TC is the property of WB and its affiliates. Any concepts not originating from the TC universe are the property of these creator(s) unless otherwise noted.

Characters will not completely resemble the 1985 rendition, nor the 2011 rendition. This is a reimagining of the Thundercats series as a whole and not entirely based on either series. Nor is it based on any other fan work. The creator(s) of this work reserve the right not to answer any questions or respond to any reviews. This is meant to mimic a professional work and will be conducted as such.

Episode 20

King's Door

"I can't believe how hungry I was."

Tygra lifted his chin idly from his palm. "I can't believe you ate that whole shegoat haunch on your own."

Lion-O reddened but Tygra punched his arm. "C'mon, I'm joking. You went without eating for nearly four days. I'd say there's a nutrient deficit to work off."

The fever had broken nearly six hours prior, and after careful examination Frigid had exhaustedly released Lion-O to take a bath, groom, and eat solid food. The table had been set with stew and roasted meat, but the stew had been forgotten for the promise of something satisfying. Now Lion-O was full, and could have curled up and gone to sleep in the chair.

Everyone was watching him and he met their gazes. No one had spoken to him much yet, and he felt their eyes as if they were waiting for something. "What is it?"

Panthro crossed his arms and Cheetara automatically stroked Snarf's back as if to reassure herself. "It's just good to see you really awake. We thought for a minute there we were going to lose you."

He took a drink of water. It kept him from having to respond immediately. That had been said too carefully. "Is that all?"

Tygra's eyes flicked toward the kittens, who were whispering to each other. "I wanted to ask you some questions. We all did, actually."

Lion-O was still. Had he told them something? He looked at Panthro who shook his head and Lion-O had to lean on the table in relief. Matrae was busy coaching Amok on proper table manners – it was really nice to see someone being so kind to Amok – and seemed to pay little attention. Amok had been happy to see Lion-O wake up, but for the past few hours he'd followed Matrae like a loyal pet. She treated him like a child, and to see the bliss on the rocky, sloping face warmed him.

"Lion-O…while you were sick, you said something that…you couldn't possibly have known." Cheetara had her hands on the table. "And you saw something that I've seen before. And now Tygra has seen it too. I didn't think at first that it could mean anything, but the way he described it-"

"Suffice to say, something weird is going on. I know you can't tell us some stuff, and I respect that." Tygra put up a hand. "But this is something we really need to know about since we're going for the King's Door after this."

Lion-O's stomach tensed. "We are? I mean, you are?"

"Duh. What with Lunata AWOL and Amok over here, we'll be able to break through the blizzard easy. No tunnels for us. The winter up north has felt different the past couple of days. The cold doesn't bite so much. Even the Luna like it."

Frigid looked up from her crisp salad. "It's natural cold. Real winter. Lunata always kept it colder with magic. With her abode gone, she won't have access to the items she needs to work her greater magic. It's too much work to keep up that cursed blizzard. The only thing you have to worry about getting to the door are the mutated and the subzero temperatures. And we can help with those."

"We've loaded up on antimutagen, and the mutated have been moving south to escape the cold anyway. They seem to be really skittish around cities, which is great." Tygra gestured toward Amok. "He and Frigid have been working on diluted Mercy's Blood – that's the red potion – to help us keep warm. It'll be really uncomfortable, but we should be okay if we follow their instructions." Lion-O turned to them, touched. Amok looked proud to be part of the potion making, and Matrae stroked between his horns. They had been sheared short and polished, lighter and more comfortable. "What we want to know about is the golden cat."

Lion-O's hands slipped off the table. "You-what?"

"Golden cat. Walks on four legs, gray eyes. Glows like a burning chunk of Thundrillium. Talks into your head without words." Tygra tapped the side of his head. "Ringing any bells?"

Lion-O's mouth had gone dry. He couldn't make it work.

"I saw it too Lion-O. In the tunnels…with Araknay. Somehow it showed me the tunnel to get out. I had nearly forgotten in the aftermath. And when we needed to find our way through the snowstorm, it showed up. Tygra was the only one who saw it, but you said to 'trust her.' That she protected you." Cheetara's eyes were soft, brown, gentle. Lion-O focused on them. "Lion-O, what is it? What is 'she'?"

Each face held a different emotion. Panthro's was stern, solid as ever. The kittens looked equal parts curious and excited. Tygra looked calculating, as if ready to hear what he had to say and then dissect it. Snarf looked sage, as if he knew something. And Cheetara looked tender, lips slightly parted, as if she were asking him to talk about something of great pain.

His gaze fell to his hands. "I don't know who she is. Or what exactly. But I have seen her before. She's…the one who pulled me out of the well. When I was a kid. I would have died if she weren't there."

Tygra's eyebrows furrowed. "She's been there since you were a kid?"

"Yes. In fact, when I very young she was there more often than not. Until I was five I remember seeing her all the time. I didn't realize she was strange until then. She played with me. I thought she was just some different kind of cat. Then my father…he got worried. When I started talking about her, he told me I shouldn't talk to such things. Either they weren't real or they ought not be there. I got scared, so I didn't talk about her for a while."

"Were you ever frightened of her?" Snarf asked. "Did you ever think she meant you harm?"

Lion-O might have felt offended. "Never. I just didn't want to upset my father. I saw her less and less as I got older…I think she was only supposed to be there when I was really afraid or needed help. But she never told me why she was there in the first place."

"Is it a ghost?" Kit whispered. She and Kat had round, wide eyes and their tails were shivering.

"Sounds like a guardian spirit to me." Everyone turned to look at Snarf. He cocked his ears. "Do your scriptures speak of them?"

"Maybe a story or two," Panthro muttered. Cheetara's eyes seemed distant and Tygra looked a bit skeptical.

"Generally your father would be correct Lion-O. Ghosts and haunts are not beings to toy with. I'm of the opinion the dead should stay where they belong. But we Snarfs have stories about beings of virtue and faithful hearts, beings that serve the Creator. They protect people he designates. Has she ever shied from holy icons or spoken against the scriptures?"

"No. Never."

"So not an evil spirit it would seem. Did you commune with her often?"

"She didn't talk to me. Just…stayed with me. Guarded me." Lion-O buried his face in his hands. "I didn't want anyone to know about her. But if you're seeing her, she must be real."

Snarf cocked his head. "I don't suppose you can tell us about your past, anyone you're close to?" Lion-O shook his head. "Then I suppose we should leave this topic." Tygra looked surprised and the kittens disappointed. "It doesn't really matter who the spirit is, or even who they were. Her presence indicates that your journey is something divinely supported."

"Are we sure of that?" Panthro asked. "Is there any possible way it's a witch's trick?"

"No. If she were, the Sword of Omens would have driven her back." Snarf took a biscuit from the table and began nibbling on it. "The other matter, and the darker one, is that you spoke a name in your fever. One that has meaning to Frigid as an elder Luna."

Lion-O rubbed the back of his head. "A name?"

"Everliving." Frigid's voice was flat and Lion-O's heart clenched tighter. "And you…you know a name that only the oldest texts references. Ones that you couldn't possibly have read. You said Mumm-Ra."

The name crackled off the table, biting into him, and Lion-O swore the air had gotten colder. Snarf flinched and Cheetara shut her eyes tight. "What…what is that?"

"It's the Harbinger's true name. In your weakened state, I think you…heard him."

Lion-O wished he hadn't eaten anything as his stomach tightened again. He raised a hand to his mouth, heart beating hard. Cheetara was beside him in a second, and Panthro was on his feet nearly as quickly. "Lion-O, it's okay." Nausea tore through him and Lion-O felt Cheetara's hand on his shoulder. "Lion-O?"

"It's just a weird old name. It doesn't mean anything special." Kit's voice was mild, observant. Lion-O managed to look up at her. "Even if Lion-O heard it, it just means the Harbinger has an actual name. Everybody has one, right?"

Kat nodded. "It's not even that scary. Why are you guys so upset?"

Lion-O, in spite of his heartrate, managed to smile. "I wish I was half as brave as you two."

Kit shrugged. "It's not being brave. It's just the truth, isn't it? Why be extra scared just because he has a name now? We'd have hated Miss Hiss just as much even if she didn't have one."

