8

A/N: Thank you to Onyx and S for their help once again. Please Read and Review!

Katie had been sitting in the middle of the floor, her eyes closed and her breathing steady when Neo's message entered her mind. She couldn't help but smile at it. It meant she would be going home soon! She tilted her head, keeping her eyes closed. To an onlooker this might have been comical but she was thinking about what would happen. Was Onyx going to try to fight her way in? Would the king give up easily? No, she doubted he would. She had to find some way to help them. Although she wasn't sure how, she knew inspiration would strike when the time was right. She continued to sit on the floor as the door opened and a guard stepped inside.

"Come with us, witch," the guard ordered, glaring down at her.

Katie sighed, trying to keep from getting annoyed by these people. The last thing she needed now was her temper to get the best of her. She needed to focus. She opened her eyes before standing and walking over to the guards. They took her down the stairs to the king's library. She was unceremoniously shoved in and the doors were closed behind her. She flinched but remained still, refusing to show fear.

The room itself was impressive, through not spectacular. Heavy, ebony bookshelves were built into the walls and filled to the brim with heavy, leather-bound books. The whole room smelled musty, as though it hadn't been used in ages, and the moth-eaten velvet curtains were drawn on the windows, leaving a few weak torches as the only light.

She ignored all of this and stared straight ahead, at the back of an elaborate, velvet-covered chair with ornately carved arms laid with gold leaf. The chair's back was high enough that she could not see its occupant, but she could sense a cold evil radiating from it. Whoever was in the chair was not a friend. She waited quietly.

"Enjoying your stay, my dear?" she heard a cold voice say, and a chill ran through her.

It was not Troy's voice, but the voice of the one man in the kingdom that she truly feared, rather than simply despising. There was a rustle of cloth, and a dark figure rose from the elegant seat and turned to face her. Biting back her alarm, Kate stood calmly, waiting on him to offer an explanation.

"Well?" demanded the King, a hint of authority entering his tone.

"Do you…" Before she spoke more, the idea hit her. "Yes, my lord," she answered, dropping her gaze as though she was submitting to him.

"Good," he replied simply as he stepped from behind his chair and walked slowly towards her.

He was dressed much the same way he had been when she first saw him, in a black velvet tunic, black breeches, black leather boots, and a long black cloak, trimmed with the fur of some unfortunate black animal. The only spark of color on his outfit came from a silver-trimmed belt at his waist, the silver crown on his head, and the rubies glittering in the hilt of the dagger tucked in his belt

Kate felt his eyes on her body as he got closer. She looked down at herself, gathering her wits for a quick second before making eye contact with the king. She forced the best smile she could onto her pale face and began to speak.

"My Lord, I offer my apologies for my behavior until this time. I am ashamed of how I have acted, and I beg your forgiveness," she whispered, gazing down at the floor and faking guilt.

"My dear child," the king murmured as he stood next to her and placed his fingers on her chin to raise her eyes to meet his. "You were scared. You have my forgiveness."

"Thank you, your majesty," she said softly, giving him another smile. "I am forever in your debt."

The king looked at her, his eye brow raised in curiosity as he continued to study her face. Kate felt the weight of his gaze on her, and wondered, almost humorously, if it left a trail of slime like a slug.

"You are a very beautiful woman," the black-clad man murmured as he reached out, and took her hand in his own. The skin of his hand was soft, almost silken, and it felt ridiculous against Kate's work-roughened hand.

Gently, he raised her hand to his lips and kissed every knuckle. Kate cringed inwardly and let the king do as he wished before he looked her in the eye again. Forcing her true feelings not to show, Katie continued with what Onyx might have called a 'tactical deception.'

"My lord, I think I have been mislead all of my life. I was not living in the real world. I was raised by demons in a place where monsters roamed and no man as charming as you existed."

The king's lip twitched, but he did not smile. Fearing that she had not yet won him over, Katie continued, letting a note of her true desperation seep into her voice.

"Please, my lord. Show me the world that I have missed. I will do as you wish only if you take me in and guide me. Please, I beg of you! Help me to be a real woman." She said, letting every word roll off her tongue as though she truly meant it.

After a moment of silence, the king smiled. "If you show me the powers you hold, I will guide you towards a real life in this kingdom."

"Oh, thank you, my lord," she gasped in true relief, bowing deeply to him.

When she stood straight again, he pulled her close to his own body, and she gazed briefly into his dark eyes and realized she had won. She could see her victory in his eyes. It was a familiar expression to her, having seen it many times in Neo's eyes, but she knew this look was definitely different. He was taking the bait.

Twining one arm around her waist, the king pressed her closer against him. His body was thick and heavy and nothing like Neo's lean form. "The sight of you makes my blood boil, my lady. There has not been a new woman in this kingdom in ages, and I hope to claim you as my own." His voice was full of pent up lust.

