Mark walked into the council chambers and bowed to the Elders. “You called for me?”
“Yes,” Zohn said. “We want an update on the search for Emily.”
“Nothing yet. I have twelve teams out along with most of Thukil and Powan.”
“This is becoming a regular thing,” the Chief of Defense said. “Why is it she keeps hiding from us?”
“There’s no telling,” Quinn said. “She has valid reasons for it, and each time, it gets harder to find her.”
“We’re sticking with North America for now,” Mark explained. “We have all airlines covered, and she hasn’t left the continent, as far as we can tell.”
“Very well. Return to Chevalier.”
Mark bowed again and then headed out.
“It’s only been two weeks,” Zohn said, looking at Quinn. “Maybe she’s not hiding as deeply as before.”
“I say we leave her,” the Chief of Staff said. “We always put so many resources into finding her, she’s turning it into a game.”
“This time is different.”
“No, it’s not.”
“It is different,” Quinn said. “She doesn’t remember us.”
“First, she ran from the Elder when she was pregnant with Allen. Then she ran when the Ancient was tormenting her. Again when the doppelgangers were here, and yet again when the pseudo-faction had her. When will she stop running and come to us?”
“She doesn’t know us this time.”
“So, we think.”
“Enough!” Zohn snapped. “Sotomar messed up her mind. We don’t know what she’s thinking currently. We don’t know where she thinks she is or who she thinks she is.”
The Chief of Staff leaned back in his chair, not wanting to anger the Elders.
The Council was deep in discussion when Derrick walked in. “Elders?”
“Yes, Derrick?” Quinn asked, somewhat irritated.
“I was looking through the internet as requested, and I came across a resume belonging to Emily.”
“She has a resume out there?” Zohn asked, frowning.
“I do believe she’s looking for a programming job.”
“Recently?”
“I’m not sure.”
“I mean, she was looking for money a while back when Dain drained her accounts.”
“It looks recent. The best part? It has an address here in the city.”
“She… wait,” Quinn stammered. “She’s not that careless.”
“Do you want me to go and check it out?” Derrick asked.
“No, let Chevalier know, and he can confront her.”
Derrick nodded and went to contact the Elder.
***
Chevalier, Mark, Silas, and Gifford walked up to the run-down apartment complex. They ascended the outside staircase and stopped in front of the door.
“Do we burst in and grab her?” Silas whispered.
“No, let’s knock and see what happens,” Chevalier told him. “We don’t know her frame of mind. I just hope she doesn’t turn us to ash.”
Gifford walked forward hesitantly and knocked. They all heard movement inside of the apartment. It shocked them when Emily opened the door. She had a bowl in one hand and was whisking something in it.
“Yes?” she asked, looking out at them.
“We… Emily?” Chevalier asked. He wasn’t sure how to approach this. She didn’t seem to remember them.
“Oh! You’re here for the plumbing, right?” Emily asked, stepping back. “It’s in the bathroom.”
“Right,” Silas said, and stepped in, followed by the others.
Emily showed him to the minuscule bathroom. There was a leaky faucet in a rust-stained bathroom. “I need it to stop leaking.”
Silas nodded and knelt down to take a look. Mark left to get some tools out of his car, so they could keep up the façade.
“So,” Chevalier said, watching her.
“What?”
“Any other problems we can fix?”
She shrugged. “Nothing plumbing related.”
“Well, we’re general contractors.”
“Oh, will it cost me?”
“No, the building manager is covering it.”
“Then, let me show you,” Emily said, walking out to the kitchen. She put the bowl down and looked at the oven. “The oven’s acting up.”
Chevalier watched her carefully. She made no indication that she had any idea who or what they were. “What’s it doing?”
“It won’t heat up above 350 degrees.” Emily went to a tiny half-fridge and pulled out an egg. Chevalier watched her crack it and add it to whatever was in the bowl.
Chevalier finally knelt down and opened the oven, pretending to take a look at the heating elements. “So, are you new to the building? I haven’t seen you before.”
“Yeah, I’ve just been here for a week.”
“Are you new to the area?”
“I think so.”
“You think?” Chevalier asked, looking up at her.
“Yeah, I have amnesia,” she explained.
“Sorry to hear that. Maybe your husband will find you.”
Emily looked down at the ring on her finger. “I’d think if he cared, he would have found me already.”
“Not if he doesn’t know where you are.”
She turned and dug something out of the cupboard and added it to the bowl before starting to whisk again. Chevalier wanted to tell her not to whisk with her casted hand, but he kept quiet about it so as not to break his cover.
“I fixed the leak,” Silas said, coming out.
Emily turned and leaned back against the counter, still whisking. “Isn’t it weird that four of you came to fix the leak?”
“I’m in training,” Gifford said quickly.
“Me too,” Mark added.
“Why don’t you take a look at this oven?” Chevalier said, standing up.
Silas nodded and bent down. He was one of the few members of the Cavalry that had experience with mortal electronics.
“Do you know anyone in town?” Chevalier asked her.
Emily sighed, and her eyes narrowed. “I’m not interested.”
“In what?”
“You”
Chevalier smiled crookedly. “I wasn’t…”
“Sure you weren’t. When you’re done with the oven, feel free to let yourselves out,” Emily said. She put down the bowl and then disappeared into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her.
Mark was trying hard to hide a grin, but Chevalier saw it and just shook his head. “I wasn’t hitting on her.”
“I didn’t think so.”
“Okay, so she doesn’t seem to remember anything,” Chevalier whispered.
Mark lowered his voice also. “There’s an apartment upstairs available. I want to rent it and move in.”
“That’s a good idea,” Chevalier said. “Move Gifford in with you and keep an eye on her. Her memory is getting worse.”
“Yes, Elder.”
Chevalier glanced at the shut bedroom door again and then turned to Silas. “So?”
“The heating element is broken. This stove’s so old it’ll be cheaper to replace it than fix it.”
“We can’t replace it. We don’t work here.”
“I can’t fix it.”
Chevalier nodded. “Go control the manager and get her a new oven.”
Silas nodded and disappeared.
“We’re heading out,” Chevalier called toward the bedroom. “We can’t fix that oven, so we’ll get with the manager to replace it.”
“Good luck,” Emily said, walking out. “He’s too cheap to fix it.”
