Chapter 25 - New Elder

“Yes, we have chosen,” Quinn said to the Council. They had been through three weeks of mourning as a faction, and it was now time to announce the new Elder. Maleth was buried in a richly adorned tomb by the resting place of Leonid, and Emily visited them several times a day.

“We’ll get ready for the coronation,” Zohn said.

“Not you though, you and Kyle are to be medaled,” Chevalier reminded him.

Kyle cringed, “Really, that’s not necessary.”

“You saved the life of the Elders,” the Court Reporter said with admiration.

“No, we didn’t. Emily did that. We just lied and gave orders,” Zohn said. He wasn’t comfortable getting medaled for this.

“All the same, you are,” Quinn said, and his tone let them know the subject was closed.

“And the Lady?” the Court Reporter said.

Chevalier sighed, “She wouldn’t take a medal if we offered it. She’s still blaming herself for the loss of Maleth.”

“Will she be in attendance?” the Chief Investigator asked.

Chevalier shrugged, “I don’t know.”

Never before had any of the Council worried about Emily, but her feat of saving 3 out of 4 with the illness was now well known and respected throughout all three factions. Rumors started that Emily had a healing ability, but was quickly stopped by the Council. They didn’t need more reasons for her to be wanted by the Encala or Valle.

“Let’s end today then, and tomorrow we’ll not meet so we can prepare,” Quinn said.

Chevalier nodded, “Agreed.”

Most of the Council left the chambers immediately, leaving Quinn, Chevalier, Zohn, and Kyle behind.

“Is she out there again?” Chevalier asked.

Kyle nodded, “Yes.”

“I could go and talk to her,” Quinn said. He’d become a lot closer to Emily since their return from Alaska, and seemed to have a deeper understanding of how she thought.

Chevalier nodded, “Ok, you try.”

Quinn smiled and blurred from the room.

“Hmm,” Zohn sighed.

“What?” Kyle asked him.

“Do I have to almost die to get on Emily’s good side?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Chevalier chuckled, “Never hurts apparently.”

Quinn appeared out in the cemetery and dismissed Emily’s guards before walking over and sitting down beside her.

“Hi,” Emily said, and looked at him. She had been rearranging the flowers she put on the two Elder’s graves.

“Fancy meeting you here… again,” Quinn said.

“Did you choose a new Elder?”

Quinn nodded, “Yes, the coronation is tomorrow.”

Emily picked up a flower and turned it over, laying it back down exactly where it had been.

Quinn touched her hand lightly, “What are you looking for out here?”

Emily shrugged, “Forgiveness.”

“There’s nothing to forgive, you should be praised, not punished.”

Emily turned her face when a tear fell down her cheek, “That’s easy for you to say, you lived.”

“I can assure you, Maleth wouldn’t punish you for his death,” Quinn told her, and wiped the tear from her cheek.

“I’ll be in in a second,” Emily said, and watched as Quinn nodded and left. She turned back to the tomb and rearranged the flowers again. For the hundredth time, she ran through her trip to Alaska in her mind and tried to find something that would explain why Maleth didn’t survive when the others had.

Emily finally stood up and walked back toward the palace. Her guards had returned when Quinn left, and they fell in behind her. She caught sight of Patra out in the corral and decided against going into the palace.

She grabbed a bridle and went out to Patra.

“Wait, we’ll get our horses,” one of her guards said.

“No, go back inside. I am going out alone,” she said, and slipped the bridle on the mare.

“I don’t know, Lady Emily.”

Emily jumped up onto Patra, bareback and smiled, “Go, I’ll take the heat if anyone gets mad.”

The guard nodded and Emily ran Patra through the city and up onto the hills to the west. She didn’t look at the city for long, then turned and headed back toward the trees. She was able to let go and run Patra at a full gallop. She pulled her hair out of a ponytail and let the wind blow it behind her as she ran. The sun was beating down on her face, and it felt good to feel the freedom being on horseback brought.

Emily headed deeper into the trees, letting Patra lead the way for a while. The deeper she got into the trees, the more secluded it felt and the more she felt at ease. Maleth’s death suddenly seemed less traumatic, and the stress from the last few months began to melt away. Her mind was far away when hands grabbed her off of the horse.

Emily screamed and then hit Chevalier on the chest, “That was stupid! I could have ashed you.”

Chevalier chuckled, “You aren’t that trigger happy.”

Emily went over and tied Patra to a tree by Chevalier’s ornery stallion. When she turned around, Chevalier was only inches from her and picked her up, kissing her softly.

“You haven’t gone riding in a long time,” Emily said as Chevalier ran his lips lightly along her neck.

“Mmhmmm,” he said, and bit softly at her neck.

Emily shivered and grinned, “I take it you are feeling better?”

Chevalier nodded and dropped to his knees, and then laid Emily down on the mossy ground.

***

Chevalier and Emily walked hand in hand out of the trees, leading their horses behind them.

“Are you going to the coronation tomorrow night?” Chevalier asked.

“I haven’t decided,” she said, and glanced back at the horses.

“Everyone’s been asking about you.”

“Who is the new Elder?” Emily asked.

