Chapter 14 - Maid

“Still not talking to me?” Kralen asked as he followed Emily out to the pool along with three other members of the Cavalry.

Emily shrugged.

Kralen grinned, “Be mad if you want… you can’t stay mad for too long though.”

She stepped into the pool room, turned and glared at Kralen, and then shut the door in his face. He opened it and stepped in.

“Sorry, Ma’am, we’re to stay in sight of you at all times for the next week,” one of the guards told her.

“Joy,” she mumbled, and slipped her shoes off. There were 4 hot tubs lining the pool, and one was designated as hers, though she wasn’t sure why. No one ever used it, even if they had to cram into the other three. She’d argued and complained, but still no one got into her hot tub.

Emily walked over, aware of the eyes on her back and flipped on the switch for the jets. She walked over and started to step in.

“Wait!” Kralen yelled and blurred to her.

“What?” she asked, irritated.

Kralen bent down by the hot tub and inhaled, “Something’s not right.”

She sighed, “What do you mean? It looks fine.”

“He’s right. I smelled it when I came in, but wasn’t sure what it was,” another guard said.

Kralen smelled the water from the other hot tubs, “Something different is in yours, something with a strong smell.”

Emily bent down and smelled, but didn’t catch anything. She shrugged and started into the water again, but one of the guards pulled her away. She growled slightly and crossed her arms, waiting for the guards to let her into the water.

One of the guards knelt down beside the tub and stuck his hand in. He screamed and the smell of burning flesh filled the room.

Emily’s eyes grew wide when he fell backwards, his hand nothing more than bone and he screamed in agony. Suddenly, there was a blur of Cavalry as they ran into the pool area, led by Mark. Emily rushed to his side and bent down. She wrapped a towel around his hand as the muscles very slowly began to reform. He leaned back, eyes shut tightly, and groaned.

“What happened?” Mark asked, watching the guard on the ground with Emily.

“That hot tub is full of acid,” Kralen said, shaking from how close Emily came to getting in.

Mark knelt down and inhaled over the steaming water, and then glanced over at Emily, “Did you get hurt?”

She shook her head. It was obvious she was upset about it, “No, they stopped me.”

“Get the Chief Investigator,” Mark growled.

Emily helped the guard to his feet, “Come into the palace.”

He nodded, and she helped him toward the palace as the guards spread out through the entire building, searching for other problems. Emily was shaking. She’d come very close to getting into the hot tub. By the time they got to the palace doors, her eyes were full of tears, someone tried to kill her again.

“What happened?” Zohn asked, rushing down the stairs. The guard was still in excruciating pain and Emily wasn’t able to talk.

Emily went to the closest bed she could think of, the holding cell by the front door, and helped the guard sit down. She pulled the towel off, and Zohn gasped at the sight of the bones in his hand. The flesh was creeping down slowly from his forearm, but it was agonizing and he leaned back on the hard cot, trying to breathe.

“Mark!” Zohn called out. The General appeared in the holding cell, “Explain this.”

“Someone put acid into Emily’s hot tub,” Mark said, outwardly furious.

“What!?” Chevalier roared from behind them. Emily turned around when she heard him, and quickly moved into his arms, burying her face in his chest.

“We have the Chief Investigator out, and the entire Cavalry is canvassing the building. We’ll find out who did it,” Mark assured them.

“Did you touch it?” Chevalier asked, and Emily shook her head against him.

“Kralen noticed an odd smell and stopped her,” Mark explained. “This guard reached into the water and within seconds, his hand was only bone.”

“I want to know who did this,” Chevalier growled, and then blurred Emily up the stairs to their room. Alone with Chevalier, Emily’s entire body began to tremble.

“I almost stepped in.”

Chevalier nodded and sat down with her cradled in his lap, “I know.”

“He… lost… was… bone,” she stammered, and gripped his shirt tightly.

He nodded again, now too furious to speak.

“Is he ok?” she asked, and looked up at him.

Chevalier whispered toward the door, and then turned back to her, “He will be, it’s taking a while.”

“Will they ever stop trying to kill me?”

“No, that’s why we need your guards.”

“I don’t like when they get hurt because of me.”

“I know, but they love their jobs and would die for you.”

She frowned, “Why is that exactly? I’m just… me.”

Chevalier smiled, “When will you believe me, that you are very important to this faction. More important than even myself?”

She shrugged.

Chevalier cocked his head slightly to the side, “That was fast… seems they caught who did it. Do you want to come?”

