"The Gift" #17 (cont.)
Freed of Rafe’s pestering presence and Livvie’s anguished sobs, Caleb can devote his full attention to searching for the ring. He feels that it is near, yet it remains maddeningly elusive. “I’m not giving up!” he yells, thereby affirming his commitment to his legacy and the dark forces he was destined to rule, his defiant challenge to all those who try to keep him from his rightful inheritance.“And when I have the ring, then you’ll all know that Hell is.”
Although his words are boastful, filled with grim, bloodthirsty determination, his mood is considerably less confident; although he will not give up, he worries that he might not be able to find the ring before someone else does.
As he begins gathering up his music, he bends down to retrieve a sheet of music he had dropped by accident and notices the ring hidden nearby. The “accident,” like an act of predetermined fate, has led him to the very thing he had begun to doubt would be found that night. His gods are back on his side, working to ensure that he will regain his power.
“You came back to me,” he murmurs seductively, picking up the ring. “You came back to where you belong. I have back what is mine.” He holds it up to his lips, glistening metal caressing his soft, sensual, cruel mouth. “And the world is mine again,” he proclaims, placing it on his finger. A blood-red light illuminates his face, and wind, like rousing phantom fingers, tousles his hair. The room fills with music, his music, the summoning songs welcoming back the cherished possession.
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