Valle : Book 2 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  “TV,” Allen said, and looked into Emily’s eyes. Kyle wasn’t sure, but he thought Allen had taken an extra hard look at his Mom.

  “TV?” She thought, “Ok, we can do those. See if you can remember how to get there, lead me.”

  Kyle frowned at the wording. He was positive something wasn’t right with Emily.

  “You will both come along, right? It’d be safer if there were two guards with us,” Emily said, and headed out the door.

  Anna stopped in her tracks and looked at Kyle, “She wants us?”

  Kyle shrugged, “I guess.”

  “I’m not technically a guard.”

  “I know, just come.”

  The two heku followed Emily and Allen up to the TV room and stood outside of the door until Emily asked them to step inside, just to be safe. They watched, glancing at each other often, as Emily cuddled and baby talked Allen. Allen tried to wrestle with Emily like they always did on the soft pillows, but she insisted he sit properly and watch the educational program.

  “Anna, will you take Allen up for a nap? He seems tired,” Emily said, and handed the toddler over to her. Kyle thought that this was the first time Allen had ever willingly left his mother.

  “I’m going to get some flowers to see if I can brighten this castle up,” Emily said, and took Kyle’s hand before heading down the stairs.

  Kyle pulled his hand out from Emily’s. He didn’t need rumors to start on top of everything else.

  “Why don’t we take the horses out to the north pasture? There are tons of wild flowers out there,” Kyle suggested. He was ready to get Emily out on a horse and get some of her normal self back.

  Emily smiled, “It’s too smelly in the barn and I’d ruin my dress on a horse, let’s just walk, it’s such a beautiful day.”

  Kyle nodded, eyes wide, and followed her out the door. She went to the closest wild flowers she could find and began picking random flowers, smelling them and smiling as she went. She talked to Kyle the entire time about how the different flowers would look in the castle and what type of furniture and color schemes they would improve.

  Kyle had plenty of time to consider the changes in Emily as she spent hours rounding up vases and placing flowers throughout the castle. She talked animatedly to the heku servants, and they politely answered, but then scurried away at the first chance they got.

  “I should really go get changed for the evening, when will my honey be back?” she asked Kyle as they headed up the stairs.

  “Your honey?” he asked, the concern filling his voice.

  “I miss him so much. I can’t wait until he gets home.” She looked up at the clock dreamily.

  Emily changed quickly into a little black dress with black stiletto pumps and brushed her hair up into an intricate bun. She dabbed on some fresh lipstick and smiled at Kyle, spinning.

  “How do I look?” she asked, and then giggled coyly.

  “You look fine. Let’s go eat.” His eyes shied away from her. She looked more than fine, and he felt guilty at the way his eyes trailed from the hint of cleavage down to her perfectly toned legs. He knew though, that Emily wouldn’t be caught dead in that dress.

  Emily sat down at the end of the dining table and ordered one of the heku servants to light the candles. Gordon came in with steak and potatoes and sat it in front of Emily.

  “There you go, Emily,” he said, smiling.

  “This won’t do. Please keep fat to a minimum, I’ll take a salad,” she said before handing the plate back to Gordon. “All greens, no cheese or meat, and the salad dressing on the side.”

  Gordon frowned at Kyle as he walked back into the kitchen.

  “If he can’t follow instructions, he’ll need to be fired,” Emily said pleasantly to Kyle.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Kyle told her.

  Gordon returned a few minutes later with Emily’s salad and set it down in front of her. She didn’t even thank him before starting to eat.

  “What’s up?” Gordon whispered to Kyle, low enough that Emily couldn’t hear.

  “I don’t know, she’s been acting strange all day,” Kyle replied.

  “We sure that’s not an evil twin?” Gordon asked. He was smiling, but his eyes were worried.

  “I honestly am starting to wonder if I should lock her up until we find out who she is.” Kyle was partially joking.

  “If I were you, I’d think twice about that… the Chief Enforcer’s not going to be happy if you lock her up,” Gordon said, concerned. “Though, her scent is off a bit.”