“Is there anything else you need?”
“No, I think that’s it.”
Chevalier hesitated and then left, with the heku following him out. He heard Emily’s door lock when they stepped out. Across the hallway, the door slammed suddenly, and Chevalier realized that they were being watched.
He reached out and caught Mark when Mark started for the neighbor. “Don’t bother. Let’s just go.”
Within hours, Mark and Gifford were moving into the apartment directly above Emily. They sat in silence and listened to her movements. She was trying to get a phone installed, and she was trying to find temporary work. From what they could tell, she was living off of the few hundred dollars that was left in a bank account she used to share with Keith.
Gifford checked in with Chevalier, who immediately padded the account, so Emily didn’t have to worry about money. He was irritated when Emily found out about the added money and called the bank, claiming it was an error. The bank froze her account pending an investigation, and she was left without any money at all.
Mark listened intently as she made calls, frantically trying to find enough work to cover rent for the following week. He started to get angry when the manager came to her door asking for rent, and Emily told him she could only pay him for a few days, taking what she’d set aside for food.
Gifford stormed out of the apartment and an hour later was dropping off several bags of food outside of Emily’s door with a note that it was from a secret admirer.
When the member of Thukil returned to the apartment, he shut the door softly. “Has she found it?”
Mark nodded. “Yes, that was pretty smart thinking.”
“I can’t let her starve because the Valle are idiots.”
“I had a talk with the manager, and he’s not going to be collecting her rent anymore,” Mark told him.
“She’s still going to try to pay it, even if he doesn’t bug her.”
“I know.”
“There are V.E.S. in this apartment complex.”
“Are you kidding me!?” Mark hissed.
“No, I ran into a couple of them downstairs. From what I could gather, there are three apartments in this building that house at least two members of the V.E.S. each.”
“Great, we need to let the Elder know. If they recognize Emily, we’ll have a new set of problems.”
“I don’t think they will,” Gifford said. “That was years and years ago, so they would be looking for an older Emily if they are even still looking for her.”
“I don’t want to risk it.”
***
Chevalier hung up with Mark and turned to the other Elders. “Emily is living in the same apartment building as at least six V.E.S.”
“Well, of course she is,” Quinn said angrily.
“Gifford slipped her some food, but she’s still out of money.”
“It’s time we just bring her back here.”
“How? If she panics, then she could turn us to ash without knowing she did it.”
“Maybe she won’t.”
“We could give it a try,” Zohn said. “We’ll just keep Kyle away from her. Maybe we can send him to Powan for the week.”
“I’d rather not leave,” Kyle said.
“We can’t risk her turning you to ash.”
“You need to gain control of her and undo what Sotomar messed up,” Kyle said to Chevalier.
“You don’t realize the risks involved in taking a mortal that deep.”
“So, tell us. What are the risks?”
“Best case scenario, I erase Valle mode and return her memory.”
“Worst case?”
“Worst case is I revert her to a pre-verbal age, and she has to relearn everything.”
“No speaking?”
“Not just that. She’d have to learn how to walk, talk, and socialize. She’d even have to be toilet trained.”
Kyle cringed.
“I don’t want to risk that unless it’s a last resort. I keep hoping her memories will resurface.”
“So now what?” Zohn asked.
“Now we watch her and hope she comes out of this on her own. Mark and Gifford are going to try to befriend her.”
“She’s naturally suspicious though.”
“I know, which is why we’ve taken precautions to keep it friendly.”
“How did you do that?” Quinn asked.
“We included Lori. We hope that a female will show that they aren’t romantically interested.”
“What are you going to do if someone calls her for a job?” the Chief Investigator asked.
Chevalier sighed. “No one will. I have full control of her phone.”
Quinn chuckled and sat back. “It seems you have this under control.”
***
“It’d be easier if you’d go kidnap her and fix it,” Allen told him.
“It’s too dangerous.”
“I was just saying…”
“No,” Chevalier said sternly. “I’m not going to risk messing up her mind. Right now, we have guards at her apartment, and she doesn’t leave that a lot.”
Allen started to argue but thought differently about it, so he just walked off to go find Miri and Alexis. They’d come to Council City to see if they could help with Emily.
Mark and Gifford stayed in the apartment and kept a close eye on not only Emily but on the local V.E.S. members. They wondered how long this assignment was going to last. It made them nervous for Emily to be that near to any vampire hunters. Chevalier was staying adamant that he not alter Emily’s memories again.
Emily regained control of her small bank account, but the money Chevalier had put in there to pad it had been removed by the bank and returned to Chevalier’s account. Emily was searching dumpsters and putting objects she found up for sale on the internet, and Chevalier made sure they were all purchased immediately to give her enough money for food.
Emily was just coming home from grocery shopping when she was stopped on the sidewalk in front of the apartment. Mark and Gifford hid in the shadows, so they could be close by. The two men that stopped Emily were from the V.E.S., but the heku had orders not to break their cover unless it was an emergency.
“Hey,” one of the men said, blocking Emily’s way.
Emily looked over the grocery sack at him. “Yes?”
“Do you know them men that live above you?”
“No”
“You sure about that?”
“Yes”
“Let me help you,” the other man said, and took the bags from her.
Emily tried to get them back, but he side-stepped away from her and walked up the stairs.
She followed him, irritated. “I can carry my own groceries.”
“You only have one good arm. I got’em.”
She sighed and unlocked the door, so he could put the groceries inside. She stayed by the door.
The man put her groceries on the counter and then turned to her. “We’ve been watching you.”
“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”
“You’re living here alone in a city full of vampires.”
That made Emily smile. “Vampires, eh?”
“Yes, we think it’s odd that they haven’t attacked you.”
“My guess is it’s because there’s no such thing as vampires.”
“But there are,” he told her. “So, watch yourself.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Emily moved aside and locked the door when the man left.
The man that’d helped her inside walked up to the other one. “Gorgeous, that one.”
“Yeah, I’d tap that.”
“That ass is amazing.”
The two men walked off, and Gifford had to hold Mark back. He was growling softly at how they spoke about Emily.
“General,” Gifford whispered. “We can’t touch them.”
“I could make it look like an accident.”
“I’m sure you could. We have to let that go.”
Mark jerked his arm away from Gifford. “I don’t trust them.”
