Ancients and Old Ones : Book 8 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  Chevalier smiled, “For you.”

  “I tried to,” she whispered, and then looked over at the fire.

  “Tried what?”

  “To bring you back.”

  He studied her face, “How?”

  She shrugged, “Concentrated, I guess.”

  “Those were rumors from hundreds of years ago.”

  “I had to try.”

  “I’m sorry about what the Equites did to you.”

  Emily smiled and looked over at him.

  “What?” he asked.

  “They tried to banish me.”

  He gasped, “The Council?”

  She nodded, “Got blood all over my arm.”

  He leaned his head back and laughed.

  “The baby’s yours,” she whispered, and watched him carefully.

  He stopped laughing and looked at her with a slight frown, “I know that.”

  “Some don’t.”

  “Lord Banks is very sorry,” he said. “They explained everything they did to you, including cutting your back.”

  She buried her face in her arms, “They were going to kill it.”

  “I know,” he told her, and put a hand on her back. “The Council is trying to come up with a plan to stop this in the future.”

  She looked over at him and rested her head against her arms, “The entire faction turned on me.”

  He fought to control the anger in his voice, and simply nodded.

  Emily pulled the covers up high against her chest when someone knocked.

  “Enter,” Chevalier called out.

  Alexis was the first to burst through the door. She immediately sat on the bed and threw her arms around Emily, “I was so afraid they were going to kill you.”

  Emily nodded and wrapped her arms around Alexis.

  Chevalier looked over at Allen and Garrett as they stood beside the door, “I owe you my life.”

  Garrett simply nodded, but Allen sighed, “If I had known she was going to come after you, I would have returned to Council City. When I got to Palau, I really thought she would already be there.”

  “I don’t blame you.”

  Dain came in, looking a little uncomfortable, and stood beside the fire.

  Alexis gasped and let go of Emily, then looked down, “Oh my God, Mom!”

  Emily just shrugged.

  “Seriously, Dad?” Dain said, and rolled his eyes.

  “It wasn’t on purpose,” Chevalier said, though his eyes narrowed at his young son.

  “You do know how that happens, right?”

  Garrett hurried and grabbed Dain’s arm and pulled him out of the room.

  Alexis was studying Emily’s hands, “What did they do?”

  “I’m ok,” Emily whispered, and pulled her hands away from Alexis.

  Allen sat down beside them on the bed, “Why didn’t you come to Palau with them?”

  She looked over at Chevalier, “I had to get to your Dad.”

  “We could have helped you. Garrett and I are both trained, Alexis and Dain could have helped. Had you come to Palau, you could have avoided the beating,” Allen told her, obviously irritated.

  “I wasn’t going to risk you getting hurt.”

  Allen started to argue, but Chevalier held his hand up, “Don’t start. It’s over.”

  Alexis sighed, “How far along are you?”

  Emily looked at Chevalier and then back at Alexis.

  “Still not talking much?”

  “I do,” she whispered.

  Alexis crossed her arms, “So you did all of this, knowing you were pregnant?”

  “It didn’t change anything.”

  “It should have! Allen was right, it was stupid and reckless of you to…”

  “I’m still your Mom,” Emily whispered harshly, and glared at her daughter.

  “She’s been through enough without you two getting on her case,” Chevalier snapped at them. He picked up the Bulldog when he’d completely covered his pants in drool, “Must he be on the bed?”

  Emily took the Bulldog and set him in her lap.

  “It’s disgusting,” Chevalier said as he disappeared into the bathroom with a clean pair of pants.

  “More dogs, too?” Alexis asked as she began to pet the St. Bernard.

  “The Encala gave them to me,” Emily said softly as she rubbed the Bulldog’s tummy.

  “How far along, Mom?”

  “Doesn’t matter.”

  “What happened to your hands?” Allen asked.

  She looked down at the bandages, “Punishment.”

  “From the Encala?”

  “No,” Emily said, irritated. “The Encala were nice to me.”

