“We’re going in there? It doesn’t look all that safe,” Elliot said.
“You stay if you want,” she told him, and then stepped out and pulled on a coat and then a large, empty backpack. Her throat was closing up with fear. The thought of the dark passageways filled with dead heku was almost more than she could handle. Knowing that her final destination was a ceremonial room that brought back memories of the Yisolatara ritual, almost sent her running.
Robin frowned and looked over at her as her pulse raced, “Are you sure you wanna go in there?”
She nodded, afraid that if she spoke the horror would be too evident. She took a deep breath and then headed into the mouth of the cave. The entry way seemed too quiet, as if an unnatural stillness had fallen over the area. All she could hear was the thudding of footsteps from the heku behind her.
“I smell dead heku down here,” Robin whispered. He looked at Elliott and the heku nodded.
Emily stopped and looked at him, “Do you smell any live heku?”
“Other than us? No.”
She used her flash light and slowly made her way through the cave, fully expecting at any moment to run into the first decapitated corpse of the Ferus Guards. There was a clear path made through the rubble, and larger rocks were pushed off into side rooms. Still no bodies had been found and after twenty minutes of heading deeper into the cave, Emily turned to Robin.
“You said you smelled dead heku?”
“Yes”
“So where are they?”
He frowned, “I don’t know these caves.”
“There’s another smell,” Elliott told her. “I don’t know what it is though.”
“Could it be live heku?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“These walls are covered in blood,” Robin told her. She moved the flashlight over and it showed crimson stains across the wall and ceiling.
“So where are the bodies?”
He frowned and turned towards her, “Are we down here looking for dead heku?”
“No”
They walked further in silence, Emily leading the way with her flashlight, and the heku walking behind her and staying on guard. It was hours later when they came to a heavy rock door and stopped.
Emily swallowed hard and looked at it.
“You don’t want to go in there,” Robin said, and put a hand on her arm.
“We have to.”
“We came all this way to go into a ceremonial room?”
“This is where the Ferus tried to turn me into a Yisolatara,” Emily whispered.
“What!?” Elliott yelled. “We can’t be in here!”
“Why are we here?” Robin asked her.
“Open the door,” she said, barely above a whisper.
“No, it’s out of the question.”
She turned to him, “Open it or leave and I’ll figure out a way.”
“We can’t go in there,” Robin told her. “We all know what happened and it’s completely against all rules.”
“Fine,” Emily huffed, and then stuck the flashlight in her pocket. She braced herself and pulled on the door, but was only able to open it an inch.
“You can’t get in there without help,” Elliott said.
Emily sighed, “I’m not leaving without getting in there, so I suggest you open it so we can get back to Council City.”
She waited while Robin and Elliott discussed things, and it was a few minutes before Elliott sighed and opened the door.
Emily was the first to step in, and immediately spied the thirteen bodies lying across the floor. She instinctively covered her nose, but then frowned and lowered her hands, “No smell?”
“Why would they smell?” Robin asked as he touched one of the blue robed heku with his foot. The hoods were covering all of the bodies, but their heads were tossed around the room.
“Decay…” she whispered, and then pushed against Exavior’s arm with her foot. When the robe pulled up, it exposed perfectly preserved flesh, and she screamed and started for the door.
Elliott blocked her, “Calm down… he’s dead.”
Emily couldn’t speak. She pushed against him and when he didn’t move, she turned toward Exavior’s body with wide eyes.
“Heku don’t decay very quickly. It can take decades to show even the slightest sign,” Robin said. He looked up at her, “You should know that.”
“They don’t?” she asked, not sure she believed him.
“Of course not. He’s dead.”
She nodded and then walked over to where Exavior’s head was lying up against the wall. Sotomar had ripped his hood off at the same time, and it was still covering his head.
Emily knelt down, grasped the hood, and then tried to calm her nerves before moving it away from his face. She screamed when his dead eyes peered up at her and she made a lunge for the door. This time Robin stopped her.
