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Niall was standing in the grand chamber, looking out at the powerful force of nature before his eyes. It was bestial and primal. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled, and it was a terrible thing indeed. He had seen many storms over the years, and it was a humbling thing to witness. No man, no matter how powerful, could stand up to the force of the elements. It was a way for the gods to keep man in check, to remind him that he was nothing compared to them. The wind howled around the castle, and he was thankful for the sturdy walls. Others had joined him, those who thought their huts were unable to withstand the force of the storm. There were some houses made of stone, like old farms. These were better prepared to weather everything the world could throw at them.

But he was interrupted by Hamish running up to him. Tovie’s friend had recently recovered from a fever. Niall was struck by the look of worry on his face.

“Is Tovie back yet?” he asked.

“I dinnae think sae,” Niall said. “But she should be safe. She’s gone tae the farm. It’s a sturdy house, aye, and will surely be able tae withstand the storm.”

“It doesnae look like that’s the case. There’s a fire, and I think it’s where the farm is,” Hamish said.

From the moment the word fire was mentioned, Niall’s mind immediately went to a dark place. No, he wasn’t going to lose another woman he loved to fire.

“Are ye sure she’s still out there?” Niall asked.

“I dinnae know, but—” Hamish never got a chance to finish what he was saying as Niall was already charging out of the castle. He barked an order for Drew to look after everyone in the chamber, and then he was striding away, breaking into a sprint as soon as he was outside. The wind was high and buffeted him from side to side, crashing into him like the forceful punch of an opponent. The world was cast in shadow, only illuminated by the infrequent lightning strikes. Thunder rumbled as though an angry giant was stomping toward him, ready to pluck him up and swallow him whole. Niall battled through them all. He was not going to be prevented from saving his wife, not this time.

Horrible memories returned to him, memories that he tried so hard to bury. In the distance, he could see the blazing fire of the storm, and he used this to guide him, sprinting in a straight line. He stumbled and staggered, and his foot got caught on branches and in holes, but he never stopped his perpetual motion. He pushed the pain down inside. The only favor the wind granted him was in wiping away his anxious tears. As he grew closer, he could see the flames and the smoke rising around the farm, and it reminded him of when he had returned to find the nascent village he was erecting burned to ash. This time the fire was created by nature and not by bandits. It was not an evil act, but that didn’t make it any less deadly. His heart trembled, and he increased his speed, running until his muscles and lungs were burning, not caring that he could barely breathe. He knew how precious moments were. Last time he had been too late. Not this time…not this time…

The smoke cast a haze around the farm; it had an orange glow as the fire raged. The storm clouds danced above him, taunting him with their fury. The thunder was like a cackling laugh, and as the lightning crashed to the ground, it seemed to be a reminder that he was powerless against it. He was ready to run right into the fire when suddenly he was accosted and tackled down. He pushed the man off and glared at him.

“Ye cannae gae in there! Are ye crazy?” he cried.

Niall scrambled to his feet and glared at the man.

“Is Tovie in there?” he yelled, his voice hoarse and frantic with panic. He looked around at the trio of people standing there. It took him a moment to realize that Deena was holding a baby in her arms. But there was no Tovie.

“She stayed tae help us escape,” Deena said, her eyes glistening with sorrow.

“I was gaeing tae gae back for her, but the place collapsed. I dinnae see how she—” Nyla said, choking on a sob.

“The place is gaeing tae burn down. It’s all gaeing tae burn!” Mort groaned, staring at the farmhouse.

Now that Niall was closer, he could see that a tree had crashed into the roof, cutting an ugly gash in it. He wondered if this was penance for how he had slain his brother, but he dismissed the thought. Tovie did not deserve to suffer for his sins.

“I’m gaeing tae get her,” he growled.

“Ye cannae, it’s tae dangerous!” Nyla cried.

“Ye are a madman!” Mort gasped.

Deena remained silent.

The baby wailed.

Nothing short of death itself could have prevented Niall from going to the house, though. He summoned all the strength he had left and strode toward it. Heat licked his body and the smoke drifted through the air, making everything hazy. He knew smoke well and had pulled his tunic up around his mouth and nose to help filter out the choking sensation that would suffocate him. The heat and the brightness of the flames tried to blind him. He squinted and blinked away the tears that poured out of him. He made himself low, trying to see the pattern of flames, gingerly finding a path through the carnage. The thunder continued to clash in the sky, mocking him, reminding him of his past failures. Was he ever going to be able to save the people he loved? Was his life always going to be defined by death?

