much to take in at once. Eoghan’s gaze fell on the piece of vellum in Liam’s hand. “What’s that?”
“A letter to you from your mother.” He held it out.
Slowly, Eoghan unfolded it. Elegant script traveled across it in neat rows.
My dearest son,
I am sorry we had to give you up. We tried to hide you and your gifts, but you insisted you would be caught. You seem to believe I will come with you to Ard Dhaimhin. I am sorry that I cannot. Know that your father and I love you very much. We will always love you. We wish you the life that you deserve.
Your mother,
Fionnuala
Eoghan flipped it over. That was it? She was sorry? No more explanation than what Liam had already given? Aye, it was good to know they had loved him, that they regretted having to leave him with strangers. But there was nothing more about them, not even his father’s name. Had it not been for Liam’s memory, he would not even know his mother’s clan.
Eoghan handed the vellum back to his master, his heart heavy. He had longed for this moment his entire life, and now that it was here, it made no difference. He had still been raised among men in a life he did not choose for himself. He had still been a pawn in others’ games. He hadn’t the opportunity to know his family, to court a girl, to be married and have his own children someday, all because they had trusted a word of a three-year-old over their desire to protect him themselves.
And how is that any different than the boys coming to Ard Dhaimhin to escape Keondric’s army? You said you didn’t blame them. You said you would have done the same thing.
That was different.
Because it’s you. Because you want to believe you were wronged. Because you do not want to acknowledge that perhaps it was My plans that Liam carried out and not his own.
Eoghan rose, convicted by the sharp words in his mind. “I need some time to think.”
Liam returned the stools to their place in the corner. “Come to my study when you’re ready to continue. There is more we have to discuss, and our time is growing short.”
Eoghan nodded, barely hearing the words. He pushed through the door and strode down the hall.
So perhaps it hadn’t been Liam’s decision at all. That just left a single, uncomfortable realization.
Comdiu was the one he should have been angry with all along.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Liam noted Riordan’s presence before his friend joined him on one of Carraigmór’s granite balconies. It was his usual choice when he needed to think over a difficult matter, and he and Riordan had had many conversations here over the years. Usually, though, the Ceannaire gave the advice to Riordan, not the other way around.
“I told him.”
Riordan stepped to the railing beside Liam. “How did he take it?”
“He’s angry. Disappointed. Expected something more dramatic, perhaps.” Liam rubbed his eyes. “I suspect he’d like to go off somewhere to sulk, but he has too much self-respect to be seen doing so.”
“I imagine he does. He’s an impressive young man. You have done well by him.”
“Have I?” Liam wasn’t so sure. All these years of treading the road he thought Comdiu had set before him, secure in his justifications for his actions, were crashing down around him. “I lied to him. Or, rather, I allowed him to believe a lie, which is much the same thing.”
Riordan was quiet for a moment. “I did the same with Conor.”
“Aye, on my direction. It seems I’ve made many such questionable decisions.”
“What is this really about? I’ve never known you to be so melancholy.”
Liam pushed away from the rail and turned his back to the Fíréin city. “The druid is amassing an army. You know this; you saw and heard firsthand how he is conscripting men and boys.”
“We will be under siege.”
“Aye. And many will die, on both sides. Niall knows that even his trained men cannot stand up to the skill of the Fíréin. He just seeks to throw bodies in our way, the younger the better. If we kill them, the sorcery in their blood is a threat to us. If we take pity on them and let them live, they will find a way to strike at us from the inside. And while we are distracted, he can seek his true objective.” Liam crossed his arms over his chest. “The city will fall, and all we have built, all