“Neither do I,” Gifford said. “However, Elder’s orders are that we observe only.”
By the time they returned to the apartment above Emily, she was in the shower. She skipped dinner and went right to bed.
Emily woke up to the alarm and sat up in bed. She was still tired, even after sleeping for eight hours, but she had to find work. She was just sipping her coffee as she left her apartment and got into an old car that she’d found for sale in the apartment complex.
She set her coffee down and then turned the key, but the engine wouldn’t start. It turned over a few times and then died completely.
“Shit,” Emily grumbled, and popped the hood. She took another drink of coffee and then went to see if she could figure out the problem.
“Something wrong?” one of the V.E.S. from the night before asked her.
“It won’t start.”
“Want me to look?”
“No, I got it,” she said, and leaned over to look under the hood.
The man closest to her leaned back to get a good look at her butt. Gifford put a hand on Mark’s arm when he growled softly.
Emily checked the oil, which was fine, and poked at a few parts of the engine but finally relented to not knowing enough about cars to fix anything.
When she turned around, the man was right behind her. He took her wrists and pushed her against the car.
“Let me go,” she whispered harshly.
“Or what?”
“Last warning.”
He smiled and then kissed her, trapping her between him and the car.
Gifford barely had time to figure out what to do. Mark slammed into the man, and they flew back into the cement wall that lined the low-income apartments.
Gifford saw the confused look on Emily’s face, so he grabbed her. Before anyone could hear her scream, he was blurring her toward the palace. It was too late for secrecy, and he knew that by now, Mark had taken care of the V.E.S., and he didn’t want Emily to see that.
Mark caught up to Gifford, and they reached the palace while Emily looked around, confused.
“What have you done?” Zohn asked, standing slowly when Gifford set Emily down in the council chambers.
“We didn’t have a choice,” Mark said.
Chevalier sighed. “What happened?”
“Where is this?” Emily asked, backing up to the wall.
“The V.E.S. attacked her,” Gifford explained. “We felt it important to return her.”
On Council orders, Kyle immediately left for nearby Banks Coven.
“Emily?” Chevalier asked her.
She looked at him and glared. “You!”
“Listen to me, please.”
“No! I told you I’m not interested. Now you’ve, what? Kidnapped me? You and this little gang of yours.”
“It’s not what it looks like,” he explained. “The V.E.S. was going to hurt you.”
“No, they weren’t!”
“He kissed you,” Gifford told her. “That’s not all he was going to do.”
“He what!?” Chevalier roared.
“I demand you let me go,” Emily said.
“We can’t let you go now.”
“Why’s that?”
“You know too much.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Can we have a doctor look at you?” Quinn asked her. He’d noticed the slight yellow hue to her skin wasn’t gone. She also looked tired and drawn.
“No,” Emily said. “What you can do is take me back to my apartment.”
“We will, once we have you looked over.”
“This is all just a weird dream,” Emily said, again looking around the large council chambers.
“It’s not a dream.”
“Yes, it is. I’ve had this dream before too.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve seen this place in dreams.”
“It’s because you live here,” Zohn told her.
She smiled slightly. “It’s a dream. I’ll wake up in a bit.”
“Does that mean things don’t seem real to her? That’s what happened when she came out of Valle mode,” Zohn whispered.
“That’s my guess,” Chevalier replied. “Now we just need to watch her.”
“You called for me?” Dr. Edwards asked, walking in.
Emily glanced at him and then started for the door. “I’m out.”
Derrick stood in her way and shook his head. “You can’t leave yet.”
“How the hell are you all so big?” Emily snapped at him.
“It’s a long, complicated story.”
“Oh? Try me.”
“Turn around and talk to the doctor.” When Emily turned, Derrick shut the door behind her.
Dr. Edwards studied her and then lowered his voice, so she couldn’t hear. “She’s not well.”
“What do we do about it?” Chevalier asked him.
“Rest mostly. I would need blood work to see her bilirubin level.”
“You need to erase it,” Zohn said to Chevalier.
“I can’t.”
Quinn sighed and then added. “We can’t leave her like this. Not if the V.E.S. is going to be after her. Add in health problems, and we need her memory back. It’s too dangerous to have her out there right now.”
“I can’t,” Chevalier snapped.
“May I do a routine physical?” Dr. Edwards asked her.
Emily crossed her arms. “Am I supposed to just take your word for it that you’re a doctor and not some handsy pervert?”
“That would be preferable.”
“No”
“Let him look at you, and we’ll take you home.”
“What kind of physical?”
“Just a blood pressure, and I want to listen to your heart.”
She scrutinized him. “That’s it?”
“Yes”
“Nothing else?”
Dr. Edwards looked at her, confused. “No, no that’s all.”
“I won’t undress.”
“No! Not that kind of physical.”
“Fine then.”
Dr. Edwards nervously led her out of the council chambers and into her bedroom, which he told her was empty. Emily obviously didn’t believe him, but she also didn’t seem to have a choice if she wanted to get back in time to find a job.
The physical went quickly, but it made Dr. Edwards more nervous about Emily’s health. He relayed to Chevalier his concerns that her body was showing signs of fatigue and that her liver hadn’t fully recovered.
The doctor stood back and thought for a moment. During that brief lapse in time, Emily doubled over slightly.
“What’s wrong?” Dr. Edwards asked her.
“Nothing,” she whispered. Emily stood up but stooped slightly. “I want to go lie down.”
“I’m worried about your liver. It seems to be failing.”
“I don’t drink.”
“There are other causes of liver failure,” Dr. Edwards said. He took her arm when she stooped more. “Please, something’s wrong.”
“I need to go to a hospital,” Emily said. Her knees gave out, so Dr. Edwards laid her down on the bed. She rolled onto her side, desperate to relieve the pain in her abdomen.
Dr. Edwards gave her a pain medication without asking. She started to scream at him, but the pain worsened, so she tightened her grip on her stomach.
“Do something,” Zohn said to Chevalier from down in the council chambers where they were listening.
“I can’t,” he whispered.
“Chevalier”
“Stop!” Chevalier growled. He stood up and stormed out of the council chambers.
He went into the bedroom and dismissed the doctor and the Cavalry that were guarding the door. They obeyed without question.
