Ancients and Old Ones : Book 8 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  “For about a month, then you’d be begging to go back.” Chevalier slipped on sun glasses and sat down in the chaise next to her. They both quietly watched the crystal blue water lap against the white sands of the private island.

  “It’d be worth a try.”

  “I’m sorry I was on the phone when you got up,” he said, taking her hand. “How are the shakes and nausea?”

  “Better”

  “Dr. Edwards said you should be home free by next Friday.”

  “Dr. Edwards is a moron.”

  Chevalier smiled, “I’m sure he is…”

  “It’s gotten easier though… not that I wouldn’t sell your left nut for a cigarette.”

  “Nice,” Chevalier said, laughing.

  “What was your meeting about?”

  “The usual. The Valle now have paperwork proving that you need to be turned over to them for a trial.”

  “I didn’t know heku had paperwork.”

  “Most don’t… the Valle do apparently.”

  Emily sat up and crossed her legs, facing him, “What are you and I going to do about the Valle?”

  “I’m not sure there’s much we can do. We’ve been warring so long the world might come to an end if we stop.”

  “So we just let them keep finding new and inventive ways to kidnap me?”

  “No, we just…”

  “Double my guards? Lock me in the council chambers?”

  Chevalier smiled, “No, we just do our best.”

  “That’s boring. I want to do something pro-active.”

  “What, exactly, did you have in mind?”

  “Why don’t we wipe them out like you did the Encala a while back?”

  “The Valle will be harder. There are twice as many of them.”

  “But this time I can help.”

  “If we start wiping out Valle Covens, their Council is going to press harder to get you, and this time, they may choose death. At least for now, when they do have you, you aren’t tortured or confined.”

  Emily sat back and looked out over the water, “It’s amazing how things have changed since we first me.”

  “I know, it was simpler back then.”

  “Everything was. The castle scared the crap out of me. The thought of being surrounded by blood-thirsty immortals was terrifying. Now though, it’s comfortable and I like it.”

  He smiled, “I sometimes wonder.”

  “I haven’t been fed off of in a long time. Keith’s a distant memory, although it seems he keeps coming into play.”

  “So tell me about Charles.”

  “Charles Morris,” Emily said, and then a smile played across her lips. “He’s 2 years old than I am, but his ranch was by ours so we grew up together. I started calling him Chuck Norris before school even started. By the time I got into 5th grade, the entire school called him that. When I was 15, he started working for my Dad under Keith’s supervision.”

  “Keith told him some interesting things.”

  “Yeah, Keith always thought I was spending his money, sleeping around, stealing from him, that sort of thing.”

  “Sounds to me like he was accusing you of what he was doing.”

  “More than likely. After a few years of working with Keith, he started to act like him and became all around grouchy. By that time Keith and I were married. One night Keith and Chuck got drunk and started to play poker. Keith put a night with me up on the table and Chuck won.”

  Chevalier frowned, “He’s hit an all-time new low.”

  “Yes, well… when I found out I refused. So Keith put me in the hospital for making him look bad. After that, Chuck kept trying for his one-night stand, and Keith let him, because no one goes back on a poker bet.”

  “Kept trying how?”

  “Little things. He’d corner me in the barn and start kissing me. I can’t count how many times I kneed him in the groin for being too handsy. After a couple of years he quit trying, but by then he hated me and would urge Keith into beatings. He’d tell Keith that he saw me in town with one of the Sani boys, or coming out of a hotel with a stranger in a suit.”

  “Sounds more Encala than Valle,” Chevalier said. He was surprised he was just hearing this after all of this time with Emily, and briefly wondered why she was telling him.

  “Last I heard from Chuck, he’d knocked up Bridget Kunzak and married her in a shotgun wedding… it was a real shotgun wedding too. Her Dad stood behind the preacher with a 12 gauge.”

  “Was he still working for Keith when we met?”

  “No, when Dad had his stroke and I inherited the ranch, I fired him. That was a fun night.”

  “I bet.”

  “When I got out of the hospital, Chuck had moved to Joplin, Missouri with Bridget and within the year was in jail for beating her.”

  “Your past keeps rearing its ugly head,” Chevalier said.

  “That’s the thing… it’s the past. The past forms what we are and who we become. That’s what’s so frustrating about what the Valle did with the re-memory. It’s bad enough to kidnap me and erase our relationship, but in doing so they changed me.”

  “It’s a dangerous road.”

  Emily looked over at him, “I can feel the memories surface once in a while, but when I realize I’m in the palace or in my house, I remember the truth. I’m afraid one of these days it’s going to fully come back and I won’t ever remember.”

  “I am too.”

  “So fix it.”

  “It’s too dangerous. We don’t know what messing with your mind like that would do to you. You could wake up a complete amnesiac.”

  “Isn’t that better than waking up a Valle?”

  “We’ll figure it out, I promise.”

  She nodded, and after a few minutes spoke again, “I want to talk about Andrew.”

  Chevalier’s body tensed slightly, “What about him?”

  “He’s my friend, and I trust him.”

  “I know.”

