Ferus : Book 6 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  Four more escape attempts later, and the sun finally rose to a frozen morning. Snow and ice covered every inch of the island, and the sound of a far away helicopter sounded through the crisp air. Gordon brought bacon, eggs, and coffee into the room, but Emily didn’t talk to him. She was sitting in front of the fire, thinking about ways to get to the Encala. When the helicopter landed, Kralen headed up to talk to them, leaving Silas behind in the bedroom. After the sixth attempt to escape, the heku overrode their orders to guard outside of her room, and moved inside for the rest of the night.

  “Elder,” Kralen said, watching him jump out of the helicopter.

  “How is she?” Chevalier asked, glancing back as Kyle and Dustin got out of the helicopter.

  “She tried to escape 6 times last night. She’s determined to get vengeance on the Encala for Ford’s death.”

  Chevalier sighed, “Six times?”

  “Yes, Sir,” Kralen said.

  Silas moved to the ante-chamber when Chevalier blurred into Emily’s room. He sat down beside her on the rug in front of the fire.

  “They killed Ford,” she whispered, still watching the fire.

  “I heard.”

  “Silas and Kralen won’t let me go.”

  “I know.”

  “They posted themselves in my room.”

  “You didn’t give them much of a choice.”

  Emily glanced over at him, “They killed Ford. I can’t let that go.”

  “Not to defend the Encala, but they didn’t know it would cause a stampede… I’m more worried that you were almost caught in it.”

  “Silas and Kralen saw it coming before I did. They wouldn’t let anything hurt me.”

  Chevalier smiled, “I know, that’s why they’re here.”

  “We don’t have room for 12 more horses.”

  “I’ve called General Sisko from Thukil, and they’re sending up a trailer to take them.”

  Emily nodded, “I’d like to keep 2 of them.”

  They both looked over when Anna brought Dain in. She put him on the floor, and left as the baby crawled toward them. He crawled past Chevalier and headed right for Emily. She picked him up and tried to cradle him in her arms, but he pulled away from her and stood up in her lap, leaning his head against her neck.

  Chevalier watched him, still trying to decide when he needed to intervene. He knew it was going to be a huge fight when it came time to start treating the baby like a true heku, and not a human child.

  Emily glanced over at the table when her phone rang. She watched as Chevalier grabbed it and looked at the I.D.

  “It’s Exavior,” he said, holding the phone out to her.

  She tensed slightly and shook her head, “I don’t want to talk to him.”

  “What, Exavior?” he asked, answering it.

  “I need to speak to Emily.”

  “She’s busy.”

  “I need to apologize, and would like to speak to her… now.”

  Chevalier raised an eyebrow, “Apologize for what?”

  “It’s of no concern to you. Have her call me,” Exavior said, and hung up.

  Chevalier put the phone back on the table, “What’s he need to apologize for, other than the obvious?”

  Emily shrugged slightly and brought her knuckle up for the baby to chew on. He gnawed for a few seconds, and she gasped and jerked her finger from his mouth. Chevalier took the baby quickly when he saw drops of blood on her finger.

  “Gah, his teeth came in,” she said, and headed into the bathroom to grab a rag.

  Chevalier held Dain when he struggled to get out of his Dad’s grasp and crawl to Emily as he chanted a soft, “Ma ma ma ma.”

  She came back out a few minutes later with a small Band-Aid on her finger, and reached down to take Dain from Chevalier, but he didn’t let go of the baby.

  “How’s your finger?” Chevalier asked.

  “Just a scrape. I didn’t realize his teeth must have come in last night.”

  “He’s tasted your blood now.”

  Emily frowned, “He’s a baby, now hand him over.”

  Chevalier sighed and handed the baby over to her. Dain stood up in her lap again and leaned his head against her neck. He watched Chevalier closely. Emily dropped him onto his back and pulled up his lips so she could see.

  “I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that his canines came in first,” she said, and handed a toy to the baby.

  Chevalier grinned slightly, “I suppose not.”

