Proditor : Book 5 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  Chevalier glanced at Kyle, then back to the doctor, “Isn’t cowbane what monks use to lessen sexual cravings?”

  Dr. Hayden nodded, “Yes, it’s extremely poisonous and causes an intensely painful death. It hasn’t been readily available since the medieval times, though. Both, however, cause hallucinations and large amounts of melatonin can cause paranoia.”

  Kyle spoke when he saw Chevalier’s anger, “So what do we do now?”

  “Get her off of it. There shouldn’t be withdrawals, but until we run a psychiatric evaluation to make sure she’s not suicidal, we’ll need to keep her here. Once at home, she’ll need some bed rest and relaxation for a while. Her body hasn’t fully recovered from the miscarriage, and I’m guessing it’s because of stress.”

  Chapter 8 - Paranoia

  “No, I’ll walk,” Emily said when Chevalier tried to pick her up. She scooted out of the Humvee and headed into the palace.

  He started to argue, but followed her in, deciding the full bed rest would start as soon as she got up to her room. She walked past the stairs and headed toward the large kitchen.

  “Em,” Chevalier sighed. “The doctor… just… went over this.”

  “I want a glass of milk,” Emily said, and turned to Chevalier when he grabbed her arm.

  “Upstairs, we’ll get you a glass of milk,” Chevalier told her, and went to pick her up.

  Emily frowned and moved away from him, “Fine, but I walk.”

  “You know what? Ash me,” Chevalier said, and picked her up, then blurred into their bedroom.

  “Don’t do that!” Emily yelled, and hit him on the arm. “I don’t want carried around.”

  Chevalier held out the glass of milk while she pulled off her shoes. Emily looked up and grabbed it from him, irritated.

  “Need anything else?” Chevalier asked, sitting down in the chair.

  “Yes, I need you to stop carrying me.”

  “Deal, if you stay in bed, I’ll stop carrying you,” he said with a grin.

  Emily drank her milk, glaring at him.

  “What was it?” Chevalier asked, amused.

  “What was what?”

  “The room… what was it?”

  “I’m not going to tell you… ever,” Emily said, and put the empty glass down. She reached over and grabbed the remote and started flipping through channels.

  “Just give me a hint.”

  “Ok... but just one,” Emily said, and looked over at him.

  “Fine, just one,” Chevalier said, smiling.

  “It has something to do with you being a pain in the ass,” Emily said, and went back to searching the TV channels.

  “Oh, funny… come on. We’ve been trying to find out for weeks.”

  “No”

  “I’ll buy you a new truck.”

  “No”

  “More horses.”

  “No”

  “I’ll put in a pool.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes”

  “No… now stop it.”

  Chevalier leaned his head back, “Come on! Just tell me.”

  “Orange juice… and I’ll give you a hint.”

  “Why don’t I believe you?” Chevalier asked, and got up to get her some orange juice. He ordered some from the hallway.

  Kyle walked up with the orange juice, “How’s it going?”

  “She won’t tell me,” Chevalier said, and took the drink. “She’s taunting me to entertain herself.”

  Kyle chuckled, “Least she’s back to normal.”

  Chevalier turned back to the room and found the door locked, “Why does that not surprise me? I need to take up stocks in door locks.”

  Chevalier tapped the lock, and when it snapped, he walked in, followed by Kyle.

  “Stop tormenting the Elder. He takes it out on the rest of us,” Kyle said, and sat on the bed beside Emily.

  Emily took her drink from Chevalier, “It’s keeping me busy. This room is soooo boring. Besides, I got a pool out of the deal.”

  “No you didn’t. I said I would trade a pool for information.” Chevalier chuckled and sat on the other side of the bed.

  “I don’t think so… you said ‘I’ll put in a pool’ and I said ‘Really?’ and you said ‘Yes’.”

  “You know very well what I meant,” Chevalier said, shaking his head.

  “Yes I do, you meant you’re going to put in a pool,” Emily said. “Ford!”

