Chapter 7 - In Sickness

Emily rolled over and looked at the clock. It was 1am and she had yet to fall asleep. Her throat hurt, she had a headache, stuffy nose, and a dry cough. She hadn’t left her room in the two days since Dustin killed Nicholas. The coven was quiet. They knew Nicholas was missing and that Emily was being elusive.

After a couple more hours of tossing and turning in bed, Emily finally got up and threw on a robe. She left Dain for a few minutes and went out into her ante-chamber.

“Can I get you anything?” Anna asked.

“No,” she said, and sneezed into a tissue. Emily walked up to the infirmary and started digging around in the bottles of medicine, put there for her use. She pulled out another box of tissue and a nighttime cold medicine, along with a handful of cough drops.

After loading up on cold medicine, Emily went into the kitchen and started to boil some water.

“Can I make you something?” Gordon asked, appearing beside her in the dark kitchen.

“No, just making some tea,” she told him, and glanced up at the ceiling when she heard a helicopter landing. “Who the hell lands a helicopter at 3 in the morning?”

Gordon smiled, “We don’t think about it… the time, I mean.”

Emily dug the chamomile tea out of the cupboard and ignored the sound of heku entering the kitchen.

“Good evening, Elder,” Gordon said with a slight bow.

“Are you sick?” Chevalier asked.

When she didn’t answer, Gordon finally turned back to her, “Would you like some chicken soup or pancakes maybe?”

“Oh heavens, Gordon, don’t ask me… ask the Elder,” Emily said, and turned around with her cup of tea. She gathered up the cold medicines and cough drops and walked past Chevalier, Kyle, Zohn, and Quinn without saying a word, and headed back up to her room.

Gordon turned to Chevalier, “I… don’t know… why am I asking you?”

Chevalier shook his head, “Just ignore that… how long has she been sick?”

“Just about a day. She’s kept to her room since she got back.”

“I’m going to go check over the new roster and schedule,” Kyle said, heading out toward the barracks.

“Shall we wait until she gets up?” Quinn asked, looking around the kitchen.

Gordon hesitated and then started to leave, but Chevalier put his arm out, “Stay.”

Gordon nodded, “Ok.”

“You’re nervous,” Chevalier said. “Why?”

“The… members of the coven have grown close to Emily.”

“Yes, and?”

“They know something’s happened.”

“Ok… keep going.”

Gordon sighed, “There may be some… who aren’t happy about it.”

“How much do they know?” Chevalier asked.

“They know Nicholas is gone… they know Emily isn’t visiting in the city, and isn’t taking castle visitors.”

“They’re upset about Nicholas?”

“We’ve all been watching them closely… any time Emily was with Nicholas, someone was off in the shadows to make sure things were ok,” Gordon Explained. “She enjoyed taking care of him.”

“I didn’t realize that.”

“We protect her. She doesn’t allow it… so we do it in secret.”

Chevalier nodded, “We had to dispose of him.”

“I figured.”

“You may go.”

Gordon blurred from the kitchen and Chevalier turned to the other two Elders, “I’ll be in my office.”

Chevalier sat in his office, alone, and went over everything that happened on the island in the last few months. From what he could find, everything Emily took care of was handled appropriately and even the arduous paperwork was meticulously filled out and submitted. He had to remind himself that the big one, a new member of the coven, was the only thing left out.

“Come,” he said when someone knocked on his office door.

Quinn and Zohn came in and sat down. Zohn was holding a large manila envelope, and he tossed it onto Chevalier’s desk.

He picked it up and looked at it, “What now?”

“It came this morning for her,” Zohn explained. “Do we open it?”

“My vote is no. It’s specifically addressed to Emily,” Quinn said.

“But from the Valle, my vote is yes,” Zohn said, and they turned to Chevalier.

“No… and I need to apologize to Emily,” Chevalier said, and shut the log book. “Aside from Nicholas, everything’s been handled correctly.”

“She doesn’t have the authority though.”

“Maybe she does, as a member of the Council and my wife… she’s taken care of things that I would have had to fly out here to do, and from what I see, she did a good job at it.”

“But Nicholas…”

“Had I known my coven was watching over her… it wouldn’t have been a problem.”

Zohn sighed, “Except that no one with authority knew she added to your numbers.”

“True,” Chevalier said, and he grew silent when he heard Emily get up, coughing.

“So now what?”

Chevalier grabbed the envelope and stood up, “Let’s go see what they sent her.”

The Elders walked up the stairs to her bedroom, and Chevalier couldn’t help but notice how quiet the servants were being around him and how they sunk back into the shadows as he passed. Tension in the castle was high, and it started to irritate him.

“Elders,” Anna said when they walked into the ante-chambers. There was a hint of annoyance in her voice.

“Is there a problem?” Chevalier asked her.

“No,” she said bluntly.

Zohn knocked on the door and opened it when he heard Emily mumble for them to come in. The Elders walked into the stiflingly hot bedroom. Emily was sitting out on the balcony on a chaise. She had a heavy blanket over her and a box of tissues on her lap. Dain was on the floor playing with the puppies.

“What?” she asked, her voice hoarse from the cold.

Chevalier sighed, “How are you feeling?”

“You flew to the island to see how my cold is?”

Zohn handed her the envelope, “This came for you this morning,” he said, and leaned against the balcony railing.

Emily sat up and opened the envelope. She pulled out a large stack of papers and held it away from heku eyes to read. She tried not to react as she read the deed in her name to a plantation outside of Savannah, Georgia.

“Anything interesting?” Quinn asked.

“Another gift is all,” she said, and slipped the papers back into the envelope.

“What kind of gift?” Zohn asked.

“A personal one,” she told him, and grabbed a tissue when she started to cough again.

“I want to apologize,” Chevalier said. “I see now that I was being hasty in telling you to stop making decisions for the coven, and I appreciate you watching over things in my absence.”

“Yeah, no problem,” she answered sarcastically.

“No, no bi,” Dain said, walking out onto the balcony.

Chevalier picked him up, “Nope, not leaving right now.”

Dain shook his head and grinned, “No.”

Emily crawled out of the chaise, left the blanket, and grabbed the box of tissues.

“Dow,” Dain said, and pointed at the puppies. Chevalier put him down on the floor, and he walked over and started playing.

“Can you at least tell us why I smell another small wound?” Zohn asked, sitting down in a chair by the fire.

“No,” Emily snapped, and then walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

“Is it something dangerous?” Quinn asked her through the bathroom door.

“No,” she called out.

Kyle walked in and looked around the room, “Is she sick?”

“Just a cold,” Chevalier explained. “What did you find?”

“Nothing amiss, everything’s been handled and the rosters look good.”

“Damnit, I should have checked before assuming she shouldn’t be helping out around here.”

