“In the morning, Child. We have some preparations still,” the Chief of Defense explained.
Alexis frowned slightly, “I say bring her back first, and then you’ll have your turning.”
“First, we turn the mortal.”
A thought suddenly dawned on Alexis, “Wait… No. Bring her back first.”
“The deal stands… you turn our mortal, we awaken Emily, in that order,” he said, and motioned for her to walk up the stairs.
“At least let me meet this Ancient,” Alexis said, following them up the long staircase.
“That’s not possible right now.”
“Why?”
“Your scent,” he explained, and opened a door to a bedroom. “She will need to be acclimated some after hundreds of years of starvation.”
“Oh,” Alexis mumbled, and walked into the room. She had a panic starting and she suddenly doubted what she was being told.
“Do you require anything?” the Chief of Defense asked.
“Yes, actually. I want to see my mother.”
“She’s dead, Child.”
“If you’re going to bring her back… you’re going to need her body, and I want to see it.”
“It’s not something you should see.”
Alexis crossed her arms, “I need proof you’re going to do what you say.”
“No,” he said bluntly, and then shut and locked the door behind him.
Alexis looked around the room and finally sat down on the bed, still wondering if what the Valle told her was true. Her heart leapt at the thought that she’d get to see Emily again, but there was a dark cloud shadowing the bliss.
After several hours of not seeing nor hearing anyone, Alexis decided it was time to ask her Dad about the Ancient. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the small silver cell phone. She flipped it open and then sighed when she saw there was no signal.
Alexis moved to the window and tried again, but still got no signal to her cell phone. She looked out and noticed bars across her window, then suddenly began to feel trapped and alone.
“Hey!” Alexis yelled, and knocked on the locked door. She stepped back when she heard a key in the lock.
“Do you require something?” a strange heku asked.
“Yes, I want to talk to Sotomar.”
“The Elder won’t be attending.”
“Then who’s in charge?”
“The Chief of Defense.”
“Then him, I need to speak to him.”
“He’s busy,” the heku told her. “If you require something, then I can assist you.”
“I need a phone.”
“Per the Elder’s orders, until your mother returns, there will be no cell phone usage.”
Alexis’ eyes narrowed, “I’m not turning your mortal. I changed my mind.”
“You will do as you are told,” the Valle’s Chief of Defense said as he walked up.
“No, I’m not going to do it.”
He sighed and stepped into her room. The door shut and locked behind him and Alexis watched him walk over and sit in a chair by the one small fireplace.
“Sit, Child,” he said, and motioned for the other chair.
Alexis sat down, “Either you let me make a phone call, or I walk.”
“Why have you changed your mind? I thought you wanted your mother back.”
“The more I think about that, the more I think you are all full of it.”
He smiled, “We are not. Emily will be returned as soon as our mortal is turned.”
“You won’t let me see your ancient, you won’t let me see my Mom, you won’t let me make a phone call… I get the feeling that the Valle did something stupid and actually kidnapped me.”
“You came to us,” he reminded her.
“Under false pretenses!”
“Calling us liars is a bit unwarranted.”
“Then I am changing the rules… bring back my Mom, and then I’ll turn your mortal.”
“It’s not within your powers to change how this will be done,” he said, standing angrily. “You will do as you’re told and turn the mortal.”
“No”
“Is it being bitten that concerns you?” he asked, calming some.
“Some”
“Have you ever been?”
“No”
He smiled, “Then you may like it, Child.”
“Mom hated it.”
“Your mother was an unfortunate case. Had she not been victimized by heku attacks, she might also have enjoyed the calm and relaxing feeling of being fed from.”
Alexis’ eyes began to fill with tears, “Just let me see my Mom.”
“After,” he said, and blurred from the room. Alexis heard the door locked again from the outside and looked into the dark fireplace.
She sat, contemplating what to do, through the night and when the light of dawn first broke through the thick curtains, someone knocked on the door.
“What?” she asked, turning.
The Chief of Defense came in with a tray, “Breakfast, then we will begin.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“So much like your mother… Then here is your robe and I will be back in a few minutes to take you to the ceremonial room,” he said before dropping a black robe onto the bed and leaving.
Alexis sighed, still not sure what to do, and pulled on the hot, itchy black robe. It fit her perfectly and she was just looking down at it when the Chief of Defense returned.
He seemed overly anxious this morning, “Shall we head down?”
“No… I’m not doing this,” she said, and began to pull off the robe.
The Valle took her hands and held them tightly, “You are going to turn our mortal, whether you like to or not.”
Alexis tried to pull her hands away from him, “No.”
“No more of this,” he said, and started to drag her from the rom.
Alexis noticed no one was in the building as she fought against the Valle. He managed to easily pull her down the stairs and shoved her into a ceremonial room. She landed hard on her knees and then looked up at the twelve heku in blue that were standing around the edges.
One of the heku met her eyes and within a second was ash on the floor.
“Stop it!” the Chief of Defense yelled, and furiously hauled Alexis to her feet.
“I said I’m not going to do this!”
