Ancients and Old Ones : Book 8 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  “No, it’s none of your business.”

  “I know you called William next.”

  “He told you that!?”

  “No, when I called he denied it…”

  “But you pulled my phone records.”

  Chevalier tried to take her hand, but she pulled it away from him. He studied her before replying, “I’m worried about it.”

  “Don’t be.”

  “Sotomar doesn’t like me… If he told me you’re in danger then I have to take that seriously.”

  “Maybe he’s just trying to cause problems.”

  “I didn’t get that impression.”

  Emily gasped, “You had Richard listen in?”

  “He’s the Chief Interrogator for a reason… I needed to know if what Sotomar was saying was true.”

  “Don’t use your little Council against me!”

  “Stop, right now,” Chevalier said sternly. “I’m not picking a fight. I’m concerned, and I have to use everything available to me to find out how to protect you.”

  “Stop putting your energy into protecting me and focus on the Council.”

  “We’re not…

  “I know the former Council is trying to gather supporting covens…”

  “How do you even know that?” he asked, getting irritated.

  “I know they aren’t gaining ground, which is making them mad.”

  “Still…”

  “No, they’re serious. You’re looking for danger where there is none, and ignoring the danger right in front of you.”

  “We’re not ignoring it.”

  Her eyes narrowed, “If you don’t take care of them, then I’ll have to.”

  Chevalier hissed softly.

  Emily took a deep breath, “I’m just saying that I’m fine. Stop worrying about me calling the Encala. I call them all the time.”

  “Yes, but you don’t normally get a package from them.”

  “Damnit, stop it!”

  “What was it?”

  “Divorce papers… now go away,” she said, and angrily stood up and left the room.

  Chevalier followed her out, but was blocked from the stairs by Alec.

  “She wants to be alone,” Alec said as he crossed his arms.

  “Do not, ever, get in my way,” Chevalier growled.

  “Emi needs to be alone. If you keep pushing, she’ll take off to get away from you and you know it.”

  Chevalier disappeared from in front of Alec and reappeared in his office. He slammed the door shut and sat down to call the Encala.

  “Encala Council,” Elder Iuna said.

  “What did you send Emily in the mail?” Chevalier asked.

  “Why don’t you ask her?” William suggested.

  “No, tell me.”

  “I don’t have to tell you.”

  “Was it dangerous?”

  “No”

  “You’re sure? She has a way of making things dangerous.”

  William chuckled, “That I can see… but no, it’s not dangerous or we would have accompanied it with a guard.”

  “She’s not yours to protect.”

  “That’s not your decision to make.”

  Chevalier slammed the phone down and then thought for a moment before calling Dain into the office.

  “Yeah, Dad?” Dain asked, sitting down across from him.

  “The Encala sent your Mom a package.”

  He frowned, “What was in it?”

  “I was hoping you knew.”

  “I didn’t even know she had a package. I know she’s been in her office for a while though.”

  “If I get Em out of here, will you go in there and find it?”

  “No”

  “What do you mean, no?” Chevalier asked, irritated.

  “I mean I’m not going to make her mad.”

  “She won’t even know.”

  “Oh, she’ll know,” Dain said, standing up. “I’m not going to risk being kicked out of here… Who would watch Alec?”

  “Damnit, why is everyone else always trying to protect her?”

  “Because you’re seldom here.”

  Chevalier glared at him, “Get out of my sight.”

  Dain shrugged and blurred away.

  ***

  Emily was curled up with the binder when she finally came across the Ancient she was looking for. She sat up straighter and carefully read through the file on Paian, the Ancient that had the ability to reattach a heku’s head and bring them back to life.

  Her heart almost stopped when she read the last passage

  Paian seems to prefer reviving deceased heku that can cause problems with enemies of the Valle. Though never sworn in as a Valle, he seems to favor them. Just before being banished beneath the Equites Palace, Paian had just revived a slain heku that had once tried to usurp power from the Equites Council. ~Equitis, Chief Enforcer of the Equites

  Emily looked around her office as she tried to decide what to do. There was one good way for the Valle to get revenge on the Equites, and she figured it was her job to make sure Paian hadn’t done it while he was revived. She’d called the Valle to see if Sotomar would tell her about the Ancient that could revive the dead, but he refused to answer her questions, including whether he had been awakened by Thutmose.

  The Encala, because no Old One was on their Council, wasn’t sure if he’d been awakened, but finally relented in sending her all they knew about the Ancients. The binder they’d sent her was compiled by an Old One in the Valle and given to each of the factions, to be kept secret in case the need arose to someday revive the Ancients.

  Emily knew if she was going to do this, it was going to have to be now while Chevalier and Kyle were both with the Council. One of them was normally at the house with her, but the current trial was important enough that both had to be there. She also suspected that Mark was involved in the trial, as she hadn’t seen him in a few days either.

  Deciding it had to be done to protect herself, her family, and the Equites, Emily picked up the phone and called the Encala.

  “Council,” Elder Iuna said.

  “Hi, it’s Emily.”

