Ferus : Book 6 of the Heku Series (63 page)

“Are you all better now?” she asked him.

Jaron smiled, “Yes.”

“And Ryder?”

“He is too. He took a
little longer because of the burns, but he’s back at his
post.”

“How does that feel on your back?” Dr. Cook
asked from the side of the pool.

Emily looked over at him.
She hadn’t noticed he was there, “Feels great.”

“If you have the energy,
the hot tub might help too.”

“I don’t know…”

“Just if you want. I’ll be
in the training room if you need me.”

Mark nodded at him and he blurred from the
room.

Emily jerked when a loud crash sounded from
outside of the building. She groaned when the movement caused her
back to spasm again. Silas and Jaron were at her in an instant,
making sure she didn’t go under the water. They supported her with
their hands as her back relaxed enough she could talk.

“What was that?”

“I don’t know. Mark went
to see and hasn’t been back,” Silas told her.

“Can we go back?” she asked, obviously in
pain.

They walked her over to
the chair and she slowly bent to sit into it. Silas grabbed her and
handed her up to Jaron once he climbed out. Jaron put her down on
the cement, so she could settle down in the chair.

“We need to wait a
minute,” Silas said, and went to stand by the door.

“What’s going on?” she
asked, gripping the plastic chair tightly.

Silas glanced at Jaron and then sighed,
“Ferus attack.”

“Outside the pool house?”
Emily gasped.

“Calm down… just relax,”
Jaron said softly when her body tensed and the pain got
worse.

She cried out when the
pain kept going as her back tightened into knots.

“Enough of that,” Silas
growled, and knelt down beside her. “Look at me.”

Emily glanced over at him,
and in an instant, he was able to lock her gaze, which shocked both
he and Jaron. It took Silas a moment to regain control, and then he
spoke softly and her body began to relax.

“You’re going to stay relaxed when I carry
you,” Silas’ voice was calm and flowing.

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Now relax, shut your
eyes,” he told her, and she went limp in the chair.

“Open the doors, I’m going to run her past
it,” Silas told Jaron.

Jaron nodded and within
seconds, Silas was laying Emily back in bed. She moaned slightly
when he laid her down, but soon relaxed and fell asleep.

“How did you control her?” Jaron
whispered.

“I’m not sure… pain maybe?”

“I want to fight.”

“Go, I’ll bring the
Council up here.”

Jaron nodded and blurred
from the room. Dustin, the Chief Interrogator, and the Chief of
Staff came into the room with Silas and Emily.

“How was the fight going?”
Dustin asked, and looked out the window.

“I think the Cavalry is
playing with them. The Ferus were on even numbers, so not sure
what’s taking so long,” Silas told them as he covered Emily up with
a blanket.

The Chief of Staff picked
up Emily’s hand and smelled her wrist, “She’s not medicated, why is
she asleep?”

“I controlled her,” Silas
told them, and grinned slightly when they all looked at him,
shocked.

“You did?”

“Yes, she was in a great
deal of pain. I’m guessing that’s why.

A stout, older woman with
long, gray hair and thick broad shoulders walked in, “Out, all of
you… she can’t lay there in wet clothes.”

Silas grinned at how
Rhonda treated the Council like children about to be
chastised.

“Respect, Rhonda… We’ve
told you that and it’s getting old,” Dustin said as he walked
out.

“Elder’s orders that she’s
to be put into dry clothes immediately. Take it up with him,” she
said, and shut the door after them.

Mark, Kralen, and Jaron
came up the stairs toward the Council. They were laughing about
something, and Mark and Jaron had changed back into their
uniforms.

“My turn,” Silas said, and
blurred down the stairs.

“So?” Dustin asked when
they arrived at the fifth-floor.

“Nothing much,” Mark told
him. “The Ferus somehow managed to get to the out-building, though,
and I’ll find out how when I’m done here.”

“How many?” the Chief of
Staff asked angrily.

“Twenty of them, they came to get Emily,”
Kralen told him.

He growled and blurred down the stairs.

Rhonda came out of the
room and glared at them all, “Whoever controlled that child should
be ashamed of themselves. She’s still asleep!”

“Who controlled her?” Mark asked the
others.

“Silas did,” Dustin told him. “Now that her
guards are back, I have a meeting.”

Rhonda grumbled as she
walked down the stairs.

“Why did Silas control her?” Mark asked when
they walked into her room.

“She was in pain, and he
wanted her to relax, so he could quickly get her up here,” Jaron
explained.

“How hard was that?” Kralen chuckled.

“It wasn’t at all, first shot.”

“Really?” Mark asked, shocked.

“She had to have allowed it then,” Kralen
told them. “I’ve suspected she has some control over that.”

Mark looked over at him, “So she can be
controlled if she wants to be?”

“Just a theory. If she was
hurting badly enough, and knew Silas was helping… maybe. She trusts
him.”

“And you’ve been suspecting this for how
long?”

Kralen shrugged, “A few years, never had
enough proof to say anything.”

“Well now I want to know.
That could really help things if she’d not fight it at times,” Mark
said, and sat down.

“Stoke that fire,” Jaron
called out when he saw the orange embers of what was left of the
fire. Two servants appeared and began to warm up the
room.

Kralen grinned, “That fight was great.”

“Just what we needed,” Mark chuckled. “We
should invite them over more often.”

“But how long before they
get their hands on her?” Jaron asked seriously.

“Hopefully never.”

“They seem to be more
organized and stronger. I wonder if they’ve found a suitable leader
now.”

“No,” Emily whispered in
her sleep, and her hands clutched into fists.

The heku looked over at
her.

She jerked slightly, “No… don’t do it…”

Mark went over and touched
her shoulder lightly, “Shhhh.”

