Extreme Heights (discontinued/read authors note)

Kagin: Beast

I stared at Kat's awestruck and panicked face. She stood completely still, staring out the window.

    "We are too late." She muttered, fidgeting with the ring on her left middle finger as she usually did when she was nervous. I let my hand fall from the doorknob as I took a step back from the door. My head snapped to the King's aiteho which still lay in the bag that was crumpled on the floor.

I reached out to grab the satchel. I frowned as the orb's warmth radiated through the small leather bag, increasing in intensity the longer I held it. I stared at it for a long second before quickly moving back to Kat's side. She was still frozen in place with her eyes moving in a searching pattern. She was thinking, as usual.

I tapped her on the top of her head. I took a step back as she jumped, her head turned to me in a startled manner. I held out the satchel.

"Take it and tie it to your sash."

"Huh? Why?"

"Just do it. We don't have time for me to explain. I have a plan."

"That's different."

"Shut up."

"I hope this plan of yours doesn't include bowling over those soldiers out there." Katsai crossed her arms as she looked at me. Her ice blue eyes gazed at mine for a solid second before I looked away. "Because if it does, which I am assuming was the actual plan because you just looked away guiltily, then it won't work."

I furrowed my brow, watching as she returned to staring out the window. She quickly went into her state of thinking again.

"Neither will staring out the window. Those guards are not going to wait too much longer before barging through that door. And with your very time-consuming thought process, we aren't going to get anywhere." Kat whirled around with a hand over her heart in a mocking manner.

"Does making a plan really disturb you that much?" She muttered in a singing voice.

"Kat, enough. We've got to go, and if you have a better idea than running for our lives, I would very much like to hear it." I leaned back, slowly sliding my hands into my pockets as I waited for her response. She sighed, running a hand through her bangs before looking back at me.

"Fine. But I would like to change one thing." I arched my brow as she paused, looking up at me as if asking to continue.

"And?"

"We don't charge straight at them." She looked towards the window before slowly inching away towards the opposite wall so as not to be seen. She pulled her hands inside her cloak in a quick motion.

"There are too many. Although we both can use magic, my shadows can't create a strong enough weapon or defense in broad daylight."

"But won't all those men create enough shadows?"

"Possibly, but figuring that they know who I am and what I look like, they probably took interest in my magical abilities. Galterius probably informed them about all of my capabilities and weaknesses." She was staring at the opposite wall now with a blank gaze. She held no emotion, no facial feature that gave away what she was thinking.

Katsai confuses me. Even after five years, I still barely know anything about her. It's obvious that Galterius took a lot from her, but yet she never speaks about it. She always gets a far-off look when his name pops up in conversation. If the conversation deepens, she slowly gets more agitated and will storm off at a simple fact. At the moment, Kat is a mystery. Always has been, and probably always will be.

I snapped my fingers, gaining her blank gaze once more.

"And? I could easily outrun them in my lion form. Very easily, in fact."