Eternity of Vengeance : Book 7 of the Heku Series (76 page)

Alexis gasped when Lady
Thukil threw her arms around her and tearlessly sobbed. Alexis
glanced at Allen and he shrugged just as Lady Thukil rose up and
dabbed at her tearless eyes with a dainty handkerchief.

“It’s… good to see you again,” Alexis
said, sounding unsure.

“You look so much like… like…” Lady
Thukil broke down in tears again and Lord Thukil escorted her
away.

Chevalier walked up and smiled, “You
look beautiful, Alexis.”

“Yeah, whatever,” she said, and passed
by him to get to some of the dignitaries she knew.

“She’ll come around,” Allen said to
him.

“Elder,” Miri whispered, and bowed
slightly.

Chevalier straightened Dain’s tie and
turned back to stand with the Council.

Dain smiled slightly, “Dad’s in a good
mood.”

“Alexis is being stubborn,” Allen
said, and then smiled and waved at Lord Banks from the nearby Banks
Coven.

“She’s mourning her mother,” Miri said
sternly.

“No she’s not. She’s being
stubborn-headed and blaming Dad because she’s
miserable.”

Miri glared at him and put her hands
on her hips, “Maybe she’s not the only one being
stubborn-headed.”

“Miri…” Allen sighed when she walked
off to talk to a friend from the city.

Dain grinned, “That’s why I’ll stay
single.”

“You’re 9, that’ll change,” Allen told
him.

“I doubt it. Where’s Alex?” he asked,
and looked around the room.

Allen turned and glanced quickly at
the dignitaries, “Who knows.”

“Have you seen Alexis?” Chevalier
asked, walking up to them.

“No, we just noticed she’s
gone.”

“Off pouting, no doubt.”

“That’s my guess,” Allen
said.

***

“I’m here, now what?” Alexis asked the
heku with her.

The heku glanced nervously around the
dark hallway and then looked back at Alexis, “I have an invaluable
offer for you.”

“Ok,” she said, crossing her
arms.

He looked around again and lowered his
voice, “I’m from the Valle.”

Alexis smiled, “Oh yeah?”

“Yes… and we seek your help in a small
matter, one in which we will pay dearly for your
services.”

“Keep talking.”

“Have you heard the rumors about what
might happen if you… the last Winchester… were to turn a mortal?”
he asked, watching her carefully.

“No, what rumors might that
be?”

“That your ability would be passed on
to them.”

Alexis sighed, “It’s my understanding
that I’m too human to do that.”

“Have the Equites tried?”

“Well… no.”

“Then they are just
guessing. You drink blood, do you not?”

“Yes… but…”

“Do you sleep?”

“I do, but only an hour or so a
night.”

“Then it’s worth a try and the Valle
are offering you anything to let us try it.”

Alexis thought for a moment,
absentmindedly tapping her hand against her leg, “It would tick off
my Dad.”

“More than likely,” he said, again
looking around for any sign of Equites guards.

“All the more reason to try
it.”

“So you will?” the Valle asked,
shocked.

“Sure, why
not?”

“We have a mortal chosen for you.
Someone from the Valle will be in touch with you…” the heku stopped
talking when his words were cut off by a strong hand around his
throat.

“Dad, stop it!” Alexis yelled, and
began to pull at his arms.

“Get her out of here,” Chevalier
growled.

Kralen appeared and pulled Alexis away
from her Dad. Once they were back in the front foyer of the palace,
she turned and angrily pulled her arm away from him. Silas appeared
and blocked her from getting back to Chevalier.

“He was out of line asking that…”
Kralen told her.

“I’m going to do it, whether Dad wants
me to or not.”

“Lexi, he’s a Valle. You can’t trust
him,” Silas said.

“I can trust him more than Dad,”
Alexis yelled, and then started up the stairs.

Kralen called for four
members of the Cavalry to follow Alexis and then he and Silas
started back for their Elder. When they arrived in the dark
hallway, the Valle was sitting down against the wall with only one
arm and Chevalier was glaring down at him.

Silas kicked the Valle and
looked up at Chevalier, “What do you want to do with
him?”

“Not sure yet,” Chevalier said,
watching the frightened enemy. “Takes some nerve offering Alexis
the opportunity to turn a mortal.”

“He did what!?” Dain yelled from the
end of the hallway. Kralen watched him walk closer and moved out of
the young heku’s way when he kneed the Valle in the head, crashing
in his skull.

“It won’t matter what I do… to Alexis
it won’t be right.”

“So name it,” Silas said, glaring down
at the Valle as he healed.

“Kill him,” Chevalier
said, and then disappeared from the hallway. He walked up the
stairs, not quite sure what to say to Alexis but he knew he had to
talk to her about the Valle’s offer.

“Elder,” the closest
Cavalry member said, and bowed slightly.

Chevalier ignored him and knocked on
the door. He waited a few seconds and knocked again, “Alex, can I
talk to you for a moment?”

One of the guards shrugged
when the Elder looked at him, “She’s been quiet.”

Chevalier sighed before breaking the
lock and walking into the empty room.

***

“You can’t keep coming down here,”
William said as he took the glass of blood from Alexis.

“I can do what I want,” she said, and
sat down on the floor across from his cell.

“I’m sure they’ll notice.
I’m on starvation punishment,” he explained before drinking the
entire glass.

“I know that.”

