Equites : Book 4 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  “Em?” Silas asked as he approached her.

  Emily turned on him and glared, putting her hand out, “I won’t let you get them.”

  Silas froze. His eyes fixed on the trail of blood from her ears and nose, and the scarlet color of her eyes.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Darren asked, concerned.

  “Emily, listen to me, it’s Silas,” he said, putting his hand out to her.

  “Get back! I’ll ash you if you attack Thukil Coven,” she scowled.

  “Damnit,” Silas whispered. “When Emily ashes too many… hundreds… she gets confused and bleeds from her nose and ears… like she is now. I’d wager that somewhere in these woods, are hundreds of piles of ashes.”

  Darren frowned and called out to the Cavalry, “Find them.”

  “Look at me… who did you find out here?” Silas asked her. “I need you to concentrate, think hard.”

  “I need to get to Thukil,” she mumbled, and stumbled off away from them.

  Darren whispered into the wind for Thukil to notify Council City of the attack and Emily’s condition, and then walked off after Silas and Emily.

  Darren caught up with Silas easily, “Council City is sending backup, a doctor and the Elder are with them. They are coming in by jet and should arrive in the next two hours. Elder Chevalier warned us to keep our distance while Emily is confused.”

  Silas nodded, “We’ll just stay with her. If we get too close, she could turn us to ash in her confusion.”

  “Captain!” a member of the Cavalry rode up quickly. “A clearing about a quarter of a mile from here, it’s full of ashes and the clothing from an Encala Army.”

  Darren hissed, “How many?”

  “Just over seven hundred,” the guard said, swallowing hard.

  Silas looked at Emily as she staggered around the woods.

  “Gather the ashes, all that you can, and the clothing. Return it all to the Ranch,” Darren ordered. “Tell the Lord and Lady… that Emily has saved us from an attack.”

  The guard nodded and rode off toward the city.

  Silas sat down to wait for Chevalier when Emily hunkered down by a tree with her knees at her chest and her arms wrapped around them. She pulled her cape around her and disappeared under it.

  “How long does this take?” Darren whispered, and sat down by Silas.

  “I’m not sure. Chevalier usually takes her away,” Silas said, and watched Emily in her protective ball.

  “Why did she put herself through this? If she had warned us, we could have protected ourselves.”

  “That’s just Emily… out to save every heku.”

  “You know, we hear that, but I guess it didn’t really sink in how much this one mortal cares about our species,” Darren said softly, and looked at Emily with respect.

  Silas and Darren waited in silence and watched over Emily as she sat perfectly still inside of her cape. They turned when they heard someone approach, and both stood when the Elder appeared with Kyle, Zohn, and the faction doctor.

  “Where is she?” Chevalier asked.

  Silas pointed to the cape, “She’s crouched down under there.”

  “How many?” the doctor asked, frowning.

  “The final tally came in at 721 Encala, including their three Elders,” Darren told him.

  Chevalier frowned, “They sent all three Elders to an attack?”

  Darren shrugged, “I’m thinking they thought it was a sure thing. 721 outnumber us after we lost some in the Valle attack.”

  Chevalier sighed, “Where does she think she is?”

  “She’s trying to get to Thukil to warn them,” Silas said.

  “Kyle, maybe you better wait in Thukil Coven, just in case,” Chevalier said with a half-grin. Kyle nodded and blurred away.

  Chevalier walked forward slowly, being as silent as he could. Zohn and the doctor walked behind him.

  When the three were within a few feet of Emily, she sprang to her feet and pulled the .45 out of the holster, then leveled it at them as her guard’s cape floated behind her with the breeze.

  “Em,” Chevalier said, holding his hands up. He quickly took in the guard uniform and scanned her, but found no obvious injuries.

  “Do not come closer,” she growled.

  Chevalier took a step back, “Sorry, we won’t come closer.”

  Emily frowned and cocked her head to the side slightly, “Chev?”

  “Yes, it’s me.”

  Emily didn’t lower the .45, “I can’t think.”

  “I know. Put the gun down and we can go back to Alexis,” Chevalier said softly.

  “I have to warn Thukil,” she said, unsure.

