Ferus : Book 6 of the Heku Series (3 page)

Silas glared at him, “Stop it.”

“I was just kidding and she knows it.”

They both turned and
watched her quickly make sandwiches. She sat a plate down in front
of Kralen and Silas, and then sat with her own plate and started to
eat.

Kralen looked down at the grilled cheese, “I
was kidding, you know that…”

“It’s just a joke, right?”
Silas asked, smiling, and looked over at Emily. She continued to
eat in silence. When she finished, she sat perfectly still at the
table and watched the wall. After almost an hour, Silas glanced at
Kralen and he shrugged, not sure what to do.

“Did… did you maybe want to go start
planting in the garden?” Silas asked, watching her.

Emily looked over at him,
but didn’t speak.

“Come on, we’ll help,”
Kralen said, and stood up. Emily got up finally and followed them
out to the newly tilled land. She grabbed a set of tools and a bag
of seeds, and began to plant while Kralen and Silas started at the
other end.

Night fell and she
continued to plant, even when a light rain began to fall. Silas and
Kralen stayed at their task and kept a close eye on her, wondering
when she was going to stop.

“What are you still doing out here?”
Chevalier asked, walking up to the garden.

Kralen shrugged, “We figured we’d stop when
she does.”

“Em, it’s 11 o’clock,”
Chevalier told her, but she continued to plant.

“She’s not very chatty,” Silas whispered,
too low for her to hear.

Chevalier sighed, “Just go to bed, Em.”

Emily nodded, stood up,
and headed inside, followed by the three heku. They followed her in
and watched, confused, as she crawled into bed fully
dressed.

Kralen watched her for a
few seconds, and then took up his post outside of her door, trailed
shortly by Silas.

“Em?” Chevalier asked, sitting on the side
of the bed.

“Yes?”

“Are you ok?”

“Yes”

“At least put on a nightgown before going to
bed.”

Emily nodded and got out
of bed. She pulled off her clothes suddenly as Chevalier rushed to
shut the door. After putting on a nightgown, she got back into bed
and shut her eyes.

Chevalier met Anna at the
door and she handed Dain over. He was crying loudly and obviously
upset. He took the baby and laid him in bed with Emily, watching
closely as he scooted closer to her and leaned his head against her
neck before settling down. Dain stayed awake, but lay perfectly
still while Emily slept.

Chevalier joined Silas and
Kralen out in the ante-chamber, and shut the door, “Something’s not
right.”

“Maybe she’s just tired?” Kralen
suggested.

“I don’t know… Silas,
what’s in her office?”

“Not that much, other than
one huge computer setup. Three small form computers and six
wide-screen monitors, all running various things I don’t
understand.”

Chevalier frowned, “That can’t be it then. I
guess just see if she’s better in the morning.”

“She’s not up yet?” Chevalier asked,
glancing at the bedroom door.

“No, Sir, she’s awake, has
been since about 7am, but she’s not gotten out of bed,” Kralen
reported.

Chevalier knocked lightly and then entered
the bedroom when she didn’t answer. He sat down on the side of the
bed, “Are you feeling ok?”

“Yes”

“Just tired?”

“No”

“Did you just want to stay in bed today
then?”

Emily shook her
head.

“Then get up,” he said,
and sat back when she sat up and crawled out of bed. She stood by
the side of her bed and looked around as Dain reached out for
her.

Chevalier sighed, “What?”

Emily looked over at Chevalier.

“Are you waiting for something?”

“No”

“Why are you acting so
strangely?”

“I don’t know.”

“Get dressed and come talk to me in my
office.”

“Ok,” she said, and
stripped in the bedroom and then pulled on jeans and a t-shirt. She
started for the door when Chevalier sighed.

“Em… get the baby,” he said, irritated.

Emily turned and picked up
Dain, and then walked down after Chevalier to his office, with
Kralen and Silas following.

“Sir, Elder Quinn is on the phone for you,”
Storm said, walking to catch up to them.

