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Her throat tightens, and she looks away, blinking against the sting of tears.

“If none of you had ever known me, you’d all still be safe back in Keiss where you belong—living happily, without this prophecy, without this chaos. Don’t you see?” Her voice cracks, thick with emotion. “I’m not just carrying destruction, Callan. I am destruction.”

She shakes her head, a bitter laugh escaping through the ache. “Everywhere I go, lives are torn apart—and it doesn’t stop. Not for me. Not for anyone.”

Her eyes are brimming with anguish. “It’s me who’s ruined everything—for you, for Casey, for everyone. You’d all be better off if I just walked away. Disappeared. Let the storm follow only me.”

I shoot out my hand, gripping her arm—not rough, but firm enough to make her look at me. “Dinnae say that,” I hiss. “Dinnae ever say that.”

My voice cracks with the weight of it.

“Think ye’ve got nothin’ left to lose? Fine. But I still have ye left to lose—and I’ll be damned if I let ye sit here and do this. To me. To us.”

She looks away from me. I release her arm, only to cup her chin, forcing her to meet my eyes.

“Ye’re not carryin’ this alone,” I murmur. “Each of us has a part to play in this—and that’s not yer fault. Stop lettin’ those demons creep in and convince ye the world’s better off without ye. Because it isn’t. It never will be.”

I swallow hard, my thumb brushing her cheek.

“Before yer birthday, I thought I had nothin’ but duty. Nothin’ but a fight I didnae understand. But ye… gave me somethin’ worth fightin’ for. Ye gave me purpose, Tri.”

Her eyes glisten, but I press on.

“Ye think everything ye touch ends in ruin… but ye dinnae see what it’s done to me. Without ye, I’d still be driftin’. It was ye who reminded me what it means to have hope.”

I pause, my voice breaking at the edge.

“Dinnae take that away from us now.”

Her hands fall limply to her sides, and for a moment, she looks utterly lost. Then, with a deep, shuddering breath, she lifts her gaze to meet mine. “I’m scared, Cal,” she whispers. “I’m so scared of what comes next.”

I take her hand in mine. “Aye,” I say softly. “So am I. But we dinnae have to face it alone.”

We sit there for a moment longer, the strange hum from the stone filling the silence. Then, slowly, she nods. It’s a small motion, tentative and fragile, but it’s enough.

“I am eternally grateful that you did not give up on me. For believing in me.” Her voice wavers and she gives a weak, self-deprecating smile. “And I appreciate you for dealing with me when I’m like this. When I’m sad one minute, out for blood the next, and just utterly miserable in between.” She takes a shuddering breath and straightens her shoulders. “Just give me a moment to shake this off... then we can go.”

I nod, releasing her hand and rising to my feet.

I step outside, the chill wind biting at my skin as I lean against the weathered doorframe. The grey light of dawn breaks over the hills. The clouds are thin, revealing slivers of pale blue sky. I draw in a deep breath, letting the cold air fill my lungs, and try to tamp down my grief.

When Triona stalks out a short while later, she looks steadier, even with a face streaked with tears. Her hands tremble as she adjusts her cloak, pulling it tight against the wind. Her gaze finds mine and I see a flicker of something I haven’t seen since Tara—resolve.

Her lips press into a thin line. “For Ma and Da. Robert and Sarah… and Finn,” she murmurs, as if trying to summon strength from the words.

“For family,” I answer.

We start down the narrow path, our steps uncertain but forward-moving. The wind tugs at us, carrying with it the scent of rain and earth.

For now, the pain still claws at us. But with each step, I can feel something shift—a small, almost imperceptible change. Not healing, not yet, but the first stirrings of what might one day become the strength to try.

We walk together, the weight of the Stone balanced between us, its faint glow a beacon in the storm. The path is long, and the end uncertain, but we walk it anyway.

For Finn. For each other. For the future I believe in.

Triona

The road to Uisneach Hill stretches before us like a punishment I’ve no choice but to endure. Every step feels as if I’m taken further from Finn, from the place where he died, and closer to a future I don’t know how to face. Callan walks beside me, quiet and steady, his presence a constant reminder of what I’ve lost.