He fought through the smoke and ignored the taste of ash in his mouth. The house creaked and groaned as if it knew it was in its death throes. The flames blazed and danced like sprites or fairies that were lost in a fever and cared little about who they were harming.

He called out Tovie’s name, the word muffled under the cloth, and he could barely hear himself over the thunder in the backdrop behind him. It was so difficult to see anything, to make out anything except fire. He turned around, his vision becoming blurred, and his heart began to sink. He was too late again. There was nothing left of her. Once again, he had known a fleeting love, and while his heart had recovered once, he knew it would be impossible to heal a second time. He groaned as great sorrow heaved through his soul. His limbs were heavy, and he was almost ready to fall into the fire himself. It had taken everything he had to continue after Cat’s death and bring his clan back to the Wallace land. If he lost Tovie, then what did he have to live for? How could he watch the clan grow and prosper before him when he knew that Tovie would never be able to take pride in it for herself?

It felt like the easiest thing in the world to simply kneel and let the fire lick the flesh from his bones. After fighting for so long, it seemed like the natural thing to do, to simply rest and let all the pain flow away from him. But just as he felt his willpower fading, he saw a shadow moving. At first, it seemed like a mere trick of the light, but then he heard her call his name. He fought through the flames and the smoke and found her huddled underneath bits of broken wood, having made a shell for herself. Tovie’s face was smudged with soot, and her eyes were hazy. She trembled and was so weak she could barely speak, and when he found her, he thought at first he might be imagining it because it was so unbelievable.

He clung to her tightly, gently pulling her away. The wood around her fell to the floor and hissed as the flames sought to engulf them. She coughed, and her entire body trembled as she did so. Niall caught himself and knew he had to get out of there as soon as possible. He hoisted her up, carrying her in his arms. Her head lolled back, and her body was entirely limp. Her eyes were closed. He could take her away from this fire, but he could still not be certain that she would live. Flames licked at his boots as he walked away, leaving the yawning house behind as the fire continued to blaze, taking apart the infrastructure and leaving it as nothing but a hollow shell.

As he emerged from the house, the wind immediately almost took him off balance. He braced himself against it and held Tovie more tightly. The lightning illuminated her face. She looked so gentle and peaceful, but with the wind around him and the thunder deafening, he couldn’t tell if she was alive or not. He passed Mort, Nyla, and Deena, who stared at him open-mouthed as though he was an apparition.

“He saved her. I cannae believe he saved her,” Mort gasped.

Niall remained silent. He did not have the strength to speak, but he wanted to say that of course, he saved her. He loved her, and he was not going to let this storm claim her as the bandits had claimed the life of Cat. Then Mort’s gaze turned to his farm, and he moaned again. The animals had all scurried away, moving as far from the fire as possible.

“We should gae back tae the castle,” Nyla said. “It’s nae safe here.”

Mort began to protest as he did not want to leave his farm, but then he looked at his newborn child and realized that there were more important things than a building. They walked a few steps behind Niall, whose long strides were eating up the ground below him. His gaze was fixed on the castle in the distance, getting closer and closer every time. His arms trembled under the strain of all he had been through, but he was not going to allow his strength to waver when her life depended on it. In a way, he knew that if he could save her then it would almost redeem him from being unable to save Cat.

Lightning flashed, and every time it did it lit up the tears on his face. The castle towered as the wind whipped around him, and as soon as he returned, the people inside parted as he carried Tovie up to their chamber. He placed her in their bed and then sank to his knees, finally able to let the weakness and the strain overwhelm him. His hand trembled as he clasped her gentle hand. The wind continued to howl around the castle, but at least he could be sure that the walls of the castle would keep them safe. Now all he had to do was pray that he had reached Tovie in time, that the fire had not done too much damage. His heart bled for her, and if there had been any way to pass his strength onto her, then he would have done so without question.

He bowed his head and coughed out the smoke that had entered his lungs as he prayed for her safety, as he vowed to do anything he possibly could to protect her life. He wanted to be her shield, yet he feared so much that he had been too late, that this was all just some horrible way for him to face penance for his sins.