Equites : Book 4 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  “Em?” she heard Chevalier whisper, and her heart jumped in her chest. She turned around quickly and he was looking at her.

  She glanced at Quinn and he was watching Chevalier also, “Chev?”

  He nodded slightly and shut his eyes.

  Emily crawled to him and took his hand, “Are you awake?”

  “Yes,” his voice was soft and weak.

  She kissed his hand, “You scared me.”

  Chevalier tried to sit up, but she held him down, “No, stay down.”

  Emily grabbed the knife from beside the fireplace.

  “Emily, don’t,” Quinn said as she cut her wrist slightly. She held it to Chevalier’s mouth, and he grabbed her arm and began to feed.

  “You aren’t strong enough yet to feed us,” Quinn said, concerned.

  “I’m fine,” she said, and pulled away from Chevalier when he had enough. She grabbed another strip of the towel and wrapped it around her wrist.

  “Don’t do that,” Chevalier said, and watched Emily.

  Emily grinned slightly, “I’d like to see you stop me.”

  “Where’s Allen?” Chevalier asked, panicked.

  “He’s on the couch,” Emily said, and saw Chevalier frown. He looked around the room.

  “It’s Maleth then?” he asked her.

  “What’s Maleth?”

  Chevalier glanced at Quinn and he nodded.

  “He’s not dead,” Emily yelled angrily, and got up to put more snow on Maleth.

  The wind died down, and as she shoveled the second batch of snow into the bucket, she heard the sound of an approaching helicopter. She watched as it circled them twice and then landed beside the other one on the roof. She finished filling the bucket and went inside to put it on Maleth. When she was done, she heard voices from the living room and she went back to get a third bucket.

  Emily felt a hand on her arm and Kyle spoke, “We don’t need more snow.”

  Emily pulled away from him, “He’s not dead.”

  Kyle took the bucket from her and began filling it, but she tore it away from him, “I don’t need your help.”

  She finished filling the bucket and went inside to the hallway and dumped it over Maleth. Kyle watched as she filled and dumped three more buckets, and then shut the door and slipped off the large boots. She pulled off Quinn’s parka, hung it on a hook, and went back into the living room.

  Zohn was sitting by Quinn on the floor and they were talking quietly. Chevalier was watching her as she slipped the rock out from beside Quinn’s feet and put it back in the fire. Kyle walked over and sat by Allen and pulled Alexis up onto his lap.

  Emily looked up from the fire when she heard Allen’s voice. She crawled over and kissed his forehead softly, “How are you feeling?”

  “Ok,” he whispered.

  Emily got up and poured him a glass of milk, and then held him up so he could drink. He grimaced at the taste, but drank it anyway. She looked over just as Zohn disappeared into the hallway and she laid Allen back onto the couch.

  “What’s with the towels?” Kyle asked, motioning to her wrists.

  “I cut myself, accidentally,” she said, and sat down against the wall.

  “She fed us,” Quinn told him, and ignored Emily’s glare.

  “You fed from her?” Kyle asked, frowning.

  “She cut herself…” Quinn started, but Kyle nodded, understanding.

  “When’s the last time you slept?” Kyle asked, looking at the dark circles under her eyes.

  “I sleep on and off during the night,” she said, and glanced toward the hallway again.

  “Don’t let her tell you that. She’s been talking to me straight for three days,” Quinn whispered.

  “Hey! I thought you weren’t supposed to remember that.”

  Quinn shrugged, “Well I do.”

  Emily blushed and glared at Kyle, “Nice.”

  “What? I didn’t think they were conscious,” Kyle said, and grinned slightly.

  Emily heard movement in the hallway and went quickly toward the noise. Her eyes turned furious when she saw Zohn clearing the snow off of Maleth. She pushed him and stood between them, “Don’t touch him.”

  “He’s gone,” Zohn said, drying his hands on his pants.

  Emily turned quickly and started scooping the snow back onto the Elder, “Kyle said if we keep him cold, he’ll be ok.”

  Zohn touched her arm, “It’s too late.”

  “It’s not too late,” Emily said, slipping on the boots. “He’s been cold the entire time.”