“She still shouldn’t… though… I can tell you the guards are all acting strangely, and I suspect they would rather deal with her than you or I.”

Quinn grinned, “Can you blame them?”

Zohn reached down when Dain screamed and then started to cry. He picked up the baby and comforted him, “What happened?”

“Bi,” Dain said through tearless sobs.

“Bi?”

“The dog bit him,” Kyle said, and showed Zohn a small trace of blood on Dain’s pants.

“No bi,” Dain said, and leaned his head against Zohn’s shoulder.

Chevalier frowned, “Do the dogs bite you a lot?”

Dain shook his head.

“Who says no biting?”

“Mommy no bi.”

Kyle chuckled, “Guess the dogs are chewing on Em. That explains the small wounds. She’ll get a hold on them soon enough.”

Emily came out of the bathroom dressed and started to tie her hair up.

“Are you leaving? It’s still early,” Chevalier reminded her.

“Yes, I’m not sleeping anyway, might as well go do something.”

“Do you want us to keep the puppies at the palace? We can see if we can find someone to train them for a while.”

“I’m training them, they’re good dogs.”

“Except for when they bite you?” Quinn asked, smiling.

“They don’t bite me,” Emily explained.

“No?” Chevalier said, and ran his thumb across a healing tooth mark on the back of her shoulder.

“No bi,” Dain said, still resting against Zohn’s shoulder.

“Oh, yes, they do… sometimes. I’m taking care of them though… well… unless you all decide to pull off their heads.”

“Em, we need to talk about Nicholas,” Chevalier said, and moved slightly to block her from leaving.

“Yeah and you might want to stay away from Dustin for a while,” Zohn told her.

“Dustin had no right to kill Nicholas… Nicholas trusted me, and I’ve taken care of him. He died in my care and someday, I’ll get Dustin back for that,” she said angrily.

Quinn’s eyes grew wide, “He did what he thought was best.”

“He made a rash decision based on an ego trip about the Powan Coven,” Emily told him, and started out of the room.

She walked out of the castle and headed for her garden, followed by the heku and the puppies.

“Lady Emily?” she heard, and turned around and smiled.

“Good morning, Tyson.”

The heku looked nervously at the council members and then back to Emily, “That thing we spoke about… have you decided?”

“Sorry, Tyson, I’ve been cut off,” she explained, and Chevalier sighed. “You’ll need to run that by Kyle or Chev.”

Tyson glanced over at them and then back to Emily, “Are you ok?”

“Yes… except they killed Nicholas.”

Tyson’s frowned, “I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah, well, apparently what I want doesn’t matter.”

“Em, you know…” Chevalier started, but Emily cut him off.

“I’m sorry, Tyson, I can’t help you with this,” Emily said, and crawled through the wooden posts and into the large garden. She sat down and started weeding, using the dawning light to see.

“What did you need, Tyson?” Kyle asked.

The heku shifted nervously, “Never mind, it was something I was doing with Lady Emily.”

Chevalier watched Tyson blur away, “I’m thinking I better stay here for a week or so, seems like it’s going to take some time to fix this.”

“I’ll stay and help,” Kyle told him.

“Oh joy, then you can both take turns telling me off,” Emily mumbled, and tossed another weed onto the pile.

“Go,” Chevalier said, and watched as the other heku blurred away, leaving him, Dain, and Emily alone in the garden. He walked over and sat down in a row beside her and started pulling weeds.

Emily glanced up at him, “What?”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Taking care of the coven in my absence.”

“But…”

“No buts,” Chevalier said. “I was hasty in chastising you for it. I see now that things were handled really well, and the heku here love you.”

“Hasty in chastising me? Damnit, Chev… how old do I have to be to be an adult in your eyes?” Emily asked, irritated.

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“You don’t chastise a peer… you chastise a child.”

“I’m sorry.”

“For now, until the young one screws up again, and then it’ll happen yet again.”

“I don’t view you as a child,” Chevalier said, pulling a weed out of the lab puppy’s mouth.

“I’ve heard that before.”

Emily looked up when Chevalier put his hand on hers, “I don’t… that wasn’t a case of being young, it was a matter of inexperience with covens… at least that’s what I thought. Seems I was wrong.”

“And Nicholas?” she asked, looking into his eyes.

“Dustin acted too quickly, I’ll admit that. The Council has never seen that type of situation turn out well, and you know we’re very protective of you.”

“Did he have to die though?”

He shrugged and moved back to pick up Dain, “No, he didn’t.”

“He trusted me to take care of him.”

“I know.”

She went back to picking weeds, ignoring how Dain and Chevalier sat and watched her.

“What would it take to get you to move back to the palace with me?” Chevalier asked after a few minutes of silence.

“Not a chance,” she told him.

“What if I need you there?”

“You don’t.”

“How do you know?”

“Let’s do the math, shall we? From 7am – 7pm, 7 days a week, you’re in the council chambers. Two to three times a month you have missions lasting from 3-4 days a piece.”

Chevalier nodded. He knew where this was going.

“I sleep 8 hours a night… so let’s say from 11pm – 7am. That leaves us about 4 hours a day, most of which is taken up by last minute meetings, interruptions for emergencies, or those missions,” she said, and sat back against the fence post. “You don’t need me. You just want the peace of mind of knowing I’m close in case I get into trouble.”

He grinned slightly, “Not a lot slips by you, does it?”

“I like it here.”

“I know.”

“When I can help around here… solve little disputes or answer questions, it lets me know that the heku here want me, trust me, and respect me. Not a lot of that going around the palace.”

“At least you seem to be getting along better with Zohn.”

“Yes, and now Dustin has taken his place.”

“He… never mind. What about a compromise? 2 weeks here, 2 weeks at the palace?”

“The palace holds one thing for me… that’s you. Nothing else, and I see you more here on the island because you have to leave the palace and the Council and all of its issues. When you’re here… we get more time.”

“I guess I didn’t realize that.”

“When are you heading back?”

“In a couple of days probably, now that we know how you’re getting wounded.”

She grinned slightly, “You came all this way to diagnose a puppy bite?”

“Yes, I did. Jaron was worried.”

“Speaking of Jaron… take the Cavalry back with you, I don’t need them here.”

“I would feel better…”

“Take them back,” she said, and stood up. She brushed herself off and then put a hand out for Dain, “Breakfast?”

Dain frowned, “No fast.”

“You’ll get your own breakfast,” she said, and took his hand. “It’s not my fault you decided to take a bite of my breakfast and hated it.”

Chevalier’s nose wrinkled, “He did?”

“Yes… stole it and then threw up all over the dining room,” she explained, and headed inside after whistling for the dogs to follow.

 

***

 

“Anna?” Emily called out and picked Dain up off the floor. She was in her bikini and sarong, and with the sunscreen, smelled like coconuts, which made Dain wrinkle his nose.

