Ferus : Book 6 of the Heku Series (12 page)

“Hiding where though?” Kralen asked, looking
around.

Silas turned to the hidden
passageway down to the cave room, and opened the door. Emily glared
at him as the door opened, “Come out.”

“I need off this island,” Emily said,
sitting down in a chair by the fire.

“No, it’s below zero out
there, and I’m not going to let you go attack the Encala alone
either.”

“They killed Ford.”

“I know…” Silas said.
“Please, just get some sleep.”

Emily watched as Silas
returned to the balcony and Kralen took up a post in the
ante-chamber. She watched the fire and tried to think of another
way to get off the island. Her heart ached for Ford, her companion
for over 8 years. She remembered the way he nipped at her heals
when she readied her horse, excited for the impending run. She
smiled slightly at how he used to try to herd Alexis and her toys
into a circle.

Four more escape attempts
later, and the sun finally rose to a frozen morning. Snow and ice
covered every inch of the island, and the sound of a far away
helicopter sounded through the crisp air. Gordon brought bacon,
eggs, and coffee into the room, but Emily didn’t talk to him. She
was sitting in front of the fire, thinking about ways to get to the
Encala. When the helicopter landed, Kralen headed up to talk to
them, leaving Silas behind in the bedroom. After the sixth attempt
to escape, the heku overrode their orders to guard outside of her
room, and moved inside for the rest of the night.

“Elder,” Kralen said, watching him jump out
of the helicopter.

“How is she?” Chevalier asked, glancing back
as Kyle and Dustin got out of the helicopter.

“She tried to escape 6
times last night. She’s determined to get vengeance on the Encala
for Ford’s death.”

Chevalier sighed, “Six times?”

“Yes, Sir,” Kralen said.

Silas moved to the ante-chamber when
Chevalier blurred into Emily’s room. He sat down beside her on the
rug in front of the fire.

“They killed Ford,” she whispered, still
watching the fire.

“I heard.”

“Silas and Kralen won’t let me go.”

“I know.”

“They posted themselves in my room.”

“You didn’t give them much of a choice.”

Emily glanced over at him,
“They killed Ford. I can’t let that go.”

“Not to defend the Encala, but they didn’t
know it would cause a stampede… I’m more worried that you were
almost caught in it.”

“Silas and Kralen saw it
coming before I did. They wouldn’t let anything hurt
me.”

Chevalier smiled, “I know, that’s why
they’re here.”

“We don’t have room for 12 more horses.”

“I’ve called General Sisko
from Thukil, and they’re sending up a trailer to take
them.”

Emily nodded, “I’d like to keep 2 of
them.”

They both looked over when
Anna brought Dain in. She put him on the floor, and left as the
baby crawled toward them. He crawled past Chevalier and headed
right for Emily. She picked him up and tried to cradle him in her
arms, but he pulled away from her and stood up in her lap, leaning
his head against her neck.

Chevalier watched him,
still trying to decide when he needed to intervene. He knew it was
going to be a huge fight when it came time to start treating the
baby like a true heku, and not a human child.

Emily glanced over at the
table when her phone rang. She watched as Chevalier grabbed it and
looked at the I.D.

“It’s Exavior,” he said, holding the phone
out to her.

She tensed slightly and shook her head, “I
don’t want to talk to him.”

“What, Exavior?” he asked, answering it.

“I need to speak to Emily.”

“She’s busy.”

“I need to apologize, and
would like to speak to her… now.”

Chevalier raised an eyebrow, “Apologize for
what?”

“It’s of no concern to
you. Have her call me,” Exavior said, and hung up.

Chevalier put the phone
back on the table, “What’s he need to apologize for, other than the
obvious?”

Emily shrugged slightly
and brought her knuckle up for the baby to chew on. He gnawed for a
few seconds, and she gasped and jerked her finger from his mouth.
Chevalier took the baby quickly when he saw drops of blood on her
finger.

“Gah, his teeth came in,”
she said, and headed into the bathroom to grab a rag.