  “There’s nothing to warn them about, you ashed all of them.”

  “We need to tell the Cavalry.”

  Chevalier nodded and glanced at the rank pin on her collar, “You’re the Commander, and you need to go tell them.”

  Emily nodded, “I am.”

  Darren stepped forward, “Come on, let’s tell them together.”

  Emily walked to Darren and kept the gun at Chevalier, “Ok, let’s go.”

  Darren glanced at Chevalier and then placed his hand on Emily’s back and led her toward the Ranch.

  “I’m… pretty sure that’s not a regulation guard uniform,” Zohn said, amused.

  “Lock her eyes and put her to sleep,” the doctor told Darren in a whisper, too low for Emily to hear.

  “Commander?” Darren asked, and when she glanced at him, he immediately locked her eyes with his.

  Emily stumbled and dropped the .45 to the forest floor. Darren reached down and picked her up in a cradle and then blurred toward the mansion with the others close behind. He laid her down on the bed gently, and stood back while the doctor stepped forward and began to check Emily over as she slept.

  “I need to give a report to the Lord and Lady,” Darren whispered, and bowed before leaving.

  Kyle chuckled, “They made her a Commander?”

  “Seems so,” Zohn said, watching the doctor.

  “Hey, Elder,” Kyle said from the window.

  Chevalier walked over and glanced out Emily’s window. Seventy five mounted guards waited outside on the grass below her window.

  “Same as last time, bloody nose, blood pooled in her ears, extremely low blood pressure. I’d wager she has a headache. Let her sleep it off and when she wakes up, we see how she is,” the doctor said. “I wish there was something I could do, but without tests, I have no way to know.”

  “Leave us,” Chevalier said, and pulled the curtains over the window. When everyone was out of the room, Chevalier started to gently remove the uniform and slipped her into a nightgown so she would be more comfortable.

  He took a warm rag and cleaned the blood from her face and neck and then covered her with the soft blankets. He dimmed the lights and stepped out into the hallway, shutting her door softly.

  “How is she?” Darren asked. He was surrounded by several of the top commanders in the Cavalry.

  “We won’t know until she wakes up,” Chevalier told him, and went down to meet with the Lord and Lady Thukil.

  Chevalier walked in as Lord Thukil was talking with Zohn and Kyle.

  Lord Thukil stood up and looked at Chevalier, “How is she?”

  “Have we revived the Elders?” Chevalier asked, ignoring the Lord of the coven.

  “We were waiting for you,” Kyle said, taking a seat in the small trial room.

  Chevalier sat down beside him and Zohn, “Proceed.”

  Lord Thukil called for the Captain of the Cavalry and then sat down. Darren took his place at the table when he arrived.

  Kyle stood, and with a drop of blood, revived the first set of ashes.

  Vaughn screamed as he re-formed and then stood up, still bent slightly from the burning pain, “That Bitch!”

  “I suggest you hold your tongue,” Kyle growled at him, and Vaughn looked up, realizing he was no longer in the clearing.

  “What is th
is?” Vaughn hissed.

  “A war tribunal, I do believe. You were leading an attack on Thukil Coven,” Chevalier explained.

  “I was not! We were conducting a training exercise when we were attacked by the Equites’ puppet,” Vaughn said, smiling.

  Chevalier looked at Zohn.

  “He’s lying,” Zohn said coldly.

  “Banish him,” Chevalier said.

  Kyle was at Vaughn’s back in an instant, and with one drop of blood, he fell into a pile of ash.

  “We have enough information to take the other two Elders back to the Council. Can you banish the rest of them? Give them each 1,000 years,” Chevalier said to Lord Thukil.

  Lord Thukil nodded, “We will do that immediately.”

  “We will stay until Emily feels better, if that is ok.”

  “Yes, yes, stay as long as the Child needs, we owe her everything,” Lord Thukil said, his voice full of respect.

  Chevalier blurred up to Emily’s room and stepped quietly inside. He crawled into bed beside her and wrapped his arms around her while she slept. The gray swirls of emotions that surround her when she slept didn’t form into dreams but continued to swirl in erratic patterns as the dawn came and brought the sounds from the animals.

