Page 120 of Serpent In White

“Abdiel…” she cries, voice overflowing with fear and unease.

I can’t see her face as she attempts to crawl closer to the edge of the cliff I’m trying to get us away from, but I hear her tears. I hear her mind… It’s vague, but there’s a faint whisper of a voice, calling to me.

She doesn’t want to do this.

“You don’t want this, Rhiannon. I know you don’t,” I grunt, tugging her hard as I finally get some traction beneath my boots. “All life is precious, remember?”

“Wha—” she whimpers and then she screams. “Abdiel, don’t let go!”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, love. Hang onto me tight, okay?”

I see her nod as she finally turns her body toward me, her goddamn feet dangling off the edge. I tug her closer to me by her arm, hauling her weight until I have her wrapped in my arms. And then I roll us farther away, putting distance between us and the edge. I physically have to hold her to my chest while crawling us in the dirt and grass, my knees scraping on rocks as I do.

But eventually, I breathe easier, when I get us enough feet from the cliff that I know we’re safe.

“Fuck me…” I exhale, loosening my grip on Rhiannon. But she doesn’t let up.

She clings to me for dear life, crying hysterically into the crook of my neck.

What the fuck on Earth was that??

“Shh… it’s okay,” I whisper, hugging her tight. “I have you. I’m not letting go.”

“What the fuck happened…?” She sniffles, finally pulling back to look me in the eye.

I have a strong urge, one I don’t understand very well, to wipe away her tears. And so I do, brushing them with my knuckles, combing her hair behind her ear. She still looks worried, but now I can hear her thoughts again, more calmed, her mind eased because I’m here.

She trusts me, and it gives me peace, comfort.

“I don’t know,” I sigh. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

I help Rhiannon up, and we head back toward the clearing, though we walk around it this time.

Of course, the black rock is gone.

“How the hell did we go from sitting on the rock, in the middle of this clearing, to like more than thirty feet away on the cliff?” Rhiannon asks, disbelief lining her tone while we pick up our bags and head back in the direction we came from this morning. Down the damn mountain and back toward home.

I can’t wait to get back. This has been a strenuous trip, and even though I sort of expected it to be, I wasn’t prepared for the emotional toll all this shit would take on me. I’m exhausted, and the thought of hiking all damn day is daunting.

Plus, according to the watch I keep attached to my bag, we were in that bizarre trance for five hours. The sun will be setting in only a couple more, which means we’ll have to camp out tonight before we can make it home.

A bewildered sigh leaves my lips. “I really have no clue, but I’m even more disturbed at how much time passed. That was fucking crazy.”

Rhiannon huffs a small chuckle, and I peek at her. “Sorry, it’s just funny to hear you curse. You don’t do it often.”

“Oh, so you know me now, is that it?” I tease, grinning at her.

“I think I’m getting to,” she mumbles while we walk. “A little bit.” Her chin lifts in my direction. “You’re a good guy, Abdiel. You saved me back there…”

“That wasn’t you,” I say with confidence. “We both know it. It wasn’t you when we met yesterday either. You don’t want to die, Rhiannon. There’s something up here, and I think it plays on your fears… maybe. I don’t know.” I shake my head, exhaling hard. “It’s really messed up.”

She’s quiet for a moment before she asks, “Is that what you think happened to your parents?”

My pulse pounds for a moment while I consider this.

“I kind of do,” I answer, hesitantly. “I don’t know… I saw some shit while we were on that rock. Some things that are really strange, and I… I need to talk to someone when we get home.”

Drake. I need to ask him about the day my parents died.