  “I want you to trust him also.”

  “My distrust goes far beyond his crush on you.”

  “He doesn’t have a crush on me. You’re so afraid I’m going to run off with some other heku that you think everyone’s out to woo me.”

  He frowned, “Andrew looks at you like he’s moments from carrying you off to bed.”

  “He’s never even tried anything like that.”

  “Good to know. You just have bad luck with heku admirers and you’re closer to Andrew than any so far.”

  “Is it that or is it that he’s an Encala?”

  “That doesn’t help.”

  “It would just be nice if you didn’t scrutinize his every move when we’re together.”

  “I just don’t want him to hurt you like the others.”

  “You mean Exavior.”

  “You’re so trusting, it scares me.”

  “He’s earned his trust though.”

  “How is it you can tell him about the forearm torture, but you can’t tell me?” Chevalier asked as he took her hand.

  “Because he won’t tell anyone, and he won’t use it.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”

  “I am sure of that.”

  “So tell me what it is.”

  “No, it’s nothing you need to do to a heku.”

  Chevalier thought for a moment, “You aren’t upset with my water tank?”

  “Not upset, no.”

  “Something else?”

  “Scared to death may be more the term.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because I’m afraid if anything happens to you, someone will put me in it.”

  He involuntarily tightened his grip.

  “Heku like to push my limits… but I can’t take drowning.”

  “No one would put you in there.”

  She looked over at him, “You know they would.”

  “Then I’ll get rid of it.”

  Emily sat back and shut her eyes for a moment before speaking again, “Wh
at did you do to Robin and Elliott?”

  His voice sounded tense, “What do you mean?”

  “They used to guard me, but haven’t since the run-in with Dion.”

  “I didn’t do anything to them.”

  “Not even Robin?”

  “No”

  She smiled, “But you wanted to.”

  “Well, damn! He seriously broke the no-touching rule.”

  “So why aren’t they guarding me anymore?”

  “It was their request, actually.”

  She frowned, “Why?”

  “Embarrassed I would imagine. They asked to be assigned to the city only.”

  “I’ll talk to them when we get back. That wasn’t their faults.”

  “Elliott’s not too bad, all he did was sing. Robin fears for his life.”

  “You won’t touch him though, right?” Emily asked, looking over at him.

  “No, though I wouldn’t mind.”

  “It was Dion.”

  “The attraction had to be there first for it to surface.”

  “Beer goggles.”

  Chevalier grinned, “It wasn’t beer goggles.”

  She shrugged and shut her eyes again to soak up the sun.

  “I want to talk about your self-destructive behavior,” Chevalier said.

  “I don’t have self-destructive behavior.”

  “Well no, not right now. I need to know that if I ever do die, or get banished, that you’ll be ok.”

  “I won’t let them banish you.”

  “Ok then, death.”

  She sighed, “I didn’t sign up for this immortal crap. I never wanted to live forever, so I sure as hell am not going to do it without you.”

  “That’s not very comforting.”

  “That’s the way it is.”

  “But the kids…”

  “The kids, Megara aside, don’t need a Mom anymore.”

  Chevalier took her hand, “They need you. No one else knows what it’s like to be part-heku, except you.”

  “You’re trying to get me to behave if you die, and I won’t do it. Most heku had the option to stay alive forever, I didn’t, and I wouldn’t have chosen that.”

  “What’s so bad about it? You get to see the changes in the human race, you get to see progression, make new friends, see new places…”

  “Get 1 million colds, suffer from the flu, keep having babies, get in car wrecks, stub your toe for eternity. I don’t want to keep watching tornadoes wipe out entire towns, or hurricanes ruin the lives of anyone it crosses. I don’t want to see World War III or find out that my last relative is dead.”

  Chevalier sighed, “I’m sorry that you didn’t get a choice. Killing yourself if I die isn’t a good option though.”

  “I didn’t necessarily try to kill myself.”

  “Probably not consciously, no.”

  Emily’s voice dropped to a whisper, “It’s the only way I could stop hurting.”

  “There has to be another way.”

  “No, end of discussion. If you and the kids disappear tomorrow, I’m going to somehow find a way to remove my head.”

  “Damnit, Emily. This isn’t a joke.”

  “I’m not kidding.”

  He sighed, “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  “I’m not going to discuss this. If it happens, you obviously won’t be around to stop it.”

  After a few minutes of silence, Chevalier looked at her again, “So were you going to tell me about buying land out from under the Valle?”

  “I’m sorry about not telling you.”

  “What happened?”

  “The land behind my house came for sale and Alec found out that the Valle put in a bid. I didn’t want a back-door babysitter, so I used Exavior’s money, doubled the asked for price, and bought it with cash with the stipulation that no other bids could be taken.”

  He smiled, “That was pretty smart, actually.”

  “That’s why I ashed you and Kyle. I had to get to the bank within 3 hours of the offer.”

  “An explanation would have been nice.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry.”

  “What are you going to do with the land?”

  “I’m not sure actually. Alec is cleaning it up when he’s available and I’d like to get it zoned for livestock.”

