Suddenly, Emily grabbed the sandwich and turned away from the others. She used her body to block their view as she frantically ate as quickly as she could. Shoving food into her mouth, she appeared to be defensive and waiting for someone to take it from her at any moment.
It was obvious to those watching that food was rare for her, and when she had it, she had to protect it. They watched and wondered as she turned once the food was gone and slipped the plate under the pillow she was sitting on, hiding it.
“Get the plate, Elder,” Lori whispered.
He nodded and bent down, “You don’t have to hide this.”
Slowly, he pulled the plate out from under the pillow and her hand shot out and grabbed a hold of the shackle on her ankle. He could tell by her breathing that she was starting to panic. He stood up and looked over at the Psychiatrist.
“Move back. I think she’s waiting for you to punish her,” Lori whispered.
Chevalier bottled up his anger and moved slowly away from her as she continued to run her hand along the metal shackle, “So they punished her for eating?”
“I’m not sure yet. This is all just a guess based on how she’s acting,” Lori explained.
“We’ve got to find out what they did.”
“I would look for a survivor from that coven. She’s not going to tell anyone.”
He nodded and then covered the cage when Emily began to tremble. Once her breathing turned slow and rhythmic, he lifted the blanket to check on her and sighed when he saw the blanket and pillows shoved up against the side of the cage while she slept on the bare metal bars.
***
“We’ve gathered you all in here as a form of… shall we call it an intervention,” Lori explained. “No one other than those of us in the room at this moment know that Emily is here or that she’s even alive. We need to focus on her recovery and this panel will focus on doing just that.”
Chevalier looked around the conference table placed in his room. The other Equites Elders were seated with Kyle, Mark, Silas, Kralen, Dr. Edwards, and the Psychiatrist. All gathered to share information and give opinions and theories on Emily.
“Mark, let’s start with a report from you,” Zohn said.
Mark nodded, “We’ve moved the rest of the Council up to rooms on the 8th floor. That leaves us only on the 5th floor, which alleviates any chance of someone accidentally walking in here or seeing us coming in and out of this room.”
“Did the Council ask questions?” Quinn asked.
“No, Elder. They did not.”
“They know something’s going on, but have chosen, wisely, not to ask.”
“Dr. Edwards then?” Zohn said.
“Physically, she’s doing better. As far as I can tell, she’s had all of the antibiotics she should need in the last four weeks. That’ll cover any injuries she might have had. She’s not put on much weight, but I don’t think she’s lost any. Getting her to eat is a challenge.”
Lori sighed, “I can only theorize that she was punished for eating.”
“Chevalier?” Zohn said.
“Nothing,” he whispered, watching his hands. “I honestly don’t even know if she recognizes me. I get no response. She just sits and rocks all day and then leans against the bars at night. Nothing we’ve done to add comfort to that cage is accepted. She just pushes it off to the side.”
“I haven’t figured that one out yet,” Lori said.
“Quinn’s turn,” Zohn said, obviously angry.
“The Valle haven’t seen Salazar yet. They replaced him on the Council and assume that he died in the fire at his mansion.”
“He wasn’t there!” Kyle growled.
“That’s why we’re still looking for him.”
Zohn nodded, “My part in this is easy. I was asked to serve as interrogator on the panel and to see if I can get answers to questions we ask by reading her expressions and body language. So far I’ve not been able to pick up anything but intense fear. Silas?”
“She won’t eat. I’ve tried all of her favorite foods and the only time she eats is when she’s completely starving. So far it’s about every 4 days. When she does eat, she hordes it and hides it from us, and then she always hides any evidence that she’s eaten.”
“We’ve tried to reassure her that there will be no repercussions from eating,” Lori explained. “However, it’s not helped.”
Zohn sighed, “Ok, Kyle?”
“My report is similar to Chevalier’s. I am in here when he cannot be and I’ve not gotten any responses. She doesn’t even seem to know who I am,” he whispered.
“Fine, Kralen then?”
He appeared angry, “I don’t like my part on this panel.”
“We need you to do it though,” Zohn said, and gave him a reassuring smile.
“I hate how she looks at me, how she does as I ask out of pure fear.”
“We know it’s hard,” Quinn told him. “However, we need an authority figure and when you ordered her to look at you that first time, when she complied, it put you into that position.”
“I don’t like it, but I do it,” Kralen whispered as his hands shook. “I’ve gotten nothing more than terrified compliance. She truly fears me.”
“It’ll be ok,” Lori told him, and touched his hand. “She needs someone forceful to take charge and we can’t have her afraid of the Elder.”
Kralen simply nodded.
“I guess it’s my turn,” Lori said. “In the last four weeks I’ve seen very little progress. She still rocks and, as stated, refuses any sign of comfort. She does offer her wrist once in a while when given something, so I assume they fed from her.”
Lori stopped talking when Chevalier growled.
Once he calmed down, she continued, “I don’t think medication is an option right now. That tends to take away feelings and emotions and she’s lack in those anyway. I’ve not seen her cry or show any emotion other than fear.”
“How can we not be making progress though?” Dr. Edwards asked. “She has to see we won’t hurt her.”
