***
Chevalier looked up suddenly when he was called to the oubliette immediately. He set Megara down gently and then instantly appeared at the small window.
“You psychopathic piece of shit!” Emily screamed. Chevalier looked in and his eyes grew wide. Emily was sitting on Hillock’s chest as he laid flat on the floor. She was screaming at the top of her lungs and accentuating each word with a vicious punch to his face and neck. His hands covered his face protectively, but he didn’t return her attack.
“Do we stop her?” Mark asked, peeking into the room.
“How dare you come in here…” Emily continued to beat the heku.
“Well,” Chevalier said, thinking. “If we do she may turn on us. Does she remember then?”
“I’m not really sure. She woke up, saw Hillock, and immediately attacked.”
“Emily?” Chevalier called in through the barred window.
She stood up and swiftly kicked Hillock in the groin, “Never touch me!”
“Em…”
“What?” she asked, looking over at him. She cried out when Hillock lunged from the floor and slammed into her, knocking her to the floor.
Mark and Chevalier both ran for the oubliette’s door on the 2nd floor of the palace. Even though they’d moved as fast as they could, when they appeared in the oubliette Hillock had already hit Emily once and was poised to do it again when Mark plowed into him.
Emily got onto her knees and rubbed off the blood that was coming from the corner of her mouth. Chevalier squatted down to her level, “Are you ok?”
She nodded and reached up to touch the bruise on her cheek, “Sonofabitch hit me.”
“Well… not to defend him, but its dangerous work to cause pain to a heku,” he said, and then put a hand out to help her up. “It’s instinctual to fight back.”
Emily spun and saw Mark had Hillock restrained by the far wall with his hands behind his back. She ran up, planted her foot, and kicked him in the groin again, as hard as she could.
Chevalier chuckled and pulled her back when Mark hauled Hillock out of the room, kicking and screaming to get to her.
Emily pulled away from him, still fuming, and looked around the room, “What is this place?”
“It’s an oubliette,” Chevalier explained as he watched her. “We don’t use them anymore.”
“Except to restrain me now,” she said, irritated.
“We didn’t have a choice.”
“This time… next time you’ll stick me in here for no good reason.”
“We won’t…”
“… then I’ll have to ash you all to get out…”
“Em”
“What?”
“Do you want out?”
She looked up, “Who the hell put the door on the ceiling?”
“We did, that’s what an oubliette is.”
“Fine”
He wrapped his arms around her, kissed the top of her head, and then blurred her up to the council chambers and put her down.
She looked over at the Council and then turned on her heels and headed for the door.
“Em?” Kyle said, amused.
Emily sighed and looked over her shoulder at him, “What?”
“Are you ok?”
“Peachy”
“Do you want Dr. Edwards to look at your eye?”
“No”
He smiled, “Heard you gave him quite the beating.”
She couldn’t help but grin, and then left the council chambers. She immediately headed down to the prison. It had been a while since she’d been down there, but she had business to attend to. Kralen backed off the other 3 guards and went down with her.
“Lady Emily,” the first Prison Guard said, bowing. He then stood up, “You aren’t authorized to be down here anymore.”
She sighed and started to talk, but Kralen cut him off, “Stand down.”
“Yes, Captain,” he replied, and then moved back by his post.
“Where’s Sotomar?” Emily asked.
“Row 17, cell 8.”
She glanced back at Kralen and then walked down the rows of cells. Things were noisy in the prison. Neither Emily nor Kralen were a big threat, so the prisoners continued to visit and move around their cells. She thought it was funny that if Chevalier were to walk in, you could hear a pin drop in there.
Sotomar smiled when Emily walked up to his cell, “Good to see you.”
She glared at him, “Get rid of that crap you put in my head.”
“It’s… I thought it was gone.”
“Well it’s not. So get rid of it.”
He studied her for a moment, “What triggered it?”
“I don’t know, I don’t care, just get rid of it!”
“I don’t know how,” Sotomar said before sitting down on his bed. Kralen was pretty sure he was telling the truth and not upset about it.
“You control me long enough to erase it, easy enough.”
“He’s not controlling you again,” Kralen said.
Emily ignored him, “I don’t care how long it takes.”
“No,” Sotomar said bluntly. “If it’s still active, then there is still a chance you will return to the Valle.”
She simply screamed and then stormed off, meeting up with the other 3 members of the Cavalry that were posted outside the prison doors. They could tell she was furious when she came out of the prison, and fell quiet. As they headed out to the stables, Kralen filled the Council in on Emily’s interaction with Sotomar.
“Stay out here,” Emily said before disappearing into the stables. Kralen watched her and then sent two of the guards to the back door. Only a few minutes later, Emily came out and headed inside.
Kralen shrugged and followed her in.
“Wait here,” she said when she opened the door to the prison. Kralen nodded and told the other 3 to stay, and then headed down the stairs to the prison.
"You too,” Emily said when she saw him.
“Why?”
“Because I asked nicely.”
He studied her before speaking, “What are you up to?”
“Nothing… just stay, please.”