The logic was breathtaking. Lion-O put a hand against the hilt of the Sword of Omens and Cheetara's hand retracted from his back as his shoulders relaxed. The blade hummed faintly, lulling. "You're right. You're completely, exactly right. I guess the thought that I heard him is the scary part."

Cheetara returned to her seat. "I've had a vision with him. It's what made me decide to come with you guys. The sword might have been giving you a vision."

"Well, what does it mean then? If the Harbinger exists – and I'm convinced by the evidence that it's more likely than not that it does – how do we stop the thing from making a snack out of our planet?" Tygra was stirring his soup with a listless motion. "We're being guided here, okay. But how does one take down a demon? Especially one that we think doesn't have a physical form?"

Lion-O looked at the quiet blade. "Maybe the Sword of Omens will awaken at the core. Where its materials came from."

"Maybe huh? That's not comforting." Tygra looked up at them. "Before this I was really only worried about the stupid Mutation. Not all…this. How did they even seal the Harbinger away successfully in the first place?"

"The stories say they didn't." Frigid cleared her throat as every eye fixed on her. "Oh, he was cut off from most of his power. But he wasn't sealed where they intended. He would have been banished from every world forever if the plan had worked."

"How do you know that?" Matrae asked. Amok had finished and was collecting plates with surprising grace.

"We have very, very little material that dates back far enough to discuss it. But it just makes sense. Why seal him in a place where he would eventually return to power, even thousands of years later? No, something went wrong in the sealing and he was condemned to the only prison they could manage. Lunata would know more. She was alive when he swallowed our planet's heart."

"So that really happened? One of our moons was the planet Lune?" Kat asked. Frigid nodded.

"So many have forgotten. But our ancestors have passed down tales. And Lunata herself is ancient. She was yet young when the original Lune was destroyed." Frigid took one more cookie and gnawed at it.

"So it's even worse. They couldn't kill this thing before. What are we supposed to do now?"

"I don't know that killing it is the important part right now. I think we just need to get it to stop feeding." Panthro finally spoke. "The Sword of Omens was sent to be repaired. I can only assume that the king and his advisors – Jaga himself – knew more than we do and knew that bringing it to the core would restore it. The Sword of Omens was powerful enough to break his power before. It should be enough to do it again, especially since he's weakened."

"Do you think we'll have to fight him?" Cheetara asked. The table was quiet and she folded her hands together. "I just wish we knew what to expect."

"We wouldn't have gotten this far if there wasn't hope," Snarf said firmly. "As I've said before, we Snarfs have incredible senses. And I feel something. Even as the dark is growing, it's anxious. Something else is here now, and it's good." He looked around. "I think it's here. What did Lunata say to you four again? Something about Thundercats?"

"Knights of the old order." Panthro shook his head. "Lion-O, we felt it when you were getting tortured. It was a couple hours before we found you, wasn't it?" Lion-O nodded. "The old witch is right about one thing; there's a bond here. We're connected. Something's happened over the past few months."

Lion-O looked down at the Sword of Omens. "I don't know what to say. You've all shown so much loyalty and courage…every single one of you has been integral to getting here. There has to be a reason for this, there has to be." His voice tightened in desperation. "I have to believe there is! If we were meant to fail, wouldn't we have fallen already?"

Kat put his palms on the table. "We're gonna go to the King's Door," he said defiantly. "And we're gonna help. Even if it means sitting in the tank and waiting or something."

Amok raised his hand. "Amok…would like to help. Will keep blizzard from getting bad, help show way. Amok has seen door when Mama put curse around it."

Lion-O smiled at Amok. "We would appreciate it." Amok beamed and sat down, having said his piece. "I guess all we can do is prepare and go. I just wish we knew what to expect."

"Well, if the core of the planet really does have some power source, I would assume it's probably going to be hot. I would also assume crushing gravity, but I guess that's not the case if there really is a supernatural power source." Tygra sighed. "I'll pack some tea."

Matrae did not like this. Tygra could tell. She gathered supplies, information, weapons, medicine, but the corners of her mouth seemed perpetually displeased. Amok followed her, carrying things for her and basking in her affection.

In spite of that she helped them get ready over the next two days. Tygra took her aside when she walked out of the room. "Mom, I know this sucks. I'm nervous too. But it really means a lot that you've helped."

Her face had a few lines now but her eyes seemed young and bright with worry. "You're my dearest treasure, Tygra. The thought that I'm letting to run off to some strange, mythical place is just…urgh, I can't stand it! Like Lion-O said, if we just knew something-!"

"I know." He hugged her around the waist and she stroked his hair. Tygra was not given to public displays of affection but alone in the hallway he buried his face in her shoulder. She smelled of tea leaves and clean cloth, no hint of perfume. "Saving kingdoms and thwarting drug trades kind of takes a toll on you," he said at last. Her claws were gentle through his stripes.

"You silly boy. You're my child through and through." She stepped back, hands on his shoulders. "You and your friends all have to come back safe and sound. You are not too old for me to put you over my knee and spank you."

Tygra laughed. "Mom, you're the worst spanker ever. You want to know what being spanked felt like?" He bopped her forehead. "That is what it felt like."

"Oh hush." She kissed his cheek. "Just be safe dear. I feel like there must be a reason for all this as well, but that doesn't scare me any less…"

Amok poked his head out the door. "Um…Miss Matrae?"

"Just Matrae is fine honey. What is it?" She quickly wiped her eyes and Tygra's chest hurt, reminded of the worry he was causing her. Amok shuffled forward bashfully and put out a big fist. It was filled with weeds, a few hardy ferns, and two chilly, ugly flowers. "Oh, Amok! Flowers! How sweet," she said earnestly, taking them lovingly into her arms. Amok seemed startled and delighted at her reaction. "I need to put these in some water straightaway. Tygra, be a dear and help me get a vase together."

Tygra remembered bringing her weeds and her same reaction. And Amok practically gamboled down the hall, following them, and Tygra shook his head.

I will come back. On my honor. I won't be like Dad; I keep my promises.

Panthro stood in front of the grave for a long while, reading it over and over. The chill lilies still looked fresh, perfectly frozen in their preferred climate. He brushed some of the snow off before going, heading back down the path.

Cats and Luna and wolves and vixens. These creatures survived in this cold, dying village. He had never seen the panthers of the north, further off and richer than many in the Imperial City could dream, and didn't intend to. Panthro wanted the mission to be over so he could return to Thundera, to the warmer winds and honor of his soldiers and duty. Justice had some say there.

What would have happened if his mother had made it to Thundera? Would he have even been born? Would he have been some noble's son? Or perhaps she would have met Lynx-O years before, never gotten sick, and would still be alive. Maybe. It didn't help to dwell on the past but there was no way to keep from wondering. She would have loved Thundera, with its colors and lights and people. With its choices.

The snow behind him crunched and he turned, recognizing the trudge of a cat. A panther maiden, dressed in thick furs, was hovering by the nearest wall, dark hair long and sleek. He blinked, surprised to see one. She had a tattoo on her arm, the silvery silhouette of a bird. Probably some noble house, one of the mine owners' daughters. She was turning in place, owlishly.

A snow leopard approached. He was younger than Panthro, shorter. "Young lady, what are you looking for? Maybe I could help."

Panthro felt his old mistrust for men kindle. He turned his head to watch them. She had a sweet face, innocent. Naïve. He thought of Lion-O and his hackles rose. "I-I'm looking for a way to go south. To Thundera. Would you happen to know of one?"

His heart stilled. The leopard made a show of thinking hard. "Well, let's see…there are occasionally travelers that will go south for trade, so you could go with one of them. But it would cost a lot of money for your supplies, and to live here until you find a group to go with."

"Oh." Her face fell. "I don't have much on me, I…I had to leave quickly. Could anyone help me?"

Panthro turned as the leopard took her hand as a gentleman might. "Miss, I have a job or two you can do. I would pay you for them. A pretty girl like you would be just perfect for them."

