“He’s wrong,” I say. “Whitney’s learning to use her powers quickly, and she knows everything about the local government. She’s become an asset, and I don’t want to find a new champion.”
“We’re only forced to take one as a check on our power,” Osiris says.
“That’s not true,” I say. “We gain more from them than a ticking clock on our waking time.”
“We do learn from them,” Pluto says. “And they can be entertaining.”
“And normally, choosing badly would be terrible,” Osiris says. “But we’re here. If we eliminate her for you, we can power you back up right away. It’s the best way to rid yourself of a bad choice.” He’s smiling now. “You need us for once.”
Pluto’s smiling, too. “But you didn’t say why you changed your mind.”
“I said—she’s improved since I summoned you.”
“You wouldn’t have called us unless you were in bad shape—was it that you didn’t want to go to sleep again, or was it that you couldn’t bring yourself to do what needed to be done?” Osiris starts toward Whitney’s hotel room. “Either way, we should do what you called us to do.”
I move to block him. “You will go. Your help’s no longer needed.”
“I think Osiris may be right,” Pluto says.
“Call me Anubis,” Osiris says. “You know that.”
Pluto sighs.
I send a shock wave at them, and then I toss my head. “You two will go. If Whitney needs to be destroyed, I can take care of it myself.”
“I don’t think you can, brother,” Pluto says. “I think Anubis is right—you’ve somehow become confused.”
Osiris strikes me with a lightning bolt, then ducks around, arrowing for Whitney’s door.
I hit them both with the same strike, but twice as strong. They’re both flung back thirty feet, landing hard on their backs. I’m always stronger than they are, but here, in my own territory? There’s no contest. I pull on earth and dump them deep in the ground. Then I hit that spot with strike after strike of lightning. Of course, they’re smart enough to use that power to their benefit, repurposing it to burst through the ground.
“We’ll get nowhere with this,” Pluto says, spitting dirt out as he speaks. “We could do this all day.”
Osiris bursts free a second later. “Not so. It’s two to one.” He’s beaming. “We can take him, working together.”
They come at me from opposite sides this time, hoping to crack me like a nut, but they underestimate my ability to draw on my own territory’s power. I set them both on fire, and while they’re burning, I materialize a broadsword. A few strokes while they’re distracted, and Pluto’s only got one arm.
A few more, and Osiris is a stump—I took both his legs.
I’m beaming when they start to regrow them, screaming at me the whole time. Half a dozen humans flee the rooms behind us, and Pluto ignores my request and sprints toward them, using a combination of lightning strikes and fire to take their life-forces, the humans screaming as they die. I wonder how long I have before Whitney comes out of that room and shows them exactly how untrained she is.
I don’t wait for either of my brothers to reach further out, striking again before they can. Osiris materializes his double longswords, and Pluto’s arm is almost regrown, so he goes for his traditional bow.
“Wait.” Osiris smiles. “We don’t even have to defeat him. We just have to kill her.”
I swear, loudly. “If you do destroy her, I’ll never forgive that violation of my power here. I’ll attack you forever.”
Pluto’s brow furrows. “What is it about this human? Do you remember hearing that Baba Yaga went insane over some man? It caused all kinds of problems in the past. We can’t allow that for you.”
Instead of giving me time to defend myself, they both beeline for Whitney’s room. I dive after them, not sure how I can keep them both occupied and away from her when she’s so very fragile.
I use wind to yank Pluto back.
But Osiris has almost reached the hotel room door.
I leap after him, but he blocks my attack with one of his swords. “This is going to be fun—setting you straight for once. I’m at least as curious as Pluto about how exactly you were ensorcelled, but I suppose answers about that will have to wait until after she’s gone.”
I set him on fire, but he puts it out immediately.