Chevalier held Dain when
he struggled to get out of his Dad’s grasp and crawl to Emily as he
chanted a soft, “Ma ma ma ma.”

She came back out a few
minutes later with a small Band-Aid on her finger, and reached down
to take Dain from Chevalier, but he didn’t let go of the
baby.

“How’s your finger?” Chevalier asked.

“Just a scrape. I didn’t
realize his teeth must have come in last night.”

“He’s tasted your blood now.”

Emily frowned, “He’s a baby, now hand him
over.”

Chevalier sighed and
handed the baby over to her. Dain stood up in her lap again and
leaned his head against her neck. He watched Chevalier closely.
Emily dropped him onto his back and pulled up his lips so she could
see.

“I guess it shouldn’t
surprise me that his canines came in first,” she said, and handed a
toy to the baby.

Chevalier grinned slightly, “I suppose
not.”

“He looks like a vampire.”

“Well…”

Emily glanced at Chevalier, “I need to go
check on the horses, want to go?”

“Sure, let’s leave him with Anna and we’ll
go.”

Emily nodded and handed
Dain off to Anna. She could tell that Chevalier said something to
the heku, but couldn’t hear what. One of the servants came in with
a heavy parka, and Emily threw it on before walking hand in hand
with Chevalier out to barn. She grinned when she saw Silas and
Kralen up on the new horses.

“That’s the smoothest ride!” Silas said,
riding up to them.

“That’s what they’re famous for.”

“Too bad they aren’t a little faster, I’d
keep one.”

“I’ll keep 2 of them, the rest are going to
Thukil.”

Silas grinned, “I bet that would please the
Encala, to know their gift went to Thukil.”

“They’ll live,” Emily
said, and crawled through the wooden posts into the
corral.

“If Silas and I are going to be spending a
lot of time on the island, can we claim one?” Kralen asked, riding
up to them.

Emily shrugged, “Sure, have at it.”

“Was kind of hoping you’d
all come back though,” Chevalier said. Silas and Kralen looked at
him briefly, and then raced back toward the west beach.

Emily sighed and leaned against the fence,
“I like it here better.”

“I know you do, but I
don’t like to be away from you, and we need our Commanders
back.”

“So send Silas and Kralen
back. I’m ok here.”

Chevalier grinned, “You sure?”

“Well… mostly, yesterday was a fluke.”

“I gave you an office.”

“I have an office.”

“No, in the palace.”

Emily frowned, “Why would I need an office
in the palace?”

Chevalier shrugged, “It’s full of computer
stuff and is heku proof.”

“Heku proof?”

“Yes, a heku can’t break in.”

“Oh?” Emily asked, laughing slightly.

“Allen ordered all of the computer gear and
set it up for you.”

“You’re worse than the Valle and Encala,”
she said, watching Silas and Kralen race across the pasture.

“What? How?”

“Giving me things in hopes I’ll do what you
want.”

“I’m allowed to give you
gifts, though.”

“I heard they parked guard training
facilities in my pool.”

Chevalier grinned, “Yes, we did.”

“Is it done?”

“The pool?”

“Yes”

“I’ll come back for a
week. I was going to anyway.”

“You were?”

“Storm said they are
turning someone this weekend… sounds to me like a hint that I need
to leave.”

“Oh, damn, yes… I don’t
have to be here for that though, Walen’s overseeing it,” Chevalier
told her.

Silas and Kralen put their horses into their
stalls and walked over, “Nice smooth horses, kind of fun to
ride.”

“Well, let’s all go check
out the ceremonial room,” Chevalier said, and put a hand out for
Emily.

She looked at him, “Why?”

“We have a turning this
weekend. We have to make sure everything’s in order.”

Silas glanced briefly at Kralen.

“You three can check it out without me,”
Emily told them, still not moving.

“Oh come on, it’s a room.”

“No”

“Afraid?” Silas asked, grinning.

“I’m not afraid of a room.”

“Then come on.”

