Rituals (Cainsville 5)

"Is it confidence that lets you snooze? That legendary Gabriel Walsh arrogance. You know what's happening, and yet you think you have nothing to fear."

"Nothing...?" he began, still dazed from the memory. A sharp shake of his head. "The choice," he said. "You're making her choose. Between me and Ricky. Yes?"

"Running a little slow today, Gabriel. And with a tad less than your usual confidence in your conclusions."

He straightened. "I have full confidence in my conclusion. I am here, waiting. Ricky will be nearby, waiting. Olivia will be asked to choose. It is, you believe, the worst thing you can do to her, and so you will do it, for nothing but the satisfaction of sadism."

"Ouch."

"You are sluagh. You enjoy inflicting pain. In this case, it also serves a purpose. Break her by forcing her to choose."

"Ah, there's that confidence surging. Bolstered, I'm sure, by the certainty she will pick you. She already has, after all. Chosen Gwynn; overthrown Arawn. Such a fickle girl, our Matilda."

"Not fickle at all. Ricky was what she needed when I was not."

"Such arrogance." The sluagh moved closer and whispered. "What if I said that I do not expect Eden to choose you? In fact, I'm quite certain she won't. You are her favorite, but she still loves him, cannot quit him, cannot sacrifice him. Part is guilt. Part, too, is pure and cold logic. Ricky is strong; you are stronger. He is resourceful; you are more resourceful. You have a deviousness and a cleverness and a gift for manipulation that our young biker lacks. You are better suited to escaping whatever fate I attempt to inflict on you, and that is why she'll choose him."

Gabriel said nothing.

"You know that, don't you?" She moved closer, lips rising to his ear. "And deep inside, it pisses you off. You can't get rid of him. You tried, so long ago, to push Arawn from her life, and what happened? She ran to him. Could not quit him. Still loves him. You give her everything, and she still climbs on the back of his motorcycle, puts her arms around him, her cheek against his back, and she smiles. She tells you she loves you, but he's always there. He will always be there. And there's only one thing you can do. The one thing you have failed to do, despite multiple opportunities."

"Kill him."

She smiled and stepped back. "There. That was easier than I dared hope. You are indeed the smart one, the rational one, and this is the smart and rational answer. I will let you kill him, and I will tell Eden that he attacked you. He heard of the choice and attacked you, and you were forced to kill him. Not only will he be dead, but she'll hate him in memoriam for what he tried to do. Problem solved."

"No."

"I beg your--"

"You heard me. I was not offering to kill Ricky. I was merely hurrying you to the suggestion obviously forthcoming. The answer is no. I agree that if you do force Olivia to choose, it is entirely possible she may pick Ricky, both from guilt at having hurt him and from reasoning that I am, as you say, better equipped to escape whatever trap you set. Therefore, I will take this further. You do not need to make Olivia choose. I'll do it for her. I volunteer."

"Because you presume you can get out of it."

He pursed his lips. "Hope, certainly. Presumption is a dangerous thing. But yes, I'm not actually throwing myself on the pyre. More like agreeing to face your champion. That's fair, I believe." He peered at her. "You do have a champion, don't you?"

Her form rippled, the edges blurring to shadow, her eyes deepening to pits, and in those pits he saw the death of self, the death of soul, the death of everything. Which should, he reasoned, fill him with terror. Certainly, even the sense of the sluagh had done so earlier. But now, he looked into those pits and felt only a sort of odd satisfaction.

I see all that you can do. There's nothing more you can frighten me with.

"Oh, but you're wrong about that, Gabriel Walsh. Take your time. Think about our offer."

"I don't need to."

And that was, strangely, not bravado at all, but the truth. He did not want Olivia to choose him over Ricky. Where would that lead? Right back where they started, only with a different two surviving in guilt and pain and blame.

No, this was the answer. This had always been the answer.

Stay together.

No matter what.

"You have my offer," he said. "I volunteer. Now bring me your champion."

The sluagh snarled...and disappeared.

You learned, Gwynn whispered. You aren't just paying it lip service. You finally learned.

No, we did. About time, too.