  The Border collie came running into the room from Allen’s room, and crawled up on the bed. Emily started petting his tummy.

  Chevalier wrinkled his nose, “Must he be on the bed?”

  “Why not? He’s cuddly,” Emily said, still petting Ford.

  “Still… he stinks.”

  Emily grinned, “Ford, get the heku.”

  Chevalier jerked away when Ford began to growl. The dog jumped off of the bed and lowered to the floor. His hackles rose as he growled at the bathroom. They watched as the Border collie inched forward, his teeth showing menacingly.

  “Fo…” Emily started to talk, but Kyle put his hand up and then stood up and crouched slightly, following the dog into the bathroom.

  Emily got on her hands and knees and tried to look through the bathroom door to see what was going on.

  Chevalier hissed and blurred into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

  Emily frowned when she heard glass shatter and got up from bed. She walked to the bathroom and opened the door, her eyes growing wide. Her bathroom floor was covered in shattered glass and the walls and ceiling were dripping with blood. Emily peeked over Kyle’s shoulder and saw pieces of heku in her shower.

  “Emily!” Chevalier growled.

  Emily jumped, “What?”

  “Bed,” Kyle hissed.

  Emily sighed and went back to bed, careful not to step on any glass. She passed Mark on his way into her bathroom and sat down on the edge of the bed. She saw the shelves full of DVD movies, and went over to pick one. There were too many, so she sat on the floor and started going through them.

  “Hey!” Emily yelled when hands wrapped under her arms and pick her up. She frowned as she was sat on the bed and she glared at Mark.

  “Do not… pick me up,” she said through gritted teeth.

  “Elder’s orders. He’s still meaner than you are,” Mark chuckled, and went back into the bathroom.

  Emily threw the DVD she had in her hand at Mark, and it smacked him in the back of the head. She heard him laugh as she turned back to the TV, grinning when she found a vampire movie on TV, so she turned it up loud enough that every heku in the palace could hear it.

  "Here she is!”

  "Who? What?"

  "The vampire!"

  "Hurry, douse her with holy water!"

  "You cannot kill me!"

  “What are you watching?” Mark asked, peeking out into the bedroom.

  “Vince the Vampire, want to watch?” she asked, and grabbed a bowl of popcorn from the heku who brought it.

  Mark sighed and walked to Emily. He took the bowl of popcorn and smelled it before handing it back.

  Emily wrinkled her nose, “Can’t we stop smelling my food? It’s weird.”

  “Nope… can’t you stop watching insulting movies?” Mark asked, and went back into the bathroom.

  Emily ate popcorn and watched numerous servants go in and out of her bathroom. It wasn’t until the movie was almost over that Chevalier, Kyle, and Mark came back out.

  “Who talks like that?” Mark asked, motioning to the TV.

  “So… what did you find to play with in my bathroom?” Emily asked, and then jumped out of bed when Ford appeared on her bed, covered in blood.

  “Damnit, Ford,” Chevalier said, and picked the dog up.

  Emily went over to Ford and started looking him over, “Is he hurt?”

  “No… get back in bed,” Chevalier said, but she ignored him and kept checking the Border collie over.

  Emily tried to take the dog from Chevalier, bu
t he pulled Ford away, “No.”

  “I need to bathe him, he’s covered in goo,” Emily said.

  “Sit!” Chevalier yelled, and handed the dog off to a servant.

  Emily sat down quickly, her eyes wide.

  “Stay there,” he said, and left the room angrily.

  Emily glared after he’d left and turned to Kyle, “So, who was my visitor?”

  “You’re not worried at all that there were heku hiding in your bathroom?” Kyle asked, frowning.

  “No,” Emily said, and picked up her bowl of popcorn again.

  “They could have attacked.”

  “No they couldn’t have. Ya’ll won’t leave me alone,” she said, irritated.

  “Fine, we’ll leave you alone,” Kyle said, and stormed out.

  Emily looked up at Mark, “Does your testosterone need a walk, too?”

  Mark grinned, “Nope, I’m good… and Elder’s orders, I’m posted in here now.”