“No,” she whispered, and crawled out of his lap. “I’m going to take that extra mare out. She’s afraid of heku.”

“Take Silas, please.”

She nodded, “Sure, I’ll meet him in the stables when I get changed.”

Chevalier kissed her softly and then blurred into the council chambers. The heku knelt down before them looked at him with terrified eyes. He knew that Chevalier was easily the most dangerous member of the Council, and he also knew how protective he was of his wife.

Mark and Kralen stood behind the quivering heku and watched him angrily. The Chief Investigator was just sitting down.

“That didn’t take long,” Quinn said to him.

“It wasn’t on purpose, though extremely careless… it wasn’t an attack,” he explained.

“How do you call filling Emily’s hot tub with acid, harmless?” Zohn asked, frowning.

“I didn’t say harmless… stupid is what it was,” the Investigator said. “This is Geoffrey, and his job is to keep the outbuilding clean.”

Chevalier growled and the heku looked up at him.

“Start talking…” the Investigator said to him.

“It’s common… to clean hot tubs with acid, I swear,” he finally managed to say in his defense.

“So if you were cleaning Emily’s hot tub, there must have been signs… warnings, so she wouldn’t get in?” Kyle asked, irritated.

“Yes! I put up a warning sign.”

Kralen slapped him on the back of the head, “Where?”

“In… in… the dressing room… on the inside door.”

Dustin leaned forward, “General… Captain… when’s the last time you saw Lady Emily use those dressing rooms?”

Mark’s hands tightened into fists, “Never… she goes to the pool already ready, and then puts on a robe and returns to the palace afterwards.”

“I didn’t know!” the cleaner said frantically.

Derrick appeared in the trial area, “Camber would like to observe.”

“Let him in,” Zohn said, and turned back to Geoffrey when Camber stepped in and leaned against the back wall in the shadows.

“Did you attempt to harm or kill Emily?” the Chief Interrogator asked him.

“No! I wouldn’t do that.”

“He’s telling the truth.”

Zohn nodded, “Stupidity will not be tolerated. You are hereby charged with attempted murder of a member of the Council and unwarranted attacks on the Cavalry.”

“I didn’t attack anyone or attempt to murder the Lady,” he said pleadingly.

“You removed the flesh from the hand of one of the Cavalry. That sounds like an assault.”

“It was an accident.”

“Again… stupidity is no defense. Anyone vote not-guilty on this?” Zohn asked, and looked around. “Fine, then we will decide on a punishment.”

Before anyone could react, Chevalier blurred to the heku, grabbed him by the neck, and disappeared, almost instantly appearing at the interrogation room door.

“Or we can just let the Elder handle it,” Quinn said, grinning slightly.

“Would not want to be that heku right now,” Dustin chuckled.

“Interesting,” Camber said, and stepped out of the shadows. “Does the Winchester often elicit attacks?”

“Emily… is frequently attacked, yes.”

“And not just by the Valle and Encala?”

“No, not just by them.”

Camber thought for a moment, “Is she rude, demanding, maybe highly unkind to the heku?”

Zohn growled slightly, “No, she is not.”

“She has a great deal of respect and loyalty to the heku. She treats us with nothing but kindness… unless one manages to get on her bad side,” Mark said, and glanced at Dustin.

“You then?” Camber asked Dustin.

“Yes, I fall into that category.”

“What exactly did you do to the Winchester then?”

Dustin’s eyes narrowed, “Conflict of personality, nothing more.”

“I see.”

“Camber… did you listen to nothing I said to you?” Kyle asked, irritated. “She’s not ‘the Winchester’.”

“Oh, right, sorry,” he said, obviously anything but sorry. “Where is she now?”

“She’s out on horseback with a Captain of the Cavalry and a problem horse,” Kralen told him.

“Might I observe?”

Kralen glanced at Zohn, and when he nodded, Kralen sighed, “Sure, I’ll take you up there.”

Camber smile and headed out after Kralen. They both ignored the screams echoing through the palace from the interrogation room.

 

***

 

“Maybe she’s a lost cause,” Silas said, watching Emily comfort the mare.

“I don’t understand how she’s not getting used to you,” Emily told him, and rubbed the mare’s nose. “Let’s try again, move off about 20 feet.”

Silas nodded and moved his horse back. Emily mounted the mare and turned her to face Silas. He slowly inched his horse forward, and stopped only when he heard others approach. He turned and saw Kralen stop a few feet behind him.

“Camber, no!” Silas yelled when Camber continued on and blurred to Emily’s side.

