Ancients and Old Ones : Book 8 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  Alec met them as soon as they stepped inside, and followed Emily up to the nursery. When she came out, he was waiting for her in the hallway.

  “I was worried about you,” Alec told her.

  “I just had to go do something,” Emily said, and walked past him.

  “We have a small problem.”

  “What?”

  “That empty property behind the house… the Valle put a bid on it.”

  Emily gasped, “They did?”

  “Yes”

  “I didn’t even know it was for sale.”

  Alec shrugged, “It came up for sale a few days ago but I couldn’t find you.”

  “Do you know their bid?”

  “No, but I would imagine it’s a lot.”

  Emily walked down the stairs, deep in thought, “If they buy that, they’ll build a house and I’ll have another set of babysitters.”

  Alec nodded, “Yes, you will.”

  “Then I’ll make a counter offer.”

  Alec followed Emily into the kitchen and sat down when she started making coffee, “You can’t outbid the Valle though.”

  “That’s true. Maybe they’ll back off if I counter.”

  “They won’t. It’s so close to you that they’ll kill for it.”

  “Is it the Valle Faction that’s put in an offer, or just a random Valle?”

  “The Council put in an offer.”

  “Damnit… well all I can do is counter it,” Emily said, and then sat down with the steaming cup.

  “You need to enlist the Equites,” Alec told her. “You don’t have enough to prevent them from purchasing it.”

  “I have Exavior’s money.”

  Alec winced slightly, and then sighed, “Even Exavior didn’t have enough to outbid the Valle.”

  “Yeah, the Equites and I aren’t on very good terms right now,” Emily said, deep in thought. “All I can do is put in an offer. I’ll put all of Exavior’s money as my first offer, and let them know I’m not kidding.”

  “There is a chance if you put up a good enough cash offer, with the stipulation that you need the property within… say… 2 days. They may just sell it before the Valle can even counter,” Alec suggested.

  “That’s a good idea.”

  “What are you going to do with that lot? It’s close to 6 acres.”

  “Not sure really. I could put in livestock.”

  “We’re not zoned for that here.”

  Emily lightly tapped her finger against the cup as she thought, “What is it zoned for?”

  “Residential only,” Alec said.

  “Fine, then I’ll build a house for Alexis and Garrett.”

  “He can’t move out of Council City.”

  “Why not?”

  “It’s part of being a guard.”

  “Well hell then… I’ll just build a house and leave it abandoned. I don’t really care, as long as the Valle aren’t in my back yard.”

  “You really should tell the Council.”

  “No, I don’t need them in my business any more than I need the Valle.”

  Alec nodded, “I would put in the offer today. I don’t know how long ago the Valle put in theirs so it could close soon.”

  “I’ll go in right now,” she said, and quickly finished her coffee.

  “I’ll watch the baby.”

  “Is Dain here?”

  “Yes, but I wish you would trust me,” Alec said. “I wouldn’t hurt you or the baby.”

  She studied him and then nodded, “I know… I just would feel better if Dain is here. I don’t think Chev has replaced the guards on the property yet.”

  Alec smiled, “Yes, he has.”

  “We’ll talk about this later. I need to go put in an offer on the property.”

  Alec nodded and Emily got into to the Jeep after making sure Dain was actually home. After getting the agent off of the property listing, she drove directly to her office.

  “May I help you?” the reception asked.

  “Yes, I need to speak to Judy.”

  “Do you have an appointment?”

  “No”

  “Have a seat, I’ll tell her you’re here.”

  Emily nodded and checked to make sure she had everything she needed. It was almost an hour later when a younger woman came in. Her polyester suit and awkward heels made her look unreliable, but Emily smiled cheerfully and shook her hand.

  “I’m Judy, what can I do for you?” she asked.

  “I want to put an offer on the 6 acre property you have for sale.”

  “Oh, come to my office and we can discuss it. I was just about to notify one of the bidders that their offer had been accepted.”

  Emily followed Judy back to a small, cluttered office, and then sat down.

  Judy looked through a few stacks of papers before pulling out a file and sitting down, “Let’s see. It’s 5.86 acres zoned for residential.”

  “Right, but I need it immediately. I’ll need to close within 2 days.”

  “That could be a problem.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Well that doesn’t leave anyone else the option to bid higher.”

  Emily smiled, “My offer may be worth it.”

  “Oh?”

  Emily slid a piece of paper across the desk with double the amount the property was listed for.

  Judy gasped, “Are you serious?”

  “Yes, my stipulations are that no other offers can be accepted, my purchase has to remain secret, and I have to sign in 2 days.”

  “I’m… well I’m sure they won’t mind.”

  “I’ll wait for your call then,” Emily said, and then stood up.

  “Actually, the property belongs to a bank,” Judy explained. “I can probably get your answer right now.”

  Emily smiled and then sat down while Judy left the room. She pulled out her phone and began playing games. Judy finally returned and sat down with another stack of papers.

  “So?” Emily asked, leaning forward slightly.

  “The bank accepted your offer and your terms, as long as they get the money within 3 hours.”

  “I can do that. Just tell me where to wire it.”

