Eternity of Vengeance : Book 7 of the Heku Series (73 page)

Alexis stood slowly, her eyes fixed on
the casket, “Stop this! She’s not dead.”

Allen stood and pulled her against
him, “Alex…”

“No!” she screamed, and
pulled away from him. “You can’t bury her! She’ll wake up afraid
and cold… she’s always cold.”

“Alex, come on,” Allen said, and tried
to pull her gently back to the chair.

“You told me she was going
to be ok!” Alexis yelled at her Dad. “You said she was going to
heal.”

Chevalier couldn’t think.
Her words dug into his soul and his temper again began to rise
above what he could control.

Silas moved forward and
took Alexis from her brother. He wrapped his arms around her and
she cried against his chest as Chevalier quietly watched the small
casket.

“Emily…” Quinn started, but had to
stop when his throat closed off and his heart sunk.

Sotomar quietly stepped
forward and put his hand lightly on Quinn’s shoulder. When no one
came to stop him, he recited the ancient burial incantation, his
voice rising powerfully above the burial ground of the enemy
faction. When he finished the ancient verses, he quietly stepped
back to his fellow Valle and lowered his eyes.

Chevalier stood slowly as
the casket was lowered into the ground. Silas gently picked Alexis
up when she lunged for the casket, and took her into the palace.
Allen watched breathlessly as his mother was forever buried in the
cold ground.

Mark took a single step
forward, but felt Kralen’s hand on his shoulder. He wasn’t sure
where he was going or what he was doing, but felt the need to stop
the burial, to somehow bring her back and fix what Frederick
caused.

Quinn reached down and
picked up a handful of dirt in his strong hand, and then tossed it
onto the casket, softly whispering a good-bye,
“Tedesidero.”

Zohn walked forward and
did the same, followed by the Council. Chevalier couldn’t move. He
couldn’t will his body to go forward and cover her with dirt.
Alexis’ words about Emily being in the cold ground rang through is
head and made his heart turn hard and cold.

Without a word, Chevalier disappeared
from the burial sight. His movements were caught only by Sotomar,
the only other ‘old one’ at the funeral. Sotomar let him go and
left quietly with Ryan after Kyle followed Chevalier.

It was four days after the funeral
before the Council met again. Chevalier hadn’t been heard from and
most of the city was still in mourning over the loss of Emily.
Allen returned to Island Coven the next day, while Alexis and Dain
waited silently in their bedrooms for Chevalier to
return.

Zohn sat down and glanced briefly at
Chevalier’s empty chair before addressing the Council, “We have a
lot to catch up on, so let’s get started.”

Quinn cleared his throat before
speaking, “There are some things we need to take care of before
Chevalier and Kyle return.”

“Such as?” Dustin asked. He was the
only one of the Council who was ready to get back to everyday
activities.

“Such as… we need to prepare for
Alexis being the next target for the Valle and the
Encala.”

“If there’s any Encala left,” the
Chief of Defense said.

Quinn nodded, “She’s still a target. I
realize that there are only around two hundred Encala left alive…
maybe less, but the factions still want a Winchester and Alexis is
all that’s left.”

“All that will ever be left,” Zohn
said. “She cannot have children.”

“Dain also,” Quinn added. “There is
speculation about what would happen if Dain were to father a child.
We fear that the Valle may want to try this.”

“And Allen?” the Chief of Finance
asked.

“He can protect himself and we leave
that up to Island Coven. Right now we focus on the two younger
children.”

“Have we heard from… him?” the Chief
of Defense asked.

Zohn looked down at his hands, “No,
neither he nor Kyle have been heard from since the
funeral.”

“Encala reports?” Dustin
asked.

“The only thing we’ve heard is that
those that are left are hiding for fear of being brutally tortured
and then murdered.”

“Frederick?”

“No sign of him. Though Thukil and our
Cavalry are out there looking.”

“If they find him?”

“He’s to be kept for Chevalier,” Zohn
said.

“Easy enough,” Dustin said, and sat
back in his chair. “We double the guards on Alexis, four Cavalry at
all times.”

“The Cavalry is busy… and still
feeling the effects of losing a Commander and their
charge.”

“That wasn’t their fault.”

“It was no one’s fault but
Fredericks,” Quinn snapped. “However, they have taken it
personally.”

Zohn sighed, “We naturally will put
the Cavalry on Alexis when they are done helping Chevalier… but
until then, she’s sitting alone in her bedroom with only her
younger brother to help her.”

“She’ll get over it,” Dustin
said.

Quinn glared at him, “Get out of my
sight.”

Dustin nodded and blurred from the
room.

“She’s not eating, sleeping, or
letting anyone in her room,” the Chief of Defense
reported.

Quinn smiled slightly, “That sounds
familiar.”

“Emily and Alexis were
unique,” Zohn whispered. “That child is now alone.”

“What of Dain, then?” the Faction
Liaison Officer asked.

“We hope he’s strong enough to protect
himself, but he’s young and inexperienced,” the Chief of Staff
said.

“What do you think about Dain’s
ability to father a Winchester?” the Court Reporter asked
Zohn.

Zohn shrugged, “I guess
it’s possible, but we may never find out. Other speculations are
about if Alexis were to turn a mortal… would her powers move on to
them? Similar to the original ancient who started Powan by passing
on his abilities.”

“Other ancients didn’t pass on their
abilities though,” Quinn said.

“True”

Whispers suddenly erupted
from all around the palace. Chevalier and Kyle had just returned to
the palace with Frederick, and those who saw them spoke of the
immense rage the Elder and Chief Enforcer had.

