Ferus : Book 6 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  Emily’s eyes narrowed, “I don’t believe you… Miri?”

  “I don’t recognize the scent, but I don’t know anyone from Powan,” she said, eyeing them suspiciously.

  “Prove it,” Emily told him, and then took a step back when he suddenly became a wolf. A few seconds later, he returned to his heku form and smiled.

  “That work?”

  “I still don’t trust you, walk ahead of us,” Emily told him. She and Miri walked behind the six heku as they lead them back to the elevator, after stopping off to grab a box of things Emily wanted Chevalier to see.

  The six stepped into the elevator and turned to let Emily and Miri in.

  “I’m not getting in there so you can eat me,” Emily told them.

  The heku they’d been talking to started to laugh, “Untrusting a bit aren’t you? Fine… the code is 4-2-2-4-1.”

  She nodded and then shrugged at Miri when the elevator closed, they were once again alone.

  Chevalier moved closer to the elevator when it signaled the car was coming up. All heku in the area turned to watch and were surprised when only the Powan’s stepped out.

  “Where are they?” Chevalier asked, frowning.

  The Powan Lieutenant smiled, “She said she wasn’t going to get into the elevator with us so we could eat her.”

  He grinned slightly, “Oh.”

  “I gave them the code, they should be up soon.”

  “How is she?”

  He sighed, “Her face is pretty bruised and she smells like alcohol.”

  “Damnit,” Chevalier growled.

  When the elevator opened next, Miri and Emily stepped out and Miri handed the box of files over to Dustin before running into Allen’s arms. Emily quickly found herself in a tight embrace and buried her face into Chevalier’s chest as his arms wrapped around her.

  “Welcome back,” he whispered, and kissed the top of her head.

  Emily finally pulled away from him and spotted William a few feet away. She walked over to him and pushed him hard against the shoulders, though he didn’t move.

  “Why do you have to hit me!?” she screamed, and pushed him again. “Why? Huh? I don’t care if you fucking kidnap me but stop hitting me!”

  “I…” he started, but his eyes grew wide when she pushed him again.

  “No more, do you hear me! No more!” She accentuated each word with another shove as she screamed at him.

  “Calm dow…” Frederick started, but she turned to him angrily. The Valle stood back, enjoying her anger at the Encala, and the Equites watched carefully, ready to intervene at any time.

  “Shut up while I’m talking!” she screamed, and slammed her hands into his shoulders. “Why the hell do they hit me? I’m so tired of being hit!”

  “We didn’t…”

  “Em…” Chevalier said from behind her. They Equites were fine with her hitting William, but Frederick’s temper was explosive.

  “Answer me!” she yelled, and pushed him again. “Why do you always hit me? Is it fun? Do you like to hear the bones crack? What’s up with that shit?”

  “I don’t…”

  “I’m tired of concussions and broken bones,” she screamed, and pushed him again. “I’m about ready to go coven to coven and get rid of the Encala!”

  Frederick’s eyes blazed and everyone noticed he was losing control. William quickly put a hand on his shoulder as Chevalier wrapped an arm around Emily’s waist and picked her up.

  “Calm down, Em, he didn’t do it,” Chevalier said, still somewhat amused.

  “Get control,” William growled at Frederick.

  Emily glared at Frederick and fought to get out of Chevalier’s grasp, “Answer me, pencil dick. Why do you have to hit me?”

  Frederick pulled away from William, but found himself face-to-face with four of the Powans. Chevalier put a hand over Emily’s mouth and turned around, grinning.

  “Em… that’s enough,” he said, trying to hide the laughter.

  She stopped fighting when she saw that Quinn was holding a pizza box. Chevalier finally put her down and she went to him and grabbed a slice, immediately eating.

  Chevalier looked over at the Encala and they were all trying to calm Frederick down.

  The Encala’s Chief Enforcer went over and waited for the elevator, “I’ll go revive them and bring them before the Council.”

