Ferus : Book 6 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  “She always has to find trouble when the Elder is gone,” Silas said, and moved his hand seconds before Dain bit him.

  “I know, and it worries me,” Mark told him. “Get rid of Dain. Let’s get the Cavalry on their horses and in those trees.”

  “No problem, I’m not his guard today anyway. Time for someone else to get eaten.”

  Emily looked over the spreadsheet and found where she thought Allen might be. She moved to the stairs, ignoring the four strange guards behind her, and once Mark and Silas were out of the building, she ran down the stairs and headed for the city.

  “Ma’am,” one of the city guards said when she rounded the corner.

  Emily sighed, “Where’s Allen today?”

  “Elder’s orders…”

  “I know, I know,” she said, and took off for the next location as four palace guards followed her.

  When she checked a few more places guards were normally posted, she decided to head back to her office and check her references again. As she walked back toward the palace, something off in an alleyway caught her eye. There were heku kissing in the dark corner. The man had the woman pressed against the wall and her hands were laced around his neck.

  Emily grinned and moved on, but then stopped suddenly and returned back to the alley, “Allen?”

  Allen spun suddenly, his eyes wide. The heku he’d been kissing gasped and looked at her too.

  Her guards chuckled a bit behind her back, but her anger grew and she took a step toward the woman, “How old are you?”

  “Mom, calm down,” Allen said, and stepped between his girlfriend and Emily.

  “Answer me!” she screamed.

  “I’m… I’m… only 224,” she said. The heku was pretty, with long blonde hair and dark brown eyes. She stood only a few inches shorter than Allen and had broad, strong shoulders.

  Emily grabbed Allen by the ear as the heku fell to ashes in the dark corner. She started to drag him back toward the palace. Fearful of what was coming, her guards called for Kyle to the alley, and for Cavalry backup. This was their first day watching Emily and they weren’t sure what was going to happen.

  “No!” Allen growled, and pulled himself out of Emily’s grasp. “You have no right to do that.”

  “You’re 14!” she screamed at him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing with her?”

  “She’s my girlfriend,” Allen said, and stopped when Emily slapped him.

  “No, she was your girlfriend… I’m not going to let this happen.”

  “You don’t have a say in it,” Allen told her glaringly. He crouched instinctively and his hands balled into fists.

  “I do too! I’m your mother and you’re a minor… you’re moving back into the palace and are no longer a guard.”

  “You can’t do that. Elders orders are higher than what you say.”

  “Em… calm down,” Mark said as he and Silas appeared with her guards.

  “I don’t care what the Elders say. I’m your Mom, and you are no longer allowed out of the palace!”

  Allen took a menacing step toward her, “Don’t talk about the Elders like that, and you no longer have a say in what I do or don’t do.”

  “I don’t care how tall you are, or how intellectually advanced you think you might be, I’m not going to let your 14-year-old hormone driven body out of my sight!” Emily said, and stood her ground.

  “When Kyle brings her back, you owe her an apology.”

  “I do not!”

  “I love her, and you’ll treat her with respect.”

  “Allen, back off,” Silas growled when he took another step toward his Mom. “That’s an order.”

  Allen ignored Silas and blurred to Emily, pinning her to the stone wall with a hand around her neck, “Is that understood?”

  Emily brought her knee up and caught him in the groin. He growled and tightened his grip on her.

  Silas and Mark pulled Allen away from his Mom.

  “You’re 14!” Emily yelled, and pointed at him. “I’m not going to allow you to hook up with every slut in the city.”

  Allen growled and pulled against Mark and Silas, “Take that back!”

  “I will not… you have a new education coming, Boy, and it’s going to be a hard one.”

  “Just because you chose to marry the first loser who came along doesn’t mean that’s going to happen to me,” Allen yelled at her.

  Jaron appeared behind Emily and caught her as she lunged at Allen.

  “You have no idea what you’re talking about and you are not seeing her again. If I catch you with her, I’ll spread her ashes!”

  “Stop it, Em,” Jaron said, and kept a restraining arm around her.