Chevalier sent out orders that he wasn’t to be disturbed for the next several weeks, and that the palace was to be emptied out of all non-essential personnel. He needed quiet, and anyone breaking that would face harsh punishments.
Chevalier sat down beside Emily and lovingly took her face into his hands. He spoke her name softly, and when her eyes fluttered open, he immediately locked her.
***
Chevalier paced while he watched Emily sleep. After controlling her for almost three weeks straight, he was certain he erased everything left by Sotomar. Now though, he waited to see if she had any memories at all when she woke up. He’d taken Sotomar’s advice and kept to her larger, life-changing memories and left the smaller ones alone.
He was still furious at the subtle hints that Sotomar had implanted in her mind to ensure his place in her life. Around every turn, Chevalier found clues and impressions put there by the Old One, and he was now more certain than ever that Sotomar’s drive to gain domination of Emily was out of control.
The entire palace was silent as they waited to see if Emily would fully come out of the deep control Chevalier had used on her. The high risk of reverting her to a pre-verbal state was making everyone nervous. Chevalier had been as careful as he knew how, but there was so much to erase and fix that he was almost positive there would be some type of long-term repercussions.
When the sun came through the window, Emily took a deep breath and shifted slightly in bed.
Chevalier stopped pacing and watched her with breathless anticipation. Digging that deeply into a mortal’s mind was banned for a reason, but he felt he had no choice. It was even worse when memories had to be altered or changed from what the mortal currently believed.
Emily opened her eyes and went to sit up but looked oddly at her hand. She couldn’t remember breaking it, but it was currently casted. She turned it over and then saw Chevalier watching her.
“How are you?” He smiled when she looked over at him.
Emily held up her cast. “When did I break my hand?”
“Wrist, actually. It was several weeks ago.”
“I don’t remember that.” She sat up slowly and then put her head in her hands when she got dizzy.
Chevalier sat down beside her and pulled her against his chest. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I just got dizzy for a second.”
“Can I ask you some odd questions?”
Emily looked up at him. “Why? What am I getting accused of?”
“Nothing,” he said, studying her.
“What kind of questions?”
“Ones that are important to me.”
“Okay,” she said, yawning into her good hand.
“Just bear with me and answer them?”
“Okay”
“Keith, was he mortal or heku?” Chevalier asked her.
Emily looked up at him, confused. “Do what?”
“Please, answer that.”
“Keith was mortal. Oh my God, is he heku now?!”
“No, no chance of that.”
“Then why are you asking me that?”
“I told you, just do me a favor and answer these questions.”
Emily nodded.
“Who was your first kiss?”
She blushed slightly. “That would be… let me think. Phillip, in 4th grade.”
“Okay, and how many kids do you have?”
“Hopefully just the four,” she said with a crooked smile.
“Have you ever been to Greece?”
“Are we going to Greece?”
Chevalier smiled. “No.”
“Oh, well, no. I’ve never been to Greece. Chev, you know all of this.”
“I’m aware of that. I’m checking to see if you know.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“Do you remember being taken out of your house by Sotomar?”
She paused and then yelled, “Oh my God! Yes.”
“He took you where?”
“New Zealand,” Emily said, and then frowned.
“He took you to Greece, actually. The New Zealand thing was a lie to throw us off track.”
Emily lowered her head into her hands and whispered, “I was pregnant.”
“Did you know that when he took you?” Chevalier asked her. He pulled her against him and held her tightly.
“No, I didn’t.”
“Sotomar messed with your memories again.”
“Damnit”
“Do you remember anything about Greece?”
She nodded.
“Tell me.”
“I don’t want to.”
He smiled crookedly. “I already know you kissed him.”
Emily looked up. “I’m so sorry.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“I’ve kissed more heku in the last year.”
“Yes, you have,” he said, smiling.
“I remember a lot of pain and getting pretty sick.”
“You are still sick.”
Emily nodded. “I seem to remember that too. Things were all confusing, but it’s almost like a dream.”
“Sotomar overstepped and accidentally confused the truth. I had to go in and clean it up.”
She eyed him suspiciously. “You went through my memories?”
“Yes”
“So, you know about the Ancient’s room?”
Chevalier shook his head. “No, actually. I had to stay out of memories that Sotomar didn’t mess with. He left that one.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t ask anyway.”
“I wasn’t going to risk messing up your mind just for information that I think you’ll tell me someday anyway.”
Emily smiled broadly. “You think I’m going to tell you what the Ancient’s room is for?”
“I think I deserve it.”
“You don’t.”
“I kept you from going insane.”
Emily looked at the cast. “I remember now that Silas broke this.”
“It wasn’t his fault.”
“I don’t blame him. I also remember breaking his nose.”
“That you did,” Chevalier said, relieved. He didn’t need Emily mad at Silas right now.
“So now what?” Emily asked him.
“I want to take you back to your house until you’re well again. Dr. Edwards will stay there along with myself and some guards.”
“You’re going to try to put me on bed rest, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Why can’t I stay here?”
“We haven’t found the incubus yet.”
She nodded. “Great.”
“Will you stay in bed, just for me?”
“I’ll be good. I promise.”
“I would appreciate it.”
***
Emily looked over when Silas and Kralen came in. She smiled and sat up when she noticed that Kralen had a tray.
“Hope you’re hungry,” he said, setting it down.
“Is Gordon still cooking?”
“Yes. He agreed to stay until you feel better.”
She nodded and started to eat. She wasn’t really hungry, but it seemed to make the heku happy when she ate. Right now, she was trying to do what they asked.
Silas walked over and looked out the window.
Emily finally put her fork down. “Silas?”
“Yes?” he answered, still studying the back lawn.
“I wish you’d get over it.”
He turned and looked at her. “Get over what?”
“Breaking my wrist.”
Kralen glanced from Silas to Emily.
Silas just shrugged and turned to the window again. “I am over it.”
“I don’t blame you,” Emily said. When he didn’t turn back to her, she continued, “I seem to remember breaking your nose and fighting against you. I know what happens when a heku is injured.”
“I better go see if Gifford is out there,” Silas said, and quickly walked out of the room.
“He’ll be okay,” Kralen said. He pulled a chair up to sit in beside the bed.
“I hate that he’s blaming himself.”
“It’s really hard for us when you are hurt, even more if it’s our fault.”
