The Wicked One

Chapter Thirty-Four | Vexing, Part Two

We went through each room so quickly, it was just like one long blur of expensive furniture and bright purple colors. It really would have been a great time to flex our stealing muscles if it was a different situation.

Our first few stops were the largest rooms: the throne room and what we suspected to be the royal bedroom. Both were empty. Then, as we narrowed our search through rooms smaller and smaller, something quickly dawned on us.

"This place is completely empty!" See-More exclaimed as we teleported into what had to be at least the 70th room. I had honestly lost count. See-More paced around the room, his eye focusing on the palace that surrounded it. "I was thinkin' that maybe Tamaranians were cold blooded or something and that's why I can't see any of their heat signatures, but..."

See-More than looked down to the ground. "There's something way down at the bottom. Probably the dungeon...not that I really want to go back down in there."

I looked around the room we were in. It was messy, but only slightly. A drawer slightly open, bed sheets slightly askew. Something I wouldn't have noticed had we not been previously looking at completely flawless rooms for the last hour. As See-More continued to walk and talk to himself, I decided to poke around. 

I went through the drawers first, only to find that they were completely empty. Had some of the drawers not been slightly open I could have assumed this room simply wasn't used. But as I looked around, I noticed that the room seemed slightly more furnished than the others...slightly brighter, too. I took another look at the bed sheet and realized it was very different than the others, it was bright pink where as every other bed was a darker shade of red. I instantly recognized the bed sheet and, as I looked around the room, every piece of furniture, even the way they were positioned, brought back memories. Memories of the time I snuck through the Titan's tower. The time I went through their bedrooms. The time I was in Starfire's bedroom.

Starfire.

The realization hit me as soon as the door burst open. I grabbed my cloak and turned in time to see the Tamaranian herself, clothes torn, hair a mess, and bright green eyes glowing brighter than a fire.

"Uh oh..." See-More mumbled.

"Why are you in my room?!" the Titan cried, her fists glowing as green as her eyes. "Explain yourselves!"

"Ah, actually...we were just leaving!" See-More replied before quickly stepping beside me. "Right, Kyd Wykkyd?"

I nodded and raised an arm to pull the cloak over us, but before I could do so green energy shot from Starfire's eyes, slamming straight into See-More's chest and sending him crashing into the vanity behind us. Before I had time to react, the Titan was in front of me, her hand holding my wrist and an unimaginably strong grip keeping my arm from rising any further.

"Why are my own people attacking me?" Starfire hissed, her bright green eyes piercing into mine. "Why is my k'norfka's palace empty?! Answer me!"

I wasn't sure if the Titan remembered that I couldn't answer her even if I wanted to. What I was sure of was that she was a simple clenched fist away from shattering my wrist. I could see that her glowing eyes were seconds away from blasting me the way she did with See-More. I wonder if he's--

"Kyd! Duck!" See-More suddenly cried and, despite my predicament, I reacted in an instant. I lashed out with my one free hand, the claws cutting across the Titan's face. She let out a cry of pain before releasing me and, as soon as I was free, I hit the floor, narrowly avoiding the large green orb as it sailed over me and into the Titan as she held her face.