Equites : Book 4 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

“They are waiting for us in the council chamber,” Chevalier said, and headed down the stairs.

  Emily started to follow them to the back entrance, but Chevalier stopped her, “Sorry, you need to go through the front.”

  Emily frowned and walked to the front doors. The guard smiled at her and asked her to wait.

  The Council turned to look at Chevalier and Damon when they walked into the council chambers. They sat down and Maleth turned to Chevalier.

  “Well, what happened that’s caused the entire Valle Council to demand an immediate audience with us?” Maleth asked.

  “Let’s start with the fact that they tried to turn Emily,” Chevalier said, and watched while the noise in the council chambers grew louder as the members talked to one another angrily.

  “Are you sure?” Quinn asked.

  “She was in a gray robe and has exactly thirteen bite marks on her,” Damon said.

  Maleth shut his eyes to control his temper, and then opened them, “Did they ask her if that’s what she wanted?”

  “Yes,” Chevalier answered. “They followed correct dialogue. However, they ignored her when she said no.”

  “I hope she ashed all of them,” Zohn said.

  “That she did,” Chevalier said.

  “Then she went into the prison and brought back the ashes of the three Equites guards,” Damon said.

  Maleth looked at him, surprised, “She brought them back?”

  “Yes… them plus… something,” Damon said, and glanced at Chevalier.

  “Yes… well… it’s the plus that is probably what’s bringing the Valle here,” Chevalier said.

  “Well, what is it?” Quinn asked.

  “Bring in Emily,” Chevalier said, and watched as she walked in timidly. He could tell she thought she was in trouble still.

  “Come closer, Dear,” Quinn said to her, and she moved into the light.

  “Show them,” Chevalier said, and smiled at her.

  Emily dug into the pocket of the robe and produced the small silver dagger. The Council burst into gasps and two of them jumped from their chairs and took a step back.

  “I… I took this off of him after I ashed him,” she whispered, but the Council could hear her clearly.

  “Again… amazed by the mortal,” Maleth said, cringing slightly as he avoided looking at the dagger.

  “I don’t want it though, you take it,” she said, and took a step forward. Three more of the council members stumbled over their chairs to get away from her.

  “Dear, if we touch that dagger we will turn to ash for eternity, left in infinite pain, never to be revived,” Maleth said, his voice tense.

  “That’s why this is such an unusual case… no one has ever taken the dagger from a Chief Enforcer,” Chevalier explained.

  “Oh… well, leave it to me,” Emily sighed, and looked at the tiny dagger.

  “The Valle are here, Dear. Please move toward the wall,” Quinn asked.

  “Why can’t I go up there?” Emily said, shocked.

  “We… we can’t be near it,” Zohn said.

  Emily nodded and stepped back into the shadows.

  The Valle Council walked in angrily, “This is an outrage!”

  “Calm down, we are still trying to sort through things,” Quinn said to Sotomar, the Valle Elder.

  “Never before… in the history of the heku, has such a thing been done,” Sotomar said, stepping forward.

  Chevalier hid a grin, “That’s because we all know better.”

  “So you send your mortal to do it?” Sotomar said accusingly.

  “They didn’t send me,” Emily said from behind them, and they all turned to look at her and took a step back.

  “Is this a threat?” another Valle council member asked.

  “They tried to turn me into an immortal… against my will. You’re lucky I didn’t just toss the dagger out of the helicopter somewhere over New York,” Emily said, and smiled slightly when the Valle all gasped angrily.

  “She… she should be punished for this!” Sotomar yelled.

  “Oh? Try it Gramps,” Emily yelled, taking a step forward.

  “Everyone calm down!” Zohn yelled.

  Sotomar pointed at Emily, “She turned our Chief Enforcer into ash.”

  “He turned my three friends into ash,” Emily said in her defense.

  “Then she stole the dagger.”

  “They tried to steal my mortality,” Emily countered.

  “There is no question that we would prefer that the Valle dagger be returned to its faction… but it is not mine to give,” Quinn said.