  Emily turned and finished a bite before holding up the plastic sack, “You can’t revive any of them without this.”

  The Chief Enforcer looked over at her, “You have them in there?”

  “Just pieces of them,” she said, and lowered the bag. The entire area suddenly grew quiet as they watched her.

  “May I have them?”

  “No, you may not,” Emily told him, and she felt the Equites surround her. She looked over when the Valle moved closer.

  “Return our coven, now,” Frederick growled at her.

  “Or what?”

  “Or I’ll take them back.”

  “Everyone calm down,” William shouted.

  “Em… what are you going to do with them?” Zohn asked her.

  “I haven’t decided. Maybe show them a new home in the lake.”

  Frederick growled deeply, “Give them back!”

  “Why do you even want them? They’d petitioned to join the Valle.”

  “How do you know that?” William asked, shocked.

  “I found the rejection letter.”

  “They did?” William asked Sotomar.

  “Yes, they did.”

  “Even more reason to try them before the Council,” Frederick said, his malicious eyes focused on Emily.

  “No,” she told him. “I don’t want them revived.”

  “Give them back!”

  “No!” she screamed, and started for him, but Chevalier picked her up again.

  “I’m not going to let you go fight him,” he said, the amusement no longer in his voice.

  “I’m tired of this!” she screamed. “When I dump these ashes it will prove to every heku that I’m no longer an easy target. I’m not a political weapon, I’m not here to use as ransom, and I’m not going to be their punching bag!”

  “You cannot dump them,” William said softly.

  “Wanna watch me?” she asked, and started to untie the bag.

  “Em, stop,” Quinn said, and turned to her.

  Dustin reached out and took the bag from her before she even saw him coming.

  “Give that back!”

  “This is not yours. It belongs to the Encala,” he told her, and headed for William.

  “Then apparently so do you.”

  Dustin spun and started for her with a growl.

  Zohn moved to him quickly and put a hand on his shoulder to stop him, “No.”

  Chevalier blurred her to Winchester 1 and stepped in, followed by Mark, Kyle, and Quinn. He didn’t let her go until they were in the air.

  “That’s my bag,” she said angrily.

  “I don’t agree with how Dustin did it, but they really do belong to the Encala,” Chevalier told her.

  Emily took another piece of pizza, “Where’s Miri?”

  “Allen drove over. He’s going right back to the island.”

  “I want that bag.”

  “We can’t do that,” Quinn told her.

  Kyle went to the small freezer and pulled out a few cubes of ice. He wrapped them in a towel and handed them to Emily, “Any injuries other than the obvious.”

  She put the ice against her swollen eye and shrugged, “Sonofabitch slammed my head into the wall.”

  “That must be where the blood scent is coming from,” Mark said, and started to look through her hair. “There it is, pretty good cut.”

  Emily batted his hand away, “Leave me alone.”

  Mark grinned and sat back on the soft couch.

  “Do we get to know what’s in the box?” Quinn asked, looking over at the box that Dustin had put into the helicopter.

  Emily shru
gged, “I got it for Chev, but I guess you all can see.”

  “Oh, well thank you,” Quinn chuckled.

  Emily took another piece of pizza and sat by the box. She picked up one file, “This is just the application for that coven to move to the Valle, along with Sotomar’s rejection letter.”

  Zohn took it and looked it over, “We should probably hand that back to the Encala.”

  “Sure,” Emily said, and pulled out a file. “This guy here got caught having an affair with an Equites… Beth. Miri said she lives in Council City.”

  Quinn frowned and took the file, “We didn’t know about that.”

  “Mark…” Zohn started.

  “As soon as we get back, Sir,” Mark answered, already knowing what was coming.

  “This guy here,” Emily said, and took a quick bite. “He pretended to be William and tried to start a war with a Valle coven.”

  “Let me see that one,” Chevalier said, and she handed it over.

  “This guy was killed for trying to warn me about this last kidnapping. He apparently tried to call, but had an old number.”

