Proditor : Book 5 of the Heku Series (100 page)

“
We were out in the
stables. Alexis wanted to see if she’d left a book out there and
then… we decided to go riding,” Allen said, and sighed. “I know we
weren’t supposed to, but Mom is sick and the Cavalry was
busy.”

“
We’ll talk about that
later, for now, let’s just find your sister.”

***

“
Emily, I brought you some
Sprite,” the Chief Interrogator said from outside the bathroom
door.

“
Go away,” Emily whispered,
knowing he could still hear her.

“
I’ve been asked to check
on you,” he said, and tapped the door to break the lock. He opened
the door slowly and saw her lying on the cold floor. Her eyes were
shut and she had no color, “Are you ok?”

“
I’ll give you $500,000 to
kill me,” she said softly.

He grinned, “I don’t need $500 grand.”

Emily sighed, “Please go away.”

“
Fine,” he said, and set
the Sprite down on the floor next to her. He shut the door and
returned to the council chambers.

“
That explains where Bruce
Isaac went,” Sotomar said, nodding his head. He turned when the
Chief Interrogator came in, “How is she?”

“
She’s breathing, though
she doesn’t look well and she’s lying on the bathroom
floor.”

Sotomar frowned, “Did you pick her up and
put her in bed?”

“
No, Sir, she told me to go
away.”

Zohn grinned, “That’s normal, leave her
there.”

Sotomar turned back to Zohn, “Does she get
assaulted by mortals often?”

“
Yes, quite often. As a
Council, we suspect that mortals are attracted to the Winchester
scent also, though they may not realize why… then when you have her
looks, it isn’t safe for her.”

“
Interesting, I think your
theory may be correct, though, there’s no real way to find
out.”

“
You should go out with her
some time, into a mortal store… you would be amazed at how many
mortal men will go out of their way to get near her. I can’t see
that being just the looks.”

Sotomar grinned slightly, “Has to be part of
it.”

“
Well, yes,” Zohn said.
“Especially in some of the outfits I’ve seen her in.”

The Elders looked over from their chairs in
the small conference room when the door opened. Emily backed in and
shut the door softly and then put her ear to it.

“
Lost, Dear?” Sotomar
asked.

Emily sighed and looked back at the Elders,
“Hi… no mask?”

“
I have acclimated. Have a
seat, we can order you some lunch.”

Emily touched her stomach and sat down, “No,
no food.”

“
How long does the illness
last?” Sotomar asked, unsure if that was rude.

“
About a month… have you
heard from Chev?”

Zohn shook his head, “Nothing yet.”

There was a knock on the door and Sotomar
smiled, “Crackers and Sprite.”

Emily nodded and turned to take them, but
her eyes grew wide when she saw the heku. He didn’t have a mask on
and was crouched. She backed toward the wall when he hissed, and
Sotomar was on him in an instant. They blurred out into the hallway
and Zohn shut the door.

Zohn grinned slightly, and when there was
another knock, he opened the door and turned with a glass of cold
Sprite and a plate full of crackers.

Emily took a cracker and glanced back at the
door, “I guess Sotomar is yelling at him.”

Zohn raised his eyebrows, “No, he is dead.
I’m sure the Elder will return after he speaks to whoever was over
that heku.”

“
He died?”

“
Yes, that was a blatant
disregard of a direct order.”

Emily took a small bite and pulled her knees
up, “You wish I would obey heku laws, don’t you?”

“
Yes, I do,” Zohn said, not
holding anything back.

“
What would you do if I
didn’t follow them when I was supposed to?”

“
You want to talk
punishments?”

“
No, I want to know if you
would just kill me, like you would a disobedient heku.”

Zohn smiled, “Believe it or not, I don’t
kill everyone who disobeys an order.”

“
So let me have it, what
would be my punishment?”

“
Who is punishing you?”
Sotomar asked, returning to the conference room.

“
Apparently I am,” Zohn
told him. “She wants to know what I would do if she were bound by
heku laws and broke a direct order.”

“
Interesting… let’s hear it
then.”

“
That poses a problem
though. What I would do to a heku would kill a mortal.”

“
So have at it, don’t hold
back… I am told to guard a door, and I leave, mid-shift… let me
have it.”

Zohn glanced at Sotomar briefly before
speaking, “Well, for a heku that would be easy…”

“
You’re hesitating, just
answer.”

“
Is Chevalier
around?”

“
There is no Chevalier, or
Kyle, or Quinn, or Mark…”

Zohn grinned slightly, “I think that would
call for a lashing.”

Sotomar raised an eyebrow, “At the very
least.”

“
Fine Sotomar, what’s my
punishment were I a Valle?” Emily asked, and finished the
cracker.

“
I would agree with the
lashing, but then you would be left there for a few
days.”

“
Days?”

Sotomar nodded, “Yes.”

“
Hmm, I see,” Emily said,
and picked up the cold glass of Sprite. “You all did give me a
lashing already… and left me.”

Sotomar cringed, “Things were
different.”

“
Now I’m curious,” Emily
said, and hit the speaker on the phone in front of her. She thought
for a moment and then dialed.

“
Who are we calling?” Zohn
asked, ready to turn the phone off.

“
Encala Council,” a gruff
voice said.

“
Is William
there?”

“
I am… who is this?”
William asked.

“
It’s Emily.”

“
Ahh, Emily, I see you are
with the Valle.”

“
Yeah and I have a question
for you.”

“
Ok,” William said. “Why is
this making me nervous?”

“
Oh, it should,” Sotomar
chuckled.

“
Hush Soto… ok
so…”

“
Soto?” Zohn
asked.

