Emily wiped a trickle of blood from her nose, “Chev!”
The two stair guards also fell to ash when they advanced on her, and she turned and ran for the garage. She could hear the Council coming down the stairs, but wanted to get away. She was just crawling into her Aero when Jaron stepped in front of her car with his hands up.
“Wait, just a second, it’s ok,” Jaron told her. She watched him for a few seconds, and then decided he wasn’t going to attack. The Council appeared around the garage with Chevalier by Jaron.
“It’s ok, Em, just give us a few minutes,” he told her, and shut his eyes.
“What’s going on?” she screamed, starting to panic.
“This can’t be… it’s too strong,” Zohn said, and then looked at Emily. “Were you masking it?”
“Masking what?”
“That’s it,” Quinn said, and nodded. “You were masking it to keep it a secret.”
“Masking what!?” she screamed. Her hands were shaking on the steering wheel.
“I was with her on the island,” Chevalier said. “She couldn’t have masked it the entire time.”
“He’s right, one of us would have noticed,” Jaron told them.
“Tell me what’s going on or I swear I’ll ash all of you!” Emily yelled.
Chevalier turned back to her, “Are you pregnant?”
“No”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“Yes she is,” Dustin said. “We can all smell it.”
“Shut up, Dustin!” Emily yelled. “I am not.”
“Everyone calm down,” Quinn said. “Where are your guards?”
“They attacked me,” she whispered and held up the purse.
“Em, I really think you are,” Chevalier said softly.
“I’m not pregnant for hell’s sake!”
“Just because you don’t want to be, doesn’t make it not true,” Quinn told her.
Emily growled and got out of the Aero. The heku all moved back against the walls, “Who here is acclimated?”
“I am,” Chevalier said.
She held out her wrist, “There… have a taste.”
“I can’t…”
“Do it!”
“No, it’s too hard to stop, if it’s as strong as the scent…”
She took a step towards him, her wrist still out, “I said do it.”
“It would tell us for certain,” Zohn said. “We can stop you if you can’t.”
Chevalier sighed and moved to her. He took her wrist and looked her in the eyes once before sinking his teeth into the soft flesh. He frowned slightly and let go, then took a step back.
“It’s… it’s normal.”
“I told you, I’m not pregnant.”
“But that scent,” he said, and took the purse when she handed it over.
She looked around at the others, “We were in Exavior’s house… he had a bedroom for me, and in the bathroom, I found a bottle of what I thought was perfume. When I smelled it though, it didn’t have a scent. I poured some onto my hands, and Kralen yelled for me to stop, then everyone just attacked.”
“He mimicked her scent then?” Zohn asked.
Chevalier nodded, “That’s my guess. The Valle have always used scents to relax and sooth, and we already know your pregnancy scent can be masked, why not reproduced?”
“So I just need a shower,” Emily said, and turned to the others.
“Jaron, go clear out the Cavalry. She’ll use that shower. We can’t have her in the palace,” Quinn ordered.
Jaron nodded and disappeared.
“When you’re done, make sure Jaron checks to see if it’s gone and then come talk to me,” Chevalier told her.
She nodded and waited for the garage to empty out before heading for the shower.
Emily felt strange showering in the dark, but no one had ever put lights in the Cavalry’s shower. Once she was sure she’d scrubbed off all of the scent, she wrapped in a scratchy towel and stepped out, realizing she didn’t have anything to wear. She glanced at her clothes and wondered how much of the scent was on them. Figuring they would probably be covered in it, she walked over to Jaron’s things and grabbed one of the guard shirts.
After rolling up the sleeves, she grabbed her clothes and a lighter she saw on Jaron’s desk, then walked out into the front lot and lit her clothes on fire. She could see shadows as the city heku came to see what was burning. Once her clothes were nothing but ash, she headed back to the palace.
She couldn’t find Jaron, but another member of the Cavalry was close, once he gave her the all-clear, she walked inside.
Derrick raised an eyebrow when she walked up to the council chambers, “Would you like a robe?”
“Oh, yes, please,” she said, and walked inside.
“You had someone check?” Zohn asked, a little nervous.
“Yes”
“I’m so sorry,” Mark said from off to her side.
She smiled at the newly revived guards, “It’s ok, no one’s fault.”
“Still…” Silas mumbled.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Kralen sighed and shrugged. Emily turned when Derrick handed her a robe and slipped it on.
“We’ve already told them they aren’t in trouble,” Chevalier told her.
“Mark’s in trouble,” she said.
“I am?” he asked, and frowned slightly.
“Yes, where are those books? You said I’d have to ash you to get them, but they weren’t on you.”
“Oh, those,” he said, grinning.
“You mean these?” Chevalier asked, and held up the notebooks.
“Yes, they’re mine,” she told him, and held out her hand.
“No, they are not,” Zohn said, grinning.
“What’s in them?”
“Elder stuff.”
“You mean something that might upset me?”
“Maybe”
She shrugged, “I’ll find out eventually.”
“Em, are you ok?” Chevalier asked, suddenly serious.
“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Your guards filled us in on what was in Exavior’s house.”