  “I know… but I’m not sure that’s her. You know,” he paused and then decided to continue. “We found her outside this morning around 3am. She was staring into the trees and wouldn’t respond.”

  Gordon frowned, “You think there could be a doppelganger?”

  Kyle smiled when Emily turned to look at him, and then turned back to Gordon when she returned to eating.

  “I honestly don’t know. There haven’t been doppelgangers around since the early 12th century.” Kyle hadn’t considered the possible return of the fabled body double.

  “What are you going to do?” Gordon asked after watching her for a few minutes.

  “I’m not sure yet, just watch her I guess.” Kyle stopped when Emily raised her hand and snapped.

  “You need something, Em?” Kyle asked.

  “Yes, I’ve been waiting for almost ten seconds for Gordon to take my plate, that’s unacceptable,” she scoffed.

  Gordon quickly gathered up her dishes and disappeared into the kitchen.

  “You probably shouldn’t call me Em either, Kyle. It’s improper and as I’m Lady of the castle you should address me as such.” She stood and daintily laid her napkin on the table.

  “Ok,” he said, surprised.

  “I’m going to go spend some time with Allen. I’m assuming you’ll be coming along as protection?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Of course, Em… erm… Lady Emily,” he said coldly.

  His phone rang as he walked up the stairs behind Emily.

  “Kyle here.”

  “Kyle, bad news, I’m not going to be home until tomorrow,” Chevalier said hurriedly. “How are things going?”

  “Well…” Kyle looked up and saw Emily was too close to him to say much, “Things are ok.”

  “You sound concerned about something, do I need to cancel my plans and come back?” Chevalier asked.

  “No, no, we’re fine,” Kyle assured him.

  “Ok, call me if you need me,” Chevalier said before hanging up.

  “Was that Chevalier?” Emily asked as she reached the second-floor landing.

  “Yes, he’s not going to be home until tomorrow,” Kyle said, watching for a reaction.

  “Oh dear, I had plans too,” she sighed, and walked into Chevalier’s room.

  Allen looked up at her suspiciously when she entered. She put her hands out to him, and he leaned back toward Anna.

  “No,” he said to Emily.

  Emily frowned, “Come here this instant, Allen.”

  “No,” Allen said again, and held tightly to Anna’s hand.

  “Allen, come here now… or you will be spanked,” she said sternly.

  Kyle winced. He knew that neither Emily, nor Chevalier, had ever allowed Allen to be physically punished. They both knew their tempers too well and would never trust themselves with that type of punishment.

  “Emily,” Kyle said.

  “Kyle, Anna, both of you may go,” Emily said, then walked up to Allen and grabbed his arm roughly. Allen began to scream.

  “Let go of him,” Kyle told her and took a step toward her.

  “Let me take him.” Anna tried to comfort Allen.

  “Do as I say or I’ll have you both fired,” Emily said, looking down her nose at Allen.

  “That’s enough,” Kyle said, and he forcibly picked Emily up and threw her over his shoulder.

  “Where are you taking her?” Anna gasped.

  “To the
prison until I find out who she is,” Kyle said as Emily struggled in his arms. He realized on his way down the stairs that even her fight wasn’t the same. Emily could get out of this position easily, yet she just struggled weakly and cried.

  Anna started to argue, and then nodded, “Come, Child,” she said, and took Allen into her arms to comfort him.

  The guards looked at Kyle as he hauled the crying Emily toward an empty cell, “Open it,” he snapped at the guard, who opened the door as quickly as he could.

  “You can’t leave me here. It’s dirty, and I’m in charge while Chevalier is away,” she said, looking at them angrily.

  Kyle locked the cell door and stepped back, waiting for the tongue lashing he was going to get. This new, calmer, more proper Emily just sat on the bed and cried.

  “What do we do with her?” the guard asked Kyle.

  “I don’t even know,” Kyle snapped at him. “I guess get her what she wants, but don’t let her out.”

  “He’s going to kill us for this,” the guard said.

  “I’m not so sure about that.” Kyle looked back at the crying Emily and sighed.

  “What do we do if she turns one of us to ash?”

