Banishment : Book 9 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  “How do we get across to you that you aren’t to defy orders from the Council?” Chevalier asked him.

  “When you give me my post with the guards!”

  “No, you’re immature and don’t follow orders. We aren’t going to have a loose cannon on the guard staff.”

  Dain hissed softly.

  Kyle cleared his throat, “You haven’t shown us the responsibility it takes to be one of the Council City Guards.”

  “I’m stronger than they are.”

  “Strength is nothing if there’s no ability for us to control it.”

  Dain glared at Kyle but didn’t answer.

  “Once you show us the maturity it takes to be a responsible, obedient guard, then we’ll re-consider,” Quinn told him.

  “I’ll prove to you that I’m better than those idiots in the city.”

  “Calling them idiots won’t help your case,” Kyle told him.

  Dain snarled slightly and then blurred from the room.

  “Damn, I wonder what he’s off to do.”

  Chevalier shook his head, “Not a clue.”

  Derrick came into the council chambers, “Elders, there’s been more attacks.”

  “What kind?” Zohn asked.

  “In the city. Four women were dancing last night and woke up in a hotel room with bites on them and bruises,” Derrick said angrily.

  “Are the police and doctors involved?”

  “No, Elder. We caught the ambulance call and beat them there. The women are being seen by Dr. Edwards in the farmhouse.”

  “Do as before. Treat them and wipe their memories,” Quinn said.

  Derrick nodded, bowed, and then left.

  The Chief Investigator stood up, “I’ll go find out where the hotel is and see what I can find.”

  “Get Emily back into the city walls,” Chevalier said to Kyle. Kyle nodded and blurred out to his car. He sped to Exavior’s old house and parked next to Emily’s Jeep. After checking to make sure the Cavalry hadn’t seen anything, he went to the house and knocked as he heard Emily yelling at Alec.

  “He’s your son!” Emily screamed.

  “Em, let me in,” Kyle said when no one came to the door.

  “I know!” Alec yelled. “I care, believe me, I care, but what am I supposed to do?”

  Kyle sighed and walked in uninvited, and then quickly stepped between them when he saw Alec in an attack posture and Emily furious, “Calm down…”

  Emily stepped around Kyle to continue yelling, “You abandoned him! He’s alone. He's broke, and he’s trying to raise a family without any help. He loves you!”

  “I love him too, but it’s too late. I can’t go to him now.”

  “Yes you can! Screw the heku secret and go help your son. He needs you.”

  “I can’t do that…”

  “Em,” Kyle said, turning to her. “He can’t give the secret away.”

  “He needs you! Jess is gone and he’s alone.”

  “Emi, he’s an adult. He'll be ok,” Alec told her.

  “Chevalier’s going to save his ranch, Em,” Kyle told her. “That’ll help things.”

  “That still leaves him believing that his father loved him so little that he abandoned him,” Emily said angrily.

  “I call him. He knows how much I love him.”

  “You call him?! He needs a father, not a phone friend.”

  “Alec, stand down,” Kyle hissed when Alec balled his hands into fists.

  “She has no right telling me this! She doesn’t know how much I love him and how much I wish I could do more to help.”

  “You picked Exavior over your own son… abandoned him and his family to follow the psychotic whims of a tyrant.”

  Alec hissed softly and then advanced on Emily but found himself face-to-face with Kyle, “I said stand down.”

  “You disgust me,” Emily growled.

  “Kralen!” Kyle called out, and then restrained Alec. Kralen appeared after only a few seconds and quickly took Emily’s arm when he saw the stand-off.

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Alec roared. “Until you do, you can just stay away from me.”

  “Someone has to tell you the truth!” Emily screamed.

  “Get her back to the palace,” Kyle hissed as he pulled Alec into the den.

  Kralen gently led Emily out of the house and crawled into the driver’s seat when she was belted into the passenger’s seat of her Jeep.

  As he drove, Kralen glanced at her, “You ok?”

