Tallulah bounced on the balls of her feet and looked around. "You think the spell I'm sensing is the one that brought us here?" It was the most likely, really, and the least strange. All the puzzle pieces would fit together much more smoothly that way than any other so far.
How was Kate always getting out of these situations? She seemed to be pulled away all the time to deal with them but she was always, always able to get home. Tallulah couldn't see how she was going to pull off a homecoming of her own.
Kiirion hummed. "Could be. That would make the most sense. Some sort of magic or spell had to have brought us here, and we know it's related to the water, but it could be the whole swamp. Maybe it's enchanted, or there's a spell over the whole area. But a spell this powerful will be very difficult to break."
"If it is the magic that brought us here," Colt said, ignoring Alex in the corner, "then we still don't know why it brought us here in the first place. What could a powerful magic user want with us? Even just having me here would be redundant."
Alex began, "you're stupid to think anyone would want something from us or you, specifically. This was probably a desperate move to summon some kind of help, or maybe we fell into some sick maniac's trap and are about to be tortured and killed. Of course, when I say me, I don't really mean that I'm included. If I'm about to die, you'd all do well to remember not to save me. If you value your lives, that is. I'm pretty sure you do, from all the small talk, and the kind of attitudes you'd find in rich and spoilt brats. I'm sorry if I made this seem like I'm describing all of you. Now, why don't you all stop assuming things AND FIND OUT FOR YOURSELVES WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT!"
They could tell that he was annoyed and a little pissed off. He threw the ball of flames at the nearest wall.
Colt reached his hand out in the direction of the flames beginning to eat away at the cottage's walls and uttered the words to a spell. The flames grew in intensity for a moment - his control lacking as he felt another fierce, hot wave of anger and indignity wash over him - only to die down into nothingness a few seconds later.
He put his hand down.
You're too stupid to think that someone would want something from you, the little voice - his voice - reminded him. Alex's words had just echoed what he already knew. It didn't matter that his powers were nothing to scoff at. It didn't matter that Colt was right. All that mattered is that anyone who knew his full powers - who knew who he really was - would be a fool to invite him to do anything.
"You think you're so smart, don't you?" Colt said, his voice soft. His hands remained motionless at his sides, and his gaze lingered right on Alex. It was the kind of look that could see into someone's soul; Colt hoped Alex was smart enough to see that. "Well, genius, tell me this: have you ever heard a story of a god who decides to take a mortal form?"
He reached his hand out again in the direction of the previously burning wall, uttering a few words underneath his breath. The soot marks disappeared; the cottage wall had seemingly returned to normal.
"You must know what happens," he added. "A human as stupid as some of the gods meets their fellow man and, seeing their weakness, decides to mock it or ignore them entirely. And the god, who already knew they were a terrible person - one as bad as some of the other gods - decides their gut feeling about that stupid, stupid human was right all along."
He put his head down and tilted his head to the side.
"Now," Colt said, "if you were the god in that scenario, what would you do to the human that just insulted you?"
"...And have you heard the story of the mortal who killed gods? That's right. GODS. It's plural BITCH," and he looked up and said, "Don't you dare threaten me you little shit!" His eyes glowed the colour of flames.
Tallulah stepped between the fighting pair. They looked like cats about to brawl, all puffed up and hissing. Getting between that could be an extra bad idea, but someone had to do something before these 'fucking thick-headed glitter-lickers', as Kate would put it, burnt the cottage down around them.
"Stop it," she snapped. "You," she turned to Alex, "Outside. Now." She was not taking excuses, and she certainly didn't pretend she was.
"And you," she turned her attention to Colt, her fins bristling, "Over there." She pointed to a corner of the cottage.
She had a spell on the tip of her tongue. The first hint of resistance would see everyone taking an impromptu nap.
Colt gave Alex a burning, seething glare as Alex walked out, but he did as requested. He wasn't stupid enough to burn the few bridges he had here right now.
Not quite sure if it was a peace offering or an attempt to make up for Alex's magical little temper tantrum, he fixed up the wall with another quietly muttered spell.
Tallulah grit her teeth. Colt was less volatile than Alex. He could sit quietly in the corner for five minutes and think about his childish assholery without hurting anyone.
She stalked out the door and found Alex, crossing her arms as she stared him down, daring him to say the first word.
Alex found a comfortable spot on top of the cabin and lied down as comfortable as he could. He was crying inside. He hated this place already. He was crying inside. He missed Chloe. He really wanted her back. He really wished that he had just drowned when he fell into that lake.
He saw Tallulah coming towards him.
"I'm not apologizing to that arrogant piece of shit. MOM."
Tallulah resisted the urge to bare her fangs and tackle him into the water. Kate hated it when Tallulah did that to her sailors. She supposed this little ragtag group was her version of that. A crew.
Of course, Kate wasn't opposed to a little punishment for problematic crew members.
"You're the arrogant one here, you petty little bitch," she snapped at him, using one of Kate's insults. Tallulah had never really grasped their meanings exactly, but she knew the anger behind them, and that was plenty.
"Okay then," he drew his sword and offered it to her, "end my life then. Just do it. I don't wanna live. I don't. I just don't. Can you do it? Or can you not? I'll ask that bastard then. He'd probably be willing."
She snatched the sword out of his hand and cast it into the swamp, catching his arm and digging in her claws. "Listen up," she growled, "You're going to go in there," she pointed to the cabin, "You are going to use the door like a perfect gentleman, and you and Colt are both going to apologize to each other, and then everyone who had to listen to your fucking spat instead of working toward getting out of here."
Her hair had puffed up around her head like the spikes of a pufferfish, and she smoothed it as she stepped back, telling go of Alex.
"You're going to think of something other than your sugar-glass ego until you're back in your own world, got it?"
'They are afraid of nothing,' I grumbled, watching their approach through the window. 'Together, they would brave Satan and all his legions.' — Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights
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