Kyle came in through the back doors and returned to his seat, “The three of us couldn’t get him to stay. He’s blaming himself for all of this and for the… ritual… Exavior performed on her.”
“I was there for that!” Mark growled. “He shouldn’t blame himself.”
“He said he’s no longer fit to be her guard or her friend,” Kyle told them. “He took off in his truck for his coven and said he’s going to suggest they imprison him.”
Chevalier shook his head, “None of this is necessary.”
Chapter 5 - Teenager
“Mommmmy?” Dain whispered, and kissed her forehead.
Emily looked up and smiled, then pulled him under the covers for a hug, “I missed you, Baby.”
“Feets owie?” he asked, and pulled the covers down off of him.
“Yeah,” she said, and sat up. She looked over at Chevalier, who was sitting in a chair by the fire.
He smiled at her, “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” she whispered, and pulled Dain onto her lap. He rested his head against her shoulder and smiled.
“Breakfast is on the way.”
“Ok”
“Are you ok?” he asked, watching her closely.
She nodded, “Yeah, I am.”
“Do you trust me?”
“Yes, if Kralen does then so do I… it’s just… they looked just like Mark and Silas.”
“I know.”
“I’ll be so glad to get rid of Frederick and stop this,” she said, and sat up on the side of her bed.
“There’s an easy fix for that.”
“I know,” she said, and grinned slightly, “But he deserves pain and I’ll give it to him first.”
“Mom… can we…” Alexis said as she walked in, but stopped talking when she saw Chevalier in the room. “Never mind.”
“Wait,” Emily said as Alexis went to leave. “What’s up?”
Alexis glanced nervously at Chevalier and then back to Emily, “Nothing, we’ll talk about it later.”
Chevalier raised an eyebrow, “Tell us.”
“Are you ok?” she asked her Mom.
“I am. Wanna go out riding later?”
“Yes,” Alexis said, and smiled. “That’d be fun.”
“Well I want to know what’s going on,” Chevalier said.
“Can we go without guards?” Alexis asked, watching Emily.
“Sure”
“No, you cannot,” Chevalier interrupted.
Emily sighed, “Yes, we can, we’ll talk later.”
Alexis nodded and took Dain’s hand, “Let’s go get something to eat.”
“Blood!” Dain screamed and blurred from the room.
Alexis sighed, “I hate when he does that.”
Emily watched as Alexis followed Dain out of the room and shut the door behind her.
“After everything that happened, you’re going to go out by yourself?” Chevalier asked her, frowning.
“Yes, sounds to me like Alex and I need a mother/daughter talk.”
“Guards can watch from far away then.”
“No, it’s not going to hurt us to go out for a little while by ourselves.”
“Em…”
“Where is the Encala’s Chief Interrogator?”
“He and William are being released today,” Chevalier said, not yet finished with their earlier conversation.
“So he’s still in the palace?”
“Yes, they are both talking to the Council. Take Mark and Silas, they won’t even be seen.”
“No,” she said, and stood up. “Damnit!”
“What?” Chevalier asked, instantly at her side.
She sat back down suddenly, “My feet.”
“Dr. Cook said you should stay off of them.”
“I need to talk to that Interrogator.”
Chevalier nodded, “Ok, I’ll carry you.”
She looked up at him and sighed, “Fine, but hand me some clothes first though, just a dress, something fast.”
Chevalier went to her closet and pulled out his favorite emerald green sundress and handed it to her. She quickly slipped off the rest of the Encala’s clothes and pulled on the dress. When she was done, she took a cup of coffee from a servant and Chevalier picked her up and carried her down to the council chambers. When he sat her down in her chair, he took his seat and watched William and the Encala’s Chief Interrogator.
“I have a bone to pick with you,” Emily said to the Chief Interrogator.
He looked at her and glared, “What?”
“Never… ever… threaten me again,” she said, and he fell to ash at the feet of his Elder.
“How dare you!” William yelled.
“No, I won’t put up with that! That entire nightmare was your fault, and he had no right threatening to put me into his interrogation room.”
Chevalier growled from beside her.
“He did?” Kyle yelled and stood up.
“Return our Elder.”
“No! And you better hope I don’t tell Sotomar that you offered up one of the Valle Elders in return for Frederick.”
William’s eyes grew wide and he glanced at the Equites Elders, “That… was… we didn’t mean it.”
“You did too.”
“We just want Frederick back.”
“When I’m ready, not a moment before.”
He glared at her, “You will not get a moment’s peace until our Elder is returned.”
“Do not threaten my wife!” Chevalier yelled.
“Then get control of her,” William told him.
“Get out, and take your ashes with you,” Zohn said, and watched William gather the ashes of his Chief Interrogator and then storm out of the palace.
“There’s one simple solution,” Dustin said, and looked over at her.
“No,” Emily told him and stood up. She cried out slightly when her feet hit the floor and then she walked on the sides of her feet toward the door, “I’m going out with Alex for a while.”
“Take Mark… please,” Chevalier sighed.
