Ferus : Book 6 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  “We should clarify that, they aren’t afraid of her… they’re afraid of Chevalier,” Zohn told him.

  “Still, afraid of their supervisor, it causes tension.”

  “I’m shocked that one of General Skinner’s people would think being too strict is bad,” the Chief of Staff said.

  “I’m not necessarily saying it’s bad…”

  “Yes you are,” Zohn told him. “You think we don’t see what’s going on? Quinn and I were on Emily’s hate list for years longer than you have been. We understand.”

  “This has nothing to do with my dislike of her.”

  Zohn grinned and went back to his roster.

  ***

  “Em?” Kralen asked as he knocked on her office door.

  Emily looked up and smiled, “Come on in. I’m almost done.”

  “Good, Silas and I want to show you something.”

  She nodded and quickly filled out a form before shoving it onto the top of her out box, “Done.”

  “Ok, we have a surprise,” Kralen said, grinning.

  Emily’s eyes narrowed, “Do I trust this?”

  “Probably not…” he said, and held up a blindfold.

  Emily grinned, “This should be interesting.”

  Kralen tied it over her eyes and took her arm, then led her down the stairs and just grinned at anyone they passed. Emily was walking slowly with her hands out, not fully trusting Kralen not to get sidetracked and run her into a wall.

  “Ok, ready?” she heard Silas ask.

  “Nope,” she told him.

  Kralen lifted the blindfold from her eyes and she gasped at her truck. The dark blue Dodge Ram 3500 was jacked up, had KC lights, fog lights, and huge over-sized mudding tires.

  “Oh my God!” Emily yelled, excited.

  “Like it?” Silas asked, leaning back against his car.

  “Yes!” she screamed, and used the step to look inside. “Speakers too?”

  “Yup, woofers… for your… country music,” Kralen chuckled.

  Emily reached in and popped a CD into the drive and cranked the volume up. Suddenly, the palace filled with Black Sabbath’s Paranoid.

  “What in the world is that?” Zohn asked, glancing toward the door.

  “Get in!” Emily yelled, and crawled into the driver’s seat. Kralen and Silas both hopped into the Ram and she spun out and headed out of the palace’s garage, taking the loud music with her.

  “I do believe that is Black Sabbath,” Dustin said, grinning.

  “Yes, but who is filling my palace with it?” Zohn asked, and then heard it disappear. “There, much better.”

  “Derrick?” Quinn called.

  “Yes, Elder?” the door guard asked.

  “Who do we have to blame for that?”

  Derrick grinned, “The Cavalry tricked out Emily’s truck.”

  “Tricked out her truck?”

  “Yes, jacked it up, better tires, sound system.”

  Quinn grinned, “That explains everything, thank you.”

  Emily waved as they flew by the front gate guards and the guards grinned at the blaring music, shocked as the rest that Emily was listening to something other than country.

  “Where are we going?” Silas yelled over the music.

  “I don’t care!” Emily yelled back.

  “We better not stop. We didn’t get permission to leave,” Kralen said, laughing.

  Emily reached over and turned down the music so they could talk, “I’m hungry. Can we grab some Chinese food?”

  “Nasty, but sure,” Silas said, and opened his phone. He quickly called Mark and filled him in.

  Emily pulled over at a little Chinese restaurant and stopped the truck. Silas looked over at the building beside the restaurant, “That’s where a lot of us get donors.”

  She looked over at the dark biker bar, “Seriously?”

  “Yup,” Kralen said. “I’m thinking that sounds like a good idea.”

  “I want to see,” Emily said, and jumped out of the truck.

  “I’m not sure about that,” Silas told her, glancing at the bar.

  “So you just go in there and… I don’t know… drink?”

  Kralen chuckled, “Pretty much. There’s a back bar, and if you’re back there, you’re either a donor or a heku.”

  “No way!”

  Kralen nodded.

  “I want to see.”

  “Didn’t you hear? If you go in there, they’ll think you’re a donor.”