  “I want to see that,” Kyle said, and reached out for it. Emily handed it over and then turned to the fridge and grabbed some orange juice.

  “What’s the sledgehammer for in Exavior’s old house?” Mark asked.

  “I tried to get Miri to destroy the ceremonial room,” she explained, and then looked around when the heku all gasped and looked at her with wide eyes.

  “You did?” Chevalier asked, surprised.

  “Yes, but she wouldn’t do it.”

  “I would hope not,” Quinn said.

  “So how do you propose I get rid of them all?”

  “There is an official way that takes months of preparation, full Council approval, and at least 20 heku.”

  Emily rolled her eyes, “Or a big sledge hammer.”

  “That’s never been done, it could be dangerous,” Kyle told her.

  “I think I can use a sledge hammer without injuring myself.”

  “That’d be new,” he said, and grinned.

  Emily glared at him, “I’ll manage.”

  “Enough files,” Chevalier said, and sat back. “What happened?”

  “Nothing really. It was kind of boring.”

  “How’d they get you?”

  “They tasered us at the house.”

  “Then what?”

  “Then I woke up in a cell on the floor, Miri was restrained against the wall.”

  “Did they say why?”

  “No, but I know… I killed their mortal.”

  Chevalier sighed, “The Ancient?”

  “Yes”

  “Nice, that wasn’t your fault.”

  “I know that, but apparently they don’t believe it.”

  “Will this mean you’ll be leaving us?” Quinn asked.

  Emily frowned slightly, “Why?”

  “It just seems after being kidnapped, you often leave for a while.”

  She shrugged, “I’m getting used to it.”

  Chevalier growled slightly and Emily smiled at him.

  “Again, guards…” Zohn said, irritated.

  “I know! I know, you don’t have to tell me.”

  “Next time you want to attack an Encala, why don’t you not choose Frederick,” Kyle said, and smiled slightly.

  “They’re lucky I didn’t ash all of them.”

  “But not for the kidnapping…” Quinn said.

  “No… I’m tired of getting knocked around.”

  “I see.”

  “Now my head hurts, my cheek hurts, I can’t see out of my left eye, it’s all annoying as hell… kidnapping I can handle, but it pisses me off to get hit.”

  “Landing in 2 minutes, Elders,” the pilot called back.

  Emily stood up and stretched, then looked out the window.

  “Em?” Chevalier said.

  Emily turned around and he had his cape held out to her. She looked down, slipped it on, and then wrapped it tightly around herself.

  They all got out, Emily last, and headed inside. She looked over and saw Silas and Kralen watching her angrily.

  She narrowed her eyes and walked over to them, “Don’t give me that! I didn’t slip my guards. I told the Council where I was going and with whom.”

  “You should have taken us,” Kralen snapped at her.

  “Yeah well I didn’t… and I don’t need your shit for it.”

  Without a word, Silas blurred away from her and she turned back to Kralen.

  “Give him time, he’s really mad this time,” Kralen told her.

  “I didn’t slip my guards!”

  “Not taking guards is as bad as slipping them,” he said, and lifted her chin to look up at him. He studied her face and then sighed, “Had quite the little beating didn’t you? Where’s the smell of blood coming from?”

  Emily pushed his hand away, “I’m fine.”

  She turned and walked into the palace.

  Chapter 25 - Defense

  Emily felt around in bed for Chevalier, and when she didn’t find him, stretched and sat up. She could hear the wind howling through the eaves and got up to look out the window. The blizzard was bad enough she couldn’t even see the barn. In the two months since her capture by the Encala, it’d snowed almost every day and on those days when it didn’t snow, the temperature dropped below zero. She was ready for some sun, but even the island was in the middle of a cold spell.

  She heard a knock on the door and didn’t even turn, “Come in.”

  “M’Lady, just breakfast,” a soft voice said.

  “Thank you,” she told him, and shut the drapes. By the time she turned around, he was gone and the door was already shut.

