Heku : Book 1 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  Steven knew he couldn’t fight back, couldn’t resist the strength of one of the old ones. He stepped into the cage and immediately sat on the cot, “Are you going to turn me in to the Elders?”

  “No, but I do think you’ll later wish I had.” Chevalier locked the cage’s door. He remembered when he had the cage installed, the technology and craftsmanship that went into a cage strong enough to hold a heku indefinitely had just barely been found.

  “What exactly will I be helping you with?” he asked timidly.

  “You’ll see, and I expect full compliance. You do what I say, when I say it. You will not so much as breathe without an order from me, is that understood?” Chevalier watched his reaction and was pleased at the compliance.

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Then I’m off, please do try to be quiet, no one can hear you scream from down here anyway… well… no one but me,” he chuckled, and ascended the stairs, leaving the young heku alone in the dark.

  He heard the loud knocks from halfway across the house and hurried his steps, sure she would be furious with him, something he didn’t find all together unpleasant. As he drew closer, he could hear her yelling, “Open this door immediately, Chevalier! You said I wasn’t a hostage!”

  He unlocked the door and she fell forward, as if she’d been pushing on it. He caught her gently and righted her to standing. He knew it was coming, but failed to react out of compassion for her feelings. Her right hand slapped hard against his face. While it didn’t cause him any pain, he still brought his hand up to cradle his cheek, hoping it would help her feel as if she had accomplished something.

  “You will never lock me anywhere again, is that understood?” She was furious, her eyes burned with rage.

  Chevalier fought back a smile as she issued almost the exact same warning he just used on the young heku downstairs, “I understand, and I do apologize, but I won’t agree to those terms.”

  His words infuriated her, and her eyes darted across his face, “What?”

  “I do what is best for you… and if I feel it would not behoove you to walk aimlessly around my home, then I will do what I see fit, even if it involves locking you in a room.” The matter-of-fact way he stated it made her blush return and her eyes began to fill with tears.

  “Please, Emily, don’t cry.”

  “I’m not crying, I’m mad!” she screamed, and wiped a rogue tear off of her cheek.

  “Just calm down, you’ll be happy. I came to tell you why we are here.”

  Even with her anger, the curiosity calmed her, “You are?”

  “Yes, come sit down, we’ll talk.” He motioned her back into the room.

  He pulled two chairs to the fireplace and grabbed a blanket from a high shelf in the closet. She sat down and curled up with the blanket, her hands around her knees, watching him, “Go ahead.”

  He watched her face, not quite sure exactly how to start this, “Heku have plagued you your entire life.”

  “Yes I know, seems they still do.” The anger in her voice was still evident.

  “Please, Emily, it’s very important that you stay calm and not get angry.”

  “Too late, keep going.”

  He sighed, “When you ran to tell Keith or Sam that you were attacked, what do you remember happening immediately after you told them?”

  “I’m not sure what you’re getting at,” she said, and sounded like she was genuinely trying to understand.

  “You were mad?”

  “Of course.”

  “Did you faint? Lose track of time? Black out for a moment?”

  She frowned, “No, why are you asking me that?”

  He braced himself, ready to stop her the instant her face showed signs of distress, “What if I told you that Sam and Keith have never killed a heku before? What if I told you… they aren’t even remotely capable of doing so?”

  “Then I’d ask you where they all went? It’s not like they all just decided to take a hike.”

  He answered calmly and slowly, “It was you, Emily.”

  “What was me?” She pursed her lips into a thin line.

  “That got rid of the heku, you did it. It wasn’t Sam, and it wasn’t Keith.” He leaned toward her a bit.

  She smiled a crooked, unsure smile, “I thought you’d be serious.”

  “I am serious, and it’s very important that you understand and believe me.” He tried to lock her gaze, but she turned to watch the fire.

  “I’m not strong enough to kill them,” she whispered.

  “I think you are stronger than you even know.”

  “Keith kills them.” She was trying to persuade herself.

  “You do it, Emily, it’s a natural, built-in self-defense mechanism passed down through the women in your family.”

  “You’re fast, you’re strong… I can’t fight that, I’m lucky to open my own pop bottle.” She was smiling now. Chevalier noticed it wasn’t going as smoothly as he’d hoped, she was in denial.

  “When you get mad… no, furious… with a heku that has tasted your blood, you are able to reduce them to ash in a matter of seconds. Take it from me, it’s fast and extremely painful.”

  “I tried to do this to you?”

  “Yes”

  “Then why aren’t you dead?” She raised her eyebrows.

  “You were… interrupted.”

  She turned to face him fully, “Chevalier, this is stupid. I don’t know why you are saying this, but it’s insane and it’s a waste of my time.”

  “What do you want me to do to prove it to you? You have no idea how important it is for you to learn how to control this. There’s a coal shed full of ashes that proves how important it is that you learn to control it.”

  Something in her posture changed, “Coal shed?”

  He leaned closer to her, “Sam and Keith dumped all of the ashes into the coal shed, ashes from heku that you killed. There were…” His words trailed off.

