Valle : Book 2 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  “Is she really coming with us?” one of the heku asked from the ranks, nervously.

  Kyle nodded, “Yes, she is.”

  “The Chief Enforcer will kill us if anything happens to her.”

  “No, he’ll kill me. It was my decision,” Kyle assured them.

  “Is there a team assigned to protect her?”

  “No, I’ll do that myself. You focus on your task and leave Emily to me,” Kyle said sternly.

  Chapter 8 - Nevada

  Emily crawled into the front of the black Suburban and Kyle slid in next to her.

  “Feels weird leading a war in a Suburban,” Emily said, looking out the heavily shaded windows.

  “How else were we supposed to get there?” Kyle asked as he pulled off the ferry and set out for Nevada.

  “How long?” Emily watched the terrain fly by.

  “48 hours should be about right,” he said.

  Emily picked up her book and began to read with her feet perched on the dashboard.

  “Em,” Kyle said quietly.

  She looked over at him.

  “You and I, we aren’t going with the rest of them.”

  “What?” she asked angrily.

  “No, no, we’ll be there… but we’re going to break off. You need to find Chevalier,” he said, watching the road.

  “I am? How? You’re the one with the senses,” she said, confused.

  “I need you to at least try to find him. Your bond is tight, and I think if you try, you may be able to find him before we do.” Kyle was hopeful.

  ***

  Chevalier glared at the door. He could feel Emily moving closer to him, and his mind raged. How could they let her come? What did she do to talk Kyle into this dangerous situation? He swore under his breath to make them pay if one hair on her head was harmed.

  Chevalier was suddenly assaulted by the shock of electricity. His body tensed and pulled against the chains as the electricity flowed uninterrupted.

  “You said this should work?” a heku said from the doorway.

  “Yes, it won’t kill him, but it’ll keep him in enough pain he won’t be able to get loose. We’ll give him a few days, and then we’ll see if he’s willing to cooperate,” the other said, and they left, shutting the door behind him.

  ***

  “Emily, wake up,” Kyle said, touching her shoulder lightly.

  She looked up and saw sand, miles and miles of sand, “We’re here?”

  “Close enough… we’re running the rest of the way, it’s quieter.” He got out of the Suburban and the others followed suit, leaving a long line of black Suburban’s and busses along the Nevada desert road.

  Emily got out and moved to Kyle, “Run?”

  Kyle grinned, “It’s ok, I’ll carry you.”

  “Ugh, seriously?” she asked, embarrassed.

  “You can’t keep up with us, and you’d not make it the 90 miles anyway.” Kyle was adjusting a belt with odd tools around it.

  “You’re going to carry me, running, for 90 miles?” She doubted he was being serious.

  “Yes, I am.” He left to talk to another command.

  Emily looked down at her hands and flexed them slowly, her brow wrinkled. She noticed how the ache ran up her arms and into her shoulders. She knew better than to tell Kyle about the odd sensation, the tingling that had started a few days ago and was growing stronger.

  “Ready, Em?” Kyle asked at her back.

  She jerked and turned around quickly.

  Kyle grinned, “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “You didn’t,” she lied.

  Emily cringed as he cradled her in his arms and began to run quickly. The darkness was full of heku in black suits all intent on going in after one lost Commander. Emily thought about the loyalty the heku showed toward each other, and then frowned at her own race. A race famous for turning on themselves, wars pitting brother against brother, deaths over things such as shoes and money. She wondered how her race considered the heku to be evil and sinister.

  Emily woke up as the feeling of wind flowing past her faded. Kyle put her onto her feet and she looked around at the large encampment. They stood on a hill above it, invisible to those below. She watched as the heku went about their daily lives, some visited, some went to work, some were walking hand in hand. A sudden pang of sadness gripped her when she thought that they would have to kill them. Kill them as they went about their daily lives, unaware that their faction leaders had kidnapped a high-ranking Equites.

  “Do we have to kill them all?” she asked no one in particular.

