Proditor : Book 5 of the Heku Series (71 page)

“
Is it Kyle?” Emily asked,
trying to pull away from Chevalier.

“
No, it’s not Kyle. Is that
what you’re doing? Going after him again?” Chevalier asked
angrily.

The four Powan guards walked back toward the
Elder and stopped just to the side of him, “It’s just one of the
Council City residents. He’s out here trying to find flat rocks for
some kind of project.”

Chevalier nodded and headed back for the
palace, dragging Emily by her arm.

“
You’re hurting my arm,”
Emily said softly.

“
I don’t really care,”
Chevalier growled. Emily looked back, and the Cavalry was following
them, most of them still glaring at her.

“
Elder, they need us back
in the council chambers immediately,” Dustin said, his head cocked
slightly to the side. “It’s an emergency.”

Chevalier picked Emily up quickly and put
her on the horse in front of Mark. He glared at her and then
blurred away with Dustin.

“
I can ride my own damned
horse,” Emily said, trying to slip off, but Mark held her on the
stallion.

“
No you can’t. Now behave
and let’s get back into town,” Mark whispered angrily.

Emily ripped the reins from Mark’s hand, and
kicked the stallion into a canter, heading back into the city. Mark
held tightly to her so she couldn’t get off, and they rode silently
back to the palace. They stopped by the stables and Mark slid off
the stallion, dragging Emily with him.

She started to complain, but realized Mark
was too mad to calmly discuss things. Three other members of the
Cavalry followed along behind them as they took her to the council
chambers. If they were in session, she was to either be with them,
or one of them was to miss the session and follow her around. The
emergency warranted all members of the Council, so she was forced
to sit in on the session.

Derrick opened the door for her, and she
stepped into the trial area, rubbing her arm where Chevalier had
gripped her too tightly. She saw the gray capes of the Valle as she
walked forward.

Sotomar turned and nodded at her and then
faced the Equites Council.

“
It’s been seven days,”
Sotomar said. “No word, no reasons.”

“
It’s too much of a
coincidence,” Quinn said, and glanced over at Chevalier.

Emily walked up and sat down in Kyle’s
chair, still too mad to talk to any of them.

“
We don’t feel that it’s a
coincidence, nor do we feel that the missing banished are a
coincidence. The Chief Enforcers are the only ones that can revive
them early,” Sotomar said.

Chevalier glared at him and then looked over
at Emily when she sat up straighter and looked at Sotomar.

“
Is your Chief Enforcer
missing?” Emily asked.

“
Yes,” Sotomar
said.

Emily turned to Chevalier, “Are we missing
the banished also?”

Chevalier sighed, “Some.”

“
Damon?” Emily asked,
frowning.

Chevalier turned away from her, but Zohn
responded, “Yes.”

“
So that’s how Exavior’s
building his faction? By reviving the banished?” Emily asked,
turning to Sotomar.

“
That’s what we
suspect.”

Emily turned to Chevalier, “I can stop
this.”

“
Don’t think that joining
him will stop him,” Sotomar said. “That would only drive him to
establish a new faction earlier.”

“
Is the Encala Chief
Enforcer missing?” Emily asked, crossing her arms.

“
We don’t know. They
haven’t said,” Sotomar told her.

Emily pulled her phone out of her pocket and
dialed William.

“
She has the direct number
to an Encala Elder?” Sotomar asked.

“
Yes,” Chevalier
sighed.

“
William, it’s Emily,” she
said, glancing at the Valle.

“
I need to know if your
Chief Enforcer is missing.”

There was a pause while the others
waited.

“
Well put him under lock
and key. He’s the only one that’s not missing.”

Emily frowned and yelled into the phone,
“Don’t give me that crap, William. I don’t need that from you,
too.”

Emily slammed the phone shut, “He’s
home.”

“
The Valle gathered up all
of the banished that are left, and have reburied them in an old
ancient’s room under our protection,” Sotomar said.

The Council glanced at Emily and she
blushed, still scowling.

“
We’ll do the same. I’m
sure we can spare the old ancient’s room here also,” Quinn said,
grinning slightly.

Emily stood up, “Am I a prisoner here?”

“
Sit down, Em,” Chevalier
said sternly.

“
Am I?”

“
No”

“
Then I’m going after
them,” Emily said, and started down the stairs to the
door.

Sotomar took her by the arm, “We cannot
allow you to go.”

“
I don’t think you have a
choice,” Emily said. “They are captured because of me, and now they
have Damon. I’m going and I’ll get them all back.”

“
No,” Sotomar said
softly.

Emily pulled her arm roughly away from him,
“It’s my life and you have no say in it.”

“
If you agree to join him,
he will still keep the Chief Enforcers,” Sotomar told her. “What
better way to start a new faction than by reviving those who hate
the current ones?”

“
Trust me, I can stop him.
I can just ash all of them… he’s no longer immune,” Emily
said.

“
He was immune to you?”
Sotomar asked, shocked.

“
Yes,” Emily said, and
started for the doors. She opened them and Mark blocked her way,
“Move.”

“
No,” Mark said, crossing
his arms.

Emily grabbed her phone when it rang,
“What?”

“
My love, how are you?”
Exavior asked calmly.

“
How did you get this
number?” Emily asked, her body tense.

“
I know everything. When
will you see that? Are you ready to join me?”

“
Yes, but the factions
won’t let me… why the hell are you reviving the banished? Are you
that stupid?” Emily asked, dodging Mark’s hand when he tried to
take her phone.

“
You know very well why. To
start my own, superior faction,” Exavior told her.

“
Damon though? Why
Damon?”

“
I thought he would be one
of my stronger supporters, come to find out, he has harsh issues
with you and is now in my prison until I decide what to do with
him.”

