“What can I do? We still consider her a friend and a Commander.”
“Just keep working with her. You didn’t assault her, so there’s hope.”
“No, but we still turned on her.”
“Want to race them?” Silas asked, looking over at Emily.
She smiled, “I get the stallion.”
Silas disappeared and reappeared with two saddles. Emily smiled and headed into the corral.
She was just getting to the stallion when Darren yelled, “Watch it!”
Emily froze and took a step back when the stallion turned to her and lowered his ears flat against his head. Without warning, he reared back and slammed into her, sending her flying into the wooden fence.
She rolled onto her hands and knees, gasping for breath as Silas and the Thukil Commander forcibly pulled the stallion into the second corral.
“Are you ok?” Mark asked, kneeling down beside her.
She nodded and then lowered her head, trying to relieve lingering pain from crashing into the fence post.
“What happened?” Dr. Edwards asked, blurring up.
She cringed but let Mark explain, “The horse attacked her. She hit the fence pretty hard, and it knocked the wind out of her.”
Emily finally made it to sitting and was immediately pushed down onto the ground by Mark and Darren.
“What hurts?” Dr. Edwards asked, looking her over.
Instincts told her to send him away, but a promise to Chevalier rang through her head, and she swallowed hard before answering, “Shoulder.”
“How bad?”
“Just hurts a little.”
“Can I look?”
She nodded and pulled off her leather gloves before Mark helped her sit up. She slipped off her over-shirt, leaving just a camisole, and leaned forward while Dr. Edwards checked over her back, shoulder, and neck.
“Banged up pretty badly,” he said. He pressed softly against her shoulder, and she cried out slightly and jerked away from him, “Sorry… sorry… we’re going to have to keep an eye on that.”
“It’ll be ok.”
“You could have torn a rotator cuff,” he said, and helped her stand up. Emily steadied herself against the fence post and looked over at the stallion.
“I thought you said he was broken.”
“He is,” Darren said, and then slipped through the fence and walked up to him. The stallion watched him casually and nibbled at the grass when the heku began to pet his neck.
Emily turned when Dr. Edwards began putting a sling over her shoulder, “Do I really need that?”
“Yes, just until we know if you’ve injured anything.”
“You have two days to find out. I’m going to the Encala for a week.”
“You are?” Mark asked, growling slightly.
She nodded, “Yes, and Andrew and I are taking the motorcycles.
“We’ll see,” Dr. Edwards said as he finished fastening the sling.
Emily wouldn’t admit it, but her arm felt considerably better in the sling. She turned back to the horse, “I’ve seen horses act like that with heku, but not with me.”
“Maybe that’s the problem,” Darren said.
“Heku around?”
“No… he’s only been around heku. Maybe he doesn’t like humans.”
“Great”
“He’ll warm up to you. He’s very gentle when he’s not spooked.”
“I’ll have to try again when I get back.”
“Does that sling help?” Dr. Edwards asked her.
She nodded and turned back toward the palace, “Chev’s going to be mad.”
Mark smiled, “I think he’ll be ok once he knows Dr. Edwards looked you over.”
“I’ll walk you in,” Dr. Edwards said. “Maybe get you something for the pain.”
She nodded and followed him into the palace.
“Damnit,” Darren hissed. “We brought her a horse that hates her. That’s not going to fix relations.”
“She knows horses. I doubt she’ll blame you,” Silas said.
“Why don’t we work with Alexis while Emily’s gone and see if we can get him to warm up to humans?” Mark asked.
Darren glanced at him, “That may work. I have to get back though.”
“Can’t stay at all?”
“No, Lord Thukil is going to want to know how Emily reacted to us.”
Mark sighed, “She’ll come around. Just don’t push the issue.”
He nodded and got back into the truck.
***
Emily woke up the following morning, sore from head to toe. She groaned slightly as she sat up in bed and then rubbed her sore shoulder.
“That bad?” Chevalier asked from over by the fire.
“Just sore I think.”
“We have a masseuse to work on it.”
“Breakfast first?”
He smiled, “Of course. I have pancakes on the way up.”
Chevalier walked over and held out his hand, holding two little white pills.
“What are they?” she asked, taking them with a glass of water.
“I didn’t ask. Dr. Edwards just said it will help with the pain.”
She nodded and leaned back in bed to wait for breakfast.
“Do you want to talk about Thukil?” Chevalier asked, sitting down beside her.
“What about them?”
“You haven’t really warmed up to them since…”
“Since they thought I was going to stoop to working for the pseudo-Council and wipe them out?”
He cringed, “Yes.”
“I don’t hate them.”
“You used to love going to Thukil.”
“That was before I realized how little faith they have in me.”
“That’s pretty harsh, don’t you think?”
She sighed, “I don’t know if I’ll ever feel comfortable with them again.”
“Give them a chance, ok? They are trying to win back your friendship.”
“I know.”