“I know that. I also know he didn’t have a choice.”
“Just give him time.”
Emily sat back on the bed and watched Kralen.
“Do you need something?” he asked her.
“I have a question about living for a long time.”
“Okay”
“Don’t you get bored?”
“What do you mean?”
She shrugged. “I just find that I’m getting bored. I wonder if it just gets worse the longer you live.”
“I don’t know. I’m not bored.”
“I like some of the things I see happening with technology, but I’m so far out of that loop.”
“You’re better at computers than anyone I know.”
“No, I’m good at old computers. Technology has passed me by,” Emily told him.
“Well, you could go back to school.”
“I don’t want to learn all of that again. I used to be one of the top Pascal programmers in Montana.”
“Right”
“I bet I can’t even make ‘hello world’ appear on a computer screen anymore.”
“When you live a long time, you have to adapt and just realize that you have to continue to learn,” Kralen explained. “If you miss programming, then I suggest you go and learn a new programming language.”
“It’s pathetic,” Emily said, sighing. “With all of the new phones and portable computers, the programming I was working on is obsolete.”
“What about something else?” Kralen asked. “Is there anything you’ve ever wanted to learn?”
“Not really.”
“You would be an amazing veterinarian.”
“I don’t want to only deal with sick animals.”
“Think about it. Chevalier can send you to any school you want.”
“Great, just like my dad,” Emily said, wrinkling her nose.
Kralen couldn’t help but laugh some. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
Emily scooted down in bed, but still faced Kralen. “Did you hear, then?”
“About what?”
“My finances?”
“I must not have, because I don’t know what you mean.”
“Dain took everything.”
Kralen looked shocked. “Dain stole from you?”
“Yes, he wiped out my entire account.”
“Wow, no I hadn’t heard that.”
“So, the Chief of Finances fabricated some nonsense story about owing me back wages.”
Kralen sat back. “I did hear about that. No one knew you weren’t getting paid.”
Emily smiled broadly. “Now, I have plenty of money though.”
“Oh?”
“Sotomar opened up a Swiss bank account in my name to appease worries I was having about money. He put a sizeable amount into it.”
Kralen started to laugh. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope”
“And you’re going to use that account?”
“Why not? I have a feeling that Sotomar’s not going to make it very long. I guess it’s better that I have his money than the government of Switzerland.”
“True”
“Can I tell you something else in secret?”
Kralen thought for a moment before answering, “You realize that’s a double-edged sword.”
“I know, but I want to tell you.”
“Okay”
“Sotomar has heku with cadaver dogs out looking for Dain.”
Kralen pretended to be surprised. “He does!?”
“Yes”
“We should tell the Elder.” Kralen was aware that Chevalier already knew, but he realized that Emily didn’t know that.
“I don’t see why. If they do find Dain, I’m sure Chevalier will be the first to know.”
Kralen sighed. “The Elder has changed your security for after we find the incubus, and that might put a damper on it.”
“Like what changes?”
“He liked how Sotomar handled your security. Once you return to the palace, you won’t have guards unless you leave the palace grounds.”
“Really!?”
“Yes”
“Palace grounds? So, I can go to the stables or the pool?”
“Without guards, right.”
“That’s surprising.”
“I think he realizes that you don’t need guards inside the palace.”
“Well, I don’t.”
Kralen smiled. “I think it’s asking for trouble.”
“I bet I’m okay.”
“Elder Zohn’s the only one not happy about it.”
“He’s always been very adamant that I have guards.”
“I wonder why.”
“I’m not sure.”
Emily yawned into her hand.
Kralen stood up and turned off the light.
“You don’t have to go,” Emily told him.
“Dr. Edwards’ orders are that you’re to get as much food and rest as possible. Take a nap, and I’ll be here when you wake up.”
Emily nodded and then burrowed deeper into bed. By the end of the week, Dr. Edwards was starting to feel better about her health, and the yellow tint to her skin was almost gone. She’d gained some of the weight back and generally felt better.
“Good morning,” Gordon said when Emily walked into the kitchen.
“I thought I’d come eat down here.”
“Dr. Edwards is good with that?”
“I’m sure he will be,” Emily said. She was in a light summer dress with her hair hanging down against her back. She sat at the table, and Gordon immediately began to dish up biscuits and sawmill gravy.
“There you are,” Chevalier said, walking into the room. “I went to see if you wanted breakfast.”
She took a bite and then sat back. “I did.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Much better.”
“I need to go back to the palace for a couple of hours.”
“Can I go?”
“The incubus is still there.”
She shrugged. “Won’t it take time for him to affect me?”
“Yes”
“Then can I? Please?”
Chevalier smiled when he realized that she didn’t want to be too far away from him. “Sure. It’ll only be a couple of hours.”
“Do I get to go without guards?”
“Not yet. Quinn hasn’t made up his mind yet.”
“So, you say yes, and Zohn is still saying no?”
“Right”
“Why do the Elders even get a say in it?” Emily asked, taking another bite.
“Because your security is part of the responsibility of the Council.”
“Why is that?”
He kissed the top of her head lightly. “Because it is.”
Emily finished her breakfast and then stood up. “I’m ready to go.”
Chevalier took her good hand and headed out to his Humvee. He was proud of her for doing what Dr. Edwards suggested. This was the first time he could remember that she’d left a cast on and stayed in bed when a doctor recommended it.
Emily crawled into the Humvee and buckled in. They were soon pulling up in front of the palace. Guards moved out and opened their doors.
“Are you heading into the council chambers?” Emily asked Chevalier.
“Yes, do you want to go?”
She smiled. “No, not in there.”
“I’ll come and get you before heading back.”
“I have free run?”
“For now. Try not to get hurt.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not always hurt.”
Chevalier chuckled and headed up the stairs. Emily looked around the main floor’s lobby. It felt weird not having Cavalry around her. She went off in search of an apple and then ate it while she wandered the main floor of the palace.
When she passed by the hidden doorway to the prison, Emily decided she needed to face Sotomar and the other Old Ones.
“Ma’am,” the prison guards said, bowing.
“Where’s Sotomar?” she asked them.
“He’s on row 16 on the end,” the closest one answered.
