“Oh, sorry… yes, Elder?”
“Seems Alex found someone to look at her.”
Kyle sighed, “Where?”
“The prison guards, both of them.”
“I’m on it,” he said, and disappeared. When he emerged in the prison, the entire dungeon fell silent. He saw two piles of ash beside the door, but walked past them, following Alexis’ scent into the prison. He found her walking up and down the rows, “What are you doing, Alex?”
“Where is he?” she asked, turning on him.
Kyle made sure to avert a direct look into her eyes, “He’s waiting for the Elder.”
“Dad’ll kill him. We’re getting out of here.”
“No, you’re not. Go back upstairs. You don’t have the same privilege to be down here as your Mom does.”
“Make me!”
Kyle shrugged and threw her over his shoulder. She kicked and screamed as he hauled her up the stairs and out of the prison. New guards had already appeared to replace the piles of ash.
“What now?” Chevalier asked from the first-floor stairs. He was just walking up with Emily when they heard Alexis scream at Kyle.
“She’s trying to run away with Gabe,” Kyle told him, and set her down. He easily dodged when Alexis tried to slap him.
“Alexis, upstairs, now!” Chevalier yelled.
Alexis glared at Kyle and followed Emily up the stairs. Kyle grinned at the Elder, and then went back down to revive the guards. Mark, Kralen, and two members of the Cavalry were already waiting outside of their bedroom.
“Welcome back,” Mark said, and smiled.
“Is my truck really gone?” Emily asked. Her words were slow and somewhat slurred.
“Yes, sorry.”
She nodded and walked into the bedroom with an obvious limp.
“Is she ok?” Kralen whispered to Chevalier.
“We don’t know. Be careful around her though, she’s hard to understand at times and she’s getting frustrated with the weakness on her left side.”
Kralen nodded and Chevalier went into the room after Emily and Alexis. Mark reached over and shut the door behind them.
Emily walked over and sat down by the raging fire, and then turned to Alexis and Chevalier, who were having a silent type of standoff in the room.
“Both of you sit down,” she whispered, carefully enunciating to alleviate confusion from slurred words.
Chevalier pointed to a chair and Alexis sat down hard, still glaring at her Dad. Chevalier sat down beside Emily.
“What is going on?” Emily asked them.
“Dad put Gabe in jail,” Alexis explained.
Emily looked at Chevalier and he nodded, “I did, until I can talk to him.”
“Talk or interrogate?” Alexis snapped.
“I’ll do what I have to to find out his intentions.”
“His intentions were to be my friend!”
“Friend only?”
“Yes!”
“I can tell you’re lying, Alexis,” Chevalier growled.
“Fine… then so what if he’s my boyfriend?”
“Is he?”
“What if he is? You let Allen date Miri this young!”
“This is different,” Chevalier argued. “He matured faster and was already an adult by the time he was 14.”
“So you’re punishing me because I’m more human than heku?”
“No, it’s not a punishment, but at your age I’m not so sure you’re ready for a boyfriend.”
Alexis glared at him, “It’s my life! You have no say in it.”
“I’m your father, which gives me the right to have a say in it.”
“Let him go,” Alexis said, gritting her teeth.
“Alex, please calm down,” Emily whispered and looked at Chevalier. “Will you not interrogate him?”
“He touched my daughter!”
“He pushed hair away from her face, that’s it.”
Chevalier’s eyes narrowed, “Is that all, Alexis?”
“Mostly”
“What do you mean mostly?”
“Dad, I love him,” Alexis said, and looked down at her hands.
Emily reached out suddenly and put her hand on Chevalier’s leg when he started to stand up, “Chevalier, calm down.”
He glared at his daughter, “How far have you gone with him?”
“Don’t make it sound like that! We’ve kissed… that’s all.”
“He kissed you!?”
“I love him!”
“Alexis, go,” Emily said slowly, and took Chevalier’s hand.
