“They are all in prison, Commander,” Kralen reported, and returned back to the Cavalry.
Emily turned to Mark, “Are there any records on these guys?”
“What were you looking for?”
“Years of service, problems, medals, that type of thing.”
“I’m sure there are in the main house.”
Emily turned back to the guards, “Ok… hand over all medals, rank insignia, everything except your panties, shoes, and socks.”
Mark chuckled, “What’re you doing?”
Emily shrugged, “No idea.”
They watched as everyone pulled the guard insignias off of their collars along with anything they had other than the things she’d mentioned, though most left on their green capes.
“Capes too, come on…” Emily told them. More grumbles came through the heku as they removed their capes. One thing she knew would set them apart from non-guard heku.
“Get them,” Emily said, and Silas moved forward and began to collect the items. When he returned, she faced the guards, “From now on… you’re no longer guards, you’re just plain ol’Michaels Coven members.”
“Can she do that?” Silas whispered to Mark.
Mark chuckled, “Nope.”
Emily crossed her arms, “If you want back as a guard, you’re going to have to earn it by proving to me you deserve it. If you don’t, then you can stay a plain old coven member and leave the guarding up to the real heku.”
Emily waited until the commotion died down, “I’m friends with Encala Elder William and Valle Elder Sotomar… if you want to join the Encala move to the left… if you want to join the Valle, move to the right.”
“Em…” Mark whispered, and then stepped back when she didn’t respond. His orders were to let her do whatever she wanted, even if he felt she was overstepping.
When no one moved, Emily smiled, “Good, then Equites it is. By staying Equites, you agree to obey anything you are told by any of us from Council City. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Ma’am,” the heku said in unison.
“You,” Emily said to the heku that was still on his knees up front. “Report for house servant duty. I don’t want snitches in this army.”
The heku stood up, frowning, and silently walked off.
“Return to the barracks and wait for further orders. You will not speak to one another. If I hear of it, then I’ll ash you. You’ve put me in a bad mood,” Emily said, and turned to Mark. “Post six members of the Cavalry in the barracks to keep the peace. The rest can go hang out in the main house.”
Mark nodded, and six members of his Cavalry ran off to join the heku in the barracks. Emily followed the rest into the main house, and sat down on a soft couch in the library.
“Now what?” Mark asked.
“I have no idea. I told them I shouldn’t be doing this,” Emily said, and rubbed her temples.
“Silas?” Mark called.
“Yes, Sir,” Silas asked, coming into the room.
“Find a car. Go get some ibuprofen and some food,” Mark said, and sat down by Emily as Silas blurred away.
“I don’t want to be here,” Emily said softly.
“I know, but you’re doing great,” Mark said, and put a hand on her shoulder.
Emily looked up at him, “If this works, he’ll keep sending me on these bloody missions.”
“Probably,” Mark said. “It beats Kyle wiping them out.”
“I’ll just have to put my foot down, refuse to do any more. I hate it.”
“Let’s just see what we can find in the records, and after Silas gets back, you can turn in for the night.”
Emily nodded, “That sounds like a plan.”
For the next few hours, Mark and Emily poured through files on the guards, tossing ones with nothing in them into a pile, while discipline problems went into another, and medaled heku went into another.
“Sorry it took so long,” Silas said, coming in with a pizza. “There’s no kitchen in this place, so I bought a little fridge and sandwich stuff.”
Emily took a slice of pizza, “Thanks, sounds perfect.”
“What have we found?”
“That most of the guards are pretty complacent, no awards, no commendations, no disciplinary actions… it’ll make it easier to replace the officers. Only a few of them go above and beyond,” Mark explained.
Silas and Mark talked about possibilities for ranking officers as Emily finished eating and stood up to go to bed.
“No kitchens, do they have beds?” Emily asked.
Silas sighed, “Sorry, no, but there’s a couch in the library.”
Emily nodded, “That’ll do. I’ll see you in the morning.”
