“Where is it? Where’s the alcohol,” she heard Kyle yell. She took a bottle of whiskey from a heku as she walked by, and then stepped out in front. Kyle was standing in front of four of the guard commanders, and they looked angrily at their guards.
“I have it, it’s mine,” she said.
Kyle turned to her with wide, furious eyes.
“What in God’s name are you doing here?” he scowled.
“I crashed their party,” she said, watching him.
“Get back to the palace,” he demanded.
Emily crossed her arms, “No, I brought a drink. I’m the only one drinking. I’m not going to let you punish them for my indulgences.”
“Emily, I’m not in the mood for your games. Either get back to the palace or I’ll have you dragged there,” he snapped.
“I’ll go back if you’ll let the guards finish their harmless little party. Nothing is going on here that’s breaking any rules,” she told him. The guards behind her were quiet and motionless as they watched her.
Kyle took a step towards her, “You’re telling me not one rule has been broken?”
“I am,” she stood her ground.
“No guards were drinking?”
“No”
“Not one of them touched you?”
“No,” she said again, glaring at him.
Chevalier blurred to Kyle’s side and Emily recoiled a bit at his anger.
“Snitch,” she growled at Kyle.
Emily stepped back by the crowd of guards.
“Come… here…” Chevalier hissed at her.
“No, whatever their punishment is, I have, too.”
“Don’t do this, go with them quietly. We can take it,” one of the guards whispered to her.
“You know I can smell you on them, Emily. If they’ve touched you, I’ll know it,” Kyle snarled at her.
Emily spun on her heels and walked through the guards, running her hands along as many as she could before she felt hands on her waist lift her and carry her back toward the palace.
“Let me go,” she yelled at the strange guard commander carrying her.
As they passed Patra, Emily kicked hard at the Commander’s knee and he stumbled to the ground, dropping her. She ran and hoisted herself up onto Patra. The Commander healed and stood up just as she kicked the mare into a gallop through the trees. She saw him heading back to the clearing as she cleared the trees.
Emily pulled Patra out of the gallop and stopped her. She was back on the hills overlooking Council City. Her mind whirled. She was in over her head this time. Now all of the commanding officers and Chevalier were angry with her, and she wasn’t sure how badly the guards would be in trouble for drinking.
Emily kicked Patra into a gallop and headed for the stables. The smell of alcohol was making her stomach turn. She pulled the saddle off and grabbed a brush, anything to keep her from having to walk into the palace. She peered out of Patra’s stall when she heard voices pass by the stables. Kyle and his commanders came into view and she ducked back into the stall as their voices trailed off.
Emily crouched down in the corner behind Patra when she heard loud footsteps approaching. She saw his boots as he stopped on the other side of the mare.
“Want to explain that?” Chevalier asked her. She was surprised that his voice wasn’t angry, more irritated.
“No,” she said.
“Are you drunk?” he asked, kneeling to look under Patra.
“No,” she said, again.
He sighed and sat down on the straw, “We had a spy out there, and we know it all.”
She frowned, “You spied on your own guards?”
He nodded.
“That’s… that’s awful.”
“That’s necessary for just such occasions,” he said, and smiled slightly. “Course, the guards probably won’t hate you so badly now, sounds like you made quite the impression.”
“You aren’t mad?” she asked, looking over at him.
“Me? No… but I’ll deny that if you tell the guard commanders. They are pretty livid over this,” he told her. “Not the drinking even as much as the… dancing.”
Emily rolled her eyes, “I wasn’t forced.”
“No, we know that. Our informant made it clear that you were having fun.”
“So why aren’t you mad?” she asked, suspiciously.
“You needed some time away. I wish it hadn’t come so close to going badly though. They weren’t that happy when you first showed up.” He frowned slightly. This was hard for him, he was ready to kill every one of those guards and lock Emily up in her room. The thought of them dancing with her sent his jealous tendencies raging.
“I could have handled them.” She turned back to the wall.
“Yes I know. You’re just lucky your scent isn’t very strong outside,” he said, worried.
“And Kyle?” she asked, looking back at him.
“You should probably avoid him for a few days.”
Emily nodded, “The guards?”
“Their punishment will be handed down in the morning. The commanders are taking each on a one-on-one basis. Some weren’t drinking at all, and some didn’t touch you,” he explained.
“He can’t tell which ones I danced with,” Emily said, smugly.
“Heku have photographic memories, we know exactly who you danced with,” he chuckled.
“Well, beings how you aren’t mad, tell me how to help them then. It’s not fair.”
He smiled, “It’s too late. Kyle isn’t going to let them get away with so much disobedience.”
“It was my fault,” she scowled.
“Again, not the point. Each guard is meeting with Kyle and Damon in the morning”
“Why Damon?” Emily scowled.
“He’s the main enforcer. This type of punishment is severe,” Chevalier caught himself before he went any further.
“I hate this place,” she said, crossing her arms.
“I know.”
Other books in The Heku Series
Book 1 : Heku
Book 2 : Valle
Book 4 : Equites
Book 5 : Proditor
Book 6 : Ferus
Book 7 : Coming soon!
Encala : Book 3 of the Heku Series Page 46