  “Well, hello, Child.”

  “Is William around?”

  “I’m here. Are you well?” William asked.

  “Yes, but I need another favor that needs to be kept from the Equites.”

  William chuckled, “Trying to cause tension, are we?”

  “No, not at all. This is a big one though.”

  “What do you need?”

  “I need to know the location of the coven that tried to turn me into…” She paused, knowing how badly heku reacted to the word. “Turn me into a Yisolatara.”

  As expected, the Encala Council burst out into angry talking.

  “Please, William…” Emily said after she let them vent for a few minutes.

  “Why do you need to know that?”

  “I can’t tell you… but I do.”

  “He wasn’t revived.”

  Emily sighed when she realized William had pieced together prior requests to figure out what she wanted.

  “I have to check.”

  “Then I’ll send someone to see.”

  “No, it has to be me.”

  “Why?” Elder Iuna asked.

  “I’m the only one that can stop him if he’s back,” she whispered.

  William was no longer amused, “Stop trying to protect the Encala!”

  “If he’s back… I need to do this.”

  “He wasn’t revived. The Ancient you asked about wouldn’t have even heard of Exavior, let alone know that he’s an enemy of yours.”

  “I have to know.”

  “It’s too dangerous,” William said softly.

  “You said he’s not been revived… How can it be dangerous to go to the cave and see?”

  “That is true.”

  “I’ll take guards, I swear.”

  “I guess there’s no harm in it then.”

  Emily was relieved when he fin
ally relented and told her the location of the caves in Wyoming. Now she just had to fulfill her promise and take guards, but she needed ones that wouldn’t stop her.

  She walked out of her room when she heard Megara talking to Dain in the hallway.

  “It’s about time you poke your head out,” Dain said as he picked up the toddler.

  Emily smiled, trying to hide her concern, “Sorry about that. Can you do me a favor and take Megs over to Chev for a bit?”

  Dain shrugged, “I guess.”

  “Daddy!” Megara squealed, and then pointed at the door. “Go.”

  Emily smiled. Megara had always shown a strong attachment to her Dad.

  “I thought Dad was busy with some trial or something,” Dain said.

  She shrugged, “Guess he’s done for a bit. I just need a few minutes alone to go over some stuff.”

  “Now?”

  “Yes, please.”

  Dain sighed and then nodded, “Sure thing.”

  Megara was obviously excited as Dain carried her out of the house. As soon as Dain’s truck left the driveway, Emily walked out of the house and locked it behind her.

  “Who’s out here?” she asked into the empty lot.

  Six members of the Cavalry stepped out from around the building and met up with her. She didn’t recognize five of them, but one was Gifford, from Thukil.

  “Is there a problem?” a strange Commander asked her. He quickly surveyed the area.

  “Not at all,” she said, smiling. “I’m heading into town and want to take two of you with me.”

  He frowned, “You’re offering to take guards?”

  “Sure”

  “Fine, I’ll go with…”

  “No, that one,” she said, pointing to a newer member of the Cavalry.

  “Me? Ma’am?” he asked, shocked.

  She noticed another very new heku and pointed at him, “You… are going.”

  “Why can’t I go?” the top ranking heku asked.

  “Because I’m a member of the Council and I say those two go,” she said, crossing her arms.

  He snarled, “Fine.”

  Emily walked to the garage and one guard opened the door for her. He looked at his Commander, and then shut the door and got into the Jeep. She headed out of the garage and fought to keep her hands from shaking. She was afraid she’d find Exavior revived and wasn’t sure she could survive an encounter with him. She knew she was willing to do whatever it took to take him out.

  “I thought we were just going into town,” one heku asked from the passenger seat.

  Emily smiled and held out her hand, “Phones please.”

  “Why?”

  “Don’t ask me why!” she yelled. “Hand them over.”

  He sighed and handed his cell phone to her, as did the heku in the back seat. He wasn’t at all surprised when she tossed them both out the window.

  The heku smiled when Emily looked at him, but spoke too low for her to hear when she turned away, “When we get back, let’s suggest to Mark that the Council do something with the phone habit.”

  The heku in the back seat agreed, and then sat back, wondering what was in store for them.

  “Where are you from?” she asked the heku in the passenger seat.

  “Shaw Coven, Ma’am.”

  “What’s your name?” Emily asked after about an hour of driving in silence.

  “Robin, Ma’am.”

  She sighed, “Stop with the Ma’am thing. I quit the Cavalry.”

  “You’re a member of the Council.”

  “Fine, then I order you to call me Emily.”

  “Can I speak openly?”

  “Please do.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Wyoming”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t want you to know yet,” she said, and then glanced back at the heku in the back seat.

  “So it’s dangerous?”

  “Maybe”

  “Then if we’re being completely open,” the heku in back said. “You’re going to get us banished.”

  “No I won’t. I’ve done this before and the Council knows you don’t have a choice.”

  “Are you just going to drop us off in the middle of nowhere?”

  “No, you’re going with me.”

  “But we won’t know where,” Robin said.