“Yes, Ma’am?”

“Can you take Dain? I’m going to go for a walk on the beach and he hates the sun.”

Anna smiled, “Of course I will, who can blame him?”

“I won’t be long. It’s just the first sunny day we’ve had in a few days.”

“Will the Elder be coming tonight?” she asked, and followed Emily down the stairs.

“I think so. He missed coming last week and promised to give me an extra few days.”

“Lady Emily?” Storm asked, walking up to them.

“Yeah?” she answered, and turned around as she braided her hair.

“There was boat seen off of the north side of the island this morning.”

“Did it dock?”

“No, it circled the island and then took off.”

“Ok, probably tourists. I’ll look while I’m out on my walk.”

“Also… Geoff didn’t show up for his shift this morning.”

Emily sighed, “Did he go feed last night?”

Storm checked the clipboard, “Yes.”

“I suspect he has a girlfriend,” Emily said, and headed outside, followed by Storm.

“You do?”

“Yes, I’ll talk to him. Girlfriend or not, he can’t keep missing his guard shift or I’ll have to move him.”

Storm nodded, “When you get back, Thomas wants you to drop by his house, he has something for you.”

“Damn,” Emily said, and cringed. “I know he wants to be my personal chef, but the stuff he makes is disgusting.”

Storm grinned, “I would imagine.”

Emily was relieved to get to the pier without too many interruptions. Once she was outside of the cement wall, there were only the occasional guards to bother her.

“Shall we go with you?” one of the pier guards asked.

“No, just a short walk to get some sun,” she explained, and left her shoes on the pier before heading off along the beach. The warm sand felt good against her feet, and she shut her eyes for a moment to listen to the soft rhythmic sound of the waves.

As Emily rounded the tree line to the north beach, she stopped. There was a boat docked a few yards off the beach and a raft was on the sand, surrounded by ten men. She quickly debated waiting for the guards that passed every 20 minutes, but decided to see what she could do before they got there.

“You can’t come on this beach, it’s private,” Emily told the men as she got closer. It was easy to see they were humans.

One of the men turned toward her. He was tall and muscular with a gray goatee and buzz cut hair, “Emily Winchester?”

She stopped a ways from them, “What do you want with her?”

He smiled, “We have a delivery.”

Emily sighed and wondered if it was from the Valle or the Encala, “I’m Emily.”

“Great, sign here,” he said, and held out a clipboard. When Emily got near him, someone grabbed her roughly from behind. She didn’t have time to think, but brought her arms up and slammed her elbows into his arms, spun, and smashed her palm up into his nose, dropping him to the sand.

She fell to the ground as electricity flowed through her body. She was remotely aware that the man had a Taser, and she was unable to fight against it.

 

***

 

“I’ll bet you one guard shift that I’m right,” the Island Guard said, watching his partner.

The other heku smiled, “Fine… one guard shift.”

“What’s that?” the first guard said, and blurred to a body in the sand. He reached down and pulled the mortal’s face toward him. “He’s dead.”

“Broken nose… look at all that blood around him. This wasn’t a heku attack.”

“Get Storm, alert the guards.”

Within minutes, the beach was full of Island Guards. Storm appeared by the mortal and knelt down beside him. She studied his injury and looked out over the ocean, “Lady Emily was out here… find her.”

“Storm,” the General said, blurring to her. “Emily’s scent ends here. We’ve circled the island. She’s not out here.”

“Damnit,” Storm said, and again looked over the water. “Get the jet boats out and see if you can find any boats in the area.”

“Right away,” he said, and the guards left the area.

Storm glanced down at the dead mortal again, and seconds later, appeared in her office. She sighed and dialed the Elder.

“Chevalier here,” he growled, evidently unhappy.

“Sir, it’s Storm.”

“I’m busy, what is it?”

“Lady Emily was out on the beach walking… the guards patrolling outside of the cement wall found a dead man and now we can’t find her.”

There was a pause, “Dead man?”

“Yes, Sir, it looks like his nose was broken, killing him. I don’t know if it’s related, but we had reports of a strange boat off the north side of the island this morning.”

“The broken nose, that’s Emily… get out on the water and find that boat, I’m on the way.”

“Already done, Sir,” Storm said, and hung up.

“What’s wrong?” Quinn asked Chevalier.

“Emily’s missing and the patrols found a dead mortal on the beach… I’m heading over.”

“I’m sure she’s just out of sight. She’s probably back in the walls walking,” Dustin said calmly.

“Except the broken nose is Emily’s MO,” Kyle explained. “That’s how she fights being restrained…. I’m coming too, Elder.”

“Take the Cavalry, see what you can find,” Quinn suggested. “If you don’t find her by the time Zohn gets back, I’ll head over.”

Chevalier called for the entire Cavalry and followed Kyle to the helicopter. They all jumped into the transport helicopter and took off for the island. When they arrived, Storm was waiting on the roof of the castle.

“Anything?” Chevalier asked, looking out over the island grounds.

“No, Sir,” she said. “The body is on the south lawn. We didn’t want to dispose of it until you had a chance to see it.”

“How long then?” he asked, heading down the stairs.

“We’re going on 4 hours.”

“Kyle, get the Cavalry out on the boats and get those helicopters up patrolling the water.”

“Yes, Sir,” Kyle said, and the Cavalry blurred down the stairs and out of the castle.

Chevalier knelt down beside the dead man and turned his face to the side, “That’s Emily’s way of fighting back, broken nose into the brain.”

Storm nodded.

He dug through the dead man’s pockets and pulled out a wallet, “Oscar Germaine, 37 years old from Viola, Arkansas.”

She watched silently as Chevalier pulled out useless items from his wallet and tossed them onto the grass. He pulled out a dark blue card and growled, “V.E.S. member.”

“We need to get in Emily’s office… she monitors their computer systems and tracks activity,” Storm explained. “She hasn’t in a few days though. She’s been busy with the garden.”

“Silas,” Chevalier called out, and headed into the castle. He stopped at the door to Emily’s office and turned to the Captain.

“Yes, Sir?” Silas asked.

“Get on Emily’s computer. She’s been tracking the V.E.S., see if you can find her.”

Silas nodded and stepped into the office. Chevalier sat down and watched the heku’s fingers fly over the keyboard as all six monitors lit up with different areas of the V.E.S. computer system.

“This is going to take a while… I’m not nearly as good as Emily is,” Silas said, and studied one of the top monitors.

Chevalier took Dain from Anna and moved up to the roof of the castle. With keen eyes, he scanned the horizon, waiting for any sign. When dark came, a few of the heku came back for fuel and then headed out into the night on boats and jet skis. He knew she was in pain, he could sense it, and it was infuriating to have her so far out of reach.

He turned and disappeared from the roof when Silas called out to him. He appeared in Emily’s office.