“He’s dead. I swear,” Robin said, holding her tightly. He was afraid if she took off through the cave in a panicked run, that she’d hurt herself.
She pulled against the large heku and pressed her face against his chest, trying to erase the memory of Exavior’s lifeless eyes. When she finally calmed down, she looked up at Robin.
“I need your cape,” she said softly. The cave was so quiet that any sound was amplified.
He nodded and unclasped it before handing it to her. Emily spun before her nerves could prevent it, and then walked over hesitantly.
“What are you doing?” Elliott asked.
“Taking his head,” she whispered. She could feel the heku’s eyes on her as she knelt down and carefully wrapped his head in the green cape.
“Why?” Robin asked.
She ignored him and made sure the cape was all around the head before shoving it into her backpack and putting it back on.
“Can we go now?”
Emily focused in on the three metal cuffs on the ground. They were situated so her body formed the Y needed for the Yisolatara ritual. She reached out and touched them lightly, then jerked her hand back when her fingers brushed against the ice-cold steel.
“Someone’s down here,” Robin whispered. Emily turned and saw that both of the heku were crouched toward the door.
“Who?” she asked quietly.
“I don’t know the scent.”
“Damn, whoever it is is fast,” Elliott said.
“Shhhh,” Emily hissed.
“It’s too late,” Robin said as his hands balled into fists. “He’s already coming for us.”
“Then run,” Emily told them. “I can ash them, but you two need to get out.”
“We’re not guarding you to run,” Elliott told her, somewhat offended.
“Back up,” Robin whispered. The three of them all stepped back just as Emily heard a shuffle outside of the door.
“No use hiding,” Elliott called out. “Make yourself known.”
There was a soft laugh before the door opened slowly. Emily used her flashlight to show who entered, but her breath caught when the silvery eyes of an Ancient peered from behind a dark cloak.
“Stay back,” Robin growled.
“A mortal and two heku… how very odd,” the Ancient said as he closed the door behind him. “Were you feeding?”
“I’m not a donor,” Emily said indignantly.
His eyes narrowed and he inhaled, “Why do you have the stench of Arrianus?”
“Leave her alone,” Elliott said, and then stepped closer.
The Ancient smiled, “You are too young to take me on, Dear Boy.”
“We can at least try.”
“Besides… I don’t need heku protection from you,” Emily said.
He stepped around the heku and smiled at Emily, “I guess I should introduce myself… I am Gaspar.”
“I don’t care who you are,” Robin spat.
“Well I can’t let you go now,” Gaspar said, amused. “You know my hideout.”
“Just let us go and we won’t tell,” Emily said.
He sm
iled, “You have no choice in it, mortal. Mmmm, that scent.”
The instant Gaspar inhaled, Robin and Elliott moved closer to block the Ancient’s path to Emily.
“You didn’t answer me, Child. Why do I detect Arrianus on you?” Gaspar asked.
Emily shrugged, “I have no idea.”
Without warning, Robin started to laugh, and then stood up out of his defensive posture.
“Robin?” Emily asked, confused.
Gaspar smiled, “Come in, Dion. Stop playing and meet our guests.”
Emily watched with wide eyes as Elliott moved to the wall of the ceremonial room and sat down against it with a grin. He dug a small knife out of his pocket and started a game of tic-tac-toe with himself in the dirt.
She backed up against the wall as another Ancient appeared and smiled at Robin before turning his dull, gray eyes to Emily, “What did you find?”
“A toy,” Gaspar said.
Robin sighed and laid down on the dirt floor, then began counting his fingers nonchalantly.
“Robin?” Emily asked again.
“Oh do leave them alone. They’re having fun,” Dion said. He smiled and moved closer to Emily, “A succulent mortal you found, Gaspar.”
“Yes, she is.”
“What did you do to my guards?” she asked, watching as Elliott crossed out his game of tic-tac-toe and then began drawing stick figures in the dirt with his knife.
