Banishment : Book 9 of the Heku Series (19 page)

“I understand.”

“Yeah, well now she’s not going to talk to
us.”

“Nope, she’s not.”

“While you’re here…” Zohn said, looking over
at them. “Chevalier and Kyle are headed over to the Encala. We want
your team to go.”

Kralen nodded, “We’ll be ready in 10
minutes.”

“I think I’ll invite Em,” Chevalier said,
standing up.

“You are?”

“Yes, but I suspect she’ll say no.”

Chevalier walked up to the bedroom and opened
the door as Emily was putting her things away, “I’m sorry about
your trip.”

She shrugged, “I should have known.”

“I’m headed to the Encala. Do you want to
go?”

Emily looked over at him, “Why?”

“One of their covens in Germany attacked an
Equites coven last night. We wiped them out, but I want to go make
sure there’s no retaliation.”

“Do you need me there?”

“No, but I thought I’d offer to let you
go.”

She sighed, “I’m not ready to see him.”

He kissed her lightly, “I figured. Don’t go
base jumping while I’m gone, ok?”

Emily finally laughed, “I promise, if you
promise not to get imprisoned.”

“Nope, not making that promise,” Chevalier
said as he walked out the door.

She looked around the room and was already
bored. As she wandered around the bedroom looking for something to
do, she saw what a sunny day it was and how the horses were all
shut up tight in the barn. The heku meant well, but because they
hated the heat of day, they wrongly assumed that the horses should
be kept out of it too.

After slipping on some cowboy boots and a
pair of chaps, Emily called for Quiesco and Sebastian to follow
her. She saw the St. Bernard run out of Megara’s room, but the
Bulldog looked up from her bed and then returned to his usual nap
position. Giving up on the Bulldog, Emily headed down to the
stables, meeting up with Devia, who was walking slowly out of the
stables to greet her.

“How are you old boy?” she said as she knelt
down to pet him. His muzzle was now fully gray, and she often
wondered if his eye sight was going. She once told Chevalier that
would be the hardest part of immortality, outliving so many
precious pets.

Devia wagged his tail and then followed her
into the barn. Once she had six horses tethered to her Stallion,
she saddled up and met up with her guards just outside of the
stables.

“Where are we going, Ma’am?” Gifford asked.
He wasn’t sure if Emily had forgiven him yet for the Disneyworld
mishap and still felt like she distrusted Thukil.

“Just out. I want to get these six out for
the day. Their owners are off on that long mission.”

Gifford nodded and then silently informed
Mark that they were headed out of the city. Just as they passed out
of the Council City gates, Emily stopped and looked over at a group
of people standing in front of the farmhouse. The lone heku guard
was obviously trying to get rid of them.

“Are those V.E.S.?” Emily asked.

“No, Ma’am. Those are from ‘We the
Followers’.”

“Who?”

“They think we’re a cult. They started coming
around here a few months ago, swearing that they needed to save our
souls.”

Emily smiled slightly, “Seriously?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Do they realize what their initials
are?”

“What do you mean, Ma’am?” Gifford asked,
looking over at her.

“WTF…”

He just shrugged.

“Nothing, let’s go talk to them,” Emily said,
and kicked her horse lightly.

Gifford simply did the same, and the guards
followed Emily. The farmhouse guard looked up when he heard horses,
and then smiled and shook his head, “Here’s the Lady of the
house.”

When the twelve Bible wielding mortals came
toward her, she laughed that the farmhouse guard had successfully
diverted the entire group in her direction.

“Can I help you?” she asked, adjusting her
hat.

“We’re here to save the souls of those in
this compound,” the eldest man said. He had the signature white
patch at his neck that was worn by most theological
professionals.

“How are you going to do that?”

“By listening to our message, we can prove to
you that you are on the wrong path.”

Emily leaned forward slightly, “How do you
even know I’m on the wrong path?”

“Proverbs 30:14
says,
‘There are those whose teeth are
swords, whose fangs are knives, to devour the poor from off the
earth, the needy from mankind.’
”

She frowned, “So… wait… what?”

