Page 129 of The Splendor of Fire
As he pushed open the door to the room, he was surprised to find that the garret was mostly intact save one wide hole in the roof above. Something caught his eye. There on the table lay the Psalter. He picked it up. Tucked within its pages was the sketch of Gabriel and the sketch of the Cuillin Hills.
And the Lord who is your leader, He himself will be with thee: He will not leave thee, nor forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed. - Moira
He tucked the Psalter into his doublet and brushed a tear away. Was God with her as she took her last breath and jumped into the ocean? Was God with her when she sank through the briny sea?Yes, and I’m with you now. You’re not alone.
The familiar comfort of the Lord’s voice penetrated his broken heart.
“What do I do now? What do I do without her?”
Keep watch. It’s time to fight.
Fight, Léo.
Fight.
Fight!
A ripple shot from his heart through his arm, and he drew his weapon and turned, just as Niall’s sword came down.
“So, you’ve come to take my clan?”
Léo was ready. Every ounce of fury raced back into his body, and he was suddenly moving with strength beyond his own. Gripping the pommel in one hand and the blade with the other, he blocked Niall’s cut and moved with the might of heaven toward his brother, rushing him backward through the door of the garret and into the corridor. Niall staggered backward and jumped away. Leo’s voice ground out, “It’s not your clan. It never was.”
Niall swung up from low guard, and the estoc swooped up and caught the strike, counter directing Niall’s strength away from his body. As the blade swung away, Léo drove the estoc down, the dull edge colliding with Niall’s shoulder. Niall cried out and backed away again. “It’s not your clan either.”
Niall charged forward and once again Léo blocked and pushed him away with the estoc. “You’re right.”
Charging forward, Léo channeled every bit of his love for Aileen into his muscles, swinging the blade into Niall’s face. His head snapped to the side and blood and teeth flew from his mouth. “This clan belongs to Almighty God now.”
Stunned, Niall staggered backward and then swung his sword weakly up. Léo raised his boot and kicked the blade away, then pummeled him again with the dull, heavy blade of his estoc hearing the crack of bone as it connected with his upper arm.
Niall howled and staggered away, running through the corridor from him and out the door onto the now-deserted parapet. Prowling like a lion, Léo gave chase, ready to corner and devour his prey. As heburst through the door, he saw his brother running for the battlements, screaming at something. He froze.
There, standing like a valorous eagle on the tallest of Dun Ringill’s four round battlements, was his little bird. Alive. Eyes ringed with deep black bruises, nose swollen, a cut swiped across her forehead down the bridge of her nose, and her lips were swollen and cut, but she was alive. Tears sprang to his eyes and he began to run toward her.
She dipped out of sight and then emerged again, balancing on the edge of the battlement, jumping and flipping away from something.
He screamed to her. “AILEEN!”
She looked at him, her eyes full of apprehension.Run!
Trepidation filled him. The dream.
He’s behind you!
It was then Léo noticed an inverted pyramid of cloud had formed directly above the castle, stormy with darkness. Wind began to whip around them in a blasting funnel.
Aileen’s eyes grew wide, and she signed again.Run!
Never.He would never leave her side ever again. Realizing that something was wrong, he kept running toward her and spotted Malvina swinging an axe at her. And then from the corner of his eye, sword. He ducked out of the way but lost his estoc.
Niall charged toward him, and Léo scrambled backward, dodging away. From the top of the battlement, he saw Aileen’s fist connect with Malvina’s face and the axe being wrenched from her hands.
The sword cut through the air and Léo stumbled backward, landing on his back against the parapet. Niall raised his blade, and it plunged toward him in a blur of final judgment. And then he stopped.
Niall’s face contorted, a scream emitting from his jowls as his body fell on top of Léo.
Above him, Léo saw Aileen perched on top of the battlement, her hands still open from the throw, and then the axe deep in Niall’s back. Behind her, Malvina screamed and narrowed her focus on Aileen.