“Does it matter, you won’t like him,” Chevalier chuckled.

Emily frowned at him, “That’s not fair.”

Chevalier smiled softly, “I was joking.”

“So who is it?”

“It’s James.”

Emily looked at Chevalier, “Who is James?”

Chevalier laughed, “Blond heku, sits to the right of Zohn.”

“I figured you’d give it to Zohn,” Emily said.

“We thought about it, but James will be a better fit.”

Emily sighed, “I don’t like him.”

“I figured.”

“He always looks at me like I’m in the way.”

“No he doesn’t. You’re just paranoid about what the Council thinks of you.”

“He was one of Damon’s followers,” Emily reminded him.

Chevalier nodded, amused. Emily divided the Council into Damon followers, and non-Damon followers. He wondered how long she would make that distinction.

“I have all day tomorrow off, what would you like to do?” he asked as they put the horses into their stalls.

“All day?”

“Well, until I have to get ready for the coronation.”

Emily filled Patra’s trough with fresh water and then shut the door to her stall, “So we can stay in if I want?”

“If that’s what you want, yes.”

“Maybe… start off with a hot bubble bath,” Emily said, and pulled Chevalier against her and into the corner.

“Sure,” Chevalier said, and kissed her softly.

“Then maybe...” Chevalier cut off her words with his lips and his hand wrapped around the back of her neck.

Mark cleared his throat behind them.

Chevalier started to turn around, but Emily pulled him back towards her and pressed her lips against his.

“Don’t mind me,” Mark chuckled. “It’s shift change though, so there are about to be five more of us in here.”

“That’d put a whole new meaning to the term mounted Cavalry,” Emily laughed.

Chevalier shook his head, “Come on inside, your dinner’s almost ready anyway.”

Mark grinned and got onto his horse.

***

Emily woke up the next morning and sat up in bed, looking around. The room was empty and a note by her bed said that they had let her sleep late, and that Alexis was already out with Silas.

She yawned, stretched, and then called out for breakfast. Within a few minutes, Mark came in with the tray.

“Good morning,” he said, and sat the tray down on the table.

Emily nodded, “All sniffed I take it.”

Mark chuckled, “Yes, all sniffed. It’s poison free.”

Emily sat down at the table and looked up when Mark left for the door.

“Mark?”

“Yes?” he asked, and turned around.

“Will you stay?”

He frowned slightly and then nodded and smiled. Mark sat down at the table across from her.

Emily took a bite of the scrambled eggs and looked up at Mark, “What’s your last name?”

A shocked expression crossed Mark’s face, “Excuse me?”

“You know… Chev is Chev, Kyle is Kyle… why don’t any of you have last names?” Emily asked, and took another bite.

“That’s part of our mortal selves we leave behind,” he explained.

“What if there’s another Mark in the faction.”

“There are many.”

“So what was yours?”

Mark thought for a moment, “I don’t really remember.”

“Don’t remember or just don’t want to tell me?” Emily took another bite of eggs and then leaned back with a cup of coffee.

“I honestly don’t remember. I haven’t thought about that in a long time. The perfect memory starts after turning, things before that time fade.”

Emily watched him for a moment, “Where’s Chev?”

“There’s a problem with the coronation. He and Quinn have been in meetings all morning.”

Emily sighed, “Great, so much for our day alone.”

“He’s sorry. He mentioned it several times. Oh, there’s a letter here for you. The guard at the farmhouse signed for it,” Mark said, and pulled a letter out of his back pocket.

Emily sat back with her coffee and opened it. Mark watched her carefully as she looked at the paper and fell into a deep thought.

“Well I’m going to go out for a bit,” Emily said, and went into the bathroom to get dressed.

When Emily came back out, Mark was in civilian clothing and waiting for her.

“Oh no, I’m going alone,” Emily said, and grabbed her purse.

“I don’t mind going,” Mark said, shifting uncomfortably.

“Seriously, Mark, I need time by myself and you have a party to attend,” Emily said, and walked out of the room. She heard the guards behind her until she crawled into the Durango. She smiled at them as she pulled out of the garage and headed to the nearby city.

After calling information, she pulled into the City office building and went inside. She made it through security easily and then waited in line at the desk.

“Next,” an elderly man said, looking at her sternly.

“My husband died, and I want to change my last name,” Emily said, and handed over the death certificate she had just received in the mail. “Can I change the surname of my children also?”

Without a word, the man handed her several forms and yelled for the next person in line. Emily spent the next hour filling out paperwork and double-checking everything to make sure it was all in order before going to the next window.

Four hours later, she was no longer Emily Russo, and she felt like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She slipped into the Durango and sat back, reveling in it. Something across the street caught her eye and she grinned, and then drove to the small building across from the city offices. She parked out front and went inside.

Emily inhaled the soft, warm scent of apple pie and walked up to the woman at the desk. She was very pretty and smiled when she saw Emily.

“May we help you?” she asked.

“Your sign says you take walk-ins?” Emily looked around the room. The inviting peach décor was subtle and comfortable with the soft plush couches and rocking recliners.

“Oh yes, what can we get for you?”

