Chevalier walked up to the first one and kneed him in the chin, instantly breaking his jaw, “Where did your Council go?”
The one beside him growled, “We don’t know.”
Chevalier shrugged, “Fine, then you first.”
The Elder bent over and slammed his fist deep into the enemy’s chest. The heku began to scream as Chevalier pulled his still beating heart from his chest and tossed it onto the floor. The Encala General fell back onto the floor, writhing in pain as blood pooled around him.
“We don’t know!” one of the Captains yelled, and started to stand up, but was pushed roughly to his knees.
“We’ve taken your palace, your city is in ruins… if you want your life, I suggest you start talking about where your Council might be,” Chevalier hissed.
“They don’t say where they are going… We were just told to hold the palace.”
“Good job at that,” Chevalier said with a grin, and looked up at the guards. “Drain him.”
“What!? No!” the heku screamed, as four sets of teeth sunk into his thick flesh.
Chevalier squatted down by one of the Captains, “You’re being quiet.”
“Nothing I say can change the fact that you’re about to kill me,” he scowled.
“Oh, true,” Chevalier said, and stood up. He walked over to the last General and looked down at him. “I suppose you’re not going to be much help, either?”
“We don’t know where the Council is.”
“I figured, it’s just fun to torture you about it,” he replied with a grin. The drained heku was released by the Equites and he began to pant and look hungrily around him. His skin was turning an ashen gray and his body began to shake with thirst.
“Go find me some blood,” Chevalier said, and one of his guards blurred away.
Chevalier tore the heads off the remaining General and two Captains, leaving just the dying General, the drained Captain, and one more Encala Captain that watched Chevalier with wide eyes. The Encala all knew about Chevalier’s temper and furious rage, but none had seen it in the last twenty years. He was no longer thought of as a harsh disciplinarian and callous warrior, but these Encala now realized that by taking Emily away, he had returned to his former nature.
“Just kill me and get it over with,” the Captain growled.
“Oh, that’s no fun,” Chevalier told him. He walked over and looked down at the cowering heku. Before the enemy could react, Chevalier reached down and removed his arm and he began to scream.
“Your blood, Elder,” one of his guards said. Chevalier turned and took a bag of blood from the heku and turned back to the drained Captain, “Thirsty?”
The gray heku only hissed at him and stood to crouch.
Chevalier grinned ominously, “Come get it.”
The heku lunged at Chevalier and then slammed into the stone wall when the Elder deftly stepped aside, still holding the blood up for the starving heku to see, “You missed me… I thought you were thirsty.”
“Stop it! There’s no reason to torture him,” the Captain said.
“Oh, yes there is… I was held for 5 months by you. Someone has to pay for that.”
“You cannot hold us responsible for what our Elders order us to do.”
“Yes, I can,” Chevalier told him, and then moved away when the gray heku lunged for the bag of blood again.
The heartless heku General began to groan a guttural noise and Chevalier looked over at him, “Did you say something? Speak up there, Boy.”
“Just kill him!” the Captain yelled.
“No,” the Elder told him, and turned to the guards. “Whoever has the council chambers… tell them to start taking it apart.”
“Yes, Elder,” one of the Equites guards said, and bowed before blurring away.
Crashes were almost immediately heard coming from the council chambers and Chevalier smiled at the Captain.
“It’s disgusting,” the Encala yelled.
“I would imagine… however, you should never let the enemy into your palace.”
“Elder,” Silas said, coming up the stairs. “We’ve found how to get the palace out of lockdown, and the city is almost clear, battalions 3, 4 and 5 are waiting outside for access.”
“Open it up, have them come in and get some frustrations out… destroy this building,” Chevalier ordered.
Silas grinned, bowed, and then blurred away.
“This is getting boring,” Chevalier said, and tore the head from the starving Captain.
“Just kill me!” the last remaining Captain hissed. Blood quit pouring from his missing arm and skin had already grown to cover the area.
“Nope, you’re my new toy,” Chevalier said, and turned to one of the guards. “Make sure he’s taken, unharmed, to Council City and put in prison.”
“Yes, Elder,” he said, and then hauled the Captain away.
Chevalier looked down at the suffering General. The skin had grown back over his chest wound but the pain his face showed was intense as his body struggled to live without the missing heart, “You… I think we’ll just leave you.”
The General’s back arched as the pain increased.
“Elder, the city is finished,” Thukil Captain Darren said when he walked up. “The houses are either in ruin or burning. We figure only about 400 heku fled, the rest were killed.”
Chevalier grinned, “Alert the Valle and our Council that we’ve taken the Encala City, and its palace is now under our control. Make sure the Valle know we won’t tolerate even them within the city walls right now.”
“Yes, Elder,” Darren said, and disappeared to make the calls.
“What now, Elder?” Horace asked. “We’ve never actually taken the palace before.”
“Now we hold it. The Encala will put out a call for help, and covens will begin to arrive… We hold them off.”
“Yes, Elder,” he replied, and moved off to alert the troops.
