Ancients and Old Ones : Book 8 of the Heku Series
Page 10
“So where are they now?” Quinn asked.
“No one knows.”
“I do feel better knowing that Garrett is with her,” Chevalier said. “He’s new and inexperienced, but still a trained guard.”
“I would imagine Emily knows where they are.”
“Let’s hope so.”
Chapter 6
“Yes, we’ll tell her you’re here,” Patrick said to Chevalier.
He nodded and waited for someone to bring Emily. He glanced at Kyle and Kralen, and then back to the Council.
William took a message and then looked at Chevalier, “She’ll be a moment. She is out bowling with some of the guards.”
Kyle’s eyes grew wide, “She’s out in public, bowling?”
“No, we have a bowling alley in the main guard house.”
Chevalier frowned, “She’s in the main guard barracks?”
“She’ll be ok.”
“Should she even be bowling?” Kralen asked.
William shrugged, “Her Team was consulted and she was approved. Their only concern was her hands, but we were assured she wouldn’t put her fingers in the bowling ball.”
“Bowling?” Kyle asked Chevalier.
He shrugged.
“She’s speaking freely again,” William told them.
“She is?” Chevalier was shocked.
“Yes, she and Andrew had a conversation about her silence and she’s begun to open up more and even speaks freely with this Council.”
When Emily finally came in, she shocked them by wearing a fitted, floor-length, black slip dress. She was again wearing black jewels and her hair was curly and fell softly around her face.
She moved quickly and wrapped her arms around Chevalier as he hugged her, but watched Lt. Andrew, who came in with her.
“Can we have a private conference room?” Kyle asked the Encala Council.
“Yes, Lieutenant, show them please,” Patrick ordered.
Lt. Andrew nodded and then walked out the door, followed by Emily and the Equites. When the Equites sat down, they were surprised when Lt. Andrew sat down beside Emily.
“This is private,” Kyle told him.
Lt. Andrew nodded, “I can keep a secret.”
Emily watched them glare at each other before she spoke softly, “I want him to stay.”
Chevalier put his hand out to stop Kyle from arguing, “It’s ok.”
Lt. Andrew sat back and watched them carefully.
Emily smiled and took Chevalier’s hand. He noticed that she was starting to be able to bend her fingers some.
“We wanted to tell you that we’ve talked to the Equites covens and we know what they did when you came to them for help,” Kyle told her.
Emily frowned and looked nervously at Lt. Andrew. He sat forward and put his elbows on the table.
Chevalier ignored him and smiled at her, “We decided it might be best if you and I moved into your house… Exavior’s old house.”
She nodded.
“We can have privacy there, though there will be guards. We can work through what the Equites did and do it at your own pace.”
Emily looked over at Lt. Andrew.
Chevalier sighed, “He needs to stay with the Encala.”
It was apparent that Lt. Andrew didn’t want her to leave, “You can stay here, too. No law says you have to go back to the Equites.”
“Hey,” Kyle snapped.
Emily looked down at her ring, and then smiled at Lt. Andrew, “Can I visit?”
He smiled, “Any time, Em.”
She nodded and then turned to Chevalier, “Can I bring my puppies?”
“You can bring whatever you want.”
“Dr. Edwards will call your Team,” Kyle explained. “He’d like to get information on anything you need.”
She nodded.
“Out,” Chevalier ordered. Kyle and Mark both stood, and watched Lt. Andrew until he finally stood and they all stepped out.
Emily looked up at him.
“I’m not going to force you to leave here. I’ve always sworn to you that in my absence, the Equites would protect you, and now I see that I was wrong. I want you home, I want you with me, but I’ll understand if you want to stay here,” he said, watching her green eyes.
Emily smiled softly, “They were good to me.”
“I know.”
“I missed you.”
“So are you coming home?”
“To my house?”
“Yes”
She looked around the tiny conference room before speaking again, “The other Council?”
“They took off. We’ll find them though.”
She nodded, “I’ll get my things.”
Chevalier turned to the door and then back to Emily, “Your team has already packed for you, and they are conferenced into Dr. Edwards and Lori back in Council City.”
“Let me say goodbye to the Council,” she whispered, and then stood up and brushed her dress down. It was odd to Chevalier how differently she was acting. Before he was banished, she wore nothing but ugly overalls and fatigues, now she comfortably wore dresses and was well manicured and had her hair done.
Chevalier opened the door and was met face-to-face by Lt. Andrew, who stepped to his side to see Emily. Mark glared at him and started for the Encala, but Kyle held him back and whispered for him to leave them be.
Lt. Andrew gently took Emily’s hand and led her to the council chambers. It was irritating to the three Equites how openly she met with the enemy Council and how she didn’t seem nervous at all.
“We’re going to miss you,” William said, smiling.
Emily nodded and then let go of the Lieutenant’s hand to walk onto the council stand. Kyle held Chevalier back when she reached down and hugged the enemy Elders.
“Come back and visit, ok?” Patrick said.
She smiled and nodded again. Mark and Kyle each took a puppy and soon they were in a black Tahoe, headed toward Council City.
