Eternity of Vengeance : Book 7 of the Heku Series (22 page)

“Neither am I. It still
doesn’t matter.”

“Yeah but you can ash,
like… really well. I have to look the heku in the eye to do it,”
Alexis said, visibly upset.

“What does ashing have to do with
liking this heku?”

“It’s just cool, Mom. I
don’t have anything like that.”

Emily frowned, “You’re a
sweet girl. You’re pretty and smart, there’s nothing not to
like.”

Alexis shrugged, “It’d
just be nice to be able to be as strong as you are.”

“I’m far from strong.”

“I mean ashing. You could
wipe out that entire city right now if you wanted to.”

“Yeah, so?”

“I have nothing.”

“So… a heku couldn’t be
interested in you because you’re not a heku, yet not human, and you
can’t wipe out the city… so you aren’t cool…”

“Right, the factions fight
over you, you’re that valuable. I was kidnapped once and that was
just to get to you.”

Emily laughed slightly, “So I’m cool
because I keep getting kidnapped?”

“Not really that,” Alexis
said, and looked at her again, “But at least you’re valuable enough
to be kidnapped.”

Emily nodded, finally understanding,
“So it’s a guard you like.”

“How did you know?” Alexis asked,
shocked.

“Because, you want this guard to have
to rescue you.”

“Well…”

“And if you could ash like I can… be a
full Winchester, you think the other factions might try to kidnap
you and then your guard would save you.”

“You make it sound stupid.”

“No, I fully understand…
there’s…” Emily checked again for watching eyes. “There’s
something… attractive, about being protected. Tell your Dad and
I’ll string you up.”

Alexis grinned, “Yeah there
is.”

“However, I don’t think getting
kidnapped is the trick.”

“Can you at least teach me to ash like
you do?”

“Why?”

“It’s just so cool, Mom, so
powerful.”

“Sure, why not.”

“And… Mom… there has to be more than
jeans and t-shirts.”

“So you want to dress more like a
girl?”

“Yes, don’t you?”

“Nope, I dress exactly how I want
to.”

“Oh”

“You need to give yourself
more credit. I’m not all that powerful and strong… you have half of
your Dad in you, and he’s the one you should try to be
like.”

“Dad?”

Emily nodded, “Yes, he’s
the strong one. He’s a leader, one that demands
respect.”

“He’s just… Dad.”

“To us, I know, but to the
others, he’s very much revered.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Let’s go to the prison then, we’ll
practice.”

“Yes!” Alexis yelled, and
kicked her mare into a gallop. Emily laughed and followed her. The
Cavalry was changing shifts when they rode up and took the horses
from Alexis and Emily.

When Silas and three other
members of the Cavalry fell in behind Emily, she looked over at
Alexis’ two guards and saw that Alexis had a blush rising to her
cheeks. She watched as Alexis headed inside and how she couldn’t
look at the young, blond heku guard walking behind her.

“Who’s the blond guard?” Emily asked,
following them in.

“Gabe,” Silas told her.

“Gabe,” Emily whispered,
and the heku turned toward her.

“Yes, Ma’am?”

“I’m watching you,” she
said, and glared at him.

His eyes grew wide and he rushed up to
take his place behind Alexis again.

“Do I need to handle him?” Mark asked
from behind her.

“No, I got this,” Emily
said, then smiled and took Alexis’ hand. “Ok, no guards for an
hour.”

“What? Why?” Silas asked,
frowning.

“Em, the Elders
specifically…” Mark started, but Emily held up her hand.

“No, we’re solo for an
hour, live with it,” Emily said, and took Alexis down the hallway
while the six heku watched, irritated.

Emily led Alexis down into the
prison.

“Ma’am, you can’t be down
here,” the guard said, and stepped in front of her.

Emily frowned, “Yes, I
can.”

“No, Dustin said you
aren’t to be down here anymore, and there’s no exception for Miss
Alexis to the rule.”

“Take it up with Chev,”
she said, and stepped around him, pulling Alexis after
her.

“Ma’am, we insist you go
back up to the palace,” the guard said, and followed her to
Vaughn’s cell.

“Well, well, do I get two
Winchesters tonight?” Vaughn asked, and smirked.

“In your dreams,” Emily
said, and rolled her eyes. She sat down across from his cell and
leaned against the empty cell she once occupied. Alexis nervously
sat down beside her.

“Ma’am,” the guard said,
and stopped when Emily looked up at him.

“Chev… that Elder you are all so
afraid of… take it up with him, I’m busy.”

The guard sighed and walked
off.

Emily smiled, “Ok, look
over at Vaughn. You have to let the anger and hatred build up. Use
all of those negative emotions and just burn him, try
it.”

Vaughn turned away, “She
can’t burn me. I won’t look at her.”

“I don’t want you to look at her,”
Emily told him.

“Mom, I can’t,” Alexis
said.

“Just focus on him. He’s
an ass, focus on that, how much you hate him.”

Alexis turned and studied Vaughn,
remembering the times Emily was held hostage and tortured by some
of the heku in this prison.

“As you get mad, let it
grow, build it until you can’t possibly hate him any more,” Emily
whispered.

Alexis took a deep breath, still
concentrating on Vaughn.

***

“Sir, one of the prison
guards wants to speak to you,” Derrick said, peeking into the
council chambers.

Chevalier nodded, “Fine, let him
in.”

A nervous looking guard
stepped into the council chamber’s trial area and walked up to
Chevalier, “The… the Lady… Emily… she said to, that I needed to
talk to you.”