  “Touch her, Bitch, and I’ll destroy you,” Allen yelled, and again tried to get away from Mark and Silas.

  “Allen!” Mark yelled, and then called for Allen’s direct supervisor.

  “You can’t talk to me like that!” Emily whispered, and narrowed her eyes. Allen began to scream and the heku let go of him as he fell to his knees, clutching at his chest.

  “Emily, stop it!” Silas yelled. Allen’s Captain appeared, wide eyed when he saw the standoff between one of his guards and the Elder’s wife.

  Emily released Allen after only a few seconds, “It’s final. You are moving back to the palace.”

  Allen snarled and instantly appeared in front of her. He backhanded her against the wall and she slunk to the ground as Silas and the city Captain grabbed Allen and hauled him to the palace prison.

  Kyle blurred onto the scene and gasped when he saw the blood trickling from the corner of Emily’s mouth, and the bruise forming on her cheek, “What the hell happened?”

  “Get away from me!” Emily yelled at him when he tried to help her up. She got to her feet unsteadily and started back for the palace.

  “Why did I just have to revive Miri?” he asked, following her.

  Mark caught up to them and whispered too low for Kyle to hear, “Miri is Allen’s girlfriend.”

  Kyle sighed, “Did Allen hit her?”

  “Yes, in front of his Captain… He’s being taken to the prison,” Mark told him. “We’ll have to see what’s going on. If it weren’t Allen, and a city guard hit Emily, it would mean instant banishment.”

  “Back off the Captain, let the Council handle this one,” Kyle said, and followed Emily into the palace.

  Kralen rushed up to Emily when he saw her and put a hand on her arm, “Em, what happened?”

  Emily turned and glared at him.

  He took a step back, “Whoa… was just asking…”

  She continued up the stairs and disappeared into her office, locking the door behind her. The Elders gave strict orders, under no circumstances was a heku to be in her office. Her guards took up their post outside of her office door immediately.

  “Let’s go talk to Allen,” Kyle said, and he and Mark headed into the prison. They met up with the city Captain and Silas outside of his cell. Allen was sitting on the bed with his face in his hands.

  “Allen?” Kyle asked, walking up to the bars.

  “I hit my Mom,” he whispered, his voice full of anguish.

  “Things got out of hand, I realize that,” Kyle said. “But you have to learn to control those instincts.”

  “I hit her…” he whispered again.

  Mark dismissed the Captain, and he headed up the prison stairs, livid that a member of his guard unit assaulted the Elder’s wife, even if he was the Elder’s son.

  “I’m going to convene the Council to discuss this. We’ll call you when we’re ready,” Kyle said.

  “And Miri?” Allen asked, finally looking up.

  “I revived her. She’s gone home to rest.”

  Allen nodded, leaned back on the hard cot, and then put his arm over his eyes.

  “You two come with me,” Kyle said, and he was followed up the stairs by Silas and Mark.

  The Council was in their seats by the time Kyle sat down. Mark and Silas sta
yed on the trial room floor. Richard, the Chief Interrogator, was acting superior while the Elders were away.

  “What’s up?” Richard asked, eyeing the guards.

  Kyle turned his seat toward him, “Not sure how to deal with this… what would you say if I told you that one of the city guards attempted to strangle, and then backhanded Lady Emily?”

  Richard frowned, “I’d say 800 years for that, banish him.”

  “Ok then, what if I told you that city guard is Allen?”

  “Is this a hypothetical question?” Dustin asked.

  Kyle shook his head, “No… and he’s in our prison.”

  Richard sighed, “Ok, what happened?”

  Kyle looked over at Mark, “I only caught the aftermath.”

  “I didn’t see the original confrontation,” Mark explained. “But to make a long story short. Allen has been seeing Miri, from the city. Apparently Emily caught them kissing. She ashed Miri, and began to drag Allen back to the palace.”

  Dustin chuckled, “Nice.”

  Kyle glared at him and he shut up.