“I hate you!” Alexis yelled at Chevalier before storming out of the room and slamming her door.
“I can’t fight you on this. You need to calm down,” Emily said.
Chevalier looked at her and his heart sank. Her slurred speech was proof that something was drastically wrong with her and so far, no one could figure out what. He took a deep breath, calming his anger, and then took Emily’s hand, “She’s too young.”
“Yes, she is. Yelling isn’t going to help her though. We both know that Allen was already an adult by her age, but she doesn’t see it that way.”
“He’s kissed her.”
“I heard. Do all of us a favor and don’t interrogate him. Send him away on an assignment, but don’t hurt him, or she could hate you forever.”
Chevalier nodded, “Maybe that’s the best plan.”
“She’s a teenage girl. Nothing you can say will be right, nothing you can do will be enough, but we both agree that her dating Gabe is a bad idea,” Emily said, and then reached over and pulled a blanket over her legs.
“You would tell me if you knew what’s going on with you, right?” Chevalier asked. He was afraid that she knew what was causing the strokes, but was somehow protecting the heku again.
“I would… and I don’t.”
He reached over and kissed her lightly, “You look tired. Why don’t you lay down and I’ll go make arrangements for Gabe to go on a mission.”
She nodded, and he picked her up and gently laid her in bed. She was pulling the covers up as he stepped out of her room.
“Get Gabe into the council chambers immediately,” Chevalier whispered. “Silas, keep Alex away.”
Silas nodded and blurred away while Kralen gave orders for the prison guards.
Chevalier stepped into the council chambers and took his seat. Zohn turned to him, “How is she?”
“She has slurred speech, numbness on her left side, and her eyesight isn’t as strong,” he explained. “Whatever going on is going to take a while for her to heal from.”
“Do you suspect she knows what’s going on?”
“No, I don’t. This last one scared her because she wrecked her truck while Dain was inside.”
“What are we doing here?” Quinn asked as Gabe was forced to his knees before the Council.
“Dealing with this useless heku,” Chevalier said, glaring down at the guard.
Kyle watched him, “You, Son, are accused of breaking Elder orders to stay away from Alexis… How do you plead?”
“It’s not like that,” Gabe said, watching Kyle closely.
“Are you in love with the Elder’s daughter?” Dustin asked, leaning forward slightly.
“Well… no.”
Chevalier’s eyes narrowed, “Then why the kissing?”
“She’s… well I kinda like her.”
“Kind of?” Kyle asked.
“How old are you?” Quinn asked.
“1,188 years old.”
“So you’re old enough to know better.”
“She claims to love him,” Chevalier said to the other Elders. “Sounds to me like he’s taking advantage of that.”
“I’m not!” Gabe said, frantically trying to save his life. “I didn’t know she loved me… I swear.”
“How far has this attraction gone?” the Chief of Defense asked.
“Just kissing.”
“Banish him,” Chevalier said. “Give him 600 years to thin
k about messing with my family.”
“Sir,” Kyle said, turning to him. “This is going to seriously make things hard between you and Alexis.”
“I don’t really care.”
Quinn sighed and looked down at the heku, “My vote is for demotion and to return to his coven without honors.”
“If Alexis is anything like her mother, she’ll seek him out,” the Chief Investigator said.
“Your call, Elder,” Dustin said, looking over at Zohn.
Zohn thought for a moment before speaking, “While I agree with Quinn that banishment is too strong for this offense… I also see how the entire situation could delay Emily’s ability to heal from whatever it is that’s going on. To lessen her stress, I vote for banishment.”
Kyle nodded and walked down to the trial area. Gabe attempted to run from the council chambers just as a drop of Kyle’s blood fell to his arm and he instantly turned to ash. Kyle knelt down and scooped the ashes into a small leather bag and was just tucking it into his cape when the door flew open and Alexis came in.
“Where is he?” Alexis screamed. She scanned the Council and then turned to Kyle, the only heku in the trial area, “Did you do it?”
