Proditor : Book 5 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  “Elders,” one of the guards said, standing up at attention.

  “Did you see Emily in here?” Chevalier asked him.

  “No, Sir, but I’ve only been here for a few minutes.”

  Allen walked over and tipped the painting, but the wall didn’t spin. He turned around, “She has it blocked from the inside.”

  Chevalier sighed, “I’m not playing this game. Everyone push.”

  The Elders, Allen, and the one guard all braced and pushed at once against the door. There was a loud crack when the chair broke and the door swung around. Chevalier walked over behind the bar and looked down at her. The irritation left him immediately when he saw the terror in her eyes.

  He knelt down, “It’s time to go.”

  “No, I can’t do this,” she said, tears running down her face.

  “It’s not really an option anymore, Em… Dr. Hayden is waiting for us.”

  “Touch me and I’ll ash you.”

  “No you won’t… now… we need to get you to the hospital.”

  “It’s not time,” Emily said. “It’s just false labor.”

  Chevalier started to argue, but could tell she was hit with another contraction. He stood up and turned to the others.

  “Get my Hummer and tell Kyle he’s driving,” Chevalier whispered. He turned back to Emily when Zohn left to get Kyle.

  Emily was shaking her head, “I can’t do it.”

  “I’ll be there,” he said, and picked her up.

  “You don’t understand. I can’t do it, not this time,” she told him, and leaned her head on his shoulder.

  “We’ll be in a hospital this time. It’ll be ok,” he said, and kissed her forehead before putting her into the Humvee.

  Chapter 27 - Ferus Elder

  “It’s a boy,” Dr. Hayden announced, and handed the baby over to the nurse. Kyle kept a firm grip on Emily’s I.V. and watched them put the baby in the warmer. He looked over at Chevalier, frowning.

  Chevalier was watching the baby with wide eyes. He turned and looked at Kyle.

  “Let’s get some B positive going,” the doctor called out, and a nurse hooked a bag of blood into the I.V.

  “Is she ok?” Chevalier asked, looking down at her. Her eyes were shut and she was breathing quickly.

  “Yes, just replacing some of the blood loss,” he explained, and then lowered the sheet. “She’ll feel better when we get a few units into her.”

  “So the bleeding stopped?”

  “Yes, she should be ready to take the baby in a few minutes.”

  “Is… is she going to try to nurse him?” Kyle asked with an odd look on his face.

  “No reason why not,” the doctor said. “I’ll be back in a while to check on her, and then I want to talk to you gentlemen.”

  “Is there a problem?” Chevalier asked.

  “I’d say so,” Dr. Hayden whispered, glancing back at Emily. “If I don’t like your explanation of how she got bruises on her face, then I’ll have to call the police.”

  Kyle nodded, “We can explain that.”

  “You better,” he said, and left.

  Emily opened her eyes and took the baby from the nurse and cradled him in her arms. She touched his soft black hair and let him grip onto her finger with his tiny hand. The nurse smiled and left them alone.

  “Can I hold him for a sec, Em?” Chevalier asked.

  Emily nodded and handed the baby over. Chevalier turned away from her and glanced at Kyle before bringing the baby’s wrist to his nose and inhaling. He looked over at Kyle and nodded slightly.

  “What?” Emily asked, noticing how quiet they got.

  “He’s full heku,” Chevalier said, and turned to face her. “There’s no mortal scent at all.”

  Emily frowned, “That can’t be right.”

  “I caught it too, as soon as he was born,” Kyle said, still gripping her I.V.

  “Give him to me,” she said, and reached out for the baby.

  Chevalier handed her the baby and glanced again at Kyle. He nodded and left as soon as Chevalier had a hold on her I.V.

  Emily ran her hands along the baby’s soft hands and feet, “He can’t be full heku.”

  “He is, it’s unmistakable.”

  “Go away,” Emily whispered, watching the baby.

  “I can’t leave.”

  “I said, go away.”

  Chevalier nodded and started out the door.