“Beautiful horse,” he said, and smiled.

Emily’s horse immediately reared back violently and sent Emily flying. She didn’t see Camber approaching, and wasn’t ready for the sudden shift. The horse stumbled backwards and fell directly onto Emily and then got to her feet. Kralen rushed forward and took the horse’s reins and struggled to get her way from where Emily fell.

“Damnit!” Emily groaned.

“Oh, so sorry,” Camber said, watching her intently.

Silas dismounted his horse and knelt down beside her, “Get back,” he said to Camber when he smelled fresh blood.

Camber took a few steps back, seemingly amused by the entire incident.

“Lay down,” Silas said, and held Emily down on the ground. She put her forearm over her eyes and winced slightly, not sure where the blood was coming from that was covering her shirt. She was having a hard time catching her breath, and was furious at the intrusion on her horse’s therapy.

“What happened?” Dr. Cook asked, kneeling down beside her.

“Wh…” Emily started to say, but gasped when it hurt to talk.

“Bucked off a horse and it fell on her,” Silas said, and angrily glared at Camber.

“Look at me, Child,” Dr. Cook said, and moved her forearm. Emily looked up at him, still short of breath, and hurting too badly to fight back.

Silas watched carefully as the doctor looked her over, and Kralen returned their horses to the stables, and then stood by Camber, making sure he didn’t do anything stupid.

“Mmmm, that blood,” Camber said, and shut his eyes.

Kralen put a hand on his shoulder, “Watch it…”

“Hold her down,” the doctor whispered. Silas leaned over her gently, trapping her body under his, and held her hands to the ground.

“Emily, this is going to hurt,” Dr. Cook said. He grabbed her right thigh between his hands, took a deep breath, and then jerked it. Emily screamed as a crunching sound was heard across the hills. Silas was amazed at her strength, but was able to hold her down.

“What was that?” Kralen growled.

Dr. Cook sat back, “Her hip was displaced. I put it back in.”

Silas sat up and studied her. She was sweating from the pain and breathing in short gasps.

“What else?” Kralen asked.

“Concussion, broken clavicle, and I want to watch her for internal bleeding… we have to get her back to the palace though.”

Silas glanced at the doctor, “Any way to do that without pain?”

Dr. Cook glanced back at his bag, “Well…”

“Do it,” Silas said. “I’ll take the heat.”

“What?” Emily asked, out of breath.

“Emily,” she heard a familiar voice call to her. She glanced up and gasped when she saw Maleth standing beside her. “Let them help you, Child.”

“Maleth… you’re back,” she said, and smiled weakly.

Silas glanced in the direction she was looking, and then back to Kralen. Kralen shrugged and watched the doctor give her an injection of pain medications.

“Don’t go,” she whispered when Maleth began to walk away. She felt her eyelids growing heavy as the pain began to back off.

“She’s out,” Dr. Cook said when Emily’s body fell silent.

Silas gently picked her up and looked again to where she was watching when she fell asleep, but saw nothing. Kralen had already filled Chevalier in by the time Silas blurred into the palace. He tried to take Emily from the Captain, but Dr. Cook stopped him.

“I don’t want to move her again, let him put her to bed,” the doctor said.

Chevalier nodded and followed them up the stairs. Silas laid her down, grimacing when she moaned slightly.

“I want to see her hip,” Dr. Cook said, and tore her jeans from her waist down to her knees. Her hip was black and blue and swollen, “That’s going to take some time to heal… four weeks on crutches, and she’ll have a limp for quite a while.”

“What else?” Chevalier asked, sitting down beside her.

“She has a concussion, that’s nothing new to us. She broke her clavicle though, so she’ll need a sling for a while. I want to watch for internal bleeding over the next 24 hours. If I find any signs of that, we’ll need to take her in to a hospital.”

Chevalier nodded, “And the blood.”

“Head wound, I don’t think it needs stitches, but… she was talking to Elder Maleth.”

“She was?” he asked, shocked.

“Yes, not uncommon after a head injury.”

“I want that horse dead,” he growled.

“Sir… it wasn’t the horse… it was Camber,” Silas said. “The horse was slowly getting used to me, when Camber ignored Kralen and appeared by its side.”

“Where is he?”

“Kralen was yelling at him in the stables, last I saw,” Silas told him.

“Out,” Chevalier ordered, and within seconds, he was alone with Emily. He finished tearing off her pants and did the same with her shirt, being extra careful not to move her injured shoulder. After he slipped her into a nightgown and pulled the covers over her, the doctor came back in.