  Emily got the bank information and then quickly drove toward Council City, where Exavior’s bank account information was sitting in a safe in Chevalier’s bedroom.

  She stopped just shy of the Gate Guards being able to see her, and tried to think of how to get in there, get out, and to the bank in the next 2 ½ hours. Figuring she didn’t have time to come up with a good plan, she just planned on winging it.

  The Gate Guards waved her though, but she was certain they had also alerted Mark that she was back in the city.

  Before she’d even reached the front doors of the palace, Mark, Silas, and Kyle were waiting for her. She stopped the Jeep and took a deep breath before climbing out.

  “I’ll pull that into the garage for you,” one of the Door Guards told her as he rounded the Jeep.

  “No, I’m not staying,” she told him. He looked at Mark and then started to get into the Jeep anyway. One small flash of a burn and he gasped and backed away, “I said no.”

  The Door Guard glanced at Kyle, and then returned to his post.

  Emily walked past the three heku and into the palace without saying another word. She quickly ran up the stairs, followed by the guards. When she walked into the bedroom, they tried to follow her but she shut the door in their faces and then smiled and knelt down at the wall safe.

  She started digging through the papers in the safe, and turned only when she heard the door open.

  Chevalier came in and shut the door, “Is there a problem?”

  “No”

  “What are you looking for?”

  “My bank book from Exavior.”

  Chevalier sat down to watch her while she searched.

  When she found what she was looking for, she locked the safe, stood up, and slipped the bank book into her back pocket. She headed for the door, but it wouldn’t
open.

  Sighing, she turned to Chevalier, “I’m on a bit of a time crunch.”

  “To do what?” he asked softly.

  “None of your business. Let me out.”

  “I can’t… it’s too dangerous.”

  “I’m not doing anything dangerous! Let me out before I lose this chance.”

  “No”

  “Fine, then let me out before I lose my temper.”

  “It’s too dangerous for you out there.”

  Emily crossed her arms and glared at him, “Just get out of here.”

  He nodded and then left quickly, shutting the door behind him.

  She quickly went into the bathroom and knelt down beside the door to the dumb waiter. When she couldn’t open it as usual, she tried to pry it with her fingers, with no luck.

  After a few more minutes, she stood up, furious. Hoping to find a new way out the window, she opened it and looked out over the lawn. She instantly spotted one of the City Guards standing post on the ground below her window.

  Smiling, Emily had an idea, albeit an unpleasant one. She leaned out of the window and whispered, “Hey.”

  The City Guard looked up as she climbed out the window and sat on the sill.

  “Catch,” she whispered, and then scooted off the window. She stifled a scream during the fall, but grabbed ahold of the City Guard when he caught her.

  “Are you ok?” he gasped, and set her down.

  Emily watched him for a moment and then smiled when he looked over at her.

  “Oh, Lady Emily,” he said, bowing. “Can I help you?”

  “No, I was just telling you thanks for guarding my window,” she said, smiling.

  He bowed again, “You’re welcome.”

  Emily spun and ran toward the front doors of the palace. She growled softly when she saw it wasn’t there anymore, and then wiped the memory of the Door Guards after she ran by.

  She checked her watch and had only 90 minutes before the deal ended. Rounding the corner into the garage, she spotted her Jeep and quickly crawled inside.

  Emily hit the steering wheel when the Jeep wouldn’t start, and then glared at Chevalier and Kyle when they slowly walked up.

  “Fix it!” she yelled, tapping her fingers against the steering wheel.

  “Come out,” Chevalier told her, and opened the door.

  “Fix it!”

  “No, come talk to me for a few minutes.”

  “I don’t have time.”

  “What’s so important that you don’t have a few minutes?” Kyle asked.

  “Personal stuff that’s none of your business.”

  Kyle put his hand out, “Come on.”

  “No! I’m not a child and I have business that I have to attend to.”

  “You’re running,” Chevalier said. “Plain and simple…”

  “So help me… let me go or you’ll both regret it. I don’t care if Kyle’s the only one that can revive anyone.”

  “You won’t ash us,” Kyle said, and then smiled. “So you might as well come with us.”

  “Fine,” Emily said, and turned both Chevalier and Kyle to ash. She sped out of the garage in Chevalier’s Humvee and pulled out her phone.

  “Encala Council,” Elder Iuna said.

  “It’s Emily.”

  “Oh, good to hear from you!”

  “Thanks… I need a favor.”

  “Name it,” William said, sounding pleased.

  “I need you to send your Chief Enforcer to the Equites as soon as possible.”

  “Is there a problem?”

  “No, but I ashed Chev and Kyle so they will need someone to revive them.”

  William chuckled, “Do we get a reason?”

  “They stopped me from leaving the garage and I have business to attend to.”

  “Are they restraining you again?” a strange voice asked.

  “Yes… they’ve gone to new levels.”

  “Did they say why?”

  “I went to the cave… ran into two Ancients… so they’re all…”

  “What!?” William yelled. “You were tracking Ancients went when you told us you were going to check on Exavior?”

  “No! I did go check on Exavior… but there were two Ancients there.”