  “How can he so easily abandon his only son?” she asked, watching out the window.

  “I can’t speak for him…, but it’s not an easy choice for anyone deciding to turn.”

  “Who did you abandon?”

  He smiled, “No one.”

  “Who did Silas abandon?”

  “I don’t know. You'd have to ask him.”

  “Why am I getting dragged back to the palace?”

  “There’s been another heku attack in the mortal city.”

  “Strippers?”

  “Yes”

  “Are they dead?”

  “No”

  She nodded and then got out of the Jeep when Kralen killed the engine.

  “Lady Emily?” Derrick said from the doorway.

  Emily sighed, “What’d I do now?”

  He smiled, “Elder Chevalier would like to see you in his office.”

  “No Council?”

  “As far as I know, it’s just the Elder.”

  Emily sighed and started up the stairs. When she was seated in the chair in Chevalier’s office, he smiled and walked around to sit on his desk in front of her, “How did it go with Alec?”

  She fought back the tears, “Not very well.”

  “I’ve paid off Pat’s debts. That should help.”

  Emily stood and moved quickly into his arms, “Thank you.”

  “I know how much your family means to you. There’s no reason for Pat to be suffering.”

  “I don’t think Alec cares about him anymore.”

  “I’m sure he does, in his own way.”

  “No he doesn’t. If he loved Pat, he wouldn’t have abandoned him to follow Exavior.”

  Chevalier lightly kissed the top of her head, “Either way, Pat’s taken care of. I paid off all of the ranch debts, and Thukil is going to be regular buyers of horses and cattle from him.”

  Emily reached up and kissed him softly, and then smiled, “Thank you so much. That helps a lot.”

  He leaned back and then watched her return to her seat, “Now, we still need to talk about next week.”

  “Oh right, I need to disappear for a week.”

  “Thukil, Powan, the Island, and Council City will all be off limits. I suggest the yacht again,” Chevalier said, watching her.

  She wrinkled her nose, “I don’t want to go out on the yacht.”

  “Well… we could send the Cavalry into Europe. Name the country and you can visit.”

  Emily thought for a moment and then smiled, “I know…”

  “Where then?” he asked, frowning slightly.

  “I’m going to Disneyworld.”

  “You are?”

  “Yes, it’ll be fun. I’ll take the kids if they want to go, and we’ll call it a much needed vacation,” Emily explained.

  Chevalier nodded, “That’s doable. Tibet Coven is nearby, and they can house you.”

  Emily laughed slightly, “You have a coven in Florida called Tibet?”

  “It’s outside of Lake Tibet.”

  “Just seems odd.”

  “I think it sounds like a good idea. Lord Massey is a mortal supporter and very close to this Council. I’m sure he’d love to have you for a week.”

  Emily nodded, “It’ll be fun.”

  “I’m sending Cavalry.”

  “You are? It’s Disney, Chev! Who’s going to attack me in Disneyworld?”

  “Granted, heku don’t take vacations, so chances are you won’t run into one in a theme p
ark but still…”

  “How many?”

  “25”

  “10”

  “10’s not enough… 20.”

  “12”

  Chevalier smiled, “12?”

  “Yes, 12.”

  “Plus members of Tibet?”

  She sighed, “Fine… 12 Cavalry and whoever from Tibet that wants to visit Disneyworld.”

  “Deal”

  “But Kralen has to go,” she said, standing up.

  Chevalier grinned and watched her leave his office. He informed Mark of the plans, and the Court Reporter contacted Lord Massey with the Tibet Coven. He reported back to the Council that Lord Massey was ecstatic about housing the Winchester and Council City Cavalry, and plans were immediately put into motion to outfit the small Tibet castle with human amenities.

  ***

  Chevalier sat down and watched Emily move around the room, angrily packing.

  “I can force them to go,” he offered.

  “What kids don’t want to go to Disneyworld?!”

  “Heku kids, Em.”

  “Still… are they so opposed to a little fun?”

  “It’s not in their nature to take a vacation.”