  Mark waited for Dustin to be quiet and then continued, “Emily was determined that Allen is moving back into the palace and will no longer be a guard. They both started screaming, things got out of hand… he choked her… she burned him, so we let him go to suffer a bit… he blurred to her and backhanded her.”

  “Derrick, bring Allen here,” the Chief Investigator said.

  “Why don’t we just wait for Elder Chevalier’s return?” the Court Reporter asked.

  “I think it might be better if we handle this before he gets back,” Kyle explained. “Otherwise, we end up with a three-way fight instead of just the two of them.”

  Allen was escorted in by two guards, though he wasn’t fighting and his hands were restrained behind his back. They could tell by the look on his face that was feeling bad about hitting his Mom. The guards pushed Allen to his knees before the Council and then left. Mark and Silas moved to stand behind him.

  “Now bring in Emily,” Richard said, and looked down at Allen.

  Allen looked up at Kyle, “I’m ready to be banished.”

  “We aren’t even sure you can be banished… you’re only three quarters heku.”

  “Shouldn’t matter… I was told I would be treated with no preferentiality because of my heritage, and I expect that to be followed through.”

  Kyle smiled slightly, “That was easy to say… not as easy to carry out.”

  Derrick entered the trial area and faced the Council, “She said no.”

  “No?” Richard asked, frowning.

  “That’s all she said… no,” Derrick explained.

  “Mark…” Richard said, and the General nodded and disappeared. He blurred to Emily’s office door and knocked.

  “Em?”

  “No,” she called out.

  “We need you to come talk to us.”

  “No”

  “Will you at least let me see how badly you’re injured?”

  “No”

  “Allen feels really bad and he’s worried about you.”

  “No”

  Mark sighed and glanced at her guards, they all just shrugged.

  “We can just break the door,” one of her guards suggested.

  “No,” Mark told him. “No heku is to enter her office, ever… besides, it’s reinforced against us.”

  “Sorry, Sir.”

  “Emily,” Mark tried again. “We really need you to come talk to the Council.”

  “No,” she said, and there was a crash against the inside of the door.

  Mark thought for a moment before returning to the council chambers. He stood beside Silas, “She still won’t come out.”

  “If you won’t banish me, then I suggest you leave me for Dad,” Allen said.

  “You really want to face your Dad over this?” the Chief Interrogator asked.

  “He won’t have a problem punishing me like the Council is.”

  “It’s not that we have a problem doing it… we just need to come up with what. This doesn’t warrant being killed, and we aren’t sure we can banish you,” Dustin explained.

  “How badly is she injured?” Richard asked, looking at Mark.

  “She won’t come out of her office, but from what I saw, she had bruises forming on her neck and cheek and a small amount of blood from the corner of her mouth.”

  “Is he an official member of Island Coven?”

  Kyle shrugged, “He’s not been made official, though the son of the Lord of the coven would probably warrant immediate membership.”

  “Then I propose we strip him of guard rank and send him back to his coven,” Richard said.

  Allen looked down at the ground.

  “All in favor?” the Court Reporter asked, and glanced at the votes.

  Richard stood up, “Allen, it is then decided by this Council that you are to be stripped of all guard rank associated with Council City and are to be returned to your coven.”

  Mark reached over and removed Allen’s green cape and the rank insignia on his collar.

  “I’ll take him,” Kyle said, and unbuckled Allen’s handcuffs. He helped Allen to his feet and both left for Island Coven on Equites 2.

  “Notify his Commander,” Richard said to Mark. Mark and Silas both bowed slightly and blurred from the trial area.

  “Sir,” Derrick said, stepping into the trial area. “We have a coven in revolt. I’ll put the line through.”

  Richard sighed, “Perfect, we have no Cavalry… send it in.”

  Derrick nodded, and a few seconds later, the Council’s phone rang.

  “Council,” Richard said, and cringed slightly at the frantic sounds of fighting.

  “We need help out here!” a furious voice said. “Tell Elder Zohn the coven is in revolt, they are rioting in the compound, 27 have been killed… and…”

  The line was suddenly cut off.