  “He looks like a vampire.”

  “Well…”

  Emily glanced at Chevalier, “I need to go check on the horses, want to go?”

  “Sure, let’s leave him with Anna and we’ll go.”

  Emily nodded and handed Dain off to Anna. She could tell that Chevalier said something to the heku, but couldn’t hear what. One of the servants came in with a heavy parka, and Emily threw it on before walking hand in hand with Chevalier out to barn. She grinned when she saw Silas and Kralen up on the new horses.

  “That’s the smoothest ride!” Silas said, riding up to them.

  “That’s what they’re famous for.”

  “Too bad they aren’t a little faster, I’d keep one.”

  “I’ll keep 2 of them, the rest are going to Thukil.”

  Silas grinned, “I bet that would please the Encala, to know their gift went to Thukil.”

  “They’ll live,” Emily said, and crawled through the wooden posts into the corral.

  “If Silas and I are going to be spending a lot of time on the island, can we claim one?” Kralen asked, riding up to them.

  Emily shrugged, “Sure, have at it.”

  “Was kind of hoping you’d all come back though,” Chevalier said. Silas and Kralen looked at him briefly, and then raced back toward the west beach.

  Emily sighed and leaned against the fence, “I like it here better.”

  “I know you do, but I don’t like to be away from you, and we need our Commanders back.”

  “So send Silas and Kralen back. I’m ok here.”

  Chevalier grinned, “You sure?”

  “Well… mostly, yesterday was a fluke.”

  “I gave you an office.”

  “I have an office.”

  “No, in the palace.”

  Emily frowned, “Why would I need an office in the palace?”

  Chevalier shrugged, “It’s full of computer stuff and is heku proof.”

  “Heku proof?”

  “Yes, a heku can’t break in.”

  “Oh?” Emily asked, laughing slightly.

  “Allen ordered all of the computer gear and set it up for you.”

  “You’re worse than the Valle and Encala,” she said, watching Silas and Kralen race across the pasture.

  “What? How?”

  “Giving me things in hopes I’ll do what you want.”

  “I’m allowed to give you gifts, though.”

  “I heard they parked guard training facilities in my pool.”

  Chevalier grinned, “Yes, we did.”

  “Is it done?”

  “The pool?”

  “Yes”

  “I’ll come back for a week. I was going to anyway.”

  “You were?”

  “Storm said they are turning someone this weekend… sounds to me like a hint that I need to leave.”

  “Oh, damn, yes… I don’t have to be here for that though, Walen’s overseeing it,” Chevalier told her.

  Silas and Kralen put their horses into their stalls and walked over, “Nice smooth horses, kind of fun to ride.”

  “Well, let’s all go check out the ceremonial room,” Chevalier said, and put a hand out for Emily.

  She looked at him, “Why?”

  “We have a turning this weekend. We have to make sure everything’s in order.”

  Silas glanced briefly at Kralen.

  “You three can check it out without me,” Emily told them, still not moving.

  “Oh come on, it’s a room.
”

  “No”

  “Afraid?” Silas asked, grinning.

  “I’m not afraid of a room.”

  “Then come on.”

  “No”

  “Hey, leave her alone… she can’t help it if she’s afraid of it,” Kralen said, heading inside.

  Emily glared at the back of his head, but didn’t move.

  “Trust me,” Chevalier said, and held his hand out.

  “Why do you want me to go? I’m sure the three of you can check it out.”

  “Because, I don’t want you to be… nervous… around a room that’s this important to the heku.”

  “If it’s that important to you,” Emily said after hesitating. She finally took Chevalier’s hand, and they followed Silas inside and down the spiral staircase into the round ceremonial room.

  Kralen and Silas walked into the ceremonial room and turned to watch for Emily. She stepped in but stayed close to the heavy rock door. She avoided looking at the carved runes, but one caught her eye.

  “Come, sit on my lap,” Exavior said. He smiled and put his hand out for her.