“I’m picking up a radio transmission near here,” Silas said. “It was one of the V.E.S. listed frequencies.”

Silas reached over and turned up the volume on the computer.

“Bloody vampires everywhere. My radar is picking up a lot of small craft around us,” a frantic voice said.

“Can you get a clear path to the mainland?” a woman asked.

“Not without risking running into one of them.”

“If they get to you they’ll kill you… try to get to the mainland, and we’ll wait for you.”

“I know that! I told Donald to wait, but he didn’t…”

“Damnit, tell him to stop this instant. If he kills her, we won’t get any information.”

A low growl erupted from Chevalier.

“He’s just trying to get the location for their main city, so far she’s not talking, but she will.”

“Just make sure he doesn’t kill her, and get to the mainland.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“There,” Silas said hurriedly. He pointed at a small blip on the computer screen.

“What is it?”

“The origin of the transmission. They’re only about 40 miles south of here.”

“Let’s go,” Chevalier said. He handed Dain off to Anna and blurred out to a waiting boat. Silas, Kralen, Mark, and Chevalier sped off toward the last location of the V.E.S. boat.

They had the advantage of the dark, and as they approached the coordinates, they could see the dark boat sitting still on the water. No lights were on. They were masking themselves with the night.

“Kill the engines,” Chevalier whispered, and the heku boat fell silent.

“Swim in,” Mark said, and pulled off his shirt. He sunk quietly into the water, followed by the others, and swam silently toward the unsuspecting V.E.S.

They approached the 45 foot cabin cruiser without being detected. One man on deck leaned over to check the port side of the boat. His neck was broken before Kralen dropped him silently into the water.

Chevalier was first to step foot onto the boat. The other three joined him and looked around the deck. Mark motioned for Silas to take care of the Captain, who was sitting on the bridge with a bottle of vodka and a Playboy magazine.

Kralen and Mark headed toward the back of the boat, while Chevalier took the first set of stairs down. He emerged in a hallway and grew furious when he smelled the distinctive Winchester blood.

Mark crouched low and peered around an open door. There were six men sitting at a table eating dinner and talking about the upcoming NBA playoffs. Kralen appeared suddenly behind one of them, and removed his head before the others even noticed. Mark took the second and third in quick succession, and Kralen slammed the heads of two of them together, shattering their skulls instantly.

The last man took a swing at Mark and missed, slamming his fist into the wall. He cradled it and turned as Mark and Kralen descended on him.

Chevalier opened the first door quietly and looked in on an empty bedroom. He looked in the next room and grinned, then killed a couple in the middle of the throes of passion.

Kralen headed alone down a narrow stairway, while Mark continued on toward the sleeping berths. As Kralen entered a large cargo hold, he froze and scanned the room quickly. Emily’s scent was much stronger in this room. A man was asleep on a cot beside the entrance to the refrigeration cargo bays, and didn’t stir when Silas entered.

Silas appeared beside the man and restrained him while Kralen peaked into the refrigeration storage. He growled loudly at the last freezer unit and tore the door from its hinges. He knelt down beside her and touched her, unsure if she was still alive in the sub-freezing temperatures. She was wearing only her bikini bottoms, and her hair was frozen stiff with blood.

Chevalier appeared in the cargo hold just as Kralen brought Emily out of the freezer. He laid her down on the cot beside Silas and disappeared from the room, reappearing a few seconds later with a blanket. Chevalier took her freezing hand in his and felt a weak pulse in her wrist.

“All of them are dead,” Mark said, walking into the cargo bay. He frowned and turned on the lights. Emily’s face was beaten beyond recognition and her body was a mass of dark, vicious bruises. Her back was covered in bloody welts and thick cuts, and she had crescent shaped marks all over her. She was frozen in fetal position under the blanket, no longer able to even shiver.

Chevalier hissed, “Kralen, get us back to the island and call Storm, have Dr. Edwards waiting.”

“Yes, Sir,” Kralen said, and blurred from the room.

“Em?” Chevalier asked softly. He pulled a lock of hair out of caked blood on her face and watched for any sign she was awake. The boat shifted as Kralen started up the engines and headed back for the island.

Mark stepped between Silas and Chevalier when the Elder stood up, fists clenched, and faced the one remaining mortal.

“Elder… don’t kill him… he deserves worse than that,” Mark said, putting his hands out to Chevalier. “Trust me, don’t kill him now.”

The man watched them with wide eyes. Silas was restraining him, and had a hand over his mouth so he couldn’t speak. It was obvious from the fear in his eyes that he knew he would soon be dead.

Chevalier carefully picked Emily up and carried her to one of the empty beds, then laid her down and covered her with another blanket. Sitting down beside her, he took her hand, the one thing on her body that didn’t seem bruised or bleeding.

“Em? Can you hear me?” he asked.

She nodded slightly, but only a soft moan escaped her swollen lips.

“You’re ok now. We’re headed back to the island.”

It took every ounce of control to keep his temper down. He knew he would get time alone with the one remaining V.E.S. member, but for now, he needed to stay calm and help Emily. When the engines slowed an hour later, he picked her up again with the blankets, and slowly walked up onto the deck. The sun was just coming up over the horizon and he saw the coven gathered inside the cement walls, all waiting for word on Emily.

Kralen and Silas cleared a path through the heku and Chevalier blurred Emily to the castle, followed by Mark, who had the V.E.S. member restrained and was headed into the prison.

Storm met them at the door, “Dr. Edwards is in her room.”

Dr. Edwards smiled when they came into the warm room, “Good to see you again. Storm wasn’t sure what the problem was but… oh my God.”

Chevalier laid her down and Dr. Edwards’ eyes grew wide. He sat down beside her and took her hand as she began to shiver violently.

“What happened?” he asked, looking her face over quickly.

“Mortals had her,” Chevalier growled. “The V.E.S.”

“Mortals did this?”

“Yes”

“Why is she hypothermic?”

“They kept her in the freezer.”

Dr. Edwards nodded, “Step out please, for now.”

“Why?”

“I need to look her over without tempers in the room.”

“Come on, Elder,” Kralen said, and put a hand on Chevalier’s shoulder. He nodded and backed out of the room slowly.

“Document all injuries,” Silas said, and handed the doctor a notebook and pen. “Everything.”

Dr. Edwards nodded and Silas left the room, shutting the door behind him.

A helicopter landed an hour later and there was still no word from the bedroom. The heku could hear inside and all they caught was Dr. Edwards cursing and mumbling under his breath, and the occasional groan from Emily.

“How is she?” Zohn asked, walking up with Quinn.

“We don’t know yet,” Kralen said when Chevalier didn’t respond.

Silas filled the Elders in on what they encountered, but stopped when the door opened and Dr. Edwards walked into the ante-chamber, visibly upset. He sat down, took a deep breath, and sunk his head into his hands.