“Why would some porn and fertility meds bother me? He’s dead.”
Quinn shrugged, “It just seems that a lot of the things in his house were geared toward your capture.”
“Oh, don’t think I didn’t know that… he’s dead though.”
Dustin shrugged, “Odd he had fertility drugs. Seems you don’t have a problem in that area.”
Emily glared at him, “Shows what you know, genius… fertility drugs have a nasty habit of producing multiples.”
“So like twins?” Quinn asked.
“No, more like 8 at a time,” she told him, and crossed her arms. “I suspect he was going for a lot of little Winchesters.”
Chevalier seemed surprised, “There are medications that can do that?”
“Sure, those he had would do it.”
“How is it you know this?” the Chief Interrogator asked curiously.
“None of your business. Now, are we done?”
“Not really. What are you going to do with those houses now that we know there are heku amenities in them that humans can’t know about?”
“Well,” Emily thought. “I guess I’ll give them away. Though I’m thinking about keeping the one we were just in, maybe paying the electric bill even.”
“Why would you keep that one?” Chevalier asked.
Emily shrugged, “I don’t know, just because.”
“You, of course, can keep them all if you want.”
“That I don’t want. I’ll just give them out to… I don’t know, members of the Cavalry maybe.”
Mark frowned, “Why?”
“I can think of part of that house the Cavalry would like,” Kralen chuckled.
Emily smiled slightly, “You can have it all.”
“Have what?” Zohn asked.
&
nbsp; “Exavior’s extensive DVD porn collection,” she told him, and couldn’t help but blush.
“Like…” Kralen said, and pulled a DVD out of his cape, “Sex at First Bite.”
Emily gasped and then started to laugh, “You took a vampire porn movie?”
“Yes, I did,” he told her, and grinned.
Emily walked over and took it from him, “Fine… let’s go see.”
Chevalier gasped when she started for the door, “You’re going to watch that?”
She just grinned, bumped open the door with her butt, and then walked out of the council chambers.
“She wouldn’t!” Mark said, his eyes wide.
Kralen chuckled, “I bet she would.”
Emily walked up the stairs to the Captain’s quarters and put the DVD on Kralen’s bed, still grinning at the thought that the entire Council was under the impression she was going to watch it.
Derrick came into the council chambers a few minutes later and looked at everyone. No one was talking, but they all had shocked expressions on their faces, “Erm… Allen would like to address the Council.”
“Where is Emily?” Chevalier asked, grinning slightly.
“I don’t know, Elder. She went upstairs, and hasn’t been back down.”
“No guards I hope.”
Derrick frowned, “Um… no, no guards.”
Chevalier grinned, “Good.”
“We aren’t guarding her anymore?” Derrick asked.
“Oh, yes we are… just not this exact second.”
He nodded and then looked over at Zohn, “And Allen?”
“Let him in,” Zohn said, grinning.
Allen came in a few seconds later and stood before the Council, bowing slightly.
“Congratulations,” Quinn said, and smiled.
“Thank you.”
“What do you want from us today?” Dustin asked.
Allen took a deep breath, calming his anger toward Dustin and then looked at Zohn, “I want to be able to come to the palace to visit my Mom.”
“No,” Dustin said bluntly. “You are too much of a liability.”
“I didn’t hurt her half as badly as you did,” Allen growled.
Dustin stood up, “Do not talk to me like that!”
“And don’t yell at my son,” Chevalier growled. “Sit down.”
Dustin sighed and sat down quietly.
Quinn thought for a few moments, “Control though… we cannot have you and Emily fighting.”
“I understand that.”
“I’m ok with it,” Chevalier told them. “She misses him, but isn’t ready to go back to the island yet.”
“I say no. I don’t want to risk Emily’s life to allow Allen visitation,” Zohn said. “She’s too good at angering heku to let a young one near her.”
“Your call,” Kyle said, looking at Quinn.
“Probation,” Quinn suggested, looking at Allen. “Let’s see how things go while you are here… one more outburst, physically violent or not, and you will be permanently banned.”
Allen nodded, “Understood.”
They all looked at the doors when Emily and Miri came in. Emily looked over at the Council and blushed slightly.
“Good to see you again, Miri,” the Chief Interrogator said.
“Thank you, Sir.”
“We’re going back out to that house. Miri’s going to do me a favor,” Emily told them, and started for the door.
“Wait,” Zohn called out.
Emily turned around, “What?”
“Miri is not a trained guard.”
Emily grinned, “It’s ok. I’ll protect her.”
Miri grinned back at Allen and followed Emily out the doors. A few minutes later, they heard the Aero start up and peel out of the garage.
“What favor?” Kyle wondered to himself.
“There’s no telling,” Chevalier sighed, and then nodded to Allen. “We all agree, you are on probation.”
He nodded, “I fully understand. Though as soon as they get back, I’ll need to go to the island.”
“They thought you watched it?” Miri asked, shocked.
Emily laughed, “Yes, you shoulda seen the looks on their faces.”
The heku grinned, “It’s funny how you mess with the Council… they’re so… irreproachable.”
