Zoelyn sniffled and nodded slightly, but the hurt on her face was evident.
“She is fine, Finn. I didn’t hurt her,” Seth snapped before he could stop himself. He didn’t want her comforted by Finn. He could barely stomach seeing her wrapped in his arms.
Finn glanced up at him and back down to Zoelyn and smiled warmly at her. “She will be OK now. She is too strong to break from something like this.” He spoke in a soothing voice and Seth bristled further.
Seth knew that voice and that smile. It was one of his own tricks, and to watch Finn using it on Zoey was too much. “I said s he was fine, Finn. Leave it at that,” he snarled as he took another step closer.
Finn glanced back up at him and smiled coldly. Leaning down he kissed Zoelyn gently on the forehead and Seth’s anger broke at the sight. He was moving before he even realized what he was doing with his dagger in his hand. Raising the blade, Seth drove hard for Finn’s side and nearly fell as Finn caught his arm in a vice-like grip and stared hard at him. The Lord of Death had barely moved a muscle to block him and Seth realized with growing dismay that Finn had baited him and had been waiting for the attack.
Finn held his gaze as firmly as he held this arm and smirked. “When you have calmed down, Zoey I want you to remember this moment. Replay all of this in your mind and ask yourself who was being the child today,” Finn said coolly as he slowly twisted Seth’s arm forcing him to drop his dagger. “Jala will welcome you back with no questions, Zoey, and you will be safe there,” Finn promised as he summoned the magic to send her from the Darklands.
Seth watched in silence as she faded from the room and tried to forget the look of betrayal that was on her face. She had trusted him, and it had been so long since anyone had trusted him.
“She didn’t deserve that, Seth, no matter how disappointed and scared you are,” Finn said quietly once she was gone. Slowly he released his grip on Seth’s arm and shook his head at Seth’s confusion. “It must have been difficult to keep your temper in check once you realized it was Neph that raised her. I know that had to be devastating to your plans.”
“What?” Seth stammered, eyeing Finn with suspicion. He had believed Finn was oblivious to everything, but he was quickly realizing how wrong he was. “Why would that disappoint me?” he pressed, wondering exactly how much Finn had figured out.
Finn smirked in response and shook his head slowly. “Because Neph was my friend in life and he wouldn’t move against me now. I’m not stupid, Seth. You were searching for a way out of hell and there are very few sacrifices that would be worthy of a creature as powerful as you. I dare to say, it likely would have taken a Divine for you to retain your memories and not become an Undrae yourself,” Finn explained in a calm voice.
“Why did you allow it, then, if you knew what I was doing the entire time?” Seth demanded. It made no sense to him that Finn would simply sit by and do nothing when he obviously knew that Seth had planned to betray him.
“Because Zoey needed your help and I thought perhaps she could help you,” Finn answered with a heavy sigh and gazed around the room sadly. “I was apparently wrong, though.”
“Help me?” Seth stammered and backed away from Finn shaking his head. “There is no help for me,” he added in a harsh voice.
“Do you know why I don’t feed you souls, Seth?” Finn asked quietly. He glanced at Seth as he spoke and smirked again. “I have been forcing you to face this room and hoping that one day you might come out of here saying look what I did, rather than look what they did to me.” Finn finished and rubbed his face.
“You are saying all of this was my doing?” Seth snarled as his anger flared once more. “You think I wanted to warm a pedophiles bed?
You think I chose to serve the Avanti? I was a slave, Finn!”
“Life offered you shit, but look what you made of it, Seth. Your mother handed you over to that monster so you would live and you slit her throat in thanks,” Finn growled back and whirled on Seth.
“She let him abuse me. She deserved to die!” Seth’s voice rose with his anger and he glared at Finn with pure hatred.
“She wanted you to live,” Finn repeated coldly. “Do you think my own mother wanted to be raised by the Avanti? I highly doubt it, but you allowed her to be taken as a child because you knew even though it would be a harsh life, she would live. Do you think she could slit your throat, knowing you were her father, and not shed a tear for it?” Finn moved closer and shook his head slowly. “She couldn’t. I promise you that.”
Seth stared at him and his anger faltered. He had never compared his own actions with that of his mother. All he had been able to focus on was how she had allowed him to be abused and he had never considered why she had allowed it. Finn’s words hit too close to home, though. He had known the same pain with Davahni and had no choice other than to allow her to be taken.
“Do you think Dashara would have suffered as much as she did if you hadn’t forced Donrey’s hand with your actions?” Finn continued and the illusion of Dashara shimmered back into view. “She was freeing slaves, Seth. Do you think this is the death one earns for freeing slaves? I don’t. It was your actions that led to this. Your nightly hunts on the Avanti that brought Donrey to this point. He might have forgiven Dashara, if not for your vengeance. How many did you kill in her name without uttering a word about it to her?” Finn paused, waiting for an answer, but Seth could only shake his head in response. “It was never about making a better world to you. It has always been about vengeance,” Finn sighed and shook his head with disgust.