“Right away, Elder,” he said, and disappeared.
Dr. Edwards watched Emily and sighed, “It just doesn’t make sense. Have we checked all of the ceremonial rooms?”
“We did last time, no one was turning at the time,” Chevalier said, and ordered the fires stoked.
“Close covens? Maybe not even Equites then?”
Chevalier grinned slightly, “The only nearby coven was Encala… I took care of them a few months ago.”
“I’d like to stay,” Dr. Edwards said. “I want to be here when she wakes up. I have some tests to run immediately.”
“Test?”
“Yes, just to check a few things. I suspect there may be something deeper going on that just fainting episodes.”
“Like what?”
“Now that I’m not sure of. I just know it can’t be healthy, whatever it is.”
Chevalier nodded, “She won’t submit to testing though.”
“Luckily, the ones I need are non-invasive and fairly simple to run.”
“Good luck then.”
Chapter 14 - Memory
Dr. Edwards, Chevalier, and Dain watched over Emily for two days. She started to stir just as the sun came up on the second day and they all watched, eager to see if she knew what happened.
She sighed slightly and rolled over, clutching the pillow tightly.
“Em?” Chevalier said, and sat on the bed.
She turned and looked at him, “Yeah?”
“You going to get up?”
She frowned and looked at Dr. Edwards, “Why are you in here?”
“What’s the last thing you remember?” Chevalier asked, trying to turn her attention away from the doctor. It was obvious that he was watching her intently.
She glanced at Dain and then turned back to Chevalier, “I was in the council chambers… or leaving, more like. Damn, did I pass out again?”
“Yes, you did. Did you ash anyone?”
“No”
“You sure?”
“Well, if I did I didn’t mean to.”
“What did the Encala want?”
“Personal stuff.”
“Did you ash any of them?”
“No, though I should have.”
“Why?”
“Because they’re idiots.”
“You didn’t want to tell the Council… now it’s just me. What did they want?”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s not something I’m going to do.” Emily looked over and noticed Dr. Edwards was watching her.
“Smile for me, Emily,” Dr. Edwards said, and stepped closer to her.
“Go away.”
“Just one smile?”
“What the hell for?”
Dain stepped toward the doctor, “She said get away.”
Dr. Edwards looked up at the massive heku and took a step back, “I just wanted to see something.”
Emily jumped out of bed when Dain lunged at the doctor. When her feet hit the ground, she stumbled slightly, and caught herself on the edge of the bed, “Stop it!”
“Dain, get out,” Chevalier growled. Suddenly, the four Cavalry watching the door appeared and dragged the 7-year-old away.
“Don’t hurt him!” Emily screamed.
“Did you fall… just now?” Dr. Edwards asked her.
“No”
“Looks like you stumbled a bit. Were you dizzy?”
She sighed, “Go away.”
“Were you dizzy?” Chevalier asked, watching her carefully.
“No, ok. I’m clumsy and I got off balance.”
“Just one thing? Please…” Dr. Edwards begged.
“What?”
He stepped closer to her, “Push me back… a hand on each shoulder.”
“You want me to push you?”
“Yes”
She shrugged and did as he asked. He didn’t even budge as she pushed him as hard as she could, “There, happy?”
“Yes, very,” he said, and smiled.
Emily just shook her head and walked into the bathroom to take a shower.
“What was that all about?” Chevalier asked the doctor.
“She’s weaker on her left side,” Dr. Edwards said, his voice cracking slightly.
“Meaning…”
“Meaning, I think she’s had a stroke. Whatever is happening to her when she passes out is more than just syncope… or fainting.”
“So fix it.”
“I can’t just fix it. She heals though, so she can recover if it stops.”
“What do we do?”
“Watch her… closely. Make sure she doesn’t lose memory or start to lose feeling on one side.”
Chevalier nodded, “We’ll watch her. Do we need to try to keep her down?”
Dr. Edwards shook his head, “No, not at all. That would tick her off and make things worse. I suggest we alert the guards to watch for any sign she’s dizzy, losing memory, or weakening more, but to otherwise not let on that anything’s wrong.”
“Agreed”
“I’m coming out naked,” Emily called through the door. Dr. Edwards chuckled and disappeared from the room.
“It’s safe,” Chevalier said, and turned to the door. She came out of the bathroom fully dressed. “Naked, eh?”
“Got him to leave,” she said, and sat down to braid her hair.
“The Cavalry is calling for you, something about a sick horse,” Chevalier told her as soon as Dr. Edwards filled Mark in on what to tell the Cavalry.
She turned toward him, “What’s wrong?”
He shrugged, “Silas didn’t say. He just asked if you were able to come down.”
“Go to the council chambers. I’ll head down.”
“What makes you think I’m going to trials?”
She turned to look at him, “You’re fidgeting by the door, that means you’re supposed to be elsewhere.”
He grinned, “I’ll see you afterwards.”
She nodded and finished her hair, then grabbed her riding gloves and headed down the stairs with her four guards following.
“Four is what I heard,” Kralen said as he leaned up against the wall in the stables.
