Proditor : Book 5 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  “Pull your thumb out and do this,” Andrew said. He pulled her thumb out and moved her fingers back, exposing her palm, “Hit with your palm… an upward motion.”

  Emily frowned, but nodded, “Ok.”

  “Hit him,” Andrew told her.

  Emily felt awkward with her hand that way, but lined up and hit Zack squarely in the nose. He kept grinning and didn’t move.

  “Is that as hard as you can hit?” Andrew asked, frowning.

  “She’s just a girl, give her a break… mortals are weak,” Zack said, and winked at her.

  “I’m not weak,” Emily said, starting to sound angry.

  “How tall are you anyway?”

  Emily glared and hit him again, using the entire weight of her body and drawing from the anger. A loud crunch sounded and Zack fell to the floor, grasping his nose as blood poured out.

  “Oh my God, are you ok?” Emily asked, kneeling down beside him. She pulled his hands away and watched as the black bruise under his eyes disappeared and his nose healed, “I’m so sorry.”

  Zack grinned and stood up, “Now that was a punch.”

  “Thanks, Zack,” Andrew said. “Let’s try on someone taller, Don, come here.”

  Emily looked over as a tall heku came forward. She guessed he was almost the same height as Chevalier, which was taller than most gathered.

  “It’s different if they’re taller,” Andrew explained. “You may have to bring them down to you first.”

  Emily frowned, “How?”

  “Same way you would a mortal, knee him in the groin,” Andrew said, smiling slightly.

  “Can’t I just knock out his kneecap? I know how to do that.”

  “No, that’ll make him fall backwards. You need him to bend over toward you.”

  Emily glanced at Don and reached up to whisper in Andrew’s ear, “What if I can’t reach his groin?”

  Andrew laughed and turned to Don as Emily blushed.

  “C’mere Don,” Andrew said, and Don walked up so he was toe-to-toe with Emily. “See if you can get your knee up high enough.”

  Emily brought her knee up, but was only barely able to hit him. She blushed deeper and stepped back.

  “Use your hand then,” Andrew said.

  Emily’s eyes grew wide, “Do what?”

  “He means… punch me in the nuts,” Don said, laughing.

  Emily cringed, “I don’t know if I can do that.”

  “Do it fast, groin to nose should be in one fluid movement. Too much time, and the heku will have time to hit back,” Andrew said. “Let’s see.”

  “I don’t know… it… seems…” Emily started to say, and was bushing profusely.

  Andrew nodded, “Don’t think of him as Don… think of him as an attacker, someone after you.”

  Emily nodded and looked at Don’s face. It was irritating how he didn’t seem intimidated by her at all. He acted like she couldn’t hurt him and she drew from that irritation and let it fly. Soon, Don was on the floor, groaning, clutching his groin in one hand and his broken nose in the other.

  “Are you ok?” Emily asked, frowning.

  Don nodded, no longer laughing, and got to his feet. Blood drenched the front of his shirt as he walked back to the watching heku.

  Andrew grinned, “That was great! Keep hitting like that and you won’t break your hand.”

  Emily nodded, “Seems easy enough.”

  “There’s… something… else,” Andrew said, hesitating. “The Elders thought maybe we could help you out with some restraint escapes.”

  “Restraint escapes?”

  “Yes, like… well… how did Exavior carry you to the interrogation room?” Andrew asked softly.

  Emily’s body tensed and she looked around at the heku.

  “It’s ok. We’re all here to help.”

  “He… he picked me up by my neck,” Emily whispered, and heard the angry murmurs through the crowd. The noise stopped when Lieutenant Andrew glared at them.

  “Dragging you or did he actually pick you up?”

  “Picked me up,” Emily said, watching the ground.

  “May I?” Andrew asked, and put his hand out.

  Emily sighed and nodded. She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt his gentle hands against her neck.

  “Can you reach my neck?” Andrew asked.

