Eternity of Vengeance : Book 7 of the Heku Series (28 page)

“Lord Dexter,” Kralen said
softly, “She’s starting to panic. It would be best to step back and
give her a moment.”

The heku all stepped back away from
Emily’s cell and watched her.

She looked around, trying to find a
way out of the situation.

“Emily, listen to me… this is where I
belong,” Kralen told her.

“No, it’s not! You belong
on my Cavalry.”

“I can’t protect you.”

“You’re my friend.”

“I can’t protect you.”

“Yes you can and you do. I
want you back.”

“No”

“I’m a member of the
Council, damnit! I’m ordering you to come back.”

“That’s why I’m in prison,
the Council already tried that.”

Lord Dexter sighed, “Lady Emily, I
must insi…”

“Shut up!” she screamed.

“It’s not their faults
that I’m in here,” Kralen explained.

“Come back with me,
please. You’re the only guard that I can relate to. You’re the only
one who’s not too afraid of Chev to enjoy life.”

He chuckled, “I should be afraid of
him.”

“Not around me.”

“You need to go back to
the palace. You don’t belong in this prison.”

“Neither do you! I’m telling you right
now, I’m not leaving until you do.”

“Fine then, I’ll take you back and
then return.”

“No, damnit, Kralen, stop being like
that.”

“Emily, you were kidnapped and had a
heinous ritual performed on you in my care.”

“They got Mark and Silas too… that
wasn’t your fault.”

“Then I wanted to go with
you and Miri, but backed off when you told me to.”

“You had to!”

“Lastly, when you ran from the bounty
hunters, I should have been able to protect you.”

“There were too many of
them with Tasers,” she said. She was suddenly feeling like she was
losing him.

“Because of that you had to
kill.”

Her heart skipped a beat,
“That wasn’t your fault.”

“Yes it was. It was my
duty to protect you.”

“Come back, please.”

“I can’t.”

“What can I do to get you to change
your mind?”

“Who did you slip to come
here?”

She sighed, “I tased Mark
and Silas, and then ashed three others.”

Lord Dexter looked at her and
gasped.

“You need someone who can protect you
in spite of yourself.”

“What does that
mean?”

“It means… you’re valuable
to the Equites and don’t even know it. It takes a lot to keep you
safe.”

“I’ll be good then. I
won’t slip you. I won’t run off by myself.”

“Em, it’s too late. I let
too much get by me to be safe for you.”

“I’ll give you Frederick,”
she said, and couldn’t help but notice how quiet the entire cell
block fell.

“You still have him?”

“Of course.”

“The year is up. I’m just
surprised.”

“Well I do, but I’ll give
him to you if you’ll return to the Cavalry as my guard.”

“You are safer without
me,” Kralen said, but she caught the slight hesitancy in his
voice.

“Yeah, because driving for 24 hours by
myself to wear Encala robes and be thrown into a coven’s prison is
completely safe.”

Lord Dexter grinned, “Some of the
rumors about you are true.”

“Like what?” she asked, looking over
at him.

“That you have no sense of
self-preservation.”

“Gah, that’s what Chev
tells me, he’s wrong.”

“Obviously”

“Kralen, please, it’s not the same
without you… Chev even got me a shrink.”

“He did?” Kralen asked,
shocked.

“Yes, and then I ashed
her.”

Kralen chuckled, “So nothing’s changed
is what you mean?”

“Everything’s changed.”

“No, I’m not going to put your life at
risk because I miss my job.”

“Fine then… good night,”
she said, and sat down on the cement. She shifted the red robe
around until it was a little more comfortable and then laid down on
the cold cement floor.

“What’s she doing?” Kralen
asked.

“She’s… lying down,” Lord
Dexter told him, and then walked over to Kralen’s cell. “The
Council won’t like this.”

“Emily, you’re risking the
coven here getting into a lot of trouble with the Council over
this,” Kralen called out.

She just ignored him and pulled her
arms into the robe to get warm.

“Maybe she will get
uncomfortable enough that she will ask to be let out,” Lord Dexter
said, and glanced back into her cell.

“She’d rot in there before
caving,” Kralen said, and then sighed. “She’s not going to turn the
coven to ash. At least call the Elder and let him know she’s
here.”

“Do I ask him to come?”

“Tell him what’s been
said. He may decide not to.”

Lord Dexter nodded, “Good idea… though
you’re sure she won’t attack?”

“No, she won’t. She’s a
lot tougher sounding than she really is.”

Emily smiled slightly and settled in
for the night.

“There’s a snow starting.
I’ll have her car pulled in and will call the Elder.”

***

“Elder?” Derrick said
after knocking on his office door.

“Did she call?” Chevalier
asked when he opened the door.

“No, Lord Dexter is on the
phone. He says it’s urgent.”

“Fine, send it to my
cell.”

“Yes, Elder,” Derrick
said, and disappeared. Chevalier sighed and headed up the two
flights to his bedroom. His cell phone was already ringing when he
stepped in.

“Chevalier here,” he said when he
answered.

“Elder, this is Lord
Dexter from the Okanogan Coven… The Lady has shown up
here.”

“Emily is in Washington?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Put her on the phone.”

Lord Dexter cleared his
throat, “There’s a slight… problem… Sir.”

“Such as?” he growled.

“When she arrived, she was
wearing a blonde wig and had on an Encala robe. She was immediately
mistaken for an Encala and thrown into prison.”

“Understandable, so let her
out.”

