Damon shrugged, “That would be entertaining to watch and she does love to do it… especially the slow part.”
“No, please!” one of them yelled, and fell to his knees.
“Where is the Ancient being held?” Maleth asked, rising to his feet.
“We don’t know. They told us nothing!”
Damon spoke up, “He is in the Council’s main city. He has to be.”
“Take them to prison,” Leonid said, and sighed.
“How is she?” Maleth asked, worried.
“She’s ok. She heard voices,” Chevalier said, looking at the council members.
“Voices?” Damon asked.
“She has a head injury, I’m sure it’s related. Mark and Frank checked it out and didn’t see or hear anything,” he said.
“How dare they lie to us about her and then …” Leonid said, too angry to continue.
“You can’t expect more from the Encala.”
Chevalier turned into a blur, and the council members got to their feet as they heard Emily scream from her room. He appeared in her room and saw Frank and Mark holding her down to the bed.
“No, you can’t make me!” she screamed, and arched her back.
“I’m trying again… keep her safe,” he said to the council members.
He watched from the head of the bed until she fell silent and her body went limp.
“Emily… look at me,” he said, sternly. He watched as her eyes fluttered open, and he was easily able to lock her gaze. He concentrated as her breathing slowed to match his, and she relaxed fully in his hands.
“Emily?” he asked, to see if she would answer.
“Stop them,” she said softly, the color in her green eyes was dull.
“Stop who?” his voice was a soft and calming cadence.
“Stop them.”
“Emily, stop who?”
“I don’t know who they are,” she whispered.
“What do they want you to do?”
“I won’t do it.”
“Do what?”
“It hurts to say no,” she said, frowning slightly.
“What do they want you to do?”
“I will kill her,” she whispered.
“Kill who Emily? Tell me.” Chevalier broke the gaze and looked up when he heard a crash. Frank was on the floor, struggling to fight off the entire Council. Damon quickly broke Frank’s neck, and as his body went limp, the Chief Enforcer stood up. Frank began to slowly heal, but his eyes were glazed over and confused.
“The dog knew,” Mark said, picking up the puppy. The dog growled and shook his head viciously as he tore at one of Chevalier’s shoes.
“What do you mean he knew?” Chevalier asked.
“He started to growl. I thought at first he was growling at us, but he was looking at the fireplace… then he howled… then she started to scream,” Mark explained.
Maleth nodded, “I’ve seen it, the dog knows.”
“We’ve discussed these episodes. They are dreams caused by the pain from the concussion… how can a dog see that?” one of the council members asked.
“Maybe it’s a smell, something even we cannot pick up and the dog smells it just before it happens,” another member answered.
“Or it’s an outside presence and he hears it,” Damon said, turning to the dog.
Chevalier’s eyes narrowed, “What do you mean?”
“The voices… the ‘stop them’, what if it’s someone… channeling, if you will,” Damon turned to Emily.
“For what purpose?” Leonid asked, frowning.
“We don’t know. She keeps refusing,” Damon said.
“She said it hurt to say no,” Chevalier said, thinking. “So the voices… whatever… ask her to do something, and when she says no, the pain starts.”
Damon nods, “Then it gets worse when she keeps saying no, until the voice breaks off or she passes out.”
“That would mean the ‘stop them’ is for us. She is begging us to stop it,” Chevalier said, looking down at Emily as she slept.
“Have you noticed that when you are controlling her… someone tries to kill her,” Damon said, thinking out loud. “Then the concentration breaks and the questioning stops.”
Chevalier nodded, “It’s the Ancient… he’s trying to get Emily to do something, and then punishes her for refusing. Then when I’m starting to get information, he turns to one of us and tries to have her killed to stop her from talking.”
“It’s an Encala attack,” Damon said, looking at Chevalier.
“I need to get her under control where I can keep it.”
“In a cell, in the dungeon… we lock you in and only you have the key,” Damon suggested. “Then no matter how bad we want to kill her, we can’t get in.”
“Unless it’s me that tries to kill her, and then no one can protect her,” Chevalier sighed.
“This is all a little farfetched, don’t you think?” one of the Council suggested. “The ancients wanted mortals dead… if he wants her dead, why doesn’t he just kill her?”
Ford began to growl and everyone turned to look at Emily.
“I won’t do it!” Emily screamed, sitting up suddenly. She clutched her chest and groaned.
“Emily, what’s wrong?” Chevalier asked, sitting by her.
