Page 185 of Serpent In White
Drake peers over the edge. He cries. His tears turn red.
“I didn’t want that!”
Yes, you did,the rock says.
“No, I didn’t! Fuck you. Fuck you fuck you fuck you. Take me!”
Evil atones, Serpent.
And nothing happens by accident.
Drake curls up into a ball as he weeps. “It’s my fault.”
His words echo in my brain. I look to him, now, naked and dirty, crying as he whimpers it, over and over again.It’s my fault it’s my fault it’s my fault it’s my fault.
I can do nothing more than stare, for so long my eyes are dry enough that they could fall out of my head. My heart pumps in pain, as if I’ve been stabbed.My parents killed themselves…?
They jumped, because whatever forces that are here told them to.
“The good and evil…” I whisper, finally realizing.
Finally understanding.
“It wasn’t your fault,” I murmur, crawling to Drake.
“It was.” He nods.
I grab his face. “No. Don’t you see? You’re making yourself a martyr, but you don’t have to be. There’s good and evil in all of us. It’s meant to be this way.”
“It showed me the ravine,” Drake croaks, his snake eyes locked on mine. “Years before they died. I knew about it, and I could do nothing to stop it. Your parents are dead, Abdiel! How can that beright??”
“It’s not.” I shrug. “But that’s part of it. Fucked up shit happening, to make us stronger.That’sthe balance. It’s not some burden you have to carry on your own. I know you want to protect us, but it can’t all be on your shoulders.”
“Let us help you carry that burden.” Rhiannon’s voice breaks through, and we both turn to her. She’s kneeling right next to us.
“We’ve all experienced the pain of life,” Darian says, squeezing Drake’s hand. “And we’re still here. We’re still standing. Because we’re meant to.”
“To overcome,” Rhiannon adds. She and Darian share a look, reflecting a bonded experience.
Something detrimental they both overcame. I can hear it in their thoughts, see it in their memories.
It hurts to think about it… It pains my heart to know the things they’ve been through. And that’s exactly what we’re coming into… Sharing our pain, overcoming our pasts.
Becoming one in this transformation.
“I can’t…” Drake’s head shakes a bit. “I don’t want you to have to…”
“But we will,” Darian insists, with authority.
Like a King.
And Drake immediately nods. He accepts his King’s ruling.
My heart jumps.
“Sacrifice, for the greater good.” Darian brings Drake’s hand to his lips and kisses his knuckles. Then he does the same to mine. “We all must sacrifice to come together in this. I’m going to give up some control… I must, in order for this to work.” He blinks, vulnerability shining in his blue eyes.
“I’ll sacrifice my life on the Outside,” Rhiannon says, mostly to Darian, though she looks to me and Drake as well in the process. “I’ll sacrifice my pride to you… my King.”
