Ferus : Book 6 of the Heku Series (62 page)

“Yes”

“Would that include locations of any
compounds or strongholds?”

“I think so, but that
would take Emily to find. The system is too advanced, and I’m not
familiar enough with computers,” Silas said.

“We could get her a
laptop,” Quinn said, and turned to Chevalier.

“It’d take a few days, until she’s off pain
medication and able to focus.”

“It will take months to
alert all of the covens,” Exavior said. “It can’t be
done.”

“Yes it can, with time,” Sotomar told him.
“The idea is solid and we gain the advantage of staying out of the
public radar.”

“As soon as Emily is well enough to get us
the locations, we’ll meet again and divide the list up by proximity
to a large coven,” Chevalier said.

“Agreed,” Sotomar said.

William talked briefly with Frederick and
Aaron before turning to them, “We also agree.”

“We’re going to trust the Encala to help
with this? Seems unstable at best,” Exavior said, amused.

William glared at him, “We
can be more trusted than the Valle. We’ve never tried to turn her,
nor have we spent time with her in an interrogation
room!”

The Elders all looked up
when Alexis walked into the room through the back doors and sat
down by Chevalier.

“We’ve called in Alexis to keep the peace,”
Zohn said. “Remain civil, this isn’t time to bicker.”

“What am I supposed to do,
Daddy?” Alexis asked, and glanced nervously at the enemy
Elders.

Chevalier smiled, “If one of them yells at
another, simply turn him to ash.”

“But…”

“It’s ok,” Chevalier told
her, and smiled. “They will behave.”

Alexis scanned the Elders
in the trial area. Her dark hair and hauntingly dark eyes were all
that set her apart from looking exactly like Emily. The 10-year-old
girl’s eyes stopped on Exavior.

“Aren’t you the heku that hurt Mom so
badly?” she asked him.

Exavior shifted nervously, “That was a long
time ago.”

“So it was you?” her voice was soft and
timid.

He sighed,
“Yes.”

Alexis reached under the desk and took her
Dad’s hand.

“So it’s settled. Wait to
hear from us about the locations, and we’ll set a time and date for
the next meeting,” Quinn told them.

“We still haven’t dealt
with the Ferus,” Sotomar told them. “While we’re all
here.”

William frowned, “We
haven’t had an attack in a while. Are they still even out
there?”

“Oh, they are,” Exavior
said, and smiled slightly. “I built a strong… coven… for a
reason.”

“Again, the Encala feel
it’s the Valle’s mess to clean up,” Frederick growled.

“We’ve been too busy obliterating you!”
Exavior yelled.

“Hey!” Alexis yelled. The
second she met Exavior’s eyes, he turned to ash.

Chevalier chuckled, “Good girl.”

“While we do take responsibility for
Exavior’s actions, it affects us all and will need to be dealt with
by all,” Sotomar said, unaffected by Exavior’s current state.

“This is simple, alert our
covens to kill any unfactioned heku on sight,” Quinn
said.

“What about unfactioned that aren’t with the
Ferus?” Kyle asked.

“They pose a threat, dispose of them,”
Frederick suggested.

Quinn nodded, “Agreed.”

“If we start wiping out their numbers, soon
they will attack,” Valle Elder Ryan said.

“That’s good, if they
attack, then we can wipe them out on a larger scale,” Zohn
replied.

“Agreed, let’s just
implement that with us all. Unfactioned heku are to be killed, no
questions asked,” Sotomar said.

William nodded, “Consider it done.”

“Very well, we’ll
adjourn,” Zohn said, and stood up.

“We have one other thing…”
Sotomar said, and glanced at William.

Zohn sat down, “What?”

“The Encala and the Valle have had some time
to discuss things… and we would like to reconsider the alliance
from a few years ago.”

Zohn grinned slightly, “The one you broke in
the middle of the night, sending Emily into panic and tears?”

“I’m sorry about that,”
William told him. “It was hasty and uncalled for.”

