"I get the feeling you don't like me much," Etani said, reaching into the bucket, drawing the clay from the bottom, and squishing out the bulk of the water before working it into a larger ball.
"No one being should be as powerful as you are. Those of us not fooled by your magic believe you need to be controlled."
Etani waited several seconds before she decided to speak, but then her eyes lifted and there was nothing friendly in the stare she levelled on him. "I am being controlled."
His lip curled. "By a vampire. You should be controlled by us."
She didn't mean to laugh, she really didn't, but there was no stopping it.
Letari's head snapped up, her eyes wide as she saw the warning signs of imminent danger from her twin. She slid out of her chair and took a worried-looking Aurora by the hand, moving them both against the wall.
"By whom, exactly? You? How about Hades? Which one of you is so keen to wield death? Or is it that they want the power of a Creator? Or is it that they want to contain Winter?"
He didn't reply, but his hands shook.
Etani stood slowly and Letari shrank down to make herself as small and unnoticeable as possible.
"Is it you, Anubis? Do you want that magic?" She didn't know when she had approached him, but her whisper brushed his fur.
He swallowed, looking down at her. "You are a dangerous, unpredictable, hostile creature with no loyalties. We will find a way to keep you contained if you will not willingly grant us that power."
"I will not allow you to take control of me from Versalis, and I will not surrender Winter." There was a desperate need in Etani to protect both, though she had never felt it before. Was it her need to protect her magic, or was it the magic trying to stay with her?
"Then grant us control over your Creator magic," he said. "Then at least those two can be contained."
The need to protect was a violent slash in Etani's heart, and she dropped her eyes. Anubis' hand was on a strange, circular-shaped blade.
"Are you going to attack me, Anubis?" she breathed.
His chest swelled as he took in a deep breath, exhaling in a controlled expulsion.
Etani smiled, and when Anubis' hand drew back, she curled her fingers around his wrist and it was against the wall, pinned in place with the odd sword drawn.
He growled at her grip on his wrist, the heat of him battling against her own cold and she met his growl with her own. His free hand rose, and his fingers curled around her throat, though it wasn't a hard grip. Reaching between them, Etani smiled as his eyes widened and his second circular sword met his throat.
"I'll not surrender to you," she whispered, enjoying the sight of his wide eyes and bared teeth.
"I think that's enough of that," a curt voice said.
Etani's smile faded as a heavy hand came down on her shoulder. Looking up, she found the amused face of Sobek looking down at her. He reached around her to first pry Anubis' fingers off her throat and then pry the weapon out of her hand. Letting go of his wrist, she stepped back, but she refused to take her eyes off the God of Death.
"Perhaps you can make her see reason," Anubis growled.
She looked up at Sobek who schooled his face from irritation. "You want to control me?" she demanded, genuinely hurt.
"I feel it would be wise to have a backup plan for if things turn bad," he said, and he tightened his grip on her wrist as she took a step back from him.
"Let go, Sobek," she said flatly, but he refused, and Anubis moved to her other side. Alarmed at their barring her escape, she tugged at her arm, but he refused to let go.
"Sobek?" She couldn't believe he would do anything to hurt her, but she also didn't know where his loyalties lay. For all she knew, he could be on the side of the Gods.
"Etani, you have to know you are a high risk and exceptionally powerful being," Sobek said slowly.
She took another step back from him with her arm stretched out between them. Anubis' long fingers curled around her upper arms and she went still. She looked to Aurora, who was holding Letari in a hug; Letari's eyes were huge in her fear. She didn't think Aurora would hurt Letari, but was rather trying to keep her out of the middle of things.
"This is what happens when you trust the Gods," she breathed, her eyes still on her twin, who nodded slowly.
Letari exploded into movement and Sobek turned as Aurora was sent crashing to the ground with a scream.
Etani took advantage of the distraction. Planting her foot on Sobek's chest, she shoved herself up and over Anubis' head and as she landed, she drove her foot into the back of his knee, forcing him down. Letari leapt over the table and was out the door, Etani quick to follow her, while Sobek swore, dragging Anubis to his feet as they followed.
Catching up to Letari in a matter of steps, Etani scooped the tiny frame up and threw her up over her back, thin arms wrapping around her shoulders as they streaked down the hall.
How many of them had made this decision? Who could she trust? Could she trust any of them? She had no idea, and she glanced back as Sobek skidded around the corner, toppling a vase before he pounded after them.
She needed to get out, and she worried about where Anubis had gone. He wasn't with Sobek, so she could only assume that he had gone another way to try to cut her off.
A terrible thought hit her, and her heart clenched as she wondered if Daemon had decided to side with them, or even Bast. Would he betray her? Had she hurt him too many times?
"Head," she said, and Letari immediately ducked behind her as she swiped an ornamental bell from a pedestal and threw it through the window, following it out.
