We pray to the Balance Goddess

We pray to the mother of him

We pray that he saves us

We pray forevermore

~ Song of the Woods

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"The training room was, as all of the heavens had been, massive."

Dai could barely even glimpse the ceiling that had to have been several dozen feet high. It was built for gods to spar in. And, unlike in Lukas's room, scents lingered here. The Balance Goddess had left them alone, though Dai was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to get out of the heavens. He wondered how much time had passed since they left.

It had only felt like a couple of hours, but time flowed differently in the heavens. A couple of years could have passed without Dai. He didn't like that thought. He missed the cool shadows of the trees and the scent of pine. He missed the rare rays of sunlight and the feeling of ease that passed when he swung through the trees.

Victoria had some of her familiars present her and Lukas with swords. Her favorite, Harper, was the only one who lingered, though she was out of range. That seemed like a wise decision. He wanted to be as far away as possible from the deranged goddess.

"Alright, Lukas," Victoria said, holding the sword out. "Let's start with the basics. Order your familiar to walk three steps forward," she said.

Three steps forward was three steps closer to Victoria and therefore danger and Dai's entire body resented the idea. Lukas still sighed, shaking his head. "You heard her, Dai," he said.

"I'm not doing that," Dai said.

"Order him," Victoria said.

"Please, Dai," Lukas said. His eyes spoke for him. He thought that Dai was being prideful. He thought that Dai was being arrogant and refusing to do this out of spite. He couldn't sense the wickedness that oozed from this woman's flesh. Why didn't he realize? There was no way Dai was walking towards that woman.

But Victoria was not in the mood to play around either. "Like this," Victoria said. "Harper. Three steps forward." Her words were filled with power. The blue clouds on Harper's neck glowed as she immediately took three steps closer. She didn't even have the power to refuse. It was absolute control over mind and body.

And it terrified Dai.

"It's all in the voice," Victoria said. "Let your magic pool. Let it fill your body. Force him to move," she said, her eyes that of a snake's.

Lukas sighed again. He looked little more than annoyed. "Dai please just go forward," he said, his tone strained.

Something flickered around Dai's neck. He could feel its warmth as he took a half step forward and then two back, ultimately accomplishing nothing. Dai wasn't going to listen to these gods. He couldn't. He desperately wanted to slip into the shadows and disappear. But there were no shadows. There was only light and the scent of blood.

"Better," Victoria said. "I have no idea how you've been keeping him under control without your voice, though," she said, actually looking genuinely impressed by Lukas. "They're wild beasts without their collars," she said, rolling her eyes. "Hasn't he tried to kill you?"

"Yes," Lukas admitted. "Several times. Once with a stick."

Dai scowled. He hadn't tried to kill Lukas with the stick, though he could have. Dai had killed a god before. He knew where to aim if he wanted to do damage. Stabbing a god through the heart wouldn't do much damage. But by severing the head from the neck, was almost guaranteed to work. Almost. Unless the god possessed an insane amount of healing magic.

Victoria looked appalled. "Lukas," she spat. "Get him to come here. And don't use please. Gods don't have to say please. Everything is ours."

"Yes, sister," Lukas said.

"No it isn't," Dai said, glaring at the goddess of the sky. "I am not your toy."

Victoria turned her annoyed gaze to Dai. "It's yapping. Lukas, this is why you cut their tongues out. I don't understand how you can listen to it make those noises all day." She rolled her eyes before examining her nails. "It's annoying. Do something about it."

An order.

But Dai wasn't going to give Lukas a chance to follow it. Instead, he summoned his icy sword. Or tried to. There was something off about the magic in this place. The sword Dai had imagined in his mind ended up more like a dagger in his hand. The same type of dagger he would summon when he was first learning to use his magic.

Well, he could make this work. "I'll kill you," Dai hissed. He could probably sever a head with a knife. Maybe. It wouldn't be pretty.

"Lukas," Victoria said.

"I know!" Lukas snapped. "Drop the knife Dai!"

He was trying to speak with magic, but he didn't have enough of it. He might've been able to control a normal familiar, but Lukas had gotten stuck with Dai and he wasn't one who was easily controlled. Lukas needed more than a couple of words to stop Dai from implanting the knife and in Victoria's chest.

She looked down, unamused. "Really?" she asked. But Dai was far from done. He charged, not giving her time to raise her sword as he pressed his knee against the knife, sending it straight through her chest. Victoria's eyes widened with fear as Dai summoned his sword again. But this time he called for one that was not made of ice.

The Twin Blade of Shadow weighed heavy in his hands as he pierced it through the Goddess's neck. She choked, beginning to understand that she was defeated. And about to die.

"Stop it!"

Every muscle in Dai's body froze at the order, his collar flashing to life and choking out any resistance. Dai couldn't move. He couldn't think. He couldn't do anything as Victoria shoved the sword from her neck and threw him to the floor. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't feel anything, even as the sword was shoved through his own throat.

And there were no magic words that could stop a pissed off goddess. This was the end, then. Dai knew that Lukas was going to be his calamity.

But to his surprise, the blow never came. The sword dropped from his neck. The wound began to heal and Dai could breathe again as his gaze returned to focus as he saw Victoria's unconscious figure. Lukas was shaking, looking at his hands with wide eyes. He'd... saved Dai.

The thought sent Dai spiraling.

"I... I just knocked my sister out," Lukas said, falling to his knees. "She's going to kill me."

Dai still couldn't do anything. Lukas had told him to stop and so he had locked up. His body was limp on the ground. He closed his eyes, mind drifting to darker depths. He was alive. He was trembling. Lukas's arms were lifting him up, looking at Dai with real concern in his eyes. Concern that he quickly tucked away when he saw Dai was okay.

"You... you can move again," he said, slowly. But Dai really couldn't. Lukas needed to put his magic in the words. "Right," Lukas said, reaching the same conclusion. "Come back."

Dai curled into a ball on the floor, feeling slowly returning to his eyes. "Why did you save me?" Dai whimpered, voice barely audible.

"I don't... know," Lukas said. He really did look confused. He had betrayed his own blood for Dai. "Victoria had it coming, though." His gaze hardened. "She's so cruel to her familiars. And then I did the same thing to you." He shook his head.

Dai gave a weak smile. "I did try to kill your sister."

"You... did," Lukas said. "But you almost got killed because I took away your free will," he said, shaking his head, but not shaking off the guilt.'s

"Well..." Dai said, slowly. "How about you promise never do that again and we'll call it even."

Lukas grinned, weakly. "I promise."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I wonder what Lukas's tell for lying would be?