Song Drabble 6
Over
Four.
He was the first, taken by one of his own.
Twelve.
Ever loyal, her second meeting with the Keybearer would be her last.
Five.
Silent and strong, he took on somebody stronger and came off the worse.
Eleven.
Life was a chess match, his castle the board and all within it his pieces. He never expected two disobedient pawns to ruin his game.
Six.
An Anansi in humanoid form, spinning webs of lies and trickery. He failed to notice even as they coiled about him, realizing his mistake only when the flies he'd caught had taken his life.
Nine.
Keep with the beat, he'd insisted, taunting the Keybearer. He was unprepared when the beat shifted and left him out of step.
Three.
He went where he was not welcome. A strong-willed girl, a strong-minded beast, and a strong-hearted boy proved to be his end.
Eight.
He finally knew who he was and what he wanted. All that was left to do was to go down in a blaze of glory.
And nothing stopped him from getting what he wanted.
Two.
Traitor, he accused, casting blame onto somebody whom nobody knew was present. He then aimed – he was known for his aim – and shot to kill.
And missed.
After him, it was simply a matter of counting backwards.
Ten.
He knew when to hold 'em and fold 'em, but walking away and running were not in his vocabulary. He stayed too long as the odds rose against him, and in his last desperate gamble, they fell.
Seven.
He lost his heart to the Dark. He lost his mind to the Moon. He lost his life to the Key.
One.
He pulled out all the stops, grasping at his plans, his goals, his ideals, even as they fell to bits about him. He threw everything he had at them, including the very fabric of his World That Never Was. And still they kept coming.
Relentless.
And when he had given everything he had, still they continued. They stopped when he had gone, forced to return to the darkness from whence he had come.
After him, it was over.
Or so they thought.