“The Valle wiped out your
city not even a month ago. You’re willing to form an alliance with
them?” Chevalier asked, shocked.

“The alliance won’t be
between us and the Encala,” Valle Elder Ryan explained. “It would
merely pit both factions as friends of the Equites.”

“You mean Emily,” Quinn
said, and sat back in his chair.

“Pretty much, yes.”

“Why?” Alexis asked, and
turned to Chevalier. “What benefit would they get if Mom considered
them friends?”

Chevalier looked over at her, “It would
ensure she won’t eradicate them in the middle of the night.”

Alexis smiled, “Oh, yes, she can do
that.”

“You look amazingly similar to your mother,”
Sotomar said to the girl.

She nodded, “So I’ve heard, though I hope to
be taller.”

Chevalier chuckled, “There is a chance you
will be.”

“And stronger… she’s not
nearly as strong as she thinks she is.”

“Enough, Alex,” Chevalier
said, and turned away to hide a grin.

“So is the alliance agreed on?” Frederick
asked them.

“I tend to say that that
would be up to Emily, when she’s feeling better.”

“Will she not abide by it if you form
it?”

“I’m not saying that, but
she has emotions to deal with, and she’s highly upset at the Valle
right now, and very protective of the Encala.”

Frederick grinned, “Interesting.”

“No, it’s not interesting.
She had nothing to do with that attack,” Sotomar said,
irritated.

“We know that,” Quinn told
him. “Again… she’s dealing with human emotions.”

“Very well, we’ll ask her when she’s
better,” William told them.

“Before we leave, might we
see the heku child again?” Sotomar asked, and smiled
nervously.

“Why?” Alexis asked him.

“He’s fascinating, and we
wish to see him.”

“Alexis is pretty
protective of her little brother,” Zohn explained. “We’ll bring him
here, but I warn you to watch it around him.”

“We won’t hurt him. I
promise,” Sotomar said.

“I’ll go get him then,”
she said, and walked out of the room.

“Charming girl,” William said. “She seems
more quiet and reserved than her mother.”

“She is,” Chevalier told him.

“We count ourselves
lucky,” Dustin said, and then sat back in his chair when Kyle
glared at him.

Alexis came back a few minutes later holding
Dain’s hand. He put his hands up for Chevalier and his Dad picked
him up.

“Who they?” he asked, pointing at the trial
area.

“Those are… just some heku that want to meet
you,” Chevalier told him.

“Can you smile for us,
Child?” William asked, and moved a step closer.

Dain frowned, “I don’t bite Mommy.”

“That is good.”

“Mommy has owie.”

“Yes, we know.”

“Fascinating,” Sotomar said, watching Dain
closely.

“I has an owie too,” Dain
said, and lifted his pant leg slightly to show them his
ankle.

“I’m sure you did,”
William told him when there was no sign of an injury.

“Is all gone.”

“Is his growing accelerated?”

“No, at least, not yet,” Chevalier said.

“How often does he feed?”

“Enough about my son,”
Chevalier said. “It is time to adjourn. I’d like to go check on
Emily.”

“Might we pay her a visit?” Sotomar
asked.

“No”

“We will be quiet,” William told him.

“No… the guards will see you out.”

***

“Are you sure that’s what the instructions
say?” Emily asked, looking up from a knotted string of yarn.

“Yes,” Mark told her, and
turned the book over.

“Let me look,” Silas said,
and took the book. He glanced at it and turned the page, “I’m sure
that’s how it’s done.”

Emily looked up at the yarn and crochet
hook, “It doesn’t look like it should.”

“Here, let me try,” Jaron
said, and took the hook from her. He looked at the instructions
carefully and went to work.

Emily grinned, “I appreciate you trying to
find me something new to do, but I’ve never really been good at
stuff like that.”

“We’re pretty limited with you bedridden,”
Mark said. “We can try something else though.”

“Did you ask Chevalier?”

“Yes, but he wants to check with Dr. Cook
first.”

“It’s only a week early,
and I’m dying to get in the pool.”