“I won’t do it… make them stop,” she begged, and screamed in pain.
“What do they want you to do?” he asked, trying to lock her gaze.
“It doesn’t matter,” she groaned, “I won’t do it.”
“Do what? Tell me.” he growled.
Mark picked up Ford as he began to howl, and put him in the bathroom.
Emily stood up and a shadow across her face. She breathed heavily and looked around the room with fierceness uncharacteristic for her.
“Emily?” Chevalier asked, watching her as he took a step back.
Her body began to shake and she hissed, “I won’t do it.”
Emily fell to her knees, her hands against her head, “No.”
Chevalier knelt in front of her and forced her to face him, “Look at me.”
Emily squeezed her eyes shut with the pain.
“Now, Emily, look at me.” Her eyes flew open and he immediately locked her gaze. The heku around them watched one another closely.
As Emily began to breathe in sync with Chevalier, he spoke in the soft calming cadence, “Emily, what do they want you to do?”
“I won’t,” she whispered.
“I know, but what do they want you to do?”
“I will kill her,” she said again, softly.
“Kill who?”
Chevalier stopped talking and held her gaze as he heard the commotion going on behind him. He knew if he spoke, his voice might break in anger, so he looked deeper into her eyes, holding the control. When things quieted down, he continued.
“Kill who, Emily?”
“I won’t do it,” Emily whispered.
Leonid jumped for the bathroom door when Ford began to dig frantically and bark.
“Do what?” he concentrated harder.
“I will kill her if you don’t stop.”
The entire room froze and looked at Emily. Her voice had changed, it was cracked and malicious.
Chevalier didn’t break his concentration, “You can’t kill her. We won’t let you.”
Another fight broke out in the room, but Chevalier didn’t react, didn’t break her gaze.
“Emily, what do they want you to do?”
“Saying no hurts,” she said, softly.
“I know.”
“I won’t do it.”
“Do what?”
Chevalier growled with frustration when she collapsed onto the floor. He picked her up and carried her to the bed. The heku watched for hours as she slept.
When morning came, Sam came out from the nursery with Allen. Allen smiled at Chevalier and squirmed to be let down. Sam put him on the floor, and he ran into his Dad’s arms.
“Good mor
ning!” Allen said, and grinned, then wrapped his arms around Chevalier.
Chevalier kissed his forehead, “Good morning.”
“Look, firemen,” Allen said, showing Chevalier the action figures in his hand.
“I see, very nice,” Chevalier told him, trying to give his son some much needed attention.
“They talk too.”
“They do? What do they say?” Chevalier grinned.
Allen held up the figurine to Chevalier and lowered his voice, “Ritus poena, invito antiquus...”
“Stop!” Chevalier yelled, and then softened his voice. “I’m sorry, Allen.”
All of the heku turned and looked at the raven haired boy, their eyes a mixture of confusion and fear.
Chevalier’s face became serious, “When do they say that?”
“All the time. They talk a lot,” Allen said, mimicking the firemen putting out a fire.
“What… what else do they say?” he asked, and the other Elders stepped closer to hear him.
Allen shrugged, “They don’t say any real words.”
“I know, tell me what else they say, please,” Chevalier said, smiling.
“They sing, there’s a song, but it’s boring.”
“Tell me.”
“Can I show you their truck?” Allen asked, trying to climb off the bed.
Chevalier pulled him back onto the covers, “Tell me the song.”
“It’s boring.”
“I want to hear it anyway.”
“Ok… it goes…” Allen’s voice changed to a soft rhythmic cadence, “Caedo consilium, Caedo consilium, over and over.”
Maleth gasped and looked at Leonid, who was watching Allen with wide eyes.
“Are they talking right now?” Leonid asked the toddler.
“No,” Allen said, and pulled the firemen’s jacket off of one figure.
“When do they sing?” Chevalier asked, trying to sound casual.
“They are always singing… can I get breakfast?” he asked, and climbed down.
Chevalier nodded to Sam, and he took Allen’s hand and led him out of the room.
“How can he know about the ritual of pain?” Maleth frowned.
“Not just know about it, but know how the words to perform it,” Leonid added.
“He can’t,” Chevalier said. “He has to be hearing what Emily is hearing.”
“Then why isn’t he in pain?” Leonid asked.
“The voices aren’t for him,” Damon said, understanding.
“That’s it then…” Chevalier said. “Someone is telling her to kill the Council, and when she refuses, they inflict the ritual of pain.”