  “Who besides Equites goes in there though?”

  “All factions use it if they are in the area.”

  “They know me and know I’m not a donor, let’s go,” she said, and slid her purse over her shoulder before walking in.

  “I’m not feeding in front of her,” Silas whispered.

  Kralen grinned, “I will.”

  “That is not a good idea. I’ve seen you feed, your hands travel.”

  “I’ll behave.”

  “Right,” Silas sighed, and followed Emily into the bar. “Mark’s going to kill us.”

  Kralen waved at the man behind the bar, who smiled and yelled over the music, “Go on back.”

  Emily smiled at Kralen and followed him through a large black door, into an adjacent room. She stopped inside and gasped. The dark room was full of both men and women who were waiting to be donors. She was surprised at how many were waiting for heku to enter.

  Off in the corner, Emily saw two familiar city guards already feeding from the same pretty blonde. She was obviously enjoying it and winked at Silas when he glanced at her. Emily blushed and walked over to the bar to sit down.

  “What can I get you?” the woman behind the bar asked. Emily was surprised to see two fresh puncture wounds on her neck.

  “Rum and Coke, please,” Emily said, and watched Silas sit down beside her. The bartender pushed the drink toward Emily, and she paid and then glanced around for Kralen. She finally spotted him in the corner with a long-haired brunette. All that was visible of Kralen was his knees as she sat on his lap facing him and his face was buried in her neck.

  “Don’t wanna feed?” Emily asked Silas, and took a drink.

  “Not in front of you, no,” Silas told her.

  “Kralen didn’t seem to have a problem… course…” she glanced back and saw Kralen slip his hand under the brunette’s shirt. “I don’t think he’s just feeding.”

  “He never does.”

  “Ahhh… want me to go eat so you can?”

  “Nope, can’t let you go.”

  “Oh, that’s right.”

  “The Elder will kill us both if he finds out we brought you here,” Silas told her, grinning slightly.

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because the heku in here that don’t know you, think you’re a donor. I’ve already had to back four of them off.”

  Emily gasped and looked around, “Really?”

  “Yes”

  “Maybe I should go.”

  “Let’s wait for Kralen and then you can go get some Chinese food.”

  She nodded and took another drink, trying to find something to look at other than feeding heku. She knew they fed, but hadn’t really witnessed it much, and was surprised to find herself uncomfortable being around it. After only twenty minutes, Kralen joined them at the bar.

  “Done?” Silas asked him, irritated.

  Kralen grinned, “Yup.”

  “No, she’s mine,” Silas said, and took Emily’s arm. “Let’s go.”

  Emily nodded and left with the guards. Silas was obviously mad at Kralen, and Kralen was pleased with himself for his actions with the brunette. When they stepped out into the parking lot, it had begun to snow again. They walked across to the Chinese restaurant, but stopped when they heard laughing.

  “Dang, seems we missed the opportunity to snack on the Elder’s wife,” someone said from behind them.

  Silas and Kralen both turned and crouched slightly. Emily spun to see two Valle watching them.

 
“Why are you this close to Council City?” Kralen growled.

  “Calm down, passing through and felt the need to feed,” the taller one said, and ran his tongue over his teeth as he watched Emily.

  “Feed and get out. You’re not welcome this close,” Silas told him.

  “Oh, we know… just surprised to see the Winchester here… mind if we try some?”

  Emily gasped and covered her neck with her hand.

  “She wasn’t here as a donor.”

  “Pity,” he said, and took a step closer and then crouched. “If the Equites fed correctly, she’d like it well enough to keep you all satisfied.”

  “Stop it!” Emily yelled. “No fighting. We were just leaving.”

  “Letting the little mortal tell you what to do? Typical Equites,” the smaller one said, laughing.

  Emily’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t have time to respond before Kralen blurred into a fight with the taller one. She headed in to stop them, but the other Valle grabbed her arm hard enough that his hands dug into her flesh.

  “Where are you going, Sweetheart?” he asked her.