Dion smiled, “A little talent of mine. They’re fine though… quite… well… pre-occupied.”
“Very odd, she’s bonded to a heku,” Gaspar said when his eye caught the essence ring on her finger.
“How low… who, My Dear, would bond with you?” Dion asked.
Emily’s eyes narrowed, “I’m the wife of Equitis.”
Dion leaned his head back and laughed, “Equitis marry a mortal? I think not…”
“Ooooh she’s not fully mortal,” Robin said with a grin. He looked up at the runes painted on the ceiling and began to count them slowly.
“What does he mean, Child?” Gaspar asked.
Emily fought to calm her breathing, “I have no idea, he’s delusional apparently.”
“Equitis wouldn’t marry a mortal,” Dion said, and stepped closer. “Unless he wanted his donor closer.”
“I think not,” Emily huffed. “Equitis doesn’t feed from me.”
“Pity”
“I suggest you let us go or you’ll have to face him.”
Dion shrugged, “No we won’t… Equitis knows his place and won’t care if we kill just one little mortal.”
“She’s not fully mortal,” Robin sang, and then started to laugh after he cut his finger with the knife he was attempting to spin in one hand.
Gaspar’s eyes narrowed, “Explain that… now.”
“I told you, he’s wrong,” Emily told him.
“You, on the floor… is this Child fully mortal?” Dion asked Elliott.
Elliott shook his head and smiled, “Nope.”
“So I’m part heku, who cares?”
Gaspar slowly walked to Emily’s side, studying her, “There’s more to it… but what I think is impossible.”
“Let’s just kill her,” Dion said.
“No, let’s play first,” Gaspar suggested, and then smiled at Emily.
“I’m not going to let you hurt me or those two heku,” Emily said.
Dion chuckled, “You’re going to stop us?”
“Yes”
“How? Going to bleed on us?”
“No, but I can turn you to ash.”
“You?” he asked, now amused.
She nodded, but a fear ran through her, one seated deeply, that if she were to ash the Ancients, she might go unconscious and be at the mercy of her confused guards.
“Have the young heku given you that ability?” he asked, smirking.
“In a way… Ulrich did.”
“Who is Ulrich?”
“He’s an Old One. He started my family, and somehow gave us the ability to turn heku to ash,” Emily said. She hoped they would just believe her and let her go.
“A liar, this one,” Gaspar said, smiling at her. “What else can you do?”
“I’m not lying.”
“Sure you aren’t.”
“Oh look… if you stare at the runes they look blue,” Elliott said from the floor.
Emily sighed, “Here’s the deal. I can turn you to ash… you won’t be able to even scream before it’s done… so I suggest you let me go and I’ll return to Council City and forget I ever saw you.”
Gaspar smiled, and then inhaled, “Me first.”
Emily barely had time to scream before he had her pinned to the wall and his teeth were sunk deep into her neck. The panic disappeared too quickly and the relaxation that came from feeding hit her harder. She was only partially aware when the Ancient let her go and she slumped to the floor.
“My God,” Gaspar gasped. “She is exquisite.”
“My turn,” Dion said, and immediately latched onto her neck.
Emily managed a small moan before succumbing to the euphoric feeling.
“Don’t kill her,” Gaspar said. “With that flavor she may be useful keeping around.”
Dion let go after some time and then kissed her softly before standing up, “She’s quite beautiful also.”
“Tie her up,” Gaspar said. “We still have to find any Ancients that are left.”
Dion frowned, “You tie her up. I’m not your slave.”
“Fine,” Gaspar growled. He produced a thin leather tie and wrapped it around Emily’s hands at her back. She managed to roll away from them and tried to pull out of the fog that came with low blood.
When the Ancient’s left, still arguing, Emily whispered, “Robin?”
“Yeah?” he asked loudly.
“Shhhh, be quite!”
“Why?”
