“What’s in there?” Chevalier asked, walking over to the trees.
“A cave, she’s been in here. I can smell her… but no sign of her now.”
Chevalier turned around as Kyle dislocated both shoulders of the Encala, “Don’t kill him.”
“I don’t plan on it,” he said, and ground his boot into the kneecap of the screaming enemy.
Mark and Silas appeared from the trees and Chevalier turned to them, “What did you find?”
“We chased him down to a lake. He didn’t know anything, so we killed him,” Silas said as he watched Kyle torture the naked Encala.
Mark’s eyes narrowed, “Where are his clothes?”
“We think Emily might have them,” Dustin told him.
“Good… that will help her keep warm… of course, now we’re tracking the Encala scent.”
“Damnit, I hadn’t thought of that,” Dustin said, and frowned. “If she’s going to be chummy with the wolves though, she’s going to end up dead.”
“I would imagine she won’t do that again,” Chevalier said. “Now she won’t trust a wolf.”
“Understood,” General Skinner said, and ordered his heku to stay out of illusion.
Kralen suddenly walked into the clearing, “Her gunshot scared all of the wolves out of the area.”
Chevalier nodded, “We’re tracking Encala now… serves two purposes, if they have her, we’ll already be on the right track… and if they don’t, we can stop them before they find her.”
“Reporting in,” the Ratliff leader said as his coven came into the clearing.
“Any sign of her?”
“No, Elder. The Kimbers aren’t far behind us though, maybe they did.”
The Council City heku all watched in the direction of the approaching coven. They came into the clearing only a few minutes later. The leader walked up to the Elder and handed him a set of clothes, “We found these about a mile west of here.”
Chevalier looked over the clothing, “It’s Em’s.”
“Why would she strip?” Dustin asked, shocked.
“They’re wet and covered in decayed smell. I would imagine she’s now wearing only the Encala’s clothes… to change her scent and probably to help keep warm.”
“Sun’s coming up, that will help,” Kyle said, and watched the horizon.
***
“Don’t turn us to ash. Just hear us out,” William said, watching Emily carefully. She was backed up against a sheer rock wall and he could tell she was starting to panic. She had the heku’s pants held tightly at her chest and was watching the Encala closely.
“Start talking,” she whispered to the twelve gathered Encala.
“We aren’t stupid. We know you can take us out without even thinking about it, but we can help you. We can get you warm and get you some food.”
“Then what? Kidnap me and put me in an interrogation room?”
“I wouldn’t do that. I was just mad when I threatened that.”
“You would too do that!” Emily yelled. “You want Frederick back, and I don’t care what you do to me, he’s going to suffer before I release him.”
“You can’t keep running,” William said softly. “It’s dangerous out here. Your gun only scared the wolves away, but they’ll be back.”
“I can handle the wolves.”
“The Equites aren’t even out here looking for you. They got turned around and are hundreds of miles from here.”
“So? I can find a road… a town… I might even get phone signal somewhere.”
“We won’t hurt you,” William said, and took a step closer. “I swear to you.”
“I don’t trust you, so get back before I turn you all to ash,” she hissed.
William sighed, “You cannot survive out here.”
“I can too, the sun’s up. I’m warming up as we speak.”
“Where is the Encala that you took the clothes from?”
“Ashed”
One of the Encala Palace Guards growled, “Where is he?”
“I don’t know! I don’t know where I am or where I was when I did it.”
“Calm down,” William told his guard, and then turned back to Emily. “I’m not mad about that. I’m not mad about anything. You have to trust me.”
“No”
“What if we can exchange one of the Valle Elders for Frederick?” William asked.
“No… Frederick is the one I want.”
“The Valle started that battle.”
“Frederick led those who killed my friends.”
“On the Valle’s orders.”
“No”
“It’s a fair exchange, one of the Valle Elders for Frederick.”
“I said no,” Emily yelled.
“No one’s out here to help you,” he said, starting to get mad. “You can turn us to ash, but then you’ll die out here. Do you even know where you are?”
“No,” she whispered.
“Nowhere, that’s where. There’s not a town for miles in any direction, and tonight there’s snow in the forecast.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Where is Frederick?” the Encala’s Chief Interrogator asked, and stepped closer to her.
Emily’s eyes narrowed, “I’m not going to tell you.”
“The Elder may not put you into interrogation, but I sure as hell will.”
She gasped.
“Tell me or you’ll think Exavior’s room was child’s play!”
“Stop it,” William told him.
Emily looked up at the sky briefly. She couldn’t figure out what to do. If William was right about her location, and about how the Equites weren’t even close to her, then he was also right that she could easily die out here.
“I told Chev that Robert is the last that I ever trust,” she whispered.
“Who is Robert?” William asked, and put his hands up slowly before stepping closer to her.
“Come with us, Emi. It’s ok, the Encala are helping us,” Mark said, and stepped out from behind a tree. The dark clouds caused a shadow that shrouded his face and she couldn’t fully see him.