“I just want to check for internal bleeding again,” he said. Chevalier watched carefully while the doctor lowered the sheets and pulled her nightgown up to expose her abdomen. He pressed a few times and then pulled the covers back down. “So far it’s looking good.”

After only a few hours, Emily opened her eyes slowly and looked over at Chevalier, “Hurt again.”

He smiled, “Yes, you are. How are you feeling?”

“Like a horse landed on me.”

“Can I get you anything?”

“Camber is dangerous. I never trusted him,” Maleth said from beside her. She looked over at him and smiled weakly.

“I’m glad you’re back. I missed you.”

Chevalier frowned and followed her gaze, but saw nothing.

“You too, Dear,” Maleth said, and stepped toward her.

“Why don’t you trust him?” she asked.

“He’s dangerous. He’s a danger to you as a Winchester,” Maleth told her.

“Em... who are you talking to?” Chevalier asked, concerned.

“Maleth, of course,” she replied and turned back to Maleth. “What do you mean danger to me? What is he doing?”

“Don’t turn your back on him, he’s not to be trusted,” Maleth said, and then walked into her bathroom and disappeared.

“Wait, come back,” Emily said, and tried to sit up, but Chevalier held her down.

“Stay down,” he told her, and called for the doctor.

“Oh, good, you’re awake,” Dr. Cook said.

“She’s talking to Maleth.”

Dr. Cook frowned.

“You didn’t even say hi to him,” Emily said to Chevalier, frowning.

“Because he’s dead. He’s not here.”

“Yes he is. He just walked into my bathroom.”

Dr. Cook stood up and went into her bathroom. He looked around and then came back out, “No one’s in there.”

Chevalier turned back to her, but she was already asleep.

“It’s the concussion, it’s normal,” Dr. Cook said, and bowed slightly before disappearing.

Emily slept through the night and woke up late the next morning when the doctor was pressing on her stomach.

Dr. Cook smiled up at her, “No internal injuries. I wanted to check one more time.”

She nodded, “Can I get up?”

“Yes, you may, you can’t be alone for a while though, until your concussion gets better. I can either stay here with you, or I can put you in your wheelchair and you can go to the council chambers.”

“Those are my only options?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Ok, council chambers it is.”

Dr. Cook helped her into the wheelchair, and then put her left arm in a sling. He propped the feet up on the wheelchair and laid a blanket over her, “Ready?”

“Sure,” she said, and he carried her, in the wheelchair, down to the council chambers and set her down beside Chevalier.

“How are you feeling this morning?” Zohn asked.

“Ok,” she said, and looked down over the empty trial area. “What’s up?”

“Waiting for the Interrogator to finish with someone before we try them.”

A servant appeared, and handed her a cup of hot coffee and a plateful of muffins. She sipped the coffee using her good hand, and looked around. She smiled when the trial room door opened and Maleth came in.

“Good morning,” she said to him.

“Good morning, Dear,” he told her, and stopped where the prisoners normally stood.

Chevalier sighed and motioned for the others to just let her be.

“Will you be back on the Council now then?”

“No, they won’t accept me back.”

“Why not?” she asked, frowning.

Some of the Council shifted nervously as she spoke to no one.

“It’s not their way,” Maleth told her. He looked over the Council, “Some new faces.”

“Yes, lots of changes.”

“Leonid… he needs your help,” Maleth said, looking at her.

“What’s wrong with him?”

“He’s awake and starving. He’s suffering badly.”

Emily gasped, “He is?”

“Yes, he’s screaming for someone to help him.”

“But… you said he would be asleep the entire time.”

Maleth shrugged, “That’s what we thought, but we were wrong.”

Emily looked over at Chevalier, her eyes panicked, “Do something.”

Chevalier glanced at Quinn and back to Emily, “Em… no one’s there.”

“Didn’t you hear him? We need to dig up Leonid.”

“We can’t dig him up, he’s retired.”

“No, didn’t you hear Maleth? He’s suffering, screaming for someone to help him.”

“No, he’s not. If he were screaming, we would hear him.”

“Why can’t they hear you?” Emily asked Maleth.

“I don’t really know,” Maleth told her, and looked over the Council.

“Jaron!” Emily yelled, and the guard appeared before the Council. “Dig up Leonid immediately, that’s an order.”

“Belay that,” Zohn said. “We can’t do that.”

“It’s an order, Jaron… do it now,” Emily yelled.

Jaron glanced nervously at the Council.

“I outrank you, Emily,” Zohn said softly. “We cannot dig him up.”

