Eternity of Vengeance : Book 7 of the Heku Series (26 page)

“Tell me, or so help me, you’ll need
Kyle.”

“Turn me to ash. I’m not
going to give you his location, nor am I going to let you leave
this palace alone.”

“What’s going on?” Chevalier asked,
blurring to the landing.

“Tell me,” she said again,
and stepped closer to Silas.

“No”

Emily growled and then started down
the stairs.

“Wait… how did I get up
here? Em, what did you do?” Chevalier asked, and followed
her.

“What did you just wipe?”
Mark asked, and followed the Elder after realizing he didn’t
remember walking up the stairs.

“Leave me alone,” Emily
whispered.

“No! Tell me what you wiped,” Silas
said, joining them.

Emily spun suddenly toward them,
“Leave me the hell alone or it’ll be more than a mind
wipe.”

Chevalier’s eyes grew wide, “What’s
going on?”

Kyle appeared with the other heku,
“Em, calm down.”

“Stop calling backup!”
Emily screamed, and then ran out the front doors and to the
stables.

Silas called for her guards to the
stables and then turned to Chevalier, “What’s going on?”

“I’m not sure, Kyle?” the
Elder asked.

“She was asking about
Kralen. I honestly don’t know why she wiped memories,” Kyle said,
and watched the door. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“Watch her closely,”
Chevalier said, and returned to the council chambers with
Kyle.

Mark and Silas both shook their heads
and headed out to the stables.

“Where is she?” Mark asked
the Cavalry’s Commander that was waiting outside of the stable
doors.

“She’s inside, up in the
loft.”

“Doing what?”

“I don’t know. She wanted
to be alone, so I’ve posted heku at each door.”

“Has she said anything about him
lately?” Kyle asked Chevalier as they waited for the end of the
trial day.

“Nothing, which actually makes me
nervous.”

“He’s been gone for 7
months. Maybe she’s given up,” the Chief Investigator
said.

Chevalier shook his head, “Not Emily,
I suspect she’s waiting to see if he comes back.”

“At least she sent that
poor child to school finally. He was running all over making a
mess,” Dustin said, and studied a roster in front of
him.

Kyle turned and glared at him, “If
Dain follows the pattern of Allen and Alexis, he will soon ignore
his mother, which is hard for her.”

“They are highly
intelligent children, ones that must be encouraged.”

“She’s their Mom.”

Dustin shrugged and ignored
Kyle.

Kyle sighed and turned
back to Chevalier, “The guards are worried, that’s why I ask. She’s
still not really speaking to them, and even Mark and Silas can’t
get her out of whatever slump she’s in.”

“I can’t either. She’s not
different with me, but I’ve seen how she is with the guards,”
Chevalier said, deep in thought. “She’s not rude, by any means, but
she doesn’t talk to them, and when she rides with them, she stays
off to the side.”

“Then get her a psychiatrist, isn’t
that what they do?” the Chief of Defense suggested.

Chevalier looked over at him, “A
psychiatrist?”

“Why not? Have her talk to
one.”

“Do we have one in the faction
though?”

“We must, somewhere,” Zohn
said, and looked over at the Records Keeper.

“I’ll see what I can
find,” he said, and left the room.

Kyle smiled slightly, “She’s not going
to want to talk to a psychiatrist.”

“I know,” Chevalier said,
and smiled slightly.

***

“Return our Elder!” William screamed
into the phone.

Emily sighed, “Not yet…”

“It has been 16 months.
He’s suffered enough.”

“Not yet… now, I asked nicely to talk
to Aaron in private.”

Emily heard the
distinctive click of the speakerphone turning off, “Fine… Aaron
here.”

“Can anyone else hear
this?”

“No,” he said, and she
could tell he was moving.

“I need to know the location of the
Equites coven you took me to.”

He gasped, “What?”

“I won’t tell anyone, I
swear. I just need to know where it is.”

“Return Frederick and I will tell
you,” he whispered.

“Tell me or I’ll tell
William.”

Aaron growled, “I should have kept
you.”

“Yes, you should have… but
I appreciate that you didn’t. I never thanked you for that, but I
am thankful.”

His voice softened, “I
took you to the Equites’ Okanogan Coven, outside of Tonasket,
Washington.”

“Thank you.”

“Please, return him.”

“I’ll think it over, because you
helped me.”

“Are you doing something dangerous?”
Aaron asked, still whispering.

She sighed, “I don’t know
yet.”

“Okanogan is very close to
our palace. Is it something I can help you with? In secret, of
course.”

“I suspect that coven is
housing one of my former guards, and I wish to speak to him, but
they won’t even let me in.”

“You are a member of the
Council. Just order them to let you in.”

“The heku don’t listen to
me like that. I suspect they will first call Chev.”

“I am sending you a
package… please keep its contents and sender a secret. It will get
you in the doors, more than likely into the prison, but still
inside,” Aaron assured her.

“Thank you,” she said, and
hung up. Next, she dialed a local car rental company and made some
arrangements.

***

Emily leaned her head
against Chevalier’s chest and ran her fingers lightly over his
abdomen as she watched the morning sun out the window.

“What are your plans
today?” he asked, and then brushed the hair off of her
shoulder.

“Nothing, I guess.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“Why don’t you take the
day off? Let’s go do something,” she suggested, and looked up at
him.

