Proteus scowled at the apparition of the woman in front of him. Eris didn't seem to notice his glowering, for she fixed him with radiant smile. "Proteus, Proteus," she murmured, disappearing from lounging on his bed to sitting on a chair. Her hair haloed around her head; snake-like strands reaching for him. He shuddered as one brushed his cheek.
"What are you doing here, Eris?" He demanded, fingers itching for a knife he didn't have. While they had allowed him to change from the clothes he had worn in prison to something more befitting a prince for his execution, he hadn't been allowed weapons for obvious reasons. And though he had been freed when Sinbad had returned and forced Eris to return the book, he hadn't had time to gather his usual sword and dagger.
She shrugged, a lithe movement of one slender shoulder. "I think perhaps you should have taught your dear Sinbad more of your religion." She laid a hand on the glowing X just below her clavicle. "He seemed to think that a Goddess of Chaos would find a promise," she laughed, and the glow faded away, leaving unmarked skin. "binding."
Suddenly, the feeling that had filled Proteus when the sword had been about to take Sinbad's life filled him again. It made his heart stop, his throat close as tight as if Eris had reached out to take him by it.
"What do you want?"
She gave a grin that was teeth and malice, before evaporating again. Proteus jumped when he felt the press of her cold, airy body behind him. "Well the choice is simple." Eris purred, running a clawed finger over the delicate skin of his throat. "His life, or yours."