“
I want to talk to
Kyle.”

“
The boyfriend is
occupied,” Exavior said, amused.

“
Tell me how to get away
from the Equites, and I’ll exchange myself for Kyle and the Valle’s
Chief Enforcer.”

“
Quite the offer. I’ll
think about it and, Dear, I’m sure you can get away if you really
want to.”

“
Yeah right, I’m watched
like a hawk… hey!” Emily screamed when Sotomar took the
phone.

“
Exavior… what have you
done?” Sotomar asked, his voice calm. He hissed when the phone
disconnected and handed it back to Emily.

“
I think we need her
phone,” Zohn said.

Emily glared at him, “I wouldn’t push it.
You don’t have anyone to revive you.”

“
Everyone calm down,” Quinn
said. “Emily, we really need you to trust us. All three factions
are in agreement that you need to stay under our protection and not
fall back into Exavior’s hands.”

“
He has my best friend and
I can get him home safely,” she reminded them.

“
We know that, but leave it
to us.”

“
Like I have for two
months?” Emily asked, and stormed out of the conference room. The
Chief Interrogator followed her and her three guards up to her room
where she slammed the door and locked it.

Emily sat down hard against the chair and
bit at her knuckle as she watched the fire.

“
Mom?” Allen asked, coming
in from the hallway.

“
Did you break that lock
again?” Emily asked.

“
Yes, that’s what Dad
does,” Allen said, and sat down in the chair beside her.

“
Where’s
Alexis?”

“
Studying, that’s all she
does.”

“
Sounds familiar,” Emily
said, smiling.

Allen sighed, “I heard what happened in the
council chambers. They are right, you can’t fix this problem.”

Emily looked over at him, “I don’t remember
asking you. You’re the kid, why do I have to keep reminding
you?”

“
Because I overstep and I’m
intellectually years above my true age,” Allen reminded
her.

“
I was being facetious,”
Emily sighed.

Silas knocked on the door and came in, “We
all up for a movie?”

“
Sure,” Emily sighed, and
then forced Allen to go along against his will. The guards waited
outside of the game room and the Chief Interrogator got permission
for two guards to replace him while they were watching a
movie.

Silas put in a movie as Alexis joined them.
Allen opted to sit to the side, and Emily went to make popcorn. She
put it in the microwave and checked to make sure no one was
watching as she slid the picture and the door spun, depositing her
onto the bar’s floor. She grabbed a wooden plank she’d hidden in
there, and jammed it into the door.

Emily grinned and poured some ancient
bourbon into a glass and sat cross-legged on the bar and downed the
shot. She shook her head against the burn in her throat and poured
herself another, then glanced up at the clean window, and took
another shot, immediately pouring herself another one.

She stood up, laughing at the way the world
started to shift, and then piled the tables, three high. She took
the shot glass and the bottle of bourbon, and climbed up slowly
onto the first table and somehow managed to make it to the third
one and onto the ledge with the windows. She looked out over the
ancient’s room, and when she didn’t see anyone, she opened the
window and glanced down. The floor was almost ten feet down from
the window.

Emily sighed and jumped, making sure to save
the bourbon when she landed, but slightly twisting her ankle in the
process. She accidentally dropped the shot glass and it shattered
on the floor. Emily froze and looked toward the door, but no one
came running in.

As quietly as possible, Emily opened the
door and peeked out into the hallway. Within a few minutes, she’d
managed to get onto the roof and sat in the lower part of one of
the turrets with her feet dangling over a hundred feet from the
grass below. She watched out over the stables and took another
drink directly from the bottle.

“
Emily, let me in,”
Chevalier yelled, pushing against the revolving door.

Silas sighed, “She was just making
popcorn.”

“
We aren’t blaming you. You
had the kids,” Quinn said, and turned to the door. “Will you let me
in, Emily?”

“
Let’s go in through the
ancient’s room,” Mark said, and headed for the door. The others
followed him as he went down the stairs and around to the old
wooden door. He pushed it open and walked inside, immediately
spying the broken shot glass and the open window above.

“
Damn,” Kralen said, and
looked around. He picked up one piece of the shot glass and smelled
it, “Bourbon.”

“
So she’s free and
drinking,” Chevalier said, sighing.

“
Spread out, see if we can
find her before she kills herself,” Quinn said, and everyone
blurred in different directions.

Kralen appeared in the stables and peered in
each stall. Chevalier went into the prison and checked some of her
hiding spots. Quinn went into the servant’s area and checked all of
the rooms. Zohn headed for the roof, following a hunch.

Zohn stopped and watched her back as she
looked out over the palace grounds. He saw her take a long drink
from a half-empty bottle of bourbon and debated calling for
Chevalier, but decided to talk to her himself.

“
Can I have a seat?” Zohn
asked, grabbing her shoulders before she fell off of the roof when
she jerked.

Emily looked over at him and scooted to the
side. Zohn sat down beside her and hung his feet over, looking down
to the grass below. Emily took another drink of bourbon, and then
handed it over to Zohn.

He took it, grinned, and then took a long
drink, “Wow, it’s been a while since I had a drink.”

“
Damon’s back,” Emily said,
and took the bottle from him to take another drink.

“
Yes, he is,” Zohn said,
and took the bottle again when she offered it. He brought the
bottle to his lips and drank until it was almost gone. Emily
watched, her eyes growing wide.

“
Damn, Zohn,” Emily
laughed. “Don’t drink it all. I don’t think I can climb back up
there and get me another bottle.”

“
Why are you up here?” Zohn
asked, looking down at the corral.

“
Would you believe I
slipped my guards?” Emily asked, finishing the bottle of
bourbon.

“
Yes, I would, but why the
roof?”

“
Maybe I want to
jump.”