“I can’t today, maybe next
week.”

“You haven’t taken time off in
forever.”

He smiled, “It’s not in my nature to
vacation.”

“Yeah, well, it’s in my nature to
spend more time with you.”

“I know, and I’m sorry… as I said,
next week we’ll do something.”

She sighed, “Ok.”

“Why don’t you get dressed and meet me
downstairs?”

“Why?”

“Just do,” he said, and
grinned.

“Do I have guards today?”

“Of course.”

“Then no.”

He chuckled, “Em, just come down for a
minute… before swimming.”

“No,” she said, and sat
up, taking the sheet with her.

He gently ran his fingers up her back
and grinned when she shivered, “Stop telling me no.”

“No,” she said again, and
walked into the bathroom. She heard Chevalier leave just as she
crawled into the shower. She knew that soon she would have to go
find Kralen. She still suspected he was at his coven, and she knew
that Aaron had given her an easy way inside.

The Council was watching
her close lately and she supposed they knew that she’d called the
Encala the previous month, and were waiting for her to release
Frederick. Deciding she didn’t feel like going to talk to Chevalier
in the council chambers, she got her bikini on and opted to go
swimming instead.

***

“She’s coming down here?” Kyle
asked.

“Yes, before she swims,”
Chevalier told him as he watched the female heku in the trial area.
“How long since you practiced psychiatry?”

“It’s only been about 30
years, Elder,” she told him. The woman was close to seven feet tall
with short, dishwater blonde hair and harsh, angular features. She
wore a pale blue business suit and carried an ancient brief case in
her hand.

“She’s not going to do this
willingly,” Kyle told her.

“I am aware of her
leniency. I will see what I can do.”

He nodded, “Oh, here she
comes.”

The Council listened to
the conversation outside of their doors.

“He’s waiting for you,”
Derrick said to Emily.

“He can keep waiting. I
told him no, I’m going swimming,” she said, and they heard her walk
down the stairs, followed by her guards.

Kyle grinned, “That went
well.”

Chevalier chuckled, “She did tell me
no.”

“Unacceptable,” Dustin
mumbled, and sat back in his chair.

“Maybe we should meet her
there,” the woman said, and looked from the door to
Chevalier.

“Give her a second to get
in, and then you and I will go,” he told her and then turned to
Kyle. “You too.”

“Yes, Elder.”

“Why are we taking the
Chief Enforcer?” the Psychiatrist asked.

“He is good friends with
Emily,” Chevalier explained. After a few minutes, the three heku
left for the pool house. They walked past her guards and into the
steamy hot room. Emily was in the middle of a lap and they watched
her for a few seconds before she noticed them and stopped
swimming.

She began to tread water
and watched them, but didn’t speak.

“Em… this is Lori. She
would like to speak to you,” Chevalier said, and walked to the edge
of the water.

“About?”

“Just about stuff.”

Emily’s eyes narrowed as
she looked from Chevalier, to Lori, to Kyle. She thought Kyle
looked uncomfortable and the female heku seemed to be studying
her.

“I’m busy.”

“Please, just for a few
minutes.”

She sighed and then swam
to the ladder. After climbing out and slipping on a robe, she
walked over to them, “Ok.”

“Hello, Emily, I’m Lori from the Dover
Coven.”

“In New Hampshire?”

“Yes, Child.”

“I’m not a child.”

“Sorry, I meant no
disrespect,” the Psychiatrist said, and took a seat on a
chaise.

“What is it you wanted to
talk about?” Emily asked. She stood and watched the heku
suspiciously.

Lori smiled, “Have a seat,
please.”

“No, I think I’ll stand.”

“Em… just sit down,”
Chevalier said, and patted the chair beside him.

Emily glanced at Kyle and then sat
down.

“We’ll leave you two
alone,” Chevalier told her, and he and Kyle quickly left the pool
room.

“Good, we’re alone,” Lori
said, and smiled again. Emily felt like she was coddling her, and
it was making her irritated.

“What is it you want?”

“Just to talk, nothing
more.”

“About what?”

“Well… for starters, how are you
doing?”

Emily frowned, “Why do you
care? I don’t even know you.”

“I just want to help.”

“With what, exactly?”
Emily asked, and crossed her arms.

“Please, just girl talk, nothing
more.”

Emily grinned, “Chev brought you here
so I have a girl to talk to?”

“Sort of.”

“Well I’m fine, thank you.”

“Good, good… and how are
things going with your guards?”

“Peachy”

“They say you’ve been pretty quiet
with them lately.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, is something
bothering you?” Lori asked, and watched Emily carefully.

“Yes”

“What is it?”

“You, actually,” Emily
said, and stood up. “Are you a shrink?”

“Well, I was schooled in
psychiatry.”

“Chev thinks I need a
shrink?”

“No, the Elder thought you
may need to talk to someone.”

Emily started for the door.

“He’s worried, please, just talk for a
bit.”

She ignored the
Psychiatrist and stormed out of the out-building, followed by both
Lori and the four Cavalry guards.

“They’re busy…” Derrick
started, but just shook his head when Emily walked in
anyway.

“You got me a shrink!”
Emily yelled at Chevalier. The three heku on trial looked over at
her with wide eyes.

Chevalier sighed, “Yes, I
did.”