“I’ll take it all.” Emily smiled. This was something she had always wanted to do.

“Right away, please come back here with me,” the woman said, and led Emily into a room with dim lights and soft music. “Here’s a robe, slip into it and I’ll wait for you.”

Emily nodded and stepped into a dressing room. She stripped and pulled on the soft pink robe. When she stepped out, the woman had acquired a small tray.

“Have a seat while I get your technician,” she said, and sat out frozen grapes and a warm tea for Emily. Emily watched her leave and then grinned and leaned back in the chair. She thought about how this was so perfect, no heku, no kids, and no guards. There was just her, and she was about to get pampered.

“I’m ready for you,” another woman said when she came into the room. Emily followed her back for a manicure and pedicure.

***

“He at least could have told us he was considering it,” Chevalier growled.

“I agree, maybe this is a ruse, but if he doesn’t go into retirement soon, we may have to banish him for insubordination,” Quinn said, obviously irritated.

“Then this decision is made… again,” Chevalier said, and stood up.

“I’m sorry about your day off. Tell Emily it’s my fault,” Quinn said, standing.

Chevalier grinned, “Not a chance. She’s just barely getting over her dislike for you. It’s easier for us all if we keep it that way.”

The Elders walked out of the Council’s conference room and stopped when they saw Emily’s guards shifting nervously, Mark included.

“What’d she do now?” Quinn asked, amused.

“She got a registered letter in the mail, and then she read it and took off,” Mark said.

Chevalier sighed, “Was she mad?”

“No, not at all, but she wouldn’t let us go.”

“Guess you get the afternoon off. I know you will all party tonight after the coronation, might as well get a head start,” Chevalier said, and patted Mark on the shoulder.

Mark relaxed and grinned, “Don’t have to tell us twice.”

The Elders laughed as the guards blurred away.

***

Emily walked on her heels to the next room, trying not to smudge her recently painted toenails.

“Your facial will be in here,” the woman said, and Emily sat down in a soft recliner to wait.

“Ahh, my dear, are you ready?” Emily nodded, and the woman leaned the chair back and put a warm towel over Emily’s face.

“I’m Selma, by the way,” she said, and started mixing some oils in a small dish.

“Nice to meet you,” Emily said, relaxed.

“Your accent, it’s not from around here.”

“I grew up in Montana,” Emily explained. She found it refreshing to have small talk with someone not trying to kill or kidnap her.

“Oh Montana! What a pretty place,” she said, and pulled the towel off. She began rubbing fruit and lavender scented oil gently into Emily’s face and then massaged her temples. Emily felt herself relaxing further and was almost asleep when the woman spoke again.

“Ok, Dear, time for your massage,” Selma said, and helped Emily to her feet. She took her into a small, dark room that had a waterfall flowing down the wall and scented candles on high shelves.

“Pull off your robe and get under the sheet, face down, I will send in Charles.” Selma bowed slightly and walked off.

Emily laughed, it seemed an odd gesture to bow, but she slipped off the plush pink robe and crawled under the sheet, placing her face in the hole on the head rest.

Emily started to sleep slightly as she waited for her masseuse. When he came in, he said nothing, but pulled the sheet down off of her back and began working the knots in her neck with warm, scented oil.

“That’s a unique smell, what is it?” Emily asked.

Charles laughed softly, “It’s a blend I make, to help you relax.”

“Mmm, it’s working.” Emily could feel her neck and back calming as he gently massaged the knots. The scent was soothing and she felt herself relaxing more.

Charles moved onto her arms and massaged down to her fingers, “That’s a lovely ring.”

“Thanks,” Emily said, her words slightly slurred. She felt a slight tug on the ring.

Charles covered Emily’s back and uncovered her legs. She wasn’t sure why, but she began to feel uncomfortable as he massaged the sweet smelling oil into her thighs.

“Why so tense all of a sudden?” Charles asked her.

Emily shrugged. She still felt relaxed and sluggish from the massage and all of the scents. She felt like hours had passed, even though she had only signed up for an hour-long massage. The room was quiet as Charles worked on her feet and the scents were growing stronger.

“Turn over, Dear,” Charles said to her.

She held the sheet while she rolled over and he immediately put a warm rag over her eyes. She heard him sit in a chair by her head and began to massage her scalp, face, and neck. He slowly moved down to massage the oil into her shoulders and upper chest, and Emily felt something brush her lips. It happened so fast she began to think she’d imagined it.

All at once, she felt lips press against hers as hands slid lower down her chest and lightly brushed her breast. She pushed the face away from her and sat up, clutching the sheet close to her. She pulled the washcloth off of her eyes and stared at the masseuse while her eyes adjusted to the dark.

Emily’s eyes narrowed, “Sotomar?”

Sotomar smiled, “You remember me.”

“Oh, my God!” she screamed, and stood up. “What the hell?”

“Don’t panic, I’m a trained masseuse,” he said, and raised an eyebrow.

Emily put on the robe, keeping a close eye on Sotomar, and cinched it closed with the belt, “What the hell do you want?”

“Only to help you relax. You are quite tense. Seems the Equites aren’t doing enough to keep you comfortable.”

