Proditor : Book 5 of the Heku Series (80 page)

“
It’s about time you woke
up,” Kyle said, grinning at her.

Emily ran to him and threw her arms around
him, “You’re ok.”

Kyle hugged her tightly, “I’m ok. I wish you
wouldn’t worry about me.”

Emily pulled away from him and began to
unbutton his shirt.

“
Em…” he said, but she
shushed him.

Emily slipped his shirt off and inspected
his chest and arms, “Are you healed?”

“
Yes,” Kyle said, and
pulled his shirt back on. “Don’t do that when Chevalier gets
here.”

“
What did he do to you?”
Emily asked, looking into his eyes.

Kyle glanced at Chevalier as he walked into
the room, “It’s not as bad as you think, I’m sure.”

Emily frowned, “Stop protecting me. What did
he do?”

“
I spent most of the time
in a cell, bored,” Kyle said, and smiled.

“
You’re lying to me,” Emily
said, frowning.

“
What about you? When did
you start trying to ash heku over the phone?”

“
I haven’t,” she said,
confused.

“
Em, let him rest,”
Chevalier said from the doorway.

“
Get dressed too. There are
lots of Valle and Encala running around,” Kyle said,
amused.

Emily looked down and blushed at the silky
pink nightgown and robe, and then looked back at Kyle, “Rest, then
I want to hear everything.”

Chevalier and Emily went back into her room,
and she sat down and poured steaming syrup over the pancakes. He
smiled, happy to see her eating again, and sat down in the chair
beside her.

“
Why is the island on lock
down? Is that an attempt to keep me here?” Emily asked, and took a
bite.

“
No, it’s because of
Exavior,” Chevalier said. “He’s… well… beyond furious at
you.”

Emily frowned, “What did I do now?”

“
Do you remember him
calling Kyle and you answered?”

“
No, when was
that?”

“
Four nights ago,”
Chevalier said. “The night you tried to turn heku to ash over the
phone.”

Emily sighed, “I’ve wanted to try that.”

Chevalier chuckled, “Well you did, and it
didn’t work... but he’s livid.”

“
Peachy,” she sighed. She
wondered what the chances were that Exavior would suddenly decide
to just leave her alone.

“
He’s called several times
to talk to you, and each time, threatens to find you… he knows
you’re here now,” Chevalier said.

“
That doesn’t take rocket
science though,” Emily said, still eating her pancakes.

“
We want you to stay until
the problem with Exavior is resolved.”

“
No, I said I’m leaving and
I am… lockdown or no.”

“
He has the docks covered,”
Chevalier said.

“
That’s what helicopters
are for,” Emily said. “I can’t take the kids in the Aero anyway.
I’ll need the Jeep.”

Chevalier sighed, “Please stay until we get
Exavior. It’s too risky, and if he gets a hold of you and the kids…
I can only imagine what he would do with them.”

Emily’s body tensed slightly and Chevalier
knew he’d hit a nerve. She put her fork down and sat back with the
coffee.

“
Your plan to return to the
moral world isn’t going to work as long as Exavior is looking for
you,” he told her.

Emily sighed and disappeared into the
bathroom. She came out a few minutes later in a new bikini that
Margaret made for her. She headed out the door, tying her hair up
as she went.

Silas and Mark glanced at her and then at
each other before following her as they looked at the walls.
Chevalier followed them down, but headed to his office instead of
the pool. He grinned and shook his head as the guards inside the
palace glanced quickly at her and then looked away at anything they
could find.

When she disappeared into the pool, Mark and
Silas stayed outside and Chevalier went into his office. Sotomar
and William were still on Island Coven, but the other Elders had
already returned to their respective palaces. Valle and Encala
guards were patrolling the island and the Equites guards were
inside the castle.

Emily crawled into the warm water and went
under briefly before emerging and rolling onto her back. She shut
her eyes and floated on the water, listening to the sound of the
filters. She had to concentrate on the feel of the water as images
from her torture by Exavior flashed in her mind.

“
Enter,” Chevalier said,
shutting the financial book for the island.

Sotomar and William came in and sat down,
“The guards say she’s swimming?”

“
Yes,” Chevalier said. “If
she’s here, that’s where she goes to think.”

“
That’s hopeful,” Sotomar
said.

“
I had to take a low blow,”
he explained. “I hate using her nightmares against her.”

“
It’s for the
best.”

Chevalier nodded, “Any word from the front
lines?”

“
Just that the forces on
the docks are growing, and apparently all three main cities are
surrounded by once factionless heku,” William told him.

Chevalier tapped his fingers on the desk,
“If he manages to round up every factionless heku, his group is
going to be formidable.”

“
We were talking… about a
way to get Exavior,” Sotomar said, and looked at
William.

“
Using Emily as bait,”
William said.

Chevalier rubbed the back of his neck, “It’s
too dangerous.”

“
Not if we combine forces
and have them ready. He won’t be able to get her by us,” Sotomar
said.

“
We also think it may prove
to her that we trust her and need her,” William said.

“
Let’s talk to her before I
change my mind,” Chevalier growled, and followed the other Elders
out of his office.

“
If she says no…” Sotomar
started to say.

“
She won’t,” Chevalier
sighed. “She wants to do this.”

Sotomar opened the door to the pool room and
froze for a split second before diving into the water, followed by
Chevalier and William. Mark and Silas heard the commotion and ran
into the pool room, also diving in. They joined in the fight as one
heku held Emily under the water while the other four fought with
the Elders and guards.

Mark and Silas focused on the one heku
holding Emily under the surface, and blood flooded across the water
as they quickly pulled him apart. Mark grabbed Emily’s limp body
and hauled her out of the water. He listened for a breath, and when
Emily didn’t breathe on her own, he began blowing air into her
lungs.

