Ferus : Book 6 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  “Jumpy tonight?” Quinn asked.

  “No,” she replied, and went to shut her office door.

  “Wait, Em… come to my office for a sec,” Chevalier told her, and put his hand out.

  Emily nodded and took his hand. The others waited by her door as they walked to his office and went inside, shutting the door. Chevalier sat down in his large leather chair and motioned for her to sit in a chair beside him. She stepped past the chair and sat on his lap, facing him.

  He took her face in his hands, “Tell me what’s going on.”

  She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his as her hands started to unbutton his shirt.

  ***

  Chevalier chuckled, “That’s not why I asked you in here.”

  Emily pulled his cape over her and leaned back against him, “I know.”

  “You’re stalling… not that I really mind.”

  “My house…”

  “Yes?”

  “It’s outside of Savannah, Georgia. A plantation called Four-Winds.”

  He sighed, “Why are you telling me?”

  “I thought you wanted to know.”

  “I do… but didn’t think you’d tell me.”

  “Just don’t fill it full of guards.”

  He moved her hair off of her neck and ran his lips along it softly. She shivered and grinned.

  “I won’t fill it full of guards… Did something happen there?” he asked her, and wrapped his arms around her.

  “Not really.”

  “Not really?”

  “Have you ever been in a ceremonial room where the runes were painted on the ceiling instead of etched into the rock?” She turned to face him.

  Chevalier frowned, “No… have you?”

  “No,” she said, and leaned back against him again.

  “Why do you ask then?”

  She shrugged and ran her nails along the muscles in his forearms.

  “Tell me,” he whispered into her ear.

  “I can’t.”

  “Why?”

  “You’ll think I’m crazy,” she said, and got up to get dressed.

  “I already do.”

  Emily turned around and smiled, “More so.”

  Chevalier got up and began to get dressed, “Until you calm down, you have the highest ranking in the Cavalry watching you.”

  “I’m calm,” she said, and waited for him to get dressed before opening the door.

  “No, you’re not,” he said, and followed her out.

  “The Elders need you in the council chambers,” Mark told him.

  Chevalier nodded and blurred away.

  “What’s going on?” Emily asked. There was an air of tension in the palace.

  “Not sure,” he lied.

  Four strange guards came up to them, “We’re here, General.”

  “Em we’re letting them take over for a bit… please don’t slip them,” Mark said as they headed off.

  Emily glanced at the four city guards and shrugged before heading down to the council chambers.

  “We can’t go in there, Ma’am,” the Lieutenant said.

  “You don’t have to. I’ll be right out,” she said, and stepped into the ante-chamber. She started to open the door to the council chambers, but stopped when she heard Quinn.

  “What the hell were they thinking?!”

  “I don’t know, but the repercussions for wiping out that entire city are astronomical,” Chevalier said angrily.

  “Did the Encala’s Council get away?” Zohn asked.

  A strange voice answered, “I don’t know, Sir.”

  “The entire city?”

  “Mostly, they burned a lot of the houses and the heku that survived fled.”

  Emily frowned and her heart sank.

  “Get them on the phone. I want answers,” Quinn growled.

  Emily glanced back at the door her guards were at, and used the other door out the side, then took the steps down two-at-a-time and crawled into her Aero. Before she floored it, a strange guard jumped into the passenger seat, and she took off as he buckled in awkwardly, unable to sit up straight in the short car.

  “Who are you?” she asked, flying past the gate guards.

  “Liam, Ma’am. I’m one of the palace guards.”

  “And why the hell did you get into my car?”

  “I’m not really sure… but you aren’t supposed to be out alone, and I was the closest.”

  Emily sighed and slowly took the Aero up to 6th gear once she hit the Interstate.

  “Where are we going?” Liam asked.

  “West”

  At top speeds, she was at the Encala Palace turnoff in just under 8 hours. She ignored her cell phone, and when Liam tried to make a call, she took his and tossed it out the window. Since then, he’d sat quietly in his seat and watched.