  The doctor came in and checked her over, whispering softly to Chevalier before leaving.

  “Tell him to leave me alone,” Emily whispered softly.

  Chevalier grinned, “If you can tell me where you are, I’ll agree to that.”

  “Ahh, my head,” she said, and rolled over, curling up next to him.

  Chevalier kissed her forehead, “You aren’t helping convince me to keep the doctor away.”

  Emily sighed, “I couldn’t let them attack the Ranch.”

  “Your body can’t take this. One of these times, you may not wake up.”

  “Council City is next, they want those prisoners.”

  Chevalier nodded, “We know, and we’re prepared.”

  Emily grinned, “Good, because I don’t want to stay at the palace to protect all your butts.”

  “I’d give anything if you’d just stick to protecting yourself,” Chevalier said, and couldn’t help but laugh some.

  “Do you think they have any ibuprofen?” Emily asked, and then looked up when the doctor walked in. “If you come at me with a needle I’ll ash you.”

  The doctor froze at the door, “It’s… just... a pill.”

  “Ibuprofen?”

  “No, something a little stronger,” the doctor said.

  “Please, just take it,” Chevalier asked, stifling a grin.

  Emily sighed, “Whatever.”

  The doctor handed her the pills and some orange juice and then left after she took them.

  Emily sat up and pushed her palms into her eyes.

  Chevalier rubbed her shoulders, “Why don’t you lie down until you feel better.”

  “I’m hungry,” she whispered and stood up, swaying slightly. Chevalier appeared at her side and steadied her.

  “Let me have something brought up,” he suggested.

  “No, I’m ok.” She smiled, and walked more steadily to the desk with her suitcase and she pulled on a robe.

  “Are you sure you want to go out there?”

  “Why?” Emily asked, turning toward him as she tied the robe.

  “You were loved before… now you’ve saved them.”

  “Great, if they kneel, I’m running,” Emily said, and opened the door.

  Chevalier chuckled, “I’m sure it won’t come to that.”

  Emily slowly made her way to the dining room she’d been to earlier. Her head was pounding, and as soon as she ate, she fully planned on going back to sleep.

  “Child!” she heard from behind her, and turned. Lord Thukil was there along with Darren and the rest of the Commanders of the Thukil guard.

  “Yes?” she asked, uneasy at how they looked at her.

  Lord Thukil dropped to one knee and lowered his head, “We owe you everything.”

  The rest of the heku in the mansion all dropped to one knee and lowered their heads with respect.

  Emily’s eyes grew wide and she turned to run, but Chevalier held her with one arm, “I warned you.”

  Emily turned around to face the Thukil’s, “Please, don’t do that, stand up.”

  “Tell us what we can do to honor you, to repay you for the sacrifice,” Lord Thukil said.

  “You can start by not doing that, standup, please. I don’t deserve that,” Emily said, and felt Chevalier chuckle.

  “You just made it worse,” he whispered into her ear.

  “Don’t deserve it? You are too humble. We are forever in your debt,” Lord Thukil said, and stayed bowed before her.

  “Chev, make them stop,” Emily begged.

  Chevalier laughed and turned her around, leading her into the dining room.

  “Mommy!” Alexis yelled, and ran to her. Emily picked her up and kissed her.

  “Good morning… or afternoon, I guess,” Silas said.

  “They’re bowing,” she told Silas, and sighed.

  Silas laughed, “I don’t doubt that.”

  Emily sat down and poured herself some coffee. One of the servants brought in a plate of sausage and fried potatoes, and bowed all the way out of the door.

  “I’m a Commander, can’t I stop that?” Emily asked, and then started to eat.

  “They want to give you a medal,” Silas said, grinning. He tried to stop when Chevalier glared at him, but had to turn away instead.

  “I’m ready to go back to the island,” Emily said to Chevalier.

  He nodded, “I know. We need to go to the palace first, and then we can go.”

  “Let’s go, after breakfast.”

  “Em, they want to give you a medal. It’s important to them,” Chevalier explained.

  “Now I’m going to be sick,” Emily told him, and sat down the fork. “Actually, I do feel kind of funny.”