She blinked. "What would I be doing? I can sew, and play piano…"

The leopard grinned, showing his teeth. "Oh, it wouldn't be too difficult…I know a place we can talk in private…"

He started to lead her away. Panthro stalked after him, grabbed him by the shoulder, and punched him so hard his jaw broke. The cat fell, wailing through his broken jaw. The girl shrieked and Panthro waited until the leopard struggled to his feet and threw him by the scruff. "Get the Ghen out! You try something like this ever again and I will find you. And I will kill you."

The leopard ran, terrified. The panther girl whimpered as Panthro turned to her. "I-I-"

He gruffly held out a pouch. She stared at it and then looked at his face. "Take it. Don't trust anyone around here that offers you a job like that. He wasn't giving you any decent work."

Realization crossed her face and she put a delicate hand to her mouth. "No…I thought he meant…oh!"

She looked sick. Panthro waved the pouch insistently and she took it. "There's a woman here you can trust. Matrae. Lives on the border between Icla and Cicle. She helps people, and she has connections in Thundera. If you're trying to escape an arranged marriage she's the best chance you've got. That'll help you get on your feet in Thundera."

The girl gaped. "How did you know?"

"You ain't the first girl to try to get out of one by running away." He crossed his arms and she stared at his tattoo before looking at his face. "You can work there until travel arrangements are made. I'll take you there if you want, but given what just happened I'd understand if you'd rather go on your own."

She looked in the bag and saw gold. "Sir, I can't accept this. I…it's too much."

"It's what I'm giving. Isn't for you to say it's too much or too little." He started down the path, ignoring the wide-eyed stares. "You coming?"

She jumped and waded through the snow after him. "Yes! I'm coming!" Her hair billowed long and dark in the wind and she looked up at him in awe. "Why did you intervene?"

"Because it was the right thing. And I hate guys like him." He said nothing more as he returned to the tank, the young woman bounding along behind him.

Kit and Kat saw the tank pull into the garage and both turned their eyes to the mountains in the distance. "Think they'll let us go in the King's Door with them?" Kit asked.

"Not a chance." Kat rubbed his thumb over the window, making a smiley face in the condensation. "But they'll let us be in the tank with Snarf. And Amok, I guess."

"Who's that?" Kit asked, pointing through the eye of the face. A young panther woman had climbed out and Panthro was talking to Matrae, who looked concerned. "She's pretty." She gasped. "Do you think Panthro got a girlfriend!?"

Kat gave her a look. "She looks young enough to be his daughter. I don't think so."

"I guess you're right." Kit cocked her head when Cheetara approached, looking shivery in the garage. She gave Panthro a knowing look and smiled at the girl. "Ever think grownups are kind of crazy?"

"All the time. I mean, it's like…how do I say it?" Kat waited for the window to fog up a little more. "When I was little I thought there were bad people and good people." He made a handprint for "bad" and one for "good" and drew a line between them. Kit nodded, frowning. "Sometimes nice people are mean and bad people can do something nice. That's not so weird. But ever since we started on this trip – well, no, even before – I've started noticing people that are like here." He planted his hand halfway over the line. "And here. And here." The window filled with his prints. "Someone like Amok can be doing bad things but he really wasn't all that bad, you know? And the merchants in our city weren't mean, but they didn't do anything when they should have, not until Lion-O and Cheetara and Panthro and Tygra came. So they did something bad."

Kit blinked a few times. "So what's the question?"

"I guess it's not really a question. It's just there are so many people that do good and bad things that…I feel all wobbly. Like, instead of being sure there are heroes and villains…bad guys can't really think they're the bad guys, can they? Doesn't everyone think they're doing good stuff?" He flopped back on one of the cushions. He felt wicked for voicing these thoughts; what if he had introduced the terrible confusion he faced to his sweet sister? He felt sick all of a sudden. It was one thing for him to be scared or confused, but to make his sister feel that way – no, he should have just stayed quiet. "Forget I said anything."

Kit leaned against her own cushion, watching the cats below. "I think what you really want to know is if it's possible that good people – or at least, people who try to do good – could do something really evil. Like abandon their kids."

Kat sat up. His chest felt like ice. "I didn't mean that. I don't wanna talk like that."

She met his gaze evenly. "Do you remember what we said when we told Lion-O we wanted to come? We said we had to know the truth no matter what it was. Is that still true?"

Kat felt very small and strange under her serene gaze. "I…I don't know anymore. I was so sure they could never leave us…but now…"

"We haven't seen them. And you think they're either dead or abandoned us." Kit's tail swished peaceably. "I get it Kat. You think I haven't been thinking this stuff too? The grownups don't want us to think that, so they've never said anything like that to us. But we're not stupid." She looked out the window again. The garage had once been an ice garden, Kat remembered, as Matrae had told them. A Luna woman had wanted to be able to look from her windows and see ice sculptures. When Matrae had claimed the land, she'd razed the earth and built the garage for those who needed to repair sleds, homes, tools. Now there was no snowy courtyard under this window, only a metal room with machinery inside. It smelled of oil through the glass and Kat felt a sudden fondness for industry and the people it protected. "I think we have to consider the idea that they abandoned us. Not believe it, not until we have proof. But we have to be able to face it if that happens."

Kat stared at her and his throat grew so tight he could only croak, "So what do you think?"

"I don't think they left us Kat. And I don't think they're dead. I think they really and truly need our help." Her voice was clear and her eyes bright. "But even if the worst did happen, and it turned out they don't want us anymore…we'll be okay."

He sighed in disbelief. "You wouldn't be sad!?"

"Of course I would." She shot him a glare. "My heart would break into a bajillion pieces! Just thinking it hurts, all the way in here." She placed a tight fist against her tummy. "But we would still have a family." She gestured toward the window. Lion-O was talking to the new girl and Panthro, Cheetara listening with her arms crossed gently for warmth. Tygra had just come up behind Lion-O and tried to sneak out the hair tie that held his ponytail. Lion-O jerked and whirled, one hand clutching his hair, and gave chase when Tygra darted away, looking gleeful. "The world has a right to know!" Kat heard him yelling. Panthro watched, exasperated. Matrae shook her head while Amok went to join the fun, on Lion-O's side. And Cheetara and the girl howled with laughter, doubling over.

Kat's heart was warm and cold at the same time. "I guess so. I'm just scared."

"Me too. I'm scared about our parents, about the Harbinger, and about everything bad that might happen to our friends. But being scared doesn't mean we don't have to face what happens. We can't run away from the truth. No matter what." Kit hopped up. "I'm gonna go find Snarf and get more cookies. Wanna come?"

He looked at her. "Yeah. Thanks Kit."

She shrugged but smiled. "No prob."

The girl's name was Padura, and when Panthro confided the means of their meeting, Cheetara nearly exploded.

She stomped across the room, packing rations and clothing, folding and refolding, and storming all the while. She did not speak of the matter, for it was terrible enough for the poor girl to realize what had nearly happened without hearing others speak of it, but Cheetara had to bite her tongue to prevent from starting a diatribe.

Panthro had packed and was drinking a mug of tea. Padura sat beside him looking meek, sipping from a daintier cup. "May I ask something?" Cheetara said suddenly. She'd fit the last set of breeches she needed into her bag and sat at the nearest chair. Padura was going to be using the room when they left tomorrow, but for the night she was bunking on one of the cozier sofas. Matrae had been pained by it but there were already many creatures living in the manor and, now that Lunata was gone, many more Luna seeking a place of stability. The manor was packed.

Padura had accepted the hospitality gratefully. Now she blinked at Cheetara with liquid eyes, deep green. "Of course."

"What is the panther culture like? I mean where you come from, not in general. I just don't understand. You say your dad wanted to marry you off to a forty-five-year-old man to unite your clans. And when you said you didn't want to…he ignored you."

The concept made her head throb. Padura nodded. "Yes, well, he was up in the air on who exactly to wed me to, it was down to two interested parties. Neither of whom I wanted to spend the rest of my life with."

"But he ignored you."

"Yes. I suppose so. He told me to think about which one I preferred. When I said neither he told me I had to choose one." She lowered her gaze. "So I thought if I fled to Thundera I could find help. I know arranged marriage is not common there, or at least that the woman has a say in the union. I thought I could start a life there. I suppose I wasn't thinking clearly."

"Well I wonder why? You're sixteen!" Cheetara sat down, willing her heart to slow. "I'm sorry. I just don't understand it."