Emily glared at him, “Why can’t you just leave me alone? I haven’t attacked anyone in a long time. I’m tired of it.”

“This isn’t an attack, the Valle own this little place. I was called when you came in the door. It’s nothing more than a business,” he said, clearly amused.

Emily glanced at the massage oil and picked it up when she saw its crimson color, “Is this blood?”

“Some of it, it’s a special blend of oils like ochun and elegua.” He took the bottle from her, “It’s mine though, you’d need to make your own.”

“You! You rubbed blood into my back? That’s so… nasty!” Emily said, and tried to open the door, but it was locked. She turned around, angrily, “Open it.”

“It’s customary to lock the door during a massage,” Sotomar said, watching her.

Emily glared at Sotomar and watched him fall to his knees, clutching his chest and the familiar smell of burning filled the room. She frowned when he didn’t turn to ash, and tried again. His screams filled the room, but he never fell.

“Can’t do it can you?” Sotomar asked, his voice strained as he stood up.

Emily began to panic, “What did you do?”

“Just a precaution, sadly temporary though,” he said, and smiled. “Now come, finish your massage.”

“Let me out of here,” she glared.

“Answer me a question first.”

“What?” Emily asked, crossing her arms.

“When are you planning on producing another child?” Sotomar asked, and sat down. The burn was lingering in his chest.

“What kind of question is that?”

“A valid one.”

“One that’s none of your damn business, now let me out,” she said again.

“As a show of good faith, I will,” Sotomar said, and unlocked the door.

Emily grabbed her purse and ran out of the building, still in the robe, and got into the Durango. She pulled quickly into traffic to head back to Council City.

Emily glanced into her rear-view mirror and saw three identical red Lamborghini Reventon’s right behind her. They spanned the three lanes of the Interstate and were quickly closing the distance. She pegged the Durango at 100 mph and kept a close eye on the approaching cars. She grabbed for her cell phone, but it wasn’t in her purse anymore. She turned off onto the small road that went to Council City.

“Damnit,” Emily yelled when one of the Reventon’s quickly passed her on the median. She was now surrounded by the red cars. They were approaching the woods that eventually led to the west side of the palace, when the car in front of her began to slow, just as the sun set and it started to get dark.

“Let’s see you off-road those babies,” Emily said, and popped the Durango into 4-wheel drive on the fly, and then turned a hard right. She watched the Reventon’s screech to a halt as she mowed down a barbed wire fence and sped across a rocky field.

She didn’t slow, even when the terrain became dangerously rocky and the Durango began to make horrible clunking noises. The engine died at the tree line, and smoke began to pour from under the hood.

Emily glanced quickly behind her and stepped out of the Durango. She slipped on a pair of cowboy boots that she kept in the back of the car and grabbed a Smith & Wesson .357 from the glove box. Looking behind her again, she ran into the woods, cursing the bulky robe.

She didn’t stop or slow down as she ran through the trees. She no longer knew which direction she was going, and her senses were aware of every noise around her. She knew she gained a head start by taking the Durango off-road, but she also knew that the Valle would be blurring behind her, edging closer quickly.

Emily realized she was running in a blind panic and stopped to lean against a tree to try and get her bearings. She couldn’t see the sky through the dense trees, but there was just enough light she could see the ground. She found a patch of moss beside one of the trees and ran left, heading west toward the palace.

“Emmmily,” she heard someone yell from behind her. She didn’t turn around, but kept running toward what she hoped would be the safety of Council City.

Emily knew she was slowing down. She couldn’t see as well anymore, and she had been running for too long. She couldn’t keep up the pace. She hoped that the guards were partying in the woods again, like they had for Quinn’s coronation. If she could reach them, she knew she would be safe.

Emily suddenly saw a light ahead and realized it was a campfire. Soon, she could hear music playing. As she got closer, the music grew louder and she heard the smashing of glass against a tree. She pushed harder and ran into the clearing. The music suddenly stopped, and the partying guards looked at her, confused.

Mark came up from behind some of the others, “Emily?”

“Mark...” Emily panted. “Valle.”

She felt a rush as the guards blurred to her.

“Where?” Mark asked, looking into the woods.

“Emmmmmily,” someone yelled again from the dark woods.

Emily had barely even blinked when the clearing emptied out, and she heard the sounds of movement behind her. She turned and ran toward where the guards had gone. It wasn’t far before she heard the sounds of fighting. She drew her pistol and ran forward, unsure how many Valle were after her.

The trees suddenly filled with fighting heku. Emily couldn’t tell in the dark which were Equites and which were Valle. Blood and body parts were flying, and the woods were filled with growls and hisses.

Emily saw Silas and ran toward him. He had three Valle attacking him, and she stood off to his side and concentrated. One of the Valle fell to the ground, screaming, but didn’t turn all the way into ash. He stood up slowly and his eyes fixed on her.

Emily took a step back and raised her gun toward him.

“Go ahead, Sweetheart, shoot me,” he said, stepping toward her.