Emily smiled and ignored the use of her seldom used nickname, “Mark.”
He put a hand out, “Come on, let’s go get warm.”
She frowned slightly, something was off, “Stay back.”
Mark stopped and smiled at her, “Emily, let’s get warm. Quinn has a pizza waiting for you.”
“Chevalier’s waiting back at the Jeep,” Silas said, and emerged into the clearing.
“Stop, don’t move closer,” she told her guards. She watched them, studying their faces. Something was wrong and she couldn’t figure it out.
“Why? Why stay here when we can go?” Mark asked.
“Something’s not right.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered, and watched her two guards.
“We called the Encala in. They were close and they’ve been helping us.”
“They told me you weren’t even here,” she said.
“They’re idiots too, what can I say? Let’s go… Alex and Dain are waiting for you,” Silas said.
Emily frowned, “Alex?”
“Yes”
“Not Lexi?”
Silas stopped moving forward and glanced at William before looking over at Emily, “We’re all just worried about you, what does it matter if I called her Alex?”
Emily looked at Mark, “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“That I can’t trust you two… something’s not right… and I can’t trust the Encala. We’re enemies.”
“We don’t have to be,” William said.
Emily wiped the blood from her nose onto her hand and then onto the grass at her feet. She walked forward and looked at the fourteen sets of ashes, then took three of the red capes and wrapped them around herself before running off from the remains.
***
The heku leading the Kimber Coven knelt down b
y one of the piles of ashes, “These are recent.”
“Sir, there’s a bloody handprint over here,” one of them said, and turned to the leader.
He stood up and walked over, touching it lightly. He brought his fingers to his nose and inhaled, shut his eyes, and then whispered, “It’s her.”
“Two of these uniforms are Equites,” a female heku said, and turned when she heard the Elder coming.
“I saw that,” the leader told her. “We’ll see what the Elder says.”
“What did you…” Chevalier stopped when he saw the ashes, “Damn.”
Mark frowned and grabbed one of the green capes, “There are Equites with them?”
Kralen grabbed another and smelled it, “Equites uniforms, but they smell like Encala.”
“Give me that,” Chevalier growled. Kralen handed the green cape over and Chevalier smelled it briefly.
“There’s a bloody handprint over here,” the Kimber Leader said.
Kyle went over and touched it softly, “She would get a bloody nose from this.”
“So they are trying to trick her now… by telling her the Encala have joined the Equites,” Mark growled.
“She obviously didn’t believe it,” Chevalier said. “Revive them so we can get some answers.”
Kyle nodded and began to revive the Encala, one at a time. The fifth one he revived screamed angrily, and when he stood up, the Equites all gasped.
“What the hell?” Mark yelled as the reformed Encala looked exactly like him.
He grinned, “Your little bitch isn’t going to last much longer out here.”
“Why do you look like me?”
“You figure it out,” he said, and stretched as the burning pain began to fade.
“Damn,” Kyle said when another of the Encala revived looked like Silas.
“Hey!” Silas yelled.
The Encala Silas sighed and shrugged, “Guess we got a few things wrong.”
“Meaning?” Chevalier growled.
“Who the hell calls an Alexis, Lexi?” he asked, amused.
“I do,” Silas growled.
“Apparently, damn. She’s the most untrusting mortal I’ve ever met.”
Chevalier stood before William as he reformed, “You have a hell of a lot of explaining to do.”
William groaned and put his hands against his knees, “I’ll never get used to that burn.”
“I hope not,” Chevalier said. “What did you do?”
William stood up and looked around, “We want our Elder back, and as you don’t seem to want to return him, we took it into our own hands. Course, there is one consolation, now when you find her, she won’t trust even you,” he said, and then grinned.
Chevalier growled, “Get these fourteen back to the palace, hold them until I get there.”
Powans appeared and pulled the Encala from the area.
“Now what?” Kyle asked, looking out over the tree filled valley below them.
“I’m not sure. William was right. She’s not going to trust even us now.”
***
Emily was following the sounds of men talking and finally saw smoke rising from a campfire. She lowered to the ground and peeked out from around a thick evergreen tree, then watched as four men sat around a campfire while a fifth cleaned out a poached deer. They were drinking and laughing about eluding law enforcement.
One of the men reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone when it rang. He began talking to what sounded like a wife or girlfriend. Emily moved back behind the tree and pulled out her own cell phone. She checked, but still wasn’t getting service from her cell phone company.
“Spying on us, Beautiful?” Emily heard from behind her. She sighed and turned around to face a tall, thin man. He was bald, with a swastika tattooed across the side of his head and a vicious scar on his chin.
“No, I’m lost and I need to borrow a phone,” she told him, and took a step backwards.
He ran his eyes down her and grinned, “Where’s your clothes?”
Emily looked down at the huge guard uniform, “They were wet, and I found these.”
“What did you find, Barry?” another man asked as he rounded the tree.
“A spy.”
The man smiled at Emily, “Interesting.”
“Listen, I don’t want any trouble. I just need to borrow a phone,” Emily said, and fell back into an attack stance that the Encala taught her.