Quinn looked at Zohn, “Clear out the
palace again.”

Zohn nodded and turned to the Council,
“Go to your home covens, we will call when things are
clear.”

“We should evacuate the
Elders also,” the Chief of Defense said.

“No,” Zohn told him.
“We’re safe.”

The Council quickly
disbanded and headed for their covens while the entire palace
emptied out. Most heku in the city did the same and soon, an eerie
silence passed through the large city. When screams started from
the dungeon, Zohn looked at Quinn.

“I keep reminding myself that it is
deserved,” Quinn whispered.

Zohn simply nodded and
turned to the trial room door when it opened. Dain stepped in and
shut the door behind him.

“Yes, Child?” Quinn asked.

“Dad is back?”

“Yes”

“Who does he have?”

Zohn sighed, “Frederick was
found.”

Dain grinned evilly and
disappeared from the room. Prison guards asked the Elders if he was
to be allowed into the prison and he was granted the right to help
avenge his mother’s death.

Quinn turned suddenly when the back
doors opened, “The palace is to be cleared… oh…”

Alexis stepped in, still red eyed and
timid as she shut the door behind her.

Zohn smiled softly, “Are you ok,
Alexis?”

Alexis nodded, but seemed
unsure.

“Is there a problem?”

She shook her head.

Quinn put his hand out, “Come… sit
with us for a bit.”

Alexis thought for a
moment before taking his hand and he helped her to sit down in the
chair next to him. She jumped and looked over when new screams
filled the palace.

Zohn looked toward the door, and then
back to Alexis, “Is it the screams that’s bothering
you?”

She shrugged.

“Are you afraid?”

When Alexis started to nod, her eyes
filled with tears.

“His rage won’t extend to you,
Child.”

“It’s…” she whispered, and then looked
down at her hands.

“Tell us, maybe we can
help.”

“No one can help me.”

Quinn took her hand gently, “You
aren’t alone.”

Just the thought brought a new round
of tears as the hole in Alexis’ heart grew bigger and there was
nothing she could find to stop the pain.

Zohn watched her for a few moments
before speaking, “He didn’t mean to lie to you.”

Alexis didn’t look up from her hands,
“He promised me she was going to heal.”

“He thought she would… we all
did.”

“I can’t do this,” she
said through sobs.

“Do what?”

“I can’t live without my
Mom.”

“I know it’s going to be hard, but
we’re all here for you.”

“She was so strong, and
I’m not like that.”

Zohn glanced at Quinn
briefly before speaking, “You are stronger than you can imagine.
Having the blood of both Chevalier and Emily, you are probably
stronger than both of them.”

“No,” she whispered. “I’m
not. I’m afraid of being alone, of being tortured and kidnapped
like Mom was. I can’t do what she did and I can’t fill her
shoes.”

“No one is asking you to.”

Alexis nodded and looked
up at them, “I know what’s going to happen. I’m the last Winchester
now, but I’m not my Mom and I can’t live with the pain and
suffering.”

Quinn nodded slightly, “I
see what you’re concern is and I’m not sure you should be worrying
about that. Do you know what your Mom told the Council?”

“No”

“She told us that we gave her a
wonderful life and that she couldn’t ask for anything
more.”

“So?”

“That tells me that even though she
dealt with pain and hardships… it was nothing compared to the happy
life she had with the heku.”

Zohn nodded and then
smiled softly, “She… she always amazed me how well she bounced back
from something. It was like she wasn’t going to let anything break
her spirit and get her down.”

Quinn looked around the trial room,
“Just when I thought she might finally have had enough, she’d do
something… something that only Emily would do.”

“Like the time she put a
sick horse in Dustin’s office… there was… vomit… all over his
desk.”

Quinn grinned, “Or when she secretly
replaced the Council’s robes with pink ones.”

Alexis started to laugh through her
tears, “You should see what she had planned that never got carried
out.”

“Oh, like what?” Zohn
asked.

“Let’s just say that
there’s still an order out there for 46 cases of light bulbs that
should arrive within the next few weeks.”

“My God, for what?” Quinn
asked.

Alexis fell deep into
thought before speaking, “She never would say.”

“Your mother paved the way for you to
have a lot better of a life than she had… and from the way she
talked, hers was pretty good.”

“I know,” Alexis said, and looked
toward the door when a new round of screams started.

“Would you like us to take you away
from the noise?”

“No… I just… I’m not a full-heku I
guess.”

“What makes you say that?” Zohn
asked.

Alexis smiled at him, “I don’t mind
the noise… I’m just glad I’m not helping.”

Quinn nodded and then smiled at
Alexis, “Tell us what your mother thought the ancient’s room was
for.”

Alexis started to laugh, “She wouldn’t
even tell me.”

“Damn”

The screams suddenly stopped and the
young girl looked at the doors, “Maybe he’s done.”

“I’m afraid not,” Zohn
said. “He’s waiting for Frederick to regain
consciousness.”

“I wish I could hear like the
heku.”

“Sometimes I wish I
didn’t. It’s never quiet.”

“True,” Alexis said, and
then stood up. “I’m going to have more guards now, aren’t
I?”

“Yes”

She thought for a moment and then
headed up the stairs.

“She may not be full heku,
but I am, and I’d like to see what they’re doing to Frederick,”
Zohn said, and headed for the door. The prison guards bowed to him
when he walked through and he noticed that not a single sound could
be heard from the prisoners.