Kyle carefully averted her gaze and looked up at Chevalier.
“Gabe has been sent on a mission,” Chevalier told her.
Alexis glared at him, “You banished him, didn’t you?”
“He’s on a mission, and will be for quite some time,” Zohn said.
“Alex, where’s Silas?” Chevalier asked.
“Where is Gabe!?”
“We told you.”
“Don’t lie to me!” Alexis screamed, and then turned to Kyle. “If you don’t want to find the Equites without a Chief Enforcer, I suggest you bring him back.”
“Kyle, go,” Zohn whispered, and Kyle disappeared from the trial area.
“Coward!” Alexis screamed toward the door.
“Alexis, you cannot date heku yet,” Chevalier told her.
“Why not?”
“They are all too old. You are only 15.”
“Yeah… how old are you?”
The Council all looked over at Chevalier. Though known an ‘old one,’ no one had ever asked how old he actually was, “That’s not impo…”
“How old?” Alexis asked again, and took a step forward.
“Alex?” Emily said softly from behind her.
The entire Council looked over at her and they were shocked. She limped forward to take Alexis’ arm and her words were more slurred than they at first imagined. Her left arm hung limply at her side and Dain emerged and put a supporting hand against her back.
“Mom, they banished Gabe,” Alexis told her, and then started to cry.
When Emily replied, her words were carefully formed in an attempt to speak clearly, “They did what they thought they had to.”
“I love him,” Alexis whispered, her eyes full of pain.
“I know.”
The 15-year-old turned to the Council, “I hate all of you.”
“Come on,” Emily said, and led Alexis out of the council chambers.
Zohn sighed, “I didn’t realize how bad she was.”
“She can heal from this though, right?” the Chief Interrogator asked.
“I would assume so,” Chevalier told him. “First though, we have to stop it.”
Kyle returned through the back doors and sat down, “I’ve revived Silas.”
Chevalier nodded, “Do a systematic search of the area. Find any coven, any faction, and get dates of all turnings for the last year.”
Quinn looked over at him, “I thought none were close enough for it to affect her.”
“We don’t really know that… I suspect when she had the ritual performed on her, it made her more susceptible and maybe the proximity is larger.”
Kyle nodded and disappeared with the Chief of Defense. After an hour of deliberation by the Council on an upcoming trial, the doors again opened and this time Emily came in, followed closely by Dain.
Quinn smiled, “Hello, Dear.”
She limped up to the Council and spoke softly, “I suggest we ban Alexis from here until she has calmed down.”
“That isn’t a bad suggestion,” the Chief Interrogator said. “It would behoove us to protect the Council until she’s no longer a threat.”
“Thank you, Emily,” Zohn said. “We will do that immediately.”
“I also… have a question,” she whispered, still fighting to clear her speech.
“What, Em?” Chevalier asked.
She sighed, “I want to know from the Council what will be done to control Chevalier when I die.”
“What!?” Chevalier gasped.
“I’m not sure what you mean,” Zohn said, barely above a whisper.
Emily glanced up at Chevalier and then to Zohn, “I think that question explained itself.”
“What aren’t you telling me?” Chevalier asked.
“That I think I may be dying. I want to ensure you don’t end up getting killed because of your temper.”
“You aren’t dying… you will heal from this.”
She shrugged slightly, “Maybe. I want a promise from the Council that neither Chevalier, nor Kyle, will be allowed to go on an enraged rampage if I die.”
Quinn frowned slightly, “If that were to happen, I’m not sure the Council could stop it.”
“You can stop them, I know you can. I want a promise,” she said, and looked up at them.
“We cannot promise that,” the Chief of Staff told her.
Chevalier began to panic. For the first time since the strokes began, he started to wonder if this was something she may not be able to heal from, “Emily… what aren’t you telling us?”
“I don’t know what’s causing them. I just know that I’m not doing it on purpose and I can’t stop it. My Dad died of a stroke, I know the signs, and I’m heading in that direction.”
