Ferus : Book 6 of the Heku Series (80 page)

“They have Allen. He
wasn’t brought to the prison.”

“Kyle…”

“On it,” Kyle said, and
disappeared.

Chevalier turned and
handed Emily to Kralen, “Get Dr. Cook, as soon as he comes, meet us
in the council chambers.”

“No,” Emily whispered, and
reached out to Chevalier.

“I need to deal with
Dustin, Em, go with Kralen,” he said, and kissed her
forehead.

She nodded and wrapped her arms around
Kralen.

Kralen immediately started up the stairs
with Emily.

“Get the Cavalry back
here,” Quinn said to Silas.

“Right away, Elder,” Silas
said, and also headed up the stairs.

Chevalier took a deep
breath, his features were dark and ominous, and he was obviously
furious. The Elders all left the prison once they were sure anyone
involved with Emily’s imprisonment was released. Dustin cringed
slightly at how angry the Elders were when they returned to their
seats and sat down.

“Where’s the rest of the
Council?” Quinn asked.

“They had the choice to either be quiet
about Emily or to leave,” Dustin said. “They all chose to return to
their covens.”

Chevalier couldn’t yet
speak. He concentrated on those in the trial area to try to keep
from ripping Dustin apart.

Kyle came in with Allen and shut the door as
Allen ran to Miri and pulled her into his arms. Kyle walked up and
sat down in his chair.

“I’ll handle this,” Zohn growled. He knew
Chevalier was too angry to speak.

Dustin smiled, “I agree,
Elder. Such insubordination can’t be tolerated.”

Zohn glared at him, “Don’t
think you’re off the hook. Before we deal with the insubordination
of those in the trial area… I want to deal with you.”

“Me?” Dustin asked, shocked.

“How dare you put Emily in the prison… she
obviously was dragged out of bed and thrown into a cell without any
warmth or food.”

“She directly refused to answer my question
about why she turned two Valle to ash.”

“So for that you condemn her to death?” Zohn
yelled.

“No, I put her in prison as a
punishment.”

“Did you check on her?”

“Yes”

“Did you see she can hardly breathe and has
a fever?”

“Yes”

“She could have died!” Quinn yelled.

Dustin sighed, “I would have released her
the second she answered my questions.”

“So this all started because Emily told you
no?” Zohn growled.

“Correct”

“Derrick!” Quinn yelled.

“Yes, Elder?” Derrick asked, walking into
the trial area.

“Get the Council back
here, now.”

“Right away,” he said, and
disappeared.

Zohn shut his eyes for a
moment and then looked out over the trial area, “First, let’s start
with the Cavalry.”

Mark, Silas, and Kralen
stepped forward.

“You were given what orders?”

“We were banned from the prison and from
attempting to bring Emily food or warmth,” Mark told him.

“And you chose, as a unit, to break those
orders?” Zohn asked.

“Yes, we did,” Mark said, not ashamed of
that choice.

“You then attempted to do what?”

“We got Emily’s robe and slipped a sandwich
and drink into the pockets… we then tried to get it into the
prison,” Mark explained.

“Who stopped you?”

“The prison guards did.
Kralen and Silas attempted to restrain them while I got to Emily,
but they called for backup and we were stopped.”

“Then imprisoned?”

“Not at first. The entire
Cavalry was called into the council chambers and relieved of duty.
Silas was the first to be sent to prison, and then Kralen and I
when we began to fight the guards.”

“You disobeyed a direct
order by the Council,” Zohn said. “Then when you were relieved of
duty, you fought the palace guards?”

“Yes, we thought it was our last chance to
get help to Emily.”

“Is the Cavalry on their
way back?”

Silas nodded,
“Yes.”

“And all are willing to be punished for
attempting to help a prisoner?”

“Yes,” Mark said
proudly.

Zohn nodded, “You three
will be Emily’s guards until the Cavalry returns. As soon as this
is over, return to your posts.”

“What!?” Dustin yelled.

“Yes, Elder,” Mark said,
and grinned.