“Ok, Em, wait out here
until I’m done,” Chevalier said, and disappeared into his
office.

Emily stood with the
guards and waited for him to return. Twenty minutes later,
Chevalier called all of them in.

“Have a seat,” he said,
and leaned back in his chair.

Emily sat down in a chair across from
him.

“Something’s up with you,
and I want to know what it is,” he said, watching her.

She didn’t respond, but
just sat and watched him. Tension grew in the office as they sat in
silence, no one moving or speaking.

“Well if you aren’t going
to help,” Chevalier growled, “Then we have to go back to Council
City. Come with us.”

“Ok,” Emily said, and
stood up.

“Ok? You’re coming?”

“Yes”

“Just like that? You changed your mind and
are returning with us?”

“Yes”

Chevalier’s eyes narrowed, “What are you up
to?”

After a few minutes of silence, Silas tapped
her on the shoulder, “Answer him.”

“I don’t know,” she said
softly.

“Emily, Kralen, wait for us outside in the
hallway.”

Emily stood up and followed Kralen out into
the hallway. He shut the door behind them and turned to look at
her.

“Something’s different
about you,” Kralen said, walking around her. “I can’t quite figure
it out.”

She didn’t move, just watched the wall ahead
of her.

“You’re quiet… you stand
still…”

She didn’t respond or
move.

“Look at me.”

Emily turned and looked into his eyes.

Kralen thought for a moment, “Feed me.”

She reached her wrist out to him.

“Damnit, put that down,” he whispered,
glancing nervously around them. She lowered her wrist to her
side.

They stood in silence for a few more
minutes, until Kralen was sure no one in the castle saw their last
interaction.

“Ok, let’s try this… Em… go kill your
horse.”

Emily nodded, and headed
for the back of the castle. Kralen followed her out into the barn
where she dug a .357 out of the storage room and opened the stall,
the gun in one hand, and Dain in the other.

“Wait!” he said
hurriedly.

Emily stopped and looked at him.

“Come inside,” he told
her, and walked quickly back inside. She had to run to keep up with
him.

“Where did you go? I told
you to wait for me out here,” Chevalier growled, then frowned
slightly when he saw the gun in Emily’s hand.

Kralen turned to Emily, “You have to check
this out.”

“What?”

“Just watch… trust me.”

“Ok”

“Emily,” Kralen said. “Let
me feed from your neck.”

She pulled her hair aside and tilted her
head slightly.

“Wait,” Chevalier growled.

“Trust me, Elder, just
watch,” Kralen said, and glanced at Silas, then back to
Emily.

“Ok, Emily, now go burn yourself on the
stove.”

Emily nodded and headed
for the kitchen, followed by the heku.

“Wait, Em,” Chevalier said
when she turned on the stove. She stopped and looked over at
him.

Kralen shrugged at Silas, and then took the
gun from Emily.

“Sit down,” Chevalier said.

Emily immediately sat
cross-legged on the floor.

Chevalier looked down at her, deep in
thought.

“Em?” Silas asked.

She looked up at
him.

“Do you want cheeseburgers or rat poison for
lunch?”

“I don’t know.”

“Em, look at me,”
Chevalier said sternly.

Emily looked up into his
eyes. He had her locked in less than a second, and her breathing
slowed to match his.

“Damnit,” he said, and
broke the gaze.

“I can’t believe you locked her,” Silas
said, shocked.

“Let me try, you’re an
‘old one’,” Kralen said, and knelt down beside her. “Look at
me.”

He immediately locked her
eyes and she relaxed under his control. After a few seconds, he
stood up and frowned.

“She has no free will,”
Chevalier said. “I knew something was strange about Exavior’s
guard.”

“Like what? Who can do this?” Silas
asked.

“His name is Rasmussen.
He’s an ancient.”

“They brought an ancient here?”