  Emily heard Silas growl and slam into him. His hands were pulled off her arm, leaving deep red fingernail scratches on the bruises. She rolled her eyes and headed back for the truck, deciding to let the two guards fight it out themselves.

  When she got to the truck, the sounds of fighting stopped and she turned, just as the Valle fell to the ground, groaning and clutching wounds. Kralen and Silas were both standing, but also injured. She ran to Silas, who seemed hurt the worst, and put his arm around her neck. She helped him to the truck and then went back for Kralen.

  Once her guards were in the truck, she ran back to the closest Valle and kicked him in the face, shattering his cheek bone, “Get away from Council City,” she growled at them, and then jumped into the truck after both turned to ash.

  Emily started out for Council City as the heku healed.

  “Damnit, Valle don’t fight fair,” Silas groaned.

  “There’s a fair way to fight?” Emily asked.

  “Yeah, in casual fighting like that, we don’t normally bite.”

  “Fucker got me good,” Kralen panted.

  Emily sighed, “You two are more trouble than I am, I swear.”

  “You don’t have to yell at us, Mark’ll have our heads for this,” Silas told her.

  The rest of the drive was silent. Emily killed the headlights and music when she got into the city, and then stopped in front of the Cavalry’s barracks.

  “Mark won’t know if you two go to bed and heal before he sees you,” she told them, and jumped out of the truck. She opened the back first and helped Kralen out. He was still slouched over, grasping vicious bites on his side and his shirt was covered in blood.

  Hidden by the blizzard, Emily helped Kralen into the barracks. As soon as she opened the door, the Cavalry inside grew quiet and then ran to her when they saw their Captain.

  “What happened?” Jaron asked, taking Kralen from Emily.

  “Nothing happened,” Emily said, and went back after Silas. Another of the Cavalry came and helped him to his bed.

  “We’ll need to report this as an attack,” Jaron said to her.

  “We weren’t attacked.”

  His eyes narrowed, “Then how did they get hurt?”

  Emily went over to Silas and slipped off his cape and shoes, and then covered him with a blanket, “They aren’t hurt.”

  “What are you playing at?”

  “Nothing, ok? They aren’t hurt,” she said again.

  “And this?” Jaron asked, pointing to her bruised and scratched arm.

  Emily looked down and noticed it was in the exact shape of a hand, “That’s… I did that to myself.”

  “It’s impossible to turn your own hand in that direction.”

  “Drop it, Jaron, please.”

  The Commander sighed, “Fine.”

  “You aren’t going to get very far into the palace. You’re covered in heku blood,” one of the Cavalry said to her.

  She looked at her shirt, “Damnit… I can get in though. No one’ll see me.”

  “They’ll smell you.”

  “One second,” one of the Cavalry said, and he blurred from the room. He returned a few minutes later with clean clothes. “Go shower and change.”

  “Thank you,” Emily said, and went into the shower.

  Jaron shook his head at Kralen, “You’re going to be lucky if Mark doesn’t find out.”

  “I know,” Kralen said, and smiled slightly.

  “We cannot allow Lady Emily to lie and cover for one of us,” a newer member of the Cavalry said, one obviously from Powan.

  Jaron turned on him, “It’s her choice. If we break and tell the General, she’ll get mad, and that only causes trouble for us.”

  The guard, obviously irritated, returned to his bed and began to read.

  Jaron walked over to stand by the shower door, ensuring no one went in while Emily cleaned up. She came out a few minutes later, no longer smelling of heku blood.

  “Who are my guards?” she asked, heading for the door. Four members of the Cavalry fell in behind her, “Get in the truck, let’s go back.”

  They nodded and walked out to her truck while she checked one more time on Silas and Kralen. Silas was already sitting up, almost completely healed, but Kralen had one bite that was still hurting. Once she was sure they were ok, she met up with her guards and returned to the palace.

  ***

  Emily jumped slightly and sat up in bed when someone knocked on the door. She told whomever it was to enter, and then yawned and glanced at the clock.