***
Chevalier sat on Encala Elder William’s chair in the council chambers. His feet were propped up on what was left of the desk while he listened to everything around him, trying to catch where the next Encala attack was coming in.
“Dad?” Allen said, and moved up beside him.
Chevalier looked up at his son.
“It’s almost time for Mom to call.”
He nodded, “I’d like to listen again.”
“I figured, that’s why I’m here,” Allen said, and brushed the rubble off of another chair before sitting down. It was only a few minutes later when the phone rang. “Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, how are you?”
“I’m fine. Sitting bored on the island is all.”
“Sounds nice actually. I’ve been so busy.”
“Doing what?”
“Just stuff. I’m getting ready for a horse sale and we have hay that’s about ready to harvest.”
“That sounds like fun. How is Dain?”
“He’s good. He’s pretty proud of himself because he’s taller than I am now,” she said, and sounded amused.
“I bet he is… and Alex?”
“She’s studying. I had to hire a tutor. I tried to put her in regular school, but that didn’t work out.”
“I would image it wouldn’t.”
There was a slight pause.
“So… nothing new going on?” Emily asked.
“Not really,” Allen said, and grinned slightly at Chevalier. “Heku stuff is all.”
“Right, right, are you still studying?”
“No, Dad’s letting me try out for the Island Coven guard staff.”
“Ew, be careful, I don’t trust them.”
“I know you don’t. I wish you would.”
“Just be careful around them. I’d prefer if you didn’t join the guard staff… can’t you do something else?”
Allen grinned, “I can I suppose, but I don’t want to.”
“Then join Thukil and do Cavalry instead.”
“Mom… Miri and I like Island
Coven and I want to be a part of Dad’s guards.”
“I wish I had my dogs. Do you know if they’re being taken care of?” Emily asked.
Allen sighed, “They were…”
“What?”
“The fake Dad… had them killed.”
“What!?” she gasped.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t find out until after the fact or I would have taken them.”
“Stop with the fake Dad shit too. I’m not up for that.”
“Ok,” he whispered. He knew if he pushed the issue that she would hang up, “Is there any way we can meet, just you and I?”
“I’ve been trying to decide how best to do that. I really miss you.”
“Just name it, I won’t tell Dad.”
“I’ve told you, I’m not going to do anything that makes you choose between him and me. I’ll keep thinking and come up with a way.”
“Well, at least let’s webcam next Sunday. I’d like to be able to see you.”
There was a slight pause and when she spoke, she was laughing slightly, “You’re going to check for injuries, aren’t you?”
“Not injuries… or… I just want to see you,” Allen told her.
“Fine, I’ll webcam in next week.”
Allen smiled, “I can’t wait.”
“I better go. Dain’s been complaining about being thirsty, dang he drinks a lot.”
“How are you feeding him then?”
“Alexis wants to talk to you. I can’t trust her yet, but just know she misses you really bad.”
“Mom, I have one more question.”
“Ok,” she asked, sounding unsure.
“Rumor has it, around the Equites, when you left… that you are pregnant.”
“I know he’s listening,” Emily said, and her voice sounded angry. “So… Chevalier… mind your own fucking business.”
Allen glanced over at his Dad when she disconnected the line.
“When are you heading back?”
Allen nodded, “I’m actually heading back today.”
“Let me know if she calls.”
“I will…” Allen stopped talking when the phone rang again. He answered it on speaker, “Mom?”
“No,” Alexis whispered.
“Alex! Please, tell me where you are,” Allen said, shocked.
“I can’t,” she whispered even softer. “I won’t betray Mom… but there are problems here.”
“Heku problems?”
“Mainly mortal ones. I don’t know what’s going on, but Mom keeps getting attacked by mortal men.”
“Mainly?”
“Mainly”
“So there have been heku attacks?” Allen asked.
“It’s irritating how mortal men seek her out and end up over-stepping,” Alexis whispered.
Allen sighed, “We suspect that mortals are attracted to the Winchester scent. They just don’t know it.”
“She had a bad attack last night. One of her ranch hands attacked her with a knife… if Tucker and Pelton hadn’t shown up, I don’t know what would have happened.”
“Who’re Tucker and Pelton?”
Alexis grew silent for a few seconds, “I can’t say.”
“Does Mom have a boyfriend?”
“No, are you kidding? Her employees are scared to death of her. They are just field-hands that have been good friends.”
Allen shrugged, “What do you want me to do? I can’t help if I don’t know where you are.”
“Alexis?” Chevalier said.
“Oh my God, Dad?”
“Can you talk to your Mom? She needs to understand what a doppelganger is.”
“I can’t. She clams up if anyone mentions you.”
“Try, please, that wasn’t me… those things that were said, and that she thinks I did, none of that was me.”
“I know, and I’ll try… but she’s pretty mean.”
“Mean?” Chevalier asked.
“Yes, she flies off the handle in an instant. She demands things from the employees, and is harsh with punishments. Everyone here is so afraid of her that we have a very high turn-around rate. The only ones that’ve stayed the entire 4 months are Pelton and Tucker.”
“Don’t put yourself at risk then.”