Chevalier had the head of one of the heku
and tore violently, ripping his head from his body as another
jumped on his back and began to get a grip on his neck. Chevalier
pulled the heku over his head and ripped his arm off before also
removing his head. He crouched in the water and turned around. The
other Elders were covered in blood and panting as they checked for
more attackers. The pool water was colored pink with blood and body
parts skimmed across the bottom.

Their eyes fell on Mark and Silas as they
worked to bring Emily back. Water poured out of her lungs when
Silas pressed on her chest, and then Mark plugged her nose and
breathed air into them.

“
Jesit!” Sotomar called
out, and walked out of the water, watching Emily.

“
Yes, Elder,” the Valle
guard said.

“
Get ten heku in here. I
want the parts gathered up and figure out who they were,” he
growled, and the heku nodded and blurred away.

Chevalier knelt down beside Emily and
watched Mark and Silas work to get her breathing. William and
Sotomar walked up and stood a few feet away, watching.

After a few minutes, Emily gasped and began
to cough as the last of the water came out of her lungs. Mark
rolled her onto her side and she struggled to breathe through the
violent coughing. Once she was able to catch her breath, she laid
back onto the cement, panting.

The room suddenly filled with Valle as they
waded through the pool and pulled out heku parts, then tossed them
onto the cement for examination.

Chevalier picked Emily up off of the cement
and cradled her as he watched the heku try to figure out who the
attackers were.

“
I’m ok,” Emily whispered.
Her throat was burning from the water.

“
Who were they?” Chevalier
asked.

“
I didn’t see them,” she
said hoarsely, and leaned her head against his shoulder.

“
Sir,” one of the heku
said, coming up to Sotomar.

“
Who were they?” he hissed
at the guard.

“
We don’t have names yet,
but there were 2 Valle, 2 Equites, and 1 Encala,” he
reported.

“
I want names,” Chevalier
growled, and carried Emily out of the room.

“
What happened?” Kyle
asked, following Chevalier into the room.

“
Emily was attacked in the
pool. They tried to drown her,” Mark said, still
shaking.

“
What? Who?” Kyle asked
angrily.

“
We’re trying to find out,”
Silas said.

“
Which means Exavior has
people on the island,” William said, glancing out the
window.

Emily sat up, her breathing finally slowing,
“I have to get out of here.”

“
They’re everywhere,”
Sotomar said. “I have an idea how to secure the castle… if
Chevalier will allow me.”

“
Do it,” Chevalier
growled.

“
Thank you,” Emily
whispered to Mark and Silas.

Chevalier’s face softened and he looked at
them, “Yes, thank you… how did you know how to do that?”

Mark grinned slightly, “CPR is required
Cavalry training… we guard a mortal.”

Kyle smiled, “He’s good… I never thought
about that.”

“
I say we step up the
plan,” William said. “Exavior needs stopped… now.”

“
What plan?” Emily
whispered.

Chevalier looked up at the ceiling and then
back to her, “We want to use you as bait to get to Exavior.”

“
What?” Kyle
hissed.

“
It’s the fastest way to
get him.”

“
What’s the plan?” Emily
asked, and then started coughing again.

“
We’re working on details,”
Chevalier explained, patting her back. “We wanted to know if you’re
up for it before we do anything solid.”

“
Let’s do it,” Emily
whispered, and looked at the others.

“
We need to talk where we
won’t be overheard,” Chevalier said. “The best room for that is the
interrogation room.”

“
Let me change,” Emily
whispered, and disappeared into the bathroom.

“
You’re seriously taking
her into an interrogation room?” Kyle asked, surprised.

“
If there were anywhere
else, I would go there, but it’s built to be silent,” Chevalier
explained.

Sotomar came back in, “There are no longer
any heku in the castle, aside from who is in this room, the boy,
and Zohn, who is still in the conference room. The guards are
grouped in 4’s with either a Council City Cavalry member or one of
my Imperial Guards at the lead. The groups were arranged so all 3
below the leader are strangers.”

Chevalier nodded, “Ok, but who is guarding
my prisoners?”

“
I’ve had them turned to
ash for now.”

“
That should
do.”

“
Where is she?” Sotomar
asked, looking around.

“
Changing, we’re headed
into the interrogation room to discuss things. It’s soundproof,”
Chevalier said, grinning slightly.

“
Unless the first door is
left open, in which case just enough of the screams escape,” Kyle
chuckled.

Emily came back out in a black cotton summer
dress. Her hair was down and fell softly against her back, “Ok,
let’s go.”

Chevalier led them all down to the
interrogation chamber and turned to let them in. He was surprised
to see that Allen had joined them, “Were you invited?”

“
No, but I’m coming,” he
said, and tried to step past his Dad.

“
No”

“
This concerns danger to
Mom. I’m going to hear what it is,” Allen said, and folded his arms
at his chest.

Chevalier stepped in front of him, “What
makes you think you get a say in this?”

“
Chev…” Emily said softly
from behind him.

“
Because at times, between
you, myself, and Mom… I’m the adult,” Allen said calmly.

Sotomar chuckled, but Chevalier’s eyes
darkened, “Watch what you say, Boy, and wait upstairs where you
belong.”

“
No, I’m coming in,” Allen
said.

“
Chev, no!” Emily yelled
when Chevalier hauled Allen up the stairs with an arm around his
neck.

Emily started after them, but Kyle held her
back, “Let him handle the boy, he was out of line.”

“
He’s 11,” Emily said
angrily, and tried to pull away from Kyle.

“
Only in years,” Kyle said.
“If he doesn’t start respecting those above him, he’s never going
to make it in the heku world.”

“
Doesn’t matter, he’s
coming with me when I leave,” Emily said, and when she went back
into the interrogation room, Kyle let go of her arm.