"It's a complicated structure. Women are not traditionally the property owners, and property in the north means Thundrillium mines. My father probably just wanted to choose who would inherit the land by marriage. If he died before I married, there would have been chaos. The debates on whether I could still hold the land until I married would have been horrendous. And if one person claims just a little too much of the mines, the income could send the balance of the economy toppling if they made a bit for greater control." Padura put her cup in her lap. Her delicate fingers trembled. "Both men were loud and unkind. I was afraid of them. So I ran."

Panthro grunted. "If economies can be toppled by who a sixteen-year-old marries, they ought to. Matrae will find a way to get you south safely."

Padura looked at him with wide eyes. "Who was your mother? She tried to run too."

"Her name was Onca. She had a tattoo, but it was a bird perched atop a glacier."

Padura started. "That's the symbol of our parent clan. My mother's original family. I think…she said she had a sister when she was very young, but that she disappeared. It would have been more than forty years ago now…"

Panthro paused only a moment. Cheetara watched him drain the mug after the hesitation. "Probably her."

Cheetara didn't know what to say. She had always heard of cultures like this but to be faced with it made her feel dizzy. The idea that her beloved Daddy would have tried to force her to marry someone was ludicrous. If, in a crazy, kooky world, she did have an arranged marriage, if she didn't want to marry the man, he would have never forced her into something.

Panthro stood up and stretched. "I'll put together a list of contacts of people that'll help you find good work. One name you gotta remember is Lynx-O. He'll help you. He's got a good reputation, and he'll certainly be back by the time you get to Thundera."

Cheetara was still mutinously holding to the anger at the tribe that apparently thought so little of women's heads when the door clicked; Lion-O peeked into the room and she forced the thoughts back. "Padura, right?"

She nodded. "Yes. I…I'm sorry, your name was Leon, wasn't it?"

He smiled at her. "Lion-O. Not that I would've minded Leon. People wouldn't give me the weird looks." She returned the smile. "Matrae wanted to know if you preferred red, green, blue, or black cloth for your clothes. You had a couple of dresses I know, but she's got some thicker ones. And she's got pants if you prefer that."

Cheetara briskly dusted her own off. "That is if you're allowed to wear pants at all."

"Oh yes, we have trousers. Ladies' trousers. Dresses are more common though." Padura had missed the ire and Cheetara gave Lion-O a guilty look. "I love blue if there are any."

Lion-O had given Cheetara a small smile. "All right, I'll tell her. Do you have any ideas on what you want to do when you get to Thundera?"

"Other than not get married? Not really." She wasn't joking and Cheetara kept herself from laughing just in time, seeing the serious look on her face. "I am good at sewing. I liked making dresses, and trying them on the servant girls. They liked them so much that I let them keep the dresses if they fit well." She blushed, as if she thought she would be reprimanded for her generosity.

"That's great! There's always good work for a tailor. Although it'll be a bit of a shock getting used to a different city." Cheetara balked at saying her actual meaning; could a noble girl get accustomed to a life where she had to work hard, get up early, fend for herself? But she met Lion-O's eyes and he returned the knowing glance. "Just be sure to talk to Lynx-O, like Panthro said. He'll know the right people to talk to."

"Tell you what," Lion-O said, "I'll mention it to some people I know as well. I mean, I'm no one there really, but…well, one more good word out never hurt anyone." Padura gave him a radiant smile and Cheetara – though her fondness surged – felt a little as though she was being poked in the heel by a Snarf, sharp and insistent.

"Cheetara please, I can't reach the bed." Oh dear, Snarf really was poking her heel. He hopped up onto the mattress with a small bag on his back. "Will someone tighten this please? If I'm going into a hole I want to be able to carry supplies with me."

Padura beamed at the fluffy sight and Lion-O sat down for a moment to help tug the straps snugly around the soft middle. "Thank you! Lion-O, Matrae has a few cloaks she wants you to pack, she says yours is ready for the trash heap."

Lion-O's fingers jumped to the frayed, ragged edge that was more of a scarf than anything. "But it's my favorite," he protested, eyes wide. Cheetara was reminded of a twelve-year-old Tygra being told the teacup his grandmother had left him was broken beyond all reasoning and had to go. There had been tears. "J-a really close friend gave it to me." She bit her lip, also remembering gluing the cup together as best she could. He still had the botched mess.

"Well they'll be glad you got such use out of it. But looking at it makes me sad, and her as well." Snarf put out his paws impatiently and Lion-O reluctantly pulled it off, handing the cloth to Snarf. "Off you go."

Panthro followed him, as if he felt the lack of the cloak opened Lion-O to new threats. Cheetara watched Lion-O give the cloak one wistful look before the door shut. Padura sipped at her cup. "He really has had this thing through the whole journey. Look, that's where Hammerhand sliced a piece off…and I think Slithe nipped off some right here." Cheetara thoughtfully felt the least damaged part of the cloak and opened the door to call to a nearby vixen. "Would you happen to have a sewing kit around?"

The girl happily produced one minutes later, and Cheetara found herself on the bed with a needle in her teeth. "Maybe a satchel," she muttered around it, Snarf sitting on her shoulder. "But it'll have to be tight."

Padura sat beside her, shyly. "I can help you, if you like." Cheetara grinned at her and offered a clean needle. "Here, we'll trim off this excess and start here."

The slender, dark fingers were nimble and purposeful, and Cheetara did more holding the cloth and undoing knots in the thread than actual sewing. But it was soothing to watch, and little by little a pouch began to form. "He can keep antimutagen in it," she said quietly. "It's thick cloth, it should be safe."

Padura glanced at her. "Are you Lion-O's girlfriend?"

Cheetara's chin jerked up and she nearly dislodged Snarf. "What? No! No, we're friends. Why?"

"Oh, forgive me…I don't know much about that kind of thing. You just seem very close is all." Padura's dark fur seemed to flush. "If he'd been one of the suitors I might not have run off. He's very sweet."

"Yeah, he is." She was only sixteen – Lion-O was about eighteen, so it wasn't so odd – but Cheetara again felt like she was being prodded. And Snarf was quite still right now, watching the needle dip in and out of the cloth. "We're good friends. All of us, really."

Padura kept sewing, as if considering her next words. "Do you…I don't know…have any other feelings toward him?"

"Why are you asking that?" Cheetara said blankly.

"It's just you looked so sad when he had to give up the cloak. I mean, it's just a piece of cloth. A dirty, burnt, torn piece of cloth. Silk would be nicer, or maybe velvet."

Cheetara's face felt a little warm. "It's not the cloth itself. I mean yeah, it is really junky. But it means something to him. That's what makes it important. He's seen a lot of the world in it." The thought came suddenly, and it made her chest hurt a little. It had come from Lion-O's home, wherever in the Imperial City that was. Maybe he was homesick? Maybe a girlfriend had given the cloak as a gift? A mother maybe, or his father? Suddenly the little pouch took on new meaning, and she loved it more. "Thanks for helping with this. It probably does seem a little funny, but if it makes him happy, who cares?"

"Quite right. I had a particular rock my mother gave me that I kept with me for many years. It shone when you tilted it a certain way. Sometimes we get attached to silly things." Snarf's green eyes followed the needle as if it were magic. "The making of clothing is so fascinating to me."

Padura finished the edge and tied it firmly. "There. It'll hold very well." She handed the pouch to Cheetara. "I'll add a drawstring, hold it for a moment." Cheetara obeyed and Padura said, after she'd gotten a cord, "I'm a little jealous. I wish I had a friend that was as loyal as you."

Cheetara cocked her head. "Well," Padura continued, "I heard Panthro talking to Tygra earlier. He said that you've been traveling together for several months. If I'd told any of my friends that I was trying to get to the other side of the world, they would have told me I was crazy. Or told my father. I can't believe you all set out from the Imperial City when it's so dangerous."

That took her aback. "We didn't. Lion-O and Pathro left from the city. Tygra and I joined up later, then the kittens, and then Snarf."

Padura paused. "But…you all seem so close! Did you know each other before?"

"No. Not at all." Cheetara blinked. Padura was shaking her head in disbelief.