Emily nodded and then walked past numerous cells on the way to Sotomar. One particular heku caught her eyes. He moved up to the bars of his cell and hissed softly when she passed. Emily quickened her pace and finally turned to face Sotomar.
He stood up and watched her. “Emily.”
“Hello”
“You are looking well.”
“Yeah, no thanks to you.”
“We did what we could for your health.”
“I petitioned for your release from banishment because I considered you a friend.”
“We are friends.”
“No, we’re not. What you’ve done goes beyond caring about someone.”
“I can change,” Sotomar told her.
“I just came to tell you something.”
“What’s that?” he asked, moving to the bars.
Emily moved back half a step. “I came to tell you that I’m washing my hands of you.”
“Meaning?” he asked, frowning.
“I’m sure Chevalier is going to punish you.”
“I’m positive of that.”
“I’m going to let him. If you’re banished, I won’t try to get to you, and I won’t try to get you revived early.”
“Emily, don’t do this.”
“I have very few friends in the Valle, but I did consider you one. You overstepped, so I’m done.”
“Please, don’t say that.”
“If you spend time in the ground, I want you to think about how you treat people you care about. What you did to my mind is unforgivable.”
“I did it because I care about you.”
“I’m thousands of years younger than you, but I know more about relationships than you could ever hope to. You don’t want me as a friend. You want to control me and exert power over me.”
“That’s not true.”
“Goodbye, Sotomar.”
“Emily, wait!” he yelled when she walked off.
The other Old Ones moved to the cell and watched her pass them.
“Emily!” Sotomar screamed.
Emily was trying not to tear up as she walked down the long passageway that led to the central prison hallway. In her haste, she cut one of the corners sharply, and a hand shot out of a nearby cell and grabbed her. Before she could even scream, the heku pulled hard, and she slammed into the cell.
“Guards!” one of the prisoners yelled. No one wanted to risk feeling Chevalier’s wrath if Emily was injured in the prison, not even the prisoners.
When Emily slammed into the bars, she hit her head on them and started to black out. She was pushing against the heku prisoner holding onto her, but he now had his hands wrapped around her as she struggled. Blood began to drip down her forehead, and she could hear prisoners along the passageway yelling for guards.
The hallway became a blur when the guards came to see what the commotion was. One of them tore the prisoner’s hands off Emily, while the other picked her up and disappeared from the prison. The first Emily knew she was out of the prison, the guard was sitting her down in the infirmary.
“Hold still,” the prison guard said as he held a cloth up to the blood pouring from her forehead.
“Who was that?” Emily asked him.
“Valle prisoner.”
“Damnit, I swore to Chev I wouldn’t get hurt.”
The guard picked the cloth up and sighed. “It’s a long cut.”
Emily blinked blood out of her eyes, and he pushed the cloth back to her head.
“What happened?” Chevalier growled when he blurred into the room.
“Elder!” the guard said, bowing. When he moved, he dropped the cloth, and blood again began to stream down Emily’s face. He saw his mistake and immediately picked up the cloth and put it to her head again.
“I’m fine, Chev,” Emily told him.
“I asked what happened,” Chevalier said angrily.
“I got too close to a cell,” Emily explained.
“One of the prisoners grabbed her,” the guard said.
“Which one?” Chevalier asked.
“One of the Valle we got last year from the ambush.”
“Let me see her head,” Chevalier said, taking the cloth. He hissed when he saw the deep gash.
“I’m fine. It was my fault,” Emily said. “I’d just gotten done talking to Sotomar when I rounded a corner and got too close to the cell.”
Chevalier dug through the medical supplies and taped a long bandage to her forehead to try and stop the bleeding. Her clothes were now covered in blood, and she was slightly embarrassed about the mishap.
When the bleeding stopped, Chevalier sat down across from Emily. “Okay, so when he grabbed you, why didn’t you ash him?”
“I don’t know.”
“I can’t convince Zohn and Quinn to let you run free in the palace if you don’t protect yourself.”
“I don’t know why, Chev.”
“It’s because you’re afraid to ash anyone.”
“I’m not afraid of it.”
“You are too,” he said, brushing the hair off of her shoulder. “You have been since coming back from Salazar’s coven.”
She tensed involuntarily.
“You have to be able to protect yourself.”
“I can.”
“Not if you hesitate. Twenty years ago, you would have ashed him before the guards even got there.”
“It all happened too fast.”
“I know that. I still say that you hesitated, and I need to know you can protect yourself.”
“I can.”
He sighed and then nodded. “Why don’t you go lie down for a bit? I’ll be done in an hour or so.”
“Elder?” Gifford said, knocking on the infirmary door. The Cavalry member from Thukil was still trying to gain Emily’s favor back so she would return to Thukil as a friend.
Chevalier turned to him.
“The Chief Enforcer and Chief Interrogator took the Valle that just attacked Lady Emily into interrogation.”
“Okay,” Chevalier said, unsure why he cared.
Gifford looked nervous but then continued, “When interrogation began, the Valle started screaming in Danish.”
Chevalier growled softly.
“Do you both have something against the Danes?” Emily asked them.
“The incubus speaks Danish,” Chevalier said, and then he instantly disappeared from the infirmary.
Gifford smiled at Emily.
She glanced around the infirmary and then finally stood up. “I guess I’m on my own for a bit.”
“I can go around with you if you’d like.”
“No, I’m okay.”
“Are you certain? You’re still bleeding some.”
Emily looked in the mirror at the gauze and saw that blood was soaking through. “Great.”
“I was going to take Sebastian out,” Gifford said. He’d partially adopted the hyper St. Bernard and often took the dog out on patrols.
“Well, have fun,” Emily said. “I’m just going to go down to the stables for a bit.”
He nodded, bowed, and then walked off slowly.
Halfway down the hallway, Emily’s phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket. “Hello?”
“Hi, Mom,” Alexis said, sounding excited.
“Alex! I left messages for you to call me a week ago.”
“I know, but Mom, I was busy.”
“With what?” Emily asked, sounding irritated.
“Well, Niccolo and I eloped,” Alexis said, now nervous.
Emily froze. “Do what?”
“We kept having to put the wedding off, and it just got to be too much, so he flew us to Las Vegas.”
“You eloped to Vegas!?”
“Mom, don’t be mad!”
“I was going to get to plan a wedding, Alex. I was looking forward to seeing my daughter get married.”
