Proditor : Book 5 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  He laughed and walked away from her when he found someone in the crowd to talk to. The next heku in line looked at her sternly.

  “You caused quite an uproar in my coven,” he said angrily, and Elder William glared at him.

  “I’m sorry,” Emily said, not quite sure what he meant.

  “You may be here in the palace right now, but if you come near my coven, we’ll hold you responsible for the death of one of our mortals,” he told her.

  “Nicholas…” William said warningly.

  “She killed a mortal we were turning, an important one,” the dignitary said, still watching Emily.

  Emily sighed, “I’m sorry about that. That was when the Ancient channeled through me. I didn’t mean to kill anyone.”

  “Sure you didn’t… stay away from my coven, that’s a warning,” he said, and walked away from her.

  Emily suddenly felt exposed. Even with William beside her, she felt the eyes on her as the mad Coven Leader walked way. Some moved away from her, afraid her temper would spike and she would turn them all to ash.

  “Don’t worry about him, Dear,” Elder Aaron said. “We will handle him at the next council meeting.”

  “I didn’t mean to hurt the mortal,” Emily said, starting to panic.

  “We know that,” William said.

  “You turned me to ash,” a heku said, turning toward her.

  Emily’s eyes grew wide, “I…”

  “She turned most of us in this room to ash,” another said, laughing.

  “Yes... but I’m not happy about it,” the first heku said.

  Emily took a step back as more of the Encala moved toward her. The Encala Elders moved in front of her, and she felt the guards form a barrier that she couldn’t see past.

  “Stand down,” William growled. “She is our guest.”

  “She caused pain to most of us… her being here is an insult,” he told the Elders.

  Emily felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder from one of the Valle guards, “It’s ok. We can handle them.”

  “No,” Emily said, pushing through the Elders. “I have something to say.”

  “Now may not be the time,” William told her.

  Emily stepped forward, “You have no idea what you’re talking about. Did you know that your ancient was my father? Did you know that he killed my mother and my brother? Did you know he used the pain ritual on me? Did you know that he killed my baby?”

  “Well… that doesn’t…” he started to say.

  “Yes it does matter. He channeled to me, harassed me, and tortured me. When I killed your mortal it was because I couldn’t control what he caused… a channel to him,” Emily said. “After he killed my baby, I came to the Encala to deal with him. I’m sorry you were all involved, but I’m not going to take it lightly when someone messes with my family.”

  “It wasn’t our fault that happened to you,” he said.

  “No, it wasn’t... but had I ashed your Council, would you have let me go?” Emily asked, crossing her arms.

  “Well…”

  “The answer is no. I know it caused you pain to be revived, but I hurt worse than you’ll ever know. I still live with the death of my baby,” Emily said, tearing up. “I’m not ash happy, and I don’t have any plans on turning any of you to ash. William is my friend and I won’t do anything to hurt him.”

  “We… didn’t know…” he said, looking down at the ground.

  Emily turned to leave, but Elder Aaron took her arm, “Stay, please.”

  William smiled warmly, “Stay.”

  Emily nodded and moved back by the guards. The Valle put his hand back on her shoulder. She watched as the room returned to the happy murmur as Coven Leaders visited among themselves. She stayed quiet and watched closely. Some started dancing with the few female heku in the room, and an area was made for a dance floor.

  Emily froze when William extended his hand, “Come… dance with me.”

  “No… I can’t…” she said, but he took her hand and pulled her onto the dance floor. She was again amazed at how the heku always seemed to be excellent dancers, and William was no exception.

  “I didn’t realize you considered me a friend,” he said as he led her through the slow dance.

  “Why wouldn’t you be?” she asked, glancing nervously toward her guards. “Unless it’s because I’ve ashed you, too.”

  William chuckled, “You have, more than once.”

  She was shocked when William dipped her, grinning, and then brought her back close against him.

  “I’d rather you not punish that heku,” Emily said, glancing quickly at the door.

  “He was out of line,” William told her.

  “Still, that’d be one more reason to hate me.”

  “He threatened you, and it has to be dealt with.”

  Emily looked over at her guards again, and her eyes grew wide. They were all holding drinks. She wondered if only the Equites had the no-drinking policy with their guards, as the Encala didn’t seem to mind their guards drinking. She knew Kyle and Mark would both be livid if they knew their guards were drinking inside of an enemy faction’s palace.

  William followed her gaze and grinned, “They aren’t hurting anyone.”

  “I know, it’s just… surprising,” she said.

  “May I cut in?” Elder Aaron asked, smiling.

  William spun Emily toward him, and she was suddenly in his arms, dancing across the floor.

  “Are you enjoying yourself?” Aaron asked.

  “Sort of,” Emily said, smiling slightly.

  Aaron smiled, “Don’t let them bother you. The majority of those here don’t hold a grudge.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “Positive,” Aaron said, pulling her closer to him with a strong hand against her lower back.

  “He’s still watching me though,” Emily said, glancing at the angry heku.

  Aaron looked over at him and she saw the heku leave, “There.”

  “What did you tell him?” Emily asked, irritated that she couldn’t hear what was being said.

