Everything He Was

Misha awoke to being thrown against the hard wooden floor. Looking up, he saw Vanala toss a tied up Stephanie next to him. Like her, his mouth was stuffed with a cloth, and his hands tied behind him. He shuffled his way to his knees, and looked around.

He was in the throne room, high up in the canopy of the great tree. There were hundreds of thals there, watching him, or more accurately, his sister.

It was a voice behind him that started him.

"Vanala, what is this treachery?"

Misha turned, looking his mother in the eye. Tall and thin, the queen of Thesa sat of an intricately carved marble throne.

"Well, mother, I have done as you requested. I have brought Misha back."

"I SPECIFIED THAT HE BE UNHARMED!"

"Mother, please I can explain..."

In a flash of gold, Vanala's spear drew a red line across the throat of the queen. Blood flowed forth, staining her dress and the floor in front of her as she spasmed, before slumping over. In half a second, Vanala had taken the throne. Or rather almost. In that time, Misha had managed to work the piece of cloth out of his mouth. He avoided looking at his mother's body. He couldn't afford that storm of emotions.

"There's one thing you've missed, Vanala."

"Is that any way to address your Queen, Sathis?"

"But you aren't the queen. I was the heir. I am the king."

"That's fine, I can fix that."

Misha barely avoided the sharp end of her spear as it swung by him. He remembered doing this same thing, not too long ago, in the new world. An idea began forming in his mind. While he evaded her attacks, he worked on getting his hands free of their binding. It was tricky, with the psychopath trying to turn him into a cat boy kebab. As soon as his hands were free, he lunged, shifting into his thal form mid-air. He swiped the spear out of her hands, taking note of where it landed.

With a snarl, Vanala too shifted into her thal form, seemingly taking the advantage away from Misha. But Misha wasn't about to lose without a fight. When she lunged, he slashed at her, and when she slashed, he was quick to return the gesture. At one point, she had caught his forearm between her jaws, and bit down, hard.

Out of instinct, he shifted into his cat boy form. He clutched at his very broken arm. The red Thal turned to face him, eyes locked onto him. She shifted back into her cat girl form.

"Don't you see, Misha. You can't beat me. You are the prey. Even the Lady Gray knew that. Your name is prey, and when I kill you, mine will be hunter. Thim morath. (Time to die.)"

"You know, for a hunter, you're awfully predictable. Probably why you didn't see this coming."

Misha savored the confusion on her face for a moment. By the time she moved, Stephanie had brought the blunt end of the golden spear to the back of Vanala's head.

"THAT was for biting my boyfriend. Only I get to do that."

Vanala's vision swam. She grit her teeth, impatience turning to rage.

"Don't you know, it's not ladylike to hit a girl with her own weapon."

Vanala lunged for her weapon, but Stephanie swiped at her with the stabby end.

"Well, that's not the first un-lady-like thing about me."

"Enough games!"

Vanala kicked the spear from Stephanie, where it was then caught by Misha, using his good arm. Vanala was leaping through the air before he could even make a witty retort. She grabbed the spear, attempting to tear it from his hand. But, fore she could, Stephanie gave Vanala a swift kick to the ribs. Sadly, an unarmed Stephanie was no match for the trained huntress. She caught Stephanie by the throat, holding her away while she and Misha fought for the spear.

"Let go of the spear or I will zap you into oblivion!"

"You wouldn't dare use that here. You'd burn this place down. No use being queen without a throne... He said it only takes a spark..."

"What?"

Misha felt the power of the spear. Some enchantment put on it by the human mage Vanala had robbed and killed for entering Thesa. All it took was a thought from him, and electricity hummed through the weapon. Vanala must have felt it too.

"No! Damn you, Misha, you'll kill us all!"

A bolt of red lightning travelled from the point, igniting the leaves above them. Quickly the fire spread, until black smoke was quickly filling the room.

Through the screaming and smoke, Misha stumbled to Stephanie, who was searching for an exit that was being used by the hundreds of thals.

Misha pulled her out to a balcony, and together, the jumped to a lower branch. But they were still high up in the air.

The Great Tree was so large, most of it was above the clouds. And being so large, it hard branches that were wider than even large tree trunks.

The couple moved down the branch, away from the flames.

"Uh Misha, what now?"

"Now we wait for Sally. We agreed to meet here if the other was captured."

But the next voice they heard wasn't Sally's. It was Vanala's.

"DON'T THINK YOU CAN RUN FROM ME, BROTHER! THIS ENDS NOW!"