  Emily opened her eyes and reached out. She wasn’t able to reach his neck when he had her at arm’s length. The feel of his hands around her neck started to make her panic and she envisioned Exavior picking her up and throwing her at the torture table. Her breathing became faster and the terror in her eyes made Andrew let go.

  “Take a deep breath, it’s ok,” Andrew said softly.

  Emily nodded and whispered, “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry. Many heku have gone insane from his tortures. I think you must be one strong human to have survived,” Andrew told her. “I really want to show you some things though, ok?”

  Emily nodded again, “I’m ok, go on.”

  The room became deathly quiet as they watched Emily regain her composure. They’d heard of the tortures of the famous Exavior, and were surprised that she survived and was still able to function.

  “Zack,” Andrew called.

  “Sir?” Zack asked, stepping forward.

  “Ok, let me show you on him.” Andrew picked Zack up by his neck, but was only able to get him a few inches off the floor.

  Emily took a deep breath, calming the new panic as she watched him.

  “The weakest point you will be able to reach is going to be his elbow,” Andrew said. “Bring your elbow up and then slam it down onto the crook of his arm. You want to try to get him to bend it, even if just a little. Your main goal is going to be to get at his neck.”

  Emily watched as Zack demonstrated. He brought his elbows down hard on the crook of Andrew’s arms, and they bent slightly. Zack reached out and pinched Andrew’s airway between his thumb and finger, not putting enough pressure to close it.

  “Then you claw out his airway. Even a heku will need a few minutes to heal from that,” Andrew said. “You and I will try it in slow motion, and then we’ll try it for real. You’re going to need the element of surprise or this won’t work.”

  Emily took another deep breath and nodded as Andrew picked her up by her neck. Her feet dangled over a foot from the floor.

  “Now don’t panic… do what Zack did,” Andrew said, watching her closely so he knew if she was starting to panic.

  Emily positioned her arms, but couldn’t get them high enough to slam into his elbow. Andrew gently put her down.

  “I’m sorry,” Emily said again.

  Andrew smiled, “Don’t be, I didn’t realize how far down that put you… can you get a gut kick off?”

  Emily shrugged, “I don’t know.”

  “Try it,” Andrew said, and picked her up again.

  Emily grabbed his wrists for leverage and kicked out. Her foot lightly connected with Andrew’s stomach, and he smiled and put her down.

  “That’s the trick then. A stomach kick will force their head forward… then you can either claw out the eyes or rip out the windpipe,” Andrew told her.

  “Ok,” Emily said, still unsure.

  “Jeffery, your turn,” Andrew said, and another tall heku stepped forward. He was shaved bald and had the Encala crest tattooed into the side of his head, and intricately woven vines were tattooed up his arms and neck.

  Emily looked up at Jeffrey, “You want me to hurt him?”

  Andrew nodded, “Yes, you can’t hurt him for long and we noticed he’s about Exavior’s size.”

  “Come on, Tiny, gimme your best shot,” Jeffery said, smiling.

  Emily hesitated and then walked up to him. She cringed as he gently picked her up by her neck.

  “Do it, Emily, hard,” Andrew cheered her on.

  Emily grabbed his wrists for support and kicked as hard as she could. She was surprised when he gasped and doubled over slightly, bringi
ng his neck within her reach. She started to panic as his hand tightened on her neck, but she reached out quickly and dug her fingers around his windpipe and tore it out violently. Blood sprayed her, and Jeffery dropped her to the ground where she landed on her butt with a thud.

  Andrew put a hand out to help her up, “That was perfect!”

  “Are you ok?” Emily asked, and then took a step back as several heku tackled Jeffrey before he could get up.

  Andrew placed himself between Jeffrey and Emily and crouched slightly, “Take him back to the barracks.”

  “I’m… what happened?” Emily asked as they hauled him away.

  Andrew grinned, “It’s in our nature to fight back when injured that badly. You had more than enough time to run though.”

  Emily nodded, “Yeah, I did… will he be ok?”

  Andrew laughed, “Yes, he may think twice about calling you Tiny again. Damn, let me look at your neck.”

  Emily leaned her head back as Andrew touched her neck softly.

