“How close?” I ask.
“I would need to touch them for this to even be possible.”
“No,” Draven says. “They’re out-of-control murderous bastards right now. You’re not touching them and getting gutted trying to stop them.”
“We don’t have a lot of options here, Draven. We don’t want to destroy them because they’re Hephaestus’ creations and could be of use in battle.”
The sun shines down on the trees and the reflection off the automatons burns my eyes. Grunts grow louder and another spear flies straight for me. I spin out of the way just in time to find Raven plucking the damn thing out of the air and twirling it like a baton.
“Show-off,” I grumble.
“You’re welcome.” Raven launches the spear back into the trees and the forest grows silent.
“What happened?” I whisper. “Why is it quiet?”
“If they didn’t know we were here before, they do now,” Greyson says. “Their creaking gold bodies all shifted in this direction when the spear came back at them.”
“Oops,” Raven says. “How was I supposed to know the spears weren’t intended for us? They nearly hit Beth twice.”
“Yeah, I thought it was calculated to.” I widen my stance and crouch lower ready, for the attack that is definitely coming for us now.
“Back in position and watch for more spears,” Raven whispers.
The ground rumbles with several footsteps. The automatons finally come into view. Ten massive men in Greek battle armor march toward us, but they aren’t men because with every rumbling step, the shriek of creaking metal follows them. They are gold from head to toe.
“If you don’t have any other brilliant ideas, Draven. I suggest we try to get Kira close enough to touch one of them.” I crack my whip and electricity buzzes through it with the same black and white as when my magic hits full capacity.
“Cut off their heads?” he asks hopefully.
“We’re trying not to kill them,” I whisper.
Kira glances at my whip and then up at the golden robots in front of us. “I think I have an idea. Can you like short-circuit them with your lightning?”
“It might work.” I flick the whip again. “I might barbecue them, though.”
“If you get them down, I can see if I can rewire them or something with my magic.” Kira shrugs.
The creepy automatons stop twenty feet away and some raise spears as others have swords and axes. The one in the middle draws its sword and he must be the lead robot because chaos erupts around me as the automatons jump impossibly high and land just feet away, weapons already in motion to cut us down.
“I’m really starting to question Hephaestus’ sanity.” I pull my sword from the ether, just barely raising it up to block the blow from an ax.
The swords clash and my bones vibrate with the impact.
“Nothing deadly should be able to jump that high,” Raven says with a grunt.
“Everything about this is unnatural.” I swing my blade at the automaton and spin away from a spear sailing directly at me.
“Use your magic, Beth,” Kira shouts. “I think it will work.”
“Draven, cover her,” I say and flick my whip at the nearest automaton.
“Always,” he says.
My whip wraps around the ankle of the nearest automaton. Sparks crackle across the gold of its body as it stiffens. It lets out a shriek before crumpling to the forest floor, smoke billowing from its ankle where my electricity scorched it.
“You good, Kira?” I shout, turning to the next automaton.
“Beth, watch out,” Raven screams.