“To you maybe, but they aren’t my Council,” Emily said as she pulled the Aero through the black gates.
“Wow, this place is huge,” Miri said. She stepped out of the purple Aero and looked up at the mansion. Emily opened the trunk and took out a large sledge hammer.
“Yeah, I’ll feel better when we get lights though, it’s creepy,” Emily told her, and unlocked the doors. She and Miri both stepped inside.
“So what am I doing exactly?” Miri asked.
Emily handed her the sledge hammer, “I need you to destroy a ceremonial room.”
The heku gasped, “I can’t do that!”
“Why not? It’s my house and I don’t want it here.”
“It’s ceremonial… sacred, I can’t just destroy it.”
“Well I can’t do it. I can’t even breathe in there.”
Miri set the sledge hammer up against the wall, “I’m sorry, I cannot destroy it.”
Both Miri and Emily screamed when they felt a surge of electricity flow through them.
***
Emily started to wake up. She couldn’t remember where she was, but knew she was lying on the ground. She sat up slowly and looked around, but the room was too dark to see.
“Are you ok?” Miri whispered.
Emily nodded, “Where are we?”
“The Encala took us.”
She sighed, “Welcome to my life… was it William?”
“No, Ma’am, it was just a coven. I didn’t see any of the Encala Council.”
“Are you hurt?”
“I’ve healed,” Miri told her. “I’m restrained though.”
“Let me guess, pull on them and you get electrocuted.”
Miri laughed, “You have done this before.”
“Well,” Emily said, standing up and brushing off her clothes. “We’ll just have to see about this. William!”
Miri looked over at the door when she heard someone approach.
A strange heku opened the door and looked in, “Stop yelling.”
“I want to talk to William, immediately,” Emily told him.
“No,” he said, and shut the door.
“You know I can just turn you all to ash, right?”
The door opened again and Emily saw a familiar heku come in. She tried to place him, but couldn’t remember where she’d seen him before.
“I don’t suggest you turn anyone to ash,” he growled.
“Why shouldn’t I?”
“Your little friend there… she’s being kept alive by one heku with his finger on a button. You turn him to ash and she’ll burn,” he told her, and then backhanded Emily to the ground.
“Damnit, why do you idiots always have to hit me?” she asked, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth.
“Because you deserve it.”
“You can make your point without hitting me,” Emily told him, and stood up. “Besides, the Valle hit harder than you do.”
He moved to her again and when he swung, she used one of the tricks the Encala taught her and ducked under his arm and immediately kneed him in the groin. He stooped over and she slammed her palm into his nose. He fell back against the cement just as Emily was violently shoved against the cement wall by two more heku. They held her against the wall until he’d healed.
“You Bitch,” he growled, and appeared in front of her. She looked up just as he put his hand against her forehead and slammed her head back into the cement wall. She cried out and then slowly sunk down to the floor.
“Watch it, Winchester,” one of the heku said angrily. “Just remember, turn the wrong guy to ash and you’ll fry your little friend,” he said, grinning, and walked out.
&nbs
p; “Are you ok?” Miri asked when the others left.
Emily nodded, “Why do they always have to do that… first they hit and then they attempt to crack my skull.”
Miri sighed, “We’ll get out. I can smell blood. Are you sure you’re ok?”
“Yes, headache now is all, which irritates me.”
“He seemed to know you.”
“Gah, I know him, too.”
“From where?” Miri asked.
“I’m not sure, I can’t remember,” Emily told her, and sat down.
“Well… you could just do it and then have the Chief Enforcer revive me,” Miri said.
“Unless they do something stupid and get to your ashes.”
“Oh, right.”
“Damn, I bet Chev’s pissed.”
“I would imagine he is, as is Allen.”
“So how do we get out of this?” Emily asked, and looked around the room. Her eyes finally adjusted and she could see a little. She felt blood run down the back of her neck and she sighed. “When’s the last time you fed?”
Miri smiled, “I’m ok, we fed last night.”
Emily leaned up against the cement walls and shut her eyes. Her head was pounding and her cheek throbbed. Miri fell quiet and watched Emily drift in and out of sleep through the night. She woke up later the next morning and looked around.
“How’s the head?” Miri asked.
“Pounding… I’m hungry, too.”
***
“I’ve been through the entire house again. There’s no sign of them and Miri’s scent isn’t anywhere but the front door,” Mark told the Elders as they looked around the first floor of Exavior’s old house. He was still carrying the sledge hammer he’d found by the front door.
Allen walked down the stairs, “Nothing.”
Chevalier went back out to the Aero and looked through it, “There’s nothing… no indication of where they went.”
“Still no answer on either cell phone,” Silas told him.
He turned and sat sideways in the driver’s seat with his feet on the dirt, “Ferus maybe, might have been staking out the house.”
“I suggest we call Powan in,” Dustin said, and looked up at the house. “After our experience with the other factions having Emily and wiping out covens, we need to take drastic measures.”
“Do it,” Chevalier said, and looked around the front lawn.
Ferus : Book 6 of the Heku Series Page 62