“I’ve never seen anything like that,” he said softly.

“Is she ok?” Chevalier asked.

“Yeah, she’ll live, but I have a feeling that for a while she’ll wish she didn’t.”

“I want to know her injuries.”

Dr. Edwards nodded, “Come in and I’ll show you what I found.”

The heku followed Dr. Edwards into the room and he sat down by Emily.

“She’s sleeping?”

“I had to give her strong pain medications. The exam was too painful.”

“Ok… show us.”

Dr. Edwards sighed, “I’m a little afraid to show you some of this.”

Chevalier nodded, “Do it.”

“I don’t know her temperature, my thermometer only goes to 94 degrees, but I can tell you that she was close to freezing to death.”

The doctor paused when Emily sighed and then turned back to Chevalier and continued.

“I’ll start with her face, the most obvious. She has a broken nose and right cheekbone, her jaw was dislocated but I managed to get it back in. She’s lucky that she doesn’t scar, her face is pretty cut up. If I had to guess, I’d say it was done with a fist wearing a ring,” Dr. Edwards said, and moved the sheet down off of her neck. “There are ligature marks on her neck. She was choked with something thin. Her black eyes are from the usual, same with the swollen lip. I checked her teeth and some are loose, but none seem to me missing.”

Chevalier shut his eyes and leaned against the wall.

Dr. Edwards looked at the heku and continued, “She has bruises and abrasions around her wrists and ankles along with sprained wrists and shoulders… strung up, again. That seems to be popular with this girl.”

“Seems so,” Quinn said, stepping over to look at the fire.

“I’m not sure there’s an inch of her that doesn’t have a bruise,” he paused and then continued. “There’s a… well… a V carved into her stomach.”

“What!?” Quinn yelled, and turned around.

Dr. Edwards nodded and pulled the sheet over to show them. A large V was cut narrowly into her abdomen, but had already scabbed over, “There’s more… on her back.”

“More writing?”

“Yes,” the doctor said, and gently rolled her over. He’d cleaned up her back, leaving only the deep red welts and long cuts from a lashing. He motioned to her lower back where the word ‘traitor’ was cut with jagged lines above her tattoo, “I had to put stitches in some of that to stop the bleeding… again, she doesn’t scar, so it should fully disappear.”

Zohn walked over and angrily put his fist through the stone wall, growling.

“Lastly… and this… I just wanted to make sure that you said mortals did this?”

“Yes, why?” Quinn asked when he realized Chevalier was too angry to speak.

“There are 31 bites on her.”

“Bites?” Chevalier asked, through gritted teeth.

Dr. Edwards laid her back on the bed and pulled her arm out from under the sheet. He pointed to a deep red, crescent shape gash on her arm, “31 bites… if they are really mortals, then we need to be careful. The human mouth is full of bacteria and those will get infected.”

Chevalier walked over and violently tore the balcony door off and slammed it against the outside wall of the castle.

“What can you do for her?” Quinn asked.

“I’d like to take her to a hospital, but there’s no way they wouldn’t call the police. So I’d say antibiotics and bed rest, and we need to warm her up slowly. I opened the window to cool it off a bit in here. We can’t get her too warm at first. One of the bruises on her back looks a lot like a kidney bruise, and those can be painful and nasty. Before I go, I’ll treat the cuts on her back, wrists, ankles, and stomach, and the bites with an anti-biotic ointment. Once I’ve covered them with gauze, I’ll brace her nose and wrists.”

Quinn nodded and Anna appeared at his side, “Show us how to do it so we can change the bandages.”

Quinn and Anna watched carefully as the doctor showed them how to cover the wounds with the ointment and then wrap gauze around them to keep them clean. He left instructions to clean the wounds with peroxide before using the ointment, and to keep her out of a bath for a few days until they fully scabbed over.

Dr. Edwards handed over antibiotics and pain pills, glancing nervously at Zohn and Chevalier before leaving. He promised to be back in a few days to check on her.

“Mark,” Chevalier called out, and sat beside Emily in the bed.

“Yes, Elder?”

“Hurt him… if I see him I’ll kill him, and I want him alive… and in pain.”

Mark grinned maliciously, “Yes, Elder.”

Chevalier carefully put a nightgown on her and laid her arms on pillows before covering her with the warm down blankets.

She gasped slightly at the movement and mumbled, “I won’t tell you.”

He took her hand and immediately picked up swirling gray colors of her dream starting. She slept through the day and night as the Elders entertained Dain and sent regular messages to the Council. Over the course of 12 hours, they brought her temperature back to normal and soon had the room warm and comfortable.

Just after noon the following day, she started to stir and spoke, her words slurred, “Chev?”

“I’m here, Em,” he said, and touched her hand.

“Hurts”

Anna handed over three pills and held a glass of orange juice.

“Take these,” Chevalier told her, and slid an arm under her shoulders. He gently pulled her up to sitting and she took the pills, drinking all of the cold juice. Once she was done he laid her back down. “Do you need anything else?”

“Don’t leave.”

“I won’t, I promise… get some rest.”

Zohn growled, “I want to make sure he’s in enough pain.”

“Don’t kill him,” Quinn reminded him.

“Oh I won’t,” Zohn said, and disappeared from the room.

Chevalier was watching Alexis play with Dain on the floor when Emily finally woke up.

“Always hurt,” she said, and shifted slightly.

He looked over at her, “Here, take some pain meds.”

He helped her lean up as Zohn dug pain pills out of the bottle and handed them to Chevalier. She took them with juice and Quinn stuffed pillows behind her, so she could sit up a little. She looked around the room through swollen eyes.

“I didn’t tell them anything,” she told them, though her words were slurred because of her injured mouth.

“You should have told them and let us deal with it, instead of taking that,” Quinn said, and sat down beside her on the bed.

“It wouldn’t have mattered if I told them or not, they wanted revenge for Larry, Cody, and Bruce.”

“What did they want to know?” Zohn asked, pulling up a chair.

Emily cleared her throat, “Um… they wanted to know where Cody and Larry are, and also where the vampire’s main city is.”

“Can we get you anything?”

“I hurt a man on the beach…”

Chevalier nodded and lied, “Yes, I killed him.”

“They told me they had a package. I thought it was another gift… then I got hit with a Taser.”

Quinn removed the extra pillows when Emily began to drift off and her breathing slowed down. Chevalier pulled the covers over her and glanced around the room, safely locking away his growing fury.

“What is he saying?” Chevalier asked after a few moments of silence.

Zohn shrugged, “He’s trying to say he didn’t do any of the beating, that he was just told to watch the cold storage, but I find it odd that he has a pretty good cut on his neck, looks like fingernail scratches.”

“When she feels better, we’ll find out for sure.”