  “The other Council?”

  She sighed and then looked over when Chevalier came back in, “That dog drools more than any animal I’ve ever come across.”

  Emily smiled, “He’s cute.”

  “Well he snores, he drools, and all he does is sleep.”

  “He’s still cute.”

  “Elder?” Garrett said from the doorway. When Chevalier looked at him he stood at attention, “The Council is requesting your presence. They said it’s an emergency.”

  Emily gasped and stood up quickly.

  “Not that kind, Ma’am,” Garrett told her.

  “Sit, Mom, it’s ok,” Alexis said.

  “I’m sure it’s nothing big,” Chevalier said as he headed for the door.

  Garrett smiled at Emily, “Horace and I are out here if you need us.”

  Allen quickly followed Chevalier out the door.

  “So… want me to call Dr. Hayden?” Alexis asked.

  “No,” Emily said, sitting back down.

  “Not gonna see him?”

  “No”

  “Going to see anyone?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “I just…” Alexis stopped talking when Emily’s phone rang.

  Emily picked up the phone, but didn’t talk.

  “Em? It’s Andrew,” he said.

  “Good morning.” Alexis was surprised when Emily smiled and spoke to someone on the phone.

  “Are you ok?”

  “Yes”

  “Did they finally back off and leave you alone?”

  Emily looked toward the door, “I’m not sure, actually.”

  “If you need anything, call me. I can be there in a few hours.”

  “I know, but I’m ok.”

  “It’s too boring around here without you,” he chuckled.

  “I bet it’s nice and quiet.”

  “I’m actually worried.”

  “About me?”

  “Yes, I don’t trust the Equites with you.”

  She sighed, “Neither do I.”

  “I can come stay with you. I’m sure Elder William would grant me a TDY.”

  “I’m sure he would, but I’m ok.”

  “I’ll call later, ok?”

  “Sure,” Emily said, and then said her good-byes and hung up.

  Alexis studied her, “Who was that?”

  “Andrew”

  “The Encala?”

  “Yes”

  ***

  Chevalier sat down and studied the Valle in the trial area, “What’s up?”

  “They’re protesting our return to power,” Zohn explained.

  “You know as well as I do, that you were banished and cannot return to your former positions,” Valle Elder Randall said.

  “We understand it’s never been done before, but we’re not stepping down.”

  “It’s against all heku tradition!”

  Chevalier smiled, “We can’t find any rules agains a mortal taking and reviving a banished Council.”

  Randall glared at him, “That’s because it’s preposterous.”

  “It may be… but it was done.”

  “We’ll deal with the Encala’s infractions later.”

  “What did they do?” Kyle asked, leaning forward.

  “Don’t be stupid. We know that Emily took you to th
em to be revived,” the Valle’s Chief Investigator snapped.

  “Nope,” Zohn said, sitting back in his chair.

  Randall rolled his eyes, “Oh, then the mortals have the ability now?”

  “She was a very nice old lady,” the Chief of Finance said.

  “This isn’t the true Council.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “No it’s not! You are unfactioned that have taken over a factioned Council against heku laws.”

  “If that were true,” Chevalier said, leaning forward. “What would you do about it?”

  He glared, “Then I’d gather the loyal Equites and they would band with the Valle to exterminate you.”

  “Try it.”

  Kyle smiled, “I could use a good fight.”

  Randall smiled, “We also want Emily, now not only for crimes against the Valle, but for crimes against all heku.”

  “What crimes?” the Court Reporter asked.

  “Prematurely reviving members of a banished Council.”

  “There’s no law against a mortal doing that!”

  “She’s 51% heku… the law stands.”

  Chevalier shrugged, “You know perfectly well that we’re not handing Emily over.”

  Randall smiled, “Then you shouldn’t be sitting here while we take her from her home.”

  “Guards!” Zohn yelled when Kyle and Chevalier disappeared and called for the Cavalry.

