Emily shook her head, “No, not immortal. Just not aging… I’m dying and I need someone to assure me that my children won’t be left alone.”
The Chief Investigator and Chief of Staff appeared beside Emily when she swayed slightly.
“Please, rest here,” Sotomar said softly. “We will discuss things when you feel better.”
She nodded. The drive to the Valle’s main city was exhausting and she wanted nothing more than to sleep.
While two of the Imperial Guards showed Emily to her room, Sotomar called the Equites Council.
“Zohn here.”
“It’s Sotomar, may I speak to Chevalier?”
“He’s busy. What can I do for you?”
“We really need to speak to him personally.”
Zohn sighed, “He’s out looking for Emily.”
“She’s here,” Sotomar told him.
There were whispers heard from the Equites, though it was too softly for the Valle to hear over the speakerphone. It was only a few minutes before Zohn spoke, “I’ll call him back and have him contact you.”
“Very well,” Sotomar said, and disconnected. He quietly left the council chambers and silently slid into Emily’s room to watch her sleep. He studied how silently she slept and how peaceful she looked in her sleep. His heart sank at her desperate plea to save her husband and friend, and he wondered if his world would ever again be this intertwined by another mortal.
Three hours later, he returned to the council chambers when he was alerted that Chevalier had called.
“Is she still there?” Chevalier asked him.
“Yes, she’s sleeping. It seems the drive wore her out,” Sotomar explained. He knew how furious the enemy Elder would be that he watched Emily sleep, but his instincts were telling him that something was severely wrong with her.
“I can come get her.”
“Let her sleep for a while. She’s well protected here.”
“Very well.”
“We will have her call when she wakes.”
“Did she ask you, then?” Chevalier asked.
Sotomar sighed, “Yes.”
“I wonder if she’ll go to the Encala next.”
“That would be my guess, as we denied being able to assist her.”
“We can’t let her go there. Frederick is still angry with her and I’m not sure how they would react to an impromptu visit.”
Sotomar thought for a moment, “Maybe we should go there instead.”
“The Valle?”
“No, you and I.”
“They are more likely to break tradition and agree to help her though,” Chevalier said. “If we go there first, it may even make their decision easier.”
Sotomar smiled slightly, “That is true… They will agree to help her if for nothing else than to make us mad.”
“I would like to come and get Emily… I will bring someone to return her Jeep.”
“Why don’t you let her stay here for a bit?” Sotomar suggested. “Give you some time to further investigate what is going on, and it will take more time to help Alexis with her newest problem.”
Chevalier chuckled, “Damn that got around fast.”
“Things do.”
“Have her call me when she wakes up then… I’ll suggest she take a vacation.”
“We will,” Sotomar promised, and then hung up.
Chapter 17 - Health
“You’re cheating!” Emily yelled, and then started to laugh.
“I am not… just because you’re losing, doesn’t mean that I must be cheating,” the General for the Imperial Guard said to her. He nervously glanced at Dain and then turned his attention back to the TV.
The Equites had good leads on the whereabouts of the serial killer known as Heartbreaker, and were also still searching every coven within a 12-hour drive of Council City. During the last month that Emily had spent with the Valle, her condition was improving and her speech was beginning to clear. Dain insisted on being with her in the enemy palace, and was flown over during her second week with them.
“Damn… that’s 4 out of 5 wins for you,” Emily said, and set the game controller down.
The General grinned, “Yes, that is.”
Emily looked over when a familiar heku spoke, “Are you ready, Lady Emily?”
She sighed, “Do we have to do this today?”
“Yes, Elder Sotomar ordered it.”
“I’d like to know when I started taking orders from Sotomar,” Emily said, and then stood up to leave. Her limp was markedly improved as she followed the Physical Therapist out of the game room. Dain was close behind her and scrutinized every heku that came near her.
The Imperial Guards smiled and bowed when Emily walked past, ignoring the growls from the young heku that was bigger than most of them.
They walked into a room the Valle made especially for Emily, and she sat down at a table across from the Physical Therapist.
“Ok, today we’re working on eating again,” he said, and set out a plate and fork.
“Which makes no sense to me,” Emily said, and took the fork in her right hand. “I don’t eat with my left hand.”
“It doesn’t matter, we’re not training your left hand to hold and use a fork… we’re training it to simply do as it’s told.”
“Gotcha,” Emily said, and then looked over when Sotomar entered.
“How is it going?”
“Peachy, I can now eat air with my left hand,” she said, and grinned slightly.
“Did Chevalier say when he would be visiting again?”
“He’s hoping for tonight.”
The Physical Therapist cleared his throat and looked up at the Elder.
“Oh… right… carry on,” Sotomar said, and left the room.
After an hour of fine-motor work with her left hand, the Physical Therapist moved his chair beside her and took her left arm in his hands.
Dain growled deeply when the Valle touched her and Emily looked up at him, “Stop it.”
“He doesn’t need to touch you!” Dain growled.
“Let him do his job.”
“I’m watching you,” Dain said to the Valle.