“But…” Emily looked back, but Maleth was gone. “Where did he go?”

“Where did who go?” Jaron asked.

“Maleth, he was standing right beside you.”

“I… I didn’t see him.”

“Em, calm down,” Chevalier said. “Maleth is still dead, you just have a concussion…”

“No, he’s not, and Leonid is suffering, we have to help him,” she told him.

“Em…”

Emily tried to stand up, but cried out when the pain hit and sat back down in the wheelchair, “We have to get him.”

“Take the pain medication. We’ll help Leonid when you wake up,” Maleth said, kneeling down beside her.

Emily looked down at the side of her wheelchair, “What pain medication?”

Maleth smiled, “It will help.”

“Maleth, no!” Emily screamed when he disappeared. She felt the familiar pinch in her arm, and turned just as Dr. Cook stood up behind her. She fought it for as long as she could, but soon slumped down in the wheelchair and fell asleep.

“Am I digging up Elder Leonid or not?” Jaron asked when no one spoke.

“No, you are not,” Quinn told him, and motioned for Jaron to leave.

“That’s a little unsettling,” Zohn said, and watched the doctor take Emily away.

“Yes, it is,” Chevalier agreed.

“Camber has decided to return when Emily is well,” Quinn said, after taking a brief phone call.

“Good, we don’t need his input on this right now,” Zohn told them.

“When the concussion is gone and she no longer sees Elder Maleth… will she believe that Elder Leonid is resting peacefully?” Dustin asked.

“I’m not sure,” Chevalier replied. “I certainly hope so.”

“If all else fails, we’ll have her talk to Camber. He’s back from retirement and can explain to her how he wasn’t suffering,” Quinn suggested.

Chevalier nodded, and turned when the Chief Interrogator returned with their prisoner.

 

***

 

“Maleth, help me,” Emily begged as she dug in the mud. The rain was pouring, and she was soaking wet. Her hands dug at the soft mud, but every handful removed sent more mud falling into the hole.

“You must do it, Child. I cannot help you,” Maleth said calmly.

“I can’t do this, not fast enough.”

“You are the only one that can help him.”

“Leonid!” Emily screamed, and kept digging. Blood from her hands mixed with the sticky mud.

“Keep digging, he’s dying.”

“I’m trying,” she cried out, digging faster.

“I’ll help you,” Exavior said. He knelt down and began to dig.

“No, he’ll kill Leonid!” Maleth yelled.

“Stop it, Exavior,” Emily told him, and pushed his hands away.

“No, let me help you. You can’t get to him in time.”

“Stop him,” Maleth begged.

“Go away, Exavior!” Emily yelled.

“Let me get a backhoe,” Frederick said from behind Exavior.

“No! You’ll kill him with it.”

“Oh trust me… it can only hurt a little.”

“Stop it!” she screamed, and sat up in bed, breathing rapidly.

“It’s ok,” Chevalier whispered. “Lay down, it was only a dream.”

“Can’t we just dig him up and check on him?”

“Lay down,” Chevalier said again.

Emily laid down and looked up at the ceiling, “Just to see if he’s ok… even just a few feet, so we can hear if he’s screaming.”

“No, we can’t dig him up… you haven’t seen Maleth in four weeks. It was part of the concussion, including what he said.”

“It can’t hurt to dig a little.”

“Talk to Camber. He’ll be here this afternoon.”

“Why?”

“He just came out of retirement. He can tell you what it was like.”

“What if something got messed up with Leonid then? What if he really is buried alive while we all think he’s sleeping?”

Chevalier sighed, “I’m going to try not to take offense to that. I’m the one that put him to sleep.”

“Just let me check on him.”

“No, that’s final,” he said, and crawled out of bed.

Emily got out of bed too and headed for the bathroom. All that was left of her injuries was a limp that infuriated Chevalier when he saw it.

“Em… no more digging, promise me,” Chevalier asked, and turned around.

She disappeared into the bathroom and shut the door.

When she didn’t answer, he walked out and turned to her guards, “Who are you?”

“City guards, Sir. The Cavalry is on a mission,” the closest guard said.

“She’s going to try to get away from you and dig up Leonid… I’m warning you once… do not let that happen.”

“Yes, Elder,” he said, and they all bowed slightly.

Chevalier quickly made his way down to the council chambers and sat down, turning his chair to Camber, who was in the trial area.

“Any better?” Quinn asked.

“No, she’s still begging to dig him up,” Chevalier said. “Plus, she has new guards.”