  Palace Guards filed into the trial area, “Take them to prison.”

  Kyle and Chevalier pulled into the mansion’s drive, followed by the Cavalry. Dark plumes of smoke rose from the mansion and before Kyle even stopped the car, Chevalier was out the door and walking toward the remains of the house.

  Pieces of heku were lying around the front of the house, some of them burned with the front face of Exavior’s old mansion, while others were torn apart and scattered.

  Chevalier spun toward a sound off to the side, and he saw Dain and Horace helping Allen to walk. The Elder blurred to them, “What happened?”

  “Valle attack,” Horace said, still healing himself.

  “Where’s Em?”

  Dain shook his head, “When the attack started, Garrett grabbed her and took off.”

  “Alex?”

  “She’s back helping some of the wounded,” Horace said.

  Mark helped Allen sit down, and then looked over the bite wounds that covered his body, “Lay down, you’ll heal.”

  Allen nodded and leaned back against the cold grass.

  Chevalier looked around carefully, “I’m not catching her scent.”

  “She’s still masking,” Kyle said after coming around the back of the house.

  Horace looked over, “They’ve been gone almost an hour.”

  Alex walked around the house and ran into Chevalier’s arms. He held her tightly, “Are you ok?”

  She nodded, “There were so many of them.”

  “Did you get any?”

  “Some,” Alexis whispered.

  Chevalier watched as the wounded were brought to the front lawn and members of the Council began to arrive.

  “What are the losses?” Zohn asked, looking around.

  “There are 5 dead Valle,” Mark explained. “We lost Johnston, and still no sign of Garrett.”

  Chevalier nodded and knelt down by Alexis, who was tending to the wounded, “Where would Garrett take her?”

  “I don’t know. It all happened too fast.”

  He stood up and walked over to Quinn and Zohn, “We need to consider the Valle have her.”

  Zohn nodded, “I agree. Garrett would have turned up by now.”

  “Not necessarily,” Alexis told them as she walked up. “Garrett once told me that he considered her one of the greatest Equites treasures, and if in his care, he would do all in his power to protect her.”

  “So you think he’s still out in hiding?”

  She shrugged, “I would guess so.”

  “How do we find him?”

  “He doesn’t have his phone,” Alexis said. “So I suggest we wait.”

  “Was she hurt?” Kyle asked.

  Horace looked over at Allen, “Did you even see her?”

  Allen shook his head, “No, the only thing I saw was the Valle.”

  Alexis frowned, “I didn’t see her either. I just heard Garrett call out for her.”

  Chevalier growled, “Wait! So no one saw Garrett with Emily?”

  Horace turned and called out to his troops, then looked back at Chevalier, “No, Elder. I guess no one did.”

  Dain angrily stormed off into the nearby trees.

  ***

  Emily sighed and rolled over in bed, clutching the pillow to her tightly. When she didn’t feel Chevalier in bed with her, she opened her eyes and then gasped and sat up as she looked around the bedroom. She immediately recognized the Valle bedroom that Exavior once prepared for her.

  She looked over at the window and saw metal bars blocking it. There was French toast on the table and steaming hot coffee beside it. Emily crawled out of bed, still in the her nightgown, and walked over to the door and knocked.

  An Imperial Guard opened the door, “Yes?”

  She glared at him and crossed her arms.

  He smiled, “Elder Sotomar would like to see you.”

  Not seeing as though she had a choice, she followed the Imperial Guard while three others fell in behind them. The council chamber Door Guard opened the door for them and Emily stepped in to face the Valle Council.

  Sotomar smiled, “Step forward, Dear.”

  She scowled at him and moved forward.

  Elder Ryan nodded, “We know you’re mad, but hear us out.”

  Without a word, she looked at him.

  “We feel you’ll be safer here than with the Equites or the Encala. The true Equites Council is here with us until we can restore them to their positions. You belong with the true Council, and not the unfactioned former one.”