There were already four members of the Cavalry outside of the library door before she got there. She smiled at them and then went inside and locked the door. The couch wasn’t very comfortable, but was better than the floor, so she laid down and pulled her cape around her like a blanket. She watched out of the large picture window until she fell asleep.
Emily felt pressure on her chest and a sting on her neck. Her eyes flew open and a strange heku had her pinned to the couch and was feeding. One of his hands was pressed firmly against her mouth so she couldn’t scream. Emily turned him to ash and then rolled onto her knees on the floor, grasping her neck in her hand. She could feel the blood pour from the wounds.
“Sonofabitch,” Emily whispered, and leaned her forehead on the ground in front of her knees. The heku hadn’t woken her up at first and was able to feed longer than he should have before she noticed. She felt the blood oozing between her fingers and the dry powder of ashes covering her.
“Mark,” she whispered hoarsely, and immediately heard a commotion in the hallway. The library door flew open, and the room filled with members of the Cavalry.
“Get a towel,” Mark growled, and pulled her hand away from her neck to look.
“Damnit, who was it?” Kyle asked. Emily was surprised to hear his voice. He wasn’t supposed to arrive until the next morning.
“The window’s been pried open,” Kralen said, and slammed it shut.
A soft towel was pressed against her neck and she stayed on her knees with her head against the floor, trying not to faint.
“What medication did you give her?” Kyle asked angrily.
“Just ibuprofen,” Mark said. “I don’t even know if she took any.”
“I’m bringing him back,” Kyle hissed, and pulled the tiny dagger from his pocket. Mark picked Emily up in a cradle as Silas held the towel against her neck to stop the bleeding. Kyle glanced once at her pale complexion, and then brought the screaming heku back to life.
The second his form emerged, four members of the Cavalry restrained him and dropped him to his knees.
“Who the hell are you?” Kyle asked him angrily.
“Gentry,” the heku hissed.
Kyle wrinkled his nose, “How old are you?”
“I was turned three days ago,” Gentry said. His eyes fell on Emily, and he hissed softly.
Kyle backhanded him, and he landed hard against the wall, and was promptly pinned by Silas and Kralen.
“Why are you here?” Silas asked, his hand around Gentry’s neck.
“I came to deliver a message to the girl,” Gentry said, barely able to talk.
“Someone made you three days ago and then sent you to talk to Emily? What idiot would do that?” Kyle asked, irritated.
“Not an idiot… Lord Exavior is wise and kind. He knew I could deliver the message.”
“Did he give you permission to feed from her?”
“No… I couldn’t resist, she smells so…” Gentry said, and inhaled. He cried out when Kyle backhanded him again, breaking his jaw.
“So Exavior, in his infinite wisdom, sent a newly turned heku to deliver a message to the Winchester? Sounds like an idiot to me,” Mark said, stepping back a bit with Emily, pulling her scent a little further from the new heku.
“Have at it
then… what’s the message?” Kyle asked.
Silas released his hand a bit, allowing the heku to speak, “He said it’s time for Emily to join him as Elder in a new faction. He told me he demands she come to him immediately. I’m to bring her back.”
“How does he know she is here?” Kyle asked him.
“He knows all, he’s wise and…” Silas tightened his hand so Gentry could no longer speak.
Kyle sighed, “How did he know she is here?”
“He watches the roads and air for her, then follows,” Gentry croaked, barely able to speak.
“Where is he waiting for you?” Mark asked.
Gentry grinned, “I’m not stupid. I won’t tell you that.”
“He’ll tell,” Silas said, and threw him out the door into Kralen’s hands. Silas and Kralen disappeared deeper into the house with him.
One of the members of the Cavalry reached down and picked up a small syringe from under the couch, and held it out for the Chief Enforcer. Kyle took it and smelled the end.
“He gave her something,” Kyle said.
Mark turned around to find somewhere to lay Emily down, but the couch had blood pooled on it and no other chairs were in the room. He headed out and found another couch in an empty office. Kyle pushed the boxes off of the couch and Mark put Emily down on it.
