I tapped my hands on the wooden table, while the stupid man walked around scratching his head in distress.
"Sit down won't ye, ye are giving me a headache." I spoke.
"No."
"Ye will go crazy."
"I deserve it." He said, "They will never forgive me, I have failed them, they will see me as nothing."
I rose an eyebrow.
"I have dishonored my family,"
"Ye are realizing this right now?"
"All I ever wanted was to be part of the brotherhood. That's all I ever wanted."
"Is that why ye married her, for the brotherhood?" the words were almost too hard to believe. "What kind of a man are ye?"
He had no honor, not even a bit.
"Marriage is a contract."
"Ye really are a fool. I have lost the little respect I had of ye. Ye...to think ye loved her, to think ye actually mourned..."
"Ye understand nothing. The brotherhood is the largest territory, the only men to have ridden white dragons to war. They have power, influence and they own this port and the next."
"Yet ye are nothing but shit. Ye have no wife, noting at all."
"Ye have nothing as well." He stopped and faced me. "Nothing at all,"
I rolled my eyes tiredly before stretching my arms. When were these men returning? I wanted to go and see Ragnar. I had so much to tell him.
"Did yer even tell them of that thing? The dark magic?" I asked Magnus.
"No."
Of course, he did not. I was to tell them of it myself. I was not going to tell them that it was with Bjorn, but I was to say Aaron wielded it, he used it to kill Bjorn and all the king's men. That way, I could protect myself and what remained of my family.
~~~
"One must honor the deal, or one will be clawed to death, she and everything that she has."
Dianmu's words whispered in my ears.
I had failed to honor my end of the bargain, and then somehow Aaron, an enemy of mine had acquired hundreds of men overnight. Catriona had told me that they were a few of the rebels left, I knew this but somehow, ten times the number had showed up at the castle...to kill all my father's men, Eilidh and I had lost Catriona and Freya.
Was it Dianmu's curse? For me to lose it all for failing to honor her?
The door opened and I rose my head from the table and rubbed my tired eyes.
Idris walked inside with two of his brothers.
"Gentlemen," he spoke,
"And?" Magnus asked,
"Aaron conquered Zaleria as well. He has expanded his territory to both Ellios and Zaleria."
"Impossible! Where did he get so many men?" Magnus asked,
"Dianmu." I spoke.
They all looked at me.
"He is not alone. He wields dark magic. He used it to conquer Ellios. He confessed to me."
"Dianmu?" asked Sherick, one of the brothers.
I nodded. "She cannot be stopped."
"True." Magnus said, "I saw it myself, the men...they were thousands of them, the land was black with their marching."
"All dark magic can be stopped." Idris said, "If Zaleria has fallen, our last colony Yanus is next and then Celtic. We need to join the territories, all of them including Skar and his people."
"I want to fight with ye." I said,
"Very well then, ye will. We all will." He then looked at Magnus, "I would have killed ye if the threat was not so demanding of every man."
"I understand." Magnus said.
"Sherick, see it that these soldiers are returned home safely."
"Aye, come follow me." Sherick led us out into the night.
I knew it, Dianmu was with Aaron. There was no other way that he would conquer Zaleria so fast! How foolish of me to give in to the temptation of the witch. I had done this. I had to fix it before I lost it all.
"A horse for each men," Sherick spoke, giving each of us a horse, "I trust ye will travel well."
"Aye, thank ye." I helped myself on the horse.
"Thank ye brother." Magnus said,
"Not anymore, ye are just a man who failed to protect our sister." Sherick said.
Magnus nodded, guilt in his eyes before kicking the side of his horse and galloping away. I watched him, feeling a little sympathy towards him. It wasn't his fault Freya died but mine.
An arrow suddenly shot him from his horse, and he tumbled on the ground while the horse neighed, galloping away. My eyes widened at the horror.
"Nice one!" Sherick howled with laughter. "Bloody bastard does not deserve to live!"
He was a heartless man!
"What are ye waiting for? Go on!'' he told me.
I stuttered, too stunned to move.
"GO YE BLOODY BASTARD!"
I kicked the horse's side, and it began to gallop away. My heart beating against my chest, I looked down at Magnus's corpse as the horse galloped away from the port. A single tear ran down my eye.
It wasn't for him. It was for me, for all that I had endured. That arrow was meant for me.