“Nothing,” Sam said, and pushed away from the table. “I’ll go to the stables.”
Emily watched him leave and turned back to Allen.
“Es Daddy?” he asked, digging into his plate with his hands.
“I’m sure he’ll be here soon,” she said before taking a bite.
The rest of their dinner went smoothly and then Emily ran Allen a bath and sat him in the water. Allen immediately began to play and splash, the water instantly turning orange.
“Emily?” she heard Chevalier call to her. She sighed, when he called her Emily, it usually wasn’t a good sign.
“In the bathroom,” she called to him as she gave Allen a shampoo Mohawk.
She heard Chevalier come in and stand against the counter behind her.
“Daddy!” Allen reached up for him.
“After your bath,” he said, and Emily couldn’t help but notice that his voice was tense.
Emily hurried and finished Allen’s bath, and then pulled him out so she could dry him off with a towel. He escaped from her grasp and ran naked to Chevalier, holding up his hands. He picked Allen up and hugged him closely.
“Damnit,” Allen said, smiling.
“Yes, I heard you went riding today.” Chevalier looked at Emily.
“Ay go?” Allen asked, shrugging.
“I was at work,” Chevalier told him, and handed the toddler back to Emily.
Emily took him into his room and put on his pajamas. She sat in the rocking chair and shut her eyes, with Allen cuddled against her chest. It was almost 30 minutes before he went to sleep, and she laid him in bed and went back into the bedroom, shutting the door quietly.
Emily walked up to Chevalier after he sat on the bed and she straddled his thighs, sitting on his lap facing him.
She decided to preempt his speech, “I won’t do it again, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking, and I know it was reckless.”
He frowned at her, “What are you up to?”
“What?” she asked, watching his eyes.
“What happened to ‘I can protect myself’?”
“I can, most of the time, but as we ran into a mortal, that pretty much put he and I on even ground. I’m sorry, Chev,” she said sincerely.
“I still want to know what you’re up to.”
“I’m not up to anything. I noticed I didn’t have a guard, and Allen wanted to go for a ride. I’ve seen those hills for a long time and I just wanted to let Patra free for a while. I should‘ve considered the danger first.” She ran her hands around his neck and kissed him softly.
“Aren’t you going to complain about Tim’s sentence?” he asked, watching her carefully.
“No, it’s not my place,” she said, and laughed when he tensed.
“Since when?”
She shrugged and began to kiss his neck softly.
“Oh I get it… you are just trying to avoid a fight,” he said, and shivered slightly.
She nodded and kissed along his jaw line.
“So it’s not that you actually believe what you’re saying, you’re just trying not to get me mad?” He used his hand to lift her face so she was looking at him.
“There’s no good way to answer that. I don’t want to fight. I’m so beyond tired of fighting.”
“I am too.”
She laid her head against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. She pulled closer to him when she felt his strong arms slide around her waist.
Emily pulled back and looked him in the eye, “Do you want me to show the Council?”
“Show them what?” he asked, pushing the hair back off of her shoulders.
“Ashing”
“Not if you don’t want to.”
“Do you want me to though?”
He sighed, “They really do want to see.”
She bit her bottom lip, “I have one condition.”
His eyes were wide, “You’ll do it?”
“If you meet my condition.”
“Ok… what is it?”
“I get to pick who.”
“Did you have someone in mind?”
“No, but I want to know what they did and if it warrants ashing them,” she said, scooting off his lap.
Chevalier reached over and pulled her back onto his lap and brushed his lips against hers, then smiled, “It’s a deal. They’ve been chomping at the bit to see you in action.”
She thought for a moment, “Ok, tomorrow I’m going to go outside and get some sun. Bring me the files of your worst offenses, and I’ll see if I like any.”
He raised an eyebrow, “You’re going to get some sun?”
Emily laughed, “It’s actually good for some of us… Allen’s looking pale and I could use some of that Vitamin D I so love.”
Chevalier looked uncertain.
“Hey, thought you were going to calm down with the jealous streak.”
He sighed, “You’re right, I am.”
She kissed him and scooted off his lap again. He growled and tried to pull her back.
“Nope, not tonight,” she said before grabbing a nightgown and disappearing into the bathroom.
“Why’s that?” he asked, concerned.
She came back out a few minutes later, “Because… I need a trip into a real city first, unless you plan on knocking me up again.”
He thought about that while she lay down, and then he curled up next to her, “I’m not following.”