The Physical Therapist began to massage her impaired arm, alternating between range-of-motion exercises and sensory stimulation to her left arm.
“All fixed?” Emily asked when he was done.
“Not yet, your TENS unit came in,” he told her, and took a small black box out of a desk. The black box had long wires coming off of it and he attached them to her arm with tiny white discs.
“So what’s this do again?” she asked, and then her eyes grew wide when small electrical impulses were sent through her arm.
“We’re trying to, essentially, wake up your arm.”
“What would this do to you?”
The Physical Therapist chuckled, “I’m imagining a lot… we leave this on for thirty minutes and then we go back into the water.”
Emily looked over at the large water tank, “Seriously?”
“Yes, your limp is improving and I’m certain that we can get rid of it all together.”
She read her book and ignored the minor face-off between Dain and the Valle while her TENS unit sent electrical stimulation into her arm. It wasn’t until it turned off that she noticed the two heku staring at each other.
“Will you two stop?” she asked, and the Physical Therapist turned back to her.
“Sorry… I cannot back down to him though,” he explained while unhooking her from the device.
“Dain, that’s enough,” Emily told him.
“Mom…”
“No! He’s helping me… so leave him alone.”
Dain’s eyes narrowed, but he nodded slightly.
Within a few minutes, Emily was in a one-piece swimsuit and was walking slowly across the water tank with the Physical Therapist watching.
“You are progressing well,” he commented. “Make sure and lift your left leg equal to your right when walking though… you
’re still babying your left side.”
“I’m not babying it… it doesn’t work.”
“It does, but you’re avoiding using it when at all possible.”
By the time Emily was done with the water tank, she was exhausted and ready for a nap. Dain helped her out of the tank and she wrapped in a towel.
“We done then?” she asked, drying off in the dressing room.
“Yes, though, I’m going to help encourage you to use your left side more,” the Therapist said to her.
She stepped out fully dressed, “What do you mean?”
He held up a thick belt, “I’m tying down your right arm.”
Her eyes grew wide, “What?”
“Restraining your right arm will force you to use your left side.”
“No”
“Yes,” he said, raising his eyebrows.
“No, I don’t mean it won’t work… I mean I won’t do it.”
“I know what you mean… and yes, you will do it.”
“I will not d…” she stopped talking when the Physical Therapist suddenly appeared in front of her and her right arm was already restrained at her side. “Damn that was fast.”
“Let’s see how it goes… I do believe your husband has arrived.”
She nodded, “I’ll get out of this thing.”
“Not without help,” he said, and then grinned when she walked out, struggling against the strap holding her arm to her side.
“Undo this for me,” Emily asked one of the Imperial Guards that was following her to the council chambers.
“Sorry, Ma’am. Elder’s orders that we cannot release you,” the closest one said to her.
“Dain…”
There was a small scuffle behind her when Dain started for her and two of the Imperial Guards restrained him.
“Stop!” Emily yelled and went to Dain. “It’s ok, Baby. I’ll get it off myself… don’t risk a war for it.”
Dain growled at the guards and they let him go and fell in behind Emily when she continued to the council chambers, still struggling to get her arm free.
Emily was so busy concentrating to free her right arm, that she hadn’t noticed that she passed into the council chambers.
“Having problems?” Chevalier asked, amused.
She looked up and smiled, and then quickly moved into his arms. He lightly kissed the top of her head.
Emily pulled away from him and turned her back to him, “Let this thing loose.”
Chevalier chuckled, “I’m sure it’s there for a reason.”
“It’s not… the Valle are restraining me.”
“I would say not,” Elder Ryan said, hoping Chevalier wouldn’t believe her.
Chevalier leaned his head back and laughed, “It’s good to have you back, Em.”
“No seriously, take it off,” she said, pulling against the binds.
“Em… whatever it is they’re doing is working. Your limp is better, your speech is almost perfectly clear. I’m not going to take that off if it’s helping you.”
“It hurts though.”
Dain growled and Chevalier glared at him before turning back to Emily, “It’s not hurting you, so leave it alone.”
Emily turned when the door opened and Alexis ran to her and threw her arms around her Mom.
“Oh I missed you, Alex,” she said, and hugged her with her left arm.
“Are you ok?” Alexis asked, and looked over her Mom.
“I’m fine.”
“Good, then I came here to talk to the Valle Council,” Alexis said, then turned to look at the Council.
“You did?” Chevalier asked, frowning.
Alexis looked over at Sotomar, “I want to stay here.”
“You may stay with your Mom if you’d like.”
“No, permanently. I want to join the Valle.”
Chevalier gasped, eyes wide, “You what?”
The Valle Elders looked nervously at Chevalier.
“I’m done with the Equites… and I want to stay here with you,” Alexis repeated.
“That’s… we… is there a problem, Child?” Sotomar finally managed to ask.
“Yes, I hate them.”
“Alexis…” Chevalier growled.
“If you say no… then I know the Encala will take me.”
“It’s not… quite that easy to change factions,” Elder Ryan said, quickly glancing at Chevalier.
“Then start the process or I go to the Encala.”