“I met him once, sometime
around 330 AD. I thought his scent was familiar when he was here. I
listened to her though, and let him go.”

“So they were telling her to follow them
yesterday when she kept trying to go with them,” Kralen said.

“Yes,” Chevalier sighed.
“She’ll do anything anyone tells her, unless she’s told something
else.”

“So what do we do now?”

“Take her back to Council City until we can
figure out what to do,” Chevalier said. He sighed and walked out,
followed by Silas and Kralen.

A few minutes later, Silas
came back into the kitchen, “Follow me, Emily.”

She stood up with Dain and
followed Silas out into the castle as he led her up to the waiting
helicopter. He helped her in and told her to sit down. Soon, they
were flying toward Council City. When the helicopter landed, the
guards lined up and the three heku walked into the palace, followed
by Emily and Dain.

“Give Dain to Silas,”
Chevalier said. Emily handed the baby over to her guard and he left
with Dain. Chevalier and Kralen headed into the council
chambers.

“Oh, you’re back,” Quinn
said. “How did it go?”

“Well…” Chevalier looked
around. “Damnit, Kralen, go get her.”

“She came back?” Kyle said, surprised.

“Sort of,” Chevalier said,
and they all watched when Emily and Kralen came in through the
trial room doors.

“Stand here,” Kralen said,
and Emily stood where he told her.

“It’s good to have you home,” Quinn said,
smiling.

She watched the Council,
saying nothing.

“There’s one small
problem,” Chevalier said. “Kralen, show them.”

Kralen hesitated and then turned to Emily,
“Emily, look at me.”

She turned to him.

“Give me your wrist to feed from.”

The Council gasped when
she held her wrist out.

Kralen cringed, “Ok, put it back at your
side.”

She dropped her hand to her side.

“I don’t get it,” Quinn said.

“Emily, go hug Zohn,”
Kralen said, and watched as she headed up to the Council seats.
Zohn frowned as she leaned down and wrapped her arms around him and
then stood by his side.

“Oh... erm... come back
down here,” Kralen said, and she joined him on the trial room
floor.

“Ever heard of Rasmussen?” Chevalier asked,
turning his seat.

“The Ancient?” Kyle asked,
looking at Emily.

“Yes”

“He takes away free will,”
Quinn said. “I take it somehow she met him?”

“Exavior and Alec paid a
visit. They had the Ancient disguised as an Imperial Guard,”
Chevalier said, sighing.

“So she’s completely obedient?” Zohn asked,
raising his eyebrows.

“It’s more than that,”
Chevalier said. “She can’t do anything on her own. We could all
leave for weeks, and she would stay right where she is.”

“So order her to stop being obedient,” Quinn
suggested.

“She takes the last order given, that might
work until someone told her to do something.”

“Emily, go slap Richard,”
Zohn said, and watched Emily walk back up to the Council
seats.

“Stop,” Richard said, and
glared at her.

“She’s not a toy,” Chevalier growled.

“Mark?” Kyle called out.

“Yes, Chief Enforcer?”
Mark said when he entered the trial area.

“Take Emily. Kralen knows
how to handle her,” Kyle said.

“Handle her?”

Kralen smiled slightly, “Follow me, Em.”

Emily and Mark followed
Kralen out of the council chambers.

“Ok, so how do we get rid of that?” Quinn
asked.

“Why get rid of it?” Zohn
chuckled. “It’s handy.”

Chevalier glared at him.

“I was kidding!”

“I don’t know. We’ll have
to hit the record books and see what we can find,” Chevalier said.
“Until then, she can’t be alone.”

“It would be too easy to
get her to leave,” Kyle said. “One small command and she’d be
gone.”

“The Valle tried that. She
tried to follow them off of the island.”

***

“She’ll do anything?” Mark asked, watching
Emily.

“Anything,” Kralen said, “But she won’t do
anything on her own, either.”

Mark thought about it while he watched Emily
stand in front of the stables, doing nothing, “Jaron?”