They were on the second storey and were airborne for a second, Etani's eyes intent on the forest as a means of hiding out until she decided what to do.
Landing on her feet, she dropped into a crouch to absorb the impact and rebounded back into a run. Sobek reached the window as she started towards the wall, and she had an odd sense of Deja Vu as she ran, though she couldn't recall fully why. Someone shouted her name, and she frowned as she saw Daemon at the stairs, his eyes going to the field behind her. His head turned in the opposite direction to him, causing him to frown before he leapt off the parapet and started in her direction.
Did she trust him? Had he given her any reason to believe he would allow them to do anything to her? The resounding 'no' was instant, and she bit her lip, torn between getting to him and getting to safety.
Letari screamed, and Etani immediately changed course, throwing herself to the side as Anubis reached them. Letari leapt away and Etani turned on the God, ready to defend herself against him.
He was fast, and she saw the gold chain that immediately had her backing away from him to put distance between them, but he followed after her, eyes narrowed. Sobek joined them and he was panting softly, his arms out to keep her from running. Daemon reached them only a second later, and he immediately went for Sobek, the two landing hard on the ground.
Turning on Anubis in relief, he bared his teeth at her, and Etani backed away from him, very wary of the chain and what it was capable of.
"Etani, go!" Daemon yelled.
She saw Letari bolting for the wall and scaling it with no issue at all. She would have to get enough distance between herself and Anubis to be able to get over the wall; or else there was the gate. Deciding that was her best bet, she cursed and darted away from him, the jackal God immediately on her tail.
She wanted to ensure that Daemon was going to be okay, but she wasn't going to stick around long enough for Anubis to get a grip on her or get that chain on any part of her body.
She streaked towards the gate when blue flames burst into reality and she screamed as long, armoured fingers caught her throat, bringing her to a very sudden stop. Hades was smiling down at her as he stepped from the flames, his fingers wrapping easily around her neck.
Moving on instinct, Etani drove her foot into the side of his knee and he grunted, doubling over and dragging her down with him when he refused to let go of her.
Anubis reached them, laughing as he pulled the chain tight between his fingers.
Whimpering, she pulled at the fingers around her throat. Her eyes went to Daemon as he cried her name, Sobek forcing his arm up behind his back and speaking rapidly into his ear.
Daemon's fear had her own fear skyrocketing, and as Anubis loomed over her, she took the cheap shot.
He dropped like a downed house, clutching himself and howling like the wounded dog he was. She aimed a kick for his head, missing as Hades jerked her back against him and pulled her off balance.
Three new people were convening on their position and Hades growled, stooping to take the chain from Anubis and he looped it over her head, pulling it tight around her throat.
She felt the drain of her magic being trapped inside her and she knew she was captured, even as Kai, Versalis and the twin reached them.
"Stop!" Daemon yelled, and everyone froze for a moment before all eyes turned to the demon.
Anubis dragged himself back to his feet and his face was fury on her, still clutching himself. They both knew she was going to suffer for what she had done.
Hades' long fingers curled around her upper arm and he pulled her close to ensure none of the others were able to get the chain off her without his knowing,
"What are you doing?" Versalis snarled.
Her heart sank as she saw Sobek letting Daemon go, but the demon didn't automatically turn on the crocodile God. Something Sobek had said must have changed his mind.
Tugging at her arm to try to free herself, she winced as Hades only gripped her tighter, momentarily distracted as Anubis moved to her other side and his fingers crushed her upper arm, each man holding her between them with the long chain tight in Hades' grip.
Kai was closest and her eyes went to him, finding his attention already on her with terror. They both knew he wasn't strong enough to go up against the two Gods on his own, and his jaw was clenched in impotent rage that he couldn't help her.
Forcing her attention from him, Etani looked at Daemon, who was approaching slowly, his expression a mixture of anger and resolve at whatever it was Sobek had told him. The golden-skinned God had followed after him.
"So much for loyalty," she growled at Daemon, his eyes lingering on hers for a second before dropping. She was right; he had betrayed her.
Turning her glare on Sobek, the God lifted his chin in defiance, and she growled. She would never trust a single one of them again.
Daemon seemed to read her thoughts as he moved forward. His warm fingers curled around her jaw, forcing her to look up at him. "Etani, my love, you have to understand their position," he said gently, but she wasn't about to listen to a traitor. He was prepared for the attack, and he jumped back as her knee shot up, missing him by only an inch. His eyes went hard, and he looked around at Sobek who stepped forward, looking to the castle.
"We should get the others before we start. The more of us there are, the stronger the bind," he said thoughtfully.
"How many?" she demanded.
He looked down at her, his expression carefully neutral. "Enough," he said.
"I will never forgive you," she whispered. He couldn't hide the pain in his face, but she didn't care.