Page 50 of Tangle of Lust and Lethargy

I was a thousand times better than the alternative.

As I stepped toward the serpent, I steeled myself. This time would be different. This time, I would save Justice, Brody, and my brother, and I’d hang on to the Crown of Envy. Whatever the cost, I would change our fate.

I locked gazes with Justice, trying to convey a silent message.Be ready. Then, taking a deep breath, I prepared to face my destiny. Again.

A familiar hiss sliced through the air, making me flinch despite knowing it was coming.You are worthy. The Aegis serpent’s voice slithered into my mind, just like before.You have earned the crown.

The words hit me with the same force as the first time. My heart clenched, and shivers danced along my spine. But this time, a new emotion mingled with the old. Determination. Bitter resolve replaced the tears that had formed before.

Damon’s gaze met mine, filled with the same forgiveness and love I remembered. It was surreal seeing that look again, knowing what was to come. I pulled away, my hands shaking not only from emotion but from the weight of foreknowledge.

“Thank you. I—” I began, the words falling from my lips automatically.

“Sawyer, you’re my sister. You’re family. Never keep anything from me again,” Damon interrupted, like he had before.

I sniffed, the familiar words striking a chord even in this strange replay. “I promise.”

Déjà vu didn’t begin to describe it. Every word, every action mirrored what had happened before. Yet, beneath the surface, everything was different. My mind raced, searching for the right moment to change our fate.

The serpent’s eyes bored into me, and I couldn’t help but wonder. Did it know? Could it sense the temporal anomaly werepresented? “Thank you, Damon,” I whispered, backing away slowly, hyper-aware of every movement.

As if on cue, Damon clasped my wrist, his grip desperate. “Sawyer, no. Don’t do it.”

I gently removed his hand, my heart aching at the fear in his eyes. A fear I now understood all too well. “It’s my destiny, Damon,” I murmured, the words hollow in my mouth. “Whatever happens, it was meant to be.”

This time, I silently vowed, I would write our destiny. Maci would not get the crown, and Brody wouldn’t die.

The serpent’s verdict of worthiness echoed in my mind, yet this time, experience colored my perception. Now, I knew worthiness didn’t guarantee a happy ending. Sacrifices loomed on the horizon. I’d faced them before, losing memories of my father for the mirror. Now, standing here again, I wondered what darker price awaited.

My gaze swept over Justice, Damon, and my friends. Last time, I thought I was saving them. This time, I was determined to actually do it. The weight pressed on my shoulders as I approached the serpent with measured steps.

The creature bared its fangs, and I tensed, muscle memory kicking in despite knowing what would happen. But its gaze slid past me, focusing on someone behind me. I turned, following its line of sight to where Zara and Lisa stood.

The realization hit me anew, though tinged with the bitterness of betrayal I’d already experienced. Lisa was the traitor, not Zara. Did the serpent know? Could it sense the deception we were all blind to before?

This time, armed with the knowledge of what was to come, I felt a shift within me. Condemnation had led us down a dark path before. Perhaps forgiveness was the key to changing our fate. The thought settled in my mind, a small but significant deviation from the script we’d lived through once already.

I reached for the Crown of Envy, my heart pounding a familiar rhythm of fear and anticipation. The serpent coiled on the altar, its hiss raising goosebumps on my arms, a sensation both new and remembered.

I won’t kill you, its voice slithered through my mind again.

Relief washed over me, quickly chased by dread. The same question that had haunted me last time resurfaced. If not me, who? This time, it carried the weight of grim experience.

The serpent’s gaze remained fixed behind me, and a chill ran down my spine. This was the moment. The pivotal point where everything had gone wrong before. Instinct and memory collided as I lunged for the Crown, my fingers closing around the cool metal.

The moment was coming. The time I could change history if I played my cards right.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

I grabbed Lisa’s arm, my fingers digging into her flesh with urgency. “Don’t say it, Lisa. Don’t summon Maci.” My voice trembled, heavy with the weight of what was at stake.

Lisa’s eyes widened as shock and fear flickered across her face. It was the look of someone whose deepest secret had been unexpectedly laid bare. The same expression Judas must have worn when Christ called out his betrayal. “What?” she whispered.

“I know where your phoenix is.” The words tumbled out of me, desperate and pleading. My grip on the crown tightened. I wouldn’t let go. Not this time.

Lisa hesitated, conflict etched in every line of her face. I could almost see the war raging behind her eyes. Loyalty to her beloved phoenix versus the wrongness of what she was about to do.

I searched her gaze, silently willing her to make the right choice. My heart pounded so hard I thought it might burst from my chest. “Do you really want to put your trust in Maci?” I pressed. “She’ll betray you the first chance she gets.”

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