“Allen is here, Elder.”
“Return him to a cell,” Chevalier said, and blurred to the council chambers. He sat down and saw Allen standing in the trial area.
“I came as called.”
“All three Elders are withdrawing our earlier order.”
“I was filled in,” Allen told Chevalier.
“Where is she?”
“She won’t tell me.”
“But she calls you?”
“Yes, every week.”
Chevalier sighed, “Is she pregnant.”
Allen frowned, “She didn’t say.”
“What does she say? How is she?”
“She had surgery two days after leaving the palace…”
“For what?”
Allen shifted slightly, “Bleeding ulcer.”
Chevalier leaned forward, “Go on.”
“All she’ll really say is that they are ok. Though, something’s happening with Dain that has me worried, and I’ve been trying to get her to let a heku see him.”
“Like what?”
“She says he’s grown a lot lately, and the growing causes a lot of pain. I guess when it gets bad, she has to hold him down and he becomes angry when the pain is at its worst.”
Chevalier looked toward the other Elders, “What could that be?”
“Growing pains?” Zohn suggested.
“Transformation from a child to a full heku?” Quinn added.
“Whatever it is, he hurts Mom, and she said when the pain is gone he sleeps for days. When he wakes up, he’s bigger,” Allen explained.
“Is he intellectually advancing?” Chevalier asked.
“Yes, his mind is growing along with his body.”
“What do you mean he hurts her?”
“He thrashes and scratches, bites, that sort of thing.”
“How often is this happening?”
“It’s happened twice since she left.”
“Have you tried to trace her cell phone?”
Allen nodded, “Yes, but she uses the Internet and places her number around the globe. There’s no way to find her using her phone.”
“We need to find her, when she calls…”
Allen interrupted, “I can’t talk about you to her.”
“Why not?”
“The second I mention you, she hangs up. If I want to talk to her for any length of time, then you have to be kept out of it.”
“When does she call?”
“Sunday nights.”
Chevalier sighed, “So she calls tonight.”
“Yes, usually around 7pm,” Allen told him.
“Did she tell you what I said?”
“No, she won’t talk about you at all.”
“We will go ready the troops,” Quinn said. “Why don’t you wait for her call?”
Chevalier nodded and sat with Allen while the rest of the Council made war preparations. Two and a half hours later, Allen’s phone rang. As agreed, he would use the speakerphone and Chevalier would silently listen.
“Mom?” Allen asked.
“Yes, it’s me, how are you?” she asked. Chevalier’s heart sank at her voice. Although it was definitely her, she sounded tired and strained.
“We’re fine, Mom. I’m more worried about you.”
“We’re all fine, Allen. I’m just tired.”
“I really miss you. Please, reconsider telling me where you are.”
“No, I won’t put you in a position to have to lie to your Dad.” Her voice cracked slightly.
“You sound ill. Are you sure you’re ok?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. It happened again last night.”
“With Dain?”
“Yes, I don’t know what to do. I can’t take him to a hospital, but it causes him so much pain.”
“Is he awake yet?”
“No, but when he wakes up I think he’ll be as tall as I am.”
Allen sighed, “He’s going to be too big for you to handle.”
“He almost is… he’s going to be big, like…” Her voice cut off. She couldn’t bear to speak about Chevalier.
“How old was I when I became as tall as you?”
“You were 8, but you didn’t have these pains.”
“Maybe it’s because he’s a full heku, more like growing pains,” Allen said, relaying what the Elders thought.
“Maybe, he’s so strong. You wouldn’t even recognize him now,” Emily said. “I swear if you blink he’ll grow a foot.”
“How are you feeding him?”
There was a pause, “Alexis misses you too. She’s been busy studying.”
Allen looked up at his Dad.
Chevalier whispered too low for her to hear, “Ask about heku attacks.”
“So… have you seen any heku at all?”
“Nope, not a one.”
“I was afraid you might get attacked.”
“The ranch is safe, no heku here.”
“So you bought a ranch?” Allen asked.
“How is Miri?” Emily asked, ignoring his question.
“Mom…”
“Don’t do it, Allen.”
Allen sighed.
“Have you seen the horses in Council City?”
“No, I haven’t been there in a while.”
“I just wonder if they’re being taken care of.”
“I’m sure they are,” Allen said, and glanced over at Chevalier.
“That wasn’t me, Em,” Chevalier said to her. He sighed when the phone disconnected.
“I want to go on this attack,” Allen told his Dad.
“Very well, let’s go,” Chevalier said, and they walked out to where two thousand heku were gathered in perfect rows, all listening to Zohn speak about attack plans.
“Elder,” Derrick said, blurring up. “The Valle want in on this.”
“How do they even know?” Quinn asked.
“I don’t know, Elder. They just called and insisted they come.”
Zohn turned to Quinn, “That would up our numbers quite a bit.”
“And possibly align us to them.”
“We don’t need their help,” Chevalier said. “And we most certainly don’t need an alliance with them.”
“You’re right, I’m sure we have enough to easily take the city,” Zohn said.
“Call them back,” Chevalier said to Mark. “This is our fight… it was our Council they abducted.”