Emily pulled the trigger, but the heku turned into a blur and the gun was ripped from her hand. The Valle smashed the butt of the gun against the side of her face, and she fell back against the mossy ground as blood poured from her cheek. She saw him disappear as someone slammed into him, then she slowly got to her feet and steadied herself against a tree as her head cleared.

A strong arm wrapped around her waist and lifted her from the ground as a hand pressed against her mouth.

“Shhhh, Child, don’t make this painful,” a heku whispered into her ear. “Come with me, and the Valle will leave some of your guards alive.”

Emily bit his hand and her mouth filled with blood as he screamed, but quickly began to heal. She head butted him hard and heard his nose shatter as she finally pulled loose from his grasp. He looked up at her with infuriated eyes and appeared just inches from her. She turned just as he punched and hit her lower ribs. She felt the painful stab as her ribs broke and she fell to her knees, gasping for breath.

“You bitch, that hurt,” he growled, and then disappeared when one of the Equites blurred into him and pushed him into a tree. The thick tree cracked and then fell with the force of the hit, and Emily got to her feet, holding onto her side.

The woods quickly grew silent as the fighting stopped. Emily looked around but couldn’t see what was going on. She turned away from where the fighting had been, and started to run, unsure if the Equites or the Valle had won. She wasn’t able to move as fast as she would have liked, her ribs were stabbing painfully into her side with each breath.

“Em, stop!” Mark yelled from behind her, and she turned slowly. She saw the familiar Equites guards step closer to her. They were covered in blood, their clothes were torn, and some were supported by others as they fought against wounds that healed too slowly.

“Meet in the clearing,” Mark said, and picked Emily up. She groaned as the movement sent painful stabs through her chest. He blurred her back into the clearing by the fire and laid her gently on the ground.

Emily looked up and saw the Equites guards all emerge into the clearing. Those that were injured were laid down beside her. She jumped when she heard a loud shout.

“That was awesome!” one of the guards shouted, and she saw the euphoric expression on his face. Others joined in, cheering, and the clearing filled with the excited talks of battle.

Mark knelt down beside Emily and looked down at the bloody robe, “Where are you clothes?”

Emily sighed, “It’s a long story.”

Mark grimaced and wrinkled his nose, “You smell like the Valle.”

“Like what?” she asked, not sure she heard right.

“Very strongly like the Valle, ugh,” Mark said, and turned her head toward the fire so he could see the gash on the side of her face.

“I’m sorry I broke up your party,” Emily said as he studied the cut on her face.

Mark laughed, “That’s the most fun we’ve had at a coronation party.”

Emily looked at him, “Fun?”

One of the guards ran over, “Great move, Lady Emily! You should bring Valle to all of our parties.”

Emily just shook her head.

Mark sighed, “Course, someone’s got to go tell the Elder.”

Emily grinned, “Can’t I just go to a hotel for a week?”

He picked her up as gently as he could, and then chuckled, “I’m not going to be the one to tell him where your clothes are, or why you smell like the Valle.”

“If you all would stop sniffing me, you wouldn’t notice,” Emily said, and leaned her head against his shoulder.

“Are cowboy boots and a robe this year’s new mortal fashion?” Mark asked, and then blurred her back to the palace.

“I’m thinking not.”

“Where did you come from anyway?”

“I have no idea. I was getting chased by the Valle in sports cars, so I took the Durango off-road and it died by the trees.”

“You know what?” Mark said. “I’m thinking I don’t want to know.”

Mark stepped into the palace and started up the stairs when he heard someone behind him. He turned just as the entire Council stepped out of the reception hall in a crouch and looked up at Mark. He was covered in blood and his clothes were torn. Chevalier appeared at his side and growled when he saw Emily.

“This should be good,” Kyle said, and then he frowned when he saw Emily’s blood covered robe and the gash on her cheek.

“We smelled Valle,” Zohn said, looking around.

“Erm... that’s Emily,” Mark told him, and then winced.

Zohn leaned forward a bit and smelled her, “Ew, that is Emily.”

“Stop sniffing me!” Emily yelled, and pushed him away.

“Let’s talk in the bedroom,” Chevalier suggested, and they all blurred into the room. Mark laid Emily down carefully on the bed, but she groaned slightly when the stabbing pain hit.

Chevalier rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, “Who wants to start?”

Emily and Mark both looked at each other.

“He does,” Emily said.

“She does,” Mark said at the same time.

Emily sat up and grimaced as she grabbed her side. She stood slowly and walked toward the bathroom.

“Do you need something to drink?” Kyle asked, amused when he noticed the blood around her mouth and chin.

Emily nodded, “Yes, I have heku blood taste in my mouth.”

Kyle chuckled, and it irritated her, but when she tried to walk faster, her painful ribs made it hard to breathe and she winced when she slipped off the cowboy boots.

“Em?” Chevalier asked from her side.

“What’s up with the rib punches? Is that a required technique for heku finishing school?” Emily hissed, and shut the bathroom door on him.

Chevalier sighed and turned to Mark, “Start talking.”

Mark nodded, “We were partying in the woods, when Emily came running into the clearing from the east. She said something about the Valle, and then we heard someone call her name from the trees. We fought them and I realized too late that Emily had followed us, and was in the middle of the fight.”