“She’ll be digging again within the hour,” Kyle sighed.

Chevalier turned to Camber, “Before I allow you to speak to my wife again, I want to know what your intentions are.”

“I merely want to study her behavior and personality, her temper, and everything that might be inherent.”

“To what means?”

“To learn, of course. I’ve been filled in on her immortality, which makes her even more amazing to me. If we can learn everything about her, we might be able to harness that power.”

Chevalier’s eyes narrowed, “She won’t turn.”

“I have heard that… I won’t turn her without her approval.”

“You have to be around Kyle at all times.”

“I understand that.”

“Don’t so much as breathe around her without his permission.”

Camber nodded, “I am sorry about the horse incident. I didn’t realize she was working with a problem horse.”

“We’ve postponed Cavalry training until tomorrow, so you should be able to speak with her today, maybe follow her a bit as long as she doesn’t get annoyed,” Quinn said. “We’re still dealing with after effects of the concussion, and she doesn’t need any more stressors.”

“Understood”

“I have a few banishments to do, and then I’ll take you to her… if we can find her by then,” Kyle said, and blurred from the room.

“We’ll simply ask her guards where she is,” Camber suggested.

“These aren’t her regular guards. She’ll slip them out of annoyance,” Quinn explained.

“She can slip past heku guards?”

Zohn chuckled, “Amazingly easy.”

“It’s harder for her to slip past her Cavalry, and nearly impossible if they are high ranking… as for city guards, they don’t know her ways,” Chevalier explained.

Derrick stepped in, “Elder Chevalier, Cornell needs to speak to you about the baby.”

“Bring him in,” Chevalier said, and Camber stepped aside.

One of the Powan guards came in and bowed, “I need the child for 4 hours, Sir.”

“What for?” Chevalier asked. It was highly unusual for guards to do anything with the children.

He sighed, “Poker, Sir, I am to watch him for 4 hours.”

Zohn grinned, “You played poker and lost babysitting hours?”

“Yes, Sir, I did.”

Chevalier frowned, “Whose idea was that?”

“The Commander’s, Sir. She ordered us to break post and play Poker. I’m sure Captain Kralen can verify.”

“No, no, I believe you. He’s in the game room with Alexis.”

The guard bowed and left the room.

“Well…” Zohn said, confused.

“I don’t want to know. I just hope he doesn’t get hurt.”

“You’d let a guard handle your baby if there’s a possibility of him being injured?” Camber asked, shocked.

“I’m worried about the guard, not my son,” Chevalier told him. “He’s in a… biting… phase.”

“Oh yes, I remember. While we are waiting, I’m very interested in this Cavalry of yours. Mounted guards sound intriguing and I’m considering starting up a unit.”

“We are doing an inspection this morning. You may go if you’d like. You will learn a lot about our Cavalry on the way, though most of them are out right now on a mission.”

Camber nodded, “That would be great, thank you.”

“Kyle can meet us,” Zohn said, and stood up. “Let’s get this over with so we can get on to the Lokesh Coven trial.”

Quinn stood up, “Sounds good to me.”

Soon, the three Elders and Camber were out in the stables checking on the new horses. Emily wasn’t able to get around well, so Mark, Kyle, and Kralen had picked them up at a ranch in Colorado.

“Each member of the Cavalry is assigned their own horse, and is responsible for their care… though I do believe Emily inspects them often and does anything past their regular daily care, such as shoeing, and immunizations,” Zohn said, walking into the stables.

Camber wrinkled his nose, “Why does it smell like a cat in here?”

Quinn chuckled, “We’ve never been able to get rid of that smell. We suspect he marked his territory in here somewhere that we haven’t found.”

“It’s atrocious.”

Zohn blurred to the end of the stable and then returned with a squirming mouse in his hand, “Best get rid of this.”

Chevalier took it, killed it quickly, and disposed of it in the trash bin.

“These horses on the end don’t have name plates,” Camber mentioned.

“One is mine, the Arabian. I’ve never been able to think of a name. The other is Emily’s, and I’m not sure why she hasn’t named hers yet. He’s the fastest out of all of them, and was once a prized racing stallion,” Chevalier explained.

“I see… and these eight over here?”

“For the new recruits. Emily will match them up with a heku.”

“You trust her for that?”

Chevalier frowned, “Implicitly.”

Quinn decided to change the subject with a large chart on the wall, “This is the duty rosters, broken up by day and shift. Our regular city guards do most of the patrols, but our Cavalry also posts in the city and they handle smaller things that the Council used to do… small domestic type issues.”

