“Stop, Em. You did a wonderful job. There’s nothing you could have done differently,” Kyle said, and touched her hair softly. “We’re all shocked that you were able to save three of them, it’s unheard of.”
“Oh my God,” Emily yelled, and stood up, then ran down the hallway to the stairs. “What if they still die?”
“Wait, Em!” Kyle said, and followed her down into the living room.
“Em?” Chevalier asked when she ran into the room. She pushed up the footstool on his chair and threw blankets on him, “What’s going on?”
Emily ignored him and went to where Quinn was sitting. She pushed a footstool up to him and propped his legs up, and then covered him in blankets. She dug both of the rocks out of the pillows and put them into the fireplace, and then disappeared and came back with clean washcloths, which she dipped in the steaming water on the fire. She put one against Chevalier’s forehead, and one across Quinn’s, ignoring anything anyone said to her.
Emily disappeared into the guestroom hallway.
“What’s all this?” Chevalier asked.
Kyle sighed, “She thinks you all might still die.”
“Well, tell her we’re fine,” Quinn said, and pulled the hot rag off of his forehead.
“I tried!” Kyle said. “She won’t listen though… here she comes.”
Kyle watched as Quinn put the rag back on his head. Emily came into the room with eight pillows stacked and dropped them onto the floor. She put one under Chevalier’s feet and one under each of his arms and then fluffed one and put it behind his head.
“Em, we’re not going to die, we’re getting better,” Chevalier said, but was shushed.
Emily did the same to Quinn and he was soon propped up on pillows. She took the rocks out of the fire and before long, they had yet another pillow by their feet, one that was hot and making it sweltering under the layers of blankets.
Quinn sighed and sat up, “You need to li…”
He stopped talking when Emily got in his face, “Sit down and shut up.”
Zohn turned to face the wall to hide his grin and saw Kyle smiling beside him. The Elders both sat back in their chairs and watched Emily work to stoke the fire. Allen stayed quiet under his covers, afraid he might get yelled at if he moved.
Emily disappeared into the kitchen after the room became stiflingly hot.
“She’s going to kill us with heat,” Quinn said, fanning the blankets.
“Sad thing is, she would probably win in a fight right now. I need to get my strength back… this is pathetic,” Chevalier whispered, and then deftly kicked the hot rock out from under the covers.
Emily came back out and handed a grilled cheese sandwich to Alexis. She sat down with a bowl of soup by Allen and propped him up on some pillows.
Allen looked pleadingly at his Dad, and then to the others, but they all gave him a sympathetic smile as Emily spooned hot soup down him.
Emily frowned when she saw Allen gag a bit, “Are you going to throw up? Is your stomach upset?”
Allen looked at Chevalier and then to Emily and nodded, “That soup, it’s awful.”
Emily tasted it and then sighed, “It’s fine.”
“Sorry, Mom,” Allen said, and watched when Emily disappeared into the kitchen.
She emerged a few minutes later with a strip of towel and a knife. She sat down by Allen and he watched her with wide eyes as she picked off the towel around her already wounded wrist.
“Give it back!” Emily scowled when Zohn blurred the knife out of her hand.
“No… a heku can’t resist you when we’re ill, so stop cutting yourself,” Kyle told her.
“He’s hungry,” Emily said, and put her hand out for the knife.
“No,” Chevalier said, and sat up. “We aren’t dying, not anymore at least.”
“How do you know? How do I know you aren’t about to keel over?” Emily asked him angrily.
“We just know,” Chevalier said, and nodded for Kyle to take the knife back to the kitchen.
Zohn sighed, “We need to get back to Council City, are you all ready to fly?”
“We can take the jet back, it’s faster. We’ll send someone after the other helicopter,” Kyle told them, and started up the stairs.
“They can’t travel, they’re sick,” Emily said sternly.
“We aren’t sick anymore, just weak, it’ll be ok,” Chevalier said, and stood up. The cooler air felt good after the heat from the blankets.