“You are not dying!” Chevalier growled.
“You won’t promise me?” Emily asked, looking up at Quinn.
“I cannot.”
A stray tear fell from her eye, “I’m dying, I can feel it. I will leave behind children that need a father and the only way I know to protect that need is if he’s restrained and not allowed to go on a killing spree.”
Zohn swallowed hard. The slowness and strain of her words became more evident as she proclaimed her impending death, “We cannot promise that.”
“Kyle will need protected too, from himself.”
“Em…” Kyle whispered.
“I’m not sad that I’m dying,” Emily whispered, watching Chevalier. “You gave me a wonderful life, gave me children, and friends, and a family. I couldn’t ask for anything more. I’m just afraid of how you are going to react when I die.”
“You are not dying,” Chevalier told her.
She looked over at Quinn and Zohn, “Is that your final say then? You won’t grant me this one request?”
“Emily, they can’t keep us from avenging your death,” Kyle told her.
“We can’t, please don’t ask us,” Zohn whispered.
She turned slowly and limped out of the room.
Dain hissed and his hands balled into tight fists, “You cannot grant her that one wish, just to ease her mind?”
“No, we can’t,” Quinn told him.
“She’s not dying… I won’t allow it. Yet you could lessen her stress by lying and telling her that Dad and Kyle will be kept safe!”
“We won’t lie to her.”
“Do it!” Dain screamed.
“Dain, no,” Chevalier said. “She’s not dying, and we’re not going to give in to the notion that she is.”
Dain turned suddenly when he heard Emily’s Rubicon leave the garage.
“Let her go and think,” Zohn sighed. “For now, leave her be.”
***
“Sir,” one of the Imperial Guards said to Sotomar. “The Winchester is here and wishes to speak to you.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Let her in,” he said, and then smiled. The Valle were always pleased when Emily paid them a visit. They had heard she was ill and wanted to see for themselves how bad.
Emily limped in slowly. She was tired from the long drive and with half of her body no longer fully under her control, everything was tiring.
Sotomar watched her, too shocked to speak. It was immediately obvious to the heku that she was significantly weak on her left side and she looked pale and drawn.
“Emily…” Elder Ryan whispered.
Emily stopped in front of them and looked up at the enemy Council. She formed the words carefully in her mind and spoke slowly so they would understand, “I have a request of the Valle Council.”
Her slurred and distorted speech shocked the Valle Council, and it was a few moments before anyone could speak.
“What is it you ask?” Elder Randall asked.
She swallowed, “I want promised, by the Valle Council, that when I die… Chevalier and Kyle will be imprisoned until they are in their right minds and in control of their tempers.”
“Are you dying?” Sotomar gasped.
Emily nodded, “Yes, I think I am.”
“But you can heal.”
“Whatever is going on isn’t stopping. I can’t heal, and I’m so tired.”
“But…”
“I’m not afraid of death. The Equites have given me a wonderful life… but I’m afraid of how Chevalier and Kyle will react when the time comes, and I need you to help me protect them.”
“You cannot die…” Sotomar said, finding it hard to speak.
“I am, I’m sure of it. Please, promise me… grant me this one request.”
Elder Ryan took a deep breath to calm himself, “We cannot imprison two members of the Equites Council.”
“For me… forget about factions… forget about rank and Councils. Help me, please,” Emily said slowly.
“If you were to die,” Sotomar said, picking his words carefully. “It would not be our place to deny them vengeance. It’s our way.”
“I’m not asking to stop them from seeking revenge… I only ask that you stop it long enough for them to think clearly. I will leave my children without a mother. I cannot risk leaving them without a father, too.”
“This entire conversation is a moot point,” the Valle’s Chief Interrogator said. “You aren’t dying… you are immortal.”
Eternity of Vengeance (Extended Edition) : Book 7 of the Heku Series Page 44