“Be quiet,” Quinn said to
the Coven Liaison Officer. “We will deal with you
later.”

“Allen and Miri, step
forward,” Zohn said. Hand in hand, the two moved toward the front
when the Cavalry stepped back.

“Yes, Elder?” Allen asked.

“How did you get involved in this? You
aren’t even supposed to be in the palace.”

“I know, Elder. Alexis
called and told us that Mom was in prison and that the Elders were
gone. Miri and I came to free her,” Allen explained. “So Alexis
ashed the guards, and Miri and I tried to get to her… but the
prison guards caught us.”

“I’ve been banished for
300 years,” Miri said, and looked at Kyle.

“No, you have not,” Zohn told her. “Miri,
you were in prison?”

“Yes, Elder,” she said softly.

“Allen, where were you?”

Allen glanced quickly at
his Dad and then back to Zohn, “I was in the interrogation
chamber.”

A low growl escaped Chevalier.

Kyle looked at Zohn, “He was left on the
rack.”

Zohn nodded, “Are you injured?”

“I’ve healed,” Allen told him.

“Where is Alexis?”

Dustin cleared his throat and then answered,
“She is too young… so we confined her to her room with Dain.”

“Has she also been starved?”

“No”

“Allen, Miri, step back,”
Zohn told them. They both bowed and moved back by the
Cavalry.

Chevalier blurred instantly from the
room.

Zohn looked over at the last remaining heku,
“Why do we have an Encala in here?”

Mark stepped forward, “I put out a call in
the prison for help… anyone that was in sight of Lady Emily that
could lock her eyes and try to help her… the Encala answered.”

“So you attempted to lock her?” Zohn
asked.

“Yes… at first she
refused, and then the guards found out and moved me.”

“I promised to reward him for his help,”
Mark said.

Zohn nodded, “You are free… get out of
Council City.”

The Encala smiled and blurred away.

“He was spying on us!” Dustin said angrily.
“You let him go for attempting to help a prisoner.”

“I can’t even deal with
you right now. It will take the entire Council to decide,” Quinn
snapped at him.

Dustin leaned back in his chair, “I did
nothing but punish someone for refusing to answer a question.”

“Shut up,” Zohn told him.

“Allen, Miri, stay in Council City for now…
all of you get out of here,” Quinn said to those in the trial
area.

Mark, Silas, and Kralen
immediately went to the bedroom and walked in when they found the
door was open. Dr. Cook was sitting on the edge of the empty
bed.

“How is she?” Mark asked
angrily.

“She has pneumonia,” Dr.
Cook told him. “The Elder has her in a cool bath, trying to get her
temperature down.”

Mark sighed, “We tried to get to her.”

“He almost killed her.
She’s pretty sick.”

Silas growled lightly and turned to Kyle
when he walked in with a tray.

“We thought soup maybe,”
he said, and sat down the tray.

The heku all waited silently until Chevalier
came out with Emily cradled in his arms. She was in a clean
nightgown and had a tight grip on him.

“It’s down to 102
degrees,” he told the doctor, and laid her down in bed.

“Much better,” Dr. Cook
said, and listened to her lungs again.

Chevalier looked over when Allen and Miri
came in.

Allen walked over and sat on the bed next to
Emily, “We… tried…”

“I know,” Emily said
softly, and started to cough. Chevalier was able to bottle up the
fury so he could help Emily.

“Permission to deal with David, Sir?” Mark
growled.

“What did David do?” Kyle asked.

“He yelled for her the entire time,
expressing his love and devotion.”

“Granted,” Chevalier told
him, and watched Mark disappear from the room.

Miri walked into the
bathroom and came out with a cold rag. She gently laid it across
Emily’s forehead.

“Get me supplies, anything
she’ll need in the next few weeks,” Chevalier said, then stood up
and started packing a bag for her. “Allen, go pack for Dain and
Alexis.”

Allen nodded and walked into the adjacent
room.

“She’s too sick to travel,” Dr. Cook
said.