  “Take the baby,” Emily said, and held him up. Chevalier cradled the baby gently and left the room, shutting the door behind him. He handed the baby to a nurse and met Kyle out in the Humvee.

  “We going back?” Kyle asked, starting up the truck.

  “Yes, she needs to be alone for a bit,” Chevalier told him. They drove silently to the palace and pulled into the garage. Both headed into the council chambers where the Council was already meeting. They sat at their chairs and watched the rest of the current trial. As soon as the trial ended, everyone turned toward Chevalier.

  “So?” Quinn asked, excited.

  “It’s a boy,” Chevalier said. “A full heku.”

  Quinn frowned, “Full?”

  “Yes”

  “You’re certain?”

  “We both caught the scent,” Kyle said. “There’s no human in that baby.”

  “Interesting,” Zohn said. “How is Emily taking that?”

  “Not well, again… she’s had a hard time when the kids show any sign of favoring the heku, but this one hit her unexpectedly I think.”

  “Let’s get on with it then so the Elder can get back to the hospital,” Quinn said. “We need to figure out what to do with Samuel.”

  “So we have just Vaughn and Samuel left of the Ferus, right?” Zohn asked.

  “And the one that tried to kidnap Emily yesterday,” Kyle reminded him.

  “He’s alive?”

  Chevalier nodded, “Yes, but I’m not done with him, we were interrupted.”

  “Let’s bring Vaughn and Samuel back in here,” Quinn said to Derrick. He nodded and disappeared. A few minutes later, palace guards came in with the requested heku and made them kneel before the Council.

  “I’m surprised the Council would convene without their pet around to protect them,” Vaughn said angrily

  “We’re trying to decide what to do with you two,” Chevalier told them, ignoring the pet comment.

  “By law you have to let me go,” Vaughn said, grinning. “I’m the only Elder of the Ferus, and therefore, must be released.”

  “We’ve already told you, the laws don’t apply to the Ferus. They are not a sanctioned faction,” Zohn said, sighing.

  “Then what must one do to become sanctioned?” Samuel asked calmly. The Council remembered him as one of the calmer Elders the Equites had seen, one reason he was only an Elder for a few months before being banished.

  “You’d have to get approval from all three factions, and as of yet, you don’t even have one supporter,” Kyle explained.

  “Still,” Vaughn said. “I’m the only one that can control those heku and should, therefore, be let go.”

  “No,” Zohn said.

  “Return them,” Quinn said, and watched as the guards hauled them back to the prison.

  “I vote we return Samuel to the ground, and keep Vaughn around for a while,” Zohn said. “He’ll cave and we could get useful information.”

  “I concur,” Quinn said, and turned to Chevalier.

  “Do it,” Chevalier told Kyle.

  Kyle nodded and disappeared down into the prison.

  “I’m going back to the hospital,” Chevalier said.

  “Are you taking blood?” Quinn asked.

  Chevalier frowned slightly, “Hadn’t thought of that, guess I better.”

  “You’re going to feed an infant blood… in the hospital?” Dustin asked, shocked.

  “If he’s hungry, yes, I am,” Chevalier said, grinning, and left for the kitchen. He grabbed some blood and a cooler before heading out for the
hospital.

  Chevalier glanced quickly at the guards he had posted outside of the hospital and then walked in.

  Dr. Hayden came up to him angrily, “She’s gone.”

  “What do you mean she’s gone?” Chevalier asked, confused.

  “She took off,” Dr. Hayden explained. “The nurse got her blood pressure around noon, and then went back in at 2 to check on her, and she was gone.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense… did she take the baby?”

  Dr. Hayden sighed, “No, I suspect Post-Partum Depression… it’s common after having a baby and depression can cause the mother to no longer want the baby.”

  “I still don’t see how she would do that. Did anyone actually see her leave on her own?”

  “Well, no.”

  “Then she could have been taken?”

  Dr. Hayden smiled, “I doubt it. Now’s as good a time as any to explain the bruises on that girl.”

  Chevalier nodded, “Do you have a private office?”