Emily fell asleep shortly after they left, and didn’t wake up until they were almost half-way to the city.
Chevalier smiled and looked over when she sat up, “Are you hungry?”
She shook her head and then reached down and picked up the sleeping Bulldog puppy. He curled up on her lap and fell asleep again as she pet him.
“So Sebastian is the St. Bernard?” Mark asked as he played with the fat puppy.
Emily nodded.
“What’s the Bulldog’s name?”
“Quiesco”
Mark chuckled, “He does seem to sleep a lot.”
“We’ve moved Devia over to the house,” Chevalier said. “He’s kind of bored, but we figured you’d want him. There will be 25 members of the Cavalry around the house at all times. At least until we find the hostile Council.”
Emily shrugged slightly, “Devia needs to be on a ranch.”
“So you want us to take him back?”
She nodded, “He can stay with Kralen.”
Chevalier smiled, “We can’t find the kids.”
Emily laughed a little, “Alex and Dain are in Palau.”
“And Allen?”
She frowned, “I don’t know.”
“Kralen knows where they are then,” Chevalier said. “We’ll send him to go get them.”
“Only you or I can get them.”
“That’s fine. I’ll call them when Kralen gets there.”
She nodded and watched out the window.
“So how far along are you?” Mark asked after a few minutes of silence.
Emily looked at him and smiled.
“Not going to tell me?”
She grew serious and looked out the window.
Chevalier sighed, “We know that Banks thought a member of the new Council was the father. We know that’s not true.”
Kyle glanced back in the rear-view mirror, “They are sorry. It’s hard to explain, but what they did was fairly commonplace when a member of the Council is replaced… let alone the en
tire Council.”
“Where is he?” Emily asked as she watched out the window.
Chevalier glanced at Mark, not sure if he should say that the Valle had regained custody of Salazar.
“The Valle have him in their prison now,” Mark said. “We may try to get him back though.”
They arrived at Emily’s house late that night. When they stopped at the front doors, Silas and Kralen were waiting. The lights in the house were on and there was smoke pouring out of the chimney.
“Anything?” Mark asked them as he walked up.
“No, Sir,” Silas reported.
Chevalier carefully scanned the trees around the house and then opened the door for Emily with one hand while he cradled the sleeping Bulldog in the other. The St. Bernard waddled into the house and was immediately met with Devia, who began looking over the hyper puppy.
Gifford, the new member of the Cavalry from Thukil, was inside the house at the foot of the stairs, “Welcome back.”
He bowed to Emily, but she didn’t say anything to him as she skirted around him to get into the kitchen. Silas shrugged at him and then followed her.
Emily got a glass of orange juice and then turned around when she heard someone come into the kitchen. She gasped and then ran into Dr. Edwards arms when she saw him and Lori in the kitchen.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered as he hugged her tightly.
“Not your fault, Dear,” Dr. Edwards said.
“It was… I should have told them.”
“No, you did what you should have.”
Lori smiled, “None of that was your fault.”
Emily looked over at the Psychiatrist, “Are you ok?”
“Yes, I was sent back to Dover is all.”
Dr. Edwards sat down at the table, “We’ve been talking to your Encala team. I’m pleased at how well your injuries are healing.”
She nodded and set the cup down.
“So your hands are all that’s still really bad?”
“Some”
“The Records Keeper is trying to find a masseuse in the Equites to help with leftover aches from the rack.”
Emily ignored the soft hiss from Silas and shrugged, “I don’t need one.”
Dr. Edwards shifted nervously, “I don’t suppose I can give you a quick exam.”
She frowned slightly and was about to answer, when her phone rang. She picked up and listened, but didn’t speak.
Finally, she smiled, “I’m ok.”
There was a pause before she glanced around the kitchen, “Lots of them.”
“Who is that?” Silas whispered.
Emily turned away, “Please don’t…”
Suddenly, she gasped and ran into the other room when they heard Chevalier’s cell phone.
“Chevalier here,” he said, and then moved when Emily tried to grab his phone. “Excuse me!?”
She reached for his phone again, but he held it higher so she couldn’t reach it.
Kralen gently pulled her away from the Elder when it was obvious he was becoming furious.
“I don’t care what your Council said! You stay away from her and mind your own business,” Chevalier yelled, and then slammed his phone shut.
Emily sighed and watched him.
Chevalier turned to Emily, “How close did you get to Andrew?”
She shrugged and watched him with wide eyes. Kralen moved closer to stand by her side.
Chevalier took one step toward her, “How close?”
“Elder,” Kyle whispered, and touched his shoulder. “She didn’t do anything.”
Emily reached down and picked up the St. Bernard, then hauled him up the stairs, ignoring Chevalier’s angry expression as he watched her. The Bulldog puppy looked up from his spot on a rug and then waddled up the stairs after them.
“He’s in love with her,” Chevalier snapped, and turned to Kyle.
“I figured.”
“He has no right calling here to say that we should clear out this house so she can be alone!”
“I know.”
“Why don’t we go get Alex and Dain,” Kralen suggested.