“You disappeared again.”
“That wasn’t my fault.”
“I know it wasn’t! Mom, listen to me. We’ve been putting the wedding off for a year.”
Emily was disappointed. She was excited about seeing her daughter walk down the aisle in a mortal wedding. “Well, congratulations.”
Alexis sighed. “You don’t sound happy.”
“Damnit, Alex. I wanted to be there.”
“I’m sorry, but we waited a long time.”
“Does your dad know?”
“No, I was hoping you could tell him.”
“It doesn’t matter, he won’t give a damn anyway,” Emily snapped.
“We’d like to come and visit soon,” Alexis said, trying to smooth things over.
“You’ll bring Asher?”
“Of course.”
“Bring your sister back too.”
“She’s already there,” Alexis explained. “Niccolo flew her back yesterday.”
“Megara’s here?”
“Yes, haven’t you seen her?”
“No, but I just barely got back.”
“I bet she’s in class.”
“When are you coming then?” Emily asked. She knew that Alexis coming would help break up the boredom some.
“Niccolo’s on shift all week, so maybe next week.”
“You could come without him and come now.”
“I don’t want to be away from him.”
“Fine”
“Mom, don’t be mad over the wedding,” Alexis begged.
“I’m not mad. I guess I’ll wait until you get married again and then I’ll get the white wedding.”
“Mom!”
“Oh, I’m kidding.”
Alexis laughed. “Tell Dad.”
“I will.” Emily hung up and went to the classrooms, where she finally found Megara with her Physics tutor.
Megara looked up and then went back to working on her assignment.
“Lady Emily,” the tutor said, bowing.
“Megara, it’s time to stop studying,” Emily told her.
“I can’t. I’m taking a test.”
Emily looked down at the complicated equation on her daughter’s paper. “The answer is 42. Now let’s go.”
Megara studied the paper. “How did you get 42?”
“I’m just that good,” Emily said.
“The answer is not 42,” the tutor said, somewhat insulted.
Emily rolled her eyes. “Megara, outside now.”
“Fine,” she said, and then handed the paper to her tutor before following Emily out.
They walked down to the stables together. Emily was ready to get out on a horse, but she had a few things to do first that she wanted to show Megara how to do also.
Emily walked into the storage room in the stables and opened up the medicine cabinet. She looked in and then frowned.
“What’s wrong?” Megara asked.
“The rabies vaccinations are gone.”
“Who would take those?”
Emily walked out into the stables and to the stall with the closest member of the Cavalry. “Have you seen the rabies vaccinations?”
He bowed and then went back to brushing his horse. “Horace gave the horses rabies vaccinations last week.”
“Oh,” Emily said, surprised. She usually did all of the vaccinations. She looked down and saw that his horse had recently had new shoes put on. “Who shoed this horse?”
“It was Porter, ma’am. He put new shoes on about half of the horses a couple of weeks ago.”
She nodded, again shocked. “I guess I’ll get them their worm meds and then I’ll head out.”
The member of the Cavalry glanced at her. “Porter gave them the anti-parasite meds yesterday.”
Emily nodded and then walked out, irritated, and went to her horse. Megara was already putting a bridle on her mare, so Emily got her horse ready and walked him out of the stables. Within a few minutes, the two of them were out on the hills.
Emily turned when she heard hoof beats and saw Kyle riding up to them.
“Wow, you do remember how to ride a horse,” Emily said, joking.
“Mostly,” Kyle told her.
“I haven’t seen you out in a while.”
“It’s been busy.”
“Did Chev send you out here?”
“Nope”
“Is he playing with the incubus?”
Kyle chuckled. “I guess you could say that.”
“Does that mean I get to move back into the palace?”
“You’d have to ask him that.”
Megara couldn’t help but smile at Emily. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Emily said, frustrated.
“The Cavalry doesn’t seem to need you anymore.”
Emily just shrugged.
“What do you mean?” Kyle asked her.
“They did all of Mom’s work,” Megara told him. “The Cavalry shoed and vaccinated the horses.”
Kyle studied Emily, but she was inconveniently watching the trees off to the other side of them.
“Em?”
“What?” she asked, looking over at him.
“Do you want me to talk to them about doing your job?”
“No, it’s natural that they take over. I’m surprised it’s taken this long for them to get into the deeper horse care.”
“You’ve always done it though.”
“Well, I guess I’m done.”
Megara was still smiling until Kyle gave her a stern glance.
They all finally headed out when Emily kicked her stallion and started for the trees.
“I’d like to continue talking about this,” Kyle told her.
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“It’s always been your job to vaccinate and shoe though.”
“They probably want Cavalry to do it.”
“You are Cavalry.”
“No, I’m not. I quit that a long time ago,” she reminded him.
“You can’t quit the Cavalry.”
“No, but you can sure get pushed out of it.”
“That’s not what happened.”
“Just drop it,” Emily said.
“I don’t want to. You’re upset about this.”
“I’m not upset.”
“Can I go back?” Megara asked. She saw an argument coming and just wanted to finish her school work.
“When Silas gets here, he’ll take you back,” Kyle said.
“Why is Silas coming up here?”
“I just said, to take you back.”
“I can make it to the palace alone.”
“No”
Megara glanced over when she heard someone riding closer. Silas and Kralen were both riding up to them.
“Babysitters are here,” Megara said angrily. “I guess I’m off.”
Silas chuckled and escorted Megara back while Kralen joined Emily and Kyle.
“Why’d you call for Kralen?” Emily asked Kyle.
“Because we need to figure this out.”
“There’s nothing to figure out! Just drop it.”
“What’s going on?” Kralen asked. He was starting to get angry when he saw that Emily was upset at something.
“Nothing’s going on.”
“The Cavalry has been vaccinating and shoeing the horses,” Kyle explained.
“Right”
“That’s always been Emily’s job.”
“She was gone. We don’t normally do it.”
“Well, if they know how, then they don’t need me around to do it,” Emily told them.
Kralen and Kyle started speaking where Emily couldn’t hear it, so she kicked her horse to move off to greener grass, so he could graze.
“Em?” Kralen said a few minutes later when he rode up to Emily. “I’m going to talk to the Cavalry.”