William sat down by the bars in his
cell, “Did you do what I suggested?”

“No”

“You have to forgive him. He didn’t
kill your Mom and he didn’t overreact to her death.”

“He did too! It was embarrassing how
he swept through the nation killing helpless heku.”

William smiled and leaned back, “I
wouldn’t call it embarrassing… impressive maybe.”

Alexis frowned, “It was your
faction.”

“I didn’t say I was happy about it,
but the numbers alone were extraordinary.”

“Well, I disagree.”

William smiled, “Happy birthday, by
the way.”

“You too?”

“It’s a big deal to turn
17.”

Alexis rolled her eyes,
“Whatever.”

“You really should be up there, it’s
your party.”

“It’s a guilt party.”

“He cares about you.”

“No, he cared about Mom… I’m a
burden.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Us kids always knew that Mom was way
more important to Dad than we were.”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

“It’s true.”

“It’s different though. The
relationship between a husband and wife and between parent and
child is completely different.”

“And you know this how?” she asked,
raising her eyebrows.

“Annia”

“What?”

“My daughter’s name was
Annia.”

Alexis sat up straighter, “You had
kids?”

“Just Annia, but she died
very young.”

“How?”

“Doesn’t matter,” he said, looking
over at her. “What matters is that it’s time for you to forgive
your Dad.”

“Says the Encala.”

“I don’t have to forgive him,” William
told her. He cocked his head slightly to the side, “They’re looking
for you.”

“Figures”

“Have you talked to Allen
yet?”

“No, he sides with Dad.”

“I bet he does.”

“Heku stick together… that’s what Mom
always said.”

“She had us pegged.”

Both grew quiet as they were lost in
thoughts about precious moments with Emily.

Alexis looked over when Allen sighed,
“Dad’s not going to like this.”

She shrugged, “He’ll live.”

“Talk to him,” William whispered to
her.

Alexis stood up and brushed her dress
down, “Thought you might like to know that the remaining Encala
have built a coven in Ontario.”

“Alex!” Allen gasped. “Get
upstairs this instant.”

William shook his head as Allen
followed Alexis out of the prison.

“You can’t keep going down there,”
Allen said, irritated.

“I can do what I want.”

“No you can’t. Going down there is
dangerous.”

“I just go to talk to William,” Alexis
explained.

“Why is that exactly?”

“Where were you?” Chevalier asked when
Allen and Alexis walked up the stairs.

“In the prison,” she said, walking
past him.

Allen winced, “Alex…”

“Doing what?” Chevalier asked
her.

She shrugged, “Talking to
William.”

“Why?”

Alexis turned to her Dad on the
stairs, “Remember… touch one hair on his head and I become a
Valle.”

“Alex, now may not be the time,” Allen
sighed.

“Fac ut vivas,” Alexis said before
going into her room and slamming the door.

Allen opened the door, “Why in the
world would you tell Dad to get a life?”

“Because then he’ll get out of mine,”
she said, then disappeared into the bathroom.

Allen walked out into the
hallway and noticed only the Cavalry were left, “Where’d Dad
go?”

“Back to say good-bye to the
dignitaries,” her guard told him.

Allen headed down the stairs, “She’s
using the drainpipes outside of her window like Mom used
to.”

There was a fast shuffling as servants
blurred outside to remove the metal pipes.

***

Alexis looked up from her book when
her phone rang. She grabbed it just after checking the clock, “This
better be damned good at 4am.”

“Are you alone?” a voice said in a
whisper.

“Yeah”

“Child… it’s the Valle Council,”
Sotomar said, sounding pleased to have reached her.

Alexis glanced at the door,
“Ok.”

“Last week we sent a heku to you with
an offer.”

“Right, and then my Dad killed
him.”

Sotomar sighed, “Did you get the
offer?”

“Yes”

“And what was your answer?”

“I said yes… but now that I’ve talked
to William, I’m not so sure.”

“The Encala Elder?” Valle Elder Ryan
asked.

“Yeah”

“What did he say to change your
mind?”

“Why do you care?”

“We would like to remedy the situation
and get you to come to us to try it out,” Sotomar said.

She sighed, “I didn’t realize I had to
bite someone… and get bitten.”

“Minor things actually.”

“No, big things.”

“The balance of power in the heku is
dangerously eschewed,” Sotomar said. “Now that the Encala are all
but gone, the Equites are beginning to exterminate the
Valle.”

Alexis’ eyes grew wide, “Dad is taking
out the Valle?”

“Yes, Child,” a strange
heku said. “Giving us Winchester powers would lessen our losses and
hopefully, someday return the delicate balance.”

“He… no one’s told me he’s after the
Valle too.”

“Of course he is. He’s a tyrant… and
we’re afraid for our lives.”

“So, you just want me to turn some
mortal and you think that’d help?” Alexis asked,
frowning.

“Yes, we do.”

“That’s stupid and I won’t
do it. I don’t want to get bitten and biting doesn’t seem all that
appealing either.”

“Your Mom would do it to save us,”
Elder Ryan said softly.

Alexis frowned and looked down at the
phone, “No she wouldn’t… good-bye.”

“Wait…”

“What?”

Sotomar hesitated before speaking,
“You cannot tell your Dad what I’m about to tell you.”

“Ok”

“We have an ancient that
can bring Emily back.”

Alexis gasped, “You can?”