She raised an eyebrow, “I’m out of birth control pills.”
“There are pills for that?” he asked, shocked.
Emily laughed, “Of course!”
“You mortals think of everything,” he said, turning out the light.
***
Emily was lying out on a chaise and watching Allen play on the grass. He was in only shorts and was slathered in sunscreen. Emily was in her bikini and had a pair of sunglasses on. It seemed extra bright out today. Her two guards were standing about 20 feet from her. She was sure the distance was an order from the supposedly un-jealous Chevalier.
“Ma’am?” she heard someone ask, nervously.
Emily looked up at a strange heku. He held a pile of file folders in his hands and was desperately trying not to look at her.
“Oh, thank you,” she said, taking them from him. She turned to ask if that was all, but he was already gone, and she grinned.
She checked on Allen and then looked over the folders. There were 5 of them. The first one was simple, an Encala heku was caught in Council City and when seen, was sending information about the layout of the city by means of a cell phone.
Emily wrinkled her nose and looked through the next file. She started to laugh as she read the description: Extremely attractive mortal caught barely dressed on the lawn causing all heku to become distracted and neglect their jobs.
She tossed that folder to Allen to play with and grabbed the next one. This one was in more detail, but from what she could gather, this heku killed his mate and roommate over a donor. She kept reading, baffled that he would kill two heku over food. She set the file on the chair beside her and tossed the first file onto the ground.
The fourth folder she tossed on the ground immediately. She didn’t think a female heku that tried to join the Encala warranted being ashed. The fifth was the heaviest folder and she opened it, casually thumbing through photos of the inside of a house. She looked at them quickly, not seeing anything of importance. Finally, she found the written report. This heku captured and held four mortals for days, feeding off of them as he pleased and eventually killing them.
Emily frowned and turned back to the photographs, still not seeing why they were included. She narrowed it down to the two. She glanced back at her guards and wondered how she would be able to meet with these two heku.
“Sam?” she called out, sitting up.
“Yes, Emily?” he asked when he walked up to her a few minutes later.
“Take Allen please, he’s going to need some lunch.”
Sam nodded and picked
up Allen, and then headed into the house.
Emily stood up and walked over to the guards, who avoided looking at her at all costs.
“So,” she said, rocking back and forth on her heels.
“Yes?” one of them asked, still looking away.
“How might I go about getting down to the prison to speak to two prisoners?” she asked, and winced when they both looked at her, alarmed.
“Why?” one of them asked.
“I have some folders here that the Elders sent over, and I am picking one for... well… punishment. I can’t decide between the two, so I want to meet them.”
“We’ll have to run it by the Elder.”
She cringed, “Do we have to? Can’t I just go down and talk to them with you? They’ll be in their cells.”
Both shook their heads.
“Fine, go ask him,” she said, as one of them blurred away.
Emily slipped on a sundress when the heku guard returned and handed it to her, “He said we have permission… but you are to stay back from the bars.”
She nodded, surprised that Chevalier was going to allow this. She was beginning to realize how badly the Council wanted to see what she could do.
The prison cells were lined up, row after row. Emily could only catch a glimpse of how big the prison was when she was led down a row and a heku guard pointed toward a cell. Emily heard a hiss come out of the cell toward her, and her guards crouched and hissed in return. She watched the heku in the cell. His eyes were fierce, unnatural, and fixed on her neck.
“May I ask you a few questions?” she asked him.
“Depends on what you want to know, mortal,” he said, as he ran his tongue along his cracked lips.
“Why did you kill your family?” She thought it was a straight forward question, but he inhaled sharply and his hands balled into fists.
“Come closer and I’ll tell you,” he said, and Emily felt a strong hand on her shoulder, though she had no desire to step toward him.
“No, tell me now, or I leave. I have others to talk to,” she said, coldly.
“My family?”
“Yes, it’s reported you killed the ones who lived with you.”
“They wanted my donor,” he said, cocking his head to the side and looking at her.
“So they deserved to die for that?”
“Yessss,” he hissed again, and inhaled deeply.
One of the guards slammed his fists into the bars and the heku prisoner jumped back slightly.
“Watch yourself!” the guard yelled.
Emily sighed, “Take me to the next.”
The guards led her back out into the main passageway, and then walked past the rows of cells before turning and facing one.
Emily looked into the cell, the heku inside looked miserable. He was sitting on the bed with his head in his hands.
“Are you ok?” she asked.