  “Are you ok?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. Now though, the Equites don’t trust a thing I do and shackled me in their council chambers.”

  Chapter 16

  Emily looked up at the bland ceiling and tried to find something interesting to think about. Since she’d turned Chevalier and Kyle to ash, then called in the Encala for help, they’d had her locked in the recliner during the day and in the bedroom at night. She bought the land behind her mansion, and was anxious to do something with it, but she hadn’t been allowed out of the Council’s firm grasp since then.

  She absentmindedly scratched under the shackle on her ankle before sighing and bringing her hands up to see if there were any nails to pick at. Boredom was the worst part of her day, and she hadn’t discovered anything to do yet.

  Kicked back completely, she didn’t have to look at the Council or their prisoners, but all she could see was the dark brown ceiling. Finding a hang-nail, she pulled it off, bringing a tiny drop of blood to the surface.

  “Emily,” Zohn sighed. “How exactly are you drawing blood over there?”

  She grinned, but didn’t look over at him, “I’m just that good.”

  “Will you not?”

  Emily looked up and saw that the Chief Interrogator and the Chief of Staff had the prisoner restrained as he hissed and clawed to get to her.

  “I can’t help it, I’m bored.”

  “So you draw blood to spice things up?” Chevalier asked her.

  “No, I saw a hangnail and removed it… the blood was a byproduct of that.”

  “Well refrain from that in the future.”

  She sighed, “Then get me something to do!”

  “Read”

  “I don’t want to read anymore.”

  “What would you like to do?”

  “Talk on the phone.”

  “No”

  “See!” she yelled, and laid the recliner back to look at the ceiling.

  Kyle thought, “We said no laptop, but what if we give it a try?”

  Emily looked over at him, “I’d go for my laptop.”

  “Fine,” Chevalier said, and then called for Derrick to get her laptop.

  She smiled and took it from him, then looked over at the Council. They were still watching her, “Go ahead…”

  Zohn sighed and turned back to his prisoner.

  Emily’s fingers flew over the keyboard as she tried to connect to the wireless network she’d installed throughout the palace.

  When she still couldn’t find an access point, she looked over at Chevalier, “I can’t do anything without the internet.”

  “You aren’t getting it.”

  “Why not?”

  “You’d find trouble,” Zohn told her.

  Emily glared at him, “The laptop is useless without it.”

  Chevalier thought for a moment and then called Silas.

  “Yes, Elder?” Silas asked after smiling at Emily.

  “Can you arrange for Emily to have the internet without being able to contact the Encala on the laptop?”

  Her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms.

  “Right away, Elder,” Silas said. He avoided looking at Emily as he left the council chambers.

  Within only a few minutes, Emily saw her laptop connect, and she immediately remoted in to her office’s computer and used it to send a text message directly to Andrew.

  She sat back and watched the heku on trial beg for his life, until Kyle walked down and banished him for 750 years.

  Derrick stepped in and glanced at Emily before approaching the Council, “The Encala Council is on the phone requesting an immediately audience.”

  Chevalier looked over at Emily, “Did you contact them?”

  She smiled and
nodded.

  “Damnit,” Zohn growled. “Patch them through.”

  “Why is she restrained!?” Andrew yelled.

  “It’s for her own good,” Chevalier told him.

  “Let her go.”

  “No, and tell your Council to stop interrupting our meetings,” Quinn said.

  Andrew suddenly sounded amused, “I am on the Council… and we will always respond to messages for help from Emily.”

  Emily gasped, “What?”

  “Since when are you on the Encala’s Council?” Chevalier asked.

  “None of your business… now let her go.”

  Emily frowned, “Andrew?”

  “Em, did they let you go?”

  “You’re on the Council?” She suddenly sounded concerned.

  “I need to talk to her in private.”

  Zohn nodded, “Fine… we’ll give her cell phone back to her. Call her in 5 minutes.”

  Andrew answered by hanging up.

  Chevalier handed her the cell phone and knelt down, “What’s wrong?”

  She shook her head, obviously upset.

  “We’ll need to know what position he holds on the Council.”

  Emily opened the phone and put it to her ear when it rang, but didn’t speak. Chevalier moved back to his seat and sat down to watch her.

  “Emily?” Andrew asked softly.

  “Why?” she finally managed to whisper.

  “It’s a promotion… I was honored.”

  She swallowed hard, “What are you?”

  “I’m the Chief Interrogator.”

  She gasped, “What? Why that?”

  “I’ll be good at it.”

  “No! Tell them no.”

  “I can’t tell them no. I’m already sworn in.”

  After a few minutes of silence while Emily mulled over Andrew’s promotion, he finally spoke again, “What’s wrong… just tell me.”

  Emily swallowed hard, “You can’t be on the Council.”

  “It won’t change anything.”

  “Yes it will!” she said, raising her voice. “It changes everything!”

  “Calm down… nothing’s going to…”

  “Bullshit! Now I’ll lose you too.”

  He thought about that for a moment, “What do you mean you’ll lose me?”

  “I lost Chev when he made Elder… I lost Kyle when he made Enforcer…”

  “Em…” Chevalier said softly.