“Damn,” Kyle said, frowning.

“The Valle then?” Quinn asked.

“We killed them. There were only about twenty following her.”

“Why does she smell like Valle, and where are her clothes?” Zohn asked, irritated.

Mark shrugged, “That, I don’t know.”

The heku turned when they heard the shower turn on and then continued.

“Did we lose anyone?” Quinn asked.

Mark shook his head, “No, just a few injuries, but they are at the clearing now, healing.”

“Did you save us one for interrogation?” Zohn asked him.

Mark grinned slightly, “No, it all happened too fast.”

“Very well, you can go back,” Quinn told him, and Mark smiled and blurred from the room.

“You honestly can’t leave her alone for a minute, can you?” Zohn asked, and turned to Chevalier.

Kyle went to the door and got the tray from the servant and took it to the table. He lifted the dome and carefully smelled for poisons, and then put the dome back on to keep it warm.

Zohn grimaced, “That smell is so strong.”

Kyle walked over and picked up Emily’s boots and smelled them. He wrinkled his nose, opened the window, and tossed them out, “That should help.”

“This story should be interesting,” Quinn said, and sat down on a chair to wait for Emily. The shower had just turned off and they could hear her getting dressed.

Emily came out a short time later, brushing her wet hair. She’d changed into jogging pants and a halter top. She looked at the eager faces of the heku and frowned, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I’m not sure that’s an option,” Zohn said bluntly.

Chevalier glared at him as Emily sat down slowly, “I don’t think I asked you.”

“Why don’t we start with the obvious… injuries,” Quinn said, trying to calm everyone down.

“Nothing serious,” Emily told him, and took a large drink from the orange juice.

“We don’t have a doctor anymore. We need to ascertain if you need to go to the hospital.”

“I don’t,” Emily said, and picked up the cheeseburger. She looked over at the watching heku and sat it down, “Fine… the cut on my face doesn’t need stitches, and I’m pretty sure some ribs are broken but I know how to deal with those.”

“Why…” Chevalier said, frustrated. “Why did you jump into the fight?”

“The Valle were following me… I had to help.”

“Why not just ash them then?” Kyle asked.

Emily looked down at the table, “That’s… sort of… broken right now.”

“Broken?” Quinn asked, concerned.

“What do you mean broken?” Chevalier asked.

“Broken… as in… right now it just causes burning pain but no ash.” Emily took a bite of the cheeseburger and ignored the eyes watching her.

“When did this happen?”

“I’m not sure. I didn’t even know until I tried to ash Sotomar and…” Emily stopped suddenly, and lowered her head to the table.

“Sotomar?” Chevalier hissed.

Emily nodded, her head still against the table.

“So… Sotomar was in the woods, too?”

Emily shook her head and whispered, “No.”

“So when, exactly, did you try to ash Sotomar?” Chevalier asked, irritated that he had to keep questioning her.

Emily looked up at the heku, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Chevalier turned to Kyle, “You may go.”

Kyle hesitated, and then left the room, shutting the door behind him.

“Ok, now it’s just us,” Chevalier said.

Emily frowned at Zohn, “Yeah, I’m way more willing to divulge what’s going on to Zohn than Kyle.”

“This is a matter that requires all of the Elders to deal with,” Quinn said.

“Since when is Zohn an Elder?” Emily asked, irritated.

“Since tonight, actually. You would have known had you been in attendance,” Zohn said smugly.

“What? Why not James?”

“That didn’t work out,” Quinn said.

“Yeah well, I’m not talking,” Emily said, and grabbed a French fry.

“Are you afraid I will detect if you are lying?” Zohn asked her.

Emily glared at him, “Are you insinuating that I’m going to be lying?”

“No, it just seems strange that you once again found yourself in the company of the Valle Elder, yet won’t divulge the happenings at this meeting,” Zohn said, and stopped talking quickly when both Quinn and Chevalier glared at him.

Emily threw a French fry at him, “I don’t like you.”

“I am well aware of that,” Zohn told her.

“Just reminding you, in case you forgot.”

Emily reached for her glass but gasped and then grabbed it with her other hand.

“Damnit, Em, why are you always hurt?” Chevalier asked, kneeling down beside her. He lifted the side of her shirt and growled at the dark bruise forming along her rib cage. Emily batted his hand away and pulled her shirt down.

“I’m not always hurt.”

“Pretty damned close.”

Emily frowned at him, “If I’m so much of a bother. I can always go away.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“It’s what you said though,” Emily said, and stood up, ignoring the pain in her side.

“Ok, calm down,” Quinn said, and took Emily’s arm. He led her to the bed and helped her sit down, “Let’s start simple, you tell us what you want to, and the rest we’ll deal with, ok?”

Emily nodded, “Ok.”

Chevalier was amazed at how easily Quinn could calm her, and he wondered, not for the first time, what exactly Emily had told Quinn while he was supposedly unconscious and unaware.

“Where are your clothes?” Quinn asked, pulling a chair up by the bed.

Emily crossed her legs and grasped her side before answering, “At the masseuse.”