Zohn started to put out the fire and Allen stood up and wrapped himself in a blanket. Quinn took Alexis’ hand and headed up the stairs to the helicopter, followed by Zohn and Allen. Emily watched them all and stood silently in the living room, unable to accept that this was over and that Maleth was dead.
“Come on, let’s go,” Chevalier said, and held his hand out for Emily.
“I’m not going,” she whispered, and took a step away from him.
Chevalier stepped to her and took her hand, “We have to go. The Council is waiting for our return.”
“To hell with the Council, if you are so dead set on leaving, then by all means… but I’m not going,” Emily said, and sat down by the now dead fire.
“Sitting here, freezing to death by yourself isn’t going to bring him back.”
Emily turned her head away from him as the tears started to pour. She was tired, and angry, and felt like she killed Maleth. Her mind ran over everything that happened, and she searched for something that had gone wrong.
“I can’t pick you up right now, Em. You’re going to have to walk,” Chevalier said, and headed up the stairs.
Emily stayed in the chair and shut her eyes as the tears came faster. She felt someone kneel down beside her and looked over at Zohn.
Several minutes later, Zohn came out of the house with Emily cradled in his arms. He easily jumped into the helicopter and handed her to Kyle.
“Do I want to know?” Chevalier asked.
“Probably not,” Zohn said, and crawled into the pilot seat as the door shut.
Kyle spent the entire trip to the airport on the phone with the Council, and watched Emily uncomfortably. She wasn’t moving and was sleeping peacefully in his arms, something uncommon for her. When they reached the airport, the jet was just starting to warm up and the Equites pilot came to help them.
Chevalier was glad that Emily was still asleep when they transferred Maleth’s body into the jet. He picked Alexis up while Kyle carried Emily, still asleep. Quinn was the last to leave and followed Allen into the jet. The door shut behind them and soon, they were flying over Canada toward Council City.
When the helicopter landed on the palace roof, the door opened and the Cavalry came out, led by Mark. Chevalier noticed the guards had black arm bands and he glanced approvingly to Kyle. Zohn picked up Emily on his way out of the helicopter and shrugged when Chevalier glanced at him.
“She must have been tired. I just told her to sleep, that’s all,” Zohn said when Mark looked at Emily, worried.
The shades were all drawn in the palace and everyone had on a black arm band. The Equites banner was lowered and there was an abnormal silence among the guards and servants.
Zohn laid Emily down in bed and then bowed as he left, shutting the door behind him. Silas came and took Alexis and Chevalier laid down beside Emily and wrapped his arms around her. Her dreams were hectic and sporadic and lacked the softly flowing emotions that they normally did. He shut his eyes and rested as she slept.
Chapter 25 - New Elder
“Yes, we have chosen,” Quinn said to the Council. They had been through three weeks of mourning as a faction, and it was now time to announce the new Elder. Maleth was buried in a richly adorned tomb by the resting place of Leonid, and Emily visited them several times a day.
“We’ll get ready for the coronation,” Zohn said.
“Not you though, you and Kyle are to be medaled,” Chevalier reminded him.
Kyle cringed, “Really, that’s not necessary.”<
br />
“You saved the life of the Elders,” the Court Reporter said with admiration.
“No, we didn’t. Emily did that. We just lied and gave orders,” Zohn said. He wasn’t comfortable getting medaled for this.
“All the same, you are,” Quinn said, and his tone let them know the subject was closed.
“And the Lady?” the Court Reporter said.
Chevalier sighed, “She wouldn’t take a medal if we offered it. She’s still blaming herself for the loss of Maleth.”
“Will she be in attendance?” the Chief Investigator asked.
Chevalier shrugged, “I don’t know.”
Never before had any of the Council worried about Emily, but her feat of saving 3 out of 4 with the illness was now well known and respected throughout all three factions. Rumors started that Emily had a healing ability, but was quickly stopped by the Council. They didn’t need more reasons for her to be wanted by the Encala or Valle.
“Let’s end today then, and tomorrow we’ll not meet so we can prepare,” Quinn said.
