Banishment : Book 9 of the Heku Series (38 page)

She nodded, “It’s been a long day. Can I
borrow your Jeep?”

“Is something wrong with your car?”

“No but… well… it belongs to both Garrett and
I.”

Emily reached over and Alexis took her hand,
“Things will work out.”

“I know. It’s just going to take time. It’ll
help when I move out and have some time alone.”

“At least take Dain with you.”

“I will, Mom,” Alexis whispered. She wondered
when Emily’s short-term memory would return. Anything they told her
only stayed in her memory for a few hours.

“Then tell Dain to come and see me. I haven’t
seen him today.”

Alexis nodded and then quickly left her room.
She half expected Derrick to call her back into the council
chambers, but he just watched her silently as she ran down the
stairs. No one tried to stop her when she drove off in Emily’s Jeep
either, which let her know that her conversation with Emily had
been overheard by the Council.

Alexis was shocked to see Megara in the house
with Asher. Once the heku tending Asher left, Megara turned to
Alexis, “I want to go with you.”

“No, you need to stay out of it.”

“Why? I’m on Dain’s side too.”

“You don’t need to get into as much trouble
as I’m about to.”

“You and Allen…”

“He’s older too,” Alexis told her.

“I’m your link to Dain,” Megara said, and
then smiled and nodded when Alexis looked at her. “I know where he
is… I know how to contact him…”

“You do?!”

“Yes”

“Then you are his contact in the palace.”

Megara nodded.

“Great… then you have to come with me. If Dad
finds out, you’d be controlled long enough to get that
information.”

“I know, which is why Dain suggested that I
go to Mom’s house with you.”

“Were you listening in on my conversation
with Mom?”

“Yes, and your time in the council
chambers.”

“Does Dain know all of it?”

“Of course,” Megara said proudly.

Alexis was relieved. She didn’t know who
Dain’s contact in the palace was, but she’d hoped that whoever it
was had listened to her conversation with the Council, and that
Dain knew she’d stuck up for him and hadn’t told them any
information. Now her plan was firmly set in motion to gain Dain’s
trust.

“Get Asher then,” Alexis said, starting to
pack. “Let’s get out of here.”

Megara nodded and then went to get her
nephew. He was asleep in her arms by the time they cleared the city
gates in the Jeep.

Chapter 12

“I can protect us,” Alexis said to Dain over
the phone. “If you come here, they will find you.”

“I don’t like that you and Megara are holed
up in that house alone!”

“We’re fine!”

“Does Dad have protection there?”

“No… I think I’m out of the Council’s
protective circle right now.”

“Then have the Encala come in.”

She laughed, “The Encala aren’t going to come
protect me! I’m not Mom.”

“Someone has to.”

“We’re fine. I haven’t seen anything more
than salesman since we got here, and it’s been two weeks.”

“Maybe it’s time you come stay with me.”

“Stay with you? Did you buy a house?”

“Yes, where did you think I’ve been
staying?”

“Where did you get the money to buy a house?”
Alexis asked.

“Stole it from Dad.”

“Dain!”

“Well he’ll never know! He has too much money
to keep track of.”

“It’s just wrong.”

“Yeah because stealing is so much more
serious than killing a couple of mortals.”

Her heart raced, “A couple?”

“Oh… yeah…”

“Dain… how many have you killed?”

“You don’t understand, Alex,” Dain said. “My
thirst… it’s so strong, and I can’t stop. It’s getting worse.”

“Heku have control though.”

“I think it’s worse than the heku. I can’t
even be around mortals without losing control. I’ve had to be very
careful of where I go and what I do.”

“If it’s worse than a heku, then something
has to be wrong.”

“With me? Nothing’s wrong with me. I’m the
only heku ever born into it! For all we know, this is normal.”

“Try to stop, please. Let me think about
this.”

“Well don’t tell Dad.”

“I don’t talk to Dad anymore.”

“How’s Mom? Have you heard?”

“No, I haven’t. I can’t go back to Council
City, and I haven’t been able to reach her on her phone.”

“Send Megara then.”

“I can’t risk the Council controlling her.
She knows where you are, remember?”