“Tell them focus on finding Emily,” Zohn told him.
“Yes, Elder,” Derrick said, and disappeared.
“We start moving troops out in the morning. Get into your battalions under attack plan Omicron,” Zohn called out. The heku moved into six groups, and the leaders began going over strategy and protocols.
“I’ll check on battalion 4,” Quinn said, and moved to his group.
“I’m on 6,” Zohn told them and left.
“Allen, you can be in my battalion,” Chevalier said, and they both moved to battalion group 1.
Chapter 9 - Invasion
Chevalier moved to the front of his group with Cavalry Commander Horace. Allen went to stand on the back row to listen for instructions.
“We move out first,” Horace told them. “We’ll be assigned the front gates and the last few houses, which are home to the higher ranking city guards. We expect the Encala Council will immediately be shipped out, our goal… get to the palace and control the inside.”
“We’ll take the first helicopter out and will survey the landing area while we move everyone over to Washington,” Horace explained. “We hope to have all 2,000 troops in place by tomorrow night. 1500 more will meet us at the staging location. As one, we’ll then run the last 25 miles to the Encala’s main city.”
Chevalier watched carefully. His mind was focused entirely on the obliteration of those who kept him prisoner. Any thoughts of Emily were carefully tucked away, hidden behind the feelings of resentment toward the enemy faction.
Horace walked along the front line, “Because we’re b
attalion 1, we’ll be in charge of the initial gate clearing. Then, our goal will be to ascertain which of the Council stayed behind, who is leading their defensive forces, and then initial penetration into the palace.”
“Once we’re inside the palace, you’ll split up into your teams, and take the floor I’ve already assigned to you. Those floors are your responsibility and you will ensure they are clear of anything living. Palace Guards are to be detained. Anyone else is to be killed immediately.”
Horace glanced at Chevalier and then back to his group when the Elder didn’t have anything to add, “The Elder will be responsible for dealing with the top ranking Palace Guard staff, and any council members left. They aren’t to be touched. Leave them to be interrogated by the Elder. When your floor is secure and any Encala are disposed of, you will send one member of your team to notify me.”
Kralen appeared in front of the first row and began handing out black armbands. Each battalion was given a different color.
“Commander?” one of the guards called out.
“Yes, Dale?”
“What are we to do if we find the Lady?”
Horace turned to Chevalier, “Is it suspected that the Encala have Emily?”
Chevalier shook his head slightly and looked over at the guard, “We don’t think that the Encala have her, but if you find her, keep her where she is and call for me.”
“Yes, Elder,” the guard said, and then moved back into formation.
As night fell, the Cavalry’s Commander continued to give instructions and answer questions. Chevalier added to them when needed, but he let the Commander lead, as was customary. Zohn and Quinn were to remain with the Council in the palace until the attack was over. Only Chevalier would be going with the heku to fight. Kyle was still out looking for Emily, and Mark was on his way back from Ohio to join the fight, but wouldn’t arrive until later that night. Instructions for Mark’s battalion were being given by Silas.
When dawn approached, the feeling on the lawn changed. The Equites were ready for battle and the excitement grew. Four Chinook CH-47 helicopters landed on the west lawn and powered down. The massive black helicopters were stripped out and could carry 100 heku a piece. Their pilots, copilots, and flight engineers moved up to talk to Chevalier.
“Orders, Elder?” the first pilot asked when they gathered.
“Move them quickly. Land where the map specifies, and then get the hell out of there to get more troops. We have 2,000 we need in place by tomorrow night,” Chevalier said.
“Yes, Elder,” he replied, and then bowed before returning to his helicopter.
Mark found Chevalier among the thousands of heku, “Elder, a moment please.”
Chevalier followed the General off to the side, “Did you find her?”
“No, Sir, but I found an ashed heku.”
“Where?”
“Outside of Dayton, Ohio. He hasn’t been revived yet because Kyle is gone,” Mark said. “I’ve done a sweep and there are sixteen horse ranches within one hundred miles of Dayton. Nine of those are owned by long-standing families. That leaves just seven that have been purchased within the last twenty years.”
“Any within the last year?” Chevalier asked.
“No, Elder, but I wasn’t sure if she had one before she left… maybe another of her hidden houses.”
“True”
“It would help if I knew how much money she had, so I could limit it down to property value.”
Zohn came up and joined them.
“Let me see how much of the money she’s used,” Chevalier said, and grabbed his phone.
Zohn watched him and then turned to Mark, “I wouldn’t stick with horse ranches. She once had cows, but I seem to remember she has an aversion to sheep.”
“Good idea,” Mark said, and watched Chevalier.
Chevalier turned to him, “She’s removed $534,000 from the account. See if you can find property in that range.”
“That may not work,” Zohn said. “You… or… he… told her he wanted everything back you’d given her, or anything the Equites gave her.”
“Yeah, so?”
“So… she had $34,000 left over from the sale of the Montana property after paying off the ranch debts, and $500,000 from Keith’s life insurance. She merely took out of that account what was hers, and left everything you put into it.”
“She also has whatever Exavior left her,” Allen added.
