Banishment : Book 9 of the Heku Series (3 page)

“No, no rules broken. It’s just you have such
bad luck.”

“I know. Don’t get mad at Kralen though. It
was my idea.”

“I’m not mad at Kralen, though I want to get
my hands on Niccolo.”

“Which reminds me,” Emily said, looking from
Chevalier to Kralen. “I think when we get to the yacht, I should go
on board alone.”

“Why?” Chevalier asked.

“I don’t think Niccolo needs killed for this.
I can go on board and see if he’s there. If he is, I can find out
why and mediate, so you don’t tear him apart.”

“It’s too dangerous. Something had to have
happened for Niccolo to take off and abandon you there.”

“If it’s Valle or Encala, I can incapacitate
them.”

Chevalier thought for a moment, “I don’t know
if I like it.”

“Please, Chev,” Emily said. “Let me find out
before you tear him apart.”

“It’s too dangerous,” Kralen told her.

She finally nodded, “Fine, but can I at least
go with you? I can take care of any amount of heku that fit on that
yacht.”

Chevalier nodded, “Yes. You can go with us.
If I had to guess, it’s the Valle.”

“Why the Valle?”

“They are more apt to be out on a boat than
any other faction.”

“Oh”

“Elder, we’re coming up on the first boat,”
the Captain said after taking a message from the bridge.

They all walked out onto the bridge and
looked over the crystal blue water and saw the yacht sitting
quietly.

“No damage,” the Commander said.

“Stop a ways out,” Chevalier said. “I don’t
want to let anyone on board know we’re here.”

Kralen took Emily’s arm and led her out onto
the deck. She stepped into the raft, followed by Kralen, Chevalier,
and the Commander. Her stomach sunk when the boat lowered, and she
put her hand over it to try to keep from throwing up.

“You ok?” Chevalier asked, studying her.

She nodded.

“You’re turning green,” Kralen said.

“I’m ok.”

The raft silently pulled up next to the
yacht, and the heku listened carefully. Finally, Chevalier turned,
“I don’t hear anyone moving around.”

Kralen nodded and quickly climbed onto the
yacht. Chevalier helped Emily up, and soon, they were all standing
on the front deck.

Chevalier motioned for Kralen to check the
bridge. He headed toward the back deck while Emily went down below
to the living area.

She stopped at the bottom of the stairs when
she saw Niccolo kicked back on her bed with her book. He was
oblivious to her presence as he turned a page and kept reading.

Not sure what to do, Emily cleared her
throat.

Niccolo jumped up and dropped her book, “Lady
Emily! You’re back.”

She spun when she heard someone on the
stairs. Kralen and Chevalier had heard him speak and were coming
down.

Emily looked at him, “You better have a
story.”

“For what?” he asked, and then saluted
Chevalier. “Elder! When did you arrive?”

Kralen blurred forward and knocked Niccolo
onto the floor, “Why?”

Niccolo jumped to his feet and stood at
attention, “Sir?”

“You better have a damned good reason you
left the Lady stranded on a deserted island for two days!”

“I didn’t! I waited in the boat as
instructed.”

“Did you drop the anchor as instructed?”

“Yes, Captain.”

Kralen backhanded him and Niccolo flew back
against the wall. Kralen was on him in an instant, “Apparently not!
This boat is over 12 kilometers from that island.”

Niccolo gasped, “What?”

“You abandoned the Elder’s wife and members
of the Cavalry on a deserted island, and I want to know why.”

Emily had the urge to stop Kralen from
punishing the heku, but instead reached down and picked up her
book.

“I didn’t know, Captain!” Niccolo said,
trying to save himself.

“What were you doing?” Kralen snapped.

“Sir… I was… I just…”

“What?!”

“I was reading… Sir.”

Kralen’s eyes narrowed, and his hands balled
into tight fists.

Emily knew what was coming next,
“Kralen…”

“Stay out of it,” he growled.

“Please don’t kill him in front of me,” she
whispered.

Chevalier cleared his throat, “Let’s take him
back to the Island.”

Kralen blurred to Niccolo and snapped his
neck, then watched as he slumped down onto the floor.

Emily sighed as she watched his body slowly
begin to heal.