“Oh, right.”

“You shouldn’t have told her. It’s put her in
a great deal of danger.”

“The Council won’t kill her though. If they
do find out, then I’ll just have to leave.”

“I have an idea,” Alexis told him. “You’ll
call tomorrow night, right?”

“What’s the idea?” Dain asked.

“Just call tomorrow.”

“Sure, talk to you then.”

Alexis turned to look at Asher as he slept.
When she made sure her conversations weren’t keeping him awake, she
took a deep breath and then began to thumb through the address book
that Emily kept on her counter. Seeing that she only had an IP
address, Alexis opened up the laptop and tried to connect.

When the image appeared, Andrew frowned
slightly, “Alexis? Where’s Emily?”

“She’s still laid up in bed.”

“What happened?”

“It’s too long of a story,” Alexis said. “I
need your help, and I need you to swear this won’t get to the
Equites Council.”

He nodded, “I can promise you that. What’s
up?”

She shifted nervously because of how many
rules of the Equites she was currently breaking, “I… well I have a
question about full heku thirst.”

“Ok,” he said, sounding unsure.

“Have you ever heard of a heku having a
thirst so strong that it can’t be controlled?”

“I’ve heard that used as an excuse in trials,
but I don’t believe it.”

“What if it were true?”

“You’re only part heku though…”

“I’m not talking about me.”

“Dain then?” Andrew asked.

She hated how the Interrogator could get
information without even trying, “Please just answer me. Is it
possible that his thirst is stronger than a heku and renders him
unable to stop?”

“No, I don’t think so. If Dain’s saying that,
then he’s using that as an excuse for lack of judgment and no
self-control.”

“I have to consider that he’s telling the
truth,” she told him.

Andrew studied her, “You’re keeping something
from me. What’s your ulterior motive for this conversation?”

“I want to help him.”

Andrew sat back in his chair, “It’s a little
late for that. We even have a team out looking for him.”

“I know, but as my brother. I want to help
him.”

“Help him or catch him?” Andrew asked,
studying her.

Alexis quickly shut the laptop when she
realized that Andrew was getting too much information from her. The
click of the laptop woke Asher up, and he started to fuss.

She picked him up and cradled him as she
changed rooms to call Allen.

“Hello, Alexis,” Miri said, answering the
phone.

“Is Allen around?”

Miri’s voice lowered, “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine, Miri.”

“I heard about Garrett.”

“Did Allen forgive you?”

“Mostly… I still think he watches me closely
though.”

“Well, Garrett didn’t forgive me for
that.”

“Plus your phone calls to Dain.”

“That too,” Alexis said, sighing. She
wondered if the Council had contacted Allen and Miri about her
conversations with her brother.

“Hold on. I’ll go get Allen.”

A few seconds later, Allen came to the phone,
“A bit late isn’t it, Alex?”

“You know I don’t sleep either.”

“Right,” he said, sounding short and
irritated.

“It’s not over,” Alexis whispered.

“It is as far as I’m concerned.”

“Megara knows where he is.”

“She does?!” Allen yelled.

“Allen…”

“No! You and I tried to meet with Dain
already, and it didn’t work. Now that he’s tried to kill both my
wife and my Mom, I’m done with him. I hope they catch him
soon.”

“You can’t think that, Allen! You’re ready to
split up Mom and Dad?”

“How is it you’re more worried about their
relationship than your own?”

“Their relationship is for the good of the
Equites, and don’t tell me you don’t put the Equites before your
relationship!”

“You aren’t doing this for the Equites. I
honestly wish I did know why you were doing this.”

“Because I understand him,” Alexis said. “No
one else knows what us kids have gone through, or what it’s like to
be part heku and raised in the palace with guards and the Council
watching our every move. Dain was forced into this, and I suspect
something’s wrong with him physically.”

“What do you mean?”

“Everything about him is exacerbated… his
thirst, his anger…”

“He’s no more angry than Dad is, and he’s not
thirsty either. He’s just impulsive.”

“We don’t know that.”

“Yes we do. He’s a full heku and there are
thousands of full heku around that aren’t attacking innocents.”

