Ancients and Old Ones : Book 8 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  “So I suspect you’re here to get your beloved Council back.”

  Emily glared at him and scanned the Council again.

  “It won’t happen, and as you’re a possession of the Equites, we’ll watch over you.”

  “What do we do with her?” the heku sitting in the Court Reporter’s seat asked.

  “For now, put her in her room,” he said, and then called for members of the Palace Guards.

  Emily didn’t recognize the guards. They escorted her out of the council chambers. She smiled reassuringly at Derrick as she passed, but could tell he was worried.

  Once in the bedroom, Emily immediately began packing a bag. She took out four large bottles of a clear liquid and encased them in layers of clothing so they wouldn’t break. She sprayed herself with a bottle that was partially full and then wrapped it up also.

  She turned when someone walked in, and saw the acting Elder she had been talking to earlier. He shut the door behind him and motioned for the chair, “Please, have a seat.”

  Emily got up and hesitantly sat down, watching him closely.

  He smiled and sat down, “I don’t want any surprises, so let’s go over this carefully, ok?”

  When she didn’t answer, he continued, “No one on the Council likes you. We don’t feel you should be in the palace of the heku, so you will be moved out to the overseer’s room in the stables. You will not turn anyone to ash unless told to do so by the Council. Any disobedience will be dealt with with physical punishment. Do you understand?”

  She watched him, but made no indication that she understood.

  “You will be heavily guarded and we as a Council expect full compliance with anything we order you to do. No selfishness, whining, or complaining. You are the property of the Equites, nothing more.”

  Emily fought to keep her face neutral. She knew she had to show compliance and wait for a chance to get to the ashes of the true Council.

  The Elder looked over at the bag, “Good, you’ve packed. Take that and your guards will show you to the stables. You aren’t to set foot into the palace unless called by a member of the Council. You aren’t worthy to live here.”

  She stood up and grabbed her bag, and then turned to the Elder.

  “Good, so far you’ve done well,” he said, smiling. “We’ll have 3 meals a day brought out to you, but expect to hear nothing from you unless spoken to.”

  Without waiting for her to respond, he opened the door and ordered her guards to take her to the stables. When she got into the cold overseer’s room, she unpacked her suitcase, careful to hide the bottles of liquid where they wouldn’t easily be found.

  ***

  “The Council wants you,” a gruff heku said. He glared her with disdain and snarled as he spoke.

  Emily watched him carefully as she walked out into the stables, and winced when she saw the horses in unkempt stalls. Derrick let them into the council chambers and Emily moved up to stand beside the heku in the trial area.

  “My Dear,” one of the Elders said. “Our Chief Enforcer has gone out for a bit and we need this heku turned to ash immediately.”

  Emily looked over and into the eyes of Lord Dexter from Okanogan coven, Kralen’s home coven. She saw the fear in his eyes as she turned back to the Council.

  “Do it now,” the acting Chief Interrogator said.

  She crossed her arms and watched them. The Chief Investigator suddenly appeared behind her and slammed a thick stick into the back of her knees, sending her in agony to the floor. She caught her breath and looked up at him.

  “Turn him to ash, now,” he growled.

  Emily defiantly stood up, ignoring the growing pain in the back of her knees and faced the Council.

  “Your punishments will increase until you do as you are told,” the Chief of Finance said.

  “Turn him to ash,” the Elder said again.

  She crossed her arms and watched him.

  “It’s ok,” Lord Dexter said. “Don’t take punishment for this.”

  Emily ignored him and glared at the Elder.

  He nodded, “I see that it’s going to take more to get you to be compliant.”

  The Chief Interrogator appeared in front of her and backhanded her to the floor. She looked up as blood dripped from her mouth and she glared at him.

  “Do it,” he hissed.

  Emily stood slowly and faced him as her eye began to swell shut.

  “I will not tolerate disobedience!” the Elder yelled. “Do as you are told!”

  Very slightly, she shook her head.

  When the Chief Interrogator hit her again, she felt her head slam against the cold dirt floor of the trial room and blackness engulfed her vision.

  Once Emily began to wake up, she felt the cold cot beneath her and heard a soft voice, “Em… wake up.”

  She took a deep breath and slowly sat up as her head began to spin. She couldn’t see out of her left eye and her mouth was sore and swollen.

  “Em, can you hear me?” she heard Silas say.

  Emily was finally able to look around and saw that she was in the palace prison.

  “Listen to me,” Kralen whispered. “You need to get out of Council City. Leave the former Council and get out of here. Ash them all if you have to.”

  Emily swallowed and ignored the taste of blood in her mouth as she whispered, “I can’t.”

  “You have to. They are going to use you as the main disciplinarian of the faction.”

  “I have to get you out of here,” she whispered.

  “No, even Chevalier would want you to get out of the palace.”

  Emily laid back on the cot and put her arm under her head. She knew Chevalier would tell her to leave, but she couldn’t live while he suffered in the cold, dark ground.

  “Em, you have to trust us,” Silas said. “Next time they let you out, you have to ash them and get free.”

  “No,” she whispered, and then rolled onto her side.

