“Yes, I still practiced up until a few months ago,” he said, and sat down on the bed beside Emily. “Is this… is this the Winchester?”
William nodded.
“What happened?” he asked, shinning a light into her eyes.
“She got into the middle of a guard fight,” William said.
“They threw her against the wall,” Aaron told him. “She hit her head pretty hard.”
The doctor inhaled, “No blood though.”
He felt along the back of her head, neck, and back, and then again looked at her eyes. The Encala Elders watched nervously as he looked her over.
“She has a concussion, a pretty bad one,” Bachman said.
“How long until she wakes up?” William asked.
“It’ll be a while. I’m going to give her some pain medication and an anti-inflammatory to try to help with any swelling or headaches she has. Let her sleep it off, I’ll stay here until she wakes up,” Bachman told them, and began rifling through an old leather bag. He measured out two injections and exposed her thigh long enough to give her the medications before covering her up.
“Now what?” Reese asked.
“Now we wait. Make sure she doesn’t have a seizure, and see how she’s doing when she wakes up.”
“Do we tell Chevalier?” Aaron asked, wincing.
William sighed, “We should... but we’ve injured the Winchester and an enemy Elder’s wife… let’s hold off in case she’s fine.”
“I want to get my hands on those guards,” Reese said angrily.
“Again, let’s wait to see how she is,” William said. “If she’s badly injured, we’ll have to tell the Equites and the punishment will be harsher.”
The three Elders and the doctor waited through the night and into the next day, watching her and hoping that she would wake up. Over the course of the night, she began to get black marks under her eyes.
“Damnit,” Bachman said, and pulled her hair away from her ears. The Elders saw black bruises behind them, “She has a basal skull fracture.”
“Meaning…” William asked.
“Meaning they cracked her skull,” Bachman said, and felt along the back of her neck again. “They are going to be bloody well lucky if she doesn’t die.”
“Die? How serious is this?”
“Without an x-ray machine, there’s no way to tell. I can assure you if you take her to the Emergency Room, they are going to call the police.”
“I don’t really care about the police. If we need to get her to a hospital, then let’s do it,” William said.
“Let’s wait,” Bachman suggested. “She doesn’t have any spinal fluid in her nose or ears, so we just hope for a minor fracture.”
“We need to tell the Equites,” William sighed.
“Yes, we do,” Reese agreed.
“I’ll go,” Aaron said. “I’ll make the arrangements to bring Chevalier here.”
“Be very compliant,” William said. “We need to keep this as friendly as possible. We have injured the Winchester.”
Aaron nodded.
***
“She loves me,” Exavior said again. “You can ask her all you want, but she won’t have me banished.”
“It has nothing to do with love. Emily doesn’t believe in banishment,” Quinn said.
Chevalier grabbed his phone, angry that this had gone on for three days so far, “What?”
“Chevalier, this is Elder Aaron… there’s been an… accident,” Aaron said softly.
Chevalier frowned, “What kind of accident?”
“The guards, all six of them guarding Emily… got into a fight and somehow she got in the middle of it.”
Chevalier’s face fell, “How badly is she hurt?”
“We have a doctor here. He said she has a skull fracture. Right now she’s sedated, and he’s giving her pain medications.”
“A skull fracture?” Chevalier growled, and the other heku all looked at him, shocked at the anger that was shadowing his features.
“Yes, we have all six of the guards incarcerated, but we knew you would want to be here,” Aaron said. “The tower is advised you will be arriving by helicopter.”
“I will be there in two hours,” Chevalier said, and slammed his phone shut. “The guards got into a fight and gave Emily a skull fracture.”
“What?” Zohn gasped. “Our guards?”
“All six of them,” Chevalier told him, furious. “Kyle, meet me at the helicopter.”
“We’ll take care of the children,” Quinn said.
“If my guards were involved, then I want to go also,” Sotomar said.