  “They won’t let us by. We’ll have to kill them all,” a strange voice sounded behind her.

  Kyle gave the order for the first team to move out, and a black shadow suddenly descended on the city. Within minutes, screams could be heard echoing from around the small valley. Emily flexed her hands and stretched her arms as she watched.

  “What’s wrong?” Kyle whispered to her.

  “Nothing,” she lied.

  “Remember what I said, try to pick anything up from him,” he whispered.

  “I am, but I don’t know what I’m looking for.”

  “Anything at all.”

  Emily nodded as Kyle gave the motion for his troops to fall to the south. Another black cloud fell on the city, and as she and Kyle drew nearer, the screams grew louder and the sound of crushing and tearing echoed through the city. Emily tried to ignore the images that came with the sounds.

  She glanced up as two more swarms of black came from the mountains above and fell into the city.

  Kyle frowned and hissed into the dark.

  “What?” Emily asked.

  He whisked her into a dark alleyway, and whispered into her ear, “They were waiting for us. It’s not going well.”

  He looked around cautiously as his body pressed Emily into a wall.

  “Let me go, I can help,” she said.

  “Not yet, you try to find Chevalier.” He kept glancing around nervously.

  Kyle growled low.

  “Kyle?” Emily asked, watching him.

  “Team one is gone… we have to get you out of here,” he said, grabbing her arm and leading her out of the city.

  She spun out from under his grasp and turned, running into the city.

  “Stop, Em,” Kyle said, appearing ahead of her.

  “I can stop them, Kyle, and you know it.”

  “You can’t stop an entire city.”

  “I don’t have to… I just have to even up the numbers,” she said, stomping past him.

  Kyle headed after her and almost ran into her when she froze suddenly.

  “Hello there, sweet girl,” the heku said, looking at her pregnant belly and grinning.

  Kyle gasped as the Valle clutched at his chest, and then fell into ash. She was getting faster.

  Emily didn’t hesitate. She ran into the small square and stopped when eight heku ran towards her with their hands out. Within seconds, they all turned to ash and Emily continued.

  Kyle followed her through the city, watching as heku after heku fell. Emily was unstoppable and moved quickly from sight to sight without pausing. He heard whispers from the troops that they were pulling ahead, but there was no word on the Chief Enforcer.

  Emily stopped after an hour and flexed her hands, then rubbed her arms.

  “What is it?” Kyle asked, taking her arm in his hands and rubbing it.

  “They hurt so badly.” She winced.

  “When did it start?”

  “A few days ago, but it’s getting worse.”

  Kyle frowned, “Explain the pain to me.”

  “It’s a vibration… and my hands feel like they are buzzing.” She flexed her hands.

  “I think it’s from him.”

  She looked up at him, “You do?”

  “Is it too painful to go on?” he asked, watching her.

  She frowned at him, “No.”

  Kyle watched her carefully. It was taking her longer and long
er to turn heku into ash. At first it was seconds, now the heku suffered for twenty to thirty seconds before falling. He saw her face beginning to pale, and she started moving slower than before.

  “Emily, it’s time to stop,” he said, and put his hand on her shoulder.

  “No? Why? We haven’t found him,” she asked, walking in a panic toward the sounds of battle.

  Kyle decided it was time, “No more.”

  She tried to pull away from him, “We have to find him.”

  “We will, Em,” he tried to reassure her.

  “Sir! We found a secret underground area,” one of the heku said, running to Kyle.

  Kyle took Emily’s hand and he helped her run along with the heku to the underground. Kyle ordered everyone to stay in the city as he and Emily descended together. The smell was horrible. It was moldy and smelled of decay. Emily put her hand over her stomach as it rolled with the smell, and covered her nose with her sleeve.

  Kyle crouched low and peered around the corner. In the room were 13 heku, feeding off of one mortal donor who looked like he might be dead. Kyle looked back at Emily’s pale complexion and debated.

  “There are a lot of them,” he whispered into her ear.

  “How many?”

