Ferus : Book 6 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  “In… in… the dressing room… on the inside door.”

  Dustin leaned forward, “General… Captain… when’s the last time you saw Lady Emily use those dressing rooms?”

  Mark’s hands tightened into fists, “Never… she goes to the pool already ready, and then puts on a robe and returns to the palace afterwards.”

  “I didn’t know!” the cleaner said frantically.

  Derrick appeared in the trial area, “Camber would like to observe.”

  “Let him in,” Zohn said, and turned back to Geoffrey when Camber stepped in and leaned against the back wall in the shadows.

  “Did you attempt to harm or kill Emily?” the Chief Interrogator asked him.

  “No! I wouldn’t do that.”

  “He’s telling the truth.”

  Zohn nodded, “Stupidity will not be tolerated. You are hereby charged with attempted murder of a member of the Council and unwarranted attacks on the Cavalry.”

  “I didn’t attack anyone or attempt to murder the Lady,” he said pleadingly.

  “You removed the flesh from the hand of one of the Cavalry. That sounds like an assault.”

  “It was an accident.”

  “Again… stupidity is no defense. Anyone vote not-guilty on this?” Zohn asked, and looked around. “Fine, then we will decide on a punishment.”

  Before anyone could react, Chevalier blurred to the heku, grabbed him by the neck, and disappeared, almost instantly appearing at the interrogation room door.

  “Or we can just let the Elder handle it,” Quinn said, grinning slightly.

  “Would not want to be that heku right now,” Dustin chuckled.

  “Interesting,” Camber said, and stepped out of the shadows. “Does the Winchester often elicit attacks?”

  “Emily… is frequently attacked, yes.”

  “And not just by the Valle and Encala?”

  “No, not just by them.”

  Camber thought for a moment, “Is she rude, demanding, maybe highly unkind to the heku?”

  Zohn growled slightly, “No, she is not.”

  “She has a great deal of respect and loyalty to the heku. She treats us with nothing but kindness… unless one manages to get on her bad side,” Mark said, and glanced at Dustin.

  “You then?” Camber asked Dustin.

  “Yes, I fall into that category.”

  “What exactly did you do to the Winchester then?”

  Dustin’s eyes narrowed, “Conflict of personality, nothing more.”

  “I see.”

  “Camber… did you listen to nothing I said to you?” Kyle asked, irritated. “She’s not ‘the Winchester’.”

  “Oh, right, sorry,” he said, obviously anything but sorry. “Where is she now?”

  “She’s out on horseback with a Captain of the Cavalry and a problem horse,” Kralen told him.

  “Might I observe?”

  Kralen glanced at Zohn, and when he nodded, Kralen sighed, “Sure, I’ll take you up there.”

  Camber smile and headed out after Kralen. They both ignored the screams echoing through the palace from the interrogation room.

  ***

  “Maybe she’s a lost cause,” Silas said, watching Emily comfort the mare.

  “I don’t understand how she’s not getting used to you,” Emily told him, and rubbed the mare’s nose. “Let’s try again, move off about 20 feet.”

  Silas nodded and moved his horse back. Emily mounted the mare and turned her to face Silas. He slowly inched his horse forward, and stopped only when he heard others approach. He turned and saw Kralen stop a few feet behind him.

  “Camber, no!” Silas yelled when Camber continued on and blurred to Emily’s side.

  “Beautiful horse,” he said, and smiled.

  Emily’s horse immediately reared back violently and sent Emily flying. She didn’t see Camber approaching, and wasn’t ready for the sudden shift. The horse stumbled backwards and fell directly onto Emily and then got to her feet. Kralen rushed forward and took the horse’s reins and struggled to get her way from where Emily fell.

  “Damnit!” Emily groaned.

  “Oh, so sorry,” Camber said, watching her intently.

  Silas dismounted his horse and knelt down beside her, “Get back,” he said to Camber when he smelled fresh blood.

  Camber took a few steps back, seemingly amused by the entire incident.

  “Lay down,” Silas said, and held Emily down on the ground. She put her forearm over her eyes and winced slightly, not sure where the blood was coming from that was covering her shirt. She was having a hard time catching her breath, and was furious at the intrusion on her horse’s therapy.

