Eternity of Vengeance : Book 7 of the Heku Series (77 page)

“Yes, she’s buried here
with the Valle, and we can revive her to return your
Mom.”

“Do it,” Alexis whispered as her heart
pounded in her chest.

“It’s going to take a lot
to get to her, revive her, and then get her to return a mortal to
us… We’ll need something in return,” Elder Ryan said.

“If I turn your mortal, you’ll bring
Mom back?”

“Yes”

Alexis looked toward her door, “I
can’t get away from the guards.”

“How did your Mom used to get
out?”

“She’d usually wipe their memories
long enough to get away. I can’t do that.”

There were fast whispers from the
Valle Council before Sotomar spoke, “Your Mom could wipe the memory
of a heku?”

Alexis sighed, “Yes, she got it from
her Dad I guess.”

“We didn’t know that.”

“The Equites kept it from everyone,
but it’s true.”

“But you cannot?”

“No, I haven’t been able to do
that.”

“Can you get into the City alone?”
Elder Ryan asked her.

“No, you don’t get it… since Mom’s
death, I’m watched like a hawk,” Alexis explained.

“Yes, I would imagine you
were.”

“If I tell Dad about your ancient
though… he’ll…”

“No!” Sotomar said quickly, and then
calmed his voice. “No, he cannot know.”

Alexis thought for a
moment, “Well… I can try at least. If all else fails, I can try to
get to Mom’s Aero.”

“Good, good… keep my number,” Sotomar
told her. “If you get free of Council City, we can have someone
meet you almost immediately.”

“Then they’ll take me to your
city?”

“No, we have a closer
coven.”

“I’ll try,” Alexis said, and then
smiled after she hung up. She was ready to have Emily back so
tensions between her and Chevalier would calm down.

***

“Why in the world would I want to go
play football with a bunch of heku?” Alexis asked her younger
brother.

“Because it’s fun.”

“And dirty, and rough, and not my
thing.”

“Stop being such a girl,” Dain said,
rolling his eyes.

Alexis adjusted one of her
many bracelets and walked past him, ignoring how he flicked one of
her diamond earrings as she passed. It wasn’t until she was almost
back in her room that she noticed her four guards weren’t from the
Cavalry. She smiled to herself, knowing how much easier Emily could
escape from the city guards.

“Where are my regular guards?” she
asked the closest one.

“They got Council permission to play
football.”

“My guards are playing a
game?”

“Yeah, something about team
building.”

Alexis nodded and
immediately headed down into the prison. After much coaxing, she
finally was able to talk to William alone. She moved up close to
his cell and motioned him over.

“What are you up to?” William
whispered, looking around the hallway.

Alexis smiled, “I’m going to get Mom
back.”

William sighed, “How?”

“The Valle have an ancient that can
bring her back.”

“There’s no ancient that can bring
back a mortal.”

“Yes there is, and the Valle have
her.”

“Alex, listen to me,” William said,
and took her hand. “There were only three female ancients, and none
of them could bring back a mortal.”

She pulled her hand away from him,
“Just because you haven’t heard of that ability, doesn’t mean it
doesn’t exist.”

“The only three female ancients, Hera,
Nyx, and Rhea…”

Alexis frowned and interrupted, “The
Greek Goddesses?”

William shrugged, “That’s
an entirely different story… anyway… those three ancients had no
real special powers. It was pretty rare that any ancient did
anything other than the ordinary. You’ve not met those ancients
because there’s no reason… no benefit… to bring them
back.”

“Well you’re wrong. One of
them can bring Mom back and I’m going to the Valle to get
her.”

“Please, talk to Chevalier first. He
can confirm what I’ve told you.”

“Here and I thought you’d
be excited… Mom can get you free and can stop Dad from destroying
the Valle.”

“What makes you think your Dad is
after the Valle?”

“He is… he’s slowly killing them off,
just like he did the Encala.”

William thought for a moment, “I
haven’t heard anything about that.”

“Again, just because you don’t
know…”

“Listen to me Alex. The
Valle aren’t going to…” He stopped talking and then sighed when
Alexis stormed off.

William sat down on the small cot in
his cell to think. He was deep in meditation when he heard a
commotion in the palace that Alexis was missing.

“Guards!” William yelled. When one of
the Equites prison guards came to his cell he moved to the bars, “I
need to speak to Chevalier, immediately.”

“He’s busy,” the guard said, and
started back for the door.

“It’s an emergency, about
Alex.”

“Sit back down and shut up,” the guard
growled, and stood back at his post.

“Chevalier!” William
yelled.

Several floors above the prison,
Chevalier sighed, “What does he want now?”

“There’s no telling,
Elder,” Kralen said. “Not sure how she did it, but she managed to
get to Exavior’s old house and took off in Emily’s
Aero.”

“Who were her guards?”

“City Guards, we were
training,” Mark explained.

“Get everyone out there looking… it’s
easy to spot that ugly purple car,” Chevalier said, and headed for
his car. He stopped walking when he heard William yell for him
again. Sighing, he angrily walked down the stairs to the
prison.

“Chevalier!” William called
again.

“Will you shut up?!”
Chevalier yelled at him as he rounded the corner to the enemy
Elder’s cell. “I’m busy.”

“I know where Alex is,” William told
him.

Chevalier’s eyes narrowed,
“How?”

“She told me where she was going…
though I didn’t know it was this soon and I tried to get her to go
talk to you first.”

