“No, but let’s go. I haven’t heard from her in long enough that I want to go.”
“Let’s just you and I go,” Kyle suggested.
Chevalier answered by blurring down to his McLaren. Within just a few minutes they pulled up at the house and looked up.
“Seems nice and quiet,” Kyle said, getting out.
Chevalier’s nose wrinkled, “Smells like Encala though.”
“Do you think Andrew’s in there?”
“Not sure, let’s go find out.”
The Encala scent was stronger inside of the house, and Chevalier crouched slightly, “Em?”
Kyle looked around, ready for an attack.
When no one answered, Chevalier stood up and listened carefully, “I hear someone downstairs.”
Kyle nodded and started for the stairs. When he got to the door to the entertainment room, he whispered to Chevalier, “This door is locked from the outside.”
Chevalier opened the door and stepped inside.
“Hi,” Emily said, smiling.
“Hi, Dad,” Alexis said.
Chevalier’s eyes narrowed, “Who locked you in here?”
“I did, by accident,” Emily told him. “I did it yesterday, and by today, we figured we weren’t going to get out by ourselves.”
Kyle walked around the room and stopped at the table, “You brought lunch in with you then?”
“We wanted to eat during a movie, but I hit the wrong button and locked us in.”
Alexis nodded, “Bright, huh? Well, all’s good here now.”
Alexis headed up the stairs with Asher. Emily watched her go and then turned to Chevalier, “Thanks for letting us out.”
“Is Andrew here?”
“No, why?”
“It smells like the Encala around here.”
“Not sure why,” she said, and started up the stairs. Emily went into the kitchen to get a drink, and then cringed when Kyle lifted the lid on a boiling pot on the stove.
“This stew doesn’t look like it’s cooked for the last 24 hours.”
“Well it has.”
Chevalier walked over and looked at it, “You sticking by the story you told us?”
“Of course, it’s the truth.”
He decided not to push the issue, and dropped it, “Now that we’re all here. Can we talk?”
Emily turned around with a glass of ice water, “Sure, talk away.”
Kyle sat at the table and waited for Emily to join him. She sighed and sat down, followed by Chevalier.
“How can we get you back to the palace?” Kyle asked her.
“With Richard and the two interrogating Elders? I think not.”
“They aren’t going to interrogate you,” Chevalier told her.
“Mom, I’m ready to go back,” Alexis said from the doorway. “I miss Garrett, and I don’t think the Council will bother me.”
“We won’t interrogate her. I swear,” Chevalier said.
Emily looked up at the ceiling and thought.
“Right now, I’m more anxious to get you back to the palace than to find Dain.”
“That’s because you know if I go back to the palace, you have more of a chance of catching him,” Emily said.
“No it’s not. I’m not as underhanded as you seem to think I am. You belong with me, and I never feel comfortable when you’re away,” Chevalier told her.
Kyle nodded, “None of us do. It puts the entire palace on edge when you’re alone.”
Alexis finally sat down at the table, “Please, Mom. Let’s go back.”
“Alexis won’t be punished?”
Chevalier shook his head, “Of course not.”
“I won’t be asked a ton of questions?”
“No”
“Or followed, or restrained?”
“No, though I wouldn’t mind if we got back to how we were before. Our mutual agreement, I mean.”
Emily looked over at Alexis and saw how badly she missed her husband. Finally, she sighed, “Ok, we can go back.”
“Yes!” Alexis yelled, and stood up to go get Asher.
“I need a few minutes alone,” Emily said. “Take Alex and Asher back, and then I’ll be there in a bit.”
Chevalier kissed her softly and then left with Kyle. As soon as the McLaren took off, Emily dialed Dain.
“My God, Mom! Where have you been?” he asked frantically.
“To make a long story short… the Encala had Alex and I held hostage in this house.”
“Did they hurt you?!”
“No, but they did offer you something.”
“What?”
“They promised you a prison sentence and not banishment.”
“I think I’d rather be banished than to sit and rot in an Encala prison.”
“But in prison, I can come and see you.”
“I stopped.”
“Did you?”
“Yes, I haven’t attacked anyone since I left. This has got to blow over eventually.”
“I like their offer. If we turn you over to the Encala and keep the Equites out of it…”
“Then Dad will just petition the Encala to get me back.”
“I won’t let that happen.”
Dain sighed, “I don’t want to be in prison.”
“It has to be better than starving for eternity,” she whispered. “I’m scared, Dain.”
“Of Dad?”
“No, for you.”
“I’m ok. I haven’t seen a heku since I got here, and I think I could stay indefinitely.”
Chapter 9
“Let me see,” Emily said, and sat down in the middle of the long row of stalls. Devia limped over to her, and she pulled the Border collie’s paw up to look at it as some of the Cavalry watched.
“We weren’t doing much,” Gifford told her. “Devia followed us on patrols and just started limping.
She nodded and studied the dog’s feet, “If I had to guess… he has arthritis.”
“How old is he?” Mark asked.
“He’s 15.”
“Is that old for a dog?”
“For a Border collie? Yes.”
