“What will you do then? I’ve been listening. The Equites are fed up with you and your disobedience… It’s only a matter of time before they throw you out, and then what will you do?”
“I’ve been thinking about that a lot… and I realize it’s only a matter of time before I’m completely ostracized from the heku world.”
“And what have you decided you will do?”
Emily shrugged slightly, “I have two options… I go to my home in Georgia and try to fit in for a few years until they realize I’m no longer aging, and then I move and do it all over again.”
“Your other option?”
“I very nicely walk up to the next heku I see and ask to be drained,” she whispered. “I’m not immortal, I can die.”
“You would rather die than to live with the Ferus?” Alec asked, confused.
Emily nodded, “The Equites are my life…”
“Even if they throw you out?”
“Yes, I can’t live without Chev, my children are Equites, my friends are Equites… I refuse to be a traitor and join another faction. I’d rather live alone as a hermit or just… end it.”
“Damnit, Emi, how can you say that?”
“Because it’s true.”
Alec leaned over and took her hand, “I’m your family… you belong with me. You’re Encala by blood, Valle by marriage, and Equites by bond… but you’re Ferus by family, the strongest of all of them.”
“You made it very clear that I’m no longer your family.” Her voice was soft, and the Council could tell she was fighting tears.
“So you consider the Equites your family? You disobey them, you defy the Council, you lie, and deceive Chevalier. It’s no wonder they want nothing to do with you,” Alec told her. “The Ferus, Emily, was made for you, and they will respect you, and help you fit in and understand what you’re going through.”
Emily whispered, “I don’t disobey and defy the Council just for the purpose of getting my way or rebellion. I attacked the Ferus with the Encala, to keep the Equites from having to go to war over me again.”
“Damnit,” Chevalier growled from the next room.
“You won’t have to protect the Ferus, they’re strong.”
Emily frowned, “The Ferus have nothing on the power of the Equites.”
“If you have to protect them, then they can’t be that strong.”
“Don’t talk bad about the Equites in front of me,” Emily yelled. “You have no idea the strength and compassion of these heku. I don’t protect them because they can’t protect themselves… I protect them because I’m a burden here, and the only thing I have that they don’t… is the ability to mass exterminate heku without risk to themselves.”
Alec nodded, “You are a burden here… You take from them and give nothing in return. The Ferus would be different, you would make decisions and rule them. You wouldn’t be a burden.”
“I say we end this,” Zohn hissed angrily.
Chevalier shook his head, “No, I’m learning too much.”
“Agreed,” Quinn whispered, watching his hands.
“Alec, I’m not going to join the Ferus. I’m an Equites and I always will be. Even if I’m alone in a shack in Alaska, I’ll still be proud to call myself an Equites. When they throw me out, then I’ll keep that love and devotion for this faction in my heart for eternity.”
“They will kick you out. Since you were a child you were disobedient and head-strong. Heku don’t know how to deal with that and soon, they will have had enough,” Alec explained.
“You don’t think I know that?” Emily yelled. “You don’t think I see that and fear that every day I’m here?”
“There’s nothing I can do to make you see how much better your life will be if you join the Ferus?” Alec asked.
“I already see that. I would love nothing more than to be needed and actually be a part of a faction, other than just causing problems. However, I can’t join the Ferus. I don’t think I could live with myself if the Equites considered me an enemy.”
“You don’t think you will be on their enemy radar when they kick you out?”
“No, I don’t. I think they will wash their hands of me, and I’ll be a distant memory to them. Something they had to deal with and once taken care of, would be forgotten.”
Alec sighed, “I promised your Dad I would watch over you… there has to be something I can do.”
“There is,” Emily said, and her voice cracked.
“Name it, Emi.”
“Lock my eyes, control me… Change me to be what they want. Make me obedient and quiet, peaceful… take away my personality and change it so I don’t have to leave.”
“I’m not an ‘old one’ or an ancient, I can’t control you,” Alec reminded her.
“I have control over who can do it,” Emily said, watching her hands. “I will allow it.”
“And if it doesn’t work, and they kick you out anyway?”
“I’ll then decide if I want to live alone or if I want to end it.”
“I can make you forget the heku, forget the species and your life here… forget your children, and maybe even take away the pain from being away from Chevalier,” Alec told her.
“Maybe that’s even better, then. They wouldn’t have to kick me out, I would just leave.”
“That’s enough,” Chevalier said as he walked into the conference room. Alec stood up and crouched instinctively. Four guards came in and pulled him from the room. Emily didn’t look up from the table, but she was aware that the Elders and Kyle sat down at the table and shut the door.
“You don’t have to do this… I’ll make it easier,” Emily whispered.
“Let us talk,” Zohn told her.
“No, I won’t make you do this and this way, you’ll never have to feel guilt or remorse for doing it,” Emily said. “I’ll just leave. I’ll get my stuff, and if you can just give me the Jeep and an hour…”
“Listen to us, Em,” Chevalier said, and reached out and took her hand. She frowned slightly and looked at their intertwined hands.