Chevalier got up to retrieve the pancakes, and he put them on the table beside her.
“The masseuse will be here in 20 minutes. Let him work on your shoulder please.”
“I will,” she said, and started to eat. He watched her for a few minutes and then headed down to the council chambers.
Emily was just finishing breakfast when Dr. Edwards and another strange heku came in. He was introduced as her masseuse and was soon working on her shoulder. She felt the medicine start to work and drifted off into peaceful sleep.
When she woke up, it was dark outside, and she frowned and sat up. Chevalier was sitting by the fire watching her.
“What time is it?” she asked, yawning into her hand.
“Almost 5am.”
“5am?! What happened to yesterday?”
“Dr. Edwards thinks he might have given you too much medication, and you slept all day and through the night.” Chevalier seemed amused by this.
“Nice,” she said, and then stood up shakily. “I’m druggy.”
“Best clear your head if you’re going to leave with Andrew.”
“Is he here?”
“Yes, he got here last night.”
She rotated her shoulder slightly and then sat down with a cup of hot coffee.
“How is it?” he asked, studying her.
“A little stiff is all. It doesn’t feel too bad.”
“You sure you want to motorcycle to Encala City?”
“Yes, I need a good road trip.”
“I could buy you a new car to take. It’d only be a few hours for our modifications.”
“What modifications?” Emily asked.
“Ones we’ve learned so they can sustain high speeds for longer.”
She thought on that for a moment, “Do what?”
“The cars we buy… they are rated at high speeds but can only keep those speeds for a short time. With our modifications, we can travel at those high speeds as long as we’d like. How did you think
your Aero made it here from the Encala doing almost 200?”
“I thought all sports cars did that.”
“Not without our help.”
“Figures”
“We also modify them so the seats lay back.”
She frowned, “All seats lay back in front.”
“Not in expensive cars.”
“Why do you do that modification? You don’t kick back to sleep.”
He smiled broadly, “Do you really want to know?”
She studied him, “Yes.”
“Makes donors more comfortable.”
“Ew”
“Well, it’s true.”
“I don’t want to know about donors in your car.”
“I don’t have donors in my car anymore.”
“Still…”
Chevalier looked over toward the door, “Andrew is insisting he come in here.”
Emily stood up and pulled on a robe, and then called out for Andrew to enter. When he came in, he looked mad and glared at Chevalier before walking up to Emily.
“How were you hurt?” he asked, looking over her.
She smiled, “Mean horse.”
“You sure?”
She frowned at him, “Of course. Are you interrogating me?”
“No”
“Yes,” Chevalier countered. “We didn’t hurt her. She just had a run-in with a horse.”
“If you’re going to distrust everything I say and accuse the Equites of abusing me, then you can go back to your city alone,” Emily said, irritated.
A smile crossed Andrew’s lips, “Fine. I’ll give you that.”
“I can be ready in 20 minutes,” she said, taking another bite.
Andrew nodded, “I bought you a new helmet.”
“Why?”
“It has a microphone, so we can talk on the road.”
“Oh nice,” she said before drinking her juice. She stood up and disappeared into the bathroom.
“Watch your interrogation abilities around her,” Chevalier whispered.
Andrew glared at him, “I’m not going to interrogate her.”
“You do it without even knowing it.”
“I can control it. She’s my friend, and I won’t hurt her.”
“Just remember that… friends.”
“Meaning?” Andrew hissed.
“I see how you look at her,” Chevalier told him. “She’s mine.”
Andrew headed for the door, “Tell Emily I’ll wait for her by the city gates.”
Chevalier watched as he walked out and heard Mark give orders for eight of the Cavalry to make sure he made it out of the city.
Emily came out a few minutes later in black leather pants, knee-high leather boots, a white camisole, and a black leather jacket. Her hair was braided and she was pulling on some black leather gloves, “I think I’m ready to go.”
Chevalier sighed, “I hate when you dress like that.”
“Leather is…”
“… safer, I know.”
She smiled and then reached over and kissed him, “I’ll call when we get there.”
“Call me before you get there. I don’t like this.”
She nodded and then started out the door. Chevalier wanted to grab her and disappear with her to somewhere safe. He wanted to take her to where no one could hurt her but knew that if he tightened his grip, she might revert to her old ways of doing everything on her own.
Emily looked over the new helmet before sliding onto the seat of the Harley Night Rod Special and putting it on. Her guards were standing behind her, all trying to figure out what they could say to get her to stay. Before they had a chance, she started up the engine and headed into Council City. She didn’t even stop when she cleared the gates, and Andrew was soon riding beside her as they entered the Interstate headed west.
“We banking on Equites followers?” Andrew asked, testing out the helmet communication.
Emily laughed, “They won’t. They trust me.”
“You, yes. They hate me.”
“You hate them too, so don’t act like a martyr.”
“Act like a martyr?” he asked, laughing.
“Oh, you know what I mean.”