“Yeah, wonder why the call him the Heartbreaker,” Silas said, and then turned to Emily when she came in. “’Bout time you woke up.”
“Oh, ha-ha… so who’s sick?” she asked, and reached over to pet her stallion’s nose.
“Horace’s mare, not sure what’s wrong,” Kralen said, and walked over to the stall. He opened the door and Emily stood back a bit and watched the horse. The mare was shaking and unsteady on her feet.
“When’d this start?” Emily asked, and ran her hands along the horse’s chest.
“Just a couple hours ago,” Mark said as he walked up.
“Where was Horace today?”
“Up past the leech pond. He was stationed there for a few hours this morning.”
She nodded and whistled, “Devia!”
When the dog ran in, Emily slipped a bridle on her stallion and led him out of the stables. By the time she slid onto the horse, Mark, Silas, and Kralen were mounted and ready to go.
She shook her head and then called the Border collie as she set off through the city. The heku spoke about the serial killer while Emily thought through reasons for Horace’s horse to be listless and shaky. It wasn’t until they got to a small field outside of the pond that Emily slid off and bent down to pick up a small white flower.
“What’d you find?” Mark asked, looking closely at the flower in her hand.
“Hemlock, damnit. That horse must be dumber than a box of rocks,” she said, and got back onto her horse.
“Is hemlock bad?”
“Yes, it has neurotoxins. Hopefully she didn’t eat too much. Take this,” she said, and handed it over to Mark. “Make sure your guards don’t let their horses sit and munch on this stuff.”
He took it and looked closely at it, “Will do.”
Emily looked out over the changing fall colors of the nearby tre
es and flexed her left hand. It felt stiff to her and tingled slightly.
“You ok?” Kralen asked, and pulled his mare up beside her.
“Sure, just looking.”
“Did you hurt your hand?”
“No, just bent it wrong.”
“When’re you going to officially re-join the Cavalry?” Silas asked. Mark looked up and moved his horse up beside them.
She grinned, “Never, I told you… not my thing.”
“She’s already a member anyway,” Mark said, and then smiled broadly when she looked over at him.
“No I’m not.”
“You can’t quit the Cavalry, or guard staff for that matter. It’s against all heku tradition.”
“Yes I can, and I did.”
“Can’t… it’s never been done,” Mark said, and kicked his horse into a gallop.
Emily glared at him and did the same, easily catching up and passing him. Devia ran along behind them, barking and nipping at the horses as they ran. They were just past the front gates to Council City when she heard shouting and stopped her horse. She glanced behind her and saw the three heku were further away and watching down a dark street.
“What’s up?” Emily asked when she neared them.
“City Guards are fighting,” Silas whispered. Emily looked toward the noise and saw fifteen heku in a bloody brawl.
“Stop them!”
“Let them fight it out, unless it gets out of hand, and then we’ll step in,” Mark told her, keeping a close eye on the fight.
She sighed, “We can’t just let them kill each other.”
“Course we can. They’ll feel better after there’s blood spilled,” Kralen said, and then laughed.
“Lady Emily?” she heard from behind her. She turned to find one of the prison guards.
“What did I do now?” she asked him, frowning.
He grinned slightly, “I’m not here for the Council. We have a prisoner asking for you and Elder Chevalier said it would be ok to relay that to you.”
“Which prisoner?”
“Alec, Ma’am.”
“I… I don’t know,” she said, and suddenly found her heart racing.
Mark pulled his horse up beside her and laid a hand on her shoulder, “If you want to talk to him, we’ll go with you.”
“The Elder said you could, so it’s ok,” the guard said, and watched her.
Silas hissed at the prison guard and his eyes grew wide, then he blurred away quickly, returning to his post.
She sighed, “I wonder what he wants.”
“Why don’t we all go find out?” Kralen suggested. “If it gets out of hand, we’ll just leave and he can go back to his cell where he belongs.”
“He hates me,” Emily whispered as she watched her horse pick at the lush grass alongside the city street.
“Alec is too new to the heku lifestyle. He’s just confused.”
“He chose Exavior over me.”
“I’m not saying it’s an excuse, but it’s hard to break your ties to your maker,” Silas told her.
She nodded, “I’ve heard that.”
“Bring Alec to the conference room,” Mark said, and then looked toward Emily. “We’ll be there.”
She took a deep breath and kicked her horse into a canter back toward the palace. The city guards were no longer fighting, and it seemed to her like a sudden silence had fallen over the city.
Members of the Cavalry took their horses and the four headed quietly into the conference room.
Emily stopped outside of the door and took a deep breath before turning to Mark, “Let me do this alone.”
He frowned slightly, “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” she whispered, and walked into the conference room, shutting the door behind her.
Alec shifted uncomfortably as Emily took a seat across from him and laid her hands on the table, “You called for me?”
Alec nodded, “How are you, Emi?”
“I’m good, thanks.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Emily spoke, “Did you need something?”
“Yes… I made a mistake. I see that now and I wanted to apologize.”
“Ok”
“I don’t want to spend my new life in prison.”
“So are you apologizing to get out of prison, or to ask forgiveness for turning on your family?”