“No”
“Listen… I know I promised you I wouldn’t ash you or wipe your memory… but I will if you don’t back off. This is at least a warning.”
He growled softly, “No.”
She walked past him and down into the prison as he returned to the other 3 members of the Cavalry, slightly confused.
“Did she wipe my memory?” Kralen asked them.
“Not sure, Sir.”
He looked around the hallway, “I don’t remember coming down here.”
“Do you remember the stables?”
“With Em?”
“Yes”
He sighed, “No, I don’t.”
“Sorry, Captain,” the guard said.
Kralen’s hands balled into fists and he headed down into the prison. When he heard gunshots ring out through the palace, he quickly blurred to Sotomar’s cell and grabbed the 9mm from Emily.
“Give it back!” she screamed at him.
Kralen looked in at the blood covered walls and noticed it was taking a bit for Sotomar to heal, “No.”
“Now!”
“You wiped my memory!” he yelled at her. “You swore you wouldn’t do that.”
“Then back off when I tell you to.”
“That wasn’t part of the deal!”
She lunged for her gun, but he held it higher, “I have half a mind to throw you over my knee for this.”
Emily glared at him, “I’m not a child.”
“Then stop acting like one.”
“You have no right to say that!” Emily screamed.
“You can’t just come down here and shoot prisoners.”
“I can too! He owes me.”
“There’s a process in punishing a prisoner! You know that.”
Chevalier and Kyle rounded the corner to Sotomar’s cell just as Emily jumped
at Kralen and slapped him. Chevalier took Kralen by the arm when he went after Emily, and Kyle pulled her away from her guard.
“You promised me!” Kralen yelled.
“Yeah well I lied!” Emily screamed back. “Seems common in your species, you should be used to it!”
“Calm down,” Chevalier told them sternly.
Kralen jerked his arm away from the Elder and then blurred to just inches away from Emily with his finger pointed at her chest, “I’ve never lied to you… You had no right wiping my memory!”
“Enough,” Chevalier growled.
“You would have stopped me!” Emily said, struggling to get away from Kyle.
“Em, stop,” he said, and held tighter.
“You need stopped!” Kralen roared. “I’m not going to stand by and watch anyone hurt you… but you seem to seek it out! It’s like you want tortured!”
Emily kicked out at him, so Kyle blurred her up the stairs.
Kralen turned his livid eyes to Chevalier.
“You under control?” Chevalier asked him.
His face softened and he nodded, “Yeah I guess.”
“Take the day off, go feed.”
“I’m not…”
“That’s an order.”
Kralen nodded and walked slowly up the stairs. Chevalier turned to Sotomar and he was just barely crawling to his feet.
“I don’t believe I’ve ever had an entire clip emptied into me,” he said, still out of breath.
“You’re lucky I don’t let her have at you.”
“I’m not erasing the new memories… not if there’s a chance it will bring her to the Valle.”
“Won’t matter to you. You’re stuck here.”
“It’d be worth it to know she’s returned to her true family.”
Chevalier shook his head and followed Emily’s scent to their bedroom. Four new members of the Cavalry were standing outside of her door, and he could hear Emily screaming at Kyle from inside the room.
Chevalier sighed, “I’m not sure I want to go in there.”
Horace grinned, but didn’t speak.
They all turned to the door when they heard Kyle starting to get mad. Chevalier instantly blurred into the room and stood between them just as Kyle started to yell.
“Don’t push me on this!” he said, pointing at her.
“Calm down,” Chevalier told him.
“He has no right treating me like a child!” Emily screamed.
Chevalier saw Kyle starting to lose control and ordered him to leave. When the door slammed behind him, Chevalier turned to Emily, “You’re on a roll…”
“What does that mean?” she asked, glaring at him.
“Angering four heku in an hour.”
She sighed, “I want to go talk to the Valle.”
He sat down and patted the bed beside him, “About what?”
“About their feeble attempt at kidnapping me. About trying to stake some misguided claim on me.” Emily sat down beside him and took his hand.
Chevalier thought for a moment. He knew she’d already made up her mind to go, and no one could stop her now, “Why don’t you and I go?”
“Just us?”
“Yes, just us.”
She smiled, “Really?”
“I don’t want Megara that close to the Valle… so yes, really.”
“When?”
Chevalier stood up, “Now.”
Emily hurried and slipped on a jacket, “No Cavalry?”
“No, it’ll just be us.”
She turned to him and frowned, “What if they keep us?”
Chevalier smiled, “Then we’ll call it a second honeymoon.”
“How romantic,” she said, and walked past him.
“Sir…,” Horace said. “I really think…”
“Emily and I will handle this alone,” Chevalier told him.
“But, Sir…”
“It’s not up for discussion.”
“Yes, Sir,” Horace said, obviously irritated.
“Maybe you should take our Faction Liaison,” Zohn said as they passed the fourth-floor.
Emily smiled at him and took Chevalier’s hand when he shook his head.
They took off in the Humvee, headed for the Valle’s main city as the Cavalry watched. Mark stood out front, hoping they would change their minds and allow some of them to go. Late the next evening they arrived and Chevalier parked just outside the city gates.
