"I don't need to worry?!" Aoife whispered harshly, "Are you insane?! Getting out of here very much depends on your survival. Attempting something like this…"
Aoife exhaled heavily in frustration and slammed her hands on the table as she glared fiercely at Lexi's impassive gaze.
"Don't you understand that if anything happens to you then all of us, the escape plan, EVERYTHING we have planned will go to shit."
Lexi's face hardened slightly as she met Aoife's glare steadily.
"You're just going to have to trust me, Aoife. None of you are going to like what I plan to do, but there really is no other option with my mates and my mother incarcerated and at Narcissa's mercy. If he isn't stopped, none of us will ever live in peace again."
"But Lexi…" Aoife pleaded in desperation, reaching forward and grabbing her hands as Orynn trilled in warning.
"The sentinel returns Aoife." He murmured in her mind,"Say nothing else."
Maerifa watched the three of them curiously, his eyes shifting to the doorway as the rumbling of the sentinel approached.
"I will see the blade delivered to you as soon as I have retrieved it." He said as he returned the scroll, reaching for a book that lay just below and setting it on the table between them, "Eromaug is aware that it is customary for the Djinn to give both blades and knowledge to those they hold in high regard, so I will find something suitable to accompany the blade."
"He really won't suspect a thing?" Aoife asked tentatively, biting her lip in worry.
"Not at all," The Djinn chuckled with a dismissive wave of his hand, "Eromaug's arrogance will be his downfall, we have always known it, although I will admit that I never thought I would live to say the day that justice would be served to him".
Aoife opened her mouth to reply but the appearance of the sentinel in the doorway with his familiar wheeze stopped her in her tracks.
"Ah! There you are." Maerifa greeted him brightly, "I trust that you…"
"Things here are too fragile. They shatter with the slightest touch." The sentinel sniffed as Maerifa's face fell slightly, "I will return these beings to where they belong now. Lord Eromaug summons us."
"Ah, what a pity." Maerifa smiled as he snapped the book in front of him shut and offered it to Lexi,, "In that case, I will send you back with this book my Queen and I will go and tend to whatever mess our valued friend here has left us. Perhaps we can continue our discussion on the histories of our people another time."
Lexi blinked stupidly as she took the book from him, a little taken aback at the ease with which he lied so convincingly before shaking herself mentally and plastering what she hoped was a genuine smile on her face.
"Thank you. I shall look forward to it. Your company has been most welcome today." she answered sincerely, inclining her head respectfully.
Maerifa's grin seemed to brighten slightly as they nodded at each other and Lexi turned to the sentinel.
"Come on then you great brute. You can walk a little slower on the way back now that you've scratched your violent itch." She snorted as she patted his colossal leg in passing.
"Very well. You will shoulder the responsibility for the results of Eromaug's impatience then." he wheezed in reply.
The four of them walked back in silence, occasionally being steered back in the right direction by the sentinel following at their heels. This time though, Lexi took her time studying the buildings that they passed so that she could familiarize herself with the route and potential hiding spots should she ever need to come this way again without a sturdy guide at her side.
By the time they returned to the cavernous corridors that led them back to her quarters, Lexi could practically feel Aoife's sullen gaze boring a hole in her back. She had planned to reassure Aoife once they returned to the relative sanctuary of her room, but as soon as they entered through the doorway, they were confronted with the figure of a rather irate Eromaug.
"Where the fuck have you three been?" He hissed furiously at them, stepping towards them with murderous intent flashing in his eyes.
"For a walk. Fresh air and all that…" Lexi drawled as she flicked her eyes over him in disgust and attempted to saunter past him
"Do not play with me Lexi." Eromaug hissed as he grabbed hold of her arm, pulling her back towards him, drawing a yelp of surprise from between Lexi's lips as she found herself almost nose to nose with him.
"I have no intention of playing with you." Lexi smirked up at him, a cruel smile playing at the edge of her lips, "If I have my way, no part of me will ever be in your vicinity again."
She could feel the fury rolling from him in waves and it only made her grin wider, flashing her teeth at him in satisfaction.
"Is that so?" Eromaug snarled through clenched teeth, his fingers tightening around her wrist as Aoife cried out in dismay from the doorway.
"Please, my lord, you're going to hurt her!"
Eromaug laughed humorlessly and his lips curled upwards in a cruel smirk that matched Lexi's almost perfectly.
"Perhaps that is what my Eternal needs to make her behave as an Eternal should." He purred dangerously as the pressure in his grip increased, "Perhaps pain is the only way to get through her stubborn mindset."
Lexi bit back the hiss of pain as she met his gaze defiantly.
"If you think you'll ever be able to control me, then you've got a fucking rude awakening heading your way." Lexi snorted as she struggled in his grip, feeling the faintest echoes of her magick responding inside of her.
Eromanga tipped his head back and laughed, a sound that made her blood run cold and just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped and she found herself staring into the eyes of the monster that he tried to hide so well.
"I've been waiting for you to say that since you arrived, Lexi." He smirked, his eyes flashing dangerously, "I think it's time we took a trip to see your beloved mother and your mates, don't you?"