“I see,” Camber said, and looked at the chart. “Emily then, is assigned 4 members of your elite Cavalry, except for 8 hours during the day.”

“That’s when she’s in Cavalry training, surrounded by them.”

Camber smiled, “Interesting how much protection you give her, when she’s able to instantly turn a heku to ash.”

Chevalier started to get irritated, “She’s almost killed herself doing that too… not only is she hunted by the V.E.S., but we also protect her from things before she even sees it coming. If it were up to me, she would never ash again.”

“Never? Then why have her?” Camber asked, confused.

Chevalier growled slightly, so Zohn spoke up, “We were heading to the barracks next, to check on the accommodations for our new arrivals.”

Camber nodded, “Ok then, I’ll follow.”

As they walked toward the barracks, Quinn broke the silence, “We’ve started sending any guard prospects to Powan for training. It’s amazing what General Skinner can do, and the strict guards he’s sent us from there.”

“We were having a problem with security once the alliance with the other two factions ended,” Zohn explained. “Years and years of not fighting, turned some of our guards useless, and we had to replace them all.”

“I still find it hard to believe that all three factions aligned for a Winchester… I’m sorry, for Emily,” Camber said.

“Again, you just don’t know her.”

“It sounds like someone’s cleaning. We’ll just be brief,” Quinn said, and opened the door to the barracks.

“Each member of the Cavalry must be a Lieutenant, they are each assigned…” Zohn’s explanation broke off when the shower door opened, and they saw Emily crawl backwards out of the door, scrubbing as she went. Her hair was tied up high and she had a bandana around her head. She was sweating and soaked from the sponge in her hand.

Chevalier frowned, “Em?”

She froze and dropped her head, and then put the sponge in the bucket before turning around and sitting on the ground. They were shocked how filthy her clothing was, and how she had a dirt smudge on her nose.

“I guess I should explain?” she asked, wiping the sweat from her brow.

“I… well… yes,” Chevalier finally managed to say.

“Why, Dear, are you cleaning the barracks?” Quinn asked, and stepped forward.

Emily grinned “I lost guard hours in a poker game, and I can’t patrol the city, so mine are cleaning hours.”

“Still… you’re the wife of an Elder,” Zohn said, and put a hand out for her. She stood up and brushed her shirt down.

“Wife of an Elder or no… I lost at poker,” she said, and leaned back against the wall.

Zohn sighed, “Does Mark now about this?”

“No,” Emily said, and shrugged. “That’s why I’m doing it now, so he won’t find out.”

“I don’t care about the poker game. We can’t have you cleaning the barracks. It’s not right,” Zohn told her.

She frowned, “I lost a poker game… I won’t back out on the stakes.”

“What the hell?” Kyle asked, stepping into the barracks. “Are you cleaning?”

“Believe it or not, I’ve cleaned a room or two in my day and I’m not going to back out on this,” Emily said, irritated. “So I suggest you get on with your tour and let me finish, I have an hour left.”

“Still…”

“If I can make Exavior clean a kitchen…then I sure as hell can clean some barracks,” she said, and crossed her arms.

“The Valle’s Exavior?” Camber asked.

Emily glared at him and then continued, “So if you’ll excuse me, I was in the middle of the shower floor.”

“Fascinatingly strong-willed,” Camber whispered. “Winchester women were shy and timid in my day, elusive to the public eye, and obedient to their husbands.”

Chevalier chuckled, “Sounds boring.”

“I wouldn’t knock it if I were you,” Camber said, and watched as Emily limped back into the bathroom and the sound of scrubbing continued.

“Wait,” Kyle said, and looked around. “Where are her guards?”

Chevalier looked around, “I hadn’t thought of that.”

Zohn whispered and then smiled when he was told by her guards that she was in her room sleeping.

“I have an idea. Let’s put a cage in the council chambers, and we’ll just keep her in there all day,” Kyle suggested, irritated.

Zohn chuckled and called for her guards to watch the door to the barracks. They weren’t authorized to enter the Cavalry living quarters, so they took up post outside.

Camber watched the shower door for a few extra seconds, and then blurred to catch up with the Elders when they went back to the council chambers. They all sat in their chairs with the Council, and Camber returned to the trial area, being quiet and uncharacteristically still.

“So?” Zohn asked, turning to Dustin.

“They have agreed to random inspections and understand that one more incident will result in a disbanding of their coven and each member will be assigned to different covens.”

Zohn nodded, “Very well, you and Kyle can handle those inspections.”