  As they passed into Encala City, Emily frowned when there were no gate guards.

  Liam gasped, “We’re in Encala City?”

  “Yes”

  “I can’t be here!” he yelled.

  “Then you shouldn’t have gotten into my car,” she told him. Emily gasped and watched sadly as they passed the burnt out ruins of houses, and the lifeless city passing them by as she headed for the palace.

  She parked in front of the palace and got out. There were no guards at the front doors, and the double-doors stood slightly ajar.

  “I can’t be here,” Liam said again.

  “Shut up, Liam.”

  Emily opened the doors and her heart sunk. There were dead heku all over the main foyer, torn to pieces as blood covered every surface. She took the stairs up quickly, ignoring Liam behind her, and opened the door to the council chambers.

  “William?” she called out, but no one answered. She slowly took the stairs up to the Council’s chairs, afraid of what she might find, but the platform was empty.

  “I can’t be in here,” Liam told her.

  Emily ignored him and stepped out into the hallway, and yelled, “William?”

  Seeing a gray cape, Emily knelt down by the dead heku and took the cape in her fingers, running her thumb along the intricately designed V.

  “The Valle,” she whispered, and looked around at the pieces of heku strewn around the stairs.

  “Seriously… I can’t be…”

  “Shut up!” she screamed, and started up the stairs. “William!?”

  The sound of raspy breathing came from up the stairs, and Emily ran up them. She knelt down beside one of the Encala Guards and looked him over. He was covered in vicious bites and his head was almost completely removed. He looked up at her with panicked eyes.

  “Can he survive this?” Emily asked, turning to Liam.

  Liam was looking around, “I can’t be in here…”

  “Liam! Can he survive this?”

  He looked down at the Encala, and nodded.

  Emily took his hand, “I’ll wait while you heal…”

  The Encala Guard stopped moving and his eyes fell motionless. Emily leaned down and listened to his chest, but heard nothing. She put her head against his chest and squeezed his hand as she cried.

  “Emily?” William said from behind her, shocked. Before she looked up, she heard the angry hiss of the Equites Guard.

  She looked up with red eyes at the entire Encala Council, “I don’t think he can heal.”

  William knelt down beside her and looked at the guard, “No, he’s gone.”

  “Get away from her!” Liam growled.

  “He’s not hurting her,” Encala Elder Aaron said, still surprised to see Emily in their battered palace.

  Suddenly, the palace filled with Encala guards as they began to arrive from nearby covens to reinforce the palace. Four of them surrounded the lone Equites Guard and crouched.

  “Stand down,” the Chief Interrogator said to them. “I don’t think he’s here to hurt us.”

  Emily kept the dead heku’s hand in hers and looked around at the carnage. Her heart ached at the deaths, “The Va
lle did this?”

  William glanced at Aaron, and then back to Emily, “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “We’re in a dispute with them over claims to land in Europe.”

  Emily frowned, “This was over land?”

  “Yes, important land.”

  “Dear, do the Equites know you’re here?” Aaron asked her.

  When she didn’t answer, Liam spoke, “I don’t think so.”

  William stood up and pulled Emily up to standing, “You shouldn’t be here.”

  He led her into the Elder’s conference room, where there was no sign of the bloodshed. The Council followed them in and she sat down with Liam standing behind her, then sunk her head into her hands.

  “Emily, listen to me. You need to go back to Council City… This isn’t a game, and it’s too dangerous for you to be here,” William told her.

  “Let’s go, Ma’am,” Liam said, and tried to help her up.

  “The Valle?”

  William nodded, “Yes.”

  She reached over and hit the speakerphone on the conference table and dialed.

  “Surprised you found a working phone,” Sotomar said, amused.

  “How could you?” Emily whispered.

  There was a long pause, “Who is this?”

  “Hang up the phone,” Aaron said, and reached over to hang it up.

  Emily batted his hand away, “How many did you kill?”

