Emily turned and glanced behind her, “I bet I can.”
Chevalier chuckled and took her hand, leading her up the stairs. She finally admitted she might need a doctor and followed him willingly. She sat down in the small infirmary and looked nervously up at Chevalier.
“Ah, I’ve been waiting for you,” Dr. Cook said, and immediately frowned. “Let’s start with the blood.”
“Back of my head.” Emily sighed and felt the doctor dig through her blood matted hair.
“This’ll need stitches,” he said, and dug out a large needle.
Emily started to turn toward him, but Chevalier stopped her, “How exactly did you do that?”
“The… I inj… hey!” Emily screamed when she felt the needle enter the skin on the back of her head. Chevalier quickly wrapped his arms around her and held her steady.
“Almost done,” Dr. Cook said calmly. “There.”
Chevalier let Emily go and dodged when she tried to slap him.
“Just a few stitches to close it up,” the doctor said, working quickly. He knew he had limited time.
“Stop glaring at me,” Chevalier chuckled.
“Done,” the doctor said. “Let me look at that arm.”
Emily held it up, still watching Chevalier. She liked how he started to shift nervously, and she briefly wondered what he would do if she burned him just a little.
“Don’t even think about it, not even just a little,” Chevalier said, fighting back a grin.
“What did you do to your hand and arm?” Dr. Cook asked, grabbing a sling.
“I punched a paramedic and then jumped out of a moving ambulance,” Emily said, still watching Chevalier.
Dr. Cook looked up at her skeptically, “Is that a joke?”
Chevalier chuckled, “Actually, it’s not.”
“Great, well, brace on the hand and a sling for your arm until the swelling goes down,” Dr. Cook said. “Same thing as normal.”
Emily frowned “I have a normal?”
“Yes, you do,” the doctor said, grinning behind her back as he fastened the sling. “Keep ice on it through the trial though and try not to use it.”
Emily winced as the doctor put ice packs into the sling with her arm and then walked out of the infirmary with Chevalier, “I know… always hurt.”
Chevalier kissed the top of her head, “We owe you for this one.”
“Remember that next time I do something stupid,” Emily said, and headed down the stairs.
“Why the hurry? We have another hour before the trial starts again,” Chevalier asked, heading after her.
“I want to see the revived heku,” she told him, and opened the door to the trial area and walked in among the tall heku. All of the newly revived heku were wearing long blue robes that were provided by the Equites.
Emily first saw the heku from the electrified shackles, the one that helped her, and she moved quickly to him and threw her arm around him. He looked nervously at Chevalier and then smiled and wrapped his arms around her.
“Thank you, Lady Emily,” he said. “I still can’t believe you were able to get us out of there.”
Emily smiled, “With your help. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Oh I think you could have, you’re a tough little thing.”
Emily shook her head, “I’m not little.”
The heku let her go and turned back to the members of his coven that had just been revived. They each thanked Emily after she checked to make sure they were ok, and then each heku joined their faction members.
“Let’s get started,” Quinn said finally, and Emily moved back up to the Council area.
“Bring them back,” Kyle said, sitting down in his chair. The noise from the trial area stopped as the two mortals were brought back and forced to their knees before the Council.
“We’ve revived the prisoners, at least, those that were alive, and now we need to determine how many you killed,” Quinn said.
“What do you care?” Cody yelled. “You’re incapable of caring or loving.”
Emily stood up slowly, and with almost fluid movements, made her way back down into the trial area. The heku in her way parted to let her through. She smiled down at Cody and put a hand out to help him up. He stood up, his hands still cuffed in front of him, and lifted his arms so they were around her.
“I know what you’re doing,” Cody whispered into her ear. “You’re sacrificing yourself to save Larry and me.”
“Am I?” Emily whispered back.
“Don’t do it, we can take care of ourselves. Don’t subject yourself to these… things,” he said softly.
“Are they really incapable of love?” Emily asked, and slowly ducked out from under his arms.