"Watching all of you, I could swear you're reading each others' minds. The way Lion-O lets the kittens have part of his dessert without them even asking…my cousins would never share like that with me. Or how he knows how to steep tea even though he doesn't like it, but he knows Tygra does."

Cheetara settled back on her heels, holding the satchel. "I never really thought about it. We just got really close. Have you ever had people you're close to?"

"Not like this. Not the way I see with you and your friends." Padura's long, dark hair fell around her shoulders as if to protect her. "You're going to the pole, aren't you? For a door? Something to do with the Sword of Omens?"

Cheetara nodded. "I trust you won't go shouting that too loud," she said kindly.

"No. I just don't know what to make of it. The panthers have their own mythos surrounding the King's Door. We call it the Great Mine." She folded her fingers so tightly the knuckles turned white. "Our legends say that Thunderans and the panther tribes dug out the original tunnel with ancient artifacts, and one of our ancestors discovered Thundrillium ore. He was give the rights to the mineral by the people of the north – this was before the Luna, as I understand it – because he wanted to study it and learn about it. It took nearly a hundred years to begin processing it. His grandson began the Thundrillium trade."

There was history here, Cheetara realized. "The Luna weren't here then?"

"They came shortly after. Their technology sparked the development of our own, and it's been nearly a thousand years. I've heard them say that our world wasn't ready for it all, and that's why some places are still so backward. I suppose it would have been a shock in the beginning to be working on having lights and then seeing flying machines." Padura lifted her chin. "You'll be careful won't you? There are dark stories about the Great Mine."

Cheetara nodded firmly. Snarf rubbed his face with a paw. "I sense darkness. But I don't believe we are doomed to fail," he said smartly. "Lion-O has led us this far, and I think we will continue with him. If the Creator is willing, the darkness will abate. That is my hope."

Padura fiddled, loosening her grip. "Why are you following him? I know you say you're friends. But this is…beyond friendship. Isn't it?"

Snarf peered up at her face. "Are you crying?" he asked gently. She sniffed and wiped her face.

"I just want to understand. Random strangers have been kinder to me than my own father. My own family. And they care about each other, and –and– "

Padura started bawling and Cheetara took the satchel and set it aside, wrapping her arms around the shaking shoulders. She seemed so small to hold the tears. "I can't tell you about your family. I don't know them. I think they care, they're just doing things the only way they know," she said softly. "I'm mad that they ignored what you wanted, but I really don't think they had bad intent."

A sixteen-year-old girl running away from home to escape a marriage to a man her father's age. Nearly being tricked into prostitution – or, at the very least, being robbed or taken advantage of. Cheetara felt bright and hot and sorrowful, and took the tremors into herself. "As for why we're all following Lion-O…I guess we just believe."

Padura's head rested on her shoulder, as if she had no more strength left. "'Believe?'"

In his mission? In what he said? In each other? Cheetara shrugged. "We believe in him. That what we're doing is going to do something good. That there's a purpose for all of this happening just the way it did. I do believe that, with all my heart. And I'm not leaving my friends."

Snarf crept into Padura's lap and rubbed his soft, fluffy face against her cheek. "Now now. It's all right. Things will be better once you rest. And given time, perhaps your family will come to see reason. My tribe did, and that's several hundred Snarfs whose minds had to be changed."

Padura sniffed a little more strongly. "You had a tribe? A lot of you?"

Cheetara seized on the tale. "Oh my gosh, it's a wonderful story. Snarf here is so brave, and he saved his sweetheart." Padura blinked and Snarf stared at his toes. "Here, let's get some cocoa and I'll tell you the whole thing. Snarf, you help."

The panther girl listened with wide eyes as Cheetara told the story, and Snarf buried his head bashfully in the covers as Cheetara spoke of Sarfina. Padura giggled when Cheetara described how brave Sarfina thought Snarf was.

And through the tale Cheetara thought of Lion-O. She thought of Panthro and Tygra and Kat and Kit and Snarf. And in her core she thought about what she had said, and it sat hard and hot and searing as the Sword of Omens in her heart.

I believe. And I'm not leaving my friends.

The world was white here.

Lion-O had thought Lune white, what little he remembered of the icy buildings streaking by. But outside the city walls the sun was blinding against the snow. Cracked glaciers in the distance broke the flat horizon, but it felt like a white, blazing moon as they sped under a clear sky.

He felt exposed. The new cloak was darker than his former one. In spite of himself he felt for the pouch at his belt, comforted by its weight and the fabric. Cheetara and Padura had given it to him, the latter waving goodbye with Matrae, and it made him think of the warm manor and the liveliness and peace of it.

Lion-O pulled his head down into the hatch and closed it, green afterimages bleeding into orange. "Ow. It's so bright out there I can't see."

"Snow blindness," Tygra said. "How's Amok doing?"

"Enjoying the ride, I think." Amok was clinging to the back of the vehicle, and every so often the tank shifted as he moved. Panthro glanced toward the back but said nothing; Amok wasn't hurting anything.

"How long will it take to get there?" Kat asked. Kit was gazing out the dash, sitting in the passenger seat with Snarf.

"Six hours. Longer if a storm kicks up and makes us slow down." No one said anything for a few minutes, Lion-O still nursing the pouch. He had two vials of Mercy's Blood and three of antimutagen.

"Think the mutated will make it south?" He couldn't help but wonder. Lune's loss of the Palace of the Moon had only just begun to reach the manor when they left, and watching the horizon in its peace made him feel uneasy.

"I think so. Snowmeow made it for a while. I'm sure the king will send aid once we get back," Cheetara said. "Although that might take a while…"

"If the Arietta bird came come here – I mean, Lunata can't hex her now and she's not screwing with the weather anymore – maybe she'd be willing to ferry us a little further. After this is done." Tygra didn't look up from the map and Lion-O looked at Cheetara.

"What about the Luna? Do you think…there might be war?"

She shrugged. "If they understand how foul Lunata is then they would want to fight her. But there will be loyalists who follow her. The Luna have few friends in the world, except for the Alliance, and they've been dealt so many blows lately. I honestly don't know what will happen."

Snarf perched on Lion-O's knees. "We can only deal with the situation as it comes. I think we've seen proof that there are many reasonable Luna, Amok among them. And Matrae is loved by many. There may not be war. But if it comes, the king will understand our actions."

"I sure hope so," Lion-O said quietly. Tygra glanced at him but returned his gaze to the map.

The kittens, meanwhile, flopped into a seat between Lion-O and Cheetara. "So are we going in the King's Door or not? We wanna know before we actually arrive." Kit's voice was sensible and flat, and Kat crossed his arms.

Lion-O rubbed the back of his neck. "I was thinking you'd stay here as backup."

"In the middle of the wilderness. In the freezing glaciers." Kat looked weary.

"Well, I knew you wouldn't agree to stay at Matrae's." His voice grew slightly tart. "Panthro worked on the Thundertank before we left. If something happens to us – and by that I mean that if we don't come back after three days – you guys need to press this button." He indicated it by leaning forward. "It will both send a distress signal to Matrae's messenger and put the tank in auto-drive. If something happens, Amok knows the way to Matrae's, and he will take you there. If we don't make it, you need to find a way to contact the bird and get back to the Imperial City, and deliver this letter to the king." He drew a sealed envelope out of his cloak and the kittens' eyes fixed on it. "Can I trust you not to read this, and to give it unopened to the king?"

Their bright clear eyes met his. "We won't open it or read it," both said firmly. He gave it to them and sighed.

"Snarf will stay with you. I'd rather everyone but me stay back but when I brought that up-"

"No Lion-O. We're in this with you."

"Goes against my orders."

"Shut up and let me look at the map."

He planted his chin in his hand. "I was outvoted. I'm not having you two stay back because I don't believe in you. I need you to stay safe so someone can tell the king about all of this. And because you shouldn't have to face whatever is down there."

Kit took his hand. "If the Harbinger is there, you'll beat him," she said. "We're the good guys. And good wins. Always."

He smiled. And felt his stomach sinking. "I sure hope so."

The King's Door was aptly named.