“Why Yisolatara?” she
whispered, and then calmed down.

Mark frowned and looked over at Silas.

“What the hell is going on with that?” Silas
whispered, frustrated.

“I don’t know,” Mark said,
and let go of her shoulder.

“We’ll need to tell the
Elder she’s dreaming of it again.”

“That’ll be your job,”
Mark said, and grinned slightly.

“Oh no, that sounds like a job for the
General.”

“Nope, I’m not telling. I
order you to.”

“Tell me what?” Chevalier
asked, and stepped into the room.

“Better yet… touch her,”
Mark said, and moved away from Emily.

Chevalier walked over and gently laid his
hand on her arm.

“Don’t do this…” Emily
screamed, and fought against the restraints. She was shackled to
the floor of a ceremonial room, one with the runes painted red
across the ceiling.

“It’s all that’s befitting of a Winchester,”
a strange heku in black said to her.

“I don’t understand what Yisolatara is,”
Emily told him.

“You don’t have to
understand for it to work… let’s begin,” he said, and knelt down by
her.

Emily screamed, “I can’t turn you to
ash!”

“Of course not, silly
girl. This is a dream… When it is time to do it for real, then
we’ll protect ourselves against it,” he said.

“Yisolatara,” another heku
in blue said. He stepped forward and began etching runes into the
ground around Emily with a long stick.

“Stop it!” she screamed at him.

“Let us begin,” he
whispered, and stepped back.

“No!” she screamed, and
fought against the restraints. The twelve heku in blue started for
her and knelt around her. They slowly brought their teeth down
against her flesh.

“Emily… wake up,”
Chevalier whispered, and shook her lightly.

Her eyes fluttered open and she screamed,
“No!”

“Shhh, it’s ok, it was a dream.”

She looked over at him, panting, and shut
her eyes tightly.

“It’s not going to
happen,” he said to her softly.

She opened her tear filled eyes and looked
at him, “Someone’s going to try it.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know.”

“No one will. It’s not
only banned… but only a few of us even know how to do
it.”

“You do?”

Chevalier glanced briefly
at Mark and then back to Emily, “Yes.”

“Tell me what it is… what are they trying to
do?”

He shook his head, “It
doesn’t matter, no one knows how.”

Dr. Anderson looked over
Emily’s chart as she sat on the examination table, “Things are
really looking good. Keep the brace on for another 6 weeks, and
take it easy. That means no horseback riding, and no sitting or
standing for long periods of time.”

She nodded and glanced at Mark.

“I’ll want you back in 6
weeks. Keep going into the water as much as you can, and sit in the
hot tub afterwards.”

“Ok,” she said, and
shifted slightly when her back started to ache.

Dr. Anderson looked up, “Like now, if your
back aches, move… lying flat is the best.”

“Easy enough,” she said,
and grinned slightly.

“Do you need more pain meds?”

Mark grinned, “We have
plenty. She won’t take them.”

The doctor sighed, “If you’re hurting, take
them… no use being in pain.”

“I don’t like feeling
druggy,” she told him, and slowly slid to standing.

“Do it anyway. Call if you
need me.”

Mark shook the doctor’s
hand and then helped Emily out of the doctor’s office. Kralen and
Silas were waiting in her Jeep. The police investigation into her
attack and the death of the mortals was over, and it was finally
released from evidence.

Kralen started the engine,
while Mark helped her into the passenger seat, “We still stopping
for onion rings?”

“Please,” she said, and
smiled slightly.

“Anywhere else?” Kralen
asked, and slowly pulled out of the parking lot. The small dip of
the curb made Emily gasp slightly.

“Let’s just get her back and we’ll come
after the onion rings,” Silas said.

“No, just grab them, I’m
ok,” she said, and relaxed some into the seat.

After stopping at her
favorite restaurant for onion rings, they quickly headed back to
Council City. The Council was waiting for a report from Mark on
recent Ferus activity in the area, but he insisted on coming into
town with her first.

Emily began to eat as they
pulled onto the Interstate. After a few minutes of silence, she
looked up and noticed Kralen’s knuckles were turning white as he
gripped the steering wheel.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.
She saw Silas out of the corner of her eye and he was looking
behind them.

“Stay in the Jeep, no
matter what happens, and don’t ash anyone,” Mark growled from the
backseat.

“What!? Who?” she asked
frantically.

“I don’t know. We’re being
followed.”

Emily heard a phone shut
and then Silas spoke, “Council City is sending backup, stay on the
Interstate.”

“Damnit!” Kralen growled
when one of the black Jaguars pulled ahead of them. “Take it off
road?”

“No! Emily’s back can’t take that… we’re
going to have to face them,” Mark said.

“There are Yukons back
there,” Silas told him. “We can’t handle that many.”

“They’re slowing us down…”
Kralen said when the Jaguar began to slow.

“Emily, no ashing!” Mark
said again, and jumped out of the Jeep as soon as it stopped.
Kralen and Silas jumped out also, and she could hear what was going
on because they left their doors open.

“What the hell is this?” Silas growled.

“Easy answer… we’re taking her,” a strange
voice said.

“I think not,” Kralen yelled.

“You’re gravely
outnumbered,” the strange man said. “However, we don’t want you
three dead. We’re taking you too.”

“You just…” Silas’ voice
was cut off, and Emily heard the thud as the three heku guards hit
the ground, followed by the quiet hum of electricity.

She gasped and started to
slowly get out of the Jeep, ignoring the pain in her
back.

“Where you going,
Sweetheart?” she heard, just before the slight pinch in her arm.
She saw the face of a strange heku as darkness took
over.

***

“I don’t see the sign of a
struggle,” Kyle said, looking through the Jeep.