“We don’t know how long the Valle had her. The damage is deeper than we could possibly imagine and I see how she looks at us. She fully expects us to turn on her at any moment.”
“I want to meet weekly with this panel. The best way to help Emily is through observation and theories. Those are best shared together when we can all add in our opinions and thoughts,” Lori said.
Zohn nodded, “Do we still want to get her out of the cage?”
“I would like to. Sitting on those bars isn’t good for her,” Chevalier said.
Kralen sighed, “I’m ready for my part, though I don’t…”
“You don’t like it, we understand,” Quinn told him.
“What about the chain? Do we leave it hanging?” Zohn asked.
“No, I don’t think that’ll work,” Lori said. “Silas has secured a chain to the wall already. We’ll attach it to the chain from her ankle. She’s too attached to the shackle for the chain to not be part of that comfort also.”
“I don’t understand how a shackle can be comfort,” Silas whispered.
“We may never find out. However, it is a comfort for her.”
Chevalier stood up and looked over at the blanket covered cage, “Are we ready then? She’s awake.”
Mark nodded, “Yes, I have the chain pliers ready.”
“This is going to be noisy, have we cleared out the palace?” Kyle asked.
“Yes”
Lori looked around, “So this is how it’ll work. Kralen will force Emily out of the cage. Once out, Silas and Elder Zohn need to get the cage away before she sees it’s gone. Kralen will then get Emily closer to the wall where Mark can fasten her chain to the other.”
Chevalier sighed, “I don’t see why I can’t be in here.”
“Again, this is a violation of her personal space. We can’t have you involved… or the Chief Enforcer for that matter.”
Kyle nodded, “Come on Elder. We’ll wait out her
e.”
Chevalier sighed and walked out with Kyle and Dr. Edwards.
Kralen pulled the blanket up off of the cage and tossed it over to the wall. Emily didn’t respond, but kept rocking in her tight ball.
Kralen sighed and then stood tall and spoke firmly, “Emily, get out of there, now.”
He reached down and opened the cage door, then stepped back. Emily looked up at him with wide eyes and began to shake.
He swallowed hard and then yelled, “Now! Get out.”
Slowly and hesitantly, Emily got to her hands and knees and crawled out of the cage. When she turned to look at it, it was already gone and she began to scream when Kralen picked her up. She clawed at him and screamed, squirming to get out of his grasp. Even though she fought him, he was easily able to set her down beside Mark, who hurried and attached the chain at her ankle to the one on the wall.
Both moved back as her heart began to pound.
“She’s panicking,” Kralen whispered, too low for her to hear.
“Stay near her,” Lori said. “She needs to see you’re in control.”
Emily looked frantically for her cage as she broke out in a sweat and slowly began to hyperventilate.
Kralen knelt down, “Emily, stop it. Calm down.”
Her fearful eyes met his and he used that instant to lock her gaze, against prior advice, and soon had her more calm and relaxed. Mark ignored the breach in protocol and stood back to watch as Emily pressed her side against the wall under the window and pulled herself into the ball again. He sighed when she began to rock.
“She’s out,” Mark whispered. The rest of the heku came in, pleased that it had gone as easily as it did.
Chevalier smiled at Kralen, “You did well.”
He just grumbled and then gasped when he saw Emily turn and expose the inside of her left thigh.
The heku spun suddenly and Chevalier hurried and covered her thigh with the nightgown, ignoring how she screamed when he touched her. She immediately returned to a ball and began to rock.
“I didn’t…” Kralen whispered.
“We know,” Lori said.
“I quit,” Kralen yelled, and blurred from the room.
Mark smiled, “I’ll go talk to him.”
Silas followed Mark out and they shut the door after them.
“Emily, stop offering to let heku feed,” Chevalier said sternly. She didn’t respond, but kept rocking.
Chapter 24 - Slowly
“Elder?” Silas said, peeking into his room. Chevalier looked over from the floor beside where Emily was slowly rocking. Silas grinned, “We have someone.”
Chevalier called for Kyle and then walked down the stairs with Silas. He was surprised when Silas left the stairs on the third floor and headed for the Elder’s private conference room
“Why are we…” Chevalier started, but then Silas opened the door and he saw a Valle in the conference room with the rest of Emily’s panel. “Why is he in here?”
Silas shut the door behind Chevalier and he looked around at the torture equipment that had been placed inside the private conference room.
Zohn looked at an iron maiden and then turned back to Chevalier, “If we interrogate him in the prison, every one of those prisoners will hear us.”
“In here… no one will hear you scream,” Chevalier whispered, his eyes fixed on the gray clad heku.
“I… I will tell you… I don’t need tortured,” he stammered.
Chevalier spun a chair and sat down in it backwards, facing him, “What have we here then?”
Mark leaned back against the water tank, “The Valle turned him over to us. He was one of Salazar’s officers.”
“They just handed him over?”
“Well… no… but we can be convincing,” Kralen chuckled.
“We’ve assured him we won’t torture him if he’ll tell us what we want to know,” Quinn said.
“You knew Emily was there?” Chevalier asked.
“Yes”
He nodded, “Call in Richard.”