There was a blizzard around it, one that was neither so harsh or fierce as they expected. Amok's bellows brought the winds down until it was merely a snowfall, and when Cheetara stepped out onto the snow, it felt like she'd stepped somewhere sacred, where no one had walked in a thousand years. Virgin snow, she thought mildly.

The structure was made of a dark blue, gleaming stone that had been into a slanted tunnel. The doors rose three panthers high and three wide, peaking in a point, and carved from silver. In the design she saw lizards and cats and Luna, dogs and wolves and foxes and even a Snarf. Every creature she could think twisted in the designs and she put a hand on the metal. It burned with cold and she pulled her hand back.

"So. I guess we made it," Tygra said cheerfully. He stretched and stamped in the snow and put his hands on his hips. "How do we open it?"

Lion-O took out the Sword of Omens and pursed his lips. "I think…"

The blade lit up and he twitched, holding it aloft. The glow faded but not before a great crack split the quiet air and a line down the center of the door opened and the doors opened outward. A great smell of stone and earth hit them, and something like heat. They all stared at the opening and Amok made a nervous sound.

Cheetara turned to the kittens and gave them each a hug and a kiss. "We'll be back soon okay? Listen to Snarf, stick with Amok." They said nothing, lips tight and suddenly frightened. Amok received his hug and kiss with a happy grumbling noise, and Snarf rubbed his furry face against her cheek. "Stay warm. If anything happens, get out."

She didn't take in Lion-O's goodbye, tight hugs and whispered encouragement, and a friendly bump from Amok. She did think how small he looked when Amok folded a brawny arm around him in affection. Too small to carry this burden. In a slightly frightening moment, she raged against the king. It was gone nearly as quickly.

Tygra was casual, ruffling Kat's hair and pecking the back of Kit's hand, but she saw his hands tremble when he turned to lean on the open door. Panthro crossed his arms when the kittens turned to him. Their tails lowered slightly. He hesitated, rolled his eyes, and got down on his knees and opened his arms. Kat and Kit flung themselves against his shoulders and he folded them in a big, warm embrace. Cheetara stared and felt a lump in her throat as he released them. "Snarf tells you something, you listen."

That was all he said but the kittens seemed to absorb something from him that steeled their jaws and dried their eyes. Lion-O stood just before the opening, feet in the snow just an inch from the stony threshold, and his breath was a mist as he drew it in and out. Cheetara felt her staff, and put a hand on his shoulder. "We're right behind you. All of us."

He looked at her and his eyes were so blue and bright that the sky seemed to dim. He put his fingers on her hand. "…Thank you. All of you. For everything."

Then they stepped inside.

The doors swung shut automatically, creaking terribly. As it did lights flicked on over their heads and Cheetara looked around, surprised to see a metal lift. "This stuff must be ancient. Did they have this kind of technology that long ago?" She edged toward the lift and prodded it with her staff and listened to the ringing tone.

"The Luna did. Cats and other animals dug the mine, although there are legends about getting help from supernatural agents. I guess the Luna provided a little help that history forgot." Tygra experimentally put a foot on the metal. "It's not rusted or anything. This was built to last."

He stepped out onto it. "Solid. There's a lever over there, come on."

Panthro climbed on next to test it. The lift bobbed, the railing around the edge rubbing against the stone, but it held easily. Tygra warily took hold of the lever and – with a grunt and all of his weight – managed to push it down. The joint creaked and the lift seemed to peel from its location and, with the smell of dust and cobwebs and years of stillness – began its descent.

It moved faster than Cheetara had expected, her bangs lifting slightly as they dropped, but it felt controlled. "I assume that gravity won't be a problem?" she dared to ask.

"I guess there's a protection here. Otherwise they'd never have finished it, their skulls would have imploded," Tygra said mildly. Lion-O looked ill. "Whoa, let me see something." He tugged the lever up a hair and the lift slowed. "Okay, it controls the speed. So if it's here…"

He pulled it level. The lift jostled them, nearly stopping in its tracks as it eked downward. "Sorry," Tygra said, getting to his feet. Panthro mumbled something. "Look at the wall."

They began a slightly slower descent and every so often a bright yellow glow made them start. These were the only sources of light, and one was large enough that Tygra paused the lift so they could see it better.

"Looks like crystal. Why's it glowing?" Cheetara didn't quite touch it, putting her hand beside it. Her fur lifted. "It's…I feel energy in it. How far down are we?"

"Just a few miles." Lion-O looked at the Sword of Omens and lifted it, placing it near the stone. The Eye of Thundera hummed and he jumped. "I felt something! Energy moved from that stone to the sword!"

"So this must be the stuff at the core. This energy…is this what's at the heart of the world?" Tygra looked wistful. "I probably shouldn't mess with it, but this could revolutionize science and physics. I mean, is it magic? Or is this energy operating on a totally unknown principle? Does this energy flow in and out of people, the planet?"

"It's a bit overwhelming," Lion-O agreed." Cheetara could see their faces in the uneven facets and realized that it slightly warm, and that there was no breeze, just still air. Her throat tightened.

"Can we keep moving? I feel a little woozy." Tygra nodded and the lift started again. The shift of air helped. "I hope there's oxygen down there."

"Somebody made this with supernatural elements." Panthro had not reacted to the stone. "It's like a bubble. Don't know if it was magic or spirits. Maybe really advanced science, like Tygra thinks. But I think we'll be able to breathe."

Lion-O tucked an arm around Cheetara and she drew comfort from his presence. It was dark but for the flashes of crystal, and the lift made very little noise. An hour passed, perhaps two. Time seemed still in that dark place, and Cheetara might have fallen asleep, for it certainly seemed like no time at all when the lift began slowing automatically. A large, glowing bed of crystal ringed the resting point, and the lift settled into a carved circle. The geodes were warm, as if welcoming them. Cheetara lifted her head from Lion-O's shoulder and rubbed her eyes.

"Red. Look at the bases." The larger crystals had a pinkish tint toward the base and Cheetara didn't need to go closer to feel the energy. The air here was thick, humid, and every breath made her fur stand on end. "It's like I'm breathing energy."

Tygra seemed impatient and even Panthro drummed his fingers against his bicep as Lion-O got up and stepped down first. "Wow. Guys, you have to see this."

When they followed the blinding glow of the crystal ceased to distract from their surroundings and Cheetara mumbled a prayer of protection. The great space they were in was one big geode, distance splotches of color obviously glowing, ranging from peach to scarlet. She judged it to be maybe five miles to the ceiling, and the patch they stood on curved into a red earth bowl, spotted with crystals. The tunnel let out at the edge of the orb, and she turned in place the see crystals spearing from the nearby walls. The door to the lift had been carved once, but there were new lumps and chunks forming.

"The Eye of Thundera must have come from one of those." Tygra pointed toward the center, where the greatest formations pierced upward like spears. The center one had the darkest red base, and Cheetara shivered to even look at it. "Look at the two next to it."

Their glow, as Cheetara squinted, did seem duller, the crystal sparkling less. The scarlet places were dimming to the red-brown of dried blood. "Think that's where it feeds?"

Lion-O tightened his grip on the Sword of Omens. "I wonder if it's asleep?"

"Be the first thing to go right on this venture," Panthro muttered. Lion-O took a brave step forward, and then another. "I think that stuff must be the power supply for all of this. Those center crystals are like the power rods and they conduct it."

"So we fix them, we fix all of it. I think the energy could replenish if nothing was feeding." They followed Lion-O, who glanced from side to side. "I wonder what it looks like?"

"If it's anything like what I saw in my vision, it's big and has huge, bulbous red eyes. But I'm not seeing anything like that." Cheetara turned in place as they walked, keeping an eye to their back. "How should we attack if we see it?"

No one wanted to say the name. There was something in the air, judging, waiting, and to say the name might break the quiet. "I'd rather have an idea of what kinds of attacks it has. Claws, teeth…magic. If you get a chance to land a hit, take it and move back. No risks with the unknown." Lion-O swiped his hair back. "Keep low and quiet for now."

But nothing heckled them as they headed for the center. The silence was eerie, the faint scuffles of their feet echoing. Cheetara prayed silently the entire time – for wisdom, for courage, for protection for all of them.

"What is that?" Tygra was pointing at another crystal, this one darker than any they'd seen. It had a dull sheen, black at the base and gray at the edges.