  “Did you talk to Garrett?”

  “Yes, and he didn’t refuse to go solely to keep Alexis here.”

  “Sounded like it to me,” she said, stuffing socks into the bag.

  “Garrett said he couldn’t go because he’s assigned to palace duty for three days during the turnings.”

  “And she can’t go without him? If I only went places my husband could go, I’d be stuck in the council chambers for the rest of my life.”

  Chevalier couldn’t help but smile, “Kralen and Gifford are going. You won’t be with all strangers.”

  “I should force Megara to go.”

  “You can try, but you know she’ll make you miserable complaining.”

  “What was her excuse for not going?” Emily asked him.

  “She doesn’t want to miss her Physics final.”

  “She’s not old enough to have a Physics final!”

  “I can force her to go if you want.”

  “I should get longer than five years with my kids before they hit adulthood,” she snapped, and disappeared into the bathroom.

  He waited until she came back out and then took her suitcase when she zipped it.

  “I didn’t want to go to Disneyworld alone.”

  “Kralen will be there.”

  “I wanted to go with the kids.”

  “Sit back and relax,” he said, and then kissed her softly. “You’ve wanted a vacation, and Disneyworld will be fun. Take advantage of Lord Massey’s over anxiousness and be pampered.”

  “Great,” she said, and then took his hand and walked up the stairs with him. “It’d be better if I could drive.”

  “It takes too long to drive. What’s wrong with Winchester 2?”

  “I don’t like helicopters.”

  “You’ll be ok,” he said, handing her bags in to one of the Cavalry.

  Chapter 6

  “Elder,” Silas said, bowing slightly.

  “How’s it going?” Chevalier asked, looking over at the door of the training room.

  Silas couldn’t help but grin, “She got the job, no problem, and we didn’t even have to control the owner. Now she’s practicing though.”

  He cringed, “In there?”

  “Yes, Elder… and Garrett’s pretty upset.”

  “I’ll talk to him. We need her for this.”

  “He’s not upset about Alexis on a mission… he’s upset because… well… he’s never been to a strip club, so we were, you know… giving advice.”

  “The Cavalry is teaching my daughter how to strip?”

  “Pole dancing moves, mainly.”

  Chevalier chuckled and walked over to the gathered heku.

  “You didn’t have to tell her to gyrate her hips more!” Garrett yelled.

  “She asked for help,” Horace said.

  “I don’t care! You don’t talk to my wife like that.”

  Horace started forward, and then saw Chevalier and bowed slightly.

  “Garrett, I’m sure they were only trying to help,” Chevalier said. He wasn’t all that thrilled about sending his daughter into a strip club but saw no other option, other than her Mom.

  Garrett crossed his arms, “No one’s getting in there while she’s practicing.”

  Chevalier’s eyebrows rose, “Oh?”

  “Well… you, Sir… you can.”

  “Back off of the Cavalry. Alexis doesn’t have the experience to pull this off without help.”

  “I got her a video. She can learn from it.”

  “The video isn’t going to tell her how to get the attention of a heku.”

  Garrett fumed but didn’t respond. He was too mad and didn’t want to risk upsetting the Elder.

  Chevalier grinned at him and then stepped into the room. He was shocked at how Alexis was dressed. She’d borrowed the black leather outfit that Emily had put on for Damon’s trial, and it fit her tighter and was a few inches shorter. Alexis was facing away from him and was leaned up with the pole at her back. Watching the video, she bent down and ran her hands up her legs while flipping her hair on the way up.

  She watched the video and arched her back a bit, then jumped when Chevalier cleared his throat. Alexis scrambled to pull on a pink robe from the pool room, “Dad! Don’t come in here.”

  “I’m allowed. I’ve seen you naked.”

  “Not as an adult,” she said, and hurried to turn off the video.

  “Are you going to be ready for tonight?” he asked her.

  “Yes, I think so. If Garrett lets me go, that is.”

  “He will. I appreciate you doing this. We have to catch this heku.”

