A lump rises hard and fast in Alistair's throat, nearly choking him. He bends his head; a moment later, he covers his face, silently berating himself for the burning in his eyes.

There's still so much to do back at Kinloch. He has to keep it together until it's done. When he closes his eyes, his imagination conjures up Cullen on the floor, surrounded by the dead and mutilated, the spirit hovering uncertainly nearby.

He didn't deserve this. None of them did.

"You did enough," he manages, and that's all he can get out.