“A mortal can’t live through the ritual of pain, that’s proven. It’s killed even heku before,” Maleth said, angrily.
“This is Emily. We already know she’s more than a mortal,” Leonid said.
“If she could use that connection… the connection the voices use to get to her. Turn it on them,” Damon said, looking at the wall.
“You mean use their voices to turn them to ash?” Chevalier asked him, frowning.
“The ritual of pain takes more than just words. It takes power, and someone is sending that across distances. If she can somehow use that same method…”
Chevalier nodded, “Then she could turn the sender to ash.”
Chapter 9 - Encala Ancient
“She’s tried twelve times. She needs a break,” Chevalier growled.
“I’m ok, I can try again,” Emily said from the bed.
“He’s right, you need to rest,” Maleth said, standing up from the chair by the fireplace.
“We all could use a night off,” Mark added, and looked around at the fifteen gathered heku.
“I’m not taking medicine to make me sleep,” she said, frowning.
“It’s the only way to stop the attacks. You need a rest,” the doctor said, holding the shot in his hand.
“Touch me with that thing and I’ll ash you again,” she glared.
The doctor took a step back. He remembered the pain of her fury.
“Emily, for me… please,” Chevalier asked, softly.
“No”
Emily screamed as she felt the pinch in her arm and turned, shocked to see Kyle standing beside her with the needle. The doctor looked down at his empty hand, confused.
“You can ash me later,” Kyle said, grinning as she fell to the bed.
“You’re either very brave or one stupid heku,” Chevalier said, shaking his head at Kyle, “But welcome back.”
Kyle grinned, “Mark filled me in out in the hallway.”
As soon as the room cleared out and Kyle was hidden in the corner, Chevalier turned off the lights and curled up next to Emily. He hated the way she smelled after medicine. To him it was almost like sleeping by a stranger. He knew she needed this though.
It was like looking down a dark hallway. As he emerged, he stepped out into the foyer of a grand palace. There were golden statues and white marble pillars with bouquets of red roses lining the red carpet runners.
Chevalier sat up suddenly and looked around.
“What’s wrong?” Kyle whispered from the corner.
“I don’t know… it was a palace, red carpets and flowers… I don’t know where it came from. Just an image,” he said, confused.
“Is it Emily’s dream?” Kyle suggested.
“I haven’t been able to do that for two months, not since she left for Colorado.”
“Try again, see what you get.”
Chevalier touched her arm and suddenly grew still.
“Good evening,” the heku said, bowing deeply.
“Most honorable Ancient,” another heku said, bowing.
A large wooden door opened to a lavish court room. The Encala banner hung from behind the platform.
“Kyle… she’s seeing the Encala’s council room. I’ve been there before, and she’s seeing it exactly. I don’t think she’s been there,” Chevalier said.
Kyle stepped out of the shadow, “Can she pull information from you?”
“Not that I’ve seen,” Chevalier thought. “When I’m there… I’m the Ancient, I see through his eyes.”
“Could the connection be permanent then? Something he uses at will, but is always there?”
Chevalier reached down and touched her arm again.
“They did not return, as expected,” one of the Encala Elders said.
“Did they see her?”another member of the Council asked the Ancient.
“Yes, I caught images of her from them.”
Chevalier felt the fury when the Ancient spoke again, “She is mine and I want her… now!”
“Patience, please, ancient one. We will get her,” the Elder said, smiling.
“She will soon do as I ask and kill the Equites Council. Once that is done, you will bring her to me. It’s time she takes her place at my side.”
“Yes, ancient one,” the Elder said, bowing.
“So like her mother. So strong,” the ancient one said, and Chevalier felt an immense sense of loss.
“My God, Kyle,” Chevalier said, looking at Emily.
“What did you see?”
“Her father is an Encala Elder… an ancient,” he said, softly.
“The Encala have an ancient on their council?” Kyle was shocked. One of the rules that all three factions held, was that the ancients were to remain buried for the safety of the mortals.
“And have for quite some time,” Chevalier hissed.
“An ancient and a mortal though? That’s… well that’s impossible, isn’t it?” Kyle asked, watching him.
“Not impossible, just unheard of.”
“What are the implications?”
“I don’t know. The one thing I’m sure of now… she’s seeing inside of the Encala palace.” A dark grin crossed his face, “If she can see them… “
Encala : Book 3 of the Heku Series Page 23