  “You want it back?” Emily asked Sotomar.

  He turned to her angrily, “Yes.”

  “Say please.” Emily watched Sotomar, but heard Chevalier chuckle.

  “Please,” Sotomar said through gritted teeth.

  Emily grabbed the blade and threw it so it stuck in the ground at Sotomar’s feet. He gasped and gently picked it up, flicking dirt off of it.

  “Now return our Chief Enforcer to us,” Sotomar said, cradling the dagger gently in his hands.

  Emily cleared her throat.

  “Please,” Sotomar growled.

  Damon looked to the Elders, and Maleth motioned Emily up to them. She walked up the stairs and knelt behind the three Elders.

  “Emily,” Maleth said, and turned quickly to glance at the Valle. “Did you, in any way, mess with the ashes of their Chief Enforcer?”

  Emily shook her head, “No, I just took his little knife.”

  “Dagger,” Quinn said with a grin.

  Emily stood up when the Elders turned around, and Maleth nodded at Damon, “You may proceed.”

  Sotomar held out a small leather bag, and Emily watched as Damon revived the opposing Chief Enforcer.

  The Chief Enforcer for the Valle stood up and stretched painfully, and then his furious eyes fell on Emily.

  “You Bitch, how dare you…” His words were cut off when he returned to the ground as a pile of ash.

  “Emily!” Quinn said, startled.

  “Sorry,” Emily said, obviously anything but sorry. “My mistake.”

  Damon shook his head and revived the Valle again. This time, it took a lot longer and he screamed as his body reformed.

  Sotomar stopped him when he started to yell at Emily again. The Chief Enforcer’s dagger was handed back to him, and he slipped it into his pocket.

  “Now we request the ashes of Exavior. He tried to turn a mortal against her will, and that breaks one of the highest rules of our kind,” Maleth said angrily.

  “You have no proof of that,” Sotomar said.

  “Do you want to count the bites, or would you rather have your precious runes scribbled onto this floor by a mortal?” Emily asked, and couldn’t help but notice that even the Equites cringed at the thought of a mortal knowing their most sacred of rituals.

  “I don’t think that will be necessary,” Sotomar said, and glanced at one of the Valle guards. He produced a small bag and handed it to Damon, who tucked it away in his pocket.

  “Will there be anything else?” Quinn asked the Valle.

  “We just want to be assured that the mortal will be punished for her disturbing behavior,” Sotomar replied.

  “Oh, she will be,” Chevalier said, amused.

  Emily’s eyes narrowed.

  “Very well,” Sotomar said, and led the rest of the Valle out of the room.

  “Punished?” Emily asked, turning to Chevalier with her arms crossed.

  “Yes, a harsh punishment to teach you about stealing things from other factions,” Chevalier said seriously.

  “I punish back,” Emily said, unsure exactly what was going on.

  “Oh I was hoping so,” Chevalier said, and whisked her up to the bedroom.

  Chapter 12 - Forgive

  “Mortal, do you know where you are?” Maleth asked Emily. The blue robe obscured his face, but she recognized his voice.

  “No, please,” Emily begged. She was knelt
down on the cold, dirt floor of the ceremonial room wearing a green scratchy robe.

  “Do you know what is about to happen?” he asked her. His voice was cold and ominous.

  “Don’t do this, please, Chev.” She looked up at the figure robed in black. He looked down at her and his eyes glowed red.

  “Do you do so willingly and without coercion?”

  “Stop this! I said no,” Emily said frantically.

  “Proceed,” Maleth said icily, and stepped back against the wall.

  Emily tried to run, but Quinn caught her foot and pushed her to the ground. She felt the burning sting as thirteen heku pierced her skin with their sharp fangs.

  “Em… wake up,” Chevalier said softly, and touched her arm.

  Emily sat bolt upright in bed and looked around, out of breath. Once she realized she was in the safety of her room, she buried her face in her hands, trying to wipe the images from her mind. Chevalier’s strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her onto his lap. He held her tightly to his chest.