Chevalier nodded, “Agreed.”
Most of the Council left the chambers immediately, leaving Quinn, Chevalier, Zohn, and Kyle behind.
“Is she out there again?” Chevalier asked.
Kyle nodded, “Yes.”
“I could go and talk to her,” Quinn said. He’d become a lot closer to Emily since their return from Alaska, and seemed to have a deeper understanding of how she thought.
Chevalier nodded, “Ok, you try.”
Quinn smiled and blurred from the room.
“Hmm,” Zohn sighed.
“What?” Kyle asked him.
“Do I have to almost die to get on Emily’s good side?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Chevalier chuckled, “Never hurts apparently.”
Quinn appeared out in the cemetery and dismissed Emily’s guards before walking over and sitting down beside her.
“Hi,” Emily said, and looked at him. She had been rearranging the flowers she put on the two Elder’s graves.
“Fancy meeting you here… again,” Quinn said.
“Did you choose a new Elder?”
Quinn nodded, “Yes, the coronation is tomorrow.”
Emily picked up a flower and turned it over, laying it back down exactly where it had been.
Quinn touched her hand lightly, “What are you looking for out here?”
Emily shrugged, “Forgiveness.”
“There’s nothing to forgive, you should be praised, not punished.”
Emily turned her face when a tear fell down her cheek, “That’s easy for you to say, you lived.”
“I can assure you, Maleth wouldn’t punish you for his death,” Quinn told her, and wiped the tear from her cheek.
“I’ll be in in a second,” Emily said, and watched as Quinn nodded and left. She turned back to the tomb and rearranged the flowers again. For the hundredth time, she ran through her trip to Alaska in her mind and tried to find something that would explain why Maleth didn’t survive when the others had.
Emily finally stood up and walked back toward the palace. Her guards had returned when Quinn left, and they fell in behind her. She caught sight of Patra out in the corral and decided against going into the palace.
She grabbed a bridle and went out to Patra.
“Wait, we’ll get our horses,” one of her guards said.
“No, go back inside. I am going out alone,” she said, and slipped the bridle on the mare.
“I don’t know, Lady Emily.”
Emily jumped up onto Patra, bareback and smiled, “Go, I’ll take the heat if anyone gets mad.”
The guard nodded and Emily ran Patra through the city and up onto the hills to the west. She didn’t look at the city for long, then turned and headed back toward the trees. She was able to let go and run Patra at a full gallop. She pulled her hair out of a ponytail and let the wind blow it behind her as she ran. The sun was beating down on her face, and it felt good to feel the freedom being on horseback brought.
Emily headed deeper into the trees, letting Patra lead the way for a while. The deeper she got into the trees, the more secluded it felt and the more she felt at ease. Maleth’s death suddenly seemed less traumatic, and the stress from the last few months began to melt away. Her mind was far away when hands grabbed her off of the horse.
Emily screamed and then hit Chevalier on the chest, “That was stupid! I could have ashed you.”
Chevalier chuckled, “You aren’t that trigger happy.”
Emily went over and tied Patra to a tree by Chevalier’s ornery stallion. When she turned around, Chevalier was only inches from her and picked her up, kissing her softly.
“You haven’t gone riding in a long time,” Emily said as Chevalier ran his lips lightly along her neck.
“Mmhmmm,” he said, and bit softly at her neck.
Emily shivered and grinned, “I take it you are feeling better?”
Chevalier nodded and dropped to his knees, and then laid Emily down on the mossy ground.
***
Chevalier and Emily walked hand in hand out of the trees, leading their horses behind them.
“Are you going to the coronation tomorrow night?” Chevalier asked.
“I haven’t decided,” she said, and glanced back at the horses.
“Everyone’s been asking about you.”
“Who is the new Elder?” Emily asked.
“Does it matter, you won’t like him,” Chevalier chuckled.
Emily frowned at him, “That’s not fair.”
Chevalier smiled softly, “I was joking.”
“So who is it?”