  “What happened?” Dr. Cook asked, kneeling down beside her.

  “Wh…” Emily started to say, but gasped when it hurt to talk.

  “Bucked off a horse and it fell on her,” Silas said, and angrily glared at Camber.

  “Look at me, Child,” Dr. Cook said, and moved her forearm. Emily looked up at him, still short of breath, and hurting too badly to fight back.

  Silas watched carefully as the doctor looked her over, and Kralen returned their horses to the stables, and then stood by Camber, making sure he didn’t do anything stupid.

  “Mmmm, that blood,” Camber said, and shut his eyes.

  Kralen put a hand on his shoulder, “Watch it…”

  “Hold her down,” the doctor whispered. Silas leaned over her gently, trapping her body under his, and held her hands to the ground.

  “Emily, this is going to hurt,” Dr. Cook said. He grabbed her right thigh between his hands, took a deep breath, and then jerked it. Emily screamed as a crunching sound was heard across the hills. Silas was amazed at her strength, but was able to hold her down.

  “What was that?” Kralen growled.

  Dr. Cook sat back, “Her hip was displaced. I put it back in.”

  Silas sat up and studied her. She was sweating from the pain and breathing in short gasps.

  “What else?” Kralen asked.

  “Concussion, broken clavicle, and I want to watch her for internal bleeding… we have to get her back to the palace though.”

  Silas glanced at the doctor, “Any way to do that without pain?”

  Dr. Cook glanced back at his bag, “Well…”

  “Do it,” Silas said. “I’ll take the heat.”

  “What?” Emily asked, out of breath.

  “Emily,” she heard a familiar voice call to her. She glanced up and gasped when she saw Maleth standing beside her. “Let them help you, Child.”

  “Maleth… you’re back,” she said, and smiled weakly.

  Silas glanced in the direction she was looking, and then back to Kralen. Kralen shrugged and watched the doctor give her an injection of pain medications.

  “Don’t go,” she whispered when Maleth began to walk away. She felt her eyelids growing heavy as the pain began to back off.

  “She’s out,” Dr. Cook said when Emily’s body fell silent.

  Silas gently picked her up and looked again to where she was watching when she fell asleep, but saw nothing. Kralen had already filled Chevalier in by the time Silas blurred into the palace. He tried to take Emily from the Captain, but Dr. Cook stopped him.

  “I don’t want to move her again, let him put her to bed,” the doctor said.

  Chevalier nodded and followed them up the stairs. Silas laid her down, grimacing when she moaned slightly.

  “I want to see her hip,” Dr. Cook said, and tore her jeans from her waist down to her knees. Her hip was black and blue and swollen, “That’s going to take some time to heal… four weeks on crutches, and she’ll have a limp for quite a while.”

  “What else?” Chevalier asked, sitting down beside her.

  “She has a concussion, that’s nothing new to us. She broke her clavicle though, so she’ll need a sling for a while. I want to watch for internal bleeding over the next 24 hours. If I find any signs of that, we’ll need to take her in to a hospit
al.”

  Chevalier nodded, “And the blood.”

  “Head wound, I don’t think it needs stitches, but… she was talking to Elder Maleth.”

  “She was?” he asked, shocked.

  “Yes, not uncommon after a head injury.”

  “I want that horse dead,” he growled.

  “Sir… it wasn’t the horse… it was Camber,” Silas said. “The horse was slowly getting used to me, when Camber ignored Kralen and appeared by its side.”

  “Where is he?”

  “Kralen was yelling at him in the stables, last I saw,” Silas told him.

  “Out,” Chevalier ordered, and within seconds, he was alone with Emily. He finished tearing off her pants and did the same with her shirt, being extra careful not to move her injured shoulder. After he slipped her into a nightgown and pulled the covers over her, the doctor came back in.

  “I just want to check for internal bleeding again,” he said. Chevalier watched carefully while the doctor lowered the sheets and pulled her nightgown up to expose her abdomen. He pressed a few times and then pulled the covers back down. “So far it’s looking good.”