“What was he reading that was so important he
couldn’t do his job?” Kralen asked angrily.

Emily held up her book,
“It’s one I was reading a few nights ago. It’s called
Soft Hearts Tell Lies
.”

Chevalier chuckled, “It’s a romance?”

“Sort of… it’s about this couple who can’t
express their feelings to each other…”

Kralen cut her off, “He was reading a chick
book?”

“It’s not... ok, yes. It's a chick book,”
Emily finally said.

Chevalier looked over when Niccolo finally
made it to his feet, “You abandoned your superiors to read a
romance novel?”

“I was just bored, Elder,” he said, still in
some pain. “The book was all I could find to do.”

“Then 2 days later when you hadn’t heard from
them, you didn’t think to check on them?”

“No, Elder. I figured they just decided to
stay longer.”

Emily held up the book, “You read this book
for two days?”

Niccolo nodded.

She frowned slightly, “It’s 200 pages long
and an easy read. I finished it in one night.”

Chevalier looked up at Niccolo, “What aren’t
you telling us?”

“Nothing! I… I just read slowly.”

“You’re lying.”

“No, no I’m not. I wouldn’t lie. I want on
the Cavalry!”

“Get him out of my sight,” Chevalier
hissed.

Kralen and the Coast Guard Commander hauled
Niccolo over to the cargo hold. Chevalier went up to the bridge to
go pick up the rest of the Cavalry that was waiting on the Coast
Guard Cutter, while Emily went through her things to see if
anything was messed up.

Once Kralen took over manning the helm,
Chevalier returned to the living area and found Emily looking
through her bags.

“Missing something?” he asked her.

She jumped, “Don’t sneak up on me!”

“Sorry”

“My stuff is messed up but nothing’s
missing.”

“What do you mean messed up?” he asked,
moving closer.

“Like my clothes aren’t folded, that sort of
thing.” Emily finally closed her bag and then went over to the
kitchen to make something to eat.

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah, it’s ok though. We’ll be back on the
island soon, and I will just wash it all anyway.”

“Woody,” Chevalier said, and then turned to
the stairs when one of the Cavalry came down. “Call ahead to
convene my court. I want to find out what he was thinking.”

The heku nodded and blurred up the
stairs.

Emily looked at Chevalier, “He’s in enough
trouble as it is without adding, don’t you think?”

“I think he’s lying to us about something,
and I want to know what.”

“It just seems like unnecessary
additions.”

“Not to me. I want to know everything he
did.”

She nodded and then sat down, “Are you going
to kill him?”

Chevalier sat beside her and took her hand,
“He left you stranded on a deserted island.”

“I know that sounds bad, but I had a good
time actually.”

“It could have turned out much worse.”

“Considering what happened last time we were
here, I’ll give you that. Do I have to be in on the trial?”

He smiled, knowing how much she hated to be
in a court room in any official capacity, “I don’t know yet. As you
found him, probably.”

“When I found him, he wasn’t doing anything
against heku laws.”

Chevalier kissed her softly and then stood
up, “Get some sleep. We’ll be back in Island Coven by morning.”

Emily nodded and then changed into a
nightgown and was soon fast asleep. When she woke up, she could
hear the gentle lapping of waves against the beach and realized
they had reached Island Coven, but they hadn’t woken her. She
yawned, stretched, and then dressed quickly. She wondered if she
could catch Gordon soon enough to get some of his strawberry
crepes.

Emily shielded her eyes when she walked up on
the sunny deck. She was right, and the yacht was anchored up
against the pier leading into Island Coven.

“Good morning, Lady Emily,” one of the Pier
Guards said as he held his dog tightly. The German shepherd was
growling low as his hackles rose and his lips pulled back to expose
his menacing teeth.

Emily frowned, “Is he going to eat me?”

“No, M’Lady. He’s just new to the pier.”

“What time is it?”

“10:23am, Ma’am.”

She nodded and then walked down the plank to
the pier, trying to ignore the snarling dog. Chevalier had left his
black Range Rover by the pier, so she would have a way to the
castle. When she climbed in, she adjusted the seat, so she could
reach the pedals, and was soon back at the castle.

The Door Guards bowed when she walked up,
“Good Morning, M’Lady.”