  “Emily!?” Exavior gasped. “Why are you there?”

  She nodded and her eyes filled up again, “You’ll pay for this.”

  “What!?” Sotomar yelled.

  “Damnit,” William growled, and hung up the phone. “We’re getting a helicopter to return you to Council City.”

  “We drove,” Liam told him.

  “We’ll return her car. She needs to get out now.”

  The guard nodded, “Let’s go then. I’m not supposed to be here.”

  William grinned, “Neither is she.”

  “Where’s Reese?” Emily asked when they all stood up.

  William glanced at Aaron, “He was in the initial attack.”

  She frowned, “He’s dead?”

  “Yes”

  “How many are dead?”

  “Emily, you really need to get out of here. The Valle can come back,” Aaron said, and put a hand out to her.

  “Good, I’ll wait for them.”

  “No,” William, Liam, and Aaron all said at once.

  Emily crossed her arms and sat back in the chair, “Touch me and I’ll turn you to ash.”

  “Lady Emily, we have to go. Council City has no idea where we are, they must be worried sick about you,” Liam told her. He was starting to shift nervously.

  “How many, William?” she asked again.

  He sighed, “Approximately 1800.”

  “That’s all?” Liam asked, surprised.

  “We were able to get a lot out of the city in time.”

  “That’s all?” Emily yelled. “What the hell kind of statement is that! That’s all? Oooh, only 1800 dead… no biggie.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” Liam told her.

  “I apologize,” Frederick, the Chief Enforcer said to her.

  “For what?” she asked.

  Frederick blurred behind her and gave her an injection before she could protest.

  “No!” she screamed. “Why did you… do… that…?”

  Liam growled when William began to pick her up, and lifted her into a cradle instead.

  “The helicopter is waiting to take you back… Her car is already on the way,” Aaron said to him.

  Within a few minutes, Liam and Emily were flying out of Encala City toward Council City.

  “Equites Base from Encala 2,” the pilot called.

  “Go for base,” a man’s voice replied.

  “Requesting permission to land.”

  “Permission denied, Equites out.”

  “Wait… we have Lady Emily,” the pilot said, and there was a long pause.

  A few seconds later Kyle spoke, “Repeat last, Encala 2.”

  “I’m just returning Lady Emily and her guard, and then I’ll be off.”

  “Permission to land on the roof of the palace.”

  “Roger that,” the pilot said, and glanced back at Liam, who was still holding Emily. When the enemy helicopter landed, the entire Cavalry filed out of the doors and surrounded it.

  “Stay in there,” Mark yelled at the pilot, and he nodded.

  Liam opened the door and jumped out, still holding onto Emily as she lay motionless in his arms. As soon as they were out, the Encala pilot took off back to his own city.

  “You have a lot of explaining to do!” Chevalier yelled at Liam when he stepped out onto the roof.

  “I know, Sir. I have a lot of answers,” Liam said.

  “What’s wrong with her?”

  “Frederick drugged her, Sir. She wouldn’t leave.”

  “Mark, take her to bed. I want to talk to Liam,” Chevalier said, and eyed the guard carefully. The frightened palace guard handed Emily over to the General and followed Chevalier down the stairs. He headed toward Derrick, while Chevalier went through the back and sat down in his seat.

  “Bring him in,” Zohn called out.

  Kralen and Silas entered with Liam, who was now restrained and was forced to kneel in front of the Council.

  Chevalier growled and Liam looked at him nervously.

  “There are just too many questions to even ask,” Quinn said angrily.

  “I… I can explain it all… I broke no protocol,” Liam said fretfully.

  “Start with how in the hell you left with Emily,” Kyle snapped.

  Liam sighed, “I was on duty in the garage when she came running in without guards. I debated, and then jumped into her car at the last minute.”

  “So you didn’t help her escape?” Kralen asked.

  “No, Sir, I did not… I merely saw her leaving alone and decided she needed a guard.”