  “To leave… so is there anything you would like to do while you are here?” Aaron asked.

  Emily smiled slightly, “How much do your palace guards hate me?”

  “They don’t.”

  “I need to learn how to punch. I keep breaking my hand.”

  Aaron started to laugh, “Have the Equites not taught you?”

  “They keep saying they will.”

  “Do you hit often?” he asked, amused.

  “Well… define often.”

  “Enough said. I’ll get our Captain to show you. We also heard that you play a mean game of football.”

  Emily blushed and grinned, “I do.”

  “You may have to show us,” Aaron said, and spun Emily into Elder Reese’s arms.

  “Oh, hello,” she said, shocked.

  Reese smiled, “Sorry, you may not have heard me ask.”

  “Excuse me one second,” Emily said, and pulled away from him. She slipped a finger in the strap of her shoes and pulled them off, tossing them over to the wall. She then returned to Elder Reese as he laughed.

  “What?” she asked.

  “You’re not very tall, are you?”

  Emily’s eyes narrowed, “I’m not short.”

  “Of course not, Dear,” he said, and deftly spun her, then returned his hand to her back.

  “Heels and dancing don’t go very well together,” she told him.

  “I would imagine not.”

  Emily glanced back over at her six guards, and they were all taking another drink from the heku servant. She wondered how many they’d had so far, and then decided she probably didn’t want to know.

  After the song finished, Reese returned her to her guards, “Your dinner is ready in the dining room.”

  Emily nodded and glanced at her guards. They were all holding new drinks. The Encala guards showed them to the dining room.

  “Go back to the ball.
I’m ok here,” Emily told them. Without another word, all six heku left and went back to the ball.

  Emily turned back to her dinner, shocked that the guards left her when she asked. She wasn’t sure what the food was, but she started to eat, hungry from the dancing. She ate slowly, enjoying her time alone, and she wondered what they would do if she went out for a walk by herself.

  She finished her dinner and then went out into the palace alone. She was looking for a clock, but also enjoyed being alone and able to explore. She opened a set of double doors and looked down into the grand hall where she was once shackled to the wall and turned over 1800 of this faction into ash. There were torches burning to show her way, so she shut the doors behind her and walked slowly down toward the Council’s chairs.

  Emily sat down in the chair once occupied by her ancient father, and looked around the quiet room. From in here, she couldn’t hear noise from the ballroom. All she could hear was the soft hiss as the torches burned. She noticed the shackles they once used on her were still hanging from beside the Council chairs.

  She looked up when she heard the doors open, and William appeared. He smiled and blurred down to where she was sitting and sat down beside her.

  “It’s weird, being in here,” Emily said, looking at the rows of empty chairs.

  “I bet… things were quite different back then,” William said, watching her.

  “How did you find me?”

  William grinned slightly, “With your scent, you aren’t hard to track down. We got worried when you slipped your guards.”

  “I didn’t… technically… slip them,” Emily told him. “I just let them go back to the party.”

  “True, but they thought you were still eating dinner.”

  “Well they aren’t my normal guards. My regular guards would have seen this coming.”

  “What do you want to happen to Exavior?” William asked, suddenly serious.

  “In a perfect world, he would just go back to being the Valle’s Chief Interrogator and leave me alone… however… I don’t think he’ll ever do that.”

  “Do you want him banished?”

  Emily cringed, “I’m not sure I would wish that on my worst enemy.”

  “Imprisoned?”

  “I don’t really want anything bad to happen to him. I think he’s harmless, just annoying.”

  “Harmless? He’s notorious for being one of the most malicious Chief Interrogators the factions have ever seen.”

  “I’ve heard that… I just don’t see it.”

  William smiled, “Of course you haven’t seen it. The factions would fight if he even suggested he question you.”

  “I’m tougher than I look,” Emily said, watching him.

  “I’ve heard that, however… you don’t want to tangle with Exavior, take my word for it.”

  Emily shrugged, “I just don’t see how he can harm anyone… I can see how he could drive someone crazy out of sheer annoyance though.”

  William stood up and put his hand out, “Come, let me show you.”

  Emily took his hand and stood up. She followed him out of the great hall and into the red carpeted hallways of the Encala Palace. After many twists and turns, William walked through a secret passageway, and they both emerged in the Encala’s prison cell.

  “Sir,” the four guards said, bowing. They looked nervously at Emily and then turned back to full attention. William led her down a few rows of screaming heku before he stopped at a quiet cell with a lone, still figure lying on the bed.

  “Joseph?” William called to him softly.

  The heku’s body began to shake and a slight whimper escaped his parched lips.

  Emily frowned, “Let me in.”

  William nodded to one of the guards and he came down and opened the cell door. Emily stepped inside and sat down on the bed beside the quivering heku.

  “Joseph?” Emily asked softly, and touched his arm.

  “I see it all,” he whispered.

  “Joseph,” she said again, and touched his face with her hand. His eyes were terrified, yet confused and distant. They scanned the room quickly, never stopping for long on any one spot.

  “What happened to you?” Emily asked him, and his body stiffened as he inhaled sharply.

  “I see it all,” he whispered again, and began to moan.