“
Will you two be quiet?”
Emily paused when she heard laughter over the phone, “William… who
is the meanest on your Council?”

“
Frederick,” Zohn and
Sotomar said together.

“
I concur,” William said,
still sounding unsure.

“
Is Frederick there?” Emily
asked.

“
I am,” a strange voice
said.

“
Who are you?”

“
I’m the Chief
Enforcer.”

“
May I ask you a
question?”

“
You may.”

“
Hypothetical question… I’m
a member of the Encala guard staff…”

“
When?” he
asked.

Emily frowned, “I don’t know… now I
guess.”

“
Ok, do go on.”

“
I’m held by the same laws
as every other member of your guard staff... but I’m mortal. I’m
given a direct order by Aaron to…”

“
Why me?” Aaron
asked.

“
I’m given a direct order
by Aaron to guard a door… halfway through my shift, I skip out and
take off,” Emily said, ignoring Aaron’s complaint. “What’s my
punishment?”

“
Chevalier would never
allow…”

“
There is no Chevalier. I’m
an Encala, never even met any of the Equites.”

“
Are you married to an
Encala Elder?”

“
No… I’m free game… what’s
my punishment?”

“
What’s behind the
door?”

Emily shrugged, “Umm… A book with a list of
every Equites coven in America.”

“
Death then.”

Emily gasped, “You’d kill me for that?”

“
Yes, I would.”

Sotomar chuckled.

“
What if nothing was behind
the door, but I was still told to guard it?”

“
Well,” the Chief Enforcer
said. “For that minor infraction, I would dislocate your
shoulders.”

“
Erm… Freddy?”

“
It’s Frederick,” he said,
amused.

“
Yeah… remind me never to
join the Encala’s guard staff.”

“
That or do as you’re
told.”

Emily glared at Zohn and Sotomar when they
laughed.

“
Child, why are you with
the Valle, and why are you talking punishments?” William
asked.

Emily sighed, “I’m being held against my
will, while Chevalier leads a group of heku to get my children back
from Exavior’s pseudo-faction.”

“
Good thing that’s not
classified,” Zohn said, irritated.

“
Against your will?” Elder
Aaron asked.

“
Yes, I’d much rather be
out fighting with them. They have my kids.”

“
I thought you were with
child.”

“
Yeah? So?”

“
So it seems it was in
their best interest to confine you to quarters so as not to escape
and join the battle uninvited,” Encala Elder Reese said.

“
You’re all alike aren’t
you?”

“
Yes, we are,” Zohn said,
smiling.

“
Why don’t the Encala come
rescue me from my forced confinement then?”

“
Emily…” Sotomar said, but
William cut him off.

“
And give you the
opportunity to leave while we fought? No.”

“
Doesn’t matter, I’ll get
away from these two factions, a third won’t help,” Emily told them,
grabbing another cracker.

“
Do you require
assistance?” William asked.

“
No, I can get out
alone.”

“
I was asking Zohn and
Sotomar.”

“
No, we’re fine, as of yet
she hasn’t made it out of the palace,” Sotomar said.

Emily dropped the cracker and ran out of the
room suddenly.

***

“
Equites 1 to Thukil,” the
pilot called over the radio.

“
Thukil here.”

“
There’s a landing area
just north of the cinder block plant.”

“
Roger that, I see
it.”

The four helicopters landed, and the desert
fell silent as the black clad heku jumped out of the helicopters
and lined up according to groups. Chevalier, Kyle, Thukil Captain
Darren, and Powan’s General Skinner met in front of them.

“
Want us to head out again
and survey?” Skinner asked.

“
Yes, report back as soon
as you can. I’d like to attack before dark,” Chevalier told him,
and then watched as the wolf pack disappeared into the Mojave
Desert.

Allen walked up beside his Dad, “I want to
go in.”

Kyle glanced at him and back to
Chevalier.

“
Don’t tell your Mom,”
Chevalier said after a few moments, and then turned back toward
where Powan disappeared.

“
How did you get Mom to
stay away?”

Chevalier grinned slightly, “Zohn has her at
the Valle Palace.”

“
Do you fully trust
them?”

“
No, that’s why Zohn is
there.”

“
How long can the alliance
last?” Allen asked, following his Dad’s gaze.

“
I don’t know, there’s
never been one before.”

Allen turned to Chevalier, “Can it
last?”

“
I’m afraid
not.”

“
Does Mom know?”

“
No, I think she thinks
this is permanent. Course, when it was made, she thought she was
going to die of old age eventually.”

Allen frowned slightly, “Does that mean I
won’t age either?”

Chevalier shrugged, “We aren’t sure.”

“
Is it true that you
seduced Mom to get her to join your coven?”

“
What? Who told you that?”
Chevalier asked angrily.

“
Brock said it. He’s the
Chief Interrogator for the Ferus.”

“
Well it’s not true… plus,
your mother never joined Island Coven.”

“
There’s no Ferus either,
so no Chief Interrogator,” Kyle said, taking over when he saw
Chevalier getting angry.

“
They said you killed her
abusive ex-husband, whisked her away to Wyoming, and seduced her
until she fell in love with you, and then you took her to
Maine.”

“
Shut up, Allen,” Kyle
said, and took his arm, leading him away. He saw Chevalier getting
angrier and felt it best if Allen left the questions for another
time.

“
Is it true then?” Allen
asked Kyle when they stopped on the other side of the
helicopter.

“
No, it’s not true,” Kyle
said. “It was complicated and trust me, wasn’t love at first sight…
plus, no one seduced anyone and they went to Colorado.”

“
Mom’s just so much younger
than Dad, even if you take his age at turning… seems to me that he
might have taken advantage of her youth,” Allen said
matter-of-factly.