“You’re right. I deserve this,” she whispered, and pulled her hand away from his.
“Alec couldn’t be more wrong,” Kyle told her.
She frowned slightly, “You heard all of that?”
“All of it,” Quinn said. “Let’s just start off by saying you aren’t a burden, and we would never ostracize you from the Equites.”
“That’s true,” she whispered. “I would then become a danger.”
“That’s not why. You’re important to us, and it has nothing to do with your abilities,” Zohn told her. “We care about you and your welfare, and have never considered you a burden.”
“I am though. What do I give in return? He was right, I take and take, and all I do is cause trouble.”
“You train our Cavalry,” Zohn told her.
“You mediate hostile meetings,” Quinn added.
“You’re my wife,” Chevalier said, and took her hand again, squeezing it slightly.
“You’re more devoted to the Equites than most of the city,” Zohn said. “You don’t take and take and, Dear, please… stop trying to protect us.”
“I can’t seem to behave. It’s not in my nature to take orders and sit around doing nothing. It will be easier on all of us if I just go now,” Emily said, and pulled her hand away from Chevalier’s.
“That’s the problem here,” Chevalier told her, and took her hand again. “We are a protective species, and you’re a free spirit that doesn’t like to be protected. However, can we all agree that you do need it?”
Emily smiled slightly, “Kind of hard to deny that.”
“So how do we make you see that you aren’t a burden? If you could see the kings and queens of long ago, you’d see that they were worshipped, protected, spoiled… and they did nothing in return, but be there to give hope and guidance to their subjects.”
“I don’t give hope or guidance to anyone.”
Zohn smiled, “Y
ou do though. The Equites revere you, and you give them another reason to be proud to be in this faction.”
Emily sighed, “I don’t know what to do.”
Chevalier grinned slightly, “First thing’s first, give me your ring.”
“I’d like to keep it, to remember you by when I leave.”
“Give it to me.”
She nodded and reached into her pocket, then looked at it briefly before handing it to Chevalier with shaking hands. He took it and gently slipped it back on her finger where it sealed itself.
Emily looked up at him, shocked, “You told me…”
“Ignore me… I have news for you. I have a bit of a temper,” Chevalier said, and took her hand.
“We’re ok?” she asked, looking directly at him.
He nodded, “Yes, we’ll work through this.”
“And the Equites?” she asked, and looked over at Quinn and Zohn.
“We’re good too,” Zohn told her, and smiled.
“I will try to be better, I promise,” she said.
“We know that… and we’ll try to be more understanding but we beg you, protect yourself if you are attacked, and leave the Ferus to us.”
Emily smiled slightly, “Deal.”
Chapter 21 - Employment
Emily rolled over in bed and curled up next to Chevalier. It was still dark outside, so she planned on spending more time in bed. She felt his strong arms wrap around her, and she smiled and pulled a little closer to him.
He kissed the top of her head, “If we’re going to sleep all day, we should call for breakfast.”
Emily opened her eyes and looked toward the window, “It’s still dark out.”
“It’s 9am, there’s a pretty nasty storm though.”
“So you’re late?” she asked, and kissed his shoulder lightly.
“Not really, we’re just hiring today, no trials.”
“Hiring, for what?”
“Staff Supervisor for the palace. Jack resigned and moved back to his coven.”
“Why?”
“Stress,” he said, and grinned. “I guess it’s pretty hard keeping up with the entire palace.”
“How do I get in on the interviews?” she asked, propping herself up on one elbow.
“You want to come to the interviews?”
“No, I want the job.”
“You want to take care of the palace staff?” he asked, amused.
Emily’s eyes narrowed, “Yes, I do.”
“You know, that may not be a bad idea.”
“Of course it’s not. It’d give me something to do.”
“I’ll ask, but they may find it unbefitting of an Elder’s wife.”
Emily sighed and rolled her eyes, “That’s stupid.”
Chevalier grinned, “Why don’t you wear a long dress and tiara and make them happy?”
“Why don’t I run around naked and start a new heku fashion?”
“Only you can get away with that,” he chuckled.
“Meaning?”
“Meaning… this palace is full of men. No one wants to see a naked man running around… you, however…”
Emily blushed and sat up, “Will you ask for me? I really would like that job.”
“I’ll ask,” he said, and slid out of bed.
She frowned when she saw he already had pants on, “Stop getting dressed while I’m sleeping, it’s not fair.”
He knelt on the bed and kissed her, “I can always take them off.”
“Go ask,” she said, grinning, and pushed away from him.
“Fine,” he sighed, and pulled a shirt on.
“When’s the last married Elder before you?”
“Maleth was married for almost a thousand years.”
“He was?”
“Yes, to Pamela.”
“What happened?”
“Valle attack,” Chevalier said, and pulled on his green cape.
“That’s awful.”
“There’s a reason we keep an eye on you.”
“A reason?”
He grinned, “Ok, more than one.”
“How cold is it?”
“It’s ten below and it’s windy and snowing.”
Emily sighed and got out of bed, “I better go check on the horses.”