He looked at her and jumped to his feet, “A mortal? Here?”
“I have a question for you.”
He watched her, shocked.
“Why did you kidnap the mortals and then kill them?”
He sat down hard on the small cot, “It was an accident. They were being paid to stay for 4 days but… I couldn’t stop.” His voice was full of anguish.
She watched him for a bit, and then turned to leave quickly. She couldn’t watch him anymore and the hisses and stares coming from the dark cells gave her the creeps.
Once she got back up to the polished marble and brightly lit hallways, she stopped and leaned against the wall.
“Are you ok?” one of the guards asked, touching her arm lightly.
She nodded, “Tell Chevalier I’ve picked one.”
One of the guards blurred away and Emily stayed, leaning against the wall.
“Are you sure you’re ok?” the remaining guard asked, concerned.
She nodded again, but didn’t speak.
Within moments, the other guard appeared at her side, “They would like to meet with you in the council chambers.
“Now?” she asked, surprised.
“Yes, they said we are to bring you immediately.”
Emily followed them into the now familiar room and looked up at the Council.
“Lady Emily, we very much appreciate you doing this. Elder Chevalier explained how hard this is for you,” Maleth said, smiling at her.
She watched the floor.
“Who have you chosen?” Maleth asked, breaking the silence.
“The one that killed his family,” she whispered.
She heard someone stand and looked up just as Chevalier appeared at her side.
“You don’t have to do this,” he whispered.
“Just get it over with… I just...”
“What, Em?”
“I just don’t want to see him,” she said, and he took her hand and led her up onto the Council’s stand.
He turned his chair away from the room and she sat down, still watching the pattern in the floor. A few minutes later, she heard the door open and a low hiss escaped from the heku behind her. Chevalier’s hands balled into fists and she heard one of the guards growl.
“You will behave, or I’ll have your head,” a guard said.
Emily took a deep breath, “When?”
Leonid spoke softly, “Whenever you are ready, Child.”
She nodded, ignoring the child comment, and concentrated. It was over before any of the Council even had time to blink. The hissing heku was nothing but a scattered pile of ash in the blink of an eye. Emily stayed facing away from him, and she heard the council members gasping and talking quickly among themselves.
Chevalier put a hand on her shoulder.
The entire room grew silent as Emily sat in the chair and began to tremble.
“Em?” Chevalier asked, kneeling beside her. Her eyes were staring intently at the floor.
“Please, don’t make me do that again,” she whispered, but the keen hearing of the entire Council heard her.
“I won’t,” he said, and helped her stand up.
He wrapped his arms around her and turned to the others, “I’m taking her upstairs.”
They all nodded, watching Emily with compassionate eyes. They understood how hard it had been for her, her love of the heku was well-known.
Chevalier led her out of the council chambers and looked back as the Elders leaned over the desks to again look at the ash.
They stepped into their room and Emily immediately lay down on the bed. Chevalier pulled the covers up over her and sat down beside her. Silence filled the room and soon, Emily was asleep. He watched her, amazed at how hard it was for her to kill. He found it easy, never looking back, and never thinking twice when he brought justice by death.
Chapter 2 - Round Two
“Holy geesh,” Emily said, watching the new group of guards report for cavalry training. They were enormous. The seven came toward her, and she couldn’t help but take a step back some. They looked like tall bodybuilders hulking forward.
The seven current cavalry members were with her. They were to watch her and help train the new guards. They formed a V, with Emily at the front and they watched the new recruits carefully.
Emily heard a familiar sound as they drew closer, the chink-chink of spurs. She looked down and saw that the largest of the new recruits was wearing spurs on his black cowboy boots. She wasn’t sure why, but for some reason, this new group made her uneasy.
“Thank you for coming, my name is Emily and I’ll be helping you with the horses,” she said, not stepping forward as usual. She watched them carefully. Six of them watched her as she spoke, but the largest, the one with spurs, wouldn’t look at her. She frowned slightly and continued.
“First off, will you remove your spurs please?” she asked, looking at the one she nicknamed Tank in her head.
“No,” he said, watching above her head.
She frowned and then walked up to him. As she looked up to meet his eyes, she realized exactly how tall he was.
Emily normally didn’t let her height hinder her, but as she looked into the eyes a good two feet above her, she felt her resolve fading. She knew better than to show any kind of weakness around the heku, so she squared her shoulders and put her hands on her hips.
Encala : Book 3 of the Heku Series Page 2