  “That’s part of the problem. If that were Emily, she already would have made herself known with her abilities. She never would have sat in a cell and cried,” Kyle said, shaking his head as he walked up the stairs.

  ***

  Kyle met Chevalier at the pier. He frowned and opened the door to the Humvee, “Good to see you, Kyle. I wasn’t expecting you at the pier though.”

  Kyle hopped into the Humvee, “We need to talk, before we get to the castle.”

  Chevalier frowned, “That doesn’t sound good, is something wrong?”

  “Yeah, well, Emily…” He rubbed his neck with his hand, “I had to put her in prison.”

  “What?” Chevalier yelled, stomping on the brakes. “Why would you do that?”

  “Listen to me before you kill me… you know I had a reason,” Kyle said quickly. “Something’s changed with her and… well, honestly… I wonder if she’s not truly Emily.”

  “What do you mean… she’s changed?” Chevalier watched him carefully.

  “Lots of things. She’s been ordering the servants around. She tried to fire Anna and I. She’s skipping… and putting flowers around.”

  “So for that you put her in prison?” Chevalier frowned.

  “No, that was when she tried to spank Allen, and then handled him roughly.” Kyle saw his expression change from angry to confused.

  “Why would she spank him?” he asked, in a daze.

  “Because he wouldn’t go to her. You have to trust me on this, something has changed,” Kyle said. He waited for it to sink in, and then continued, “You know, when I put her in the prison cell… guess what she did?”

  Chevalier grinned, “Did it hurt much?”

  “She cried… that’s it… she sat and cried.” Kyle nodded when Chevalier looked at him.

  “She cried?” he asked, frowning.

  “That’s all… she didn’t threaten me, she didn’t use her abilities on me, she didn’t even yell at me… she cried as I carried her down and put her in the cell.” Kyle watched as Chevalier put the Humvee back in gear and started up to the castle.

  “I’ll talk to her as soon as I get back. Bring her to my office,” Chevalier said, his thoughts far away.

  “I’ll understand if there’s a punishment for putting her in the prison,” Kyle said, and watched out the window.

  Chevalier didn’t answer. His mind whirled with information, and he was anxious to talk to Emily himself. He walked slowly to his office, giving Kyle time to retrieve Emily.

  “Chevalier!” Emily yelled and ran into his arms. She jumped and wrapped her legs around him.

  Kyle bowed slightly and left the office, shutting the door behind him.

  “I’m so glad you’re home, it’s been awful here. I want Kyle fired immediately,” she said, accentuating each word with a kiss to his face.

  “Let’s just talk for a sec, Em,” he said before pulling her off of him and sitting her in a chair. He frowned slightly at the frilly orange dress she was wearing. He’d seen the look on her face when Margaret presented it to her. Emily had been polite, but then tried to mail it to Good Will the second Margaret was out of the room.

  “I wanted to talk to you, too,” she said, smoothing down the layers of her skirt.

  “You feeling ok?” he asked, and then sat on the edge of his desk to watch her.

  “As well as can be expected, being in that dirty prison all day.” She stuck out her lower lip and looked up at him sadly. The expression was off. He’d never seen Emily stick her lip out and was positive she hadn’t pouted a day in her life.

  “I see. Kyle, however, is very worried about you.”

  “Oh sure, stick up for Kyle! You don’t love me or you wouldn’t have left me with such a mean heku,” she said, and then checked her hair in the mirror on the wall.

  Her words shocked him. He watched the way she primped in the mirror, and how her pinky stuck up as she re-inserted a hair pin.

  “You... um... you wanted to talk to me about something?” He wasn’t sure what else to say. He immediately saw what Kyle had seen, and it also concerned him.

  “Yes, I was thinking it’s time to have another baby.” She smiled sweetly up at him.

  “You... you do?” He was stunned.

  Emily stood up and walked slowly over to him. She leaned into him and kissed him while sliding her arms under his and around to his back, “Don’t you?”

  Chevalier cringed, he’d never felt a kiss like that, and couldn’t remember a time when Emily held him like she was now.