“You are out of line, Alex,” Chevalier said, and grabbed her arm roughly.
Alexis tried to pull free of her Dad’s grasp, but was unable to, “Yes or no? I need to know now.”
“Alex, now is not the time for this,” Emily told her.
“I hate them, Mom,” Alexis told Emily, her eyes full of tears. “They killed Gabe.”
Emily wrapped her one arm around her daughter and let her cry it out on her shoulder. She could tell by how Chevalier was watching Sotomar that they were having a conversation, but they were speaking too quietly for her to hear and she suspected too quietly for even Alexis to hear.
Finally, Emily pulled back from Alexis and looked into her eyes, “I’ll go home, ok? We’ll talk there.”
Alexis nodded and then glared at her Dad before stepping back by Dain.
“We’ll be sad to see you go,” Elder Ryan told her.
“I appreciate all you’ve done, but it seems I’m needed at home.
“You’ve not had fainting spells here though, maybe it’s something in the Equites palace.”
“I doubt it. I’ve been there long enough it would have shown up before now.”
“Very well,” Sotomar said, and then smiled. “You are more than welcome to return if the need arises.”
“I’ll be in touch,” Alexis said to him, and then took Dain’s hand and they walked out of the council chambers.
Emily watched them go and then smiled at Chevalier, “We could always leave both of them.”
“Don’t tempt me,” he said, and they walked out together.
***
“How is she?” Quinn asked when Chevalier sat down.
“She’s improved quite a bit. Their Physical Therapist did wonders for her.”
Zohn smiled, “Good to know.”
“Alexis, however, asked Sotomar if she could join the Valle.”
Quinn gasped, “She did?”
“Yes, Emily and I are going to talk about that tonight after she gets some time in the pool.”
“Any other Equites would be instantly banished,” Dustin mumbled.
Chevalier glared at him, “She’s not officially an Equites.”
“So what, exactly, did Emily have to do to become one then?”
“She pretty much declared herself to be an Equites and then showed loyalty to the faction.”
“So we’re just going to let Alexis go off and join the Valle on a whim?”
“Shut up, Dustin,” Chevalier growled, and then turned back to Quinn.
Zohn looked up when he heard Emily come down the stairs, “Derrick, send Emily in please.”
Only a few minutes later, Derrick came into the council chambers, “Sorry, Sir. She said no.”
Zohn turned to Chevalier, “Is she still avoiding the Council?”
“Last I heard, yes.”
“Well I, for one, would like to see her progress,” Quinn said, then stood up to leave.
Kyle stood also, “I’ll go with you.”
“As will I,” Richard, the Chief Interrogator, said.
“Limit it to three at a time or it could be construed as ganging up on her,” Chevalier told them.
“Send in Dain, then,” Zohn called out. The others left to visit with Emily while the rest of the Council waited for Dain.
He walked in, eyeing the Council suspiciously, then walked forward and stood before them, “You called?”
“Yes, we are curious how things went with the Valle,” Zohn said.
“Fine”
“T
hat’s it?”
“It went fine.”
Chevalier grinned, “What exactly did Emily tell you in regards to informing the Council about her stay?”
Dain chuckled and in that moment, looked exactly like Chevalier, “I’m just not supposed to say anything.”
“You do realize that as your Dad, I can override that.”
“Mom outranks you.”
“Interesting,” Dustin said.
Chevalier turned his chair toward the Coven Liaison Officer, “Leave.”
“Yes, Elder,” Dustin said, and blurred angrily from the room.
“Does anyone outrank your Mom?” the Chief of Staff asked the boy.
“No”
“What has she told you?” Zohn asked, turning to Chevalier.
“Not much. She spent most of the trip trying to get out of a restraint the Physical Therapist put her in. The rest of the time she slept.”
“Restraint?”
“Yes, it’s a belt that holds her right arm at her side so she’s forced to use her left arm. It’s fastened where she can’t get out of it without assistance.”
Zohn grinned, “Oh I bet she loves that.”
“It was actually good to see her fighting to get out of it, more her old self.”
“Shall we call in a Physical Therapist then? Someone to continue her treatment?” the Chief of Defense asked.
“I already have,” Chevalier assured him, and then turned back to Dain. “Were you aware that your sister was going to try to join the Valle?”
Dain shrugged, “I suspected she might.”
“All because of Gabe?”
“She claims to love him.”
“And he?”
“He was an ass,” Dain said bluntly.
“Do you think he loved her?” Chevalier chuckled.
“No, I do not.”
“Did you talk to her more about joining the guard staff?”
“No, I don’t think she’s well enough.”
“She looks good though,” Chevalier said.
“She still believes she’s dying.”
“How so?”
“She fully expects the fainting spells to return and often thinks of her Dad’s demise and how humiliating strokes can be.”
“Humiliating?” Zohn asked, frowning.
“Yes, toward the end, Mom did everything for him. She fed him, bathed him… He was completely dependent on her and she often says he would have rather died than lived like that.”
Eternity of Vengeance (Extended Edition) : Book 7 of the Heku Series Page 45