“I should, too,” Exavior told them, and all six Elders glared at him.
“Sotomar may go, Exavior… not a chance,” Chevalier said, and stood up.
The Equites helicopter carrying Chevalier, Zohn, Kyle, and Sotomar circled and then landed on the helipad for the Encala Palace. Only a few guards met the helicopter, a sign of peace, and escorted them directly to the bedroom where Emily was.
Chevalier stepped angrily into the room. He saw the three Encala Elders and a strange heku sitting beside Emily’s bed. The room was warm and dark as Emily lie motionless on the bed, covered in warm, soft blankets.
The doctor moved aside and let Chevalier sit down at Emily’s side. He touched her cheek softly and took her hand.
“What’s this?” he asked, touching the black marks under her eyes.
“It’s a sign of the basal skull fracture. She also has them behind her ears,” Bachman explained.
Chevalier pushed her hair aside and looked for himself, “Has she woken up?”
“Not yet, it could be a few more hours.”
“I want to see the Equites guards,” Kyle said, livid.
“I want to see the Valle,” Sotomar said.
“Follow me. I want to have a chat with the Encala guards,” Aaron said, and led the enemy Elders down into their prison.
“What happened?” Chevalier asked William.
“There was a ball, and the guards were drinking and got into a fight while Emily slept. Aaron said she tried to break them up, and one of them threw her against the wall,” William explained.
Emily sighed softly and her eyes fluttered open. She looked at Chevalier, and then her eyes moved to the doctor and shut again as she fell back asleep.
“That was hopeful,” Bachman said, smiling.
Chevalier looked at him, unimpressed.
Kyle came in an hour later, obviously furious. He whispered to Chevalier, “They were drinking… they stayed at the ball while she came here to bed and they drank.”
Chevalier frowned, “Wait… they left her here alone while they drank?”
“Yes,” Kyle growled. “I’m tempted to leave them here.”
Chevalier shook his head, “Oh, no, I want them where we can punish them ourselves.”
“Sotomar’s guards aren’t going to make it back to the Valle,” Kyle said, grinning slightly. “He found out that they were drinking while in an enemy’s palace to protect the Winchester and… well… he’s letting them have it right now.”
“My head,” Emily whispered softly, her eyes still shut. The heku all looked at her when she spoke.
“Em?” Chevalier said, touching her arm softly.
“It hurts,” she whispered.
Bachman was suddenly at her side with a syringe, “Pain medication.”
Chevalier nodded and watched as the doctor gave her an injection and she settled back down to sleep.
“Can we move her?” Chevalier asked the doctor.
“No, not until she wakes up fully, so we know how bad it is,” Bachman told him.
The heku gathered chairs around and watched Emily sleep motionlessly through the evening and night. When the sun began to show through breaks in the curtain, Emily started to stir slightly and Chevalier took her hand.
Emily opened her eyes and blinked a few times before focusing on Chevalier. She pulled her hand away from him and frow
ned slightly.
“How are you?” Chevalier asked softly.
Emily sat up suddenly in bed and grabbed her head, groaning.
“Lay down,” Bachman told her, and pushed softly against her shoulders.
“Don’t touch me,” Emily whispered, her head still buried in her hands.
“I’m sorry,” the doctor said, and stood back up.
Emily slowly looked around at the watching heku and pulled the blanket higher against her. She seemed confused and concerned about something, so Bachman stepped forward.
“Do you know where you are?” he asked her.
Emily nodded.
“Where, Child?”
“In my house?” Emily asked, frowning again and looking around the room.
“Who is this?” Bachman asked, touching Chevalier’s shoulder.
“He’s… your brother? I’m not dressed.”
Bachman smiled, “It’s ok, you’re covered. Does anyone here look familiar?”
Emily looked into each of the heku’s faces and then turned back to the doctor, “No.”
“What’s going on?” Chevalier whispered, too softly for her to hear.
“Amnesia, it’s more than likely temporary,” Bachman whispered back.