“No, I’m not,” she
whispered, and started to cough.

“Do what I said,” Chevalier ordered.

The doctor nodded and went
through his bag, setting out enough antibiotics and fever reducers
to last. Miri disappeared into the bathroom again, and came out
with an armful of things that she slipped into the bag before
Chevalier closed it.

“Where are you going?” Zohn asked when he
stepped in.

“I’m taking my family away until she’s
well,” Chevalier told him.

Zohn nodded, “Once the
Council is here, we are going to deal with Dustin.”

“I’ll have my phone,” he
said, and gently picked Emily up. Miri slipped leashes on the two
dogs and followed him up to the roof. They both got into Winchester
1 and Chevalier laid Emily down on the soft couch.

“Where to, Elder?” Emily’s
pilot asked as he crawled into the helicopter.

“You… out, get me Kralen,”
Chevalier told him, and covered Emily with a blanket. Miri took the
bags from Allen when he got there, and then took Dain as Alexis and
Allen got in.

“Please… may I come?” Miri asked softly.

Chevalier nodded,
“Yes.”

She smiled and sat in
front of Allen, and leaned back as he wrapped his arms around
her.

“Elder?” Kralen asked when he got to the
roof.

“You’re coming with us.
I’ll tell you where once we’re in the air, and then we go to radio
silence.”

“Yes, Sir,” Kralen said,
and went to the cockpit to start pre-flight checks.

Mark appeared on the roof, covered in blood,
“David is taken care of… might I suggest Jaron come also? In case
you need to leave for any reason.”

Chevalier thought and then nodded, “Do
it.”

Jaron blurred onto the
roof a few seconds later and crawled into Winchester 1 next to
Kralen. Thirty minutes later, the helicopter took off from the
palace. Chevalier heard Kralen talk to the palace base and then
announce radio silence. Chevalier handed a paper up to Kralen with
coordinates on it, and then sat back and watched Emily during the
flight.

Chevalier carried Emily
into the white bedroom and laid her down on a soft bed surrounded
by sheer white netting. He covered her up and checked her
temperature before leaving her to sleep. Allen and Miri were
helping Alexis and Dain get settled in the house, while the dogs
played out on the sand, chasing the waves off of the white
beach.

“This home is beautiful,”
Miri said when she walked out and found herself alone with the
Elder.

“It’s secluded, that’s what I wanted.”

Miri nodded and looked out the large picture
window that overlooked the beach.

Allen finally came out,
“They’re settled. Do you want me to head to the mainland and get
some supplies?”

“Yes, you and Miri go,”
Chevalier said, and turned toward the bedroom door when he heard
Emily coughing.

“Island is secure,” Kralen
said as he and Jaron walked in.

“This will be a boring
mission. Find a bedroom and make yourself at home,” Chevalier told
the guards.

“Yes, Elder,” Kralen said,
and walked down the hallway with Jaron.

“Daddy?” Alexis whispered,
and he turned toward her. “Am I in trouble for ashing the prison
guards?”

Chevalier smiled, “No, you aren’t.”

They both turned when Dain ran out of his
room, completely naked, and ran across the large living area and
into the kitchen after the dogs.

Alexis giggled, “Mom said it’s better than
his biting phase.”

Chevalier grinned, “I’ll agree with that…
see if you can get him dressed though.”

She nodded and ran after
her little brother.

***

“Check,” Chevalier said, moving a piece on
the chessboard.

Kralen’s eyes narrowed as he studied the
board.

Alexis turned a page in
her book, and without even looking up, spoke, “He’s naked
again.”

“Jaron will get him,”
Kralen said, and moved his queen.

Miri came out of Emily’s
room and shut the door softly, “Her fever’s gone, but she’s still
sleeping.”

“Thank you, Miri,” Chevalier said, not
looking up from the game.

She smiled, “Not quite
fair is it? A Captain can’t win a game against an
Elder.”

Chevalier chuckled, “Now
you tell him. He’s won the last two.”