 

***

“How are you feeling?” Dr. Edwards asked.

Emily was sitting up in bed, propped against pillows with her arms resting in her lap, “Better, I guess.”

“What hurts the worst?”

“I think my kidney,” she said. “Course… the V on my stomach doesn’t feel all that hot either.”

“I would imagine not. Nothing’s infected though, so keep doing what you’re doing.”

“When can I get up and around?”

“It’s been a week… why don’t you get out today, go for a nice walk, it’s gorgeous outside,” Dr. Edwards suggested.

“Thank you for coming,” Chevalier said, and shook the doctor’s hand before he left.

Emily smiled, “I’m free.”

“Just take it easy and promise me you’ll stay inside the cement wall.”

“I swear,” she said, and swung her legs over the side of the bed. The dark bruises covering her body were healed down to purplish yellow.

“I wish you would reconsider coming back to the palace for a week.”

“I’m ok here, Chev. I don’t want to leave the island, and I’ll be good and stay up here.”

“Still…”

“I know you have an important trial, just go, I’m ok.”

He kissed the top of her head lightly, “Allen is staying, so is Jaron and Silas.”

“Tell Jaron and Silas to go back, no need to keep them here bored.”

Chevalier grinned, “They offered to stay. I think they want the V.E.S. to show up.”

She frowned, “I’d rather them not.”

“Be nice to them, they really do want to stay here.”

Emily nodded and watched Chevalier walk slowly out of the room. She knew he didn’t want to go, but also knew he didn’t have a choice.

“Margaret?” Emily called out. The heku came in with a huge smile.

“Yes, Lady?”

“I need a new swim suit, just when you get a second.”

Margaret’s eyes lit up, “Oh, right away!”

Emily stood up slowly, groaning with the pain in her body the movement caused. Every muscle was bruised and sore, and her shoulders screamed with every move.

“Mom?” Allen asked, appearing at her side.

“It’s ok, just sore,” she told him, and leaned against the bed post. “One of these days I’ll quit getting beat up.”

Allen grinned, “I bet not.”

“Gee thanks… where’s Alex?”

“Downstairs with Dain.”

“What are you up to today?” she asked, and grabbed some clothes from the dresser.

“Just stuff. Dad said I could patrol inside the cement walls with some of the guards.”

Emily turned to him, “You really want to be a guard, don’t you?”

“Yes, actually… I do.”

“What happened to medical school?”

“I got bored, and all I really want to do is help protect the heku.”

Emily walked over and kissed his cheek, “Too much like your Dad.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Allen chuckled, and watched her disappear into the bathroom.

“It is, do you know how much trouble your Dad gets into?”

“Not nearly as much as you do.”

“Hey, behave,” Emily said, laughing, and walked out.

“What are you doing today?” Allen asked skeptically.

“For starters, I’m going into my office.”

“The no heku aloud office…”

“Yes, and that includes you.”

Allen smiled, “That’s just because I’m the only one on this island that would understand whatever it is you use those computers for.”

“So true,” she said, and tied her hair up. “Come swimming later with Dain and I.”

“No thanks… heku don’t swim.”

“Why is that?”

Allen shrugged, “I don’t know… enjoy your office. I’m going to go talk to Captain Lon.”

Emily followed him out, and on the first-floor, she headed to her office and stopped at the door, turning to her guards, “Alone time… why don’t you two go watch Alex and Dain.”

Jaron glanced around, “You won’t leave your office?”

“If I do, I’m sure you’ll hear me,” she told him, and took a cup of coffee from a servant before going into her office and shutting the door.

Emily sat down and flipped on the six monitors. She knew Silas was messing around with her computers, but also knew that’s how they found her. She reissued the no heku rule and sat back to watch the logs of the V.E.S. flash in front of her, reading each one carefully.

After a few hours, she got up to stretch and moved over to a mirror on the wall. She studied her face. The nose brace was still taped on, but her black eyes were almost gone. Her bottom lip was swollen a bit and had a long scab, but that was healing too. Her left cheek was puffy because of the broken bone underneath and it was still showing a light purple bruise. She had one bite on her neck, but the rest were hidden beneath her clothes and all were fading with time.

“Ok, I can talk here,” she heard someone whisper from the hallway. She got nosey and froze, listening carefully.

“I don’t know. I can’t get into the prison at my rank… if I had to guess though, Ossie is probably dead. Her husband has been down there.”

Emily frowned. She wished she knew the name of the V.E.S. member they brought back from the boat.

“No, they sunk it. Everyone on board but Ossie was killed.”

“Yeah, she’s up and around again, so no time like the present to attack. How many are you bringing?”

Emily shut her eyes and concentrated, making sure to hear every word.

“That’s not enough, there are over 1200 vampires on this island…. No, no… don’t underestimate us. We can take out 10 humans a piece.”

“Yes. She’ll come help. She can’t keep her nose out of anything,” the voice said, and paused before speaking again. “I’ll try, but damn, if they find out that I told you all when the bitch was going out of the walls… I’ll be dead next.”

“Sure, sure, I’ll be waiting, and I’ll make sure no one sounds the alarm in time to shut those bloody bars at the pier... Ok… if you don’t hear from me again, then consider it a go.”

As soon as he hung up, Emily narrowed her eyes and heard him scream as his cell phone crashed onto the floor. She heard heku from all over the palace run toward the screams and the hallway outside of her office filled with guards.

When she released him and stepped out, all eyes turned to her. The heku on the ground was panting and resting against the floor.

“Did you do that?” Jaron asked, turning to her.

“Get him to the helicopter, he needs to talk to Chevalier,” Emily said, glaring at the heku on the floor.

“Yes, Ma’am,” Jaron growled, and grabbed the heku from the floor.

“Lock down the island until we get back.”

Two of the Island Guards ran off to follow her orders.

“Get back to your posts,” Emily said, and watched the rest of the guards disappear. She followed Jaron, Silas, and an Island Guard up to the helicopter. Her personal pilot was just powering up Winchester 1 when Emily crawled in. She sat on the plush couch while the guards held the frantic prisoner on the floor, then she reached over and grabbed some juice as they headed for the palace.

“Please… let me go… I don’t know why I’m being taken to the palace,” he said.

“Shut up, Wade,” Jaron hissed, and tweaked his arm painfully behind him.

The prisoner screamed and tried to catch his breath, “She’s… wrong… I didn’t do… anything.”

Jaron brought his elbow down onto the back of Wade’s neck, and he fell to the floor as a loud crunching sound filled the helicopter, “I said… shut up.”

 

***

 

“It may not work,” Quinn said. “Plus… we don’t have room for any more horses to add members of the Cavalry.”

“Unless they share horses,” Zohn said, deep in thought.

“Not sure how well that’d go over, they’re pretty protective of their horses.”

