Seeking Revenge

CHAPTER NINE: KSENIA

The next couple of weeks go by without any excitement. I catch some small game once in a while, being careful not to build too big of a fire for fear the Warriors will see it. The weather has been insufferably muggy, so this morning I throw on the lightest short-sleeved tee I can find, accompanied by some pants that I cut to my knee. Something that I find as a blessing and a curse is the privacy and solitude in the forest; I can wear an outfit like this without any stares or rude glances.

I pop a berry into my mouth, fully prepared for another monotonous day, when I hear a strange noise in the distance, unique to only one type of creature: A Questing Beast.

The call of the animal--a mix between a chirp and a bark--draws nearer. I drop my food and quickly break down my tent, letting it lay in a heap on the ground while I stomp out the little fire I'd built to cook a bird I trapped this morning. The last ember fizzles out the second the Questing Beast breaks through the trees. The mouth of its giant, snake-like head opens wide with a hiss, baring fangs the size of my head. Its hooves break through the trees, followed by the rest of its shiny leopard-esque body. Connected to it is a lion's tail the size of its body. It twitches back and forth with excitement. 

Several Warriors slide from its back and more appear from the tree lining--many more than I've ever taken on at once. I swallow. Maybe with an extreme amount of luck, I'll be able to come out of this alive. I reach for my sword and grasp the air. I'd slipped my baldric over my shoulder but forgot my sword. It's laying right next to the tent, too far away to reach before the Warriors get to me.

A small army of Warriors, plus an enraged Questing Beast, and all I have are a couple of daggers...  I'm good, but not that good. "Well," I sigh as they close in, "this should be interesting."

I charge with a yell and meet them halfway, managing to take the leading man down with a fatal stab to the stomach. Someone charges to my right and I block their attack with the body. I reach out with my dagger; but another Warrior emerges from my blind spot and strikes my bicep, hitting a nerve that paralyzes my arm. The dagger falls to the ground. I try to use the one in my other hand, but he paralyzes that arm before I can do anything. He stands before me, looks me in the eye with a wicked smile, and lands a blow to an area between my chest and stomach that brings me to my knees, hardly able to breathe. 

Quick as lightning, two Warriors take hold of me from behind. One of them presses one of my own blades to my throat. The rest of them surround me. 

But I can't die yet. I can't face my parents before their honor is restored. I can't leave before I get my revenge. A brief moment of hysterics urges me to laugh, but I hold it in. The dirt kicked into the air from the scuffle would suffocate me. One of the Warriors pushes the dagger so hard against my neck that it breaks the skin. The warmth of the blood makes its way down my neck and soaks into my shirt. I can feel my pulse on the cut. My heart hammers against my chest. The top of my shirt is getting warm and sticky. The cut must be deep.

Somewhere in the distance, there's scuffling and shouting as some of the men attempt to calm the shrieking Beast. I can't do anything but stare straight ahead. Every inch of my body feels like it's stuffed with ten-pound weights.

"Well, well," a voice coos, "if it isn't little Ksenia Knightengale." A silhouette crouches before me. I concentrate on his form and he becomes a little less blurred. Large frame, bald head, horribly disfigured face. "I've waited a long time for this."

"Do I know you?" I ask in a hoarse whisper.

The man puts a hand to his chest. "You don't remember me?" I just stare at him. "Let me refresh your memory." He immediately pushes me to the ground by my neck, pushing his hand mercilessly against the cut. It feels like my neck is on fire. He puts his mangled face nose-to-nose with mine. As he speaks, I get whiffs of his wretched breath. "I still remember the screams of your parents. Delicious screams. Screams they made when I ripped them to shreds."

I want to puke. My head feels light. I try to speak, but nothing happens. All I can do is stare at him, hateful and horrified.

"They put up a good fight. Too good. And now I look like this," he hisses, spittle landing on my face. "I look like this because of you, and I wasn't even rewarded for my efforts. I've been working to get back into the Council's good graces ever since, and now I have my chance." He pulls me up by my hair. "I will kill you, but I want to have a little fun with you first." He lifts me and pushes me backward. Someone catches me from behind, handing me my sword. I have to grip it with both hands to keep from dropping it, and even then, my hands are shaking. I'm more and more lightheaded from blood loss, and my knees want to buckle. Everything hurts.

But as I stand here staring at the man who killed my parents, my fear and pain fade to the background. Seething anger takes its place, and I grip my sword a little tighter and take a step toward him. "You evil, disgusting, repulsive--"

"Are you sure you aren't talking about yourself?" He counters. "You see... you are blaming me for the death of your family, but deep down, you know the truth. You know the Council ultimately ordered your death, not theirs. I was there to kill you, not them."

"Shut up. You--"

"If you hadn't hidden in your room like a coward while they fought your battle for you, they would still be here."

"Shut up--"

"You are calling me evil, disgusting, and repulsive--"

"Stop it--"

"When you know everything that happened is your fault! You, Ksenia Knightengale, are the reason your family is dead."

Silence. You could hear a pin drop. We stand ten feet from each other, staring. He's smiling the biggest, most disturbing smile I have ever seen. The words he spewed play over and over in my head, spinning around and around.

And then, something snaps. I think it was something inside of me. I fall to my hands and knees, screaming. And then consciousness finally slips from my grasp.