  After only a few hours, Emily opened her eyes slowly and looked over at Chevalier, “Hurt again.”

  He smiled, “Yes, you are. How are you feeling?”

  “Like a horse landed on me.”

  “Can I get you anything?”

  “Camber is dangerous. I never trusted him,” Maleth said from beside her. She looked over at him and smiled weakly.

  “I’m glad you’re back. I missed you.”

  Chevalier frowned and followed her gaze, but saw nothing.

  “You too, Dear,” Maleth said, and stepped toward her.

  “Why don’t you trust him?” she asked.

  “He’s dangerous. He’s a danger to you as a Winchester,” Maleth told her.

  “Em... who are you talking to?” Chevalier asked, concerned.

  “Maleth, of course,” she replied and turned back to Maleth. “What do you mean danger to me? What is he doing?”

  “Don’t turn your back on him, he’s not to be trusted,” Maleth said, and then walked into her bathroom and disappeared.

  “Wait, come back,” Emily said, and tried to sit up, but Chevalier held her down.

  “Stay down,” he told her, and called for the doctor.

  “Oh, good, you’re awake,” Dr. Cook said.

  “She’s talking to Maleth.”

  Dr. Cook frowned.

  “You didn’t even say hi to him,” Emily said to Chevalier, frowning.

  “Because he’s dead. He’s not here.”

  “Yes he is. He just walked into my bathroom.”

  Dr. Cook stood up and went into her bathroom. He looked around and then came back out, “No one’s in there.”

  Chevalier turned back to her, but she was already asleep.

  “It’s the concussion, it’s normal,” Dr. Cook said, and bowed slightly before disappearing.

  Emily slept through the night and woke up late the next morning when the doctor was pressing on her stomach.

  Dr. Cook smiled up at her, “No internal injuries. I wanted to check one more time.”

  She nodded, “Can I get up?”

  “Yes, you may, you can’t be alone for a while though, until your concussion gets better. I can either stay here with you, or I can put you in your wheelchair and you can go to the council chambers.”

  “Those are my only options?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “Ok, council chambers it is.”

  Dr. Cook helped her into the wheelchair, and then put her left arm in a sling. He propped the feet up on the wheelchair and laid a blanket over her, “Ready?”

  “Sure,” she said, and he carried her, in the wheelchair, down to the council chambers and set her down beside Chevalier.

  “How are you feeling this morning?” Zohn asked.

  “Ok,” she said, and looked down over the empty trial area. “What’s up?”

  “Waiting for the Interrogator to finish with someone before we try them.”

  A servant appeared, and handed her a cup of hot coffee and a plateful of muffins. She sipped the coffee using her good hand, and looked around. She smiled when the trial room door opened and Maleth came in.

  “Good morning,” she said to him.

  “Good morning, Dear,” he told her, and stopped where the prisoners normally stood.

  Chevalier sighed and motioned for the others to just let her be.

  “Will you be back on the Council now then?”

  “No, they won’t accept me back.”

  “Why not?” she asked, frowning.

  Some of the Council shifted nervously as she spoke to no one.

  “It’s not their way,” Maleth told her. He looked over the Council, “Some new faces.”

  “Yes, lots of changes.”

  “Leonid… he needs your help,” Maleth said, looking at her.

  “What’s wrong with him?”

  “He’s awake and starving. He’s suffering badly.”

  Emily gasped, “He is?”

  “Yes, he’s screaming for someone to help him.”

  “But… you said he would be asleep the entire time.”

  Maleth shrugged, “That’s what we thought, but we were wrong.”

  Emily looked over at Chevalier, her eyes panicked, “Do something.”

  Chevalier glanced at Quinn and back to Emily, “Em… no one’s there.”

  “Didn’t you hear him? We need to dig up Leonid.”

  “We can’t dig him up, he’s retired.”

  “No, didn’t you hear Maleth? He’s suffering, screaming for someone to help him.”

  “No, he’s not. If he were screaming, we would hear him.”

  “Why can’t they hear you?” Emily asked Maleth.

  “I don’t really know,” Maleth told her, and looked over the Council.