  “Do you bruise easily?” Andrew asked, frowning.

  Emily laughed a bit, “Yes, very.”

  “Are you injured?”

  “No, not at all,” Emily told him.

  “Let’s take a break. I want to show you some more things tomorrow. I heard that Exavior also used your hair to pull you up?” Andrew asked.

  Emily cringed, wondering how much the Elders had told him.

  “It’s ok. They only told me the holds used against you,” Andrew whispered, noticing the look on her face.

  “Yes,” Emily said. “Plus, the Equites like to bear hug me.”

  Andrew raised his eyebrows, “Do the Equites restrain you often?”

  “More than I think I deserve.”

  Andrew chuckled, “We can show you how to get out of that, too. Come, let’s take you for lunch.”

  Emily nodded and ran to keep up with his long legs as he strode to the palace, “I really appreciate this.”

  “My pleasure, it’s not often we get to teach someone as famous as you to defend herself,” Andrew said.

  Emily sighed, “Have I ashed you?”

  Andrew leaned his head back and laughed, “Yes.”

  “I’m sorry,” Emily told him.

  “You know, I wouldn’t mind seeing that.”

  “Me ash someone?”

  “Yes, it’s not something we see every day,” Andrew said, and opened the dining room door for her.

  Emily looked in and saw the three Encala Elders sitting around the table talking. They looked up at her when she walked into the dining room.

  “How is it going?” William asked, smiling.

  Emily grinned, “I can’t wait until the next time the Equites try something stupid. I’ll show them some Encala lovin’.”

  “Encala lovin’?” Andrew asked, and laughed as he left the dining room.

  Emily grabbed half of the grilled cheese sandwich and sat back to eat. She’d been working so hard during training that she was starving.

  “Hmm, not sure I like the look of the bruise on your neck,” William said, frowning.

  “I bruise easily,” Emily told him, and then took another bite.

  “Would you be willing to spend some time with our Chief Interrogator?” Aaron asked.

  Emily coughed, almost choking on her sandwich, “Excuse me?”

  William frowned at Aaron, “He didn’t mean it that way. He’s been our Interrogator for over 950 years, and he’s one of the best. We think if you were to work with him, you may be able to hide deception from Zohn.”

  Emily grinned, “Really?”

  “May not work, but if you’d like, we can try it.”

  “I would, that would be great!” Emily said, smiling, and took another bite.

  “Good, we’ll see what he can do with you.”

  ***

  Emily looked up from the grass and then sat up to see if the ball connected with the heku she’d thrown it to. She cheered from the ground as he blurred into the end zone and scored for her team.

  She got slowly to her feet. This was the third football game in three days. Add in the self-defense training, and every muscle in her body hurt. She also had dark bruises on her neck, wrists, and a perfect handprint bruise on her arm from training.

  “Lady Emily?” a heku guard said from the sidelines.

  “Time-out!” Emily yelled, and the heku moved toward the sidelines. She walked over to the guard, wiping her forehead with a towel. This game was a lot more violent than the game with the Cavalry and Emily wondered if they had held back because of her. Hardly any Encala made it into the end zone with the ball, and any attempt to do so resulted in removal of limbs, and blood saturated the field by the end zones.

  “The Council needs to see you,” he said, and turned slightly so she could follow him.

  “Leonard! You’re in,” Emily called to a heku, and then followed the guard into the palace. She dried the sweat off of her arms as she waited for the Council to give her permission to enter, then she stepped in when the door opened, and moved to them.

  “Sorry to interrupt your game,” William said, smiling.

  “It’s ok, I think they were cheating,” Emily told him, laughing.

  “Chevalier called,” Aaron said.

  Emily raised her eyebrows, “He’s back?”

  “Yes, and he’s asked if we can send you home.”

  “I thought Zohn wasn’t allowing me back.”

  William grinned, “I would imagine that order has been vetoed.”

  “Did he sound mad?” Emily asked, wrinkling her nose.

  “Yes, which is why we wanted to talk to you. Would you like one of us to come with you?” William asked.