  “This way,” he said, and motioned for a conference room. Chevalier followed the doctor in and sat down.

  “Start talking, I’m about to call the police,” Dr. Hayden said, crossing his arms.

  “I can’t tell you a lot, but you know we’re… what did you call it? Well off.”

  “Yes, go on.”

  “You probably noticed that Emily has bodyguards.”

  “Yes… one that was her husband a few years ago and now is her brother, while you used to be her brother and are now her husband.”

  Chevalier cringed, “I’ve always been her husband, sorry about that. The other is because of my work. It puts her in danger and her guards ran into some trouble. They were outnumbered, and while they were fighting, Emily was assaulted. We didn’t call the police, but they have been taken care of.”

  Dr. Hayden sighed, “I don’t like it when my patients show signs of abuse. Do you know that pregnant women are the number one victims of assault? Though it’s usually the husbands.”

  “I assure you,” Chevalier said, “I also don’t like it when someone messes with my wife, and as I said, they have been dealt with.”

  “When she returns, I’ll make a decision on how to handle this,” he said, obviously still angry.

  Chevalier sighed, “Can I take the baby home then?”

  “Sure, he’s doing great, not a really good eater though. If you find Emily, we need her back. She lost a lot of blood and we were still doing transfusions.”

  Chevalier waited, deep in thought, while the staff got the baby ready and brought him out to Chevalier.

  “We still need a name before we can release him,” the nurse said, gently rocking the baby.

  Chevalier’s eyes grew wide, “Did… did Emily mention a name?”

  “No, it’s up to you.”

  “We can’t just call you later with a name?”

  “No, I’ll need a name before you can leave.”

  Two hours later, Chevalier pulled into the palace garage with the baby in a car seat behind him. He sighed and went around to pick him up before going inside. He’d already called for Anna to come to the palace immediately, and planned on using Allen to help with the baby until Emily could be found. He went inside and headed straight for the council chambers with the screaming baby in his arms.

  Quinn smiled, “Oh, you brought him!”

  Chevalier frowned, “Didn’t have a choice. Emily disappeared from the hospital.”

  “She what?” Kyle asked, shocked.

  “I just need to figure out if she took off or if she was taken,” he said, sitting down.

  “May I?” Zohn asked, putting his hands out.

  Chevalier shrugged and handed him over. The Council watched while Zohn smelled his tiny wrist, making the baby scream louder.

  Kyle grinned, “Like mother, like son.”

  “Hmm, he is full heku,” Zohn said, and passed the baby back to Chevalier.

  “We told you that,” Kyle said, shaking his head.

  “Yes, well,” Zohn said, and turned back to his roster.

  “How do we ascertain if she left or if she’s been taken?” Quinn asked.

  “She’s not answering her cell phone, so I’m not exactly sure,” Chevalier told them, and called for Allen to take the baby.

  “What’s his name?” Dustin asked.

  Chevalier chuckled, “I had to name him before they’d let me take him…”

  “Oh, heavens,” Kyle said, cringing.

  “I pulled a name out of Emily’s dreams… his name is Dain.”

  Kyle nodded, “Not bad.”

  “Apparently, if she hates it, we can legally have it changed.”

  ***

  Emily slowly opened her eyes. It took a few minutes for her eyes to focus through the drug haze. She looked around the strange room, confused. When she went to sleep, she’d been in the hospital. Now she was in a large stateroom with dark cherry wood furniture and soft purple décor. She sighed when she saw the dark purple banner above one of the doors, bearing an intricately decorated ‘F’.

  Emily sat up, clutching her stomach. She was still in a lot of pain from having the baby the day before, and she felt weak and tired. She was able to sit up on the edge of the bed and look around the room more. She was alone, but the fire was blazing and there was food on the table. She turned when there was a knock on the door.

  “Who is it?” she said, watching the door.

  “Elder?” a strange heku asked, coming in. “Did you require assistance?”

  “Who the hell are you?”

  “Val, Ma’am, I’m the faction doctor. I’ve been looking over you this morning.”