“True”

“I’m guessing she would tell us to have the more experienced Cavalry train them though,” Chevalier said. “I doubt she’d move here for the six weeks of horse training.”

“Damn,” Kyle said, and stood up. “We have a helicopter asking to land.”

“Maybe it’ll bring us something to do,” Quinn said, and leaned his head back to stare at the ceiling. “It’s been too quiet.”

Kyle grinned and disappeared up the stairs to the roof.

Chevalier frowned and looked over at Quinn when the helicopter got closer, “That’s Winchester 1.”

He nodded, still looking at the ceiling, “She probably just came to get more of her stuff.”

“Yeah, true.”

“I’m surprised actually,” Dustin said. “I figured she wouldn’t come out into public until her wounds were completely healed.”

“I didn’t either,” Chevalier said. “Must have left something important.”

Quinn finally looked up when there was a scuffle outside of the trial room doors, “Hrm… then again, maybe there’s a problem.”

The door flew open as Jaron and Kyle roughly escorted one of the Island Coven Guards into the trial room. Chevalier’s eyes grew wide when he saw Wade, one of the castle guards, pushed to his knees before the Council. Wade looked up at the Council, his eyes full of terror.

“What’s going on?” Chevalier asked, angry that a member of his guard staff was brought before the Council.

The doors opened and Emily stepped in, blushing when the Council looked over at her.

“Welcome back, Dear,” Quinn said, smiling. “It’s good to see you.”

“Good to see you too,” she said, and stepped up under the lights. The Council gasped and fell silent when their eyes took in the visible bruises left on her even after a week.

Kyle walked up and sat in his place, noticeably angry. Jaron stayed with Wade on the trial floor, but the heku stayed on his knees, no longer struggling.

“Ok, now that the Chief Enforcer has returned… what seems to be the problem?” Dustin asked.

Emily glared at him and didn’t speak. He shifted nervously until Chevalier spoke.

“What’d he do, Em?”

She finally looked over at Chevalier, “I actually didn’t want to address the Council. I wanted him to talk to you and Kyle.”

“Why not the entire Council?” Zohn asked, confused.

Emily shrugged, “It’s just a matter of coven business is all.”

“It’s ok, we’re all bored… go ahead,” Quinn told her.

She started to panic. She envisioned Dustin ripping the head off of Wade, and blood pouring across the trial room floor, his dead eyes watching her. She felt the walls closing in and the old hatred creeping back.

“It’s… well… the, um… I changed my mind,” she said, and spun quickly, heading for the door. Mark stepped in just before she got to the door and she stopped and looked up at him.

Mark smiled and took her arm gently, “Come on…”

He walked her back to where Wade and Jaron were, and she looked up at the Council again.

Chevalier eyed Wade, “Tell me.”

Wade glanced up at Emily, “I… I don’t know why she brought me here…”

“He’s lying,” the Chief Interrogator said.

“Want to try that again?” Chevalier asked him.

“It was… it was a misunderstanding… it was just a phone call… to my Commander.”

“It was not a misunderstanding,” Emily yelled at him. “Did you or did you not tell someone on the phone that you told the V.E.S. when I went on a walk outside of the cement walls?”

“No! I wouldn’t do that.”

Chevalier’s eyes narrowed when the Chief Interrogator shook his head, “Lying… again.”

“Do you also deny that you told someone on the phone that you would let the V.E.S. onto the island before the security bars closed? And that they needed to bring more support because a heku could easily take out 10 mortals?” Emily yelled again. She headed for the heku, but Mark took her shoulders in his hands and held her back.

“No… no, I… I didn’t do that,” Wade said, fearfully watching Chevalier.

“Stop, don’t kill him yet,” Quinn said when Chevalier stood up. “I want to find out more.”

Chevalier growled, “How long have you been giving information about the island to the V.E.S?”

“I didn’t!” Wade yelled, panicking.

Quinn stood up, “Let’s start at the beginning… Emily, where were you?”

She looked up at him, “In my office.”

“Doing what?”

“Just stuff.”

“Ok… and then what?”

“I heard a voice in the hallway.”

“That’s when you heard what this heku was saying?”

“Yes… when he was done, I burned him until guards arrived, and then I brought him here.”

“Very well, Wade… were you in the hallway outside of Lady Emily’s office?” Quinn asked.

He nodded, “Yes.”

“Were you on the phone?”

“Yes”

“Who were you talking to?”

“My Commander, Rockwell,” Wade explained nervously.

“He’s lying… still,” the Chief Interrogator told the Council.

“Em, come here please,” Chevalier said, still watching Wade. Emily walked around the guard and up onto the Council stand. She knelt down beside Chevalier and he took her hand, then got a faraway look in his eyes, and she shut her eyes as the conversation she overheard replayed in her mind.

A low growl was heard as Chevalier let go of her hand and looked over at Wade. He blurred down to the trial floor and backhanded the guard, shattering his jaw and sending him to the floor as blood poured out of his mouth.

Emily stood up and looked down, wide eyed.

“Sit, Dear,” Quinn said, and motioned for Chevalier’s chair. She nodded and sat down. She’d seen the rage in Chevalier’s features before, and knew it was best to stay out of his way.

Chevalier grabbed Wade around the neck and hauled him out of the trial area, followed by Kyle. The door shut behind them and Emily turned to Quinn.

“It’s ok,” he said, and smiled at her.

She glanced at Dustin and back to Quinn, “I’ll be heading back then.”

“Wait…” Zohn said. “Stay… in case they have more questions.”

“Chevalier saw it all. He knows as much as I do now.”

“Yes… but what if there are more V.E.S. supporters on the island?”

Emily frowned slightly, “What can a heku gain by helping the V.E.S?”

“That’s what I keep wondering,” the Chief Investigator said. “What could they offer? Money? Protection?”

“Like a heku’s ever needed money.”

Quinn grinned slightly, “We don’t start off with fortunes. It’s gained over time.”

“Still… everything he needs is on the island right?”

“Yes, Chevalier’s coven is well provided for.”

Emily stood up, “Doesn’t matter, I’m going back anyway.”

“Lunch then?” Zohn asked, also standing. “Is it not lunch time?”

“I can eat when I get to the island.”

“We have a sick horse,” Mark said, and continued when she turned to him. “We’ve been treating it, but would you take a look?”

“What’s wrong with it?”

Mark shrugged, “Not really sure… runny nose.”

Emily sighed and started down toward Mark, “Why do I get the feeling this is just a ruse to stall me?”

Mark grinned, “Because you’re paranoid.”

“Let’s go then…” she said, and followed Mark out.

“Is there really a sick horse?” Quinn asked.

“Nope, he was lying,” the Chief Interrogator said.

“That just means she’ll be leaving in 5 minutes instead of immediately,” Dustin said.