  “Thirteen that I can see, and they are newly fed, so they’ll be stronger.” He watched her reaction.

  “Can you keep them busy while I pick them off?” she asked, watching his eyes.

  Kyle nodded and stood up, took a deep breath, and then rounded the corner. There was a loud shout and the sound of fighting erupted into the small quarters. Emily stepped around the corner and concentrated on the one closest to her. He fell within almost half a minute and she moved on to the next. By the time the second one fell, Emily saw Kyle laying unconscious on the floor as the others came toward her slowly.

  At first she was confused as to why the Valle were being so careful as they approached her. Then it dawned on her, she wasn’t to be harmed, and broken orders resulted in harsh punishments.

  Emily concentrated hard and let her fear go. She could feel it turning to anger. She screamed in anger, and the advancing heku began to fall one after another in quick succession. Kyle was on his feet now, staggering, and headed into a back room without looking at her.

  Emily followed after him just as the last heku fell. She stumbled through the dark, feeling with her hands until she found Kyle. He was standing still, staring at a chair and Emily frowned and stepped ahead of him.

  “Chev!” she gasped and ran to grab him.

  Kyle held her back and she turned angrily toward him.

  “Don’t touch him yet. We have to turn it off,” he said to her, but his eyes were searching the room.

  Emily turned back to Chevalier and could see him clearly now. She could hear the electricity running through the chains and saw the strain on his body as it was gripped in pain. That was the vibrating sensation she had in her arms, though it was a mere fraction of what he was feeling.

  Emily ran out of the room to the hallway and searched for something to kill the electricity. She flipped switches on the wall, but the sound continued. Kyle flew past her and down the hallway, disappearing into the first large room.

  The hallway suddenly fell quiet as the loud sound of electricity stopped. Emily went back into the room with Chevalier, and froze. He was sitting up in the chair, his head had fallen forward and he was breathing fast.

  “Chev?” Emily said, taking a step toward him.

  His head snapped up, shocked, “Emily?”

  Kyle stepped between Chevalier and Emily, “Chief Enforcer?”

  Chevalier frowned confused.

  “Emily?” he asked again.

  She tried to step around Kyle, but he held his hand out and blocked her, “Stay back, Em.”

  Chevalier glared up at Kyle, “Get your hands off of her.”

  Kyle looked at Emily, then back at the angry heku, “Are you in control?”

  The question sounded odd to Emily. Of course he was in control, he knew who she was and he was awake.

  “No,” he whispered, shutting his eyes.

  Emily frowned, “What’s wrong?”

  Kyle didn’t turn away from Chevalier, “It’s your scent, he’s not used to it. Just give him a moment.”

  She watched as Chevalier concentrated. She hated how he was bound to the chair and the fierce red welts stood out on his arms where the electricity burned him.

  After a few minutes, Chevalier opened his eyes and looked calmly at Kyle, “Ok.”

  Kyle walked forward and began to unchain Chevalier. Emily was unsure what to do. She was feeling dizzy and confused. Chevalier was acting strangely and watching her with thirst in his eyes. She didn’t like the way he was watching her neck, or the way his tongue ran across his sharp canines. She stepped back and protectively put her hands on her stomach.

  Chevalier smiled warmly, and she saw a glimmer of his old self back. She felt an odd tingle on her lip and she reached up to touch it, and then looked, she had a bloody nose.

  “Kyle?” Chevalier asked nervously.

  Kyle looked at Emily and moved to her, “Em?”

  “I’m ok,” she said. “Get him out.”

  Kyle returned and had the chains off within a few minutes. Chevalier stood slowly and walked with sore muscles towards Emily. She watched him cautiously, then felt the world begin to spin and willed herself to stay standing. Chevalier growled and clenched his fists.

  “Go, Chief, I’ll get Emily. The troops need help,” Kyle said hurriedly.

  Chevalier didn’t hesitate as he disappeared in a blur out of the room.

  “Do you need to sit down?” Kyle asked, taking her arm.