  “I know, and I’ll try.”

  “Remember, don’t confront the heku. If you know he’s heku, just memorize as much as you can about him, but don’t talk to him if you can help it.”

  Alexis frowned slightly, “Can’t I just ash him and bring him back?”

  “I don’t want to risk that. According to Kralen, this strip club is always packed and there’s too much of a risk of getting caught.”

  “You let Kralen go to strip clubs?”

  “We don’t dictate what they do in their personal lives.”

  “It’s gross,” she said, and then grabbed a can of hair spray and started to tease her hair.

  Chevalier watched her and felt a bit uncomfortable when she started to apply thick make-up, “Another thing. No word to Emily on this.”

  “No way! She’d kill me.” Alexis opened up a tube of bright-red lipstick and began to apply it with shaking hands.

  He touched her shoulder lightly, “Calm down. It’ll be ok.”

  “I know… it’s just…”

  “You’re afraid the heku might attack you?”

  She grinned sheepishly, “No, I’m not comfortable being half dressed in front of men.”

  “Oh! Yes, that too.”

  Alexis pulled on a black dress that covered the outfit, and then grabbed her purse and turned to Chevalier, “I think I’m ready.”

  “You’re sure about this?”

  “No, but let’s get it over with.”

  He opened the door and watched her walk out, “Just don’t do anything dangerous. You’re on recognizance only.”

  “I know… Garrett!” Alexis yelled when she saw him in a standoff with high-ranking Cavalry.

  “I don’t care what I said to your wife,” Horace hissed. “You stand down or I’ll make you.”

  Chevalier sighed and pulled Garrett away from Horace, “Calm down, Garrett. That’s an order.”

  “I’m going!” Garrett yelled. “She’s not going in there without me.”

  Silas shook his head, “No you’re not! We don’t need you attacking anyone who slips a $20 into her G-string.”

  “G-string!?”

  Alexis sighed and stood bef
ore Garrett, “You know I have a G-string under this skirt. It’s required that I strip down to it. We went over this.”

  “No! You aren’t going.”

  She kissed him lightly, “It’ll be ok.”

  “I suppose you’ll go topless too,” he growled.

  “No,” she said, and then glanced at the Cavalry as she blushed. She turned back to him and whispered, “I have pasties.”

  His response was a low growl.

  “Garrett, do we need to toss you into prison until this is over?” Chevalier asked. He was finding it hard to be mad at the young heku. If the roles were reversed, Chevalier would whisk Emily away and refuse to let her go on this mission.

  He sighed, “I’ll be ok if I can just go.”

  Alexis shook her head, “I don’t need the pressure of you there. Kralen’s already told us that I’m going to get touched, and whistled at, and called names. You would freak out, and I can’t concentrate on these moves if I have to keep an eye on you.”

  “It’s just…”

  “No,” Mark said, stepping up. “Horace is taking Alexis and dropping her off. No Equites will be seen in that building.”

  “I’m not comfortable with that.”

  “None of us are,” Silas said. “We aren’t going to risk Alexis by being there though.”

  “She can handle herself,” Chevalier told them.

  “Stop!” Alexis said sternly. “Stop fighting. Garrett, I’ll be ok and maybe I can stop this heku. I can’t fight with you every night on this. This could take months for me to catch him, and I need you to trust me.”

  Horace started for the door, “Let’s get going, Alex. Your shift starts in 30 minutes.”

  Alexis kissed Garrett softly and then followed Horace out.

  ***

  “She’s only a few minutes out,” Zohn said, and then looked down at Garrett in the trial area.

  Garrett nodded slightly but watched the ground.

  “We understand how hard this is, but you can’t scream at a superior. That’s grounds for an insubordination charge.”

  He nodded again, “I’m sorry, Elder.”

  “We need to hear Alexis out, and you will need to be silent.”

  “Yes, Elder,” Garrett said. He turned and saw Alexis come in. She was back in the black dress but blushed when she walked in to stand before the Council.