“So now what do we do?” Gifford asked. He had become particularly close to Devia and often took the dog out on patrols.
“I need to take him to the vet to be sure,” she said, standing up as she brushed herself off. It was obvious that she was on the verge of tears, and Mark called out to clear the stables.
“I know this isn’t going to help, but it’s something all immortals have to live through,” Mark told her softly. “We see people and animals we care about die.”
She looked up at him as she fought the tears, “I can’t keep doing this. It started with Ford, and now I’m losing another.”
“In time you’ll see how precious they are, and you’ll learn to appreciate what little time you have with them.”
“No, this is it,” Emily said. “No more animals. I’ll keep a horse because I need one for the Cavalry, but no more dogs.”
“You’d be lost without a dog. Let’s go get Devia checked out and see what the vet has to say.”
Emily nodded and then picked Devia up when Kralen pulled his truck up to the stables. She turned away when Mark tried to take the dog from her and eventually got into the F450.
It was quiet all the way to the vet, but Devia fell asleep in her arms, seemingly unaware of the horrid thoughts Emily had going on in her mind. She’d seen old dogs before, and she couldn’t watch them suffer, but the thought of losing her companion of 15 years was almost more than she could bear.
They waited what seemed like an eternity to Emily before the young vet could see the dog. Devia laid down and let the vet look over him.
After a thorough examination, the Vet sat down with Emily, “He’s in amazingly good shape for 15.”
Emily just nodded.
“You were right, and the arthritis has gotten bad in all four legs. I can give him medication to help, but he’ll always be sore and stiff. If he we
re a lap dog, I’d suggest we medicate him. Because he’s a Border collie that actually works on a ranch… it may not be in his best interest to remain in pain and unable to do what he loves.”
***
“Dad, it’s me,” Dain said over the phone. Chevalier was in his office going over papers and was glad he was alone for this phone call.
Chevalier was shocked, “Dain, where are you?”
“I’m not sure I’m ready to tell you that. I just want to know how Mom is doing. I’m afraid she is keeping things from me.”
“She’s holding on. She’s worried about you.”
“Is she sleeping?”
“Not well.”
“Eating?”
“So far, but when she gets upset she doesn’t eat for days,” Chevalier told him. “I wish you’d come back and let us handle this. I’m not going to instantly banish you.”
Dain’s voice fell to a whisper, “I’m sorry.”
“So am I. I shouldn’t have expected you to act like a heku that was turned into the species as an adult.”
“I know it got out of hand, and I let it, but I’m truly sorry and haven’t attacked anyone since I left.”
“That’s good to hear. Now, how can we bring you back?”
“You can’t. I have an offer for punishment that I may just take,” Dain explained.
“An offer from whom?”
“You aren’t interrogating Mom, right?”
“Dain! You know we wouldn’t do that.”
“Not using pain, no.”
“I’m confident that you’ll do the right thing eventually and turn yourself in to us.”
“You are?”
“Yes. You made a mistake, a stupid, immature mistake, but you are growing up.”
“If I could take it back, I would.”
“The best thing for your Mom would be if this was over, and you can do that by coming back to Council City and facing the Council.”
Dain sighed, “No. When I do decide to turn myself in, it won’t be to you.”
“Why not?” Chevalier asked angrily.
“Because you want me banished, and I can’t handle that!”
“I do not. You won’t give me the chance to…”
“Give you the chance to what? Act like a Dad and not my Elder?”
“That’s not fair, Dain. You are a heku, and I treated you as such.”
“Maybe I didn’t need an Elder. Maybe I needed a Dad.”
Chevalier started to get angry, “I treated you the best I knew how. You had preferential treatment…”
“I did not! Once Mom died, you wrote me off.”
“I did not.”
“Yes, you did. The only kid that’s gotten even part of your attention is Megara, and now that she’s growing up, you are backing off of her too.”
“I won’t sit here and be lectured about my parenting skills by you!”
“Us kids would be better off if you’d just retire, and let Mom be our parent.”
Chevalier simply hissed.
“I’m not coming back unless I hear that you’ve mistreated Mom or Alex.”
“They aren’t mistreated!”
“I’m the one to judge that.”
Chevalier shut his phone, cutting off Dain before tempers could go higher. He stood up and finally calmed enough to return to the council chambers.
“Elder?” Kyle asked when he saw that Chevalier was on the verge of losing his temper.
Chevalier sat down and then turned to him, “Dain called me.”
“He did? What did he say?”
“It’s disturbing… he’s had a punishment offer that doesn’t include us or banishment.”
“So he’s contacted either the Valle or the Encala.”
“Right, my guess is the Encala. If the Valle knew what Dain has done, they would banish him without a second thought.”
“Did he give any indication where he is?” Zohn asked.
Chevalier shook his head, “No, and he was in a perfectly quiet location. I got nothing.”
“At least if he turns himself in to another faction, we can petition to get him back,” Quinn told him.
“And he’d be off the streets,” Zohn added.
“He claims that he’s stopped attacking innocents,” Chevalier said. “Though he still lost his temper, and I get the feeling he’s not any more in control than he was here.”