“They can’t love. They are incapable of any kind of emotion other than rage,” Cody told her, looking lovingly into her eyes.
Emily gently put her hand on his face and smiled softly just before raising her knee and catching Cody in the groin, dropping him suddenly to the floor as he groaned in agony. Larry barely moved toward her before he was restrained by gathered Encala.
“That’s for all the kissing,” Emily said to Cody, and then returned to the Council area and sat down. She grinned slightly when she noticed how many of the heku had turned away, grimacing.
“Feel better?” Chevalier chuckled.
Emily smiled, “Yes, very much so.”
Quinn waited until everyone settled down and Cody was back on his knees before continuing. As he started to speak, the Encala guards let Larry go and returned to their place.
“Very well, now that we’ve ascertained that Emily and Cody are no longer an item,” Quinn chuckled. “Let’s get on with how many are dead. Sotomar, how many Valle did not return?”
Sotomar stepped forward, “We are missing five that were taken and didn’t return from the… what did Emily call it? The experimentation room.”
Emily felt her temper rising quickly.
Quinn nodded, and Sotomar stepped back with the members of his faction, “Encala, what are your losses?”
William didn’t step forward, but spoke angrily, “The Encala are missing four.”
“As Equites… we are missing nine,” Quinn said, writing everything down.
“They died to further our cause. Their losses don’t even matter,” Larry said scathingly.
Emily stood up and stormed out of the council chambers, slamming the door behind her. Chevalier shrugged when the others looked at him questioningly. The Council wrote for a few minutes, taking notes on questions they wanted to ask later.
“This trial then, is for the unwarranted torture and murder of 18 of our species, along with the kidnapping and torture of…” Quinn stopped when the trial door opened.
There was a commotion by the trial door and heku from the Valle and Encala obscured what was going on from the Council. Zohn stood up to call everyone to order, but then sat down when he heard Emily.
“Give me back my gun,” Emily yelled.
Chevalier chuckled and watched the heku part back into their factions as Exavior held the 9mm up too high for Emily to reach.
“Exavior, give it back,” she growled.
“Emily, you can’t shoot them,” Quinn said, amused.
“Yes I can! They are right there,” she told him, and turned back to Exavior.
“I don’t mean that you are unable to shoot them,” Quinn explained. “I mean that we cannot allow you to.”
“You would kill your own kind because of a fleeting attachment to these vile beings?” Larry asked angrily.
Emily ran forward and kicked Larry in the face, sending blood splattering onto Cody as Larry fell to the ground, fighting to breathe. Sotomar blurred to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, restraining her as he lifted her feet from the ground.
“Let go of the Commander,” a Thukil Sergeant yelled.
“Everyone calm down!” Zohn ordered. “Sotomar bring her up here. Exavior give me the gun.”
&nbs
p; Sotomar dropped Emily gently to the ground and escorted her up to the Council area while Exavior handed her gun to Zohn. They both returned to their faction members, laughing.
Zohn grinned, “While I’m sure we all enjoyed that… Emily, please try to refrain from killing or maiming the prisoners before we’re done.”
“You disgust me,” Cody snarled at her.
Emily started back down the stairs, but was stopped when Kyle grabbed her arm, “Come back here, Killer.”
“Direct one more comment to Emily, and I’ll let her go,” Chevalier told Cody.
Cody glared at her as she went back to her seat and sat down, livid. Larry got back to his knees after spitting blood and teeth from his mouth.
Quinn stood up, still grinning slightly, “You’ve heard the charges, and now we will let you plead your case.”
“When does she get charged?” Larry asked, his words slurred. “She assaulted us, lied to us, used us, and turned traitor to her own species.”
Emily tried to stand up, but Kyle was still behind her with his hands on her shoulders so she couldn’t leave.
“I’m warning you, Boy,” Sotomar said from behind him. “There are over a hundred vampires in this room that will tear you to shreds if you don’t leave her alone.”
