The yells of relief overtook us. William began to turn, lifting one hand from the rope in acknowledgment of his close call. As he did so, and as his body blocked my view of the other side, someone else stepped out onto the bridge.

‘No!’ I yelled in alarm.

The weight of a third person made the bridge swing once more, this time with even more force. The rope jerked to one side and William lost his footing again. I lunged for him. I’d have caught him if the other person on the bridge hadn’t pulled back in alarm, and leapt off the bridge to safety. That movement caused the rope to switch directions so I was flung off balance too. Instead of William’s hand, all I grasped at was air.

In terrible slow motion, his eyes bulged and he reached towards me. His mouth opened to scream but nothing came out. A second later he was swallowed up by the darkness. Malcolm Kincaid shrieked his name but it was far, far too late.

The inevitable thump as he reached the ground made me double over, as if I’d been kicked in the stomach. Retching, and with hot tears streaming from my eyes, I stumbled blindly back across the bridge. The horror etched on the faces confronting me mirrored my own.

‘I didn’t realise,’ Aifric mumbled. ‘I thought I could help.’

I stared at him. He’d been the one to step out on the bridge then. Anguish lined his face. Ripping away my gaze, I looked at Malcolm. He was kneeling on the ground, tearless sobs racking his body.

Byron put a hand on his Malcolm’s shoulder and he stumbled to his feet. He lifted up his head and addressed me. ‘You killed him,’ he said in a clear voice. ‘You killed my uncle. You killed my Chieftain.’

‘She didn’t,’ Byron said. ‘It wasn’t her fault.’

I put my hand up, forestalling him. Grief was never a rational thing and this wasn’t the time for recriminations. Still feeling sick, all I said was, ‘Let’s get out. Now.’

Chapter Twenty Four

We stumbled back out into the stone clearing where Lily greeted us with a faltering smile. She looked from one of us to the other, her eyes eventually landing on me and staying there.

‘What happened, Chieftain?’ she asked. ‘Your nose is purple.’

I rubbed my forehead. ‘Integrity,’ I said tiredly. ‘Call me Integrity. And my nose will be fine.’ I could hardly complain about it given what else had occurred.

Lily glanced at the rest of the group. ‘Where’s Chieftain Kincaid?’

‘He’s gone.’

She absorbed this information then bobbed her head. ‘He was a bastard anyway,’ she said succinctly.

I glanced at Malcolm. His features were wan and drawn. ‘It doesn’t mean he deserved to die.’

Lily touched me gently on the arm and turned away.