They’re going to kill Dónal. I o do something, but what?

  I am not strong enough to fight them, aing closer is dangerous because if they spot me, I am dead. I could wait for Charles, but even if he was moving at top speed, it would be a least thirty minutes up and back to get the omega owl.

  So that begs the question what should I do?

  Pausing for a moment, I say, “Should I even do anything?”

  This whole Dónal debacle will simply make our escape easier, and knowing how prideful those beastkin our, I am sure they will have a big celebration after killing him, which just increases our ces of escape.

  In all hoy, we know our pn could end with him dying for his blunder of letting us escape anyway, so how is this really any different than that?

  Unlike Charles, Dónal means nothing to me, so this shouldn’t be an issue. Suddenly imagines of my wedding fsh into my mind, and from my head, I take the blue flower dowsed in Nero’s blood, then say, “Dammit.”

  -Break-

  Location: A few meters away from the River Lúide

  Φ Taken my head, Ryan smashes it against the ground then says, “Look down there, you see that. It’s the pathway we are going to use to redirect River Lúide, and it will be your final resting pce.”

  says, “It was dug out by his favourite humans, so I doubt he would have an issue with that.”

  Finn says, “I bet that if we buried him in a pile of their sit he would still be happy.”

  Hurt with my head pio the ground, I say, “It would still be better than sleeping around you bastards again.”

  My words incited fury inside all of them, causing Dao start stomping on my head while saying, “Shut the fuck up breastmilk.”

  As he fiomping on me, he says, “Don’t fet guys this is our st ce to finally beat on this piece of shit so don’t pass up your ces.”

  Soon all the other beastkin arouart to take turing me so viscously that I feel like I am at home. But despite their beatings the thing in that moment that was causihe most paihe tears falling out of my eyes.

  My entire life I had been pathetid when I finally gained something valuable, I wasn’t even strong enough to stand beside him. I had finally gained power, I had finally gaihe ability to hold up my head.

  But now it is gone, so I had wished to at least retain some of that strength when I died, but here I am just g as I always do when faced with something hard. The truth of my life is that I have never been a failure at anything, I was just unworthy of happiness.

  As Dónal ys there with bums, bruises and blood c his body, Ryan kicks him into the moat, then says, “Let’s start the redireg of the river.”

  Φ From a distance away, I look upon the beastkin and say, “I got the gist of their pn from overhearing them, so let’s hope my pn works.”

  I shout in their nguage, “OF THE TWELVE RED BRANCH FAMILIES, RONALD FUINSEOG HAS ARRIVED.”

  Their pn hinges on that they need a high-rankikin who is friends with them to rule Dónal’s death an act, but if a high-rankikin who isn’t friends with them was to unch the iigation it would end up bad for them.

  This is risky because to my knowledge Dónal and his brother don’t have the best retionship, But I doubt they know that and regardless of that if his brother were to die most people would assume he would unch a personal iigation.

  The sed risk is if they pick up on my voice they could tell I am a human, but without a doubt, I am sure these guys don’t listen to human voices enough to be able to tell I am one, especially from this distance.

  “WE ARE GOING ON AN EXPEDITION TO FIGHT BARBARIAN TRIBES TO THE NORTH AND HAVE STOPPED TO RESUPPLY. OUR LORD HAS REQUESTED A MEETING WITH DóNAL FUINSEOG IMMEDIATELY!”

  Φ Suddenly all of the beastkin in the area panic, then says, “This is nothihan a disaster.”

  Rory says, “Why did it have to be him, and why did it have to be today?”

  Brain says, “We’re going to die, we’re going to die.”

  Daniel asks, “How do we even know that was true, maybe it was someone pying a prank.”

  Finn says, “I knew you were me Daniel but at least try and use you’re brain. The dialect used was something only people who were formally educated would use, so only nobles and no one on this pntation except for Dónal meets the qualification. So what is being said is true.”

  Paul looks towards me and asks, “Ryan what are we going to do.”