  “Damn,” Emily said, and leaned her head against his shoulder.

  “You’d think after a year those would stop,” Chevalier whispered, and kissed her forehead.

  “Yeah, you’d think so.”

  “Why don’t you go back to sleep for a while? You got in pretty late from the ranch.”

  “No, I’ll just go out for a run, clear my head,” Emily said, and crawled off of his lap to sit down at the table. A servant had set out some hot coffee and French toast for her.

  Chevalier walked over and sat with her at the table, “I talked to Allen a bit, he mentioned you were up a lot because of the ghost.”

  “Yeah,” Emily said, and grabbed some sausage.

  “I wish you would let one of the heku check it out. There’s no such thing as ghosts, and I’d like to find out what the noises are.”

  “Everyone’s checked it out. The twins even slept up there for a few nights, but it didn’t happen while they were there,” Emily explained.

  “No heku has checked it out though,” he reminded her.

  Emily smiled, “It’s just a ghost.”

  “Em…”

  “Stop, it’s not going to help by telling me for the hundredth time that there are no ghosts. That ranch house is haunted, period.” Emily poured another cup of coffee, and ignored the way Chevalier smirked.

  “Ok, well, Allen said there’s an odd smell when the noises start,” Chevalier said.

  “Allen is a 6-year-old with an imagination and keen senses.”

  Chevalier sighed and then smiled, “You may want to tell your… twins… that telling stories of the Navajo’s skinwalker won’t scare a boy that lives with vampires.”

  Emily rolled her eyes, “Yeah, I’ll get right on that.”

  She finished breakfast and disappeared into the bathroom. She came out a short time later in the tell-tale sports bra and cut-offs with an iPod in her hand, “Don’t forget, Alexis needs her vitamins with breakfast. She should be up soon.”

  “I’ll remember,” Chevalier said, grinning.

  “And Allen is grounded. I want all of the non-cavalry stalls mucked out,” she said, and tied her hair up in a high pony.

  “I can get someone to do that…” Chevalier said, but Emily cut him off.

  “No, Allen can do it. That boy is spoiled and has his nose stuck in a book all the time. He needs to get out and get some fresh air,” Emily said. She blew Chevalier a kiss, and then ran out of the room.

  Chevalier went into the nursery when he heard Alexis start talking to her mobile. She stood up and reached for him, and when he picked her up, she laid her head against his shoulder. He smiled, never in the thousands of years of his existence had he ever imagined being a father, nor had he ever imagined how much he would enjoy it. He kissed the top of the baby’s head and walked her down to the dining room for breakfast.

  Emily turned up the music on her iPod and clipped it to the strap on her arm. She stretched briefly and took off running toward the city. There was something stimulating about running. It let her mind clear and she could focus on more important things. She felt like it was alone time, even though she saw curtains move as the heku from the city watched her pass.

  Today she thought over the mustang. He’d been running wild in the corral for over a year. Things had gotten busy, and he was put on the back burner. He allowed a bridle and saddle, but no one had tried to break him in yet, but that was her goal for the week. Allen refused to ride since Damnit’s death, and Emily planned on giving the mustang to him once he was gentle enough.

  She cried out when an arm wrapped around her and a hand was placed over her mouth. She was dragged into a dark alleyway, kicking and biting.

  “Stop it. Damn,” Damon said, and let her go.

  “What the hell, Damon?” Emily asked, scowling at him. She pulled the earphones out and slung them across her neck.

  “Sorry, I needed to talk to you in private.”

  “No,” Emily said, and headed back for the street, but Damon took her arm and pulled her back.

  “Yes, it’s been long enough.”

  “For what?” Emily asked, crossing her arms.

  “For you to forgive me. You know the Elders watch us together, and they are still suspicious about why you won’t even look at me anymore.”

  “They’ll get over it.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ve said it a thousand times, but I’ll say it again. I didn’t mean what I said to you in Paris, and I’m sorry I hurt you,” Damon said, his eyes pleading.