Cheetara shied away from it. "I think it has to do with the…Harbinger."

There. The world seemed to come awake, shiver. Tygra coughed. "I know that. But do you think he drained it? Made it?"

"Don't know. But there's more of it." Lion-O gestured toward the lumps and pockmarks over the ground. "We're almost there, come on." They ran the rest of the way, Cheetara taking slow, loping strides to keep from outpacing the others. At the base of the greatest crystal was so bright red that it nearly blinded them, and Lion-O had to put his goggles on to see. He peered at the nearest facet and started. "I can see where the stone came from!"

He touched the crystal with his index finger and a shock rifled up his fur, ponytail stiffening. "Feels like static. But right here." He ran a finger over a rounded indentation. "This is the source. This is what's in trouble."

"But why isn't it all dim? If the Harbinger has been feeding here, why is there still so much energy?" Tygra asked.

"It is much easier to bite and swallow a piece of fruit than drain its juice sip by sip. I am currently limited to sips."

None of them said a word. Cheetara felt the fur on the back of her neck prickle and had to tell herself three times to turn around.

When she did she saw a red hood not three feet from her. Actually it was shorter than she, and she had to look down. The face was obscured by the droop of the hood, and the figure seemed crooked and bowed. "In olden days I would have consumed it in a single bite. Maybe two, to savor it. But I am not yet up to such feats."

The hood tilted back. "But now, Thundercats. I have not seen living faces in over a thousand years. What brings you to the heart of the world?"

They moved back ten feet as one, weapons brandished. The figure didn't move, and Cheetara found herself staring at his face. Wrinkled and ancient, crags marred around his mouth and brow, and his tongue was purple as a corpse's. His hands were small – almost delicate – and the nails were long and pointed, chipping at the edges. The skin there was scabby, and there were bandages wrapped around his arms.

He did not seem to have feet under the splayed, red cloak. Something within the folds shifted. And the sunken red eyes watched them from over slit nostrils, as if his nose had long ago rotted away. Cheetara choked and forced out, "Creator defend us from this, your enemy."

The Harbinger smiled. His yellow teeth were sparse. "Ah, a champion for the arrogant god. Virtuous, pure, golden. Beautiful and loyal…unable to think for yourself, head hollow as a rotten tooth." He tugged one of his own out and crushed it between his index finger and thumb, splintering it to dust. "Spray me with your inane mutterings and sweet prayers. He will not listen, he has left me to my work. I am the only god who will hear you."

Cheetara didn't believe him. She didn't. But her chest ached; she had hoped it would be like in the stories, where the demon would quail at the very mention of the Creator. But the Harbinger simply grinned – a forced, taut grin – and looked to Panthro. "Stalwart, courageous, justice. Dependable and reliable…unyielding as death itself, and in anger you are vengeance. Or do you think that time would forget the brothel master you killed in his family's home, on a sickbed?"

Panthro's lips parted but he said nothing. "I hold dark hearts close to mine own." The being placed a dry, small hand against his chest. "His beat near me until its last."

Tygra's yellow eyes flicked to the nearest crystals. "Ah, thinking of ways to fight me! Brilliant, educated, noble! And proud as a god, superior in all things! You fear becoming your father so much, of sullying your pride and breaking your mother's heart."

Eyes narrowing, Tygra snorted. It was a little too faint to be convincing. "You sure talk a lot. Nobody ever mentions the Harbinger doesn't shut up."

The figure laughed, and his voice was nearly friendly. It was higher than Cheetara expected, solid and soft. "Oh, I have been alone a long time. Indulge my chatter if you will."

He looked up toward the ceiling. "But where are the children? Honest and bright and true, facing the light even when it blinds? I enjoyed the idea of showing them the truth of the end and burning them away with it."

Lion-O snarled and the air seemed electric. "Don't you even think about hurting them!"

The Harbinger's eyes lowered and his expression, for the first time, lost its amusement. "I know you." The flat lips seemed to hang open in thought. "Oh, I do. Your heart is so far from mine that I could not help but know it…and retch!"

The Harbinger hacked and black crystals came up, crashing and glinting against the floor. The sour color soaked into the other crystals, draining them silently. They moved back, Cheetara building a charge in her staff. "Foul, foul! I choke upon it! So saccharine you ooze honey in your words and actions. One of the Creator's favorite pets, you break the unrest I work so hard to sow! Well I defy you! I spit on you! I will take all the goodness you seek and turn it to ash! I will pervert it! Then I will devour it!"

The Harbinger's ugly face grew wicked and his cloak billowed. The crystals' lights seemed to dim. "You wonder why I have not consumed this place? Because I am sealed, sealed here by a sacrifice! Two blades, artifacts of power and one fool who offered their life to close me between the worlds. But they were wrong; I have been drinking slowly, slowly, and I return to my former might. Not today or tomorrow, but soon…perhaps a hundred years? One year? I will know when I can break it. And I hold the core of this world! I hold it!" The ancient figure clasped a fist in victory. "Your sword is dead, and will not awake! You cannot remove me from my prison and you will add to my power."

Lion-O moved so quickly that only Cheetara caught it. He lunged forward, blade bright, and sank it into the Harbinger's chest.

He stumbled, falling through the body as if it were air. The Harbinger paused and glanced behind him. "Did you listen at all?" he asked shortly. "I just told you I'm between worlds. I am a spirit." Lion-O straightened. "This energy is all that is real to me, all that can touch me. And I can touch it."

He put out a hand and the nearest dim crystal darkened and new shards shot from it, and Lion-O barely ducked in time to avoid being skewered. "Bit by bit I have built my power. I can manipulate it now. I will hold you here until I draw the last drop of life from you."

Cheetara ran for Lion-O, pulling him out of the way as the crystals chased him again. Her foot brushed the shards that the Harbinger had vomited and felt weakness, a foul chill.

She towed Lion-O fifty feet away and whirled her staff again, smelling the heat as the charge grew stronger. "Okay…what do we do?"

Lion-O looked faint. "The Sword of Omens didn't work. It didn't work. Is it really dead now?"

"That doesn't…what about that light thing it did against Lunata? That might work." Cheetara and Lion-O took off again as the Harbinger whirled and flung out his hands. They crackled with dark pulses of energy and more crystals darkened, seeking them out like carved snakes. "The sword uses the energy from this place, it drove him back before. If we can get it more strength maybe it can still hurt him."

The Harbinger shrieked with laughter and Tygra fell in beside them with Panthro, running as well. "We've got to cut him off from his power," Tygra said, and the lot of them scattered as another plume of crystal energy descended into their path. "Sounds like being between the worlds is an unfair advantage!" he added with a yell.

The Harbinger whirled and moved, fingers following them with delight. "Such fun…I'd nearly forgotten how fun it is to see you all flee. The despair at the end…simply divine."

They ran further, further, until the crystal seemed to slow. "He can't stretch everywhere," Cheetara said, listening to the others pant. They couldn't run so quickly, nor so long. The Harbinger's voice carried to them but she couldn't hear the words. "We have to wake up the sword. To do that we have to get the Harbinger to stop feeding on the heart. And to do that-"

"We have to beat the Ghen out of him. And to do that we need the sword's energy." Panthro pushed them all forward to avoid another wave. "So what do we do?"

They looked to Lion-O, and Cheetara was stunned to see a deathly calm on his face. "We need to retreat. The king…nobody knew about this. Nobody had any idea. We need a plan, some kind of way to fight."

Tygra looked back toward the Harbinger. "Okay, sounds decent to me. We're not far off."

Cheetara didn't get a chance to say anything. Neither did Panthro. For the red cloak was suddenly beside them, the spidery hands splayed wild, and Cheetara saw crystal.

Then they were hitting the ground and Cheetara had the breath knocked from her. Lion-O scrambled to his feet and Tygra was already up; Panthro had pushed them. Pushed them out of the way.

His expression did not change as the dark crystal ate up his legs. "Get out of here and get help. Tell the king about this, and Jaga." It crept up to his middle. It was like sugar crusting over string, the way the candy makers made the suckers for children during fairs. Cheetara cried out. "Go!"