  “I thought we agreed that Allen was enough,” he said, pulling away from her. His eyes scrutinized her every movement and analyzed everything she said.

  “Well, I don’t agree anymore, we should fill the castle with children.” Emily began to unbutton his shirt.

  He reached up and took her hands in his, “Stop.”

  Her bottom lip stuck out again, “How come?”

  “I’ve decided a few things while I was away. It’s time to get rid of the horses and cows. They’re too much work for you.” He watched her expression.

  She thought for a moment and nodded, “If that’s how you feel.”

  “Emily, look at me,” he yelled at her. She looked up at him, timidly, “Ash me.”

  “Why would I do that?” she asked, running her hand down his chest.

  “I want you to give me just a little bit of it… or are you afraid?” he asked, grinning.

  “I’m not afraid,” she said, kissing his neck roughly. The feel of her lips on his skin made him cringe.

  “Kyle,” Chevalier said toward the door, and it immediately opened.

  Kyle stepped in and shut the door.

  “This isn’t Emily,” Chevalier said, prying her hands off of him.

  Kyle nodded, “Then who is it?”

  “Let’s find out,” Chevalier said before grabbing Emily’s arm roughly and pulling her into the interrogation room next to his office. He quickly sat her down in a hard chair and wrapped the chain around her.

  “Why are you being mean to me, Chevalier? I love you,” Emily said, eyeing the button that would start the electricity flowing.

  His hand dangled over the button, “Ready to ash me?”

  “I wouldn’t hurt you. I love you too much.” Her eyes were pleading and she began to cry.

  Kyle stood at the chair with his arms crossed. If he had any doubts at all that this was an imposter, he would have stopped it immediately. The way Emily sat in the chair and cried made him want to rip her apart.

  “Are you going to tell me who you are?” Chevalier asked.

  “I’m Emily, your wife. Please don’t do this,” she said, watching his hand on the button.

  Chevalier pressed the button briefly, and watched as Emily’s body stiffened and she screamed. When h
er body relaxed, she looked up at him and her eyes were now pitch black.

  “Who are you?” he asked again.

  “Help me, Kyle, please, he’s going to kill me,” she pleaded to him.

  “Ash him if you don’t want to die Emily… oh sorry… Lady Emily,” Kyle said, grinning.

  Chevalier looked up at him questioningly.

  “She wants me to address her properly from now on,” Kyle told him.

  “Oh, well of course,” Chevalier said, and pressed the button again. Emily screamed in pain as her muscles contracted with the electricity. He released the button.

  “Let’s try that again, who are you?” he asked, watching her.

  “Your wife! I’m everything you want… I just changed… for you!” she said, her eyes wide.

  “What if Emily was already everything I wanted?” Chevalier asked, pushing the button again and watching her as she screamed in pain.

  “If you want him to stop… ash him,” Kyle reminded her.

  “I’m better… obedient… I can make you happier,” Emily begged.

  “Wrong answer,” Chevalier said, and he held the button down again. Emily’s screams were different. They were more guttural, almost feral.

  Chevalier lifted his finger off of the button, “Who are you?”

  “Ego sum vestry uxor,” Emily said in a harsh whisper.

  Kyle jumped to the table and hit the button himself. The Emily in the chair bellowed loudly, screaming words in a language neither Kyle nor Chevalier had ever heard before.

  Chevalier pushed Kyle’s hand off of the button, “Where is she?”

  “You’ll never find her, Boy.” When Emily looked up at him, her face was dark and menacing and her black eyes were flat and dead.

  “Boy?” Chevalier asked, and his eyebrows rose. “You called me boy?”

  “You are but a boy.” She grinned, “Silly boy shouldn’t mess with me.”

  “Tell me where Emily is or I’ll hit the button and leave,” Chevalier said to her.

  “You should be ashamed! You brought a mortal into this castle, and let her walk around like she was as good as a heku. You even gave her a child, and you should be killed for such atrocities,” Emily hissed at him.

  “Who are you to say such things to me? You know nothing about Emily,” Chevalier said, then pressed the button. He grinned as Emily writhed in pain and screamed out curses in Latin.