  “It’s just a bloody nose, I’m fine,” she said. The world began to spin faster and soon she found herself in Kyle’s arms again.

  Kyle started moving through the underground rooms to get back up to the top.

  “Put me down,” Emily said as he stepped out into the warm night air.

  “You sure?”

  “Yes”

  As he set her back onto her feet, she looked around and gasped at the destruction and carnage that surrounded them. The buildings were barely standing. Glass was scattered across the streets and mixed with the same dark blood that covered every surface. There were pieces of bodies strewn around, and injured heku as far as she could see. No one was fighting anymore, the city was hauntingly silent.

  Emily went to a familiar looking heku and knelt down beside him. He was lying on the cement, fighting to breathe. She pulled his hands away from his chest and turned her head away from what she saw. Drawing a deep breath, she turned back to him.

  Her eyes were caring as she pulled his tattered shirt aside and looked down on his lungs. His rib cage had been torn away and was hanging by skin at his side. Hoping his body could still heal, she grimaced and lifted the broken rib cage and gently put it back in place, then held it and smiled at the heku as she felt the rib cage repairing itself. He looked into her eyes as his breathing began to return to normal.

  “Are you hurt anywhere else?” she asked, touching his forehead gently.

  He shook his head, but couldn’t pull his gaze away from her warm, green eyes.

  Kyle watched her, stunned, as she helped the strange heku. He would have been able to fix himself eventually, but the caring way she went about it made his heart ache.

  “Let’s go,” Kyle said, helping her to her feet.

  She saw another heku leaning against a wall, then moved to him and placed a warm hand against his shoulder, “Are you hurt?”

  He smiled up at her and shook his head, “No, Lady Emily, thank you.”

  Kyle followed as Emily walked through the streets, checking on anyone she came across. She didn’t care if they were Valle or Equites, she wanted to help. He winced as she helped a Valle warrior heal. He knew as soon as she left, one of the Equites would kill him, but was pleased to see that none did it in front of her. They waited until she’d lef
t.

  “Why are you still in the city?” Chevalier asked, walking up to Kyle.

  Kyle motioned to Emily, and they both turned to her. She was kneeling by a heku that was already in the process of healing, but was in pain. She held his hand and touched his cheek lightly. He watched her face and she smiled down at him.

  “You’ll be ok. It’s almost done,” she whispered to him as his body healed itself.

  Once he was healed, he sat up and thanked her, then frowned. Emily wiped a drop of blood from under her nose and the world began to spin again. She stumbled, trying to stand up, and the strange heku held her steady.

  “That’s enough,” Chevalier said, and picked her up.

  “No, please, I can help,” she told him, struggling in his arms.

  “Enough,” he said, and headed out of the city, followed by Kyle.

  Emily reached up and touched his face, “Are you ok?”

  He smiled at her, “Perfect.”

  She reached her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder, suddenly feeling extremely tired. Kyle climbed into the driver’s seat of the Suburban while Chevalier and Emily got into the back. They drove off silently, and Emily was soon fast asleep with her head in Chevalier’s lap. Their quiet voices turned into her dream, talking of strategy and tactics, and what they had seen and done over the last few weeks.

  They were still driving when Emily woke up and sat up, stretching.

  “Where are we?” she asked, looking at the unfamiliar landscape.

  “Ohio,” Kyle said.

  It was dark outside and the dashboard clock read 2am. Emily climbed onto Chevalier’s lap, facing him, with a knee on each side of his legs. She looked at his face and ran her fingers along his forehead and cheekbones.

  “Are you hurt?” She wasn’t watching his eyes, but was studying every part of his face, scanning for any sign that something had changed.

  “No,” he told her.

  He reached out and kissed her, but she pulled away.

  “Stop,” she said, and unbuttoned his torn shirt.

  “Emily, what are you…”

  She cut him off with a, “Shhh.”

  She slipped his shirt off and took his right arm and laid it to rest on her stomach, then ran her fingers along the muscles and veins in his arm, gently touching every inch of his skin. He shivered and tried to kiss her again.