  “Funny?” Silas asked.

  Emily giggled slightly, something she rarely did, and picked up the fork again slowly.

  “Em? Are you feeling ok?” Chevalier asked.

  She leaned back in her chair and relaxed.

  “Doctor?” Chevalier called, grinning.

  The doctor walked in and frowned at Emily as she giggled at the ceiling, “Hrm, maybe I gave her too much.”

  “So this is your doing?” Chevalier asked, taking Emily’s hand.

  “Yes, it’s the medication. Ma’am, how is your headache?” the doctor asked her.

  “You had a headache?” she asked the doctor, frowning.

  “Ok, I won’t give her that again,” the doctor said to Chevalier.

  Chevalier nodded and picked Emily up.

  Emily kissed him lightly, “Let’s have another baby.”

  “We are not discussing this right now,” he chuckled, and carried her up to bed.

  “I’m a Commander, now I outrank you,” Emily said when he laid her down on the bed and slipped her robe off.

  “Whatever you say,” Chevalier told her as he pulled the covers up.

  Emily almost immediately fell asleep, and once Chevalier was sure she wasn’t going to wake up, he left the room quietly to make arrangements to try the Encala Elders in front of the Council.

  ***

  Emily sighed and rolled over in bed as the haze over her mind slowly cleared. She sat up and grabbed her head as the world began to spin. She felt someone sit on the bed beside her.

  “Here, see if coffee helps,” Chevalier said, and handed her a steaming cup.

  “I don’t feel so good,” she said, and sipped the coffee.

  Chevalier smiled, “The doctor overdid the medication. You’ve been asleep for almost 24 hours.”

  “Are we going back today?” Emily asked, and took another sip.

  “Yes, after they give you a medal.”

  Emily cringed, “Seriously?”

  “Yes, it would mean a lot to them.”

  Emily
nodded, “Ok, then to the island?”

  “We need to try the Encala Elders first, and we’ll need you to testify,” Chevalier explained.

  Emily stood up slowly and grabbed her jeans out of the suitcase.

  “Em?” Chevalier said, grinning.

  Emily turned around “What now?”

  “You’re receiving a medal as a Commander of this army.”

  “Did you see that uniform?” Emily sighed.

  Chevalier’s grin widened, “Yes, I did.”

  “Why did they modify it? I don’t see the heku with heart cut-outs or skin showing,” Emily said, grabbing the uniform and disappearing into the bathroom.

  Emily emerged brushing her hair, and Chevalier let his eyes follow down her body, appreciating the way the fitted uniform clung to her curves and accentuated her features.

  “We should have made you a member of our Cavalry. I hadn’t thought of that,” Chevalier said.

  “I think one Commander title is enough,” Emily said, and glanced in the mirror.

  Emily fastened the cape, tossed the left side over her shoulder, and then turned around, “Let’s get this over with so we can go.”

  Chevalier blurred to Emily and lifted her up so he could kiss her. She took his face in her hands and pressed her lips firmly against his.

  After setting her back on her feet, he grabbed her .45 out of the dresser and handed it to her.

  “Damn, forgot my gun,” Emily said, and holstered it. She followed Chevalier down to the banquet hallway and stopped at the doors.

  “Go in,” Chevalier told her.

  Emily sighed, “You go for me.”

  “Come on, Killer,” Chevalier said, amused, and opened the door.

  The room broke out in applause and Emily felt her stomach turn. Chevalier’s hand on her back was all that kept her from running as he gently pushed her down the aisle toward Lord and Lady Thukil.

  As Emily approached them, the Lord stood up and quieted down the heku.

  “It is with our greatest admiration that we bestow the Medal of Honor upon Commander Emily for her heroic act in protecting this coven from over 700 Encala warriors. She fought alone and with great bravery, and will forever be held in the highest regards by all of Thukil Coven,” Lord Thukil said.

  Emily smiled politely, but her insides were turning and the desire to run was growing stronger.

  Lord Thukil stepped forward and pinned a diamond and ruby ‘T’ to her collar below the Commander ranking. The decorated ‘T’ was surrounded by platinum fern leaves and had a tiny dangling Equites crest underneath it.