“No”

“Hey, leave her alone… she can’t help it if
she’s afraid of it,” Kralen said, heading inside.

Emily glared at the back
of his head, but didn’t move.

“Trust me,” Chevalier
said, and held his hand out.

“Why do you want me to go? I’m sure the
three of you can check it out.”

“Because, I don’t want you to be… nervous…
around a room that’s this important to the heku.”

“If it’s that important to
you,” Emily said after hesitating. She finally took Chevalier’s
hand, and they followed Silas inside and down the spiral staircase
into the round ceremonial room.

Kralen and Silas walked
into the ceremonial room and turned to watch for Emily. She stepped
in but stayed close to the heavy rock door. She avoided looking at
the carved runes, but one caught her eye.

“Come, sit on my lap,” Exavior said. He
smiled and put his hand out for her.

She felt the panic start,
and it was becoming hard to breathe.

“Stop fighting me,” a
strange heku growled, and then sunk his teeth into her
leg

“Em?” Chevalier asked, watching her body
tense.

Emily turned suddenly and
ran up the stairs, leaving the three heku in the room.

“Damn,” Chevalier sighed,
and looked at the others.

Silas shrugged and glanced at Kralen.

“Well… I don’t know,”
Kralen said, and headed for the door.

“You two guard her more
than anyone else, so I’m going to tell you something in
confidence,” Chevalier said, glancing at the door.

Kralen and Silas moved
forward. It was obvious the Elder didn’t want others to
hear.

“When Emily was
3-years-old, Exavior tried to turn her… 10 times in 4
days.”

Kralen growled, “What!?”

Silas gasped.

“I don’t think she
remembers, but obviously it affected her. We need to try to get her
used to this room. It’s too important and used too often for her to
be afraid of it,” Chevalier explained.

“No wonder…” Silas said.
He started to say more, but just shook his head.

Kralen nodded, too angry
to speak, and headed up the stairs to get the helicopter ready for
take-off.

“Seriously, Chev, 18?”
Emily groaned, and looked at her new driver’s license
again.

“I’m sorry… but if we
start you off at 18, then you can keep the same I.D. for longer,”
he explained.

“It’s just… a teenager?”

Chevalier grinned, “Some
women would like being 18 again.”

“Yeah, well in a society
where I’m considered an infant anyway, it’s not high on my list to
relive my teenage years.”

“True… however… 18 is how you’ll have to
start each new I.D.”

Emily sighed and nodded,
then slipped the offending license into her purse.

Chevalier grinned as she pulled the sheet
around her and walked into the bathroom, grumbling about how Allen
was almost as old as she was.

She came out a short time
later in jeans and a thin halter top. The weather in Council City
was warm, unlike the late-season freeze the island was in the
middle of.

“Plans today?” he asked, still lying naked
in bed with a blanket up to his waist.

“Yes, I want to get new
shoes on the horses before I go back to the island,” she explained,
and sat to brush her hair.

“Why don’t you just stay here, with me?”

“I don’t like it here.”

Chevalier sighed, “Zohn
doesn’t hate you. You two just have a personality
clash.”

“It’s not just Zohn.”

“Then what else, tell
me.”

“No”

Chevalier grinned, “As an
Elder, I can order you.”

Emily glanced at him, “Try it, I dare
you.”

“Just consider staying longer than a
week.”

“I’ll consider it,” she
said, and slid on her cowboy boots.

“Are you coming next
week?”

“For what?”

“I thought I told you…
Mark, Silas, Kralen, Jaron, and Horace are getting
promoted.”

Emily frowned and sat up, “To what?”

“Just one rank level.”

“They won’t be in my
Cavalry?”

“Yes, they will… the
Cavalry’s getting big enough we need more ranking officers,”
Chevalier explained.

“Oh… well… I guess I’ll
go. No heku Barbie though, ok?”

“Promise… today though,
Quinn, Mark, and I are going to be gone.”

Emily turned to face him, “All 3 of
you?”