  It was two days later when a harsh guard opened her cell, “Get out, Winchester. The Council wants to see you again.”

  She sat up slowly and followed him out, still sore from sleeping on a cot. As she passed Silas, he caught her eye and nodded slightly, then sighed when she turned away from him.

  “I caught that, Emily,” Silas called to her.

  Emily started to feel fear as she ascended the steps to the palace. She knew what Silas meant and was afraid others might catch it too. Her masking scent was still tucked safely in the overseer’s room.

  Derrick was no longer at the door, but a stern looking female was there and opened the door when they came close, “You may go in.”

  The heku escorted Emily in, and she stood before the full Council.

  “We’ve been debating, and we feel it’s best to just banish you and put you with the others,” the Elder said. He turned and nodded at the acting Chief Enforcer, who grinned and headed down toward Emily.

  She frowned slightly, not quite sure she’d heard right. When a drop of his blood hit her arm, she wrinkled her nose and wiped it off on her shirt.

  “She apparently can’t be banished,” the Chief Enforcer said to the Council.

  “I was afraid of that,” the Elder said.

  Emily rolled her eyes and then watched them.

  “Are you going to be obedient now?” he asked her.

  She didn’t respond, but watched him.

  “Very well. I just wanted to mention that if you attempt to retrieve any of the banished from the former Council… we will be forced to scatter their ashes to prevent them from being brought back prematurely.”

  Emily tensed, but kept quiet.

  “I’m going to take your silence as a revered silence, done to show respect,” he said, and the others nodded. “Remain in your room until further notice.”

  Emily turned and followed the heku guard out of the council chambers and finally began to relax when she got back into the overseer’s room. As soon as she reapplied the masking scent, she sat d
own to decide what to do.

  She knew her main goal was to free the Council, and then she planned to take them to the Valle for revival. She figured they owed her after she set them free following a coup of the Valle’s leadership. Now that the threat stood though, she had to be sure that when she reached the former Ancient’s room, she wouldn’t get caught.

  Chevalier’s words kept ringing through her head that she wouldn’t be buried if she turned heku to ash, but she still hesitated to turn the palace’s current inhabitants to ash to set the Council free. If she did fall unconscious doing so, she would be at the mercy of whoever found her.

  There was some consolation knowing that Alexis and Dain were safely out of the eye of the Council. She hoped to get word to Allen soon, so he could meet the others in Palau and wait for her and Chevalier to arrive.

  It was two days later when she saw a heku other than those who sporadically delivered food to the stables. He slammed the door open and then stepped aside. Although he didn’t speak, it was obvious that he wanted her to follow.

  After marking her place in her book, she stood up and followed the silent heku into the palace. He stopped at the third-floor foyer and pointed down toward the Elder’s offices.

  Emily shrugged and walked down, not sure which of the three offices she was going to. It became obvious when one of the heku standing at the door opened it and stepped aside. It was surprising to see that the new Elders each had a guard at their door, she hadn’t seen that before.

  “Emily,” the Elder said with a smile. “Come, Child. Have a seat and talk to me.”

  Emily hesitated and then sat down across from Chevalier’s mahogany desk.

  The Elder leaned back in his chair, “I think we got off on the wrong foot. I know it’s disturbing to have your husband banished, but you have to understand that it was for the good of the Equites. It’s well known that, even though mostly mortal, you consider yourself an Equites, so I figured you would understand.”

  She watched him, silently wishing he would suddenly fall over dead.

  “It’s important to the new Council that you learn to obey and do as you’re told. You’re a valuable asset to the Equites, but only if you follow instructions and be obedient.”

  He smiled when she didn’t answer, and then he continued, “I understand that the former Council allowed you a lot of free reign and were very lenient with you. We don’t feel that that is what’s best for the faction, however, we also understand that you can wipe out this entire city, us included.”

  A small smile escaped as she thought about what he was saying.

  “What you don’t understand, is that once a Council is replaced, every member of the faction swears their allegiance to the new Council. If you try anything, you’ll have the entire Equites faction after you.”

  She frowned and her hands tightened on the chair.

  “We’ve been discussing ways to discipline you without seriously injuring you. Obviously you heal some, but not nearly as fast as a full heku, so we have to be careful and not incapacitate you for any length of time. First, we want an odd scent looked into. Course, I don’t catch it now, but earlier this week you had an odd, enticing aroma to your blood.”

  Emily made sure to hold her face neutral.

  “Dr. Edwards is waiting for you in the infirmary. Just know that we have ways of punishing you for disobedience, and it’s very important that we don’t have to use them. Trust me, Emily, your life will be easier if you accept the new Council,” he said, and smiled again.

  A heku guard opened the door and Emily stood up, spun, and walked out with him. She stepped into the infirmary and saw Dr. Edwards waiting. He looked nervous and she had a feeling that he had been threatened. The door shut behind her and she sat down on the table and looked at him.

  “We’ll start with a routine physical,” Dr. Edwards said in an official voice. It was obvious that he was going to stick strictly with procedures.

  After taking her blood pressure, he listened to her heart and lungs and wrote everything in a journal, “Lie back, Dear.”

