Kenai

Chapter Six - Katie's Contact

My heart was pounding. Deacon tightened his grip on Katie's throat, and I could see ribbons of blood starting to run out from under his claws. Every second was vital, and I had to think fast or I was sure Deacon was going to tear Katie's throat out.

"Let her go!" I yelled again.

"You think you have power over me?" He replied.

"You killed the people here. Children who'd done nothing wrong!"

"Their existence was a crime, as is yours!"

My blood ran cold and a shiver coursed through me. I was determined not to show him how scared I was, and I tried to put on a brave face for Katie's sake.

"You said it was time to claim my birth right," I said slowly, "what do you mean?"

Deacon edged closer to me, dragging Katie along beside him. I stood my ground and I saw a small smile flash across Katie's red face.

"You are the youngest Kenai alive," Deacon said, "and you are more powerful than you know."

"Then why don't you enlighten me?"

Deacon laughed, a sound that echoed around the Hall.

"Why would I do that?" He sneered.

"Because up until this morning I didn't know anything about this place, and I'm seriously lost."

Again he laughed, and I felt a surge of adrenaline knock the pain out of me. I charged at Deacon, tackling him and knocking him to the ground. He let go of Katie, who rolled away as my head hit the stone steps. My world started to spin as Deacon scrambled to his feet, surprised. He grabbed my right hand and twisted it. I cried out in pain as I felt my wrist snap.

"You're Un-Blooded," He said, shocked, "and yet you're so strong."

"Get away from her!" Katie cried.

Deacon clicked his fingers and I heard footsteps enter the Hall. I raised my spinning head and looked around. The Hall now contained a small army of black-clad monsters. Two of them grabbed Katie and forced her to her knees as Deacon grabbed my throat and picked me up, lifting my feet off of the floor.

"You may be strong," He hissed, "but you're still stupid."

He threw me against the wall, and I felt my already delicate ribs crack. I coughed, bringing up something oddly blood coloured, and I crumpled in a heap on the cold stones. My eyes started to close and the darkness closed in around me.

---

The darkness lifted and I opened my eyes. The pain was unbelievable, and as my head stopped spinning I looked down at my body. I was laid on my uninjured side, my hands tied behind my back and my ankles tied together. My broken wrist was excruciating as I tried to escape the rope. I looked across the Hall where the Varaat soldiers were gathered around a bloody figure on the floor. I squinted, trying to focus on the other captive, and realised with horror that it was Katie.

Deacon saw that I was awake and walked towards me. I was in too much pain to try and get away, and I could only watch as he knelt down by my feet and untied them. Surprised, he gently pulled me to my feet and untied my hands.

"I trust you." He said softly.

The shift in his demeanour was terrifying, but I was too scared to argue. He took me to the group and stood me in front of Katie. I wanted to reach down and shield her, but Deacon's grip was too strong on my shoulder and it hurt too much to try.

The gentleness was gone as soon as it arrived, and he pushed me to the ground beside Katie. Without hesitation I put myself between her and Deacon, desperate to do at least one thing right today. I stared at Deacon, and he laughed. This time in addition to the echo in the Hall, the other soldiers joined in, laughing like hyenas. We were trapped, and I was sure we were going to die.

"I must admit," Deacon said, walking slowly around us, "I was impressed with your spirit. Seeing a Kenai and a Hybrid fighting together is remarkable."

"Hybrid?" I repeated, confused not for the first time today.

"Me." Katie said.

I stared at her, unable to wrap my head around what I was hearing. I was terrified, sore and just wanted to go home. Never before have I felt so weak and insignificant.

"Why are we still alive?" I ask, "you killed the other people that were here."

"Ah yes," Deacon answered, "the students of Warrenheath Academy. They fought well, just like you, but in the end they had to suffer for their crimes."

"What crime could children commit?" I snapped.

"The crime of living. Kenai are monsters."

"But why?"

Deacon seemed to lose his snarky attitude in that one word. For a moment he resembled the concerned Police Detective that had stood in my bedroom weeks ago.

"She really hasn't told you anything." He said, amazed, "in that case, I believe a history lesson is in order."

He clicked his fingers and we were grabbed by the soldiers, held on our knees in a vice like grip. He kept walking, circling us like a hunter would his prey.

"Well," He began, "the Kenai were created to hunt and kill the Wesen. I'm sure by now you know what a Wesen is. The Kenai have been used throughout history to cull our numbers, keeping us in check and killing those who didn't fall in line. This place was built during the reign of Henry the Eighth to train a new generation of killers."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I didn't know much about the Kenai, but I refused to believe that all they were were just monsters.

"You slaughtered children!" I yell, "children who couldn't help how they were born! How are you any better?"

"It takes a monster to destroy a monster." Deacon replied.

I was lost for words. My heart was racing; every sound echoed in my mind. Surely there must have been some good Kenai? They can't all have been monsters, right? My eyes found Katie, who was staring at Deacon with fire in hers. She was angry on a level that I'd never seen before, and I wasn't eager to find out what would happen if she was free.

"You think you've won, don't you?" Katie said.

"I have won," Deacon replied, "you're trapped, injured and outnumbered. You led your friend to her death."

"No, I haven't; she's exactly where she's supposed to be."

Deacon kicked her hard in the face, breaking her nose. Still she stared at him, defiant, and I heard more footsteps approaching behind us. We were facing the main doors, and as Deacon raised his clawed hand to strike us down, one of the soldiers holding me collapsed, dead.

Deacon let out a howl of rage as another soldier fell dead, this time it was one of the ones holding Katie. She grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the remaining soldier's grip and we rolled out of the way as a third soldier fell dead. I watched the doors to the right of the entrance, and as a fourth soldier fell I followed the path of the projectile that had killed him. Stood in one of the doorways was a figure dressed in black.

Deacon spotted them just as I did and he changed from human into the monster I saw earlier. He strode across the Hall to us, and picked me up by the hair, holding his claws to my throat just as he had done to Katie.

"Show yourself!" He ordered, "Show yourself or I kill her!"

Our saviour stepped out of the shadows. They were holding a crossbow and wore a black mask and hood. Something about them was familiar, but I couldn't place them.

"Throw down your weapon!" Deacon ordered.

They placed the crossbow on the ground and raised their hands to their hood.

"Show yourself!" Deacon howled.

With calm and steady hands, they lowered the hood, revealing long brown hair tied up in a ponytail. As the hood came down and the mask was removed, I fought against the scream that tried to escape from me.

"Hello Leela." Deacon growled.

Our saviour was my mother.