  “What? No! Get out,” Emily said, frowning.

  “Sorry, Em.”

  Emily crawled out of bed and slipped on her robe.

  “Where are you going?” Mark asked, sighing.

  “If you’re posted in this room, then I’ll find another one,” she explained, and headed out of the bedroom.

  Mark followed her out, “I don’t think that’s how that works… I’ll just go stand in your new room too.”

  Emily stopped at the fifth-floor foyer and backed up against the wall, “Who’re those heku?”

  Mark glanced toward the ground floor, “Dignitaries, tonight is the coronation for the new Liaison to replace James.

  “Liaison to what?”

  “Covens… he pretty much keeps the peace between them and stops any dispute,” Mark explained.

  “Do you realize, that as a species, you have too many rituals and ceremonies?” Emily headed back toward the servant’s stairs.

  Mark grinned, “Yes, and Chevalier said your dress is almost done too.”

  Emily stopped on the stairs and turned to Mark, “What dress?”

  “For the coronation tonight.”

  “He’s delusional then, I’m not going.”

  “You have to. You’re part of the Council,” Mark said.

  “Oh? I have to?” Emily asked, and started down the stairs again.

  Mark decided it would be best to just keep quiet and followed Emily into one of the unused servant’s bedrooms. She crawled into the hard bed and pulled the scratchy white sheets up as Mark grinned from beside the door.

  Mark opened the door when there was a light knock. The palace tailor came in with a garment bag.

  “Your dress is here for the coronation,” Mark said, and took the garment bag.

  Emily sat up and looked at the tailor, “Chevalier said he wanted that?”

  “Yes, Lady Emily,” the heku replied, smiling softly.

  “Good, then he can wear it,” Emily yelled, and rolled onto her side away from the others.

  Mark motioned for the tailor to leave when he started to argue with her. A few minutes later, Chevalier came into the servant’s room.

  “Why the new room?” he asked, looking around the tiny room.

  Mark whispered something to Chevalier, and he chuckled, “I see.”

  “Go away,” Emily said, livid.

  “As part of the Council, we need you to be there tonight,” Chevalier said.

  Emily sat up and glared at him, “No, I’m not going to go stand in front of all of those heku… oh look… the Elder’s wife is huge, how does she even walk? I’m surprised the stage doesn’t cave in.”

  Chevalier cringed, “Is that what this is all about?”

  Mark quietly stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him.

  “I’m not going,” Emily told him.

  “You’re not fat, Em. I know you gained a little, but you were pregnant, that happens. No one’s going to be staring at you.”

  “Yes they are! They stare at me when I’m not the size of a house.”

  “You are not the size of a house,” Chevalier said, frowning. “Dr. Hayden says you’re even a little underweight.”

  Emily screamed at him and threw the pillow at his head. He caught it and set it down on the bed as she rolled onto her side away from him.

  Chevalier sat down on the edge of the small bed, “Is this why you’re not letting anyone pick you up anymore.”

  “Get the guard out of my room,” Emily told him.

  “I can’t… there were three heku in your bathroom, for who knows how long, and if they attacked you, then you might not have had a chance to call for help.”

  “So I’ll let Ford check the room out before I go in. Get him out of my room.”

  “Come to the coronation and I will.”

  “No”

  “I can force you,” Chevalier reminded her.

  “Yes you can, if you don’t mind half of the faction seeing me in my nightgown,” Emily said, and grinned slightly when she heard him growl.

  “For tradition, we need you there.”

  “I told you. I’m not going and having them all stare at me.”

  “Em…”

  “No, now go away. I’m starting to get a headache,” Emily said, and rubbed her temples.

  Chevalier sighed, “Fine.”

  Mark came back into the room when Chevalier stormed out. He turned out the light and watched as she drifted off to a restless sleep.

  Emily woke up a few hours later, and her back was screaming from the hard bed. She rolled onto her back, and looked up at the ceiling, and then over to Mark. He smiled at her when she looked at him.