Zohn thought for a moment and then called out, “Dunn?”

A heku appeared in the trial area after only a few seconds, “Yes, Elder?”

“Winchester 1 is here, why don’t you go give it a good look over and do some maintenance?”

“Sure, Elder, though we did that only a few weeks ago.”

“Do it again… this time, find something wrong.”

The heku nodded and disappeared.

“She’ll just drive it,” Dustin told him.

“Probably,” Zohn said.

The Council debated on various ways to make Emily stay, until Kyle came into the council chambers and sat down, “He sung…”

“What did you find?” Quinn asked.

“He’s been giving the V.E.S. information on Emily in exchange for donors…”

“Donors?”

“Yeah, free donors. There is an attack coming on Wednesday that he was supposed to help with. If the V.E.S. doesn’t hear from Wade, they will go on with their plan.”

“Where’s Chevalier then?”

“Just letting out some frustrations. We got all we need from him.”

Quinn thought for a moment, “I guess we reinforce the island. That’s a large number of mortals to kill though without risking exposure.”

Kyle shrugged, “Not sure the island needs reinforced… and I suggest we do the mass cult suicide setup.”

“For 800 humans though?”

“Sure, why not?”

“Send 100 of our army over, just in case,” Zohn said. “Then prepare for the suicide story.”

Kyle nodded and disappeared to gather the forces.

“Well how was I supposed to know?” Mark asked, opening the door for Emily.

They both walked into the council chambers, “You know because her snot is clear…”

“I didn’t inspect it.”

“You have to. Giving the poor mare antibiotics for no reason isn’t good for her.”

“Seriously, how can a horse be allergic to hay?”

“Just soak her hay before you give it to her, tell Linford.”

Mark nodded, “I will… but just imagine being allergic to your favorite food.”

“So the horse is well?” Zohn asked.

Emily nodded, “She’s fine.”

“We’re having some work done on your helicopter,” Quinn told her, and winced slightly when she turned to him.

“How convenient.”

“Your pilot said there was a light on the instrument panel that indicated a problem. We’re having it checked out.”

“Sure he did. I’m sure any pilot would fly a helicopter that’s broken… might as well go look at the pool.”

Quinn grinned when she left with Mark, “Doesn’t miss a lot, does she?”

Emily ended up with six Cavalry members with her by the time she walked the short distance to the new recreational out-building. The first room she stepped into was the small foyer, it was inviting with a fireplace, soft chairs, and black and white checkerboard tiles. The long hallway was just past the fireplace, and the first door she came to opened into a large classroom with rows of desks.

She shut that door and went to the next, which opened into a massive room with mirror lined walls, padded floors, and hundreds of stuffed dummies.

The pool was next. She stepped in, followed by the Cavalry. The pool was twice as large as the one in the castle, but the room was still warm and muggy. There were four hot tubs laid into the cement around the pool and a six-stall dressing room at the end of the room.

Emily reached down and touched the pool water. It was as warm as a bath and she smiled and looked around, “Pretty nice.”

“Never even been used,” Mark said as he walked past her to look down at the deep end. He gasped when two hands hit his back and pushed him into the water. He surfaced and turned toward Emily, who was smiling.

“Now… it’s been used.”

Emily screamed when Jaron picked her up, and she hooked her arm around his neck when he tossed her into the pool, bringing him with her. She surfaced and began to tread water as she laughed. Jaron surfaced shortly after her and swam over to the edge of the pool. Suddenly, two more of the Cavalry were thrown into the pool as Jaron pulled them in when they tried to help him out.

Emily laughed and swam a little ways from the others when they started to wrestle in the water. She used the ladder to climb out and pushed the last guard in when he brought her a towel.

“Hey… you aren’t drying off,” Mark said when Emily started for the towels. He blurred behind her and pushed her back into the pool, laughing.

They all turned when they heard someone clear their throats. It wasn’t until then that they noticed all three Elders were in the pool room.

Emily was in the middle of trying to dunk Jaron, and she climbed off his back when she saw them, “Oh… well… hello.”

Quinn was grinning at the sight of six members of the Cavalry, all soaking wet and looking guilty. Emily was the only one acting as if she wasn’t in trouble, though it was obvious who started it all.

“Having fun?” Chevalier asked, and put a hand out to help Emily out of the pool.

“Always,” she said, and grabbed his hand. He pulled her out of the water and handed her a towel.

Mark was just climbing out of the water when he turned suddenly at the sound of a splash. The Cavalry watched, in shock, as Emily pushed Chevalier into the water. He surfaced and even his face was surprised.

Emily was laughing until Quinn pushed her in, “Might as well face him on even terms.”

She faced Chevalier, but started to swim backwards, “I’m not afraid of an Elder.”

“You’re not?” he asked, moving slowly towards her.

Emily looked around when the entire room suddenly emptied out, leaving only herself and Chevalier, “Well… now I am, my backup just left.”

She turned back to him and found herself instantly in his arms. He pressed his lips to hers as she wrapped her arms around him.

 

***

 

Emily slipped on a fluffy pink robe she found in the robe warmer and cinched the belt, “Not what I expected when I came to look at the pool.”

Chevalier was already wrapped in a white robe, “I’m sure the poor Cavalry didn’t expect to go for a swim either.”

“It was good for them… I didn’t think I’d get them in the water.”

“If they knew it was coming, you wouldn’t have.”

“See, I was just keeping them on their toes,” she said as he held the door open for her. They walked out and headed for the palace, carrying their wet clothes.

“That you were, it’s good for them.”

“I can’t believe Quinn pushed me in!”

Chevalier grinned, “I asked him to.”

“Ah! That makes more sense.”

They walked in silence to the bedroom and Emily dug through the closet. She’d taken all of the jeans and t-shirts back to the castle, so she picked out a light summer dressed and slipped it on.

“Stay here with me,” Chevalier said, and pulled her close to him.

She rested her head against his chest, “I don’t belong here.”

“Yes you do. Give it another try.”

“Did you kill Wade?”

He kissed the top of her head, “Not yet, he’s still giving us information.”

“There’s going to be a big V.E.S. fight on the island isn’t there?”

“I wouldn’t call it big. They are only sending around 800 people.”

“Like cattle to the slaughterhouse… can’t you just lock the island and ignore them until they go away?”

Chevalier shook his head, “That’s the problem… they won’t go away.”

“I can’t ask your peaceful coven to go to war over this.”

“First off… don’t mistake quiet for peaceful, they are still heku. Secondly, they saw what the V.E.S. did to you, and because you’re one of us… they want revenge.”

Emily frowned, “Still…”

“Don’t worry about Island Coven, this is nothing compared to what we’ve encountered before.”

“I guess there’s no chance the heku will just scare them away?”

Chevalier chuckled, “No.”