Chevalier looked up, “About
what?”

“She’s in the prison.”

“So?”

“With Miss Alexis.”

Chevalier frowned slightly, “She has
Alex in the prison?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Why?”

“They’re… trying to, well, turn Vaughn
to ash.”

Zohn chuckled slightly, “Training
session?”

“That’s kind of what it looks
like.”

“I still can’t figure out
why you’re up here telling me,” Chevalier said.

“The Coven Liaison Officer ordered
that she not be in the prison, and she said to take that up with
you.”

Chevalier sighed, “Dustin…”

“It was part of her
release from house arrest,” Dustin explained.

“Which we did away with
completely.”

“Not that part. I don’t
feel she needs to hang around the prison. She starts
riots.”

“Just leave her be,” Quinn
told the guard, and he left.

“Stop giving orders out
about my wife without consulting one of the Elders!” Chevalier
hissed at him.

“Yes, Elder,” Dustin said,
and turned back to a large stack of papers.

“Don’t you have a coven
complaining about something?” Zohn asked him.

“Yes, I’m heading out
now,” he said, and blurred from the room.

“He’s going to push it too far,”
Chevalier hissed.

“He already has… twice,”
Quinn reminded him. “If he can’t get this coven under control, then
we may be able to claim he’s not suited for the job.”

“We’ve talked about
banishing him and the risks of Powan retaliating,” Zohn said, and
sat down a large ledger.

“Still, this thing he has
with Emily goes way beyond the bickering she had with Damon and you
two,” Chevalier said, and turned toward them.

“It was always love-hate
with them though,” Kyle said, deep in thought. “With Dustin, it’s
pure hatred.”

“It’s a power struggle
between members of the Council, plain and simple,” the Chief
Interrogator added.

“Does he not think she
belongs on the Council?” Zohn asked, frowning.

“No, he does not.”

“He’s told you this?”

“Yes”

“She is and he better deal
with it. It’s too dangerous to remove her,” Chevalier
said.

“Agreed, removing her from
the Council isn’t even an option,” Quinn said, and stood up. “I
will be gone about a week.”

Zohn nodded, “I’m leaving as well in a
few minutes.”

Chevalier grinned, “Ahhh to be solely
in charge of the faction.”

Quinn chuckled, “Try not to kill the
entire city, will you?”

Zohn stood up and gathered the papers,
“I’m more worried about leaving you alone with Dustin.”

“He’ll be alive when you
get back, I promise,” Chevalier told them, and followed them out of
the council chambers. He left them on the fourth floor while they
headed up to the helicopter and he went down to see how Emily and
Alexis were doing. All six of their guards were standing at the
entrance to the prison.

“You sure you wanna go
down there?” Silas asked, smiling slightly.

“Why?”

“They’re trying to get
Lexi to turn a heku to ash without looking into his
eyes.”

Chevalier cringed, “Hopefully I’m
safe.”

Silas chuckled as the
Elder went down into the prison. An eerie silence filled the entire
prison when he appeared. Each prisoner was too afraid to even speak
around him for fear of retaliation. He rounded the corner and saw
Alexis staring into Vaughn’s cell while Emily sat to her side,
holding her hand.

Emily looked up at him and smiled,
“Are we getting kicked out?”

“Nope,” he said, and
looked in at Vaughn. “How’s it going?”

“This sucks,” Alexis
yelled. “I can’t do it unless he looks at me.”

“You may not have enough Winchester
blood to pull off what your Mom does.”

“Chev…” Emily sighed.

Alexis burst into tears and ran out of
the prison.

“What?” he asked, and
watched her go.

“I see she has the
emotional control her mother does,” Vaughn said, and
laughed.

“Shut up, Vaughn,” Emily hissed at
him.

“Wimpy though, if she can’t ash a
heku.”

“I sure as hell can, so
shut up,” she said, and let Chevalier help her up.

Chevalier laughed as
Vaughn fell back in a brief moment of pain and then Emily started
out of the prison.

“Want me to talk to her?” Chevalier
asked when they walked out into the palace.

“No, she and I need to go
shopping is all… I hate makeovers,” Emily sighed, and looked back
at her guards.

“Makeovers?”

“Yes, she’s getting old
enough that she wants to dress up. Not sure where she got that
from, but I’ll have to help her.”

“Just ask the tailor for
what you want. No need to go shopping.”

Emily looked up at him,
“More than shopping… makeovers.”

“You too?” he asked,
grinning.

“Afraid so… no guards
either.”

“Wait,” Silas interrupted.
“I’m going.”

“No you’re not,” Emily
said, and turned to him.

“Yeah, I am.”

Chevalier grinned and watched
them.

Emily’s eyes narrowed, “You’re not
going.”

“Yes, I am,” Silas said,
and crossed his arms.

“What makes you think I’m going to
give in and let you come?”

“You don’t have a choice.
I’m not leaving you again. I thought I should have been there when
you and Miri were taken… I tried to go when you and Kralen took off
for the Valle… and I’m not giving in this time.”

“I can just ash you.”

“But you won’t.”

“Mom, he can go,” Alexis said,
watching the stand off

“No,” Emily said, and
grinned.

Silas shrugged, “I’m
going.”

“Chev,” Emily said, still watching the
guard.

“Oh no, I’m not getting in
on this,” Chevalier said, and stepped back.

“Wimp”

“When do we leave?” Silas asked,
taking a step towards her.

Mark appeared in the
hallway, “What’s going on?”

“No,” Emily said, and
stood her ground.