His voice rose and grew
stronger, “
If any one of the house of
Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them eats any blood, I
will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut
him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the
blood…”

“Wait! I don’t drink blood. What the hell
kind of stuff do you think goes on here?”

His eyes narrowed at her use of a curse word,
“We know what goes on here, and it’s my duty to save you.”

“You don’t have a clue what goes on here. I
don’t drink blood. I don’t have fangs, and you are all annoying me…
and trespassing.”

“Kneel down before me and pray!”

“Thou shalt not bow down
thyself to them, nor serve them
,” Emily
said, sitting back in the saddle. “I have no religious obligation
to kneel before you.”

He snarled at her,
“
Thou shall not suffer a witch to
live
!”

“If we’re going to sit and yell Bible verses
at each other, you might as well make them relevant.”

“Your soul is already damned.”

“I’m thinking probably so.”

He looked shocked at that statement, “You
admit to being the Devil’s advocate?”

“No, but I do admit to being really irritated
that you’re here bugging me when I have work to do.”

“I can save you!” he yelled, raising the
Bible above his head.

“It’s too late.” With that, Emily turned her
horse and headed out for the hills. She glanced back over her
shoulder and saw the W.T.F. members crawling into their cars.

“That was interesting,” Kralen said, riding
up.

“You saw that?”

“Yes”

Emily looked over to her other side and saw
that Silas had joined them also.

“We should have had you talk to them when
they first showed up.”

“They’ll be back… they always are.”

“True, however, they may think twice.”

She shrugged and stopped her horse up on the
green hills. Two of the Cavalry took off in a race across the thick
grass, and Emily sat back to enjoy the sun.

After a few minutes of silence, she frowned
and looked over at Silas, “How old are you?”

“Why?”

“Just curious.”

“1,550.”

Emily turned to the other guards, “Who’s the
eldest here?”

“I think that’d be me, Ma’am,” one of the
Cavalry said. She didn’t know him well, but he’d been her guard on
numerous occasions.

“How old are you?”

“Almost 2,500.”

“So you were around when the Bible was being
written?”

“Yes”

She smiled, “Is it true?”

He glanced nervously at Kralen and then
swallowed hard, “I can’t say, Ma’am.”

“Why not?”

“Because I know for certain if it is.”

“Right… you know if there was a flood that
covered the planet…”

“Yes, I know, one way or the other.”

“So was there one?”

“It’s not something we talk about.”

“Why not?”

He sighed, “It’s part of being a mortal…
figuring out for yourself if there is a God, and if so, which God
to follow. It’s a rite of passage, an important one, and we don’t
get involved.”

“I’m not a mortal though,” Emily reminded
him.

“I’m aware of that.”

“They won’t even tell us, Em,” Silas said.
“Because I wasn’t around when it happened, I’m kept in the
dark.”

“I’ll just ask Chev.”

“He’s not going to tell you either.”

“We’ll see…”

He nodded and turned to watch the heku that
were racing. Just as they were all about to head back in, Kralen
turned toward Council City and cocked his head to the side
slightly.

Emily watched him closely, “I’m not getting
called into the Council, right?”

“No,” he said, and looked at her. “You’re
needed at the farmhouse.”

“The holy rollers are back?”

“No, we need to hurry though. They called for
the Elder, but he’s gone, so now they want you.”

Emily shrugged and turned her horse for the
gates, “Odd, but ok.”

When they arrived, no cars were visible and
the only thing out of the ordinary was a box on the front step. The
farmhouse guard walked out the front door, looked down at the box,
and then went to meet Emily.

“Ma’am… I’m sorry to call you back,” he said,
shifting nervously.

“What’s up?” she asked him.

“The box, Ma’am. I… well… see for
yourself.”

Somewhat irritated, Emily dismounted and
handed her stallion’s reins over to Kralen before walking up onto
the porch. As she neared the box, she gasped and then ran toward it
when she heard a shrill cry. She looked down, wide eyed, at a
screaming baby wrapped up in blue blankets. He was nestled into the
box and wasn’t happy.