  Zohn watched as Emily went out into the snow with the bucket.

  He walked back into the living room as Kyle talked to Quinn, “I haven’t seen her sleep more than 5 or 10 minutes.”

  Kyle nodded and looked at Alexis, “Did Mommy eat?”

  “She ate toffee,” Alexis said, and started to brush her doll’s hair.

  “Just drank coffee, eh?” Kyle sighed.

  “No, ate toffee,” Alexis corrected, and smiled at him.

  Emily came in after finishing with the snow and sat down by the fire to warm up. She remembered the rock when she saw it, and pulled it out of the fire with the towel and shoved it back into the pillow by Quinn’s feet.

  “I’m warm enough,” he said softly.

  Emily nodded and pulled a few of his blankets off and went into the kitchen. She made some bacon and cheese eggs for Alexis again, and took out the plate. Alexis sat down on the bed and started to eat.

  She went back into the kitchen and dug the coffee out from the cupboard. Emily went to take a bite, but Kyle grabbed her hand and took the spoon.

  “We’re here now. You need to get some food and go to sleep,” Kyle told her, and took the tub of coffee.

  “I’m not tired though,” Emily said, and started to make a sandwich.

  “Of course not, how much coffee have you eaten?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Kyle looked around at the glass shattered across the kitchen and then watched as Emily finished making a sandwich and went out into the living room to eat. She sat down by the fire and ate quickly, checking her phone to see how long until the alarm went off.

  Emily turned when Quinn sat up, and she moved to him quickly and pushed him back down. She put her finger to his face and yelled, “Stay down.”

  Quinn looked at Zohn briefly and then pulled the covers back up, “I don’t seem to have any clothes on.”

  Zohn and Kyle looked at Emily.

  “Oh… don’t judge me! They were wet,” Emily said, and sat back down by the fire to finish her lunch.

  “Thank you,” Quinn said, and Emily looked over at him. His eyes were sincere and warm.

  Emily nodded, “Your welcome.”

  “You didn’t have to do any of this, and I remember it all. You haven’t slept, haven’t eaten, and not an hour has gone by when you haven’t trudged out into the snow to cover one of us,” Quinn said. As the others watched Emily, she shifted uncomfortably, “You didn’t have to show the kind of care you did, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to repay you.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Emily said, and smiled. “Consider it payback for taking care of me.”

  Emily turned off her phone when the alarm rang, and grabbed the parka, heading off into the garage.

  “We can’t let her keep covering him with snow,” Zohn said when she’d gone.

  “She’s been eating straight coffee grounds, but I’ve taken it away,” Kyle said. “When the caffeine wears off, it’s going to drop her like a rock. Let her go until then, and we’ll take care of Maleth.”

  The rest of them nodded and waited for her to come back.

  “I’m not dressed,” Allen said, pulling the covers up.

  Chevalier chuckled, “I don’t think any of us are.”

  “As soon as she falls asleep, I’ll get you all something to wear,” Zohn said, grinning. “Until then, I’d suggest you lie still or face the wrath of Emily.”

  Emily ca
me in from pouring snow onto Maleth and sat down by the fire, warming her hands.

  “I’m not mad at you, by the way,” Quinn said, and continued when Emily looked up. “I know you went through the house, and cut up pillows, and I know why… I’m not mad.”

  Emily blushed again, “You weren’t supposed to remember those conversations.”

  “It’s strange, I remember all of it. I remember you pouring snow on us, and talking to us. I remember the feel of the rope against my ankles, and how you pulled me into the living room. Damn, that took forever, and I wanted to talk but I couldn’t move,” Quinn said, thinking back.

  “Yes… well… you might consider going on a diet,” Emily said jokingly, and sat against the wall by the fire.

  Quinn grinned.

  “I remember it all too. It’s almost like a dream, but I do remember it all,” Chevalier said.

  Quinn chuckled, “I vividly remember her begging something not to tear our legs off.”

  Emily’s blush deepened, “I had to use a winch to get you all inside.”

  Quinn’s face fell, “You took such good care of us.”