Chevalier’s eyes narrowed, “You go, now. I’m waiting for Andrew.”
“He’s on his way?” Kyle asked, shocked.
“No, but he will be.”
Kralen nodded and then disappeared.
“Calm down, ok?” Kyle whispered. “She’s still uncomfortable enough without you yelling around her.”
Chevalier glared at him and then stormed up the stairs.
Lori sighed, “She can’t help that heku are drawn to her.”
Silas nodded, “He will see that when he calms down.”
“It’s curious how much more comfortable she was with the Encala.”
Kyle looked over at her, “It just proves that Salazar didn’t plant anything about them.”
“We need to get him back.”
Silas nodded, “I heard that Zohn is working on that already.”
***
“You will do as you’re told!” Salazar roared. Emily looked up at him from inside the cage and fear emanated out from her dream.
She nodded and he struck the cage with a heavy metal bar, “You’re nothing! Do you understand me? The Equites don’t even want you, no one wants you.”
Chevalier opened his eyes and watched her. There was no outward appearance that her dream had turned bad. When he shut his eyes, he had to fight from jerking back.
Salazar swung the metal bar and slammed it into Emily’s hands. She cried out softly and looked down at the blood pouring from her battered fingers.
“Stop it!” Lt. Andrew yelled.
Salazar looked up and gasped at the massive Encala.
Lt. Andrew stepped forward and cracked his neck as he tightened his hands into fists, “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size for once?”
“This is no concern of the Encala!” Salazar yelled.
“Besides, you can’t take us all on,” former Elder Kirt said, grinning as blood dripped from his chin.
“Wanna bet?” Andrew hissed. As they blurred into a fight, former Elder Neal appeared and began to drag Emily into the trees where she saw hundreds of Valle waiting for them.
Emily screamed and fought against his hands.
Chevalier looked over at her again and wondered why she wasn’t thrashing or screaming like she used to. He also wondered why no Equites came to her rescue in her dreams.
Deciding to stay awake, he watched her sleep, occasionally glancing at the snoring Bulldog puppy by the fire. The noise began to wear on his nerves, but hadn’t woken Emily so he decided that wasn’t a fight he wanted to get in to.
Just after dawn, Emily began to stir and finally sat up and looked around.
Chevalier smiled, “Good morning.”
She yawned into her hand and then patted the bed. The St. Bernard puppy jumped up and she began to pet him.
Chevalier looked over the edge of the bed and saw the Bulldog puppy pacing back and forth along the side of the bed. When Chevalier looked over at Emily, she was watching him and raised her eyebrows.
“You seriously want me to pick him up?” Chevalier asked, though he already knew the answer.
Emily smiled and he shook his head and picked up the heavy puppy. He was surprised how solid the little dog was, and realized why he couldn’t hoist himself onto the high bed with his little legs. The puppy waddled over to Emily and she began to pet him also.
“We’re going to have to start you a zoo,” Chevalier said when he realized that he couldn’t hold Emily while the dogs were in the way.
She laughed and then rubbed her face in the long hair of the plump St. Bernard.
“Your team on the Encala,” he said, and then waited for her to look over. “They felt you needed all 9 of them?”
She nodded and watched him.
“Did you?”
She shrugged.
“Why the silent treatment?”
“Nothing to say yet,” she said
as the Bulldog puppy waddled over and leaned against Chevalier’s leg before yawning and resting his head against the heku’s knee.
Chevalier frowned slightly and then looked up at Emily, “I would give you a Team of 100 if you need them.”
“I don’t.”
“What part of that team do you need?”
She shrugged.
Chevalier’s nose wrinkled when he realized the Bulldog puppy was drooling on his uniform pants.
Emily smiled when she saw the wet spot, but didn’t move the puppy.
“Fine, you have Dr. Edwards and Lori, so that takes care of 2 of them.”
She nodded.
“An Obstetrician would be nice, obviously.”
“Dr. Edwards is fine.”
“He’s not an Obstetrician.” When her eyes narrowed, Chevalier sighed, “Fine… do you need a Masseuse?”
“No”
“Hair stylist?”
“No”
“You have a tailor… though he may be making you the wrong things if you’re now going to wear dresses.”
“I’m not.”
He thought for a moment, “Manicurist? Pedicurist?”
She shook her head at each of them.
“Physical Therapist?”
“No”
Chevalier studied her, “Are you still in pain from the interrogation?”
She just watched him.
“I’ll have to take that as a yes. Again you have a chef… I can find a chiropractor.”
“No”
“What about Andrew? He was someone that was forbidden to talk to anyone so you could confide in him?”
“Yes”
“He was also to take you away in times of danger and to ensure you’d never be alone?”
She nodded and then looked down at the dog.
Chevalier’s voice softened, “I never meant to leave you alone.”
“I know.”
“I’m sorry.”
Emily looked up at him, “I had nowhere to go.”
“I don’t blame you for going to the Encala. I’d actually prefer that over the Valle. The Valle wouldn’t have brought us back.”
“Why?”
“Rules… the Encala broke a very sacred rule.”
She thought and then looked at him, “Why did they?”