  “Yeah? And what did you find?”

  “You’re still very weak…”

  “I had a baby yesterday, moron.”

  “Low on blood, I assume they were giving you transfusions.”

  “Go away,” she said, and stood up slowly. She sat down again when the world slipped out from under her.

  “Elder!” Val said, and rushed to her side. He put a hand on her leg, “Are you ok?”

  “I’m an Elder, damnit, when I say go away… then do it,” she growled.

  Val nodded, “Yes, Elder.”

  She watched as he left the room and shut the door behind him. Emily looked again around the room and stood up, slower this time. She finally made it to the table and sat down by the food, then lifted the dome off the tray and saw a steak and potatoes. Sighing, she started to eat, knowing she needed her strength back. While eating, she went over how to use the Elder title to her advantage, and soon had a plan for getting back to the Equites.

  Just as Emily finished eating, she heard another knock.

  “What?” she yelled, and turned around.

  “I came with your robes, Elder,” a heku woman said. She came in and hung up a few dozen purple robes and then bowed before leaving.

  A few minutes later, Val returned, “Are you in pain?”

  “What do you think?” she yelled at him. She was furious that she was kidnapped again and planned on making the Ferus regret taking her.

  “Take these, it’ll help,” he said, and handed her two pills.

  “What are these?”

  “Tylenol 3s”

  “Ok, go away.”

  Emily watched as the doctor left, then hesitated before taking the two pills and went back to lay down in bed again. She found a comfortable spot and was able to fall asleep once the pain began to back off.

  “Elder?” someone whispered, and woke Emily up.

  Emily rolled onto her back and looked at him, “It’s 2:30 in the morning.”

  “Sorry, Elder, one of our covens was attacked by the Encala,” the heku said.

  “Then attack them back, let me sleep,” she said, and rolled over.

  “There are only 12 of them. The Encala coven is too large.”

  Emily sighed and looked back at him, “Then give me a phone and let me talk to the Encala.”

  There wa
s a long pause, “We can’t do that.”

  “Of course not… are the 12 dead?”

  “No, frightened though. The Encala warned them and said they would be back.”

  “Tell the 12 of them to abandon ship and join a larger coven. I’m sleeping!”

  “Yes, Elder,” he whispered, and left the room.

  ***

  Emily was feeling better. It had been 4 weeks since the birth and she was almost back to normal. She was heavily guarded in the Ferus Palace, but was mostly able to go where she wanted and do what she wanted, as long as it didn’t involve going outside or using a phone. She was trying to gain the strength to ash all of them and get away.

  “Please, Elder, help us,” the leader of the eight heku coven said.

  Emily sighed, “I’m thinking.”

  The Council watched her, sitting in the middle of the Council platform with an empty chair on each side of her. She was the only Elder, and therefore, the ruling person, though the Council kept her from getting away.

  “Ok, so the Equites keep burning your houses,” she said, still trying to figure out what to do.

  “Yes, we’ve moved four times and they keep finding us.”

  “Six attacks by the Equites and four by the Encala this week. Last week there were eight by the Valle and one by each the Encala and the Equites. Seems to me like we need to show them how powerful we are,” Emily said, still thinking as she doodled on a notepad.

  “How do we do that, exactly?”

  “Ok, here’s what we’re going to do,” Emily said, hesitating. “There’s a weakling on the Encala Council… name’s Fred.”

  “You mean Frederick?” the acting Chief Enforcer asked.

  “Yes, Frederick… they talk him up like he’s all mean, but he’s just a pansy, trust me, I’ve met him,” Emily told him. “Ask around the Ferus that used to be Encala, and find Fred’s coven… we gather one coven and we go kidnap them all as a warning… and do it in the middle of the night.”

  “Kidnap the entire coven?” the acting Chief Interrogator asked, shocked.

  “Yes”

  “That’s not how things are done, Dear.”

  Emily’s eyes narrowed, “Did I ask you?”

  He sat back, “No, Elder.”