“No,” she told him again, and walked out the door.
“Em…” Silas sighed and picked her up. “Where are you going?”
“Stables,” she said, and held on while he carried her out to her horse. Alexis was waiting for her and had the stallion tied to the hitching post and she was mounted on her mare.
“Wait a minute, I’ll go,” Silas said, and headed into the stables.
“We’re soloing this one,” Emily said, and smiled when he looked at her. “We’ll be back in a bit.”
“I can stay a ways off from you.”
“Stay… go find Kralen, I haven’t seen him today,” she told him, and headed off, followed by Alexis.
“I’m not telling her,” Silas said when Mark came out of the stables.
“I don’t want to either. We’ll have the Elder tell her.”
Silas nodded, “I can’t believe after yesterday, that she’s out there alone.”
“The Elder said Alexis needs a girl talk.”
“Oh, well, maybe I’m glad then,” he said, and grinned before walking off.
Emily turned and looked over the city, “So what’s up, Alex?”
Alexis pulled her horse up next to Emily, “No guards around?”
Emily looked around the clearing, “Better not be, I said no guards.”
“No one can know.”
“What is it then?”
Alexis sighed, “How old were you when you first fell in love?”
Emily smiled slightly, “Well… I thought I was in love at 14.”
“With that Keith guy?”
“Yes”
“Then you married him.”
“Right, when I was 17.”
“But now you don’t think you loved him?”
“No, I didn’t. He protected me from the vampires, at least I thought he did, and I mistook that protection for love.”
“How old was he?” Alexis asked, and looked o
ver at her Mom.
“When we met he was 26, so 29 when we got married.”
“What did your Dad think?”
Emily thought for a moment, “Dad hated him.”
“Why?”
“Keith was… mean, controlling, and underhanded. I think Dad knew that.”
“I see,” Alexis said, and patted her mare’s neck.
“Who is it then?” Emily asked, and looked at her daughter.
“Who is what?”
“The guy.”
Alexis grinned sheepishly and began to blush, “I can’t say.”
“Have you talked to him?”
“Yes”
“A lot?”
She shrugged, “I don’t know.”
“Does he know you like him?”
“No!” Alexis yelled, and blushed deeper.
“I’ll take it he’s heku.”
“Yes, I don’t know any humans.”
“True… so I would say… talk more, get to know him.”
“I do.”
“Really well?”
“Yeah, I think.”
“But he doesn’t know you like him.”
“Right”
Emily smiled and watched over the city again, “Do I get to have a name?”
“No”
“Do I know him?”
“Yes, that’s why you can’t know who it is.”
“Ok,” Emily said, still smiling. She was finding this amusing.
“Dad would kill him.”
She fell serious, “I’m not sure what Chev would do. For now, let’s keep it from him.”
“Good call.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Alexis sighed softly.
“What?” Emily asked, and looked at her.
“Well… it’s just…”
“What?”
“I’m… just, me.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Well… Allen’s older, and Dain is full heku, I’m… neither heku nor human.”
“Neither am I. It still doesn’t matter.”
“Yeah but you can ash, like… really well. I have to look the heku in the eye to do it,” Alexis said, visibly upset.
“What does ashing have to do with liking this heku?”
“It’s just cool, Mom. I don’t have anything like that.”
Emily frowned, “You’re a sweet girl. You’re pretty and smart, there’s nothing not to like.”
Alexis shrugged, “It’d just be nice to be able to be as strong as you are.”
“I’m far from strong.”
“I mean ashing. You could wipe out that entire city right now if you wanted to.”
“Yeah, so?”
“I have nothing.”
“So… a heku couldn’t be interested in you because you’re not a heku, yet not human, and you can’t wipe out the city… so you aren’t cool…”
“Right, the factions fight over you, you’re that valuable. I was kidnapped once and that was just to get to you.”
Emily laughed slightly, “So I’m cool because I keep getting kidnapped?”
“Not really that,” Alexis said, and looked at her again, “But at least you’re valuable enough to be kidnapped.”
Emily nodded, finally understanding, “So it’s a guard you like.”
“How did you know?” Alexis asked, shocked.
“Because, you want this guard to have to rescue you.”
“Well…”
“And if you could ash like I can… be a full Winchester, you think the other factions might try to kidnap you and then your guard would save you.”
“You make it sound stupid.”
“No, I fully understand… there’s…” Emily checked again for watching eyes. “There’s something… attractive, about being protected. Tell your Dad and I’ll string you up.”
Alexis grinned, “Yeah there is.”
“However, I don’t think getting kidnapped is the trick.”
“Can you at least teach me to ash like you do?”
“Why?”
“It’s just so cool, Mom, so powerful.”
“Sure, why not.”
“And… Mom… there has to be more than jeans and t-shirts.”
“So you want to dress more like a girl?”
“Yes, don’t you?”
“Nope, I dress exactly how I want to.”
“Oh”
“You need to give yourself more credit. I’m not all that powerful and strong… you have half of your Dad in you, and he’s the one you should try to be like.”
“Dad?”