  Emily sat rigid in the chair. Her eyes darted quickly back and forth on the floor in front of her. He could tell by her expression that she was remembering events, a lot of them. He decided to let the memories run their course, hopefully bringing proof of what he was trying to tell her.

  “Get out,” she whispered, still watching the floor.

  “Emily”

  “I said to get out.”

  He watched her for a moment and indecision crept into him. He hated to leave her just as she was about to realize her abilities made her a murderer. He could lessen the pain if she would let him, yet he understood her need to be alone, to suffer with her thoughts without an audience.

  Chevalier reached out and touched her hand lightly, “Emily.”

  She jerked her hand away, as if stung, “Don’t touch me, just get out.”

  He nodded slightly and left the room, too fast for her to see him move. He shut the door softly behind him and sat across the hallway from the door, watching it. A few minutes after he sat down, he heard the light click of the door lock. This action was no longer amusing to him.

  Darkness fell on the house and he heard no sounds coming from inside the room. He left the hallway long enough to make a plate of food. Chevalier knocked softly on the door, “Emily, please eat. I’ll put it outside of your door and I’ll leave.”

  He sat back down in the chair to watch her door, knowing he’d have time to disappear if she decided to open the door, but knew she wouldn’t.

  Time passed slowly as nightfall ended and the house was again flooded with daylight. There was still no sound from Emily. Chevalier wondered if he should go check on her. He’d never let a simple lock on a door keep him out of anywhere, yet there was an implied desire for privacy when they were used. He decided to wait it out, if he’d not heard from her by twilight, he would be forced to break her secure isolation.

  He made a fresh plate of food, watching as the sun set behind the Rocky Mountains. It was time to intervene.

  “Emily, I’m coming in.” He waited to see if she would re
spond. When he heard nothing from inside, he pushed against the door, easily breaking it free of the door jam. The sound of cracking wood echoed through the silent house.

  He froze as he surveyed the room, it was empty. He walked quickly toward the bathroom door, but finally saw her as he moved past the bed. She was in the corner of the room on the floor, curled up into a ball. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her knees and her face was buried between her arms. Chevalier watched her. She was so still that he had to move closer to even see her breathe.

  He crouched down beside her, “Emily?”

  She didn’t respond.

  He reached out and touched her softly on the arm. She gasped slightly and pulled her cold arm away from him.

  He softened his voice, “Emily?”

  She inhaled deeply and when she spoke, her voice was strained and tense, “What do you want?”

  “To help.” It was all he could think of to say.

  “It sounds to me like you should stay away from me,” she said the words with disgust.

  “I’m safe with you.”

  She risked a glance over at him, her eyes were red and swollen, “How do you figure?”

  He half-smiled, “You only attack those who have recently drunk your blood, I think… although that’s only a theory.”

  She turned her face back into her arms, “Why me?”

  Chevalier touched her foot and noticed that it was ice cold. He figured she’d sat under the window all night, far from the warmth of the fire, “Come sit by the fire and I’ll tell you.”

  She didn’t move, “Tell me here.”

  “You are freezing, and you’ve got to be hurting. I don’t want to pick you up and move you, but I will if you don’t get up.” His voice was still silky smooth and calming.

  “Don’t touch me,” she hissed at him.

  “Fine.” He stood up to grab a blanket and then wrapped it around her, “We’ll sit here.”

  For the next hour, Chevalier went over the Winchester family, the heku slayings, and the story of her history up until her Mother. He wasn’t ready to tell Emily about how her mother died or how she was the product of a vile heku attack on her. He could tell by the tensing in her muscles that she was taking the story as truth and hating herself more and more for it.

  He sighed, “Tell me what you’re thinking, please.”

  Emily didn’t move.

  Chevalier leaned back against the wall to wait. He was amazed at her resolve. He knew it was hard for mortals to stay still for too long, yet she wasn’t moving at all. His mind played against several options, he could forcibly move her closer to the fire, he could leave and let her be, or he could sit and wait it out. By dawn, he felt his age-old patience waning, watching her all night, unmoving, was painful for him.

  “Enough, Emily, I’m moving you,” he said, then stood and picked her up from the floor before she could protest. She was tense and silent as he carried her to the bed. When he sat her down, she curled up on her side away from him. He covered her with the down blanket and went over to stoke the fire.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” he said, and turned to look at her as her face disappeared into the pillow. “You aren’t an evil killer.”

  Her body shook under the covers.

  “There are rules you know, heku rules. These rules govern our actions and are punishable by death.” He watched, but when she had no reaction he continued, “One of the rules, the one I consider most important, is in reference to not feeding without approval. It’s a fierce yet intimate betrayal to do so. Having never given approval to a heku, it is then within your right to fight back. It’s not your fault if your fighting back is lethal.”

  She flinched at his words.

  “I wanted to stress to you though… technically, you didn’t kill any of them. Becoming ash isn’t an end to a heku’s life. It’s merely a temporary stasis away from the normal.”

  She sat upright and looked at him, “They aren’t dead?”

  He forced a grin, “Technically, no.”

  “Technically?”

  “Some consider us dead already, though I find that insulting. What you do to them is force them into a state of consciousness that transcends the body. It’s good for them, lets them think about what they’ve done, and maybe allows them to re-evaluate the course they’ve chosen.”