  “Then you thought it safe to head to Encala City… a city that was just attacked?” Chevalier yelled, and pounded his fist on the table.

  “No! I didn’t know where we were going, and she threw my phone out the window. It wasn’t until we pulled through the gates to Encala City that I knew where we were, and by then, I couldn’t get her to turn around.”

  “So far he’s telling the truth,” the Chief Interrogator told them.

  “Of course I am! I did nothing wrong.”

  “Keep going…”

  “She wouldn’t answer her phone, and when we got to the Encala Palace, she stopped the car and got out. Again she wouldn’t stop and I felt if I were to force her she would turn me to ash… so I followed her. She ran inside and looked at all of the dead heku.”

  Chevalier calmed slightly, “Go on…”

  Liam swallowed and then continued, “She ran into the council chambers, yelling for William, but no one answered. I again told her we needed to come back, but she wouldn’t listen. She then ran into the hallway to call for William and found an Encala Guard, badly injured. She knelt down by him, but he couldn’t talk… his head was only hanging on by a small piece of skin.”

  Kyle shut his eyes. He already knew this was going to cause a lot of emotional problems for her.

  “She asked if he could heal and I said yes… I honestly thought he could, but he ended up dying as she held his hand. That’s when the Encala Council arrived, except for Reese, who was already dead.”

  “Elder Reese is dead from the Valle attack then?” Zohn asked.

  “Yes, Elder. William finally got her into a conference room, and that’s when she called the Valle and threatened them…”

  “Wait, she what?” Chevalier asked, shocked.

  “She told them they’d pay for what they did to the Encala, Sir.”

  Kyle sighed, “Of course she did, damnit.”

  “Sotomar yelled, and William hung up the speakerphone and told Emily she had to get out of the ci
ty. That’s when Emily crossed her arms and said anyone that touched her would be turned to ash. She got the number of dead… 1800… and William told her she needed to leave, that the Valle could be back, but she said she was going to wait for them.”

  Chevalier sunk his head into his hands.

  “Frederick appeared with some type of shot, and before I could stop him, he’d given it to her. William offered us a ride back and her car is being returned by an Encala,” Liam finished, almost out of breath.

  Quinn nodded, “Report to your General, you’re granted a week long furlough.”

  Liam sighed, “Thank you, Sir.”

  Derrick released Liam’s restraints, opened the door for him, and Liam blurred out.

  “We’ll need damage control over this,” Dustin said. “The Valle may see us as a threat now that Emily has threatened them.”

  “I don’t think they would dare touch us,” Zohn told him. “They know that Emily is upset about the Encala, but they would already be dead if they tried to attack any Equites.”

  “I’m not as worried about the Valle attacking us as I am Emily attacking them,” Chevalier said, mostly to himself.

  “She’ll take this as a personal attack, even though it had nothing to do with her,” Kyle explained to the others.

  “How can she? It was a land dispute, and we all saw this coming,” the Chief Investigator asked.

  Chevalier sighed, “She’s somehow appointed herself to protect the entire heku species… mostly the Equites, but in a smaller part all of the others. She was once friends with the enemy Elders, and although they betrayed her, she’s always felt a connection to them, Reese included.”

  “You think she might honestly go after the Valle?” Zohn asked.

  “I think she’ll be torn… She’s not going to want to hurt the Valle either… Kyle, come with me. She will wake up soon if it was just a sedative,” Chevalier said, and stood up.

  “We’ll call Sotomar and smooth things over,” Quinn whispered, deep in thought.

  Chevalier and Kyle left just as Zohn dialed the Valle Council.

  “Valle here,” a strange voice said.

  “This is Zohn. I need to talk to an Elder.”

  “They… they aren’t here right now,” the man sounded nervous. “They are on the way to Council City.”

  Kralen and Silas glanced at each other.

  “Oh?” Zohn said. “Not enough to attack the Encala?”

  “No! Not to attack… not to attack the Equites… to talk to the Lady, to see if they can make it up to her.”