  “Derrick!” Richard called out.

  “Yes, Chief Interrogator?”

  “What coven was that?”

  “Elder Zohn’s Coven, Sir.”

  “Coven information?” Richard asked the Record Keeper.

  The heku blurred away and returned with a file, “Coven of approximately 391 located in the Appalachian Mountains in Alabama.”

  Richard turned to the others, “We don’t have a Cavalry, and our city guards aren’t trained for re-taking hostile covens.”

  “Emily is,” Dustin said, and then the others looked at him he continued. “She’s done it before and she is a member of the Cavalry.”

  “Elder Zohn tried to send her on a mission without Chevalier or Quinn’s approval once, it didn’t turn out well.”

  “But to that mission, she said no… I suggest we ask her.”

  “Mark, Silas…” Richard called out, and turned to them when they entered. “We have a coven revolting, just under 400 of them and some are dead already. Please ask Emily if she can help and then gather what’s left of the Cavalry.”

  “Right away,” Mark said, and he went to talk to Emily while Silas went to get Jaron and Kralen, the only other members of the Cavalry left behind in Council City.

  Mark knocked on Emily’s office.

  “Go away,” she said to him.

  “Em, there’s a problem... we need your help.”

  There was a pause, “What kind of problem?”

  “The Cavalry’s gone with the Elders… Silas, Jaron, Kralen and I are all that’s left. We have a coven revolting and they are killing members.”

  Her door opened slightly, “They are killing members of their own coven?”

  “Yes, it’s Zohn’s coven… we really need your help on this. The four of us are heading out, but it won’t turn out well, us against 400,” Mark told her.

  “Are you lying to get me out of my office?”

  “No, we really need your help.”

  Emily sighed, “Meet me at my helicopter in 20 minutes.”

  Mark nodded and disap
peared. He blurred into the council chambers, “She agreed, we’re heading out in Winchester 1 in 20.”

  Dustin gasped, “She agreed to go?”

  “Yes”

  Richard smiled, “Good, then we won’t need to call in Powan for this.”

  The four members of the Cavalry met up with Emily at the helicopter. She was in uniform with her .45 in its holster. They all crawled in, and Mark gave directions to the pilot and they were soon heading off.

  “Zohn’s Coven is located on the shore of Lake Guntersville, outside of Scottsboro, Alabama. There are 391 registered members, and as far as we know, 27 of those are now dead. We don’t know what’s causing the problem, we just know they are out of control,” Mark said during the briefing.

  “What am I allowed to do?” Emily asked.

  “I hate that we don’t know what we’re getting in to… if it gets too bad, ash them all and we’ll sort it out later.”

  Emily nodded.

  “We’ll land outside of the cement walls and see what we find. Stay behind us, Em, and we’ll try to clear it out so you can take over. I hope it works like Michael’s coven and they freeze when they see you.”

  “Not a clue what the fighting is over?” Silas asked.

  “Nope, the phone call was cut short, we really have no idea.”

  Emily curled up on the couch in the helicopter and watched out the window as the clouds turned gray. They heard the pilot call out the 5 minute warning just as lightning and thunder started.

  “I’ll have to carry you. We’re still about 5 miles away,” Mark told her.

  “I can run 5 miles.”

  Mark grinned, “Not fast enough, sorry.”

  Emily started to get sick to her stomach when they landed. The five of them running into an unknown environment made her nervous, and she dreaded the possibility of turning 400 heku to ash and then having to face Zohn afterwards. They stepped off the helicopter in a torrential rainstorm and were immediately completely soaked.

  Mark picked Emily up in a cradle and began to blur toward the coven. His speed made the raindrops turn into hard pellets that stung when they landed against her. She buried her face in his shoulder to keep them off of her, and pulled the cape around her. Finally, he set her down and she saw Silas and Jaron knelt down, peering around a rock outcropping.

  “There are two guards,” Silas said. “Still standing at the front gates. I would imagine Zohn would have more than 2 normally though.”