Larry glanced nervously at Sotomar and then turned back toward the Council, “We plead not guilty. We have every right to protect our kind from predators who attack innocent people for their own amusement.”
“Do you concur?” Quinn asked Cody.
Cody nodded.
The Council turned around when the back door opened and Allen came in carrying Alexis, who was crying. Emily took her from her son, and she immediately stopped crying and leaned her head on Emily’s shoulder. Emily turned back to the trial area and Kyle returned to his chair as Allen stood behind his Dad to watch.
“You allow your children to live among the undead?” Cody asked angrily.
Chevalier smiled broadly, “I’m their father.”
“You whore!” Cody yelled. “You fu…”
Emily covered Alexis’ eyes as the Encala descended on Cody and his screams filled the room. When they returned to the other Encala, Cody was back on his knees with his left arm dangling at his side, and his face covered in bruises as blood dripped from his mouth.
“Please control your outbursts, or we won’t get through this,” Zohn said.
Emily softly rubbed Alexis’ back and sat back to watch the trial. She kissed her softly on the head and then brushed her black curls away from her face.
“We have your plea of not guilty on the torture, kidnapping, and murder charges,” Zohn said, sifting through some papers. “We will now hear from the victims, and the accused will have the opportunity to respond after each has spoken.”
The heku from the shackles stepped forward, smiled, and then bowed to Emily. He turned toward the Equites Council, “I’m Tyler, an Encala from the Craig Coven. We were ambushed late at night, all 17 of us from Craig. We were bound using electricity and thrown into the cells in the compound’s prison. I was shackled to the wall in a cell that led into the experimentation room. There were already Equites there when we arrived, though some of them had already been killed. Two Encala were beheaded immediately, while measurements were taken of their blood volume and count was taken of how long it took them to bleed out from the neck wound.”
“And your escape?” Zohn asked.
Tyler smiled at Emily, “Lady Emily learned quickly that she could look down at a book or a computer and talk to me. She told me about her plan, and used yes or no questions to get answers she needed. When the day came to make the footage for the cameras, she gave me the signal, and I passed the information on to all of the heku. We pre-arranged that I would help her gather the ashes. She turned everyone but myself to ash, and I went into the experimentation room to get the ashes from there.
Tyler looked apologetically to Emily, “When I was done, I… injured her… smashed her head against the rock wall. I’m so sorry.”
A murmur ran through the council chambers.
Emily smiled, “It should be noted that that was my idea. I needed a wound that would clear me of freeing them, and would also warrant a hospital visit so I could get off of the compound.”
Zohn smiled at Tyler, “Noted, it was a planned injury.”
“That was it,” Tyler said. “As soon as I apologized, I felt a flash of burning and then I was here.”
Tyler stepped back with the Encala and Zohn stood up, “Are there any comments about what he said?”
Larry shrugged and mumbled something incoherent. Zohn sighed and looked at Emily.
She grinned slightly, “Sorry.”
Cody glared at Emily, “He said… that is all true, and it was deserved… your dead for our cause made it all warranted.”
“Noted,” Zohn said, irritated. “The testimony of the next six will be told by one representative, Brad.”
The next heku stepped forward, “I’m Brad, an Equites from the Shiaoshang Coven. There were 21 of us taken in the night, including my family, which consists of six heku. Our capture was exactly like the Encala, but none of us were killed. We were split into individual cells. The six of us were never tortured.”
Brad nodded to Emily and continued, “We knew that Lady Emily was trying to get us out, and followed whatever it was that Tyler told us to do. We felt the brief burn, and then were revived here by the Valle’s Chief Enforcer.”
“That was pretty straight forward,” Zohn said. “Anything from the mortals?”
Larry shook his head and spit out another mouthful of blood.
“Daddy?” Alexis asked, reaching for Chevalier. He reached over and took her from Emily, and she curled up on his lap.
“It’s disgusting,” Cody growled.