Zohn held his hand up, “I will do the interrogation. I don’t want to bring any more of the Council in to this.”
Chevalier nodded, “Fine then… I’ll start. One ounce of resistance and you’ll get to try out my new tank.”
The Valle looked over at the water tank with wide eyes and then nodded.
“What’s your name?”
“Solax”
“Ok, Solax, how long did Salazar have Emily?”
“He… she... I first… saw her 2 weeks after… the burial.”
Zohn gasped, “You had her for the entire 2 years?”
He nodded, “Yes”
“How did you get her?”
“Lord Salazar wouldn’t say. He’d had her a few days before he even told me.”
“He’s telling the truth,” Zohn said to Chevalier.
“Why did he keep her?” Chevalier asked the Valle.
Solax sighed, “He wanted her to give the Valle a Winchester, but she would never agree, no matter how much he tried to persuade her.”
“Persuade?” Zohn asked, waiting for clarification.
“Just… tortures…”
Lori’s pen fell silent as she watched Solax, in too much shock to even write.
Chevalier, mostly silent up until now, flew at the Valle, but was restrained against the back wall by Zohn and Quinn.
“Stop, we need to learn more,” Quinn whispered. Chevalier pulled against them, but finally calmed and Zohn returned to his seat.
When Chevalier was again under control, Zohn continued, “Ok… let’s move on to something less traumatic, shall we? What was done with her food?”
“What do you mean?” Solax asked.
“She won’t eat.”
He shrugged, “We didn’t do anything with her food that would cause her not to eat. We had a game, but it was harmless.”
Zohn looked at him closely, “What kind of game?”
“Just me and Phil… we had a game just to keep entertained.”
“What game?” he asked again.
“It was to see who could stand back the furthest in the room and still reach the food before she could take it,” he said, not afraid of his actions. “It was just a harmless game.”
“If you got to the food first, then what?”
“Nothing, then we took it. She had to get to it before we took it to be able to eat.”
“Harmless game!?” Kralen yelled at him. Chevalier held him back from attacking the Valle.
Lori calmed enough to begin taking notes again and her scribbles were all that could be heard while Zohn again calmed himself.
Quinn sat down in front of Solax when it was obvious that Zohn was having problems controlling his rage, “Now explain to me why she keeps offering to let us feed.”
“That wasn’t me! That was Lord Salazar.”
“I don’t care who did it. I want to know what they did.”
Solax sighed, “Lord Salazar just said that she would get nothing for free. Everything we gave her, including food, or warmth, was to come at a price.”
“So you fed from her each time she ate?”
“Sometimes it was that… others it was different.”
“Why don’t you just list them for me then,” Quinn said, and sat back after folding his arms.
“Well… once in a while we gave her a lashing, you know, to let out frustrations. Other times we’d let her taste it and then see how fast we could tear it away from her. Sometimes we’d… well kiss her.”
“Just kissing?” Quinn asked calmly.
“That’s all!” Solax said. “Lord Salazar was very adamant that any children she produced had to be his.”
“Ok, what else?”
It amazed the heku in the room how calm Quinn could remain when others were beyond rage and couldn’t see reason.
“We did just anything. Sometimes we’d get to burn that Equites Crest, or leave scratches on her back. Once or twice we just poked her until she
was covered in bruises or made fun of her for being dirty. That kind of thing.”
“I see,” Quinn whispered, and sat back in his chair. “Then let me guess, eventually she wouldn’t take anything from you?”
“Right… she wouldn’t shower, or take clean clothes, or even food unless she had to.”
“So showering and clean clothes were something she had to pay for.”
“Yes, anything we did for her had to be repaid.”
“Anything else?” Quinn asked the rest in the room.
“Did the Valle Council know?” Zohn asked.
“No! Lord Salazar said they would force him to turn her over to them, so it remained a secret. He said once he had his child, he would just turn her over to another Valle for them to get a child also.”
“When’s the last time she spoke?” Lori asked.
“She stopped speaking after about 2 months.”
“What triggered that?”
He shrugged, “Not sure… oh wait. It was after an interrogation by Lord Salazar.”
Lori frowned, “Interrogation for what information?”
“Not for information. He was mad because after 2 months she hadn’t agreed to produce a child, and he felt she was just being defiant.”
“What did he do during interrogation?”
“Not sure, just heard the screams is all.”
No one moved to stop Chevalier and Silas when they tore the Valle from his chair. Mark and Kralen quietly left and headed up to the fifth-floor when they heard Emily begin to wake up. When they walked into the room, Emily was already rocking in her tiny ball. Kralen walked over and began to stoke the fires as Mark sat down next to her and watched her so Kyle could go help Chevalier with the torture.
Silas joined them a few minutes later with a plate full of French fries and a cheeseburger. He sat it down and he and Mark moved away from her as she watched the plate.
Kralen moved back with them when he saw her glance quickly from the heku to the plate.
“We’re not going to race you for it or take it from you,” Mark told her. “So go ahead and eat it.”
Emily looked down at the plate and shifted slightly.
“I’ll want payment though,” Kralen said.
Eternity of Vengeance (Extended Edition) : Book 7 of the Heku Series Page 57