“My head hurts so badly,” Emily said, and put her face into her hands again.
Bachman dug in his bag and brought out a vial and a syringe. He jumped slightly when Emily screamed and scrambled out of bed. Kyle caught her as she headed for the door, and she turned around to face the doctor.
“It’s just a pain medication,” he told her.
“Get away from me with that thing,” Emily said angrily, and fought to get loose from Kyle’s restraining hands.
“Ok, ok, I’ll put it away,” Bachman said. “But you need to lie back down. You hurt your head.”
Emily watched him step away from the bed, and she felt Kyle’s hands let her go when she moved back toward it. She saw her bag out of the corner of her eye and grabbed it before sitting down on the bed.
“Are you going to shoot us?” Chevalier asked, already knowing what her bag held.
Emily nodded, “If you come at me with a needle.”
“No needles, I promise,” the doctor said. “Will you take pills? For the headache?”
“No,” Emily told him, and pulled the covers over herself.
Chevalier turned slightly and explained her medical phobia to the doctor. When he turned back, Elder William held a plate stacked high with steaming pancakes.
“Are you hungry?” William asked her.
Emily frowned, “Where did you just get that from?”
“A servant brought it to me,” William explained, and held the plate out for her.
“Why are you all sitting around watching me?” Emily asked.
“We were just leaving,” William said. He set the plate down on the bedside table and left with the other two Encala Elders.
Emily turned back to Chevalier, “You go, too.”
He nodded and walked out of the room, glancing at Kyle before shutting the door.
“All of you, go,” Emily said to Kyle and Bachman. They smiled slightly and left.
“It’s just temporary,” Bachman said to the waiting heku in the hallway. “It’ll start to come back slowly over time.”
“Can we take her home then?” Chevalier asked.
Bachman nodded, “Yes, she seems stable enough. Do you have a doctor to watch over her? In case she gets worse?”
“Yes, we do,” Chevalier said. “With Emily, it’s always good to keep one on hand.”
“Very well, she can go,” Bachman said.
Chevalier went back into the bedroom. Emily was sitting in the bay window, looking out over the city.
“Emily?” Chevalier said, walking up to her.
She looked over at him.
“We told you that you’ve had a head injury. That’s why your head hurts.”
Emily didn’t answer, but just watched him suspiciously.
“Your memory will come back, but we want to take you home to recover,” Chevalier told her.
He felt uncomfortable at the way she looked at him like he was a stranger, one to be feared. The distrust she felt toward him was prevalent in her eyes.
“I’ll get your bag after you get dressed, and then we can go. It’s about a two-hour trip,” he told her, and headed for her bag. He turned toward her when he heard the hammer cock back on her .45. Chevalier backed up slowly, “Or not… we can stay here.”
Emily nodded and laid the gun down in her lap as he backed out of the room and shut the door.
“That went well,” Kyle said, grinning.
Chevalier smiled slightly, “Gun.”
“We heard,” Sotomar chuckled.
“May we stay for a while longer?” Chevalier asked William.
“Yes, stay as long as she needs,” William said.
“I will leave and take the guards with me. They have a date with my Chief Enforcer,” Sotomar said.
Chevalier nodded, “We’ll have the pilot return you to Island Coven so you…”
They all turned when Emily stepped out. She’d changed into a light cotton summer dress, and her hair was pulled back. The dark marks under her eyes stood out as she stepped into the light.
Emily turned to Sotomar, “Can you take me to the barn?”
Sotomar smiled softly, “There is no barn here.”
“Is this my house?” she asked him.
“No, it is not.”
“Is it your house?”
“No, it is his,” Sotomar said, and pointed to William. Emily frowned, moved a step away from the Encala, and took Sotomar’s arm in her hands.
“He’s… I don’t know him,” Emily whispered to Sotomar.
Sotomar glanced at Chevalier briefly and then turned back to Emily, “He won’t hurt you.”