“No, she refused to do anything with that money. The bank book is still sitting in the safe in the room,” Zohn told him. “She has exactly $534,000.”
Chevalier sighed, “Damnit, you’re right… so we have no way of telling how much she spent on a ranch and how much she left for living expenses.”
“We also can’t use the bank account to track where purchases were made from.”
“I knew that. She would realize it would be too easy to track.”
“Let me talk to the Chief of Finance and see if he can help me locate where the 500 grand was moved to, and then see if there’s a way to access that account,” Mark said, and then whispered. “Do you want me to break into her accounts?”
Chevalier thought for a moment, “Yes, if you can, do it. Use Allen if you need to.”
Mark nodded, and then turned toward battalion 2, “I’ll do that as soon as we get back.”
Chevalier was the first to climb into the Chinook transport helicopter and once his battalion was inside, they lifted off and made the 3-hour trip without incident. The helicopters landed in a large field and soon, the entire area was filled with anxious heku, checking to make sure the landing field was secure.
By the following evening, all 3,500 Equites were ready to head the 25 miles to the Encala Palace. Chevalier and Horace led the way as their battalion, including Allen, started for the enemy city. When they arrived, they immediately fell into combat with the gate guards and the city alarm sounded. It took only 10 minutes for the Encala helicopter to lift off from the palace roof, carrying the Encala Council away from danger.
Chevalier stuck by Allen as both wrestled and bit their way through the enemy, fighting with their battalion to find a path to the palace. Blood soaked the Encala streets and the still burned out houses were again lit and smoke filled the sky, blocking out the sun. Chevalier heard Horace yell for his battalion to leave the battle and head for the palace, the way was clear.
Chevalier and Allen ran side-by-side toward the massive stone building, killing anyone that came at them. They were both covered in blood and healing from injuries when the entire battalion came to the doors of the palace. They began to scale the side of the building, because iron bars were covering the windows and doors. When they got to the roof, they regrouped and looked around. There was one Blackhawk helicopter left and the door to the palace was slightly ajar.
“This sucker’s going into a lake,” one of the guards said, and crawled into the helicopter. He lifted off, still grinning as the others watched the door.
“Think it’s a trap?” Horace asked Chevalier.
“Yes, I do… Who’s stupid enough to leave a door unprotected during an attack?”
“Team 4, head in,” Horace called out. He and the Elder watched as ten heku carefully approached the door, and while one opened it, the other nine rushed inside. They came out a short time later.
“Nothing, sir,” the first one out said.
“In,” Chevalier growled, and battalion 1 blurred into the enemy palace. The Elder watched as the teams spread out through the palace, killing the servants and searching for any of the Council or ranking officers. He waited on the top floor for any word from the battalion taking the palace.
“Sir,” Horace said as he blurred toward Chevalier. “All three Elders left, none of the Council stayed behind… We have two Generals and four Captains confined on floor 4.”
Chevalier nodded and started to walk down the stairs. He had a malicious presence about him and radiated pure evil. Bodies of servants were strewn around the palace an
d he nonchalantly kicked one of the heads hard against the wall and grinned at the sickening way it cracked open and splattered to the floor.
“Floor two is clear,” one of the heku guards told Chevalier and Horace, and then returned to watch his post.
“Floor three and four are clear,” another said, then turned quickly and disappeared down the stairs.
Before Chevalier got to the enemy leaders on the fourth floor, all floors had checked in, except for those clearing out the Encala’s prison. The six heku leaders were knelt beside the Equites troops posted to the fourth floor.
Chevalier walked up to the first one and kneed him in the chin, instantly breaking his jaw, “Where did your Council go?”
The one beside him growled, “We don’t know.”
Chevalier shrugged, “Fine, then you first.”
The Elder bent over and slammed his fist deep into the enemy’s chest. The heku began to scream as Chevalier pulled his still beating heart from his chest and tossed it onto the floor. The Encala General fell back onto the floor, writhing in pain as blood pooled around him.
“We don’t know!” one of the Captains yelled, and started to stand up, but was pushed roughly to his knees.
“We’ve taken your palace, your city is in ruins… if you want your life, I suggest you start talking about where your Council might be,” Chevalier hissed.
“They don’t say where they are going… We were just told to hold the palace.”
“Good job at that,” Chevalier said with a grin, and looked up at the guards. “Drain him.”
“What!? No!” the heku screamed, as four sets of teeth sunk into his thick flesh.
Chevalier squatted down by one of the Captains, “You’re being quiet.”
“Nothing I say can change the fact that you’re about to kill me,” he scowled.
“Oh, true,” Chevalier said, and stood up. He walked over to the last General and looked down at him. “I suppose you’re not going to be much help, either?”
“We don’t know where the Council is.”
“I figured, it’s just fun to torture you about it,” he replied with a grin. The drained heku was released by the Equites and he began to pant and look hungrily around him. His skin was turning an ashen gray and his body began to shake with thirst.
“Go find me some blood,” Chevalier said, and one of his guards blurred away.
Eternity of Vengeance : Book 7 of the Heku Series Page 24