  She felt the panic start, and it was becoming hard to breathe.

  “Stop fighting me,” a strange heku growled, and then sunk his teeth into her leg

  “Em?” Chevalier asked, watching her body tense.

  Emily turned suddenly and ran up the stairs, leaving the three heku in the room.

  “Damn,” Chevalier sighed, and looked at the others.

  Silas shrugged and glanced at Kralen.

  “Well… I don’t know,” Kralen said, and headed for the door.

  “You two guard her more than anyone else, so I’m going to tell you something in confidence,” Chevalier said, glancing at the door.

  Kralen and Silas moved forward. It was obvious the Elder didn’t want others to hear.

  “When Emily was 3-years-old, Exavior tried to turn her… 10 times in 4 days.”

  Kralen growled, “What!?”

  Silas gasped.

  “I don’t think she remembers, but obviously it affected her. We need to try to get her used to this room. It’s too important and used too often for her to be afraid of it,” Chevalier explained.

  “No wonder…” Silas said. He started to say more, but just shook his head.

  Kralen nodded, too angry to speak, and headed up the stairs to get the helicopter ready for take-off.

  Chapter 6 - Too Young

  “Seriously, Chev, 18?” Emily groaned, and looked at her new driver’s license again.

  “I’m sorry… but if we start you off at 18, then you can keep the same I.D. for longer,” he explained.

  “It’s just… a teenager?”

  Chevalier grinned, “Some women would like being 18 again.”

  “Yeah, well in a society where I’m considered an infant anyway, it’s not high on my list to relive my teenage years.”

  “True… however… 18 is how you’ll have to start each new I.D.”

  Emily sighed and nodded, then slipped the offending license into her purse.

  Chevalier grinned as she pulled the sheet around her and walked into the bathroom, grumbling about how Allen was almost as old as she was.

  She came out a short time later in jeans and a thin halter top. The weather in Council City was warm, unlike the late-season freeze the island was in the middle of.

  “Plans today?” he asked, still lying naked in bed with a blanket up to his waist.

  “Yes, I want to get new shoes on the horses before I go back to the island,” she explained, and sat to brush her hair.

  “Why don’t you just stay here, with me?”

  “I don’t like it here.”

  Chevalier sighed, “Zohn doesn’t hate you. You two just have a personality clash.”

  “It’s not just Zohn.”

  “Then what else, tell me.”

  “No”

  Chevalier grinned, “As an Elder, I can order you.”

  Emily glanced at him, “Try it, I dare you.”

  “Just consider staying longer than a week.”

  “I’ll consider it,” she said, and slid on her cowboy boots.

  “Are you coming next week?”

  “For what?”

  “I thought I told you… Mark, Silas, Kralen, Jaron, and Horace are getting promoted.”

  Emily frowned and sat up, “To what?”

  “Just one rank level.”

  “They won’t be in my Cavalry?”

  “Yes, they will… the Cavalry’s getting big enough we need more ranking officers,” Chevalier explained.

  “Oh… well… I guess I’ll go. No heku Barbie though, ok?”

  “Promise… today though, Quinn, Mark, and I are going to be gone.”

  Emily turned to face him, “All 3 of you?”

  “And the Cavalry.”

  “With their horses?”

  “No, we’re taking the transport helicopter.”

  Emily sighed and nodded slightly.

  “Don’t worry, just stay away from Zohn, and he’ll stay away from you… if you need anything, Kyle will be here,” Chevalier said.

  “Easy enough, I’ll be outside most of the day anyway.”

  Emily grabbed her leather gloves and headed out of the room. She turned to look at the strange guards that fell in behind her.

  “Who are you?”

  “Your guards, Ma’am,” one of them told her.

  “I don’t need guards, go away.”

  “Elder’s orders.”

  Emily glanced back in the bedroom.

  “Just let them for today, please,” Chevalier asked, coming out of the bathroom dressed.

  “Fine,” Emily growled, and headed down the stairs.