  Emily frowned, “Exavior did this?”

  “Yes,” William told her. “He was interrogated by the Valle when he accidentally walked near one of their covens.

  “What did Exavior do?”

  “We aren’t sure the methods he uses, but they can and will turn heku insane.”

  “Why is he in prison here?”

  “He’s a danger to himself and others. If his mind ever clears, he will be released.”

  “Joseph, can you hear me?” Emily asked him, and took his quivering hand in hers.

  Joseph’s lips moved, but he said nothing as he rolled back onto his side away from her.

  “Let’s get you out of here. I don’t think the Equites would appreciate you being in one of our cells… even voluntarily,” William told her, and put his hand out for her again.

  Emily hesitated and then followed him out while the guard locked the cell door behind him.

  “How can they let Exavior treat someone like that?” Emily asked.

  William smiled slightly, “He gets the job done. They don’t care how. He’s never interrogated a heku that he couldn’t get information out of.”

  “Why does it sound like you envy the Valle for that?”

  “I do. We all wish we had an Interrogator that vicious and malignant.”

  Emily stopped in the Encala’s hallway and looked at the Elder, “Even if it drove innocent heku insane?”

  “Yes, it’s hard to get information from a heku. You can’t kill them easily, and any pain inflicted is short lived,” William explained.

  “That’s… that’s awful,” Emily said, frowning.

  William smiled, “Let’s not talk about it. They are waiting for you back at the ball.”

  Emily looked up at the large clock, “It’s getting late. I think I’ll just turn in.”

  “We forget that you need to sleep, please forgive me. I will tell them you have retired and will send the guards up,” William said.

  “Let them party. No one’ll hurt me while I’m just sleeping,” Emily told him.

  William nodded, “That is true, good night then.”

  Emily smiled and then went up the stairs to her room. She changed quickly into a nightgown and turned off the lights. She could hear the sounds from the ballroom and the soft murmur of voices as she drifted off to sleep.

  “I don’t care what you say, our Cavalry can beat your Imperial Guards any day,” a voice said angrily.

  Emily looked up from her pillow. It was still dark outside, and all she could see was the small amount of light the low fire put into her room. She could tell from the muffled voices that they were right outside of her door.

  “Mounted Guards? That’s insane!” a boisterous voice said. “How stupid to put a heku on a dumb animal that moves slower than we can run.”

  “You’re one to be talking. Why in the hell have an Imperial Guard? What good does it do to train specialized guards in protecting the Elders? When are the Elders ever in danger?” another voice said.

  “Take that back!” someone yelled, and Emily heard a large crash outside of her door.

  “Stupid Valle, why are you even here?” JV yelled. “We can protect her by ourselves without you meddling.”

  “Protect her? The Equites haven’t protected her in 13 years…” Another large crash sounded.

  Emily sighed and got out of bed. She pulled on her robe and tied it before stepping out into the hallway. The entire hallway smelled strongly of alcohol, and the six guards were all crouched and facing one another, their hands balled into fists.

  “What’s going on?” Emily asked.

  “Get back inside. This is no concern of yours,” one
of the Valle guards yelled at her.

  “Don’t talk to her like that!” Russ screamed, and then lunged at the Valle across from him. He landed squarely against the Valle heku and they began to blur into a fight. The Encala guards began to pull them off of each other, and one of them got punched in the neck. The other Encala guard jumped into the fray, and soon, there were six blurring figures crashing into the walls and furniture, sending it flying in a mass of splinters.

  “Stop it!” Emily shouted, and tried to pull one of the Equites out of the fight.

  “What’s going on here?” Elder Aaron shouted, coming up the stairs toward the guard fight.

  Emily turned toward him as a strong arm pushed her roughly. She flew backwards past the Elder and hit the wall. Her head smashed against the black stones and she fell to the floor as the heku all turned to look at her.

  Aaron knelt down beside her, “Emily?”

  “You did that!” Russ growled at one of the Encala.

  “I did not…” the Encala yelled back as he watched

  Suddenly, the entire floor was full of palace guards as the fighting guards were all restrained against opposite walls. Elder William and Elder Reese appeared and knelt down beside Emily.

  “What happened?” William asked, and picked her up gently. He carried her limp body into the room and laid her down on the bed.

  “The guards were fighting and she tried to stop them,” Aaron said, watching her.

  “Damnit, put them in prison cells until we can handle them,” William said. “Get the covens on the line, find me a doctor.”

  “Prison cells? Even the Encala guards?” Aaron asked, frowning.

  “Especially the Encala guards,” William growled, and covered Emily up with the blankets.

  “I think Bachman was a doctor,” Reese said. “I’ll get him.”

  “Emily?” William asked softly, and touched her arm.

  Aaron turned toward the door, and then back to William, “They are all in prison. Do we call the Valle and Equites?”

  “Not yet,” William said. “I don’t want to be the one to tell Chevalier his wife is injured. Let’s see how bad it is first.”

  Aaron nodded and watched as William put a cold washcloth on her forehead.

  Twenty minutes later, Elder Reese came into the room with an older heku.

  “You were a doctor?” William asked.