“She’s threatened to turn the entire
coven to ash if anyone gets near the cell, Sir.”

“So she knows Kralen’s
there?”

“Yes, Elder. They’ve been
conversing.”

“Has he agreed to return?” Chevalier
asked hopefully.

“No, Elder, and she says she’s not
leaving without him and has gone to sleep on the cement floor of
the cell.”

“Of course she has,”
Chevalier sighed. “I’m on my way. I’ll arrive by
helicop…”

“Sir… there’s a blizzard warning, high
winds and heavy snow.”

“Damnit, when’s that supposed to
clear?”

“It’s supposed to last a
good two days. We’ve moved her Mercedes into the coven and have
locked up for the storm warning.”

“Let me talk to her then, take the
phone to the prison.”

“She threatened to turn
the coven to ash if we notified you though,” Lord Dexter told him.
“Also… she’s offered to give Frederick to Kralen if he’ll return as
her guard.”

“She did!?”

“Yes, Elder.”

“Wow… damn… let me talk to
the Council. Have Kralen call us at 8am.”

“Yes, Elder.”

“Just toss a blanket and pillow into
the cell if she’s going to be that stubborn.”

“Right away.”

Chevalier shut his phone and looked
around the room.

“Is Mommy coming back?” Dain asked
from beside the fire.

“Not yet, I’m going to
talk to the Council. You stay here ok?”

Dain nodded and ran his hand through
the malamute’s thick fur as Chevalier left.

“Convene the Council,” he
said, and left for the council chambers. When he arrived, most of
them were already at their seats. Kyle and Dustin were still
missing, as they had a hunch and were headed for Thukil and
Powan.

Chevalier sat down and conferenced
Kyle and Dustin on speakerphone, “She’s at Okanogan
Coven.”

“I’ll head that way,” Kyle told
them.

“Lord Dexter said there’s a good sized
storm there… plus, she’s threatened to ash his coven if he notified
me,” Chevalier explained.

“Tell them to just send
her home then.”

“It’s not that easy. She’s
in their prison and threatens to ash anyone who touches the
cell.”

“Why would she do that?” Dustin asked,
shocked.

“Because she’s trying to get Kralen to
come back.”

“Let her try… I’m heading
back.”

“There’s more,” Chevalier
said, and looked over at the Elders. “She’s offered to give Kralen
Frederick’s ashes if he’ll return.”

“She did!?” Zohn gasped.

Quinn shook his head, “And he
said?”

“He said no, but I have him calling in
a couple of hours to see what we can arrange.”

“How did she get put in prison?” Kyle
asked, confused.

“Somehow, she showed up
with a blonde wig and an Encala’s robes. They mistook her for an
Encala and tossed her in.”

“They mistook her for an
Encala? She’s barely 5-foot tall.”

Chevalier looked over when the Chief
of Defense chuckled.

“Sorry, Elder,” he said,
and turned away.

“They didn’t really have a
choice. She smelled like an Encala.”

“Where would she get an
Encala robe from then?” Kyle asked, mainly to himself. “I mean… to
have their scent, it had to have been obtained
recently.”

“I’m almost afraid to ask… however, if
we can convince Kralen to return, we can end this abduction,”
Chevalier told him.

“You sure you don’t want me to go? I
can take the truck,” Kyle suggested.

“No, come back here. We
need to convince Kralen to stay, and then hopefully, she’ll hand
Frederick over.”

“On my way,” Kyle said,
and hung up.

“I’m an hour outside of Powan, may I
continue?” Dustin asked.

“Yes, go,” Chevalier said,
and turned off the phone.

The Council was deep in
discussion when Derrick came in, “Kralen is on the
phone.”

Quinn nodded, “Right at 8am… patch him
in here.”

Zohn turned on the
speakerphone when it rang, “Hello, Kralen.”

“You asked me to call?”

“Yes, we know Emily is there and that
she offered to give you Frederick.”

“Yes”

“Did you agree?”

“No, I did not. I can’t
protect her.”

Chevalier sighed, “I trust you more
than most of those guards.”

“That’s what she said.
However, history speaks for itself. She’ll give Frederick back
without me involved,” Kralen told them.

“What’s it going to take to get you
back here?”

“I can’t protect her.”

“No one can,” Quinn said.
“However, you were one of the most capable.”

“He’s right, even I cannot protect her
and I’m married to her,” Chevalier told him.

“Mark,” Zohn called out,
and it was silent until he entered.

“Yes, Elder?”

“Are you completely capable of
protecting Emily?”

Mark grinned slightly, “No, am I
getting replaced?”

“No, you are not. Is
anyone able to fully protect her?”

“I don’t believe so… no
disrespect, Elder,” Mark said to Chevalier.

Chevalier smiled, “None
taken.”

“That ritual was performed right in
front of me,” Kralen reminded them.

“I was there, too,” Mark
said.

“I tried to go with Emily and Miri
when the Encala took them, yet I backed off when asked.”

“We all do that,” Chevalier
said.

“I allowed her to be hunted and to
commit murder.”

“No, you did not,” Mark
said. “Now get your ass back here before I drive to Washington and
get you.”

“Good, you can share a cell with Em,”
Kralen said, slightly amused.

Mark gasped, “Emily’s in your
prison?”

“We’ll explain later,”
Chevalier said. “Emily aside, I see it as your duty to protect the
Equites and you can do that by returning Frederick to us
immediately.”

There was a long silence while Kralen
spoke, “If it happens again…”