Kyle pushed Emily’s hair off her neck and pulled the towel off as he hissed slightly.
“That hurts,” Emily said, looking into the room.
Mark sighed, “It takes some time to learn to be gentle.”
“Why didn’t I wake up then?” she asked, confused.
“The ashing, it wore you out… you were deep asleep and didn’t even move when we checked on you,” Mark explained. “Then at some point, we think he gave you something.”
“I just want to sleep,” Emily whispered, and fought to keep her eyes open.
Kyle nodded, “Sleep, we’ll stay in here with you.”
Emily tried to open her eyes when she heard Silas come in and whisper to Kyle and Mark, but drifted off when Silas knelt down by the couch and Kyle rushed from the room. She was barely aware when she was carried into the helicopter, and it lifted off as Mark held her and she slept.
Mark jumped out of Equites 2 and headed for the Elders at the door. He handed Emily off to Chevalier, who wrinkled his nose at the harsh scent of medicine in her blood.
“Em?” Chevalier asked softly, but she didn’t stir. “Let’s meet in the room. I want a full report.”
Chevalier laid Emily down and slipped off her clothes as Quinn, Zohn, and Mark talked by the fire quietly. He covered her up and peeked under the bandages, hissing slightly at the rough way the heku fed.
He walked over and sat down, “What the hell happened?”
Mark sighed, “Do you want to start with our arrival or the attack?”
“I don’t give a damn about the coven, how did she get attacked?” Chevalier growled.
“She was sleeping in the library. We kept checking on her… but at some point, a heku got the window open and injected her with something before starting to feed,” Mark said, cringing slightly at the anger covering Chevalier’s features. “She finally woke up long enough to ash him and call for help.”
“Why are they always so rough with her?” Chevalier growled. “It’s bad enough to feed, but to do that damage.”
“He was turned three days ago,” Mark explained, and then recoiled when Chevalier yelled.
“What!?”
“Exavior turned this heku three days ago, and then sent him on a mission. He was supposed to deliver a message and an injection, and as far as I can tell, he meant to take her out the window,” Mark said. “His message was that Exavior is waiting for Emily to come join him as an Elder for a new faction.”
Zohn sighed, “He honestly thinks the other three factions are ever going to recognize a fourth?”
“I doubt it,” Mark said. “Gentry finally told Silas and Kralen where he was supposed to deliver Emily, and Kyle took off. I haven’t seen him since.”
“What idiot sends a new heku to Emily? He had to have known the new one wouldn’t be able to resist her,” Quinn whispered.
“He probably thought with the drugs it wouldn’t matter. I don’t know how he planned to handle it if Gentry drained her,” Zohn said, and then sat back when Chevalier hissed again.
“Have we tried to call Kyle?” Quinn asked.
“Yes, his phone is turned off,” Mark explained.
“You called for me?” Dr. Cook asked from behind them. He was watching Emily sleep.
“Em was given an injection,” Chevalier said, and handed the syringe to the doctor. “I want to make sure she’s going to be ok.”
Dr. Cook went over and began to give Emily a quick check-up. She didn’t move or wake up during the exam. Lastly, the doctor picked up her wrist and inhaled deeply, frowning. He covered her back up and walked over to the others.
“He overdosed her on it. I’m guessing a sedative,” Dr. Cook explained. “I don’t think it’ll hurt her, but she’s going to be out for a while and groggy after that. She’s lost too much blood too, bastard was going to drain her.”
“Where is he?” Chevalier asked angrily.
“In the prison at Michaels Coven,” Mark told him.
“Bring him here,” Chevalier said, and went over to sit on the bed. He took Emily’s hand and touched her cheek lightly.
Chapter 17 - Enforcers
Emily sat on top of the mare and watched out toward the trees. She kept expecting Kyle to appear. He’d been gone for almost two months, since he went after Exavior from Michaels Coven. Gentry gave no more information to help find him, and after numerous tortures, it was decided he knew nothing more than he already told them.