“I know. I have this,” she said, and pulled the .45 out of her pocket.
Sotomar looked at her, surprised, and then put his hand out, “May I hold that?”
Emily nodded, “Shoot him if he gets too close.”
“I will,” Sotomar said, and tossed the gun behind him. Chevalier caught it and tucked it in the back of his pants before Emily could see.
Emily leaned toward Sotomar and whispered into his ear, “They are all staring at me.”
Sotomar looked at the others as Emily let go of his arm and started down the stairs slowly, looking around.
“Do we follow her?” Kyle asked.
“Sotomar should. She trusts him, it seems,” Chevalier said.
“I guess I stay,” Sotomar said, amused, and headed down the stairs.
Emily turned and looked at a blank stone wall. She frowned slightly and reached out to touch it.
“Prison,” William whispered to Sotomar.
She touched one of the stones and the wall slid to the side.
“Let’s not go down there,” Sotomar said, and took her arm.
“What’s down there?”
“Storage, boring place,” Sotomar said, and shut the door to the prison. “Shall we get something to eat?”
Emily nodded, “Ok, are your brothers coming?”
“Yes, is that ok?”
Emily nodded again and Sotomar led her through the enemy palace and into a large dining room. Kyle, Chevalier, and the three Encala Elders were sitting already. She blushed when she saw them all watching her and sat down.
A servant came and sat a plate down in front of Emily.
“Wait,” Emily called when he started to leave.
“Yes?” the servant asked, turning slowly.
“Don’t they get to eat?” she asked, motioning toward the others.
“Yes, bring us some also,” William told the shocked servant. He returned with plates for all of them and left quickly, without question.
“How is the headache?” Chevalier asked her. Emily looked at him and frowned.
“You have strangely shaped teeth,” Emily said, and start
ed to eat.
Chevalier grinned slightly, “Family trait.”
“If they were longer, you could be a vampire for Halloween,” Emily told him, and started to eat the steak.
“I would imagine I could,” Chevalier chuckled, and started to push the food around on his plate.
“Hmm, this is good, but has an odd flavor,” Emily said, and dug into the baked potato.
“Those guards are going to wish the Encala had killed them,” Chevalier whispered, too quietly for Emily to hear.
“As will mine,” Sotomar said. “I’m tempted to let Exavior have at them.”
“Aaron has already dealt with the Encala guards. It’s despicable how they shirked their duties,” William whispered. “It’s embarrassing, actually.”
“Who actually hit her?” Kyle asked.
“That we don’t know, all six are saying someone else did it,” Aaron said.
“I feel funny,” Emily said softly, and Kyle caught her before she fell to the floor. He picked her up and turned to the others.
“Sorry, the doctor doesn’t want her up running around, and this was all we could think of,” William said.
Kyle handed Emily off to Chevalier, and he slowly walked her up the stairs and laid her back in bed. He covered her with blankets and watched her for a few minutes before going out into the hallway.
Early the next morning, the heku heard Emily moving around in her room. They heard her go in and take a shower, and then they waited in silence while she got dressed. She talked to herself in the bedroom, commenting on the black circles under her eyes.
Emily opened the door and ran into Chevalier, falling back onto her butt on the hard wooden floor. He reached down and helped her to her feet.
“What are you doing here?” Emily asked, adjusting her shirt.
“You know who I am?” Chevalier asked.
Emily frowned, “Of course I do. Where are my guards though?”
“How much do you remember?” Kyle asked her.
Emily looked at each of their faces suspiciously, “What’s going on?”
“Do you know where you are?”
“Yes, what I don’t know is why you are all here.”
“How’s your head?” Bachman asked.
Emily frowned, “Ok, you, I don’t know.”
Bachman smiled, “I’m a doctor… how is your head?”
Emily took a step away from him, “Get away from me.”
Proditor : Book 5 of the Heku Series Page 35