Emily stood up and Cody cowered away from her, but she turned and left the council chambers through the back door. She took a deep breath out in the palace and headed up the stairs, then stripped off the ugly clothes, and tossed them into the fire after removing her ring and placing it on the table. She slipped off the hand brace and arm sling before walking into the bathroom to run a hot bath with sweet smelling bubble bath. She smiled, slipped into the tub, turned on the jets, and leaned back.
Once her skin was starting to prune, Emily got out and wrapped in a soft, warm towel. She brushed her hair, careful to avoid the stitches, and then called out a lunch order. She went through her closet and decided on a dark blue cotton sun dress, something feminine after wearing men’s clothing for 3 months. Once she was dressed, she debated on shoes, and decided against them as she slipped the hand brace and arm sling back into place.
The servant with dinner met her at the Council doors, and walked in to put the plate on the desk. Emily followed him in, blushing slightly when everyone turned to look at her. Chevalier raised his eyebrows appreciatively at the change in clothing, and then turned back to the trial area when Emily sat down. She picked up the small cheeseburger and started to eat.
Emily put her bare feet up on the desk and sat back to eat and listen to the rest of the trial.
“How many electrical pins were in your body then?” Quinn asked.
“Two hundred and forty one,” the heku said, grimacing as he remembered the pain.
“You may return to the Valle,” Quinn said, and turned to the mortals. “What do you have to say in your defense?”
“He was in no pain,” Cody said coldly. “He’s making it up to make us look bad.”
“Not in pain?” Emily asked, frowning. “I saw him, and I can assure you, that he was in a great deal of pain.”
“I saw him also,” an Encala said. “He was, indeed, in pain.”
“If there’s nothing else on that case, then that will end the testimony from the Valle,” Quinn said, and turned to Sotomar.
Sotomar nodded.
“This trial is a farce. You have no jurisdiction to bring charges against us,” Cody said angrily. “If you’re go
ing to kill us, then get it over with.”
“If you’re trying us for the crimes of humanity, then your little whore should be on trial too,” Larry said, glaring at Emily.
Emily frowned and looked at Chevalier, “I’m a whore now? I thought I was a sex kitten.”
Chevalier chuckled, “Don’t worry, you’re still a sex kitten.”
“This isn’t a trial against humanity. It’s a trial against you two for torture, murder, and kidnapping,” Quinn reminded him.
“It’s a circus!” Larry screamed.
“Nevertheless you are on trial and don’t have a choice, so shut up and deal with it,” Zohn said, and then glanced at a paper. “Next up is Ronald.”
One of the Encala heku stepped forward, “I’m Ronald from the Encala’s Craig Coven. I was taken while walking alone and put into the van with the other members. During my stay, I was confined inside of an MRI tube where scans were continuously taken. I didn’t know of Lady Emily’s plan for our rescue because the noise from the machine blocked what I could hear. I wasn’t even aware she was there until my revival here.”
Zohn nodded, “Were you tortured?”
“I don’t believe that could be considered torture. I was never in pain,” Ronald said.
“You were unconscious though?”
“No, I just waited silently.”
“Very well, you may step back,” Zohn said, and then glanced at the mortals. “Comments?”
Cody grinned, “Those scans will get into the hands of our authorities, and will show them that the V.E.S. have a valid reason to be respected.”
“Those scans were on the computers I wiped,” Emily told them. “I wrote a little worm that infected your entire network and completely thrashed all of the hard drives.”
“You couldn’t have! Those computers are linked to all of the V.E.S. in the world, and are extremely secure,” Cody said, grinning.
“Yeah… well, I did,” Emily said, shrugging.
Cody glared at her, “If you did, then you destroyed hundreds of years of the work started by one of the bravest men in history, Devin Winchester.”
Emily looked at Chevalier, “Is he…”
Chevalier smiled slightly and nodded.
Proditor : Book 5 of the Heku Series Page 25