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All Maxwell had wanted was to see these people killed. He had never particularly cared how it happened, only that he had a part in it, that he could watch them as they died and take solace in the fact that the Highlands would be rid of them. However, it wasn’t happening as he thought it would. He wasn’t as happy as he should be, and he wondered if there was something wrong with him. After all they had done, he should have loved the sound of their helpless screams, yet he could not bring himself to be so cruel, especially not when Hilda was defiant. She was a truly remarkable woman. Even after they had killed her mother and imprisoned her and betrayed her, she was still willing to say that this was wrong. So far, nobody had stood with her, but that didn’t mean she was wrong.

Maxwell thought about her words as she stood in front of the burning gates. He thought about the way she had felt in his arms as she wept softly. It had been a long time since he had been so close with anyone else, and he wasn’t sure if he would get that chance again if he let these people burn. He had spent the last few years of his life searching for them, but now he realized how much of life he had missed out on. He had let them control his destiny, and he wished he hadn’t given them so much power. He worried that if he let this continue, then it would be the moment that defined him. He would always be Maxwell Black, the feared Highland rebel who burned his own village for the sake of revenge. Nobody would ever dare cross him again, but nobody would love him either.

And he would never get the answers he sought about Bea and her twin sister.

Flames danced in front of his eyes. His heart knew what he had to do even before he was truly aware. He pushed aside his need for revenge and broke away from the line of his soldiers. There were murmurs and gasps as he walked toward Hilda. A smile flickered on her face, although she was not sure yet if he was truly going to stand by her or just grab her arm and drag her away to let the village burn. He made eye contact with her as he walked past her and stood in front of the gates, allowing the heat to wash over him. He closed his eyes and felt bathed in fire. Sweat prickled on the surface of his flesh, and for a moment, he knew what it was like for the ones locked in the village.

“Get the water,” he said, and then repeated the order even more loudly when nobody moved.

They had already gathered great buckets of water in preparation for putting the fire out, and now people moved with great speed, for nobody was going to defy the order of Maxwell Black, although there was some consternation at how their plan was being quickly disbanded.

“Hilda is right. We dinnae want tae be remembered as monsters ourselves. History is nae kind tae people who want tae watch the world burn,” he said.

Water was flung over the walls, dousing the flames. Steam hissed and made it appear as though a thick fog had settled over the land. Once the flames were settled, Maxwell called out to the people in the village.

“We are gaeing tae open the gates. Dinnae try tae attack. If ye dae, we will kill ye. We hae shown ye mercy once, and that is enough,” he said.

There was no response. He gestured to a couple of his men, who went to the gates. Three more stood before the gates with arrows nocked, and more had swords ready in case the enemy charged out.

However, when the gates were opened, only a rush of smoke came pouring out. Maxwell peered through the mist to see if there were any shadowy figures trying to make their escape, but as the smoke cleared, he saw that most of the enemy were on the ground. Most of them were coughing and clutching their throats and chests, while others were already dead. The smell of charred flesh wafted through the air, and it made his stomach churn. He walked into the village and saw that flames had scorched some of the buildings and much of the ground.

“Is this what ye wanted, Maxwell? Was it truly worth daeing this tae yer home?” Hilda asked.

Maxwell cast his gaze over the blackened crops and the weathered buildings and all the dead or incapacitated strangers on the ground. An uneasy feeling swam in his stomach as he realized that he had almost destroyed one of the things he cherished the most. Revenge was a bitter poison, and it was only now that he was beginning to realize how deeply it had affected him.

The villagers and Stephen’s men were industrious in putting out the fire before it spread uncontrollably, and others pulled the enemy away and gathered them into two separate piles of the living and the dead. They were weak and frail, and it was almost impossible to believe they had been such a danger to the Highlands. Although they had not been killed, their number had been thinned dramatically, and this would prove to be a decisive blow against their dark influence on the peace of the land.

Eventually, the air cleared properly and some of the enemy had regained their strength, including Angus and Aileen, who were the people that Hilda and Maxwell wanted to speak to most. Guards were watchful, for even though they were weak, these people were still dangerous.

“Ye are monsters. Monsters!” Angus yelled, coughing and spluttering.

“Ye are the one who betrayed us,” Hilda said. “I want tae know why.”

“I already told ye why,” Angus said sullenly.

“Ye hae nae told me the truth. There is still something I dinnae understand. How could ye turn yer back on the people who fed ye and clothed ye? What is it about this clan that makes ye sae loyal? Ye haed everything with us, Angus. Why would ye throw it all away?”

Angus pursed his lips. The scowl never left his face. “I dinnae hae everything. Ye dinnae know what it was like, knowing every day that ye were nae like the others. I would never hae been noble, and I would never hae been accepted as a proud member of the clan. That’s nae the way the world works. And I hae…I hae obligations here. I hae a responsibility tae my people tae use my position for good, tae help them.”

Hilda glanced at Maxwell. “And who gave ye this order? Who was behind all of this?”

Angus remained silent, but Aileen didn’t. She raised her head proudly and almost sneered at them.

“It was his brother, Poul. Never haes there been a finer man in all the Highlands,” Aileen said. Angus glared at her and scolded her for revealing this information. “What’s the use now? He’s dead,” Aileen spat, and glanced at the pile of dead bodies. “It’s just another body added tae the pile, another one tae add tae yer conscience.” Aileen directed her words to Maxwell.

“He was a hero, and all he wanted was tae be a proud warrior, but the world would nae give him the chance. He deserved better than what he got,” Angus said.

Maxwell stepped forward, pacing toward Aileen. “Why did ye dae this? Why hae ye allied yerself with these men? Did ye know they were gaeing tae attack my village when I was supposed tae marry yer sister?”

Aileen curled her lip and shook her head vehemently. “Dae ye think I would let that happen?” Her voice was almost a shriek. “All I wanted was for her tae be happy. She was sae excited tae be married. Of course, I was a wee bit envious given how we were twins and all, but she was always Da’s favorite. I never begrudged her any happiness, though. And then I heard that she died. That’s when I met Poul. He told me what happened. He was a good man, and he regretted that someone innocent haed been hurt. It was nae his fault.” As she said this, she let an intense, accusing glare settle upon Maxwell. “Ye didnae protect her. That was all ye haed tae dae. The great warrior, the giant, and ye couldnae even protect yer wife.”

“It. Was. Nae. My. Fault,” Maxwell said, enunciating each word. His hands clenched into tight balls, and he grit his teeth. “I hae spent tae long blaming myself for Bea’s death. I never chose for there tae be an attack on the village. Ye hae spent yer life loving the man who killed yer twin sister. If there’s anyone deluded here, it’s ye.”

Aileen was about to shoot back a reply when Hilda interrupted her. “How did ye choose which villages tae attack? How did ye know when tae strike?” she asked.

“If ye want tae know why yer clan was attacked when it was, then just ask Angus here. He was the one who planned it all,” Aileen said.