Legend of Kataria (Draft Version)

Chapter 22

"Greeny!" Red shook his head frantically. "Don't do it! He'll kill you the second he gets what he wants! We're not worth it! Leah! Think of Leah! Would she want you to do this?"

Yes, that was a very likely outcome, and Leah would definitely not approve of his plan. But he couldn't see any other way they were all going to make it out of this. Perhaps, given more time, he could find a way to outsmart the king. But, now, with his friends' lives hanging in the balance, being smart wasn't enough. He knew what he needed to do.

"I have no choice," he answered quietly, the gears already turning. "If Kataria is what Morto wants, then I have to get it for him. It's the only way." The words were automatic and he forced himself not to wince as he spoke them, holding the king's evenly.

"I'll come with you!" Pinky said, still wincing, a bruise already beginning to form across her cheek. Her eyes gleamed tearfully as she glared up at the king and continued, "The locket is bound to be protected, isn't it? You'll need someone with my skillset to reach it." From where he stood, Greeny could see the black and purple bruise already spreading across her jaw. He could sense the fire flowing through her. And he didn't mean that metaphorically. 

Morto narrowed his eyes, expression unreadable. "Very well, Telek," he said coldly. "You may take one of them with you. Only one. And if you don't come back with Kataria, I will kill the other two."

"I will," Greeny assured him, taking a deep breath and setting his eyes on Red and Blue. Red was staring at him fearfully, tears brimming his eyes, while Blue just nodded, submitting to his fate. He knew what had to be done. He knew who Greeny needed to pick.

"Pinky." Greeny's voice broke as Red hung his head and Blue simply looked away. 

"Thank you." Pinky was released with an extra rough shove, and she immediately summoned her fire and twirled on her captor. Greeny took that as his cue to do the same, summoning all of his anger into a massive wave of power. The heat flooded his heart and blew out into his hands and he threw his arms out, bracing himself as the sonic blast erupted from his body, picking up and tossing the nearest soldiers away from the teens. They hit the alley walls and slumped to the pavement. 

In an instant, both Red and Blue were free. With a laugh, Red snapped his fingers, calling up the flames and stepping in front of Blue who stepped back, fists raised to challenge the remaining soldiers and Morto himself.

The king, in turn, blinked as the teens moved into a defensive ring almost by instinct. However, he did not look nearly as concerned as he probably should have. Perhaps Greeny should have been more worried about this reaction, but he was too busy warding off an insane number of armed guards who chose to rush the team with their guns instead of doing the smart thing and firing from a distance. They realized their mistake almost instantly--but not soon enough as Red and Pinky tag-teamed, blasting the wave back, sending them fleeing, throwing their weapons down as their clothes burned and not one of them thought to stop, drop, and roll.

Blue moved around them and took out an enemy rushing them from behind with a series of fancy footwork and a lot of yelling. In a moment, the street back into the heart of the city was clear.

"Go! Run!" Blue ordered, stepping in front of Greeny, shielding him from Morto as the king finally started forward to join the fight. "I'll cover you!" 

Morto chuckled as the boy raised his fists in front of his face determinedly and, behind him, Red and Pinky turned to run. But Greeny hesitated. How was Blue going to hold off Morto by himself? The boy was good, Greeny gave him that, but Morto had an entire army at his disposal! Even with his insane ability to communicate with cats, Blue was still incredibly outnumbered.