  “Apology accepted,” Emily said, and again tried to run to the street but was held back.

  “What now?”

  “That’s not good enough,” Damon said.

  “What do you want me to do?” Emily asked.

  “Forgive me.”

  “I just said I did.”

  “I know you said so, but I don’t believe you,” Damon told her.

  “What do you want to do? Kiss and make up? I don’t like you,” Emily said.

  “I just… I wanted you to know that I don’t think you are spoiled, I don’t think that all you are to the Elder is a piece of ass…”

  “Nice, Damon,” Emily cringed.

  “I wanted you to know that I realize how important you are to this faction. You’ve turned the entire heku world on end, and that’s just what everyone needed,” he told her, watching for a reaction.

  “Good to know,” Emily said, irritated.

  “What can I do to make it up to you?”

  “You know what I think?”

  “No, what’s that?” Damon said hesitantly.

  “I think you’re under the spotlight by the Council, and you are looking for an easy out. I don’t like you, not sure I ever will, but I’m not going to tell them what you said or did that day,” Emily promised.

  “I wish you would tell them, stop the suspicious glares, and the way they watch me when you’re around.”

  “So you tell them.”

  Damon nodded, “Maybe I will.”

  “Damnit, Damon, don’t,” Emily sighed.

  “Why not? You didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “Yeah… well… maybe I don’t want the Council to know what everyone in the faction thinks about me, ok?”

  “No one thinks about you like that.”

  “Right,” Emily said sarcastically.

  “I’m serious, the heku respect you a lot.”

  “No they don’t… they are afraid of me, there’s a difference.”

  Damon sighed, “There’s more to it than being afraid of you.”

  “Oh, that’s right… they also couldn’t understand why the Council allowed a mortal in the palace. Then it dawned on them, what started out as an easy lay, turned into a breeder with the ability to make trophy children,” Emily told him, and he was shocked to see from her face that she was serious.

  “You can’t honestly think that.”

  “Oh? Can’t I?”

  “I wish, just f
or a moment, that you could see what the Equites truly think of you,” Damon said to her.

  “You know what? I have already seen it, and I don’t care to see it again.”

  Damon shook his head and watched as Emily took off running down the street as she put on her headphones. She turned back and headed for the palace. After talking to Damon, she felt self-conscious about the glances out of the house windows, and she just wanted to get back to the privacy of her room in the palace.

  After seeing the entrance to the palace filled with heku planning for the coronation and reception that night, Emily opted to go in the back door, and took the servant stairs up the back of the palace to the foyer. She glanced quickly down the stairs. The ground floor was full of heku hauling things into the grand ballroom. She shook her head and went into her room. When she saw no one there, she took a shower and changed into jeans and a t-shirt for the day.

  Emily stepped out of the room as she pulled on her riding gloves and looked up when she saw someone.

  “Oh good, you’re back,” Chevalier said. He was still holding Alexis, and she had pieces of egg in her black ringlets.

  “I’m going to work on that mustang,” Emily said.

  “Have you reconsidered about tonight?” he asked as Alexis played with the Equites insignia on his cape.

  “No, I’m not going,” she told him again.

  “Then come down and meet some of the Coven Leaders. They are anxious to meet you,” Chevalier held his hand out for her.

  “I’d rather not. If you need me, I’ll be out in the corral,” she said, and headed back down by the servant’s stairs.

  Chevalier took Alexis into the bedroom and quickly changed her out of her nightclothes. He swung by Allen’s room and took both of them downstairs to meet the coven dignitaries. They all wanted to meet Emily, too, but she had been elusive to non-palace heku since her trip to Paris, and no one quite knew why.

  Emily watched the mustang for a bit. He’d been in the bridle and saddle for two days straight, and as she slipped through the wooden fence, he watched her carefully.

  “I wish you’d let me do that,” Mark said, leaning against the fencepost.

  “What fun is that? Besides, I thought you liked to watch me fall on my ass,” Emily said, holding a treat out for the mustang.

  “Yeah, that is amusing,” Mark laughed.