Kate suppressed a physical wave of nausea that rose at the thought. "Oh, my king, it would be an honor."

He drew her closer still, until even air could not fit between their bodies. The arm across her back would leave bruises come morning, nothing like Neo's gentle hands. The King's mouth was nothing like Neo's, either, as he wasted no time in crushing his lips against hers in a demanding kiss. As much as she hated it, she focused her attention elsewhere, allowing the King to continue to assault her lips before moving to her neck. She gripped his sleeve in a mockery of desire, sliding her hand downwards, aiming for the heavy silver belt and the dagger it held.

"Oh, my lord," she gasped as he kissed her. She closed her eyes, struggled to pretended she was enjoying it, moaning every now and then as he touched different areas of her neck with his lips. Her hand reached his wrist, and she twitched away, sliding it to his waist instead, settling it an inch above his belt and waiting. The King, oblivious, continued to kiss down her neck, across her collarbones, down the pale skin exposed by the low neckline of her dress. Kate forced herself to wait, literally trembling from the effort it took to restrain herself. Greedy now, the King hooked his fingers into the neckline of her dress, meaning to pull away the constricting fabric so he could reach the flesh beneath.

Kate's reaction was instantaneous. Her right hand curled around the hilt of the King's silver dagger, and her left shot out, the heel of her hand striking the king hard in the center of his chest, a few inches below his collarbone. Shocked and winded, the king stumbled backwards, staring with wide eyes at the girl before him. Snarling, Kate wiped her lips with her arm, the dagger flashing bright in her hand.

"Did you actually think I'd suddenly change my mind?" she growled, raising the blade. It was well-crafted and extremely sharp, and she knew it would serve her purpose.

The king did not answer, but glared silently at her before stepping backwards. Kate tensed immediately, dropping into a defensive crouch, weapon at the ready. She knew he was going to try something, and she needed to be quicker to survive. Remember the training, she thought desperately.

Without warning, the King charged. Prepared for this, Kate rocked forward, throwing her weight behind the dagger as she moved. The King's own momentum sent him hurtling into his own blade. The dagger sank into his chest to the hilt, just below his ribs, forcing the breath from his body in a low wheeze. Wide-eyed, he grabbed for her, and she was not swift enough to dodge. His sudden grasp knocked her to the ground, and she barely managed to avoid having the dying man fall upon her as well. Rolling to her feet, Kate scrambled away and stood up to watch him.

Slowly, his arms trembling, he rose onto his hands and knees, red-tinted foam falling from his mouth. She knew what that meant - she had somehow pierced his lung, and he was drowning in his own blood. Struggling, the King forced himself to his feet, and turned on her with deadly intent in his eyes.

A single, low gasp came from his throat, bubbling up through the blood he was surely choking on. "Witch!" And then he lunged towards her, fury in his face.

Kate stood her ground, trembling with tension. Remember the training. It was second nature to her now. Watch the movements of your opponent. Calculate. The King was within range now. Shifting her weight back, she swung her entire body into a twist. Her leg lashed up with brutal force and caught the King directly in the side of the head.

The shattering crack sounded incredibly loud in the cold room. Kate pivoted on her foot, turning to watch as the King's body fell through the cold air, seemingly taking forever to fall the short distance to the floor. The impact seemed to shake the room when his lifeless body landed. Shaking all over, Kate stepped closer to stare at the body of her foe. His eyes were still open, staring blankly at the opposite wall. His head was twisted at an impossible angle, his neck snapped from the force of her kick. Bloody foam was still seeping from his mouth. Kate stepped back, horrorstruck, as she processed what had just happened. She was saved from thinking about it more by the crash of the door flying open as two guards burst in. They saw the lifeless body of their leader on the floor and instantly drew their swords. Dealing with the unarmed, unprepared King had been one thing. Dealing with two fully armed guards was quite another. Slowly, Kate backed away as the men got closer. She was a few feet from the wall when another voice echoed in from the hall outside.

"Halt!"

The men stopped instantly, snapping to attention as they half-turned towards the door, keeping Kate in their sights. Looking between them, Kate could see the new figure in the doorway – precisely the last person she wanted to see. Troy.

The Captain surveyed the scene without any trace of surprise. "Take the Kings' body out of here and see it is properly attended. I will deal with the girl."

The two guards, not willing to disagree with the man, sheathed their swords and carefully gathered up the kings' limp form. As they took him from the room, Kate's gaze remained locked on the small pool of blood on the floor. Kate stared in horror as she truly realized what had happened. I've taken a life. I've killed a man. As though it had suddenly sunk in, comprehension washed over her, and her control shattered. While her body stood silently in the room, inside her mind, she panicked.

IkilledamanNeo…Ikilledaman! Ohmy…Idon't…Ikilledhim….