  “Technically…”

  “What you did was self-defense, period. I personally think they were asking for it.”

  “You included?”

  He grimaced at her words, “That was… well… unfortunate, and I apologize. You have such sweet blood…” He inhaled deeply, the very memory of the taste made the thirst fight to surface, “It’s hard to resist.”

  Her hand covered her neck instinctively, “You haven’t told me why this is so important to you. Why the secluded location… the secrecy, why am I even here?”

  He chose his words carefully, “I want to help you control it.”

  She sounded weak, “Can it be controlled?”

  “I don’t know,” he told her honestly.

  “You’re in danger around me, why are you doing it?”

  In an instant, he was sitting on the bed at her side, “Because I care about you.”

  “Do you care enough about me to take me back to the ranch and leave?” She turned toward him hopefully.

  “I’m not going to abandon you. I’m not going to let the attacks continue. Eventually, someone may notice and decide you are a risk.”

  “Someone?” She was sitting up now, focused on his words.

  “You do understand that you pose certain risks to the heku community as a whole. Some may not take that lightly. If I can show you how to control it, you will no longer be a threat.” He locked her gaze, trying to calm the situation.

  “And if I can’t control it?”

  “We’ll handle that when we come to it.”

  “How are you going to help me then? What if I turn on you?” She shied away from him.

  He smiled, “I won’t feed off of you, Emily, and then I won’t pose a risk. However, you are right, we need someone for you to focus your attention on.”

  She stiffened, “We aren’t alone in this house then are we?”

  He shook his head, “No, we no longer are.”

  “Who is it?”

  He watched her closely for a reaction, “I brought him back. It’s something a few of us can do. He’s one that you… well… “

  “One that I… ashed.”

  He nodded, trying not to smile at her terminology.

  “I’m hoping that your blood is still running through him, it would give you the opportunity to train your abilities without him having to re-feed.”

  She frowned, “I don’t even know where to start.”

  “I think we start by introducing you.”

  She gave him a crooked half-smile, “You make it sound like a date.”

  “Promise me you’ll wait here, don’t go wandering off. I’ll go and get him.”

  “Now!?” She started to get out of bed.

  “It’s ok... I can control him. You won’t be in any danger.” He gently wrapped his arm around her waist, keeping her from leaving, “Sit, please.”

  Her fists clenched.

  “Promise me you’ll wait here.”

  She nodded, the tendons in her neck standing out. She looked around the room after he disappeared and things seemed surreal. Her mind was awhirl with images of her attackers. She found it hard to breathe, and her heart threatened to stop in her chest. She jumped when she heard them behind her, it had been too fast, and she expected to have some time alone.

  “Steven, this is Emily.”

  Emily turned slowly to face them. Chevalier was in a defensive crouch. He placed himself between Emily and Steven and was watching Steven carefully, his back to her.

  Steven reeled. He recognized the girl and inhaled deeply, salivating at her aroma. He crouched down slightly, his eyes focused on her neck.

  Th
e deep growl from Chevalier stopped him and he stood up straight again, his eyes still watching her intently.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Emily,” he said politely, but his tone was tense and strained. He licked his lips slowly.

  She swallowed hard and took a step back.

  “Here’s what we’re going to do,” Chevalier said, still watching Steven. “Focus on him Emily, see if you can find the anger you once had for him.”

  She looked over at Steven, but her eyes averted his. She began to sweat slightly, fear building up inside of her.

  “Emily, breathe,” Chevalier reminded her.

  She didn’t realize she’d been holding her breath. Steadying herself on the bedside table, she looked up at Steven again. She studied his face, his harsh eyes, and the look of hunger on his face.

  Chevalier’s muscles tightened and he sprang just as Steven jumped at Emily. Steven’s his teeth were bared and a growl erupted from his chest. The blur of their fighting was intermingled with gasps and the crack of bones. Emily ran to the bathroom and locked the door, cowering in the corner. Chevalier wrapped his arms around the young heku’s chest and restrained him. With one quick movement, he grabbed Steven’s head and wrenched it around, breaking his neck. The injured heku fell to the ground, and his body quickly began to heal, but it gave Chevalier a moment to regain control.

  Chevalier stood and looked down at him, enraged by the attack, “You have no idea who you are dealing with, and I won’t tell this to you again… never even think about touching her!”

  Steven managed to sit up, his neck still at an odd angle, “She smells so good.”

  Steven inhaled deeply, savoring the aroma of the room.

  Chevalier’s foot connected with his jaw, shattering it and dropping him back to the floor, “Do it again, I dare you.”

  “How do you do it?” he asked, his jaw healing quickly. “How can you be around her with the smell of her blood so near to you?”

  Chevalier knelt beside him, “Control, Boy… something you better have soon.”

  Steven’s eyes grew wider. He clutched his chest and screamed an inhumane, guttural scream. His body writhed in agony on the floor as he fought to stop the torment. Chevalier ran full force into the bathroom door, sending it into splinters on the floor. Emily was curled up in the corner, her eyes glazed over and unmoving. He reached out and touched her face.