  “You are putting a lot of trust in Alec.”

  “He’s all of my Dad I have left,” Emily whispered.

  “I know, I really do. I just get nervous when I think of you and he alone.”

  “I don’t fully trust him, but I have to give him a shot and he’s done nothing. When I took the land from the Valle, Sotomar showed up and threatened to punish him for leaving the Valle. It didn’t seem like a show to me.”

  Chevalier nodded and took her hand, “Just be careful around him.”

  Chapter 26

  “One more round,” Emily said, and then she turned and watched a member of the Cavalry ride his mare around the corral.

  “So?” he asked when he stopped in front of her.

  “She’s good to go. Let me know if the limp comes back.”

  He nodded and then rode off to catch up with his battalion. Emily turned and looked around the area with the stables before brushing off and heading back into the palace.

  “Where are your guards?” the Door Guard asked as he bowed slightly and opened the door.

  Emily turned and looked behind her, “Not sure actually.”

  The Guard sighed softly.

  “I didn’t ditch them!” she said.

  “I’ll notify the General.”

  “Fine, but I didn’t ditch them.” Emily walked into the palace and headed up the stairs. She stopped on the fourth-floor when she heard yelling from the council chambers.

  Derrick blocked the door when she walked up, “Can I help you?”

  “Who’s yelling?”

  “Wasim’s Coven Lord.”

  “Why?”

  Derrick smiled, “You’d have to take that up with the Council.”

  “Do they need me?”

  “No”

  She narrowed her eyes and then turned and walked up the stairs. She was only slightly surprised that Mark had replaced her guards already and they were waiting at her bedroom door.

  Silas watched her walk up, “Where are your guards?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t ditch them.”

  “Clipper said when you cleared his horse for return to the Cavalry, your guards were waiting by the stables.”

  “Well I didn’t see them.”

  “Welcome back, by the way,” Silas said with a smile. He reached over and opened the door for her.

  A smile played across her lips, “It was so nice.”

  “I bet.”

  “No phones… no kids… no guards…” Silas chuckled when Emily walked past him and into her room while she started to list everything in Council City.

  Emily dropped her cowboy hat onto the table and pulled off her gloves as she looked at an envelope over on the table by the fire. She walked over and looked at it. It was a simple white envelope with her name on it. She opened it quickly and pulled out a note written on plain white paper. The note simply said, “If I were you, I would run.”

  She frowned and checked the envelope for something else, but it was empty. After re-reading the note a few times, she slipped it back into the envelope and buried it deep in her sock drawer, then walked over and opened the door.

  Silas looked over at her as the other three members of the Cavalry moved back so she could step out, “Everything ok?”

  “Did the cleaning crew come in here today?” she asked, trying to sound casual.

  “Not today, do I need to call them in?”

  “No… was the bedroom door guarded?”

  “No, what’s wrong?”

  She smiled, “Nothing, I was just curious.”

  Silas moved so he could see around her and into the room, “You sure?”

  Emily pushed him back away
from the door and shut it behind her, then turned and looked around the room. After checking the bathroom, closets, and even under the bed, she decided that whoever left the note had abandoned the room before her arrival.

  She pulled the note out again and read it, then frowned and put it back into its hiding spot in her drawer.

  “Mom?” Alexis said from behind her.

  Emily jumped at the sudden voice and then smiled, “Hi, Alex.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “You didn’t,” Emily said, and then walked up to her daughter. She studied Alexis’ face and it wasn’t hard to see she was on the verge of crying, “What’s wrong?”

  “Garrett…” she started, and then turned around when the tears began to flow.

  Emily sighed, “Did you and Garrett get into a fight?”

  Alexis nodded, unable to speak.

  “Do you want me to shoot him?”

  Alexis began to laugh though the tears, “It’s tempting.”

  Emily smiled and pulled Alexis into a hug, “Tell me what happened.”

  Alexis finally spoke through sobs, “I told him I want a baby.”

  “And he said no?”

  “He won’t even talk about it.”

  Emily pulled Alexis over to the fireplace and they both sat down, “Have you brought it up before?”

  “Not really, nothing more than telling him I can’t have one.”

  “So you just shocked him I would imagine.”

  “It’s more than that…,” Alexis said, and then looked down at her hands. “I asked the Council for permission to adopt.”

  Emily frowned, “Why is it any of their concern?”

  “Garrett is heku.”

  “Right, and heku can’t adopt. Well you aren’t a heku.”

  “I know, that’s what I told them. They wouldn’t even think about it though. I got a firm, solid, no. So then I asked Garrett if he would talk to them.”

  “Then they told him no too.”

  “No! He wouldn’t even do it,” Alexis said, breaking into a new round of tears.

  Emily took her daughter’s hand and watched her until she calmed down, “Maybe Garrett is too afraid the Council will get mad.”

  “No, he said he doesn’t want to bother the Council with something as trivial as a baby.”

  “Ouch, ok…”

  “So he’s putting that bloody Council before me!”

  “You’re preaching to the choir,” Emily said, and then looked around the room while she thought.