“Yes, you are,” he said, and took his place back among the others. Within seconds, another heku in blue appeared and stood above the one she’d turned to ash, “Do not meet her eyes.”
Alexis began to panic when a mortal woman was brought in. She seemed happy to be there and smiled at the heku in blue. Her simple white dress was billowy and Alexis thought briefly how quickly it would become saturated with blood.
“Mortal, do you know where you are?” one of the heku in blue asked.
“I do,” she said, smiling up at Alexis.
Alexis looked back toward the heavy stone door. It was not only shut tightly, but there was a large lock that she was certain she couldn’t get past.
“Do you know what is about to happen?”
“I do,” the mortal said.
“Stop!” Alexis yelled, and the mortal woman looked up at her. “This isn’t going to happen… I’m not doing this!”
“Do you do so willingly and without coercion?” the heku asked, ignoring Alexis.
“I do,” the mortal woman said again, looking over at the heku along the wall.
“No!” Alexis screamed. “I told you I won’t do this!”
“Proceed,” the Valle said to Alexis.
Alexis stepped back, shaking her head, “No.”
The mortal dropped to her knees and looked up at Alexis, “Please… this is what I want.”
She tried frantically to catch the eyes of one of the heku in blue, but none would look at her as they moved closer to the mortal. The woman laid down and shut her eyes, waiting for the pain of the bites to begin her journey into immortality.
/>
Alexis spun suddenly when strong arms wrapped around her and forced her to her knees, “Don’t make me hurt you.”
“Stop,” Alexis whispered, and pulled against him.
“No, now I’ll open the wound, but you must feed,” he told her.
Alexis gasped and struggled against the heku as he bit the woman’s neck. She could smell the fresh blood and her mouth began to salivate as a steady stream began to drip out of the mortal’s neck and pool on the dirt floor.
“No,” Alexis whispered again, inhaling slightly.
“Let yourself go, Child,” the heku whispered into her ear. “Smell it… feel how it calls you… find the heku within you…”
Alexis’ mouth opened slowly and she inhaled, no longer fighting the restraining arms.
“Drink,” he whispered softly to her, and then gently bent her toward the mortal.
Alexis could no longer fight it. Instincts from her father swelled through her and her lips wrapped around the wound and she felt the warm blood flow down her throat. She forgot about the arms holding her tightly as she honed in on the taste of fresh blood and the way it made her yearn for more.
“Enough,” a soft voice whispered, and the strong arms pulled Alexis away from the mortal, who was now on the brink of death.
The teenage heku’s eyes fell to the woman’s neck as the heku in blue began to sway and chant softly.
“She must drink from you now,” the heku whispered, and as he brought his teeth to her wrist, she suddenly felt the panic return and began to fight against him.
“No!” she screamed.
“Stop fighting me,” he hissed, and she had just enough strength that he had a hard time both restraining her, and getting to her wrist.
A crash sounded from the hallway behind her and she struggled harder against the heku. She heard him call for help just as Alexis managed to connect her knee to his groin and he dropped to the floor.
Alexis hadn’t reached the door before cold hands pulled her back and she screamed again, hoping someone could hear her.
“Stop fighting this!” the Chief of Defense growled. “You agreed to this and you are going to do it.”
“I’m not!” Alexis screamed. “Someone help me!”
“You’re going to let her feed from your wrist,” he whispered into her ear.
“No,” she said, shaking her head and fighting against his arms.
“Enough!” he yelled, and slung Alexis back toward the mortal. She fell to her knees before the woman, who looked up at her with pleading eyes.
Alexis turned suddenly when the heavy door flew off of the hinges amidst the sound of growls and hissing from the Valle in the room. The heku in blue backed toward the wall as the Equites Cavalry came into the room furiously, being led by Chevalier.
“Dad!” Alexis screamed, and ran into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her, but never took his eyes off of the Valle.
Kyle appeared at his side and looked Alexis over briefly before turning to the Chief of Defense, “What do you have to say for yourself?”
“She agreed to this!” he growled.
He took a menacing step toward the enemy, “Only after you promised her the impossible.”
“Don’t kill him,” Alexis said, looking up at Chevalier. “He can bring Mom back.”
Chevalier’s heart sank and he swallowed hard before looking down at her, “No they can’t, Alex. They lied.”
Alexis buried her face into her Dad’s chest and started to cry. All of the hopes of again seeing Emily were fiercely ripped from her and the hole returned to her heart.
“Kill them,” Chevalier growled, still holding his daughter.
Kyle nodded and advanced on them.
Mark crouched slightly, “And the member of their Council?”
The Chief of Defense smiled, “You can’t kill me.”
“Make it an accident,” Chevalier said, and blurred Alexis from the room as the Cavalry fell in to follow his orders. He gently sat her down on a couch in the lobby of the Valle’s castle and looked her over.
“I’m ok,” she whispered, looking down at the ground. “I’m so sorry. They said…”
“I know what they told you,” Chevalier said, taking her hands. “If there was an Ancient that could bring back your Mom, I would have already done it.”
“I can’t live without her,” Alexis said, again starting to cry.