“Morning… is Gordon here?”

“Yes, Ma’am. He’s been in the kitchen most of
the morning waiting for you.”

“Ok,” she said, and walked through the door.
She looked around the vacant foyer and immediately headed for the
kitchen.

Gordon turned and smiled when she walked in,
“I bet you’re hungry.”

“Starving! What’s for breakfast?” she asked
as she sat down.

“What would you like?”

“Do you have strawberries?”

Gordon reached down and picked up a wicker
basket, “Fresh off the vine this morning.”

She smiled, “Crepes then?”

“One batch of crepes coming up. Here’s
something while you wait,” he said, handing over a steaming up.

Emily looked down at it, “What is it?”

“Chocolat chaud.”

“Is that Latin for coffee?”

Gordon chuckled, “No. It's a Parisian hot
chocolate.”

She nodded and took a sip, “Oh my God, this
is good!”

He seemed pleased when she took another sip
and then sat back to wait for breakfast.

“It’s about time you woke up,” Kyle said when
he walked into the kitchen.

Emily held out her cup, “You should try this.
It's amazing.”

He shook his head, “No thanks. The Elders
would like you down in the court room.”

“They’re here?”

“Yes”

“Chev hauled the entire Council here because
Niccolo read a book?”

“No, just myself and the Elders.”

“Why not wait until we got to the city?”

“Niccolo is from Island Coven,” Kyle said,
and then stood back by the door, indicating he wanted her to
follow.

“I didn’t know that. No wonder Chev was mad.”
She made no motion that she was going to follow him.

“We need to go,” he said, amused.

“I’m waiting for breakfast.”

Gordon laughed and put a tray of cream cheese
filled strawberry crepes down in front of her with sizzling bacon
and hash browns, and a glass of ice cold orange juice, “You can
take it with you.”

She nodded and took the tray, which Kyle then
took from her before stepping out into the hallway.

“Hint taken, I’m coming,” she said, and
followed him down the dark stairway into the cave-like court room.
Just outside the door to the court room, Emily stole a piece of
bacon and then ate it while she walked in.

She hated how many heku were here for the
trial and wondered what purpose it served to have Island Coven
residents in these trials. Emily followed Kyle past them and up
onto the stand where the Elders were waiting with Storm.

“That smells awful,” Chevalier said when she
sat down.

“It’s bacon,” she told him, and took another
one to eat.

He winked at her, and then turned back to the
court room, “Bring in Niccolo.”

The court room’s Door Guard disappeared, and
Emily dug into the crepes, not really caring that almost 50 heku
were watching her eat. She was hungry enough it didn’t matter. She
was just finishing when Niccolo was brought in, and she briefly
wondered if they had waited until she finished. It normally took
only seconds for them to retrieve a prisoner.

Emily glanced at each of the Elders and saw
they were now sitting straight and looking along the heku in the
audience with stern glances. Niccolo was forced to his knees in
front of them, and Kralen soon appeared and stood behind him.

Storm shuffled some papers and stood up,
“Niccolo, you are hereby charged with insubordination, neglect, and
unlawful search. How do you plead?”

Niccolo swallowed hard, “Not guilty?”

“Are you asking me?” Storm asked him,
irritated. She was disgusted with how he seemed nervous and
fidgety.

“No, I’m pleading not guilty.”

“The trial will commence then. First charge
is insubordination. Captain Kralen, what were your orders to
Niccolo in regards to the yacht?” Storm asked.

Kralen looked up at the Elders, “He was
ordered to anchor the yacht, and then watch the boat and wait for
our return.”

“Did you do so?” Storm asked the
prisoner.

“Yes… yes I did… I just… well I was reading
and didn’t know the yacht had floated away.”

“So you did anchor it?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Kralen shook his head, “When we arrived, it
was less than 2 feet into the water. That’s not enough to stop a
boat of that size from drifting.”

Storm nodded and wrote in a file before
speaking, “Neglect charges are based on abandoning a member of the
Council and your superiors on a deserted island. What do you have
to say about that?”

“I didn’t! I didn’t know the boat had floated
away. I wouldn’t have abandoned them,” Niccolo whispered, too
afraid to speak up.

“At what point did you go below deck?”