Snippets

Untitled Project - Information at the Party

Kota reared his arm and used a shard of broken wood to pierce the figure's back at his left shoulder. The behemoth roared in pain under his mask before he quickly swung his right arm into Kota, lifting and throwing him off the ground. He hit the table with his back and stumbled.

He kept his stance and jumped toward the behemoth, only for the figure to grab his shoulder strap again. Taking a step forward, the behemoth lifted him a little above his height, then slammed Kota onto the table, keeping him pinned down. He repeated the process twice, and the table cracked under the force of Kota slamming into the weakened wood. The figure stopped as Kota gasped for air. His body ached from recent events, and he struggled against the behemoth's tight grip.

Hearing footsteps, Kota looked over to find Cordelia walking closer to them, holding a knife. Her black dress and brunette braided hair kept her flowing with each step. She twirled the knife in her grip as she moved to Kota's side and slammed it into the table blade first, right by his head.

Cordelia smiled at him, saying, "I think this has gone on long enough on our end. I have a question for you now. Where did she hide it?"

Kota coughed while looking up as she towered over him, and he tried to move the giant hand that was tightening around his vest. "What?" he asked as he continued to struggle to move his hand to the mask of the behemoth holding him down.

"You know what she did with it. Now stop and think about the way you want to answer before I cut things off," demanded Cordelia, glancing down at the knife near his head.

Kota looked deep into her eyes as he thought about his answer. "I do not know what you are talking about. Who is 'she'? More information would be helpful."

Cordelia growled. Her grip tightened around the table as she leaned closer to his face. Suddenly, the door creaked open and revealed Sonya holding an open flame over the fingers of her right hand. She held the door open with her left hand while moving into the room, and Kota and the others watched her.

With her red dress and gold breastplate over her upper torso, Sonya looked around the room. She looked at Kota on the table as he coughed. She reached up and moved a strand of black hair behind her right ear. "Kota, am I interrupting something?"

The other two did not move or talk as Kota adjusted his head to the right, ducking below Cordelia's arm to meet Sonya's eyes. "We were just having a riveting conversation," he said. "I know a little about my mother now."

"Well, that is good, but..." said Sonya, pausing as she moved the fire on her fingers, gesturing toward the two towering over Kota.

Kota groaned as he squeezed out a small smile from the right side of his mouth. He looked back at Cordelia and then at Sonya. "This is Cordelia. She is the woman who kidnapped me over a year ago."

Sonya stood there with the small flickers of fire on her fingers, staring at Kota and the two figures standing over him as she stepped closer. Cordelia raised her right hand toward Sonya while reaching for the small knife with her other hand. "Don't come any closer unless you want Kota here to lose an ear."

Sonya looked at the three of them before taking another step closer. She moved the fire over her fingers. "Well, he was never a good listener, anyway."

Cordelia held the knife to his ear as the behemoth pressed him against the table. The table cracked again as Kota yelled, "Hilarious, but please do not test her! She broke my arm once because she thought I was annoying her."

"I dislocated your shoulder. Do not blow things out of proportion," Cordelia replied to his comment, eyes locked on the fire caller.

Kota took his eyes from Sonya and looked back at Cordelia, puzzled. Cordelia could feel his glare, so she looked back at him under her black mask. "What? I did not break your arm, just popped your shoulder out. It was a quick mending fix."

Kota continued to look at her while she refocused on Sonya, who asked, "What do you want from him now? Didn't you have your fun over the last year with him? You had him in shackles and everything. Couldn't get what you wanted from an unconscious man?"

Kota struggled again against the behemoth's grip, so he lifted and slammed him back onto the table. This left a visible dent in the table as it bent in the middle, and splinters of wood spiked on either side of Kota. His teeth gritted as he coughed, feeling the pain in his chest.

"Now, Kota, be still while the grown-ups talk," said Cordelia, patting his cheek with the side of the blade before continuing. "Kota and I have some unfinished business."

"Well, I have one question. If I like your answer, I will leave you to him," said Sonya, gently making the flames dance in her hand.

Cordelia nodded in agreement as Kota lifted his head, meeting her gaze. She held the knife carefully in his line of sight. Placing the blade on his lips, she smiled. "What did I say? Let your so-called friend ask her question."

"Do you know of a man named Ordell? I assume you are well connected to stay in the shadows this long in this kingdom," said Sonya, observing Cordelia to see how she would respond. "I have been tracking him for some time now."

Cordelia moved the blade away from Kota and turned her gaze away for a second before looking at Sonya to answer her question. "The name rings a bell, but I am only in this kingdom for a specific reason. Maybe if you help me with what I want, I can help you with the quest for him."

Sonya began spinning the fire in her hand as she looked down at Kota, who was staring back at her with questioning eyes. Kota could feel the wood underneath him shift as he struggled again. She smiled at him as she turned her attention toward Cordelia. "As much as that offer tempts me, I was offered the same deal by the dead prince here. He hasn't been a thorn in my side like you have."

While Cordelia thought about her response, Kota shifted his right hand under his back and grabbed a splinter of wood about the size of a dagger. Cordelia was about to respond when Kota raised his hand and jammed the small chunk of wood into the behemoth's hand. He grunted as his grip loosened around the straps in reaction to the pain. In one swift move, Kota used his legs to kick off the behemoth, pushing them both in opposite directions, and Kota fell off the table and onto the floor. When he hit the ground, a massive fireball flew across the room and smashed into the table, scattering flaming pieces of wood.

Sonya rushed over and picked Kota up off the ground, standing beside him. He looked over at her hand as the burnt remains of her glove fell to the floor. He watched Cordelia, regaining her balance against the counter on the other side of the kitchen, while he spoke to Sonya. "You seriously had me going there for a second."

Sonya closed her hand and opened it, steam coming from the pores on her palm. Breathing gently, she pushed herself in front of Kota. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing Kota's eyes before telling him, "We can discuss this later. For now, we have to deal with these two."

Kota nodded as he watched Sonya create a small ember in each of her hands. Bending down, she placed her hands along the hem of her dress, deliberately burning it away until it was closer to her knees. Cordelia cracked her neck, then tore her dress from the hem to her knee on the right side, tying it up in a similar length to Sonya's.