  “If I go back to my room, will you stay outside so I can sleep? I can’t sleep if I’m being watched,” Emily said.

  Mark’s lips moved a bit and then he nodded, “Agreed.”

  Emily got up slowly, stretching her back, and walked to her room. She went the back way to avoid any coven dignitaries and was finally in her own room. She headed into the bathroom first, but froze when she heard a strange noise, so she turned to her bed and saw the covers move slightly.

  She walked toward the bed slowly. The covers were still flat, but they moved slightly. She reached out and grabbed the top of the blanket, took a deep breath, and pulled the covers back quickly.

  Emily screamed when a diamondback rattlesnake bit her with lightning speed, and she stepped away from the snake covered bed, holding her arm as the bite started to burn. She felt arms around her and instantly she was lying on the cold tiles of the fifth-floor foyer. Mark was kneeling above her and had her arm in his hand. Her entire arm was starting to burn. She heard the sound of heku guards blurring past her.

  “It’ll be ok,” Mark said softly, and put his lips to her arm, then began to suck the venom out.

  Emily looked up from the floor when she heard a growl, and saw Chevalier crouched toward Mark, but he was blocked by Kralen.

  “Elder! He’s not feeding,” Kralen said quickly.

  “It sure as hell looks like he is,” Chevalier growled, his fists clenched tightly.

  “She was bitten by a rattlesnake, he’s getting the venom out,” Kralen said, and turned back to Mark when he’d finished.

  A few drops of blood came out of the snakebite, and Mark’s body began to shake as he hissed softly.

  “Captain… get out,” Kralen shouted, and pushed Mark to the side. Kralen called for help and four guards came and wrestled Mark down the stairs.

  Emily sat up and looked at her arm, then toward her bedroom. Chevalier knelt down beside her and looked at her arm.

  “Are you ok?” he asked, and wiped the blood from her arm.

  Emily looked at him and nodded, her entire body shook with fear.

  “Stay here,” he said, and disappeared into her room.

  Chevalier froze just inside the door and looked, surprised, at the bed. Silas was at the bed trying to grab a cobra before it could bite him. Several guards stood behind him with pillow cases held open. One of the pi
llow cases was already moving with the snakes Silas had put inside of it.

  “Shit!” Silas yelled when a viper struck and sunk its teeth into his arm. He grabbed its head and dropped it into a pillow case, and then stepped back and sunk to the floor. His arm, under his hand, was turning black, and he groaned with the pain.

  Kralen appeared in the doorway and instantly took Silas’ spot by the bed. He began working on the black Mamba next, planning his movements carefully to avoid getting bitten.

  Chevalier growled angrily and went back out to the foyer. The Thukil’s Captain and Quinn were kneeling down by Emily, while Zohn kept an eye out around them. Emily’s arm was tightly wrapped with gauze and tape to cover the bite mark.

  “He just needs some time… there was blood with the venom and… well… it’s going to be a while before he can be around you again. Once he got the taste…” Quinn looked up at Chevalier.

  “Where’s Kyle?” Emily asked, still shaking.

  “He’s on a mission… come on. Let’s get you to his bed, you’re freezing,” Quinn said, and reached under her legs to pick her up.

  “No!” Emily squirmed out of his arms and slowly got to her feet. Darren put his hand against her back when she swayed slightly. She started down the hallway, but instead of turning into Kyle’s room, she stopped and looked into hers.

  Kralen and Silas were situated on each side of the bed and were still trying to get the poisonous mixture of snakes off of the bed without getting bitten. Chevalier took her hand and led her into Kyle’s room.

  “Why would they do that?” Emily asked, frowning.

  “We’ll find out,” Chevalier hissed.

  “Is it the same ones that poisoned me… again.”

  “We’ll know soon, I promise.”

  Emily walked into Kyle’s room. The fire was dead, and the room was cold and dark. She turned to the bed and hesitated. Chevalier let go of her arm and went up to the bed. He reached out and pulled the covers back, exposing only clean sheets.

  “It’s ok, no snakes,” he said, and stepped aside.