  Emily sighed, “No, I think I better face the music alone, but I do appreciate the offer and everything you’ve done for me.”

  “It has been a pleasure to have you here and do hope you’ll come again.”

  Emily laughed slightly, “Once they get a look at my new purple car, my poker face, and some new moves, I think they’ll hesitate to let me come back.”

  William grinned, “Encala lovin’?”

  Emily nodded, “Encala lovin’.”

  “We told them you would let them know when you left. We will send the same council members with you and ask that you not outrun them.”

  Emily couldn’t help but grin, “I can outrun them?”

  “You can... but we ask that you not.”

  “When I meet up with the Equites cars?”

  “Then you have my permission,” William said, smiling.

  Emily walked up to the Council area and gave the Elders each a hug, “Thank you, again.”

  The guards followed Emily up to her room where she changed into the clothes she came in, and tossed the dirty ones into the basket, then glanced around the room, surprised at how much she enjoyed her visit. She’d learned a lot from the Lieutenant and the Chief Interrogator, played football, been given a new car, and even went bowling with a group of guards.

  Emily walked out of the room and saw Andrew with her guards.

  “Heard you’re leaving,” Andrew said. “I actually think we might miss you, odd for a mortal.”

  Emily smiled, “I’ll be back, when I’ve recovered.”

  “Still sore?”

  Emily nodded, “Some.”

  “Next time you need to show us your ashing,” Andrew said, walking down into the garage with her.

  “It’s not that spectacular,” Emily told him, “But we’ll see.”

  “Purple?” Andrew asked, looking at the Aero. “The fastest street car in the world and you got it in purple?”

  Emily started to laugh, “I want everyone in the palace to know this car is mine.”

  “Oh, I think it says that loud and clear.”

  Emily crawled into the car and noticed how well she fit. The dealer had been right. No tall person would fit in the car without modifications. She liked the smell of the new leather and the dust-free dashboard and booming
sounds system.

  “Come back,” Andrew said, and shut the door.

  “I will,” Emily told him, and carefully pulled out of the garage. She waved when the city guards waved at her, and was soon out on the Interstate. The CCX’s surrounded her, and she picked up her cell phone and dialed Chevalier.

  “Are you on your way back?” Chevalier asked.

  “Yes, I should be there in about 9 hours. I can’t go above 100 mph or I could get a ticket,” Emily said softly, unsure how mad he was about her visit to the Encala.

  “What are you driving back?”

  “They bought me a little car,” Emily told him.

  “I see,” Chevalier said, obviously irritated. “Myself, Mark, and Kyle will meet you at the halfway point so you are never alone. Just look for the red cars. They said you’ll be escorted by three CCX’s?”

  “Yes”

  “Will see you there,” he said, and hung up.

  Emily cringed at the anger in his voice, and put the phone down on the passenger seat. She cranked up the music and kicked back for the long drive. Each time she had to stop for gas, the people looked oddly at the four expensive cars and she let the heku fill the tank. The windows in her purple SSC were so dark that no one could see inside.

  Emily slowed slightly when she saw the three Lamborghini Reventons waiting on the side of the road. The CCX’s backed off and the other three cars took their places around her. She was glad they couldn’t see into her car, and she couldn’t see into theirs.

  With only 100 miles to the turnoff to Council City, and a straight road ahead on the Interstate, Emily decided to show the heku her new car. She popped it into 4th gear, and sped up as the Reventons matched her speed, so she pushed it to 5th gear and grinned as they followed suit. As she passed the mark, only 75 miles left to the turn-off, she pushed it into 6th gear and watched the needle travel past the 260 mph mark on the speedometer and keep going. The Reventons slowly began to fall behind.

  Emily slowed and took the off-ramp onto the private road to Council City, and was no longer able to see the Reventons behind her. She took the curves as fast as she felt comfortable and stopped at the city guards.

  “Get that thing out of here,” one of the guards said, admiring her car.

  Emily rolled the window down, “Evening, John.”