“You went for a massage then?”

“Yes”

“The robe is theirs?”

Emily nodded, watching Quinn and ignoring the way Zohn kept looking at her like he was watching for signs of lying. Chevalier stood off to the side and let Quinn get out of her what he could.

“So you went into town for a massage and then…”

“No, I went into town to get my name changed, then I saw the billboard for a day spa,” Emily corrected.

“You changed your name?” Quinn asked, surprised.

“Yes”

“To what, exactly?”

“I got the death certificate for Keith today, and used it to get my last name changed.”

Quinn smiled, “Ok, last name change only then.”

“Erm... yes,” Emily said, confused. “I’m now officially a Winchester.”

“Not a Flynn?”

“No, I decided if everyone was going to call me the Winchester, that I might as well be. The same is for Allen and Alex too, they are now Winchesters.”

“How exactly did you leave your clothes at the masseuse?” Zohn asked, and stepped back when Emily glared at him.

“After I decided to bang the entire Valle faction, I was having so much fun I forgot to get dressed,” she yelled at him.

Chevalier glared at Zohn and he stepped back.

Quinn turned to Emily and smiled softly, “What happened at the spa then?”

Emily looked at Chevalier and sighed, “I got a manicure, pedicure, and a facial… and was supposed to get a massage for an hour.”

“Ok”

“Then I left in a hurry and didn’t have time to change,” Emily said, cutting out parts she didn’t want anyone to know.

Quinn nodded, “What happened after you left?”

“What? We don’t know what happened there,” Zohn growled.

“One more outburst and I’ll have to ask you to leave,” Quinn said, and Zohn sat down angrily. “What happened after you left?”

“I headed back here, but I was getting followed by three red sports cars. They boxed me in on the road, and started to slow down, so I put the Durango into 4x4 and took off cross-country.”

Quinn smiled, “That was very smart. You always impress me with how you handle things.”

Emily smiled, “Thanks.”

“Go on, so you are off-roading the Durango?”

“Yes, but I took the bumps too fast. I was afraid they were running behind me, and the Durango died right by the trees.” Emily looked up at Chevalier and then back to Quinn, “So I put on my boots, got my gun, and ran into the trees toward Council City.”

“That explains the cowboy boots and robe,” Quinn grinned.

“I heard someone calling from behind me, and I ran into the guards partying. They took off and started fighting the Valle.”

“Right, and you joined in?”

“Yes”

“Because you are unable to turn a heku to ash at the moment?”

“Right, well I saw three heku on Silas, so I burned one of them and he came after me. He hit me with my gun.” Emily blushed and touched her cheek, “Someone else grabbed me from behind and I bit him and broke his nose, so he hit me and broke my ribs. Then one of the Equites tackled him, and suddenly, it was over.”

Quinn nodded, “Good, that explains a lot. Why do you smell like a Valle?”

“I didn’t know Valle smelled.”

“Each faction has their own type of scent, though I’ve never smelled it as strongly as when you came into the palace, I will admit.”

“We thought we were under attack by hundreds, it was that strong,” Chevalier said, and sat down by Emily on the bed.

“She knows why,” Zohn said, and shrugged at Emily.

She glared at him, “Go away.”

“May I?” Quinn asked, and held his hand out. Emily put her hand in his and he flipped her hand over and smelled the soft side of her wrist, “It’s not your blood, that’s not changed.”

Zohn disappeared into the bathroom and came out holding the pink robe at arm’s length. He tossed it into the fire, “Some of the smell is that thing.”

“Go away!” Emily yelled again.

“Em? We’re going to have to face the Valle about this attack, and it would help a lot if we knew the entire story,” Chevalier said, and took her hand.

Emily groaned as she stood up, the rib pain was getting worse. She walked toward the door.

“Where are you going?” Chevalier asked.

“To talk to Kyle,” she said, and opened the door. Emily saw Kyle standing in the foyer, so she walked out, took his hand, and led him into his room and shut the door.

“Damn, she’s aggravating,” Zohn said angrily.

“You don’t help. You know she doesn’t like you. Why can’t you just stand back?” Quinn said.

“Now that I’m an Elder, she sort of has to put up with me.”

“Yes, but antagonizing her isn’t going to help,” Chevalier growled at him.

“Sure, blame me. Why don’t you try to figure out why she’s over there telling Kyle what she should be telling us?” Zohn hissed.

“I’m just glad she’s telling someone,” Chevalier admitted. “He’ll tell us.”

Quinn nodded when Zohn looked at him.

“Fine,” Zohn said, and sat down.

An hour later, Kyle came into the bedroom, furious. He sat down by the fireplace, “It took a long time to convince her not to go destroy the Valle covens one at a time. She’s certain she could have them wiped out within a year.”

Chevalier nodded, “Yes, she’s mentioned that to me before. So tell us what we want to know, please.”

“The Valle own the spa she went to, more of Emily’s bad luck I guess. Apparently, Sotomar was called in when she showed up, and acted as her masseuse.”

Chevalier’s hands tightened into fists.

“It wasn’t until some… shall we call it… inappropriate touching, that Emily saw it was him. By then, she’d been having a massage for almost ninety minutes.”