Neo had been slumped silently on a low boulder in the desolate clearing Onyx had found, staring into a tin cup of herbal tea, when Kate's message found him. He sat bolt upright, the cup clattering to the rocky ground as his face went white with fear. Anything that could cause the usually strong-willed girl to panic like this must be terrible.

All around him, wounded monsters in various stages of healing had stopped what they were doing, turning to look at the swordsman as he pressed his fingertips to his temples, attempting to focus.

Kate, calm down. I can't understand you.

I killed a man Neo. I killed the king. What do I….how…

You killed the king? Neo's face showed a sort of shocked horror.

Yes! She cried out.

He tried to think about what to say, but found himself at a loss. Damus, concern written on his face, stepped over to Neo and set a careful hand on his shoulder.

Oh God, Neo he's dead! They're going to kill me for sure!

Calm down, Kojika. Please. I can't help you if you're panicking.

Neo, I can't, I…

But she broke off abruptly, and Neo felt his connection with her severed.

"No!' he whispered, his face going chalk-white. Kate, answer me! Kojika!

Kate stared at Troy, shocked. He had just walked right up to her and ripped the pendants from her throat.

"What were you just doing?" he growled, his face contorted with rage. Kate stared at the pendants in his hand, indignation warring with shock and anger.

"Give them back," she ordered, holding out her hand as though she expected him to obey.

He slapped her hand away. "Just try to take them" he snapped, tying the broken cord around his own neck.

Kate glared at him. She wasn't sure if she could take him, but she was sure as hell going to try. Suddenly a familiar voice rang in her ears, spoken in a familiar scornful tone.

Lesson One. Never. Attack. In. Anger.

As she heard those words again, she realized she had to calm down first.

"Come on, witch! Try to take them from me." Troy sneered, arrogance dripping from his voice.

Kate held her ground, knowing she could do nothing but wait for Onyx. Even if she, alone and unarmed, managed to defeat the Captain of the King's Army, she would never escape the castle alive. Her inaction seemed to anger Troy more than her previous actions. Radiating fury, he stomped over and grabbed her by the hair, jerking her head back so sharply she expected him to slit her throat.

"You're a witch and a coward" he snarled before dragging her out of the room.

The pain was incredible, and Kate had to fight to ignore it, stumbling along beside the man and trying to slack his hold. He seemed only half-aware of her presence, ranting as he dragged her up a narrow set of carved stone stairs. Several of the steps had begun to crumble with age, and twice she tripped. Troy's only response was to jerk her upright by the hair, and he continued speaking without losing pace.

"You've done me a great favor by killing that idiot bastard who called himself a king. I was going to do it myself after I was finished with your friends, but now I can blame it on you and the kingdom will love me."

"No one could love an evil creature like you," she hissed back, involuntary tears of pain making her vision blur. He jerked her hair again, pulling her off the stairs and into another cold hallway, then shoving her through a heavy wooden door and into another room. Through the haze of pain, Kate had a fleeting impression of dark stone walls and several large, cluttered desks before she was nearly thrown through a second set of doors. Stumbling, she hit a railing and looked down. Pure terror over took her as she realized she was on the balcony from her vision, overlooking the kingdom. Troy came out and seized her upper arm, pulling her upright before yelling out to the people down below.

"Soldiers! Women! Children! Hear me now!" Troy shouted to the people as he forced her against the rail.

The height made her stomach turn and her head spin. The only thing she could think of at that moment in time was her vision.

"People of Lohan! Your king is dead!"

As the people gathered below, cries of horror and anger filled the air, a low rumble of whispered rumors and theories flying among the crowd.

"And the murderer has been caught. It is the witch!" Troy yelled out as he forced Kate even further into the bars of the rail. The hard metal dug into her stomach, and it was all she could do not to cry out as another harsh bruise began to form.

The people began to shout and scream, throwing angry remarks and curses at the girl. Some people even threw stones and debris at her, hitting her in the head and chest as she tried to cover herself with her one free hand.

"Kill the witch!" rose a cry from the back of the crowd, and the rest of it swiftly took up the chant.

Troy continued to hold her as the crowd screamed, twisting her arm behind her back at an agonizing angle while he spoke.

"As the king's first in command, I will take his place. My soldiers and I will stop this evil witch and her wicked friends from seizing Lohan!"

Cheers for Troy rang through the kingdom.

"Soldiers, prepare for battle!" He yelled before turning and pulling Kate back inside.

Kate stumbled, her energy depleted from the battles. She tried to heal the injuries she had sustained, the many bruises, the cuts and scrapes from the rocks, but she didn't have the energy to heal them all.

"Now, I will finish off your friends and become the most powerful man alive." Troy said as he dragged Kate back to her room. His arrogance got Katie's temper up once again.

"You will never defeat Onyx!" she growled, "She will kill you before you can do any more harm."

"We'll see about that." Troy said as he opened her door, pushed her onto the floor and slammed the door again.