Kill Or Be Killed

Chapter Fifty-Five

Scale Number: 0

Cat kept one hand pressed firmly to the bottom of her belly, not only for support, but to keep a protective arm around their twins. While her other fingers were gripped in the material of Kalayavan's shirt, an act that kept her from getting separated in the sea of liberated Relevents and Kanfedants. All of whom were dead silent as the five newly chosen Elders made their way to the front of the barn, some of whom were shadowed by their Kanfedants and/or offsprings.

When they finally stopped moving, the others took a seat; verses where Kal pulled out the final chair meant for him, giving Cat the chance to get off her feet and rest as much as he could allow. She tried to deny him, but with a firm look and a rough tug of the hand, her ass landed in the seat with a thud. There was a soft squeeze on her shoulders as he placed his palms there to keep her still.

"Thank you all for joining us tonight," the woman who sat beside her spoke in the same soft tone she had just used while examining Cat in the made-up clinic. "Now, we all know this is a very confusing time, but with a little patience and trust, we are going to get through this together."

There was a slight uproar of whispers that killed the room with a low hiss of voices. Some are more distinguishable from the others, allowing Cat to catch bits of what a couple of individuals snip out.

"Joining you? Did we really have a choice?"

"Confused? That's an understatement."

"Right! I was drugged from my bunk without knowing what was going on."

"Trust? We've been lied to this entire time, and they expect our blind trust?"

Caterina looked down the line of newly chosen elders, all wearing stoic expressions that gave nothing away. Not that she was able to do the same thing, she'd never had that sort of training, or if she'd wanted it in the first place. Turning her head just enough to look over her shoulder up at Kal, who was wearing the same blank mask. None of them spoke out to silence the crowd, allowing them to speak their reservations without hinder.

However, once they quieted on their own, one of the other two females finally spoke. "We aren't here to order you to stay, we're simply just trying to give you a chance to live a life of your own choosing. If you wish to leave, no one is going to stop you, I swear."

As soon as the go ahead was given, several bodies rose to their feet and made their way to the open doors.

When some of the others moved to stop them, Kal's firm voice rang out to halt any attempt, "Leave them."

These two words caused them to stop immediately without question, convincing a couple of stragglers to join them once they saw there really would be no resistance. Some watched them go, while others kept their eyes glued to the people now leading them. The emotions vary from blank to scared and all the mixed ones in between.

"What are we going to do now?" Someone called out, making others murmur their own similar questions.

Mira stepped back so she wasn't bumped by Halrim's chair as he rose to his feet. Shooting a quick glare at Cat, like it was her fault he hadn't offered his own chair up like Kalayavan had. Her eyes returned to her own Pretekter when he raised a hand to quiet any lingering whispers in order to share the plan that they'd come up with before this small gathering. "We are going to continue South, once we're passed the border, we will figure out something more permanent."

Another hiss swept over the small crowd, but this time Cat couldn't differentiate any voice from another. Leaving her to wonder if they were excited for a more stationary home, or did they like jumping from place to place; just like now as they had taken up temporary residence in the abandoned farm.