  Emily turned toward the fire and watched the flames. She felt her eyelids getting heavier as the flames danced. Slowly, she began to relax. She couldn’t fight the heaviness in her body and her eyes fell shut.

  She jerked when her phone alarm went off and wondered why Kyle cursed. Emily pulled on the parka and boots, and went outside with the bucket.

  “Damned phone,” Kyle hissed.

  “Yeah, damned phone,” Alexis said, and frowned.

  “Nice, Kyle,” Chevalier chuckled.

  “Sorry.” Kyle laughed and sat back to wait for Emily to return.

  Emily came back in a while later, her hair caked with snow. She bent over and shook her hair out and then sat down by the fire with her feet toward the heat. Finally, she leaned against a chair and lost the fight to stay awake.

  The heku watched her sleep for a few minutes before Kyle risked picking her up after he took the phone out of her pocket. She mumbled something to him and he froze, but then went into the bedroom when she’d settled back down. He came out a short time later and shut her door silently.

  The Elders were getting dressed in the bathroom when Kyle came back out. Zohn was sitting on the couch, talking to Allen. Kyle disappeared into the hallway to take care of the Elder’s body.

  Quinn came out first and sat down on the couch. Zohn glanced at him and he grinned, “Still kind of tired.”

  Chevalier came out and was instantly face-to-face with Alexis. She looked up at him and pointed angrily, “No, no, down.”

  Chevalier grinned, “I’m not taking orders from you.”

  Alexis stomped her foot and put her hands on her waist, “Down, Daddy.”

  He smiled at her and stepped around her to sit down on a chair by the fire, “Damn, I hate being this weak.”

  Zohn stood up and headed for the hallway, “I’ll go help with Elder Maleth.”

  “She’s not going to take that well,” Chevalier said to Quinn.

  Quinn nodded, “No, she’s not. She worked so hard to keep us alive and I can see how she’s going to blame herself. She did nothing wrong.”

  Chevalier sighed, “I’ve seen this once before. The illness wiped out an entire family, 5 total, and not one survived. They had six heku taking care of them, yet no one made it.”

  “This is the third time I’ve seen it, and only once did I see anyone survive it,” Quinn said. “Kyle and Zohn did a lot to help us, but I’m still amazed at what Emily went through to do it. I don’t recall her complaining once.”

  Chevalier thought for a moment, “Maybe we need to re-think the Elder evacuation plan. It’s not safe for us all to go to the same place.”

  “I was thinking that also,” Quinn said, and glanced down as Alexis started to play with her doll.

  “I don’t know how to lessen this,” Chevalier said, mostly to himself.

  Kyle and Zohn both came in and sat by the Elders.

  “He’s in the cargo hold of the helicopter,” Kyle said. “That way we can bury him by the palace.”

  “There’s a lot of damage to the floor in the hallway, and the ceiling underneath. The melted snow flooded that part of the house,” Zohn told Quinn.

  Quinn smiled, “It’s ok, it was worth it.”

  “You two don’t have to worry about Emily being mad at you. I lied to her, and she’ll blame me,” Kyle said, smiling slightly.

  “You lied to her?” Chevalier frowned.

  “I couldn’t tell her that 99% of the time the illness is fatal. I told her everyone was going to be ok.”

  Chevalier sighed, “She’s not going to see that one loss is amazing for this. It should have been all four of us.”

  “I wish I’d told her the lie. She already dislikes me,” Zohn said, watching the fire.

  “Did you find who was killing in the palace?” Quinn asked after a long silence.

  “Oh, yes we did,” Kyle said. “We were able to flush out six Valle that were working in the palace. One of them has been with us for twenty two years even.”

  “They were killing anyone who got in their way to get Emily out of the palace, so they could rescue the prisoners,” Zohn explained. “I think we have them all now. The leader gave us a list as soon as he saw the rack.”

  Kyle grinned, “They were pretty brave.”

  “I suggest we go with the plan of getting rid of anyone who hasn’t been in the palace for fifty years and replacing them,” Zohn said.

  “Quinn and I need to find a new Elder, too,” Chevalier said.

  Quinn nodded, “I suggest we wait a week or so, and hold an official mourning for Maleth.”