Emily reached down and picked him up, then
bounced him against her shoulder, “Why is there a baby here?”

The guard cringed slightly and held out a
note.

She took it and read it while she bounced
lightly,

Dain,

I’m so sorry to spring this on you. This is
your son, Asher. I should have told you about him before. I have no
money, and I’m going to Europe with Trent. He’s yours now. God
bless,

Trina

Emily looked down at the baby and sighed,
“I’m going to kill him.”

“So why is it here?” Kralen asked, looking
down at her.

“Because Dain’s an idiot,” she said. The
farmhouse guard took the baby long enough for Emily to get back
onto her stallion, and then she took him and cradled him.

“The baby is Dain’s?” Silas asked,
shocked.

“Seems so, though I want to hear it from him
first.”

They could tell that Emily was livid, so they
followed her back to the palace in silence. When they were almost
at the stables, Emily called out for Dain to meet her in her
office.

“Maybe it’d be better if you talk to him in a
conference room,” Kralen suggested.

“No, I want him in my office.” Emily slid off
of the horse, still carrying the baby, and headed inside.

“But in your office, we can’t intervene if
there’s a problem.”

“Oh, there’s a problem!” she yelled.

Alexis was just walking down the stairs when
Emily entered. She frowned and walked to her Mom, “Where’d the baby
come from?”

“Can you take him and feed him?” Emily asked,
handing the baby over to her daughter. “There are still bottles
around here somewhere.”

Alexis nodded, “Yeah… but where’d he come
from?”

Emily was too mad to speak, and when she was
told Dain was waiting by her office, she stormed up the stairs.

“Hey, Mom, what’s up?” Dain asked.

Without a word, Emily grabbed his ear and
pulled him into her office. Kralen called for Mark when she slammed
the door without letting any of the guards in.

“Ouch,” Dain yelled. “Let me go.”

Emily twisted his ear hard before letting go,
and then shoved the note at him, “Care to explain?”

Dain read it and then started to panic, “No…
I… I didn’t know…”

“Who is she?!”

“Just a girl, Mom… that baby can’t be
mine.”

“Did you sleep with her?”

“May… well…,” Dain sighed. “Yes.”

She took a step toward him, obviously
furious, “Did you use protection?”

His shoulders sunk, “No.”

“Then he is yours! How stupid can you be,
Dain?!”

“I figured she’d be on the pill… ya
know?”

“What’s going on?” Mark asked when he
appeared beside Kralen and heard Emily screaming.

Kralen filled him in, and he immediately
called for the Elders. When Zohn walked up the stairs and frowned
at the screaming from Emily’s office, Kralen told the Elder about
the note and the baby also.

“Emily, let me in, please,” Zohn said,
knocking on her office door.

“I fought for you! I told your Dad how mature
you are and how ready you are for responsibility… then this
happens?!” Emily yelled. “I’m half tempted to cut it off if you
can’t keep it in your pants!”

“Mom, it was an accident…”

“No it wasn’t! It was a serious lack in
judgment that shows just how right the Council is.”

“They aren’t right!” Dain said, getting
angry.

“Emily, please,” Zohn said, knocking
harder.

“Where did you meet her?”

“I’m not talking to you about Trina.”

“You damned well better! Who is she?”

“She… was… she was just a one-night stand,
Mom. Nothing special.”

The heku in the hallway all winced when they
heard Emily slap Dain and then scream, “One-night stand?! Is that
how I raised you? To go find any slut that’ll give in? How dare you
act like this!”

“I can do what I want. I’m an adult,” Dain
said, seething.

“An adult with the mind of a peanut! You are
not stepping foot out of this palace again without my permission.
Is that understood?”

“You can’t keep me in here!”

“Yes I can…”

“…
no… I didn’t do anything
any of your guards haven’t done!”

“Oooh no, boy, don’t bring us into this,”
Kralen whispered as he listened at the door.

Alexis lightly rocked the baby as he drank
from the bottle she held. She gently pushed the black hair away
from his tiny forehead and then smiled when he reached up and took
her hand.