  She sat down by the fire and took a cup of coffee, “Who’re my guards?”

  Kralen poked his head in, “Did you need us?”

  “Yes, come sit,” she said, and pushed a chair away from the table with her foot.

  Kralen came in, followed by three members of the Cavalry. He sat down, but the other three positioned themselves around her room.

  “What’s up?” he asked, not sure he should be in her room while she was still in her nightgown.

  “Where’s Chev?”

  “He, Kyle, and Quinn left on a mission. Didn’t he tell you?”

  “Damn, yes he did,” she sighed and took another sip. “Did they take Dustin?”

  “No, he’s here,” Kralen said, fighting back the urge to growl. The Cavalry was still mad over what he did to Emily and how he tried to disband them.

  “It’s going to be hard to stay out of his way with this weather.”

  “It’s not letting up either.”

  “We could take the horses out for some training in the snow.”

  “Except there are only 8 of us left. The others went with the Elder.”

  Emily reached over and grabbed a muffin and ate it while she watched the fire. After a few minutes, she looked over at Kralen, “We could go 4-wheeling.”

  “In this? The Elder would kill us,” Kralen told her.

  “I’m so bored!”

  “I have a penis,” Dain said from behind her. She looked over at him, and he crawled into her arms.

  “Yes, you do… might wanna stop announcing that though,” she told him.

  Dain frowned, “But I do.”

  “We’re all aware of that, Baby.”

  “Where’s yours?” he asked, watching her.

  Emily coughed when she choked on her muffin and sat him down as the heku guards laughed, “On that note, I’m going to take a shower. Will you watch him?”

  Kralen grinned, “Yes.”

  She turned to look at him, “Don’t teach him anything.”

  “I won’t.”

  Emily walked into the bathroom and shut the door just as Dain spoke again.

  “Do you have a penis?” he asked, looking at Kralen.

  “Well… yes.”

  “Kralen!” Emily yelled. “Stop it!”r />
  “What?” he asked through the door.

  “Find something else to talk about,” she said, just as the water started.

  Kralen put the toddler down and watched as he proceeded to strip and then crawled up onto the large bed and began to play with a toy truck.

  “Should we dress him?” one of the guards asked.

  “Won’t matter, he’ll just take them off.”

  “Ok, Sir.”

  The room fell quiet until Emily came back out. She was wearing her black sports bra and cut-off sweat pants that were rolled down low on her hips.

  “Alex!” she called out.

  Alexis came in a few minutes later, reading a book, “I got him…”

  Emily smiled and started out the door, followed by the four guards. When she opened the front door, the hard sleet blew into the palace and she shut the door quickly.

  “I told you it was snowing,” Kralen said.

  “I know that, but I just need to make it to the out-building. I’ll just run,” she said, and then braced herself and opened the door again. She ran for the outbuilding, ignoring how the hard sleet felt like tiny needles against her skin. She shook the snow off of her and out of her hair inside and then headed for the equipment room.

  “We’ll wait out here,” Kralen told her, and two guards moved off to the side door of the room while Kralen and another stood by the front.

  Emily turned on her iPod and then set the treadmill for a steady pace. She debated turning on the TV, but decided to just listen to music and watch the heku in the training room. She didn’t know him, but he looked deeply engrossed in some type of rhythmic dance that she’d seen before on martial arts movies.

  She began to watch him more closely as he practiced kicking, hitting, and blocking. There were several dummies placed around the room and he’d smoothly managed to damage all of them. She stopped the treadmill and watched him closer.

  “Kralen?”

  Kralen stepped in, “Yeah?”

  “Who is that?” she asked, motioning to the heku in the training room.

  Kralen looked over, “That’s Wen. He’s one of the new guards that came in from China.”

  “Does he speak English?”

  “Yes, but he’s quiet, keeps to himself. We’ve heard he’s pretty mean and was sent over specifically to toughen up the guards under him.”

  “What’s his rank?”

  “Lieutenant”