  Chevalier chuckled and headed out to the waiting helicopter.

  Emily looked up as the large Boeing Chinook Helicopter took off from the palace’s east lawn. She went into the stables and turned at the storage room.

  “Guards stay outside, I’m going to be busy,” she said, and then went inside the storage room.

  The guards moved to the doors of the stables and scanned the area. They were trying to get appointed to the Cavalry, and one of the new steps was a certain amount of hours guarding Emily, though they were also told not to tell her that.

  Emily took the necessary tools out of storage and grabbed four shoes out of a box by the door. She headed deeper into the stables and stopped when she heard someone whisper her name. She looked over and saw one of the city guards motion her into the abandoned overseers room.

  “Come… come on,” he whispered softly, and went into the room.

  Emily frowned and followed him in. Another heku city guard shut the door behind them.

  “You need something?” Emily asked, suddenly feeling nervous when they both stepped between her and the door.

  The guard smiled at her, “Yes, we do.”

  “Ok, what then?”

  The second guard grinned and ran his eyes down her body, “We heard you step out from the Elder once in a while.”

  Emily’s eyes grew wide, “Do what!?”

  “We figured you might want to try to take on two heku this time… you know… I can be the Elder, and Anthony here can be the Chief Enforcer… a little game of role-play,” he said, and stepped closer to her.

  “I suggest you walk your asses out of my stables,” she growled, and headed for the door.

  “So you want to play the unwilling adulterous?” the closest heku asked, and quickly grabbed her into an embrace. He pressed his lips against hers while his hands fell onto her butt and squeezed painfully. She tried to push away from him, but he wouldn’t let go. The second heku pressed against her back, and then tore her shirt so he could kiss her neck and shoulder.

  Emily screamed angrily and the two heku turned to ash, their clothes scattering across the wooden floor of the small room.

  Wanting to avoid the guards, Emily left the room and headed up into the loft. From there, she climbed out the windo
w and onto the roof, then jumped down into a large pile of hay and within minutes, was in her room, guardless. She packed a small bag quickly and grabbed Dain from his heku tender without a word, then ran down the stairs to the kitchen.

  After grabbing a cooler full of blood, she buckled Dain into his car seat in the Aero, and was soon speeding through the city.

  “Damnit!” Zohn growled to the Council. “Why the hell is she running now?”

  “Well,” Dustin said, thinking. “As I don’t see that she got into an argument with you… that would leave personal violations, at least from what I gather from previous incidents.”

  “Yeah… but what kind of personal violation?”

  “Do you want me to find out?” the Chief Investigator asked.

  Kyle turned to Zohn, “It might help relations if you fixed whatever she’s mad at.”

  Zohn sighed, “Fine… go find out why the Princess ran, and I’ll ride up on my white horse and punish the heku who accidentally made her mad.”

  Kyle turned away from him, and angrily started looking through the papers in front of him.

  The Chief Investigator stood up, “I guess I’ll be right back, then.”

  The two guards stood at attention when the Chief Investigator walked up. He shook his head, “Why did she leave?”

  “Who, Sir?” the closest one asked.

  “Lady Emily… your charge… just took off in her car.”

  The other guard frowned and looked into the stables, “She was just inside doing something with the horses.”

  “Return to your barracks,” he sighed.

  As Chief Investigator, he was able to instantly take in an entire room down to the minute details. The only thing he noticed was a set of tools and horse shoes sitting in front of one of the stalls. He followed Emily’s scent past the new renovations of the stables and into the overseer’s room. He gasped when he saw the ash on the floor among scattered city guard uniforms.

  “Kyle,” he called out, and then bent down to pick up one of the stark white shirts. He inhaled and caught both heku and Emily on it.

  “Yes? Oh…” Kyle said, frowning as he walked into the little room.

  “What would city guards be doing in the stables?” the Chief Investigator asked, rifling through the uniforms.

  “They aren’t allowed to be in here,” Kyle said, grabbing the dagger. “So one way to find out.”