  “Right”

  “2 years on the Cavalry and I’ll be banished,” the back seat one mumbled.

  “What’s your name?” Emily asked.

  “Elliott”

  “Where’s your home coven?”

  “Powan”

  “Oh, you’re a wolf?”

  “You could say that.”

  “Good to know, may come in handy.”

  “How so?”

  ***

  “That was how long ago?” Chevalier asked the highest ranking of the Cavalry at Emily’s house. He shifted Megara to his other arm so she wasn’t in between him and the Commander.

  “It was 4 hours ago, Sir.”

  “Why did no one notify me?”

  “Orders are to notify you of anything suspicious. She just wanted to go into town for a bit.”

  “With 2 guards… that she picked!”

  “Nothing on their cell phones,” Silas said, blurring up. “My guess is she tossed them out the window.”

  “We need to stop that,” Kralen hissed.

  Kyle joined them on the lawn, “She called the Encala just before leaving.”

  Chevalier sighed, and looked around the lawn, “She hasn’t taken off like this since before her death.”

  “I’m guessing she felt it was important.”

  “What did the Encala say?”

  Kyle shrugged, “The usual… they said it wasn’t dangerous and they won’t say.”

  Chevalier turned to Kralen and Silas, “Search her office.”

  They both bowed and then disappeared from the lawn.

  Megara laid her head gently against Chevalier’s shoulder and smiled at Kyle, “It’s my Daddy.”

  Kyle smiled, again amazed at how much she looked like Emily, “Yes, it is.”

  “He’s mad at Mommy.”

  Kyle chuckled while Chevalier moved Megara so she could see him, “Do you know where Mommy went?”

  Megara nodded and put her tiny hands on Chevalier’s face, “She went bye-bye.”

  “Do you know where though?”

  The toddler wrapped her arms around her Dad’s neck and shook her head, “Just bye-bye.”

  Chevalier went back inside when a cool breeze came up. Megara shivered in his arms and then looked over when he stepped into the warm house.

  He set her on the floor and then started for Emily’s office.

  “Hey!” Megara shouted.

  Chevalier turned and then smiled when he saw her frowning, “What?”

  She held her hands up and waited for him.

  Kyle chuckled as Chevalier returned to the toddler and picked her up. She smiled at him and then went with Chevalier into Emily’s office. Her attachment to her Dad was starting to worry some of the Council. He seemed intent on spoiling her and giving her anything she wanted, and Megara was turning into a demanding toddler. They suspected that Chevalier gave the 3-year-old things that he wished Emily would take, and lavished her with expensive gifts and a lot of attention.

  “Find anything?” Chevalier asked, walking into her office.

  Kralen looked up, “Nothing yet… We’re almost in the safe though.”

  Silas was knelt down by the safe and had one ear pressed close to the dial. Within a few minutes, he’d managed to crack the safe and opened it. He immediately began emptying its contents.

  Kralen first picked up the large binder and then sighed and looked over at Chevalier, “This is a copy of the Ancient Registry.”

  He growled and put Megara down, despite her protests, then began going through it, “Damnit! How would she get this?”

  “Encala would be my guess,” Silas said as he looked
over the other things in her safe.

  “So much for staying out of heku business.”

  “What is this?” Silas asked, holding up warped book.

  Chevalier took it and couldn’t help but smile, “The first time I ever saw Em she was in the bathtub. I startled her and she dropped this book into the water. Odd she kept it.”

  Kralen chuckled, “Go figure… the first time you saw her she was naked.”

  Chevalier smiled and handed the book back, “What else is in there?”

  “Some old, dirty, Island Coven shirt,” Silas said, and handed it over to Chevalier.

  He smelled it and frowned, “This is mine.”

  “Why would she have that?”

  “Not a clue.”

  “My guess would be from the Crypt,” Kyle said. “You gave her that shirt when we found her.”

  “That’s right. Then she dropped it to the floor though.”

  “She must have grabbed it one of the times she went back.”

  “I didn’t realize how sentimental Em is,” Kralen said.

  “She has a bikini top in here too,” Silas said, and tossed it up to Kyle.

  Kyle quickly tossed it back and nervously headed for the door, “I’ll go contact the Encala again.”

  Silas chuckled and put it back into the safe, “I thought I recognized it.”

  “She has our pins in here,” Kralen told them, and turned to look at Chevalier.

  “That’s enough, put that stuff back and lock it,” Chevalier told him.

  Kralen nodded and used the heku memory to put everything exactly where they found it, including the 3-ring binder. Once it was locked, they all left and relocked her office door.

  ***

  Emily pulled up to the dark face of the cave around midnight, and shut off the Jeep.

  “What’s in there?” Robin asked, straining to see into the mouth of the cave.

  “Hopefully nothing. Is that opening clear?”

  “Yes, I can see about twenty feet back.”

  “Damnit, the Encala were supposed to have closed it off.”

  “They might have,” Robin said. “There’s rubble pushed off to the side.”

  Emily’s heart pounded, “Moved recently?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  She grabbed in the glove box and pulled out a flashlight.