Focus.

That was what Gerrick's mother had always told him. It was the secret to accomplishing your goal: exclude everything else from your mind, direct all your energies to the one thing you set out to do. Like a man desperately fighting a fire, Gerrick tried to keep his focus as he led what was left of his friends up the spiral staircase of Ballymoran outpost's observation tower. He lowered the bar across the door of the third-floor state-room, as if locking out the reality he created.

But they were coming. It would not be long before they battered down this door as well. Stumbling in, his footfalls softened by a luxurious woven carpet, he absently gave the order to baricade the door.

Jonas pointed to the large four-poster bed. "Everyone help me move that!"

Rose and Giacomo were dead.

He tried to justify that in his mind a number of ways: he would avenge them. They died for the mission, as heroes. Giacomo was the one who gave the order to close the gate, locking them both in the courtyard and sealing their fates. It was necessary. He had tried to save them. So had the others. Sine had been the one who actually pulled the lever.

But none of it worked.

Gerrick had led them here. They were dead because they followed him.

Spider groaned as Digs and Ansley lowered him to the floor. "Anybody mind if I just lay here and die for a while?"

Gerrick leaned back against the wall, holding his head in his hands. His wounded side ached, distracting him even further from any helpful thoughts.

Sine, Fearghas, and Jonas manhandled the bed with all their might. Ansley went to help them. Something banged against the state-room door.

They had to get out of there.

They had to find a way to warn Da.

Fearghas gritted his teeth against the bed. "It's too heavy!"

A louder bang. Thankfully, it would be hard for them to get a good wind-up or leverage on that spiral staircase. It would not buy them much time. There was another door on the opposite side, presumably leading up to the tower roof. That would do no better for them.

Ansley ran to a chest of drawers. "Start wi' that!"

Sine glanced at the arrows in Spider's body. She drew a dagger, looking spider in the eye. "This is gonnae hurt, laddie."

Spider looked back calmly. "Just be gentle. It's been a while."

Gerrick closed his eyes, but it did not block out Spider's gasping wince of pain as Sine started cutting.

Digs walked up to Gerrick. "Got a plan?"

Absently, Gerrick asked, "Ye still got that last grapple?"

"Aye, right here." He indicated his pack.

Gerrick nodded. "Ye go oot th' window there an' climb doon when the coast is clear. Ye're the one most likely tae get oot an' warn Da."

Digs's eyes went wide. "And leave you all here? Hell no."

"Ye're the best sneak, the best hider. We have tae warn Da."

"I'm not leaving anyone behind here!"

Gerrick rounded on him. "Focus, godsdammit!"

Digs flinched back.

Gerrick held up one finger. "A lot a' people in Inverray are gonnae die!" He pointed back toward the courtyard. "Rose died tae protect her brother! I'm dyin' tae protect ma family! Ye want us tae die for nothin'?! Ye get yer arse oot a' this ootpost, ye find me da, and ye tell him what we learned here!"

Digs nodded slowly, straightening up. "Yes sir."

Gerrick kept eye contact. Digs backed away, slowly. Finally, he turned to look out the window.

Spider gritted his teeth against the pain of Sine's tender loving care. Sine glared at him. "Hold still!"

Fearghas leaned against the wall next to Gerrick. He ran one hand through his hair in defeat. "I'm sorry, mate."

Gerrick sighed. "It's ma own fault."

"Well you were right about one thing."

Gerrick looked to him.

Fearghas smiled weakly. "It was a hell of a lot of fun."

Gerrick grinned, then laughed. "Aye. It was." He offered his hand.

Fearghas clasped hands with him, and they embraced as Troublemakers.

"Even if we failed," Ansley said, in hopeless tone as she approached, "We still snogged 'em off a good one, dinwe?"

Gerrick nodded. "That we did."

Digs looked back, feeding out his rope and grapple. "The coast is clear. I'm making a break for it."

Gerrick nodded. "Gae wi' the Trinity, mate."

"You lot better be alive when I get back." He rappelled out.

Gerrick sat down hard.

Fearghas said, "So what was that beer?"

Gerrick shrugged. "I dinnae ken. I got it from the Temple of th' Jester Divine. It was part of a joke."

Fearghas looked surprised. "Really?"

"Really."

Sine cast the last arrow aside and started tearing the bed sheets for bandages. Outside the door, a gruff, deep voice shouted, "You cannot hide in there forever, leetle highlanders! Come out and we will be quick!"

Fearghas looked at the door, then back to Gerrick. "So...what's the joke?"

Gerrick shook his head. "One a' me favorites. A Dhunnic, a Kieran, an' an Innesian walk intae a bar an' order a beer. As they sit doon, a fly buzzes 'roond an' lands in th' Dhunnic's beer. The Dhunnic looks disgusted an' calls oot, 'Ey, Bartender, there's a fly in ma beer, bring me another.'"

Gerrick knew his Dhunnic accent was terrible, but they all listened.

Gerrick went on. "A few minutes later, another fly buzzes 'roond, lands in th' Kieran's beer. Kieran picks it oot, an' keeps drinkin' like nothin's nothin'." He glanced at Fearghas. "No sense in wastin' good beer, aye?"

Fearghas laughed.

Spider called out, "Hey! Speak up, I can't hear you over here!"

Gerrick moved closer, taking one of Spider's hands as Sine bandaged him. Ansley took the other.

Sine said, "Big crybaby's had worse 'n this on any weekend. He'll be fine."

But belying her words, Spider did not look well at all. Gerrick forged on, looking at him. "So a few minutes later, another fly buzzes 'roond, lands in th' Innesian's beer. The Innesian--"

The door up to the roof opened. Gerrick jumped up, drawing his dirks.

Hermann.

The precipitator of Gerrick's troubles, The reason for their pain. After all this, he was here.

The young Venomir priest stopped in his tracks. He grimaced, then turned to run up the tower staircase, chased by a bolt from Ansley's crossbow.

Gerrick snarled.

This defeat need not yet be total. He threw himself after the foe, intending to send him after Rose and Giacomo as a gift.