“Yes, Elder,” Dustin said.

The Court Reporter started handing out large binders full of papers, “Here is the information for the trial that starts tomorrow.”

Each member of the Council opened the binder and began looking through the papers, photographs, and documentation, while Camber stood silently in the shadows, all but forgotten.

“Elder?” Derrick said, stepping in and breaking the two hour-long silence.

“Yes?” Zohn asked, looking up.

Derrick sighed, “She’s digging again.”

Quinn frowned, “Where are her guards?”

“Still guarding the door to the Cavalry’s barracks.”

“Of course they are… send them away,” Chevalier said, and stood up.

“Let me go,” Camber suggested. “I can talk to her about retirement.”

“Kyle… go with him.”

“Please, Elder… let me talk to her alone,” Camber said. “She may be more open with me if we are alone… I’m the only one she knows that’s ever come back from retirement.”

“I don’t know,” Chevalier said, and his eyes narrowed.

“He has a point,” Zohn said.

Quinn nodded, “I agree… let him try.”

“Very well, but watch yourself,” Chevalier warned.

Camber bowed slightly and disappeared from the room. He walked up slowly to Leonid’s grave where Emily was digging with a shovel.

“Can we talk for a moment?” Camber asked.

Emily turned around and then started to shovel again, “Start talking.”

“Stop shoveling, please.”

“No… he’s suffering, and I need to help him.”

“He’s not suffering… my retirement was peaceful. I don’t even remember it, but awoke feeling refreshed and more alive,” Camber explained.

Emily stopped shoveling and looked over at him, “What if the ceremony was preformed wrong? What if he’s simply buried alive?”

Camber glanced around to make sure no one was looking, “If I dig down enough you can hear if he’s screaming… will you sit and let me talk to you?”

Emily looked down at her measly hole and then nodded, “Yes.”

“Is 5 1/2 feet enough then?” Camber asked, taking the shovel.

“Yes, I think I can hear him scream from there.”

Camber began to dig, and Emily sat to watch, unsure if he was going to fulfill his part of the bargain or not. After only half an hour of digging, Camber jumped out of the hole.

“5 1/2 feet,” he said, and stood back.

Emily looked down in the hole and jumped down. She noticed how the hole was taller than she was, but ignored that and bent down to the ground, “Leonid?”

She listened with her ear to the dirt.

“Leonid, if you need help, you need to tell me now.”

She strained to hear anything, but the cold ground was eerily silent. After a few minutes, she sighed, “Ok, let me up.”

“First, let’s talk,” Camber said, and sat down beside the hole.

Emily frowned, “Get me up and then we’ll talk.”

“No, there you are confined… and let me warn you, if you try to use your abilities on me, you could spend a long time in that hole. I’ve told the Elders that I was taking you to my coven for a week to help buy horses, and you know how often the heku come out here. You would be down with the heku’s dead.”

Emily gasped, “You wouldn’t.”

“I would… now listen to me…” Camber said, and tried to lock her gaze.

“Stop it!” she yelled, and turned her face.

“Hmm… have it your way,” he said, and jumped down into the hole with her. Emily wasn’t ready for his sudden movement to her arm, and tried to jerk away from him when his teeth sunk into the soft side of her upper arm. She started to scream, but felt the familiar relaxation take over.

Camber immediately locked her gaze when he finished feeding, taking enough blood to weaken her resolve and allow her to be controlled.

“Alieno,” he whispered. “Forget, Child… tomorrow, two hours after you wake, you will forget all… Alieno. Look into yourself, what the Council wants you to be. Alieno… forget your life and become what they desire. Alineo and Verto, become what they want you to be, show them how life with a Winchester should be.”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Alieno et verto qui consilium votum,” he chanted softly. “Alieno vestry, alieno quisnam vos es.”

Camber dipped his finger into the mud, and lifted her shirt slightly. He wrote an intricately designed rune on her abdomen and the mud turned to stain and sunk into her soft white skin and then faded until it became invisible.

He smiled, “Sleep, Child.”

Emily immediately fell asleep, and he caught her before she fell to the ground. He quickly jumped out of the hole and laid her down. Within minutes, the entire hole was filled in and hidden beneath perfectly preserved sod.

Camber whispered and then said, “So you understand now?”

Emily sat up and nodded, “I guess… I just wish I knew for sure if he’s ok.”

“I’m sure he is. I enjoyed my retirement.”

She looked over at Leonid’s tomb marker.

“Come inside, it’s going to rain soon.”