“You ready to fight us?” a third man asked, and stepped out from around the tree. This man was shorter with a thick neck and broad shoulders. His brown hair was greasy and hung down to the middle of his back.
“Just let me use a phone, please,” Emily said, and clenched her hands into fists.
“You done seen us breaking the law. We c’aint let you go now,” the first man told her, and took a step forward.
Emily slipped the gun out of her pocket and pointed it directly between his eyes, “You don’t have a choice. Now you can give me your damned phone or I’ll take it.”
He grinned, “You’re pretty small to be making demands.”
“I may be small, but I’m armed and grouchy.”
He leaned his head back and started to laugh, “Feisty, too.”
Emily screamed when a strong force from behind knocked her down and slam her into the ground. Rough hands ripped the gun away from her and press her head against the dirt, “Now you aren’t so tough, are you, Baby?”
“Let me go,” she hissed, and he roughly flipped her over and straddled her hips, holding her down.
The man grinned down at her and began to unbutton the large guard’s shirt she wore, “I think you’re in some kinda trouble with the law… just likes us… and I don’t think you can run and get help.”
Emily managed to pull an arm out from under his and slammed her palm up into his nose. The man immediately fell back against the ground, unmoving. She scrambled to her feet while the other men watched her, too shocked to move.
She spun on them, “Leave me the hell alone.”
The shortest man knelt down by the one Emily punched and then looked up, “She done kilt him.”
“He c’aint be dead,” the taller one said, and knelt down beside the dead man. “Fuck, she did kill him.”
Emily took a step back and watched them.
The taller man stood up and glared at her, “You Bitch! Now you’ll pay for that.”
“Stay away from me,” Emily growled, and began to back up.
“No! You done kilt Carlos,” he said, and stepped toward her. She tried to dodge him, but he lunged at her and grabbed her roughly by the shoulders, “You took our hunting partner, now you’ll repay us.”
Emily tried to pull away from him as he ran his tongue up her face and then kissed her forcefully.
She brought her knee up hard, and caught him in the groin as she bit his bottom lip. Her mouth filled with his blood and he fell to his knees before her. Without waiting, she took off running into the trees.
“Hey!” one of the men screamed, and ran after her. She turned in time to see the heavy set man falling behind, but ran into someone and fell onto her back on the dirt.
“Nope, not getting away,” he said, and pulled her up to standing by her arm. He had a tight grip on her arm as he hauled her back to camp.
“Bitch!” the man she kneed screamed at her as he got to his feet.
Emily tried again to pull her arm away from the one restraining her, but couldn’t get it loose. She glanced at him long enough to ascertain that he didn’t have any attack points easily available to her, but she knew he would eventually.
“Get her back to camp,” he snarled, and Emily was forcibly pulled into their camp.
“You have no idea what you’re dealing with,” Emily told them. “Let me go… now.”
“No, I don’t think we will,” he said, and grinned at her. Walking forward, he began to unbutton the guard’s shirt again.
Emily tried to kick him, but the man holding her arm pu
lled her back and held tightly while the other removed her shirt, leaving just a thin camisole.
“I still wish I knew whose clothes these was,” he said, and pulled the pants out of her grasp so they slid down to her ankles.
“There we go, that’s much better,” the restraining man said, and moved her back to a tree. Her arms were pulled painfully back around the tree and he tied them tightly.
“Let me go,” she screamed.
“No, I wanna look at you for a while,” he said, and stood in front of her, running his eyes down her body as he reached out and softly touched the exposed skin on her thigh.
Emily kicked out at him and caught his knee cap, displacing it and sending him screaming to the ground.
“Stop it!” the tallest man said, and pressed his body against hers as he forced her face up with his hand so she was looking at him. “You better watch it, Princess. You is going to get yourself killed.”
He looked into her eyes and then pressed his lips to hers as she pushed against him. When his tongue began to run across her lips, she quickly bit it, and he screamed and moved away from her. Suddenly, he backhanded her and she slid down against the tree until she was sitting on the forest floor.
“You’r ay or at,” he mumbled, not able to talk properly.
She spit out a mouthful of blood and looked up at him.
***
“I smell death,” Kyle said, and looked around the forest.
“Yeah, I just caught that too… it’s mortal,” Mark said, and started through the trees toward the smell.
“Hold off calling the Elder until we find what it is,” Kyle whispered, and followed him.
Within just a few minutes, Mark found the body of a mortal man, and he knelt down beside it and pulled the dead man’s face toward him, “His nose is broken.”
“Em did it,” Kyle said, and looked around. “I smell others here, but it’s been a while.”
“He didn’t die here. There’s no blood on the ground,” Mark said, and stood up.
“Here’s a trail,” Kyle said, and blurred through the forest, followed closely by Mark. They both stopped when they smelled more mortals and a campfire. They walked forward slowly, using the night’s darkness to hide them from view.
Eternity of Vengeance : Book 7 of the Heku Series Page 13