Emily watched the Valle guards move forward, “They look mad already.”
“They’re just being cautious.” Chevalier stepped out of the Humvee, and when the guards saw who it was, they immediately called for Imperial Guards.
Emily joined Chevalier at the gates and they waited for an escort to see the Council. When their escort came, she could feel Chevalier chuckle. The Council had sent over 30 Imperial Guards, who all seemed on high alert and rather angry to see the two of them.
“One toe out of line and we’re to immediately destroy you both,” the lead Imperial Guard said.
“Of course,” Chevalier replied, sounding amused.
Emily clung to his arm as they walked toward the palace. Once inside, they waited at the door to the council chambers.
“Emi?” Emily smiled and turned around when she recognized Chuck’s voice, her friend from Cascade.
“Hiya, Chuck.”
“It’s Charles now, actually,” he said, smugly.
“You’re in the palace now?”
“Yup”
“Because you know me?”
He shrugged, “Not sure really.”
She sighed, “Why the Valle, Chuck?”
“Em…” Chevalier whispered. It was rude to ask a heku why they made their faction choice.
“I was turned into the faction,” Charles explained.
“By who?”
He smiled, “No one you know. You’re looking good though, haven’t changed a bit since high school.”
“Yeah, that’s kind of my thing.”
“How about you? Why the Equites?”
Chevalier growled softly. Emily didn’t know better than to ask rude questions, but this heku did.
She shrugged, “Luck of the draw I guess.”
“You can always change,” Charles said, smiling.
She shook her head, “Become a Valle? No way.”
Charles eyed Chevalier, “I heard about what happened to Keith.”
“Yeah, so? He had it coming.”
“He wasn’t all bad.”
“No, but the parts that were bad were exceptionally so.”
“Why don’t you hang back when Chevalier returns? We can catch up.”
Emily smiled, “Chuck… friend or no, you’re a Valle now. They aren’t exactly on my list of people to visit.”
“You can trust me.”
“Maybe”
Charles turned toward the door, “The Council is ready for you. They wonder if they can talk to Chevalier alone.”
“Nope, they can’t,” she said, and took Chevalier’s hand. He chuckled and they walked into the council chambers together. The Council was furious that they had come without Sotomar, and his empty chair made everyone all the more tense.
Chevalier let go of Emily’s hand and she felt him tense beside her when they stood before the Valle Council.
“Why have you come?” Randall asked.
“To end this,” Chevalier said. “Emily has a right to be left alone.”
“She has no such right.”
“I do too!” Emily said. “You all screwed with my mind and I want it reversed.”
Ryan grinned, “It’s not gone?”
“No”
Chevalier cleared his throat, “She fell back into it for a few days. It’s not safe and we’re worried about long-term effects.”
“You have Sotomar, have him remove it,” Randall suggested.
“Yeah, like I didn’t think to try that,” Emily said, irritated.
“We have no reason to remove it. Especi
ally if someday it brings Emily back into our care.”
“Your care? You mean your prisoner.”
“You were happy here.”
“Bullshit!”
“Em…” Chevalier whispered. He turned back to the Council, “It’s been almost 40 years. You have to see that Emily is, and always will be, an Equites.”
“No we don’t see that. 40 years is nothing when you are an immortal and you know that,” Ryan said. “We do feel that someday the Equites will overstep and we will be there with open arms.”
Her eyes narrowed, “I’d go to the Encala before you.”
“You are too much like a Valle to join the Encala.”
“Don’t insult me.”
Ryan studied them for a moment, “I’m surprised you came without guards… You realize you aren’t leaving here.”
“Like I’m going to allow that to happen,” Emily said as she crossed her arms.
“Chevalier won’t allow you to turn our city to ash.”
“Well maybe Chevalier won’t have a choice.”
“Guards… take them to a cell,” the Valle’s Chief of Staff said with a smile.
Chevalier sighed, “You know better than that.”
Imperial Guards flooded into the council chambers and escorted Chevalier and Emily into the prison. Chevalier went calmly, knowing it was only temporary, but Emily put up a fight and was able to incapacitate one heku before being fully restrained by two others.
They were thrown into a cell and when the door locked, Emily turned to Chevalier and a smile crossed her face when she saw he was on the verge of laughing.
“What’s so funny?” she asked him.
“We’re in the Valle prison,” he answered, and then started to laugh. Emily joined him when the irony hit her
They finally stopped laughing when a gruff voice sounded after someone banged on the cell door, “This isn’t a playground you two, keep it down.”
Chevalier, still amused, looked around the stark cell. It had the same cement floor and heavy cement door as the last time they were in the Valle prison together, and again there were no chairs for Emily to sit on.
Emily looked around the room, “Well… I guess it could be worse?”
Chevalier sat down and patted his lap, “Kyle could be here and you could be pregnant?”
She sat down and leaned against him, “Exactly. This could actually be fun.”
“How so?”
Ancients and Old Ones : Book 8 of the Heku Series Page 56