“Fine then. Where is she?” It was
obvious that Chevalier didn’t believe him.

“The Valle told her they have an
ancient that can bring Emily back.”

“That’s stupid,” Chevalier growled,
and turned to leave.

“Stupid or not… she believed them and
she’s gone to the Valle thinking they will bring her Mom
back.”

***

The Valle’s Chief of Defense smiled
and walked out to the purple Aero, “Welcome, Child.”

Alexis stepped out and looked around
at the inside of the Valle compound, “What is this
place?”

“It’s Ferrin Coven,” he explained, and
then looked around.

“Where’s Sotomar?”

“He’s not here at the
moment… Come inside where it’s warmer.”

Alexis nodded and followed the enemy
into a large mansion located in the center of the high cement
walls.

“I forget how much you look like your
mother,” the Valle’s Chief of Staff said. He walked forward and met
up with Alexis and the Chief of Defense.

“Taller though, I got lucky,” Alexis
said, and then smiled. “When do we bring Mom back?”

“After the ceremony.”

“Let’s get on with it
then.”

“In the morning, Child. We have some
preparations still,” the Chief of Defense explained.

Alexis frowned slightly, “I say bring
her back first, and then you’ll have your turning.”

“First, we turn the
mortal.”

A thought suddenly dawned
on Alexis, “Wait… No. Bring her back first.”

“The deal stands… you turn
our mortal, we awaken Emily, in that order,” he said, and motioned
for her to walk up the stairs.

“At least let me meet this
Ancient,” Alexis said, following them up the long
staircase.

“That’s not possible right
now.”

“Why?”

“Your scent,” he explained, and opened
a door to a bedroom. “She will need to be acclimated some after
hundreds of years of starvation.”

“Oh,” Alexis mumbled, and walked into
the room. She had a panic starting and she suddenly doubted what
she was being told.

“Do you require anything?” the Chief
of Defense asked.

“Yes, actually. I want to see my
mother.”

“She’s dead, Child.”

“If you’re going to bring
her back… you’re going to need her body, and I want to see
it.”

“It’s not something you should
see.”

Alexis crossed her arms, “I need proof
you’re going to do what you say.”

“No,” he said bluntly, and then shut
and locked the door behind him.

Alexis looked around the room and
finally sat down on the bed, still wondering if what the Valle told
her was true. Her heart leapt at the thought that she’d get to see
Emily again, but there was a dark cloud shadowing the
bliss.

After several hours of not seeing nor
hearing anyone, Alexis decided it was time to ask her Dad about the
Ancient. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the small
silver cell phone. She flipped it open and then sighed when she saw
there was no signal.

Alexis moved to the window
and tried again, but still got no signal to her cell phone. She
looked out and noticed bars across her window, then suddenly began
to feel trapped and alone.

“Hey!” Alexis yelled, and knocked on
the locked door. She stepped back when she heard a key in the
lock.

“Do you require something?” a strange
heku asked.

“Yes, I want to talk to
Sotomar.”

“The Elder won’t be
attending.”

“Then who’s in charge?”

“The Chief of
Defense.”

“Then him, I need to speak to
him.”

“He’s busy,” the heku told her. “If
you require something, then I can assist you.”

“I need a phone.”

“Per the Elder’s orders,
until your mother returns, there will be no cell phone
usage.”

Alexis’ eyes narrowed,
“I’m not turning your mortal. I changed my mind.”

“You will do as you are told,” the
Valle’s Chief of Defense said as he walked up.

“No, I’m not going to do
it.”

He sighed and stepped into her room.
The door shut and locked behind him and Alexis watched him walk
over and sit in a chair by the one small fireplace.

“Sit, Child,” he said, and motioned
for the other chair.

Alexis sat down, “Either you let me
make a phone call, or I walk.”

“Why have you changed your mind? I
thought you wanted your mother back.”

“The more I think about that, the more
I think you are all full of it.”

He smiled, “We are not. Emily will be
returned as soon as our mortal is turned.”

“You won’t let me see your
ancient, you won’t let me see my Mom, you won’t let me make a phone
call… I get the feeling that the Valle did something stupid and
actually kidnapped me.”

“You came to us,” he reminded
her.

“Under false pretenses!”

“Calling us liars is a bit
unwarranted.”

“Then I am changing the
rules… bring back my Mom, and then I’ll turn your
mortal.”

“It’s not within your powers to change
how this will be done,” he said, standing angrily. “You will do as
you’re told and turn the mortal.”

“No”

“Is it being bitten that concerns
you?” he asked, calming some.

“Some”

“Have you ever been?”

“No”

He smiled, “Then you may like it,
Child.”

“Mom hated it.”

“Your mother was an unfortunate case.
Had she not been victimized by heku attacks, she might also have
enjoyed the calm and relaxing feeling of being fed
from.”

Alexis’ eyes began to fill with tears,
“Just let me see my Mom.”

“After,” he said, and blurred from the
room. Alexis heard the door locked again from the outside and
looked into the dark fireplace.

She sat, contemplating what to do,
through the night and when the light of dawn first broke through
the thick curtains, someone knocked on the door.

“What?” she asked, turning.

The Chief of Defense came in with a
tray, “Breakfast, then we will begin.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“So much like your mother…
Then here is your robe and I will be back in a few minutes to take
you to the ceremonial room,” he said before dropping a black robe
onto the bed and leaving.