  “Jaron!” Emily yelled, and the guard appeared before the Council. “Dig up Leonid immediately, that’s an order.”

  “Belay that,” Zohn said. “We can’t do that.”

  “It’s an order, Jaron… do it now,” Emily yelled.

  Jaron glanced nervously at the Council.

  “I outrank you, Emily,” Zohn said softly. “We cannot dig him up.”

  “But…” Emily looked back, but Maleth was gone. “Where did he go?”

  “Where did who go?” Jaron asked.

  “Maleth, he was standing right beside you.”

  “I… I didn’t see him.”

  “Em, calm down,” Chevalier said. “Maleth is still dead, you just have a concussion…”

  “No, he’s not, and Leonid is suffering, we have to help him,” she told him.

  “Em…”

  Emily tried to stand up, but cried out when the pain hit and sat back down in the wheelchair, “We have to get him.”

  “Take the pain medication. We’ll help Leonid when you wake up,” Maleth said, kneeling down beside her.

  Emily looked down at the side of her wheelchair, “What pain medication?”

  Maleth smiled, “It will help.”

  “Maleth, no!” Emily screamed when he disappeared. She felt the familiar pinch in her arm, and turned just as Dr. Cook stood up behind her. She fought it for as long as she could, but soon slumped down in the wheelchair and fell asleep.

  “Am I digging up Elder Leonid or not?” Jaron asked when no one spoke.

  “No, you are not,” Quinn told him, and motioned for Jaron to leave.

  “That’s a little unsettling,” Zohn said, and watched the doctor take Emily away.

  “Yes, it is,” Chevalier agreed.

  “Camber has decided to return when Emily is well,” Quinn said, after taking a brief phone call.

  “Good, we don’t need his input on this right now,” Zohn told them.

  “When the concussion is gone and she no longer sees Elder Maleth… will she believe that Elder Leonid is resting peacefully?” Du
stin asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Chevalier replied. “I certainly hope so.”

  “If all else fails, we’ll have her talk to Camber. He’s back from retirement and can explain to her how he wasn’t suffering,” Quinn suggested.

  Chevalier nodded, and turned when the Chief Interrogator returned with their prisoner.

  ***

  “Maleth, help me,” Emily begged as she dug in the mud. The rain was pouring, and she was soaking wet. Her hands dug at the soft mud, but every handful removed sent more mud falling into the hole.

  “You must do it, Child. I cannot help you,” Maleth said calmly.

  “I can’t do this, not fast enough.”

  “You are the only one that can help him.”

  “Leonid!” Emily screamed, and kept digging. Blood from her hands mixed with the sticky mud.

  “Keep digging, he’s dying.”

  “I’m trying,” she cried out, digging faster.

  “I’ll help you,” Exavior said. He knelt down and began to dig.

  “No, he’ll kill Leonid!” Maleth yelled.

  “Stop it, Exavior,” Emily told him, and pushed his hands away.

  “No, let me help you. You can’t get to him in time.”

  “Stop him,” Maleth begged.

  “Go away, Exavior!” Emily yelled.

  “Let me get a backhoe,” Frederick said from behind Exavior.

  “No! You’ll kill him with it.”

  “Oh trust me… it can only hurt a little.”

  “Stop it!” she screamed, and sat up in bed, breathing rapidly.

  “It’s ok,” Chevalier whispered. “Lay down, it was only a dream.”

  “Can’t we just dig him up and check on him?”

  “Lay down,” Chevalier said again.

  Emily laid down and looked up at the ceiling, “Just to see if he’s ok… even just a few feet, so we can hear if he’s screaming.”

  “No, we can’t dig him up… you haven’t seen Maleth in four weeks. It was part of the concussion, including what he said.”

  “It can’t hurt to dig a little.”

  “Talk to Camber. He’ll be here this afternoon.”

  “Why?”

  “He just came out of retirement. He can tell you what it was like.”

  “What if something got messed up with Leonid then? What if he really is buried alive while we all think he’s sleeping?”

  Chevalier sighed, “I’m going to try not to take offense to that. I’m the one that put him to sleep.”