“Dain is big, Dad… like… scary big, and he follows Mom around and won’t let anyone near her. He was upset because during the attack last night, he was inside with me and wasn’t with her. I suspect now he won’t let Mom out of his sight,” Alexis explained.
“How is he with her? Does she upset him or anger him?” Allen asked.
“No, he adores her.”
“Please, Alex, where are you?”
“She’s coming,” Alexis whispered and hung up the phone.
“I’m heading back,” Allen said when Chevalier sat back to think. His Dad simply nodded and Allen left for Island Coven.
Chapter 10 - Back To Normal
Chevalier held tightly to the woman’s hand and sunk his teeth into her wrist. She gasped when she felt the sting of his teeth and then began to relax back against the bench. When finished, he tossed $100 onto the table and left without a word
“Damn, that one hurts when he bites,” she complained to her friend when Chevalier was out of the room, though he heard and grinned.
He got back into his Humvee and sped away from the house of his donor. He didn’t care that he’d hurt her, didn’t care to bite softly, or even try to be gentle. In the two months since the Encala city fell under his control, his entire attitude had changed. He no longer bothered to try to be nice, and enjoyed the way heku cowered when he walked by and ran to get away from him as he passed.
The entire Cavalry was scouring the country, desperate to find Emily to try and calm the Elder. He banished heku for minor infractions, and killed anyone who even came close to crossing him. The guards were strict and conforming, eager to do what they could to please him.
Encala City was still under Equites control. Even the Valle had asked for it to be returned to the Encala, but Chevalier angrily told them that he would occupy their palace for the 5 months they had him abducted. The entire Encala faction was in ruins. What covens they had left, no longer tried to retake the city, but stayed hidden in their covens, hoping that the Encala could someday reclaim their city.
Chevalier pulled the Humvee up and stopped it at the front doors to the Encala Palace. The four door guards bowed when they saw him, and he walked into the palace, avoiding the rubble and ignoring how smoke poured out of the seventh floor.
He stopped when he heard a woman scream, and looked up just as a mortal woman came running out of the second-floor foyer and down the stairs. She blew past him, grasping her neck, and two of the Equites guards appeared laughing.
Chevalier walked up to them, “Were you feeding without consent?”
“No, Elder!” one of them said. “I just don’t think she planned on it hurting.”
He nodded, “I take it she was an exclusive Encala donor?”
“Yes, Elder,” he replied, and grinned.
Chevalier started back up the stairs and went into the Encala’s council chambers, where he’d spent the last two months, overseeing any Encala attacks and fielding questions from the Encala and Valle Councils.
***
Chevalier looked up when Kyle walked in and sat down beside him, “We have a really good lead.”
“Oh?”
“There’s an Equestrian Ranch outside of Richmond, Kentucky. It was purchased 8 months ago by a single woman. We’ve talked to some of the people in Richmond, and no one’s seen her. They said she keeps to herself and one of her field hands does all of the shopping.”
Chevalier thought before speaking, “I want to go on this one. It’s too coincidental.”
Kyle nodded, “I figured you would. The helicopter is waiting.”
The flight to Richmond, Kentucky, took most of the day and they arrived just as the sun was setting. Four of the Cavalry were waiting for them at the landing zone
, including Silas and Mark. Chevalier stepped out and looked around.
“We’ll wait until full dark, and then run up to the house. Avoid contact with anyone, even Dain and Alexis. I want no contact. I only want recognizance to ascertain if this is the correct ranch,” the Elder ordered.
They nodded and Silas led the way to the large horse ranch. The heku fell back behind the trees and watched the house as it grew dark. Lights came on after dark, and they could see the shadows of people moving around inside.
Chevalier was the first to move, and he blurred toward the house, careful to make sure no one else was around him. He got to the dining room window and watched a mortal man sitting at the table, reading a newspaper.
Kyle appeared beside the Elder and crouched down, “Anything?”
“Not yet,” Chevalier whispered, and watched carefully.
“Did you see that new horse movie is out?” the man yelled toward the kitchen.
“Yeah, but I’m too busy,” a woman said, and walked out of the kitchen. She was middle-aged with short brown hair and brown eyes. She sat down beside the man and took half of the newspaper from him.
Chevalier sighed, “I don’t think this is her ranch.”
“That could be a field hand,” Kyle said.
“I don’t smell her here.”
Kyle sighed, “You’re right.”
The heku quickly blurred back to the helicopter and crawled in. Mid-flight back to the Encala city, Chevalier’s cell phone rang.
“Chevalier here,” he growled.
“Dad, it’s me.”
“Did she call?”
“Yes, and she’s agreed to meet me.”
Chevalier gasped, “She did? Where?”
“She bought me a plane ticket to Denver. I’m leaving in the morning.”
“Take us to Denver,” Chevalier ordered, and the pilot immediately changed course.
“What time are you meeting her?”
“The plane lands at 8am. She said she’s sending someone to get me.”
“We’ll be there, following.”
“I figured,” Allen said. “Be careful though, Dad. She’s not playing at being mad.”
Eternity of Vengeance (Extended Edition) : Book 7 of the Heku Series Page 25