“I’m here for you… I’m not Emily, but I will always be here for you,” he said, pulling her against his chest.
“I’m so afraid.”
“Of what?” he whispered.
“Everything… everything Mom went through… everything she did and accomplished. I can’t do that.”
“No one expects you to be your Mom.”
She began to shake in his arms, “I’m the last Winchester.”
He nodded, “I know.”
Alexis looked over when she heard footsteps and saw the Cavalry appear from the stairs, covered in blood.
“It’s done,” Kyle said, picking something off of his shirt and flicking it onto the wall.
***
The entire prison fell silent when Chevalier entered. The guards saluted him as he walked past them and then fell back into position. No one stepped out of line when the Elder was around, and the prisoners became quiet so as not to catch his attention.
He quietly rounded the corner and stood before William’s cell. The enemy Elder looked up at him and nodded slightly. He knew it was his time to go. It was his time to pay for what Frederick had done.
Chevalier pulled keys from his pocket and opened the door, “Get out.”
William had decided it was his responsibility to show the strength of his dying faction, and simply nodded and stepped out of the cell without a word or complaint. He would face death with honor and show the Equites how an Encala should act.
Chevalier took his arm roughly and began to drag him from the cells. William was shocked when they passed the interrogation room and headed up the stairs to the main floor of the Equites palace.
“What’s going on?” he asked when he saw Alexis standing in the foyer of the palace.
“You’re free,” Chevalier said, letting go of his arm and moving to stand by Alexis.
William’s eyes grew wide, “You’re letting me go?”
“Just south of Sachigo Lake in Ontario, is a coven that holds what’s left of the Encala,” Chevalier explained. “Go.”
Alexis smiled when he met her eyes.
William nodded and blurred from the Equites palace. Once outside of the gates, he looked back at Council City, and then turned and disappeared into the night.
Chapter 23 - Buried
Alexis walked slowly through the palace. At eighteen years old, she possessed a soft, natural grace and elegance not inherently characteristic of the full heku. In the 2 years since Emily’s death, she’d taken over where her Mother left off in trying to unite the heku factions to create a more peaceful existence.
As she walked the place halls, waiting for an upcoming meeting, she thought about the growing Encala and how their numbers were already well within the hundreds. They had reclaimed their battered city and were slowly able to rebuild it, with William at the head. The meeting today was the first between all three factions in over 2 years.
“Alex, are you ready?” Silas asked from down the hallway. She nodded and followed him as her four guards watched closely. The Encala weren’t strong enough yet to attack the Equites, and the Valle were too afraid of them to even attempt to kidnap the last remaining Winchester, but Alexis’ guards were always ready, just in case.
Chevalier was more protective of Alexis than he was even of Emily. Emily’s death still weighed heavily on his mind and he couldn’t help remember how hard he tried to save her, but couldn’t. Because of her death, Alexis was even more protected and watched. She allowed it and didn’t argue or fight, but understood how important she was to the Equites.
Alexis walked in through
the back doors and took a seat beside Chevalier on the Council stand. She smiled politely at the Elders and then gently laid her hands in her lap to wait for the arriving enemies.
Derrick opened the door to the council chambers and escorted in Sotomar and Salazar, the Valle’s Chief Interrogator. Just behind the Valle were the Encala, Elder Iuna and their Chief Enforcer. They all stood in front of the Equites and sectioned off slightly into their own factions.
Sotomar smiled at Alexis, “It’s good to see you again, Child.”
Alexis nodded politely, but didn’t respond.
“So much like your Mother,” Salazar said.
Chevalier cleared his throat, “Enough with Alexis. She’s here to keep the peace in this meeting.”
Sotomar nodded and glanced once more at Alexis before turning to the Equites Elders. He was amazed at how much Alexis looked like her mother. He felt a brief pang of sadness at Emily’s passing and bottled it up.
Quinn adjusted some papers and then addressed the enemies, “It’s been too long since we’ve met, and we called this meeting to check on the progress of the Encala faction.”
Sotomar nodded and turned to Encala Elder Iuna, “Yes, how is your progress?”
Iuna glanced at his Chief Enforcer before speaking, “I’m not sure how much I should give you. We are progressing though, as it took only a few weeks to replace the Council and begin rebuilding.”
“What are your numbers?” Zohn asked.
Iuna smiled, “That I’m not going to give.”
“Can you inform us of who is on your Council?” Chevalier asked.
“Why would I do that?”
“Why not? Since when has the Council’s members been a secret?”
“Since you decided to obliterate my faction!”
“Please keep your voice down,” Alexis said softly.
Iuna nodded at her, “We have chosen as a Council to keep everything from the other factions until it is decided otherwise.”
“Why is that exactly?” Kyle asked, frowning slightly.
“To protect us.”
Chevalier turned to Richard, the Equites Chief Interrogator, and saw him intently watching Salazar, “Is there a problem?”
“No, Elder,” Richard said, but his eyes didn’t stray from the enemy.
Eternity of Vengeance (Extended Edition) : Book 7 of the Heku Series Page 54