“We both turned on our families, don’t you think?”
“No, actually, I don’t think I did.”
“You did… when you chose the Equites over me.”
Emily fought the tears, “You wanted me to leave my husband and children to go live with someone who tortured me.”
“I wouldn’t have let that happen,” Alec told her.
“You wouldn’t have had a choice.”
He sighed, “I don’t want to get into this again, Emi. I want to know how to get out of your prison.”
“My prison?”
“Yes, I believe I am here because they are afraid I will hurt you.”
“You are here because you took over where Exavior left off. You led the Ferus faction, instigated attacks against the Equites and the Valle, and just won’t stop… You have to let it go, Alec.”
Alec whispered harshly, “Don’t act all high and mighty… You are the one living with the same creatures that killed your mother. How would your Dad like that, Emi? He was hell-bent on keeping you safe from them, and as soon as he dies, you join up with them.”
Her eyes narrowed, “That was the Encala…”
“Same species… you think no Equites never attacked you or your Mom? She was terrified of heku and you protect them now.”
“You can’t generalize the species, Alec. You know good and well that the Equites don’t treat me badly and…”
“Yes they do! You’re just too stupid to realize it. You never were a bright one, Emi,” Alec said, and leaned back in his chair with a sigh.
“If my Dad was alive, he would support me on this and you know it! You can call me names all you want, but it’s not going to change the fact that the Equites are my family now. I offered to let you come over, but you insisted on staying with Exavior.”
“Allen would not have agreed with you!” Alec growled. “You may not remember how much he hated the heku, but I sure as hell do…”
“Yet you joined them.”
“That’s different. I wasn’t the one he was fighting to protect, you are.”
“What exactly are you hoping to accomplish by this, Alec?” Emily asked. It was obvious to Alec that she was getting extremely angry.
“I want you to pull your head out of your ass and join me in an unfactioned coven.”
“What makes you think I would do that?”
“It’s where you belong,” he said, smiling. “It’s no secret that you and the Equites are no longer close.”
“That’s not true.”
“Oh yeah? Why are you making your own meals?”
“There’s no reason to have it done for me, when I can do it myself.”
“Where is your Rubicon?”
“In storage… what does that have to do with anything?”
Alec grinned, “You make your own meals because you don’t want to bother the Equites. You drive that old beat-up Chevy because you bought it yourself and the Rubicon was purchased by an Equites. You no longer feel welcome here, and you’re afraid if you make a pain out of yourself, they’ll kick you out… again… Next time they may not come looking for you.”
“They didn’t kick me out, that was a…”
“They didn’t stop it though did they?”
“No, they didn’t. I don’t blame them for that,” Emily told him.
“They didn’t stop it because Chevalier is the only heku keeping you here. The rest would let you walk out of here and wouldn’t so much as think of you again.”
Emily lightly tapped her fingers on the desk, too angry to speak.
“I also didn’t hear of Chevalier going out to find you, no
t once. He sent the Cavalry, secretly hoping you wouldn’t come back. He had to put up pretenses to keep the other factions happy, to make them think you were still Equites property.”
She stood up suddenly and headed for the door. Alec reached out and grabbed her wrist tightly, “Stop making mistakes, Emi. Stop pretending the Equites are your family… see them for what they are. I’m all you have left in this world.”
“Let go,” she whispered, still facing the door.
“Let me out of here and come with me.”
She shook her head and ignored the pain in her wrist as his grasp tightened on her, “No.”
“Maybe it’s you that needs to learn the meaning of proditor,” Alec hissed.
Emily turned to him, “I don’t even know what that means.”
“Your son once tried to brand Damon with the word proditor… to brand him a traitor. You, Emi, are the real traitor, and it’s only a matter of time before everyone sees that,” Alec said, grinning evilly. “You don’t have the loyalty to stay with the Equites… You’ll turn on them as you turned on your family, and when you do, they will hunt you down.”
When the conference room suddenly flooded with the Council, Alec let go of Emily’s wrist and was pinned against the wall. Emily ran for the garage and was soon alone in her truck, heading away from the city.
As she drove at fast speeds down the Interstate, her eyes filled with tears at Alec’s words. Her Dad had hated the heku, warned her about them, and even known one killed her mother. She knew that he would be upset that she’d grown to love the species and married into it. Alec was all she had left of her family before Chevalier, and he had turned against her.
Emily pulled over at the side of the Interstate when a heavy rain started and she couldn’t fight the tears any longer. She leaned her head against the steering wheel and wrapped her arms around herself. Thunder crashed from above and the sky lit up with huge flashes of lighting. The rain continued to pound the old truck and Emily used the solidarity to think through what Alec had told her.
Emily jumped when someone suddenly opened the passenger door and sat down beside her. She frowned slightly at the gray robed figure and then smiled when Sotomar dropped his hood and looked at her.
“Fancy meeting you out here,” he said, and handed her a tissue.
Emily wiped her eyes and nodded, “Long day.”
Eternity of Vengeance (Extended Edition) : Book 7 of the Heku Series Page 38