  “I-I don’t know.”

  ac says, “What do you mean you don’t know this was your pn, you are supposed to make sure everything works.”

  I grab ad say, “When did you start getting mouthy to me, remember that no matter the situation you will always be under me you got that.”

  Looking past ac, I see all the others staring at me with pt and muttering things uheir breath.

  Listening in I hear Brain say, “Why should we have to pay for your pn?”

  Letting go of ac, I punch Brain then putting my foot on his head, I say, “Listen here, if I go down we all do. That is a fact, there is no ce that they will differentiate whatever lies told and will just kill us all. So we are all in this together.”

  Turning my head to ac, I say, “You wanted a pn, here’s your p’s all run as far and as fast away as we , if we all go and run towards the tryside we will be able to hide.”

  asks, “But we would have to do that for the rest of our lives.”

  “WE HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE! It is either this path or death, and every moment we spend discussing this decreases our ces of actually getting away.”

  All of the people around me calmed down and then start to show their agreement to my pn.

  “Now let’s go.”

  Φ Looking from the distance, I say, “It worked! Now I should get going.”

  As I move to walk away, I turn bad say, “Thank you.” Then leave.

  -Break-

  Location: Campsite

  Φ Tapping my foot against the ground, I start to panic. “Mariana, Charles where are you two idiots.”

  Throughout my body terror spreads as ideas of what could happen to them, but before these thoughts reach their worst, I hear someone shout, “They’re back!”

  Getting up, I move to the frorand see both of them, with the omega owl flying over both of their heads.

  Letting out my breath of relief, I say, “It looks like nothing will ruin today after all.”

  From really close behind me, I hear a voice say, “How would today be so important that the absence of those two could ruin it?”

  All motion in my body es to a halt. That voice, I know it. Among all of the beastkin’s voices, this one is eternally engraved in my mind. Behind me in this instance, is Bricriu.

  Turning around slowly, I see his smiling face, and then he says, “Well if you won’t expin those two .”

  Turning and fag Mariana and Nero again, I see Beastkin grabbing both of them and leading them over to the rest of us.

  “You look surprised by my presence, but I guess that is only to be expected sidering how long I have been away, and me jumping over the wall and sneaking over to you probably didn’t help with that.”

  Fag the rest of the people in the campsite, he says, “Still despite that you all look worked up, no you all look like you’re in despair. Why would that be?”

  We all remain silent. “Nothing to say, what a pity. Though it doesn’t matter to me if you do or don’t, but these two will o expin what they were doing out there.”

  Both Charles and Mariana are brought in through the entrance, wasting no time Bricriu asks, “Could you both please expin to me why you humans were ing back so te.”

  Mariana and Charles freeze. All the words Bricriu said were polite, but the fear of death hangs in the air, as if one misspoken word would be the end of every one.

  Bricriu then grabs Charles's hand and says, “Your hand looks strained, and I tell all of this was rather ret?”

  With a delightful smile, Bricriu says, “I see, you two were probably doira work. How delightful, assionate workers you are.”

  Patting both of their heads, he says, “Good job.”

  Walking to the entrance, he says, “Now I will take my leave, but it is a bit strahat there are no guards. So why don’t I give you guys some of my men, fifty should do.”

  Bricriu then snaps his finger and then a group of armoured Beastkier our campsite. Then standing at the entrance, Bricriu says, “Now what do you say when someone does you a favour?”

  We all stand there in silence, but then as Bricriu men draw their swords, I say, “Than-.”

  Interrupting me, he says, “Don’t you think your head is a bit too high, and I am doing this favour for all of you so why is only one of you doing what I asked?”

  Everyoarts to grovel on the floor, and say, “Thank you.”

  “You’re wele! Now I will truly be on my way.”

  As Bricriu leaves, it truly dawns on all of us that our pn for escape has ended before it even began.

  -Break-

  Locatiokin dorms

  Φ Sitting on a stool Bricriu stares at the strung-up bodies of beastkin who have retly gohrough extreme torture.