“Allen, I’m begging you to help me. I have to
take Dain down and try to reconcile with Garrett before it’s too
late.”

“If you’re so worried about Garrett, then
leave Dain to the professionals, and go reconcile with him now!”
Allen said, frustrated.

“I can’t! I have to deal with Dain, and I
think you’ll see that soon enough. You and I are the only ones that
can do it and not break up the family,” Alexis explained.

“How do you figure? Then Mom won’t talk to
us.”

“She’ll forgive us before she’d forgive
Dad.”

“No she won’t! If we banish Dain, then she’ll
disown us.”

“I don’t think she will. I think she’ll
eventually see our side and forgive us. However, if Dad’s involved,
she will disappear.”

“You said last time we talked, that Megara is
still on Dain’s side.”

“Right”

“And she’s living with you in Mom’s
house?”

“Yes”

“How do you know she’s not listening to us
right now and relaying that information to Dain?”

“I’m in the panic room. It’s sound
proof.”

“Yeah, well I’m not,” Allen said sternly.

Alexis gasped, “So…”

He cleared his throat.

Her heart raced when she realized the only
reason Allen was arguing was because Miri could hear, “This isn’t
over.”

“I know,” Allen said. “However, my decision
stands. I’m going to wait for the Council to find Dain.”

Alexis shut her phone and then cradled Asher
tenderly.

***

Alexis spooned a spoon full of peas into
Asher’s mouth and then looked over when the door to the kitchen
opened.

Megara came in and looked behind her, “Silas
came to see you.”

“Silas did?”

The young girl nodded, and then Silas walked
past her and into the kitchen, “Hope that’s ok.”

“Sure, as long as it doesn’t include a
lecture.”

“It doesn’t.”

“Then have a seat.”

Silas spun a chair and sat down in it
backwards to face her. He looked over her and saw that she was pale
and didn’t look well, “Are you sick?”

“No”

“Why don’t you let me feed Asher, so you two
can talk?” Megara asked.

Alexis handed her the spoon and then led
Silas out. She checked in the foyer, but didn’t see any other heku,
“You came alone?”

“Yup, just me.”

She sat down on a couch, “So what’s up?”

He sat down beside her, “Well… I worry about
you.”

“You or the Council?”

“I do. Garrett told us that you want to go
after Dain.”

“Well wasn’t that nice of him?”

“He’s too dangerous.”

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t know where Dain
is.”

Silas smiled crookedly, “You’re too much like
Em. You have it in your head that you’re going to go after him, and
you will find a way.”

“How is… you know?” Alexis hesitated.

“Garrett?”

She nodded.

“Upset still. He’s a very loyal follower of
the Council, and he feels betrayed by you.”

“I didn’t do it to betray him.”

“Not directly, no. However, by betraying
Garrett and the Council, things are just going to be rocky for a
while.”

“Has he started the process?”

Silas studied her eyes, “That’s not for me to
say.”

She swallowed hard, “Then he has…”

“It’s bigger than you can imagine,
Alexis.”

“But breaking the bond? If he’ll just give me
a few weeks, things will calm down.”

“When you go after Dain, that’s going to be
the last straw for him.”

“If he’s started the process to break our
bond, then it’s already too late.”

“No, it’s not. It can be repaired.”

“He needs to understand that what he’s doing
is hurting me too! My own husband doesn’t trust me to take care of
things.”

“I’m not here to defend Garrett.”

“Then get out,” Alexis said, standing
suddenly. She blurred from the room, faster than Silas had ever
seen her move.

He sighed and then looked over when Megara
came out with Asher, “Now she’ll start crying at night again.”

“I didn’t mean to upset her. I really wanted
to just see how she is doing.”

“She’s right… Garrett is wrong.”

“No, he’s not. What your sister is trying to
do goes against the Council and her husband’s wishes.”

“Then her husband needs to stop siding with
the Council and at least try to see it from her side.”

“Her husband…”

“Is an idiot.” The way she said that made
Silas smile slightly. She not only looked like a younger Emily but
spoke just like her mother too.

“He cares about her.”