Mark nodded, “I know, but
I’m sure Dr. Cook will have something to say about it.”

Chevalier stepped in and everyone looked up
at him except for Jaron, who was completely absorbed in trying to
figure out how to crochet. The Elder grinned and crossed his arms
as he saw one of the top ranking guards doing yarn work.

Mark cleared his throat and Jaron looked
up.

“Oh! Sorry, Elder,” he
said, and put it down.

“I thought you were
supposed to teach Emily how to knit, not the Cavalry,” Chevalier
said, amused.

“We’re having… issues…
figuring it out,” Silas chuckled.

“What did he say?” Emily asked.

“He said… be careful.”

“I can go!?”

“Yes, but there are to be
three guards in the water with you. He doesn’t want you swimming,
just floating.”

“That’s great! Can I go now?”

Mark shrugged, “We’ll go get changed.”

“How do I get down there?” she asked
Chevalier.

“Dr. Cook suggested in a
chair.”

Emily frowned, “That’s too heavy with me in
it.”

“No it’s not. I can stay if you’d like, go
into the water with you.”

“It’s ok, I know you have
to go punish the innocent,” she said, and grinned.

“We don’t… never mind…
just be careful and if it hurts, get her back up here,” Chevalier
told Mark.

“Yes, Elder… our
replacements are here. We’ll be right back,” Silas told her, and
the three of them disappeared.

“Heard you got sprung,”
Kralen said when he walked in with three other members of the
Cavalry.

“Sort of… at least I get
to get out of this room,” Emily told him.

“Scram for a sec, I’ll get
her ready,” Chevalier told them, and they disappeared and shut the
door behind them.

“How am I going to get back into a
nightgown?” she asked as he gently slipped it off and dug through
her drawers for her swim suit.

“I’ve been thinking about
that, and Mark knows to bring in Rhonda.”

“I hate Rhonda. She treats
me like a toddler,” Emily said, and then gasped slightly when the
movement of putting on her swim suit jerked her back.

“Still, it’s her or Kyle,”
he said, and grinned.

“Nice… ok, Rhonda it
is.”

As gently as he could, he
slipped his hands around to her upper back and tied off her bikini
top. She took the opportunity to kiss him softly and then wrapped
her arms around his neck. He pressed his lips to hers and then
pulled away and grinned.

“Your back…”

“What I had in mind didn’t
include my back,” she said, and kissed him again.

“Have fun swimming,” he
told her, and stood up. “Ready to stand for a second?”

“That’s the plan eh?
Sure…” she said, and took his hands. She cried out when she first
sat up and her back spasmed. The room suddenly filled with palace
guards along with Mark, Silas, and Jaron in long cut-offs they were
using as swim suits.

“Just us moving,”
Chevalier said, and helped her to her feet. Mark quickly slipped an
arm around her waist when her knees started to give out, and Silas
pushed a plastic chair up behind them so Chevalier could sit her
down.

Emily breathed through the pain and then
opened her eyes when her back calmed down, “What is this
chair?”

“That was Mark’s idea,”
Silas said. “With a plastic chair, we can put it all the way into
the pool to get you in and out.”

“Nice,” Chevalier said, raising his
eyebrows.

Mark reached down and easily picked her up,
still in the chair.

“Mark, no!” she screamed,
and he put her down gently.

“Did that hurt?” Chevalier asked, kneeling
beside her.

“No, he’ll hurt himself
doing that,” Emily said, and frowned.

Mark rolled his eyes, “I’m apparently
stronger than I look.”

Chevalier chuckled, “He won’t hurt
himself.”

Mark picked her up again,
and all six heku guards followed him down. Emily heard Equites 1
take off as they walked into the out-building. Four guards stopped
outside the doors to the pool, while Mark, Silas, and Jaron went
into the warm steamy room.

Silas jumped down into the
pool and took Emily from Mark. He sat her down in the water, and
she relaxed and leaned back.

“Oh my God that feels
good,” Emily told them as she floated on the water.

“I bet,” Jaron said, and
quickly glanced around the room.