asked, the rest will sort itself out if ye choose to let Andrew go.”
The blade slipped lower on Andrew’s throat, creating yet another thin line of blood that poured down his neck.
“Nay!” Eleanor sobbed and took another step forward.
Gritting his teeth, Donald fixed his grip after becoming distracted for just a moment. “Stay where ye are or I swear I will end him now!” His words cut sharply through the air, making Eleanor halt as Callum inched forward.
“Then do it,” Andrew suddenly choked, taking them all by surprise. His words were weak, barely audible with a gurgle, but they made their point sharp and clear.
Eleanor’s heart broke in two as she lifted a hand as if she could reach him. “Andrew, daenae…” Her words trailed off on a painful note as his eyes
His eyes were glossy from pain, yet he gritted his teeth and pushed through while Donald kept a firm grip on his hair. “Daenae… daenae allow him to use me to manipulate ye… I willnae allow it.”
“Ye are a fool,” Donald hissed above him, taking one knee and pressing it into Andrew’s back.
