The Kind

Chapter Nine

When the two of them returned to the house that night, Silas’ spirits were higher. Sarah’s abilities were growing: she could focus energy to make her punches stronger and even use her mind to help block a hit. Once or twice she’d even seemed to read his moves before he made them. In normal competition those powers would be devastating, but she was reaching her limit. She was being threatened by something much more dangerous than a human prize-fighter, and there was no defence against the Kind’s ability to teleport. At any time Viralynn – or someone worse – could appear behind her and attack without warning. It was too late now, in any case. They’d been seen together, so leaving wasn’t an option. He would just have to protect her, no matter what.
He reached towards the door with the key at the ready and stopped. Sarah was laughing about something he’d said earlier, but one look was enough for her to fall silent.
“What’s wrong?” she breathed.
“Viralynn: she’s inside.” The words were a dead whisper. He felt a small rush of energy from beside him, and panic gripped his chest. “You can’t fight her!”
“This is what we’ve been training for!” Sarah’s fists were clenched tight.
Silas took her by the shoulders. “No! We were training in case she came after you alone a second time. But it’s me she wants. I have to get you somewhere safe.”
“I am not leaving you!” The anger in her voice was unlike anything he had heard before. In the end, despite all reservations, Silas pushed open the door.
“It’s about time,” came the voice from inside the dark hall.

Viralynn  was wearing the same leather coat as before, but no sunglasses. Silas was the first to speak.
“It’s me you want, I’m the one the Council sent you after. Leave Sarah out of this.”
A pair of sharp eyes met his. “You turned your back on us and now you think you know what the Council wants?! It doesn’t matter anyway: I don’t care what they say. I’ll give you one chance to get her out of her and fight me yourself.”
“I’m not afraid of you, you bitch!”
A smirk threatened to cut Viralynn’s face horizontally in half. “I can see why you like her Silas… or is it Viktor now?”
“That’s none of your business!” Sarah yelled. “Now get the hell out of my house!”
Viralynn’s eyes retrained on Silas. “Last chance: get your feisty pet out of here before she gets hurt.”
Silas took a step forward. “Why would you cross the Council like that? The order is to kill any witnesses; you think you can lie to them without them reading you mind?”
The smile vanished from her face, and seething anger took its place. “What would you know of it?! They want a human dead… any human will do! If I tell them it’s her then that’s what they’ll believe!”

The last thing Sarah felt was the grip of Silas’ hand on her arm, and then the pair of them were gone, dissolved into the blur of images and sound. Fear overcame her: fear of being lost, of being taken somewhere miles away with no idea where she would land or how to get back. The fear turned the rushing of noise into a dread wailing, designed to torment her as she was carried further and further away.
She landed on a dark beach at night. She tried to step forward but lost her footing and collapsed into the sand. To her left the water was pushing against the shore in small waves. To her right there was a hill that gave way to grass and eventually buildings. There was light coming from the nearest one, which was several stories high and had the appearance of a bayside hotel. Silas was nowhere to be seen. Still resting on her hands in the sand, Sarah started to scream at the top of her lungs.

At the house where Sarah lived – and had, until moments ago, stood – an explosion tore through one of the exterior walls, leaving in its wake a hole that look out onto the street. Inside, two beings were exchanging vicious blows, seemingly without touching one-another.
“This ends now!” Silas roared as he launched another punch through the air. The energy burst from his fist like a cannon.
“You can’t beat me Silas!” A rush of air marked her passage as she manoeuvre behind him. Silas felt out with his mind, raising his arm at the last moment to block the attack from his left. He missed the right fist entirely and it caught him in the side of his head, sending him crashing into another wall. Not wasting a second, he pushed off with a burst, deepening the crater that had formed in his wake. His eyes widened as a large piece of furniture relieved itself of its position on the floor and flew through the air towards him. He vanished in the instant before it hit him, reappearing in time to see it disintegrate into rubble where it landed.
He scanned the room until her found her again. Her cloak was resting on the dresser, revealing the two blades sheathed to her belt on either side. As he watched, she unclipped one of the sheaths and threw it towards him.
“No more games,” she said as it landed on the floor.