“In this? Send the Cavalry, you should stay inside.”
“I’ll take the Cavalry, but I’ve been in cold weather before.”
Chevalier grinned, “I forbid you to stay inside then.”
Emily smiled and slipped on her jeans, “Won’t work, I’m going.”
“I figured, had to try,” he told her, and then left. Emily watched him go and then slipped on a warm turtle neck sweater and boots, followed by a heavy parka.
She was surprised when she stepped out of her room and saw no guards by her door. The Council had become even stricter about guards since her time helping the Encala three months before. She shrugged and headed down the stairs.
“You’re going out there?” one of the door guards asked her, frowning.
“Yes, why?”
“It’s pretty bad.”
“I have to check on the horses,” she told him, and pulled up the parka’s hood.
“Where are your guards?”
“I have no idea,” she said, and stepped out into the snow. The wind was blowing huge snowflakes sideways and was strong enough she had to brace against it. The strong wind immediately seeped through her coat, and she began to shiver within a few seconds. Emily looked up, but couldn’t see more than a couple of feet ahead of her, so she ducked her head and started for the stables.
Two dark forms appeared out of the snow, and she smiled when the large dogs came into view. She reached down to pet the lab but quickly slipped her hands back into her coat. The dogs seemed to be enjoying the snow, and ran around trying to catch snowflakes.
She finally made it to the stables and pulled the heavy door open. The wind caught it immediately, and it slammed loudly into the side of the stables. Once inside, she grabbed the door with both hands and tried to pull it shut. After a few attempts with no luck, she decided to try to shut it from the outside and use the smaller side-door. When she stepped back out into the snow, strong arms pulled her back inside.
“What are you doing?” Mark asked as he easily shut the door.
Emily pulled down her hood, “I came to check on the horses, but that door wouldn’t shut.”
“Where are your guards?”
“I don’t know. They weren’t at my door.”
“None of them?” Jaron asked from behind her.
She shook her head, “No.”
“Go find them, I want them in my office,” Mark said to Jaron, and the Commander disappeared.
Emily went through and checked on the horses. The heater was on and the stables were warm and comfortable. The two dogs followed her through the stables as she checked on each horse.
“I thought we agreed you wouldn’t leave the palace if you didn’t have guards?” Mark said, following them.
“I figured the stables are an extension of the palace.”
“It’s not,” he told her, sounding a little irritated.
Emily turned to him and smiled slightly, “I didn’t slip them.”
“I know. That’s why I want them in my office.”
“Don’t be too hard on them. They probably figured I wouldn’t leave in this weather.”
“They are assigned as your guards, no matter what, they are to follow orders,” he said, leaning up against the side of the stables as she checked on the horses.
“Well, everything looks good here,” she told him, and wrinkled her nose. “Except that smell.”
“What smell?” Mark asked, and started towards her. When he got beside her, he covered his nose with his hand.
Valle and Encala both crouched, growling, and faced the far end of the stables. The currently unused portion of the building was too dark for Emily to see.
“Stay here,” Mark growled, and disappe
ared into the dark, followed by the two dogs.
Emily sighed when he didn’t return after a few minutes, and she sat down on a bale of hay to wait. She looked over when the door to the stables burst open and twelve members of the Cavalry came in, ran past her, and disappeared into the dark side of the stables.
A few minutes later, Chevalier blurred into the stables and stopped at her, “Are you hurt?”
She looked up at him, “No, why?”
“Where’s Mark?”
“Back by the trailer door.”
Chevalier nodded and also went to the dark side and disappeared. Emily laughed slightly when Quinn and Dustin came in quickly, as if there was an emergency.
“Are you injured?” Quinn asked.
“No,” she told him.
“Let’s go. We came to escort you inside,” Dustin told her, and started for the door.
Emily whistled and the two dogs came running at her from the other side of the building.
“What’s going on then?” she asked, and stood up.
“We’ll talk inside where it’s warmer,” Quinn told her, and held out his hand.
“It’s 72 degrees in here, not exactly freezing.”
“Stop being a problem and come inside,” Dustin said, irritated.
Emily’s eyes narrowed and she took Quinn’s hand. They started out into the frigid weather as the dogs ran ahead of them. She grinned and let go of Quinn’s hand. Bending slightly, she got a handful of snow and carefully formed it into a tightly packed ball. Quinn shook his head and moved away from her, as she took aim and threw. The snowball connected with Dustin’s neck, sending snow down the back of his shirt.
He gasped and quickly pulled his shirt from the back of his pants and shook out the snow as Emily laughed. He turned toward her and it was obvious he didn’t find that funny. Quinn quickly took her hand, and she saw him say something to the Liaison Officer just before Dustin turned angrily and walked inside.
“He’s not in a good mood, let’s leave him alone,” Quinn yelled over the howling wind. Emily nodded, and they walked inside. The door guards took her parka and she looked around the empty foyer.
“Where’d the dogs go?”
One of the door guards smiled, “They were immediately taken to get dried off.”
Ferus : Book 6 of the Heku Series Page 55