  Emily sat still and watched him.

  Dr. Edwards frowned, “Emily, lie back on the bed please.”

  Again she didn’t move.

  He sighed and his eyes were pleading, “Please, don’t cause trouble right now.”

  Emily nodded and then laid back on the cold medical bed. Dr. Edwards began pressing against her stomach and when he hit her lower abdomen, his shoulders fell.

  He looked over at her and she nodded slightly. Dr. Edwards swallowed hard and then helped her sit up, “I don’t see any reason for the odd scent, and I don’t detect it now. I will send a report to the Council.”

  She moved to him and wrapped her arms around him. It was comforting to feel the caring arms of a heku she trusted. He hugged her briefly and then stepped back, “I think the Council wants you back in your room.”

  Emily opened the door and the heku looked down at her, “The Council wants to see you first. Follow me.”

  When she was once again standing before the Council, the Elder she had spoken to earlier stood up, “Now we test your ability to behave. Where are your children?”

  Emily looked up at him, but didn’t answer.

  “Fine then… start with Alexis. Do you know where she is?”

  A rumble ran through the Council when she refused to answer.

  The Elder sighed, “Very well. Move up here to the Council stand.”

  Emily stepped forward and looked up at the Elder.

  “Put your hands on the desk.”

  Not quite sure what he was doing, she did as she was told. Emily cried out softly when he smashed a wooden stick against her hands numerous times. She looked up at him and glared when he told her to step back. She glanced down at her hands and saw they were bloody and bruised.

  “As a boy, that was one of my punishments. We are pulling from what we knew as humans. Be forewarned, that’s not the worst of it,” he said, sitting back down. “Where are your children?”

  Fighting back tears from the pain, Emily slowly shook her head.

  “Do not tell us no!” the Chief Enforcer screamed. “Tell us the location of your children or you will have to be punished.”

  Emily crossed her arms and watched the Council.

  The Chief Interrogator nodded, “I do believe she’s familiar with lashings.”

  She looked over at him and glared.

  “Then so be it,” he hissed.

  ***

  Emily rolled over and looked at the window. The sun was shining onto newly fallen snow. The room was cold and the one blanket she had was insufficient. She pulled the blanket higher on her shoulders and wondered what the Council had in store for her today.

  In the last week since Dr. Edwards saw her, she’d been questioned every day on the whereabouts of her children. She wasn’t sure where Allen was, but was comforted that the Council didn’t know either. Allen and Miri had disappeared from Island Coven shortly after the hostile takeover of the palace.

  The lashings started out slow, but became brutally more violent as her silence wore on the Council. Numerous times she had her hands beaten with a stick and it was now too painful to even use them. Sometimes the heku would miss and her forearms were a mass of bruises and bloody cuts.

  Emily was also getting tired of being forced to kneel. She refused to show obedience, so the Council took turns hitting the back of her knees with a steel rod to force her to her knees. There was still a strong part of her that felt the need to curl into a ball and rock, but she realized that she may be the only being that could bring back the true Council and end the tyranny of the acting one.

  The door to the overseer’s room suddenly flew open and she sat up and looked at an angry heku.

  “The doctor informed the Council that you have the flu, they said to bring you this,” he growled, and then put crackers and Sprite on the table. He slammed the door just as Emily dove for the bathroom.

  As she leaned her c
heek against the cold wall of the tiny bathroom a few minutes later, she was able to hear the conversation of the guards posted outside of the stables.

  “I just think it’s odd is all,” one of them whispered. Emily wondered why he wasn’t speaking even quieter, but decided to take advantage and listen in.

  A female added, “The Encala had a complete Council wipe out in the 900’s.”

  “The Equites never have though. I heard that covens aren’t happy and that’s why some of the larger covens are being brought in. Their leaders are banished and replaced with select number of Council supporters.”

  “Some were excited about the change, but some of the policies coming down the line are ticking covens off and I’ve heard of three that have petitioned to join the Valle,” she whispered.

  “Did you hear that the mortal won’t do their bidding?” He sounded amused, “I really think they expected her to obey them and scare the covens into behaving. Rumor has it that she won’t talk to them or do anything they ask. Not sure how long before they just kill her.”

  “I may not like her… but her defiance is awesome.”

  “She can’t last long.”

  “Yeah, well no one’s ever rescued all nine Elders from a hostile takeover either, that’s pretty strong.”

  “True”

  Emily broke the silence with another round of nausea. When she returned to the wall, all she caught was the sound of guard drills out in the snow.

  She began to try to formulate a plan, some course of action that would allow her to gain entry into the Ancient’s room and get the banished Council out of Council City. Now that she wasn’t deemed worthy to live in the palace, it was going to be harder. She also realized that she’d never been able to get the door open on her own, and the windows from the bar were boarded up when the banished were moved inside.

  After an hour, she was finally able to crawl back out to the room and sat down against the bed with the box of crackers. It helped some and she was able to clear her mind a little more. She wasn’t sure what the Council had in store for her, but from the sounds of it, they were making a lot of the Equites covens mad.