  The Chief Enforcer stood up, “Now we are going to try you for crimes against the heku species.”

  Emily watched him.

  “You are hereby charged with breaking heku tradition by stealing banished members of the Equites Council, and taking them to the Encala for premature revival,” he explained. “How do you plead?”

  She set her jaw and sent a flash of burning pain at him. He growled and blurred toward her, but was stopped just short of hitting her by Sotomar and the Valle’s Chief Interrogator.

  “Do not do that!” the Chief Enforcer screamed.

  Emily glared at him.

  “Calm down,” Sotomar told him. He turned to Emily, “I suggest you keep your abilities to yourself if you want to stay in comfort here.”

  Once everyone was settled back in their chairs, the Chief Investigator stood up, “We are still waiting for your plea.”

  The entire room grew silent as the Valle Council waited for Emily to speak. A few minutes later, Sotomar shook his head, “Fine, we’ll take that as a guilty plea. You are hereby sentenced to life on house arrest here at the Valle palace.”

  She shrugged and watched them.

  “How you are treated here will depend on how cooperative you are,” Elder Ryan explained. “Keep your abilities to yourself and we’ll make sure you have everything you need.”

  “When the baby is born, because it will be born within our walls, we will raise it as a Valle,” Sotomar said.

  “Oh good, Dr. Graham,” Ryan said when a strange heku entered.

  Emily’s eyes narrowed at the doctor, and then she turned back to the Council.

  “He’s here to be your personal physician and to see you through this pregnancy,” Ryan told her.

  “How far along are you, Child?” Dr. Graham asked her.

  She ignored him and glared at the Council.

  Sotomar smiled, “There is a Psychiatrist coming in from Hogge Coven. She’s not speaking much since her confinement in Salazar’s care.”

  “I see,” Dr. Graham said, and it irrit
ated Emily that he seemed to be looking her over. “What is wrong with your hands?”

  The Council looked down at her bandaged hands and wrists, and then waited for an answer that didn’t come.

  “May I look?” Dr. Graham asked after a few minutes of silence.

  She shrugged and held out one hand. He moved forward cautiously and unwrapped the bandages.

  “Who did this?” he gasped, and looked over the bruises and scabs of healing wounds.

  “It was a punishment by the Equites Council,” Ryan explained. “She can be quite stubborn.”

  Dr. Graham carefully wrapped her hands back up, and then looked at the Council, “Might I suggest we come up with something not quite so violent? It’s ok to do this to a heku, but a mortal can’t sustain injuries like that.”

  Sotomar smiled, “We won’t physically hurt her.”

  Dr. Graham nodded and studied Emily’s tummy, “Well… she’s pretty small and as the father’s rather large, I’m just going to have to guess that she’s about 6 months along.”

  Sotomar thought, “According to Equites Elder Neal, her scent didn’t start until 3 months ago though, so that would put her a lot less than that.”

  “This would really help if you would just tell me,” Dr. Graham said to her.

  She ignored him and looked nonchalantly around the Valle’s council chamber.

  “May I?” Dr. Graham asked her. She looked over at him and saw he’d pulled a stethoscope out of his bag. When he moved to put it against her chest, she ripped it out of his ears and tossed it at his head, but he caught it and smiled slightly, “I’ll take that as a no.”

  “She’s never allowed doctors to get near her,” Elder Ryan explained.

  “Yet she keeps getting pregnant,” the doctor commented, seconds before turning to ash.

  “Emily!” Sotomar shouted. “Stop it!”

  She shrugged and then started for the door.

  “You have not been excused,” the Chief of Staff said.

  Emily opened the door and came face-to-face with a massive member of their Imperial Guard. She looked high up into his face and then took a step back.

  “You may now leave,” Sotomar said as he nodded to the guard. Emily followed him out.

  Elder Ryan smiled, “She’s going to keep us on our toes.”

  “We’ll be lucky to keep her for a week,” the Chief of Defense said.

  “Are we ready for an Equites attack?”