“Ask Emily to come in here please,” Quinn called out when they heard her start up the stairs.
It was only a minute later when Mark stepped in, “Sorry, Sir. I don’t think now is the time to bring her before the Council for anything.”
“She refused to come in?” the Chief of Staff asked.
“No, I didn’t allow Derrick to ask her.”
“Why not?” Chevalier asked, slightly irritated.
Mark addressed the Elder directly, “We are just returning from the veterinarian. We had to put Devia down.”
“What happened?”
“Arthritis. Devia was 15 years old, which I guess is pretty old for his breed. He started limping this morning, so we took him to the vet. Emily had to make the decision to put him down,” Mark explained. “I’ll take punishment for giving orders to Derrick.”
Kyle shook his head, “No, no punishment, Mark. I agree. Now may not be the time.”
“Maybe we should buy her a new dog,” the Chief of Finance suggested.
“She already has Sebastian and Quiesco though,” the Records Keeper reminded him.
“She mentioned she’s not getting any more dogs,” Mark said.
“It’s hard for any immortal to learn how to handle the death of something or someone we love,” Zohn said. “It’s something we all have to learn to deal with. If she doesn’t want another dog, then we let her be. Someday, she may change her mind.”
Mark turned toward the door and then looked back at Chevalier with wide eyes, “She’s… she’s in the corner of the room rocking.”
Chevalier stood slowly, “What?”
“Silas went to check on her, and she’s curled up rocking in the corner.”
Chevalier instantly disappeared, and Kyle was shortly behind him. They both stopped in the room and saw Emily curled into a ball in the corner of the room and rocking. They hadn’t seen her do that in years, not since she fully came out from under Salazar’s grasp.
Chevalier moved forward slowly and then crouched down beside her, “Em?”
She sniffed slightly, obviously crying.
He put his hand on her shoulder, “Em? Are you ok?”
Emily nodded but continued to rock.
“I’m sorry about Devia.”
“Please don’t make me move,” she whispered, and clutched her legs tighter against her chest.
“I won’t,” he promised, and then looked over at Kyle.
Kyle took the hint and silently called for Lori. When she walked in, she immediately saw Emily and her shoulders fell.
“What happened?” she asked Kyle in hushed tones.
“She had to make the decision to put Devia down.”
Lori nodded, “Is she talking?”
“Yes”
“Then let her be. If rocking makes her feel better, just let her do it. I’ll keep tabs on her, and if it gets out of hand, I’ll let you know.”
Chevalier nodded and then stood up and pulled a blanket over Emily’s shoulders. He crouched down again, “If you need anything, let me know.”
She nodded, so he stood up and met up with Mark out in the hallway.
“Leave her alone for now,” Chevalier told her.
Lori shut the door behind her and joined them, “This may just be her new way to feel comfort.”
“It’s disturbing,” Mark said.
“I know, but she needs to mourn, and it’s a vulnerable feeling. She may feel less exposed in her tight posture.”
Chevalier nodded, “I don’t want to leave her right now. Stand down her guards.”
Mark nodded and sent the C
avalry guards to their barracks. Lori, Mark, and Kyle all left when Chevalier went back inside. He sat down beside Emily as she rocked, and he lightly rubbed her back.
It was hours later when she finally stood up and crawled into bed without a word. Chevalier waited until she fell asleep and then laid down beside her and wrapped his arms around her. Her dreams were sporadic and full of strong emotions.
Late that night, she woke up and looked over at Chevalier.
“Are you ok?” he asked as he brushed the hair off of her face.
Emily nodded and then sat up slowly.
“Can I order you some dinner?”
“No, I’m ok.”
“Are you?”
“Yes,” she said, and then stood up and slipped her clothes back on.
“Where are you going?”
“I just need some time alone, ok?”
He studied her and then nodded, “Take the time you need.”
“No guards?”
“Are you leaving the city?”
“Yes”
He sighed, “Ok, but be careful.”
Without another word, Emily left her room and headed down the stairs. Her guards seemed irritated when they were backed off but obeyed and left her alone. After grabbing some supplies, Emily quickly went out to the stables and threw a bridle onto her horse. She kicked him and left the city, heading straight for the trees.
Emily hated the dark, even out in the trees she felt like she was being watched, but she had to be alone for a while. Once in the clearing that the guards used for parties, she dismounted and tied her horse to a nearby tree. Within minutes, she had a fire roaring and sat down to watch it and listen to the soothing crackle.
She sighed when she heard footsteps, and then turned just as Andrew appeared in the clearing. Realizing it wasn’t an Equites, she turned back to the fire.
Andrew sat down beside her without saying anything and watched the flames. It was almost an hour later when he finally spoke, “You ok?”
“Are you spying on me?”
“No”
“Then why are you here?” she asked, shifting so her feet were closer to the fire.
“You’re going to burn yourself.”
“Why are you here?”
“I’m sorry about Devia,” Andrew told her.
“How do you even know?”
“I have my ways.”
Banishment : Book 9 of the Heku Series Page 23