Shrunken

Chapter 40

  "Oh my God!" came the first scream from Tyra.

  Brice rushed up to the window, bug-eyed in disbelief, nails digging into the wooden pane. "Holy f***! Th-this is all our fault! We have to do something! W-we have to-!"

  Seto sprang into action, roughly shoving Brice aside and forcing the window open wide. Cool evening air flooded into the room. He turned to look at his friend, his gaze like steel.

  "In half an hour, turn that valve," he commanded, pointing to a knob protruding from his brewing stand. "Take care of Tyra and don't follow me. I mean it." His irises blazed a deep purple, reflecting in Brice's own startled and confused blues. His voice was deeper, rougher than usual.

  "Seto-" Tyra began, her voice wavering. The color had drained from her face with dread.

  But for once, he ignored her. Swiftly, he leapt out of the window and disappeared in a burst of violet sparks. Brice gripped the sill and leaned out of the window, gaping as the sorcerer reemerged from nowhere two stories below, racing after the lithe blur that was streaking into the woods.

  He'd never seen Seto go so fast before, shooting across the grass like a purple comet, radiating with a powerful angry aura. In seconds they were gone from sight, faded into the untamed growth of forest and bright pasty lights. 

  Brice wanted badly to follow, but he remained rooted to the floor, eyes fixated on their path, unable to move nor blink. Until a wail snapped him back to reality.

  Tyra stood on the desk, knees quivering. Tears slid down her porcelain face, sparkling like tiny diamonds. The scars on her arms stood out boldly on her paper white skin. Her hands were pressed to her head, fingers curled into her messy black hair and tugging painfully. Her eyes were kaleidoscopes of blue and gold, swirling with worry and dripping with fear.

  Brice was almost taken aback by her appearance. She didn't look like the brave, rough-and-tumble, scythe-swinging woman she had been before. She looked hopeless, fragile, terrified, and in dire need of a hug.

  Brice and Tyra were always getting under each other's skin. They weren't sure why, but each would throw an insult from time to time, or poke and shove, start a quarrel, sometimes playful, other times not. They were friends of course, but it seemed like Seto usually had to step in and break up an argument. Heck, from the second Tyra shrunk Seto wasn't keen on Brice knowing about it or handling her.

  But now both were haunted by what their dear friends might face. As much as he wanted to kill the cat and save Kay, part of him knew that he had to take care of Seto's potion or Tyra would never get back to normal. And who knew what would happen if he left Tyra alone. 

  Slowly, Brice sat down in front of her, his gaze softening. She didn't notice, now staring at the ground and shaking her head. Fists still clenched with hair covered her face. Heart twisting, hesitant and almost shaking, he put a hand against her diminutive form. She flinched and looked up at him, red rimming the whites of her eyes. She didn't pull away, but only watched him warily.

  He tried for a comforting look, an "I know what you're feeling" look, or something along those lines.

  Tyra seemed to realize he wasn't trying to mess with her this time and fell limp against his palm. Soft sobs wracked her small body. After drawing in a few ragged breaths, almost to quietly to register, she whispered. "I can't lose anyone else..."

  The blond teen bent his head to her level. "You won't."

  "It'll be okay."

------

  Seto hadn't paused to question exactly what he was doing or where he was heading. Blood pumped in his ears as he crashed through the trees, fueled by adrenaline and the burning magic flowing through his veins. The capture had been like throwing a match in gasoline, sudden and ferocious flames coursing through his body and threatening to explode. A determined look filled his flaring violet eyes, never tearing away from their target. 

  She had been taken from them too many times before. She had been hurt on their watch all the more. He was sick of it. This had to end somehow.

  The cat dodged roots and underbrush in her mad dash, spiky brown tail streaking behind her. She seemed to have a destination in mind, making specified turns and following trails in the earth. Every time Seto started to gain on her the cunning feline would find a sudden, convenient escape route: climbing and leaping from a tree or crawling nimbly under fallen trees.

  A thought did occur to him that he might be running straight into a trap, but that didn't matter to him. All that mattered was Kay's life on the line. The sorcerer couldn't see her, but he could only imagine cries of fear and pain as she dangled loosely from the tabby's jaws. 

  Frustration rippled across his face when the feline disappeared from sight beneath a wall of thick vines and underbrush. Violet flames licked his fingertips as he burned through it, reducing the catastrophic plant life to pitiful gray ash.

  A clearing opened up in front of him, a large expanse of grass and wildflowers surrounded by towering trees. Pink evening light gleamed on damp grass blades, but was fading quickly. In the vibrant sky dark clouds had begun to gather, snuffing out the dark orange sun melting into the horizon. A soft rumble echoed in the wind.

  Seto stepped into the field, searching for his quarry. But the meadow seemed completely empty.

  Something was wrong. Off. There were no signs of life. No animals, no birds, no insects; there was nothing but an eerie silence. The only sounds were the wind rustling branches and his own feet brushing through grass.

  Darkness was cloaking the land by the minute, falling over the baffled sorcerer. The clouds grew darker, wider, until they devoured the whole sky. A deep, booming roar shook the forest. His heart pounded in his chest. His mind raced. Where was Starr? Where was Kay?

  Finally, he spotted a pair of glowing amber eyes. Crouched at the edge of the clearing was his enemy, stock-still in the shade of a pine tree. Pressed beneath a single white paw was Kay, crying out and struggling against the weight on her torso. Rage tore at Seto's heart when he heard her scream his name, and Brice's, even Tyra's.

  Starr didn't move as he approached, only stared. There was an odd look in the cat's golden eyes. Sadness? Pity? It was strange but mattered nothing to Seto at the moment. He set his palm ablaze and faced her, a few feet away. Fire engulfed his irises, swallowing up his pupils. He was almost certain this wasn't an ordinary cat.

  "Why did you bring us here? What do you want with her?" he bellowed as the wind began to pick up, glaring into her honey-colored orbs.

  She looked back nonchalantly at the enraged teen. At the sound of his voice, Kay began to thrash and yell. "SETO! YOU HAVE TO RUN! GET AWAY FROM-" Her face was shoved into the ground, silencing her cries.

  Vivid lightning crackled across the sky, and for a split second, revealed another pair of eyes. A shadow tore itself away from the tree and leapt at Seto.

  Just as the rain came pouring down.