“Inappropriate touching?” Chevalier growled.

“That’s when she found out she couldn’t turn him to ash and the door was locked so she couldn’t get out. She also… saw his massage oil…” Kyle sighed. “It was a mixture of blood and herbs.”

“What?” Chevalier yelled, and stood up, smashing the chair into the wall.

“He didn’t attack. The only thing he did was ask when she was planning on having another baby, and then he let her out of the room,” Kyle said, his rage had softened when he was able to tell the others what had happened. “That’s where the smell came from. They’ve enhanced their faction’s scent with herbs and then… pretty much… rubbed it all over her.”

“They would have known we would detect that,” Quinn frowned.

“Not necessarily, I think the red cars were sent to stop her from reaching us. They didn’t count on Emily putting it into 4-wheel drive and leaving them behind on the black-top,” Kyle said, grinning slightly.

“If they wanted her, then why did Sotomar not do it?” Quinn asked.

“He mentioned that her abilities were only temporarily muted. He may have been afraid if she got madder, they would return.”

“That makes sense. They relaxed her with herbs so she couldn’t use her abilities… so this was another attempt to kidnap her?”

Kyle shrugged, “I don’t know, maybe. She said her room smells like Equites, so she is going to sleep in mine tonight.”

Chevalier grinned slightly.

“Don’t bring up the massage though, ok? That’s the worst part of all of this, the fact he had his hands all over her and rubbed blood into her skin,” Kyle told them.

“That’s it?” Zohn asked. “She was so worked up because Sotomar copped a feel and rubbed blood on her?”

Kyle glared at him, “With all due respect, Elder, that is more than enough to cause Emily some embarrassment.”

“I thought she was tougher than that,” Zohn said.

“Not when it comes to personal violations, that’s her Achilles heel,” Quinn explained.

Chevalier looked at Quinn, shocked. He hadn’t realized anyone else knew about her insecurities and again wished he knew what Emily told him in Alaska.

“Why don’t you all go back to the reception? I’ll stay with Em,” Kyle said.

Quinn and Zohn nodded and walked out.

“I don’t know how long I can keep her from going coven to coven on a killing spree,” Chevalier said when the others had left.

Kyle nodded, “I know, they aren’t really giving her much of a reason not to. At least, for now, the Encala have backed off.

“It would serve them right, but she can’t kill them all. There has to be over nine hundred Valle covens in the United States alone.”

“Chev?” Emily asked from the doorway.

Chevalier and Kyle turned to look at her.

“Am I interrupting?” she asked them.

“No, Em, come in,” Chevalier told her.

Emily walked in and sat down on Chevalier’s lap, “What were you talking about?”

“You,” Kyle told her.

“Nothing more interesting to talk about than me?” she asked. Chevalier chuckled and wrapped his arms around her.

“Don’t you know? You’re the talk of the town,” Chevalier said, and kissed the top of her head.

“Which part? Getting groped by a Valle Elder? Crashing the guard party with Valle? Maybe the fact that I change my last name or finally got a death certificate for my illustrious ex-husband?” Emily asked.

Kyle laughed, “You do give us quite the choices.”

Emily sat up and looked at Chevalier, “Zohn? Seriously?”

Chevalier nodded.

“Is he just kidding me?” Emily asked Kyle.

“Nope,” Kyle told her.

“Why did it change from James? When I wanted you to turn down the post as Elder, you said you weren’t allowed or some nonsense,” Emily asked.

“He’s going into retirement,” Chevalier explained.

“Why not Kyle then? Why did it have to be Zohn?”

Kyle coughed and then laughed.

“What?”

“You’re the only one I know that would dare question the decision of an Elder,” Kyle said.

“Hmm,” Emily sighed, and leaned back against Chevalier, grasping her ribs to support them. “Can you both take tomorrow off?”

“No, we have a full day tomorrow,” Chevalier told her, and kissed her head. The second his lips touched her, another blurry image filled his mind. He listened carefully, but could only hear soft, distant voices. The images were too distorted to make out but he saw something move and could make out Emily’s angry tone.

“Elder?” Kyle asked, seeing the faraway look in Chevalier’s eyes.

Chevalier shook his head slightly and looked over, “Sorry, what was that?”

“What just happened?”

“It’s only happened a few times before… but it’s almost like I’m on the verge of seeing what Em is thinking, but I can’t clear it up.”

Emily frowned, “Well don’t… it’s private.

“What would cause that?” Kyle asked.

The memory of Chevalier forcing Emily to drink his blood flooded his mind before he shrugged, “No idea.”

“Gah,” Emily said, and sat up, scratching her shoulders. “It’s itchy.”

Chevalier leaned her forward and ran his hand softly across her neck and shoulders, “Rash.”

Emily grimaced and stood up, “Ok, go back to your party.”

“We aren’t going to leave you,” Kyle told her.

“Just go. I’m going to go find some tape and some baking soda, and then I’m going to take a bath and go to bed,” Emily said, and headed out the door.

Chevalier shrugged at Kyle and then they both headed downstairs to the reception.