  “Sorry to wake you,” Derrick whispered. “The Council wants to see you.”

  “Right now?”

  “Yes”

  She sighed and slipped out of bed. She was still groggy from sleeping, and walked out the door in her nightgown. Derrick grimaced and followed her out, along with her four guards. They all looked anywhere but at her. They knew she was too tired to realize she was walking through the palace in a short pink silk nightgown.

  “Sorry about this late hour,” the Chief Interrogator said, and shifted nervously at how she was dressed.

  “Ok,” she mumbled, still trying to wake up.

  “We need to know what happened tonight that caused you to turn two Valle to ash in the parking lot of one of our donor bars in the city.”

  This immediately woke Emily up, “That wasn’t at a donor bar. That was at a Chinese restaurant.”

  “Oh, we’ll make sure and mention that so they don’t think we took you to a donor bar,” Dustin said.

  “Of course no one would take me to a donor bar.”

  “True”

  “Good night then,” she said, and turned to leave.

  “Wait, we’re not done,” Dustin called after her.

  She sighed and turned back to the Council, “What then?”

  “Why did you turn them to ash?”

  “Where’s Quinn and Zohn?”

  “Out for a few days… you didn’t answer my question. Why did you turn them to ash?”

  “I don’t think that’s any of your concern.”

  “It is,” the Chief of Staff told her. “The Valle Elders want a reason, so they know if they need to punish them.”

  “Nope, I already handled it,” she told them, and again turned to leave.

  “We’re not done with you,” Dustin told her.

  She glanced up at the ceiling and then walked over to the trial area, “What?”

  “What happened?”

  “Nothing important.”

  “Tell us, please.”

  “No”

  Dustin frowned, “I’m not accustomed to being told no.”

  “I don’t feel that it’s any of the Council’s business what I was doing or what happened.”

  “It is our business when one of the Equites is attacked by a Valle.”

  “Who said I was attacked?”

 
“Your arm speaks for itself,” the Court Reporter told her.

  Emily looked down at the deep purple bruise and dark red scratches, “I did that to myself.”

  “It’s physically impossible for your hand to be at that angle,” Dustin told her.

  “Don’t try to dig up trouble where there is none,” Emily said to them. “Nothing happened, no one was attacked, and those Valle should be sent on their way with no further punishment.”

  “If you refuse to tell us, then we will have to confine you to quarters until Chevalier returns,” the Chief of Staff told her.

  Emily’s eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms, “I’m not telling him either, so that won’t do any good.”

  “It doesn’t matter if you do or not. This would take the decision of all three Elders for a punishment.”

  “You can’t keep me in my room, I’ll get away… and I’d like to see this Council toss me into prison while the Elders are away.”

  “Guards, take her to prison,” Dustin said, smiling.

  “What!?” Emily yelled as one of the palace guards restrained her hands behind her back.

  “If you decide to talk, you may request a meeting with the Council. Until then… you are confined.”

  The guards walked Emily out and as she passed the four members of the Cavalry, they gasped and started to follow her, but were called into the Council.

  “Yes, Sir?” the highest ranking of the Cavalry asked.

  “You are relieved of guard duty for now. Tell the Cavalry that they are hereby banned from the prison until further notice,” Dustin told him. “Make sure and advise the General.”

  “Yes, Sir,” he said, and they walked out of the council chambers, confused.

  Emily was taken to a cell across from Vaughn, and as the cell door was slammed shut and locked, he looked over at her and laughed.

  “See they finally found a way to restrain you.”

  “Shut up, Vaughn. I can still turn you to ash,” she grumbled, and sat down on the cold, hard bed.

  “Is that what you sleep in?” Vaughn asked, smiling at the small amount of fabric covering her. “No wonder the Elder stays jealous.”

  Emily sighed and looked around the cell. There were no blankets or pillows, nothing she could use to cover up with.

  ***

  “What!?” Mark yelled.

  “They took her to prison and have banned us from going down there,” the Cavalry member told him.