"...It...is...done," Claudia said, selecting words from several indistinct sentences, forming sentences of their own, as if making the final pronouncement on Oliver's life. An idea sparked in him. A poisoned seed quickly given root. Something that Oliver had thought of many times before. He could simply kill himself, before he grew too rotten. That would be the way, wouldn't it? The others had all the strength they needed. They required Oliver Patrick not anymore. The weakness that Oliver spread was a poison.
"...Seize… more…" Ingolsol said, never satisfied. His desires blended with Claudia's. King of the Black Mountains, he seemed to scoff at that thought. He was the source of a darker desire, something that terrified Oliver. When the High King was indeed slain, how was it that Oliver could take that chair for himself?