Emily now had four guards posted with her at all times, and one of them was to be a member of the Council. Dustin was there today, the Liaison Officer looked bored as he watched the Cavalry recruits try to maneuver around barrels and tackle a fellow guard at the end of a long obstacle course.
Chevalier had clung to her for weeks, never leaving her side. He knew she was secretly hoping to see Exavior, so she could exchange herself for Kyle, and he rarely trusted anyone other than himself to keep her from running. Her Aero was locked up so she couldn’t take it, and the fastest of the racing horses were kept in the corral.
“Em?” Mark asked.
Emily jumped slightly and looked over at him, “What was that?”
“We have a runner,” Mark said, and looked over at a horse running swiftly away from the palace.
Emily kicked her horse into a gallop and gripped her lasso in her right hand as she leaned forward slightly, egging the horse faster. The only time she was let away from the protection of her guards, was when it was time to catch a frightened horse. Then it was only she that could go or they risked scaring the horse worse.
She tossed the lasso over the horse’s head, and wound the other end around the saddle horn to stop him. She started back for the others, but saw something out of the corner of her eye, a lone figure up on the mountains to the east of town. She couldn’t tell anything other than whomever it was, was walking slowly toward the trees.
Emily thought quickly and knelt on her mare, then jumped across to the racing stallion that Silas inherited a few years back. She knew the stallion would be a lot faster than the mare, and she needed to outrun Dustin, Mark, and probably the entire Cavalry. Without taking the time to look behind her, she kicked Silas’ stallion hard and was tearing through town, the sound of hoof beats far behind her.
She saw the walking figure as soon as she got up on top of the hill and turned the stallion for it. She could hear Mark calling for her from the bottom of the hill and knew she had only limited time to catch up with whoever it was.
Emily saw four wolves approach the tall figure and she pushed the horse harder. She hadn’t realized the Powans were patrolling the trees, but there was no other reason for wolves to be calmly circling
a person, be it heku or human. Emily was focused on the approaching figure when a swift impact from her side knocked her off of the horse and gently laid her down on the hard ground.
She looked up and sighed when she saw Chevalier was the one pinning her to the ground, and he was watching the wolves as they turned back into heku form and surrounded the one that Emily was headed for.
“What the hell was that?” Chevalier growled, looking down at her.
Emily was straining to see who the Powan guards were talking to, but she couldn’t make out a face.
Chevalier got to his feet and pulled her up to standing by her wrist. She turned away from him just as the other members of the Cavalry and Dustin rode up, all with scowls on their faces.
“That’s it, no more sending you after lost horses,” Mark yelled. “We’ll send Silas, he’s the best lassoer in the Cavalry.”
Emily ignored him as she watched the guards talk to what now appeared to be a man in black clothing with a long black cape.
“Is it Kyle?” Emily asked, trying to pull away from Chevalier.
“No, it’s not Kyle. Is that what you’re doing? Going after him again?” Chevalier asked angrily.
The four Powan guards walked back toward the Elder and stopped just to the side of him, “It’s just one of the Council City residents. He’s out here trying to find flat rocks for some kind of project.”
Chevalier nodded and headed back for the palace, dragging Emily by her arm.
“You’re hurting my arm,” Emily said softly.
“I don’t really care,” Chevalier growled. Emily looked back, and the Cavalry was following them, most of them still glaring at her.
“Elder, they need us back in the council chambers immediately,” Dustin said, his head cocked slightly to the side. “It’s an emergency.”
Chevalier picked Emily up quickly and put her on the horse in front of Mark. He glared at her and then blurred away with Dustin.
“I can ride my own damned horse,” Emily said, trying to slip off, but Mark held her on the stallion.
“No you can’t. Now behave and let’s get back into town,” Mark whispered angrily.
Proditor : Book 5 of the Heku Series Page 49
