The heavy double doors to the spire opened with little resistance once Philos and Alphonso put their muscles to work pushing it open.

Inside, the spire had a round foyer. It was well lit above by a chandelier of yellow etherlamps, but the room was otherwise rather empty with no real decoration. The floors were a gray stone, probably worn from the centuries of time that the spire had endured.

Joseph’s cat-like ears twitched; his hair standing on end as his yellow eyes looked at the three staircases.

“You think this is...” he began.

“Yep,” Philos said, scratching his blondish hair. “Three stairs, three enemies...”

“They want a showdown,” Alphonso began, pulling out his comb and running it through his hair. He smiled a dark smile. “Sounds fun to me!”

“You really think they’d make it this easy?” the cat-boy said, reaching for his black pistols.

“What, you scared, dog?” Alphonso laughed.

“I’m a cat—“ He stopped, “Y’know what, never mind.” He pointed at a staircase. “I’ll take the one on the left.”

“Right’s right for me!” Alphonso laughed.

Philos cracked his knuckles, his reddish eyes illuminating orange in the yellow light.

“Then I hope Wolfe is waiting in the middle.”

The three looked at each other, gave a confident nod, then stepped toward the challenge that awaited them.

 

Gilliam took another sip from his glass of whiskey. “They’re going to fight now,” he said to Sir Smith beside him. “Do you worry about the decision you’ve made? What if they lose?”

Sir Smith was silent, the light of his blue halo shining down to cast a shadow over his eyes.

“They may not realize it,” Gilliam continued, “but they are fighters for more than self-defense.” He took a sip. “Drew trained them the best he could. Perhaps he foresaw your arrival; he knew that you still lived, even after that day. Whether or not his preparations are sufficient, well....”

“What are you getting at?” the Angel finally said.

“Philos is an ex-slave with Starblood potential, Uri is harmless but he also wields the Starblood. The Beastfolk, Joseph, is a gunslinger with cat-like reflexes. Vylet is a master marksman who never misses a target. And Alphonso...” The knight paused. “Is the son of Caesar Augusto and inheritor of the martial art known as ‘Zhin’sai.’”

“They are well equipped,” Sir Smith agreed.

“But are they well prepared enough? You are an asset to them and they to you. They may defeat my brother well enough. They may even save that girl. But across the sea? I don’t know how they will fare once they begin to fight Angelic forces. Your people were gifted powers unheard of. And I think you’re crazy for fighting it. But, more importantly”—he sipped his drink—“I think I’m crazy for believing they can do it.”

Sir Smith smiled. “We’re all fools in our own right, Gilliam. No one is free of that.”

 

Joseph walked up the staircase, his cat ears listening intently  to any noise that might be a threat. This was odd. There was no light in the stairwell to reflect off of his yellow eyes, so his night vision was limited if not nonexistent. Carefully, he stepped forward, but it was hard in the darkness to navigate or tell where he was. He stepped forward once more. He felt as if he had missed a step, then free-fall kicked in.

A pit?! His mind raced as he fell forward, his body hurdling downward. Suddenly, he felt the ground as pain surged through his knees as he landed on his feet.

How far had he fallen? He felt as if he fell forever, yet the absence of broken bones indicated he had not fallen that far—

Click!

The sound of a gun cocking caused him to freeze.

“Hey kitty-kitty,” the voice of the woman from before spoke from behind him. She nudged the barrel of her shotgun against his head. “I’m Hyena, and I eat kitties like you for breakfast,” she sang.

Etherlamps sparked in the room, lighting up the surroundings. The room was damp and dark, a dungeon. Joseph scanned the area. The bones of those chained and forgotten littered the floor.

This was bad. Here he was, a cat in a trap...

He clenched his fist. He wouldn’t die here! He couldn’t!

Joseph thought of Philos and Uri, Alphonso and Vylet. He wouldn’t abandon them.

No...

    Not today...

                 I won’t abandon them...not like I abandoned him!