  Chevalier looked at him, confused, “You do?”

  “Why would we do that?” Zohn asked.

  Quinn chuckled, “Something Emily said to me while it wasn’t supposed to be remembered.”

  “I wish I could hear everything she said,” Chevalier told him.

  “She’s an interesting creature, completely selfless and insecure,” Quinn said, thinking back on what she told him.

  “Insecure?” Kyle asked.

  “Which reminds me, we need to find out who smells her as she walks down the hallway in the palace. Apparently, it’s often enough she said it’s annoying.”

  Kyle frowned, “I didn’t know that was happening.”

  “None of us did,” Quinn said. “I think she didn’t want us to know.”

  “What other little tidbits of information did she tell you?” Chevalier asked curiously.

  Quinn smiled, “The rest, I do believe, I’ll keep to myself.”

  Chevalier and Quinn spoke among themselves for the rest of the day about the new Elder while Kyle and Zohn kept themselves busy by cleaning up the flood in the basement. Allen hadn’t recovered as much as the others, and stayed in bed, reading. Alexis busied herself with her dolls and stuck close to the warmth of the fire.

  By nightfall, snow started to fall again and Kyle and Zohn had replenished the wood and coal supply. Chevalier made a quick dinner for Alexis, though she barely ate it and said it didn’t taste like what Emily made. She finally fell asleep in Chevalier’s arms as he rested by the fire. The wind began to blow harder as the night drew on and was soon whistling through the eaves in the attic. The heku had all gathered in the living room again and sat silently, each in their own thoughts.

  Kyle and Zohn both stood up when they heard Emily running down the stairs, cursing under her breath. She passed them in the living room and stopped in the empty hallway.

  “Em,” Kyle said softly from behind her.

  She spun, livid, “Where is he?”

  “He’s gone,” Kyle told her, and tried to touch her arm, but she backed away.

  “Where is his body?” she asked, glaring at him.

  “I put him in the helicopter, so we can bury him in Council City,” Zohn said, appearing behind Kyle.

  Emily pushed past them, and
ran through the living room. The heku heard bare footsteps as she ran up the stairs. Kyle gasped when he heard the roof door open, and blurred up to the helicopter. The wind was blowing snow across the roof and he could barely see Emily when she reached the helicopter. She pulled on the latch to open the cargo hold, but couldn’t get it open.

  “Emily, you are going to freeze out here,” Kyle said, taking her arm.

  “No! You can’t leave him out here! When he wakes up he’ll freeze,” she said, and pulled harder on the latch.

  Kyle forced her inside and shut the door against the cold and pulled her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her, “You did an incredible job taking care of them, but Maleth didn’t make it.”

  Emily hit him on the chest and backed away from him, “He’s not dead. You told me if I kept them cold, they would all be ok. He’s stayed cold.”

  Kyle sighed, “I lied”

  Emily glared at him, “What?”

  “I lied, ok? This illness usually kills everyone, but I didn’t want you to have to deal with that alone. I had no idea that you would somehow manage to pull three of them through it, and I just hoped that we could get here before they died,” Kyle said softly. “We’re all very proud of you and, quite frankly, astonished at how this turned out.”

  “Get him out of the helicopter,” Emily said, gritting her teeth.

  “No,” Zohn said as he appeared between her and the door. “He’s gone.”

  Emily’s body tensed and she looked from Kyle to Zohn, “One of you did this, didn’t you? You want to be Elder.”

  Kyle frowned, “Emily… that’s not true.”

  “We wouldn’t do that,” Zohn said, sounding partially insulted.

  “He’s not dead,” Emily whispered, and slunk down against the wall.

  Kyle nodded to Zohn, and he blurred down the stairs as Kyle sat down beside her, “You did everything you could, but he didn’t make it.”

  “Heku don’t die of illnesses,” Emily said to him, her eyes red and full of tears.

  “Not often, no… but once in a while we get this illness from a donor,” he said. “Or, as in this case, from a family of donors.”

  Emily leaned her head against Kyle’s chest and started to cry, “I tried, I mean… I put snow on him when I did the others. Maybe he needed more and I let him…”