“We should get to the palace by tomorrow night. I figure we can stay the night in Billings.”
“Sounds easy enough.”
“Why are you favoring your hand?”
“Damn, is there anything you don’t notice?”
He simply chuckled.
“I hurt my right shoulder. It’s just a little stiff is all.”
“Are you going to explain why your scent is gone?” Andrew asked, glancing over at her.
She smiled, “Sometimes it’s easier when out in public if I mask it.”
“When are you going to let me replace that old Night Rod?”
“It’s not old!”
“Yes, and not in a classic way either.”
“I like it. It has sentimental value.”
“Your motorcycle has sentimental value?”
“Yes”
“Damn, must be a car wreck up ahead,” Andrew said a few hours later as they both slowed and finally stopped behind a white cargo van.
They sat back as cars stopped behind them.
“It’s too hot to sit out here,” Emily said, slipping off the leather jacket.
“I like the leather.”
“It’s best in case I…” Andrew looked over when her sentence cut off suddenly and then roared as electrodes embedded into his back and his body filled with electricity. He was not in control of his body but was aware that he and Emily were being dragged into the back of the cargo van.
Electricity continued to incapacitate him as he was restrained with heavy chains, and the van turned and headed back away from the traffic. He tried to scream out and break the restraints, but his senses were dulled by the fierce burning of the current.
***
“Em, wake up,” Andrew called out.
Emily sighed and finally managed to open her eyes. She was lying on a hard cot in a dark cell. When she felt the sting on her back, she remembered being hit with a Taser while sitting in a traffic jam on the Interstate.
She finally sat up and looked across to the other cell where Andrew was, “Where are we?”
“Are you ok?”
“Yeah”
“I don’t know where we are. I’m not catching a faction scent, for some reason. If I had to guess, the Valle.”
She nodded and looked around, “How long have we been here?”
“Just a couple of hours.”
“Did they say why?”
“They’re claiming I interrogated a coven member and drove him insane.”
Emily frowned, “Did you?”
“Drove a heku insane?”
She just watched him.
Andrew sighed, “Probably.”
“You’re that mean?”
“If I need information…”
“Exavior drove heku insane.”
“Yes, I know.”
Emily looked around the small cell, “Just great.”
Andrew smiled, “You should be an old pro at this.”
“Oh I am. Before you know it, you’ll be restrained with chains that, if pulled, close a circuit.”
“You are a pro.”
“Have you told them who I am?”
“No, they think you’re my mortal wife. I’m almost afraid to see what would happen if they found out who you really are,” Andrew explained. “For now, we’ll wait to see if I get a chance to get free.”
“Or I can ash the lot of them.”
“I’m hoping it doesn’t come down to that.”
Emily pulled on the bars briefly and then sat down on the hard cot, “Well… I guess things could be worse.”
“Really? How?”
“Trust me, it can be worse.”
He grinned, “How many times have you been kidnapped.”
“I lost count.”
“Well this time it’s m
y fault, and I apologize.”
“This isn’t your fault. I knew going out on motorcycles with you that we would be a target.”
“Yes, well, I thought I could handle attacks.”
“Not Taser ones.”
“True”
Emily looked around the jail for a moment, “Is anyone else in prison here?”
“Nope, just us.”
“It must be a little coven.”
“That’d be my guess. Most large covens have at least one long-term prisoner.”
“So, why the Encala?” she asked, sitting back against the wall.
Andrew smiled, somewhat amused at the break in etiquette, “You really want to know this?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Fine, but it was a long time ago, and you can’t hold it against me.”
She leaned forward, “Start talking.”
“I told you I was turned unfactioned.”
“Right”
“About 300 years after I was turned, we were attacked…”
“We?”
“Myself, the heku who turned me, and the three heku living with us.”
“Ok, go on.”
“It was an Equites attack. We’d just moved into a house in Paris, not knowing that there were Equites nearby. So, one night we staged an attack of our own and wiped them out.”
Emily frowned, “How many did you kill?”
“Me personally or all of us combined?” Andrew asked.
“Just you.”
“Eighteen over the course of the night.”
She felt her heart sink, “Ok.”
“The Equites easily caught us, and I was banished for 400 years by Chevalier…”
“Wait! You were banished?” she asked, her eyes wide.
“Yes”
“For the entire 400 years?”
He nodded.
“You never told me that.”
“Not something I brag about.”
She was finding it hard to speak, “You suffered…”
“More than you could imagine. I also planned… and what I planned to do was to seek out a faction. It was too dangerous to be unfactioned,” Andrew explained.
Emily leaned over and sunk her face into her hands.
Andrew sighed and continued, “So when I revived, I immediately ran into the Encala and was imprisoned. Not my best day, let me tell you.”
She managed to look up at him again.
He smiled, “After another 400 years in their prison, I finally convinced them that I wanted to join them.”
Banishment : Book 9 of the Heku Series Page 4
