Page 83 of The Violet Raven

She shakes her head, unable to look at me, her focus fixed solely on the pendant. Her fingers trace its edges, as though afraid to let go. “Finn… do ye even ken what this is?” Her voice wavers, thick with urgency.

“No, it just… called to me.”

“Ye might have jus saved her, Finn.” She swallows, her gaze floating between the necklace and my face. “This is more than just some trinket. It’s a necklace of Manannán mac Lir.”

Confusion knots in my chest, but Ellen presses on.

“Manannán is a protector, a guardian of realms. His magic is ancient, Finn—powerful enough to create barriers between worlds, between life and death itself. This necklace… it’s imbued with his essence. It was crafted to shield the wearer from unseen forces, from dark intentions. And ye gave it to her.”

Her fingers clutch mine for a moment, a fierce intensity in her grip. “I thought I was protectin’ her all this time, but I was blind. And ye—ye’ve been the one watchin’ over her.”

I swallow hard, glancing from her to Triona’s peaceful face, my confusion and dread mounting. “Ellen… what’s happenin’ here?”

Ellen doesn’t answer. Instead, she takes Triona’s hand, her grip fierce and unyielding, as if she can somehow take the pain away, somehow bear it for her. Silent tears spill down her cheeks, her lips parting to speak—but no words come.

Across the room, Eamon leans close to Saoirse, murmuring softly, piecing together what he can. Saoirse covers her mouth, horror flashing across her face as her wide eyes snap to Triona. Her voice, usually bold and untamed, cracks when she finally speaks.

“Who…who would do all of this?” she whispers, her words barely more than a breath.

I can’t bring myself to answer. Not when I know that once I speak, I’ll only add fuel to the fire already blazing within me.

Instead, I look around at each of them—Ellen, Casey, Saoirse, Eamon, Dealla—a family torn open by violence yet clinging to each other in its wake.

And then I look at her.

Wounded, fragile, still fighting even in unconsciousness.

Something inside me snaps. The fury roars louder, drowning out everything else, consuming every trace of hesitation.

Whoever planned this—whoever pulled the strings, whispered in Colina’s ear, made her their pawn—I will hunt them down. I will drag them into the depths of their own darkness and make them choke on the suffering they inflicted.

And they will pay for it in full.

For every bruise. Every wound. Every breath they tried to steal from her.

I swear it to her in this room, a promise as unbreakable as the steel at my side. They will know what it means to have crossed her—crossed us—and I will not rest until they suffer for the agony forced upon her.

And if I fall along the way, if I must sacrifice everything to see justice done, then so be it.

I will die before I let them escape the wrath I’ve summoned—the vengeance that now surges through my veins like poison.

16

Farewell and Fury

Finn

Bran and Callan make a sudden, forceful entrance into the room, and a deep churn of apprehension rises in my stomach before Bran even speaks.

“Colina went and alerted the authorities about the still,” he says, breathless. “Before... well, before everything.”

For a moment, there’s a heartbeat of silence—then the room erupts. Shock and fury spill from every corner, voices overlapping in disbelief. They all know what this means. The still isn’t just a way to make scotch; it’s survival, defiance, the only thing keeping some families living on Sinclair land fed. And now the gaugers will come. Fines, prison—worse, perhaps.

“That’s not all,” Callan adds grimly, his voice slicing through the chaos. “She’s the reason the whisky was tampered with.”

I let out a sharp, bitter laugh. “Colina? She’s not clever enough to pull that off on her own.” Contempt drips from my words, and though no one openly agrees, no one rebukes me either.

Callan’s jaw feathers. “Well… she didnae do it on her own.” His voice is full of loathing. He exhales sharply, shaking his head. “She wouldnae say a name, but she said it was a high-ranking military officer. Offered her coin on top of it.”