Emily nodded, “Yes, he’s the strong one. He’s a leader, one that demands respect.”
“He’s just… Dad.”
“To us, I know, but to the others, he’s very much revered.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Let’s go to the prison then, we’ll practice.”
“Yes!” Alexis yelled, and kicked her mare into a gallop. Emily laughed and followed her. The Cavalry was changing shifts when they rode up and took the horses from Alexis and Emily.
When Silas and three other members of the Cavalry fell in behind Emily, she looked over at Alexis’ two guards and saw that Alexis had a blush rising to her cheeks. She watched as Alexis headed inside and how she couldn’t look at the young, blond heku guard walking behind her.
“Who’s the blond guard?” Emily asked, following them in.
“Gabe,” Silas told her.
“Gabe,” Emily whispered, and the heku turned toward her.
“Yes, Ma’am?”
“I’m watching you,” she said, and glared at him.
His eyes grew wide and he rushed up to take his place behind Alexis again.
“Do I need to handle him?” Mark asked from behind her.
“No, I got this,” Emily said, then smiled and took Alexis’ hand. “Ok, no guards for an hour.”
“What? Why?” Silas asked, frowning.
“Em, the Elders specifically…” Mark started, but Emily held up her hand.
“No, we’re solo for an hour, live with it,” Emily said, and took Alexis down the hallway while the six heku watched, irritated.
Emily led Alexis down into the prison.
“Ma’am, you can’t be down here,” the guard said, and stepped in front of her.
Emily frowned, “Yes, I can.”
“No, Dustin said you aren’t to be down here anymore, and there’s no exception for Miss Alexis to the rule.”
“Take it up with Chev,” she said, and stepped around him, pulling Alexis after her.
“Ma’am, we insist you go back up to the palace,” the guard said, and followed her to Vaughn’s cell.
“Well, well, do I get two Winchesters tonight?” Vaughn asked, and smirked.
“In your dreams,” Emily said, and rolled her eyes. She sat down across from his cell and leaned against the empty cell she once occupied. Alexis nervously sat down beside her.
“Ma’am,” the guard said, and stopped when Emily looked up at him.
“Chev… that Elder you are all so afraid of… take it up with him, I’m busy.”
The guard sighed and walked off.
Emily smiled, “Ok, look over at Vaughn. You have to let the anger and hatred build up. Use all of those negative emotions and just burn him, try it.”
Vaughn turned away, “She can’t burn me. I won’t look at her.”
“I don’t want you to look at her,” Emily told him.
“Mom, I can’t,” Alexis said.
“Just focus on him. He’s an ass, focus on that, how much you hate him.”
Alexis turned and studied Vaughn, remembering the times Emily was held hostage and tortured by some of the heku in this prison.
“As you get mad, let it grow, build it until you can’t possibly hate him any more,” Emily whispered.
Alexis took a deep breath, still concentrating on Vaughn.
***
“Sir, one of the prison guards w
ants to speak to you,” Derrick said, peeking into the council chambers.
Chevalier nodded, “Fine, let him in.”
A nervous looking guard stepped into the council chamber’s trial area and walked up to Chevalier, “The… the Lady… Emily… she said to, that I needed to talk to you.”
Chevalier looked up, “About what?”
“She’s in the prison.”
“So?”
“With Miss Alexis.”
Chevalier frowned slightly, “She has Alex in the prison?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Why?”
“They’re… trying to, well, turn Vaughn to ash.”
Zohn chuckled slightly, “Training session?”
“That’s kind of what it looks like.”
“I still can’t figure out why you’re up here telling me,” Chevalier said.
“The Coven Liaison Officer ordered that she not be in the prison, and she said to take that up with you.”
Chevalier sighed, “Dustin…”
“It was part of her release from house arrest,” Dustin explained.
“Which we did away with completely.”
“Not that part. I don’t feel she needs to hang around the prison. She starts riots.”
“Just leave her be,” Quinn told the guard, and he left.
“Stop giving orders out about my wife without consulting one of the Elders!” Chevalier hissed at him.
“Yes, Elder,” Dustin said, and turned back to a large stack of papers.
“Don’t you have a coven complaining about something?” Zohn asked him.
“Yes, I’m heading out now,” he said, and blurred from the room.
“He’s going to push it too far,” Chevalier hissed.
“He already has… twice,” Quinn reminded him. “If he can’t get this coven under control, then we may be able to claim he’s not suited for the job.”
“We’ve talked about banishing him and the risks of Powan retaliating,” Zohn said, and sat down a large ledger.
“Still, this thing he has with Emily goes way beyond the bickering she had with Damon and you two,” Chevalier said, and turned toward them.
“It was always love-hate with them though,” Kyle said, deep in thought. “With Dustin, it’s pure hatred.”
“It’s a power struggle between members of the Council, plain and simple,” the Chief Interrogator added.
“Does he not think she belongs on the Council?” Zohn asked, frowning.
Eternity of Vengeance (Extended Edition) : Book 7 of the Heku Series Page 15