“Because I said so… come untie my hands.”
“I don’t want to,” he said, and then started to laugh. “It’s funny how often you get tied up.”
She sighed, “No it’s not. Now untie me, please.”
“What’ll you give me?”
“I’ll tell Chev you helped me escape.”
“Naw… he doesn’t reward, he just punishes.”
“Yeah, imagine the punishment when he finds out you let the Ancients have me.”
“Oh, true,” he said, but she still didn’t hear him move.
“Elliott?”
“Shhh,” he whispered.
“Untie me.”
“What?”
“Untie my hands.”
“Who’s talking?” Elliott asked.
“Oh for hell’s sake,” Emily mumbled. It was obvious that she would have to get herself out, and then try to get the two heku to obey long enough to return them to Council City.
***
“Encala Council,” William said over the phone.
“It’s been 3 days and Emily’s not back,” Chevalier told him. “I need to know where she is. She could be in trouble.”
“She’s not back yet?”
“No, where is she?”
William sighed, “We swore we wouldn’t tell you.”
“It’s been too long! She could be injured.”
“Can’t you tell?”
“No… that’s been… sketchy, since I returned from banishment.”
“There’s no real danger in what she’s doing,” Encala Elder Iuna said. “I’m sure she’s fine.”
“Just tell me, damnit!” Chevalier yelled.
“She’s fine,” William said calmly, and then hung up the phone.
Chevalier turned to Kyle, “Do it.”
He sighed, “That’s going to backfire on us.”
“I don’t really care.”
Kyle nodded and disappeared.
***
“You put the lime in the coconut and mix it all up,” Elliott sang. “You put the lime in the coconut and call the doctor, woke him up I said, Doctor, is t
here nothing I can take…”
“Shut up, Elliott!” Emily yelled. “So help me I’ll pay you back for that song.”
“I said, Doctor, to relieve this bellyache.”
Emily tried, once again, to get out of the leather restraints. They were tied tighter than the Equites normally did and she wasn’t able to slip out of them. She’d tried numerous times to call for Chevalier, but wasn’t sure her messages were getting through.
She wasn’t sure how long it had been since the Ancients had restrained her. They came in occasionally to remind her that she would be killed when they were done, but they hadn’t fed. She wondered if they had the restraint to only feed on her occasionally so she didn’t die.
Knowing she didn’t have a choice, Emily decided that the next time the Ancients came in, she would turn one of them to ash. She knew she couldn’t do 3, and suspected that she wouldn’t be able to do 2 at a time either.
“Woooo Woooo is there nothing I can take?” Elliott continued to sing at the top of his lungs.
Emily briefly debated turning Elliott to ash, but wanted to keep up her strength for the Ancients. The hard part of her plan was to catch just one of them in the room. She wasn’t sure if even ashing one with another Ancient around would be harder.
She jerked when she felt a hand on her shoulder, “I do hope you’ve resupplied… I’m thirsty.”
“Do it, I am too,” the other Ancient said. Emily turned her head just as Gaspar’s teeth sunk into her neck.
“Hurry up,” Dion said, anxiously tapping his foot.
Gaspar looked up at Dion, “She has a wrist free… stop complaining.”
“I don’t want her wrist!” Gaspar growled.
Dion shrugged and re-bit Emily’s neck. She was too relaxed when he released her to fight back, and within seconds Gaspar took his turn. Just as she fell unconscious, she heard Elliott begin another round of his song.
Emily woke up and looked around the room. Robin was picking at the wall with his knife, while Elliott continued to sing from beside her. She sighed and studied the room, hoping to find something she could use to help her out. The bodies of the thirteen heku were still strewn around the room, and her backpack with Exavior’s head inside was sitting by the door.
“What time is it?” Emily whispered.
Elliott looked at her and then sang, “It’s time to put the lime in the coconut and mix it all up.”
Ancients and Old Ones : Book 8 of the Heku Series Page 41