“Don’t, Kralen.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to take care of your horses anymore,” Emily said. She couldn’t look at him though because she was afraid tears might come on.
“What do you mean my horses?”
“Just what it sounds like. I’m not a member of the Cavalry anymore, and they can take care of their own horses from now on. Just tell them to leave my horse alone.”
Kralen glanced at Kyle, who’d just joined them.
“Em, don’t be like that,” Kyle said. “It’s your job and always has been.”
“Well, I don’t want it anymore. It’ll be nice if the Cavalry can take care of their own horses.”
“That’s what you want?”
“Yes”
“You’re sure?”
Emily just looked at him.
Kralen shrugged at Kyle and then addressed Emily, “The Elder said it’s safe for you to return to the palace.”
“Great”
“He thought maybe we could go get your things from the house.”
“Fine”
Without another word, they rode off toward the palace. Kyle went to talk to Chevalier while Emily and Kralen took the Humvee to her house, so she could gather her belongings and move back into the palace.
Emily didn’t see any Cavalry around the house anymore, so she figured Kralen was enough to protect her while she spent an hour in the house. Kralen locked the door after them when they went inside, and Emily headed up the stairs to her room.
She was just finishing up packing when her phone rang. She looked at it and saw a strange number. “Hello?”
“Emily, I’m glad I reached you,” Andrew said.
“Long time no talk.”
“I know. How are things going?”
“Fine”
“You don’t sound fine. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing”
There was a brief pause. “You realize I know you’re lying, right?”
She sighed. “It’s nothing you need to be concerned with.”
“If you’re upset, it concerns me.”
“Since when?”
“You’re my friend,” Andrew said. “You know I care about your well-being.”
Kralen appeared when he realized that she was talking to the Encala’s Chief Interrogator.
Emily glanced at him and then sat down. “How are things out west?”
“Boring, actually.”
“So fess up.”
“About what?”
“Why you called.”
“I call you all the time,” Andrew told her.
“No, you don’t. Not since the Encala Council decided you were grounded.”
“Grounded?”
“You know what I mean.”
“Fine then. I’m concerned that a Valle had you again.”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you?”
She just rolled her eyes.
“Don’t roll your eyes at me.”
“How do you know I did that?”
He chuckled. “I know you.”
“Well, I’m fine.”
“Did they do it?”
Emily glanced at Kralen briefly. “No.”
“Are you keeping it from the Equites?”
“No”
He sighed. “If Sotomar did do that forearm torture…”
“He didn’t, okay?” Emily interrupted, getting aggravated.
“Why are you not taking care of the horses anymore?”
“What the hell, Andrew!? How do you know that?”
“I have always kept tabs on you to make sure you’re taken care of.”
“Well, I am. It’s none of your damned business that I don’t want to take care of the Cavalry’s horses anymore.”
“You’re lying.”
“Stop interrogating me!”
“I’m not.”
“Leave me the hell alone, Exavior,” Emily yelled, and then disconnected the line.
Kralen chuckled. “I bet he loved being called Exavior.”
“I hope he’s livid.”
“What did he say?” Kralen asked.
“Nothing too bad. He’s just nosey.”
“The Council will want to know.”
“Why do they care? I talk to Andrew all the time.”
He smiled. “No, you don’t.”
“Well, anyway, he didn’t say anything that concerns the Council.”
“Did they do that torture on you again?”
“No! Were you listening?”
“Yes, I was,” Kralen said matter-of-factly.
“Get out,” she said, pointing to the door.
Kralen started for the door but turned when she spoke again.
“I don’t mean out of the house either. Keep walking until your ass is back in Council City.”
“I can’t leave you here alone.”
“Yes, you can! Chev said I don’t need guards anymore.”
“When you’re in the palace you don’t need guards.”
“Just get out!” she screamed, and threw the phone at him.
He caught it and then watched her. “What are you going to do if I leave?”
“Then I’m going to pack and drive myself back.”
“You promise?”
“Yes”
Kralen finally nodded and then slipped her phone into his pocket before leaving. Emily heard the front door to the house shut, so she went back to packing up her things.
Once packed, she hauled her suitcase down the stairs and grumbled to herself about Kralen’s behavior. She was shocked that he’d left when she asked him to. Emily peeked out of the house and didn’t see a soul in sight.
After putting the suitcase into the Jeep, Emily set out for Council City. She stopped briefly to get an iced coffee and then rolled the window down for some fresh air.
Out on the interstate, a sleek red sports car caught her attention. It was behind her but wasn’t trying to catch up or pass her. She had to remind herself that not only heku drove sports cars and that neither the Encala nor the Valle were currently after her.
She couldn’t help but smile. Since the Equites still had the Valle Elder’s wife in custody, the Valle had backed off, and there hadn’t been a single attempt on her life.
Emily slowed and pulled off of the interstate at Council City’s private exit. She saw the red sports car slow and then speed past her when she continued down the road. The gate guards immediately waved her through, and she parked just when Chevalier came into the garage.
“Get everything?” he asked, casually strolling over to her.
“Yeah”
“Kralen already told us.”
“I figured.”
“Do I need to do some sort of damage control?”
Emily frowned and looked at him. “Do what?”
“Are you mad?”
“No”
“So, you aren’t going to take off to the Encala or anything?”
“No,” she said, and pulled her suitcase out of the back of the Jeep. Chevalier reached over and took it from her.
“Do you want to talk about the phone call?”
“No”
“Okay, but if you do, I’m here.”
“I’m fine, really. Andrew was just being nosey. Sometimes I forget that I have absolutely no privacy at all.”
This time, it was Chevalier who frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that with all of the spies, the Valle and Encala know everything I do. I can’t so much as hiccup without the entire palace knowing, so nope, no privacy.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“Oh? When’s the last time I coughed that you didn’t come to see if I was getting a cold?” Emily asked, watching him.
He grinned sheepishly. “That makes me nervous.”
“Point proven,” she said, and started inside. “By the way, when Kralen left, did he take all of the heku with him?”
“Yeah, why?”
“He didn’t leave anyone?”
“No”
She just shrugged and walked up the stairs.
“Are you keeping something from me?” Chevalier asked, catching up with her.
“No”
“Why don’t I believe you?”
“Because you have trust issues.”
“I have trust issues?”
“Yes”
Chevalier just smiled.