  Raising his hand, he directs one of his men to plunge a needle into one of the beastkin nails. Then as that beastkin screams, Bricriu says, “It truly was arrogant of you to try and kill a member of the red branch, and then try to run away.

  With tears flowing down he face Ryan says, “I am sorry, it was a foolish decision.”

  Bricriu directs one of his men to hit Ryan, and then he says, “Oh please don’t lie about this, you see the note you wrote to Liam was rather malicious aiculous in your pn to kill the Fuinseog.”

  Ryan gives a gre to Liam, who responds, “Don’t look at me like that, it is your own foolish decisions that have led you to this oute. Seriously you guys are morons.”

  “Now even though your as are unfivable, I am willing to give you a pass because your letter to Liam gave me reason to return here. So if you answer my questions truthfully, I will at least leave you all intaough so that you may all still be able to feel the touch of a woman.”

  Ryan nods his head, so I ask, “Now tell me why did you run away?”

  “We heard someone annouhat Ronald Fuinseog had e.”

  “Well, he hadn’t so whoever told you such a thing was obviously lying.”

  “But the voice who said it eaking in our native tongue, and it was a rather fancy dialect. So I assumed it came from a noble.”

  I smile and say, “That is simply impossible unless a human learned uage. But that is yet again impossible, so you’re lying to me.”

  Standing up, I say, “tiheir punishment.”

  Walking away, I hear their screams and cries, and then Liam walks up o me and says, “I don’t think they were lying.”

  “I agree, but I o make sure they uand treason will never be tolerated.”

  “But if they die we won’t be able to get information.”

  “There are tless sources of information, you just o know where to find it.”

  -Break-

  The day

  Location: Campsite

  Φ “Nero I am sorry.”

  “I don’t care.”

  “Please don’t be mad Mom.”

  “I said I don’t care.”

  Hugging me and pushing her body against mine, Mariana says, “Please five me!!!!”

  Charles does the same, and says, “Please five me!!”

  “Fine, but I don’t waher of you two doing something so stupid like that ever again.”

  “Right!” They both say in unison.

  Suddenly we all hear a ling sound, and then here, “ALL HUMAN MOVE TO THE ENTRANCE!”

  “This doesn’t sound like our usual get-to-work bell, this could be bad.”

  Holding my hand Mariana says, “Don’t worry about such things, everything is going to be fine.”

  “Yht,” I say giving her a smile.

  As we walk out to the frorah all the other members of our campsite, we are greeted by Bricriu and his men.

  Looking around Bricriu's eyes nd on Charles and he says, “I have been given reason to believe that this bht there has itted a horrible offence against my people by learning the nguage of the Tuatha Dé Danann. So you will be taken away.”

  Immediately I walk in front of Charles, and say, “That isn’t true, Charles is too stupid to be able to learn anuage, he struggles to speak our own.”

  Bricriu, says, “Please be quiet, I have substantial reason to believe this, and the only two possible suspects for this are this boy and the girl right beside you.”

  Making a gesture with his hand, his men start to push through the crowd of us and take Charles.

  Trying to stop them, I am hit right in the fad sent to the floor.

  This causes Charles to say, “STOP!”

  Charles tries to force the beastkin to let go of him, but five of them hold him to the ground and stop him from moving.

  The Bricriu says, “Oh you’re rather strong. Sihis may be an issue, you should take of an arm and a leg from the boy.”

  The beastkin draw their swords prepared to slito Charles, but before their bdes hit him Mariana yells, “Stop!” In the Heroes song.

  I stare at her, and say, “Stop Mariana.”

  Looking at me, she says, “Sorry Nero.” Then faces Bricriu and in the heroes song says, “The one you’re looking for is me, so leave them alone.”

  Bricriu smiles, and says, “That is all the evidence, I ake her away.”

  The beastkin grabbed Mariana and led her through the entrance, and I scream, “MARIANA!”

  But my screams and cries are pointless as she is taken away. I tinuously start to breathe in and out until I ’t catch my breath anymore and colpse.