"No!" Lion-O was agonized and he seized Panthro's hands, pulling as hard as he could. The crystal remained solid and devoured Panthro's torso, turning his body into a faceted sculpture. "Panthro, no! We're not leaving you!"

Panthro jerked his hands back just as the crystal finished, speeding to his head and fingertips. His face was frozen in gruff anger. Cheetara felt her eyes heat up and it was hard to breathe for a second, but she grabbed Lion-O's arm and hauled him away. "Panthro! Cheetara, we have to-"

"We can't help him!" Tygra's voice seemed to work right now; Cheetara's remained lodged in her heart. "We have to get out, find a way to beat this thing, and then we'll be able to help Panthro!"

Lion-O absorbed this as they ran and Cheetara took hold of the nugget of comfort contained in it. Her mind wailed – can they reverse it, what if they can't make it back, what if he dies, what if he's already dead? – but she gritted her teeth and pushed it back.

The Harbinger was behind them. He moved without walking, billowing forward on air, face eternally grinning like a skull. Cheetara wished that this was an enemy like before, an enemy that could be reached and beaten and locked up, but it was a demon that pursued them. Creator, she prayed, if you're listening, please help-

Tygra disappeared. And the Harbinger actually paused. He reappeared with a chunk of crystal in his hand and hurled it at the figure. To her surprise it hit and the Harbinger hissed, whirling toward Tygra. He was jaunty as ever, grin a tooth-baring grimace to match the demon. "Come on you haggard old rag!" It was not his most inspired insult but Cheetara knew what he was doing and grabbed Lion-O's wrist.

Tygra would distract the Harbinger until they reached the lift. Then he would turn invisible and pelt for it, and they would escape. The plan was simple, good. She latched onto it and felt energy flood back in where terror had been. Tygra jumped and spun, avoiding the crystals as the Harbinger hurled them.

He jumped to avoid one blast and was struck by a second, cast a hair after the first. Lion-O screamed and Cheetara wished it would stop, all stop, because it wasn't right or fair-

He hit the ground and the crystal scaled over him. Tygra managed to shoot them a frightened smile. "Tell Mom I love her okay? And Dad too, even if-"

The smile froze and his face gleamed with the new crystal. The world didn't make sense anymore, how could this have happened? They'd stopped so many evil creatures but this thing had soaked into the core of their world and controlled everything around them-

Cheetara still pulled Lion-O toward the lift. We can save them if we get out and come back, she thought wildly. She could see them in the reflective facets, sprinting and gasping, but she couldn't see the Harbinger; no reflection. He had no form to attack, no presence, but he could still hurt them. It was cruelly unfair.

The ground beneath them bucked and Cheetara shrieked as crystal engulfed the red earth. Her feet were fast enough to jump ahead, but Lion-O was suddenly immobile and she had to see why.

The magic hadn't hit him. The Harbinger's crystal had only cracked the ground. But Lion-O was on the floor, caught amidst the cracking shards that speared high as her waist, tangled around him. He had several cuts oozing along his sides. His eyes were calm, interested. Lost. "Cheetara, go. Get out. I'm too slow."

No. No no no. Cheetara screamed again and this time it was anger. The Harbinger loomed feet away, everything dimming around him as he grinned and grinned. "Abandon him. You could escape me."

His fingers widened and that unholy light pulsed again and Cheetara never remembered moving so fast.

She threw her arms wide and bore the blast, hitting her square in the chest. It was terribly stupid she realized as the substance swarmed across her limbs and over her head. But she couldn't let it hit Lion-O, not even if it didn't make a bit of difference in the end-

The last thing she heard was Lion-O calling her name in anguish, and then it was all dark.

Kit shot to her feet. "Do you feel it too?" Kat returned her glance, wishing he could stop trembling. Snarf was pacing across their laps, tiny claws digging into their clothes. "Something really bad is happening!"

Atop the Thunderank Amok whined. "Bad Harbinger. Feel him. Lion-O and cats okay?"

Kat felt despair in the pit of his stomach. "No, they're not," he called, holding Snarf tight to his chest to stop the painful pricking of the claws. "They're not…Creator, help…"

Kit straightened. "The Harbinger is not going to win," she declared. Snarf and Kat shared a bewildered look. "Bad guys don't win."

"How can you say that? Bad guys win all the time!" Kat slammed his fists against the seat. "Masti was killed, Slithe and Lunata and Chilla got away! People died in the village by the mountains from sickness! Kit, I'm trying to believe the good guys win, but I just don't see it! They're losing, I can feel it!"

She looked at him and the strength in her jaw reminded him so fiercely of their father that his jaw dropped. "Yeah, bad things happen. And sometimes the bad guys get ahead. But they never stay ahead! Hammerhand got arrested, the bad guys are running scared, and now Amok is helping us! Kat, the Harbinger won't win. Good is gonna win. I believe it. I know it."

Kat stared at her, wondering at her faith.

"How?" Snarf's voice was soft, whiskers shivering. He felt what they were feeling – darkness swarming, coldness in their fingers and toes. The others were in deep trouble – and clasped his tiny paws.

"Because…because…!"

Kit threw up her hands. "Because! Just because! It's true!"

Truth. The word filled him with a hot light so bright that Kat jolted. "Whoa. My tummy feels weird. And in here." He touched his chest. Kit nodded in agreement, then blinked.

"Kat? Your eyes are glowing."

He felt for them and met her gaze. "Um. Yours are too." The coldness was gone and in its place was something almost worse – almost, not quite – that burned to get out. "What's going on?"

Snarf was gaping at them. "I have no idea. But whatever it is, maybe it can help the others!" He took their hands in his paws and furrowed his face in concentration. "Think of them! Think of them in the dark and helping them!"

Both kittens obeyed. Kat thought of Tygra and his tea, Panthro and his tank, Cheetara and her sewing. All of them had been good to them in their own special ways, and he'd remembered what it was like to really be taken care of and loved. Tygra brushed his hair a hundred times and Cheetara inspected their clothes carefully for tears and snags. Panthro made sure they ate the freshest fruit, eating the mushy stuff himself, and Snarf let them hang on him when they were scared, even though they squeezed too tight. And Lion-O sat with him sick with loss, gave them the best part of his dinner, made sure they were warm when he was cold. Stopped to help bad people because he believed there was something worth saving. He sniffed in spite of himself.

"Come on guys. Don't let him win. It won't be right if he wins."

The Harbinger stood over Lion-O in silence. The cat was on all fours, scratched and bruised from the crystal, still unable to get up.

The woman had frozen in the defiant pose. Her pretty face screamed war. Lion-O was bent in defeat, and the Harbinger smiled. "Such good friends to sacrifice themselves for you. How heroic and noble. And how worthless."

Lion-O didn't look up, ponytail spilling over his shoulder like a wound weeping blood. "All their efforts in vain, for you are prostrate before me, and the end is here. Shall I ease your suffering? I can be a merciful god." He put his hand over the red hair gently.

"…Mumm-Ra."

The Harbinger froze. "What did you call me?"

"Mumm. Ra. That's your name. You say you're a god? Yeah right." Lion-O lifted his chin and his blue eyes smoldered like fire. "You wander around consuming worlds and people, and you know why? Because you're too weak to be a real god. You have to feed or you wither away. The only reason you're winning is because of a fluke. If this were a real fight you'd have lost. You're weak."

Mumm-Ra had not been called by his name in a long time. He stared at the cat. "Stupid youth. That defiance would fade if you got the chance to grow old and wise and afraid."

Lion-O spat at him. "Maybe it does end here for us. But I'm not afraid of you. In fact, I would never call you 'Harbinger' again. You don't get a title, Mumm-Ra. You're a boogeyman is all. I was afraid before but now I know better." And those eyes truly were calm and soft, almost bored.

Mumm-Ra grimaced. "Always talking, mortals. Time for that to end." He placed a hand over Lion-O's head, unable to touch him. "Goodbye child."

Crack.

Mumm-Ra did not often surprise. The tiger turning invisible had been amusing, but he couldn't say he was necessarily startled. But that sound made him draw his hand back and turn away.

The statue of the cheetah had cracked down the back. And the light pouring from the seam made his black heart recoil.

End of Episode 20