“It’s James.”
Emily looked at Chevalier, “Who is James?”
Chevalier laughed, “Blond heku, sits to the right of Zohn.”
“I figured you’d give it to Zohn,” Emily said.
“We thought about it, but James will be a better fit.”
Emily sighed, “I don’t like him.”
“I figured.”
“He always looks at me like I’m in the way.”
“No he doesn’t. You’re just paranoid about what the Council thinks of you.”
“He was one of Damon’s followers,” Emily reminded him.
Chevalier nodded, amused. Emily divided the Council into Damon followers, and non-Damon followers. He wondered how long she would make that distinction.
“I have all day tomorrow off, what would you like to do?” he asked as they put the horses into their stalls.
“All day?”
“Well, until I have to get ready for the coronation.”
Emily filled Patra’s trough with fresh water and then shut the door to her stall, “So we can stay in if I want?”
“If that’s what you want, yes.”
“Maybe… start off with a hot bubble bath,” Emily said, and pulled Chevalier against her and into the corner.
“Sure,” Chevalier said, and kissed her softly.
“Then maybe...” Chevalier cut off her words with his lips and his hand wrapped around the back of her neck.
Mark cleared his throat behind them.
Chevalier started to turn around, but Emily pulled him back towards her and pressed her lips against his.
“Don’t mind me,” Mark chuckled. “It’s shift change though, so there are about to be five more of us in here.”
“That’d put a whole new meaning to the term mounted Cavalry,” Emily laughed.
Chevalier shook his head, “Come on inside, your dinner’s almost ready anyway.”
Mark grinned and got onto his horse.
***
Emily woke up the next morning and sat up in bed, looking around. The room was empty and a note by her bed said that they had let her sleep late, and that Alexis was already out with Silas.
She yawned, stretched, and then called out for breakfast. Within a few minutes, Mark came in with the tray.
“Good morning,” he said, and sat the tray d
own on the table.
Emily nodded, “All sniffed I take it.”
Mark chuckled, “Yes, all sniffed. It’s poison free.”
Emily sat down at the table and looked up when Mark left for the door.
“Mark?”
“Yes?” he asked, and turned around.
“Will you stay?”
He frowned slightly and then nodded and smiled. Mark sat down at the table across from her.
Emily took a bite of the scrambled eggs and looked up at Mark, “What’s your last name?”
A shocked expression crossed Mark’s face, “Excuse me?”
“You know… Chev is Chev, Kyle is Kyle… why don’t any of you have last names?” Emily asked, and took another bite.
“That’s part of our mortal selves we leave behind,” he explained.
“What if there’s another Mark in the faction.”
“There are many.”
“So what was yours?”
Mark thought for a moment, “I don’t really remember.”
“Don’t remember or just don’t want to tell me?” Emily took another bite of eggs and then leaned back with a cup of coffee.
“I honestly don’t remember. I haven’t thought about that in a long time. The perfect memory starts after turning, things before that time fade.”
Emily watched him for a moment, “Where’s Chev?”
“There’s a problem with the coronation. He and Quinn have been in meetings all morning.”
Emily sighed, “Great, so much for our day alone.”
“He’s sorry. He mentioned it several times. Oh, there’s a letter here for you. The guard at the farmhouse signed for it,” Mark said, and pulled a letter out of his back pocket.
Emily sat back with her coffee and opened it. Mark watched her carefully as she looked at the paper and fell into a deep thought.
“Well I’m going to go out for a bit,” Emily said, and went into the bathroom to get dressed.
When Emily came back out, Mark was in civilian clothing and waiting for her.
“Oh no, I’m going alone,” Emily said, and grabbed her purse.
“I don’t mind going,” Mark said, shifting uncomfortably.
“Seriously, Mark, I need time by myself and you have a party to attend,” Emily said, and walked out of the room. She heard the guards behind her until she crawled into the Durango. She smiled at them as she pulled out of the garage and headed to the nearby city.
Equites : Book 4 of the Heku Series Page 62