Banishment : Book 9 of the Heku Series (43 page)

“Alexis,” Kralen answered.

“Then how do you know?” Silas asked.

“Figured it out.”

Emily started brushing down to her horse and
tried to ignore the conversation. Mark went to the Elder and went
over their brief conversation and the mention of Low Low.

Chevalier chuckled, “Just drop it.”

“Do you know?” Mark asked him.

“I just figured it out, and I say to leave it
alone.”

He sighed slightly, “Yes, Elder.”

Chevalier walked over to the stall Emily was
in, “The truck is packed.”

“I don’t want to go,” Emily said, stepping
out. “I hate that house.”

“It’s not haunted. I told you…”

“I know what you said, but it’s not true.
Exavior is haunting that house.”

“There’s no such thing as ghosts.”

“I’ll stay in the room if you’d like,” Kralen
said. “It’s only two nights.”

“I don’t have a choice, now do I?”

“Not really.”

“I thought it was nice to find out that being
in your house doesn’t affect a turning in Council City,” Chevalier
said. “No more shipping you off to the Island.”

“I just won’t sleep is all,” Emily said.

“We removed the spices you all found on the
deserted island. That’ll stop the ghosts.”

“It wasn’t the spices. I cook with that
stuff, and it’s never caused hallucinations.”

“Breathing in those spices all night caused
it. We just didn’t realize there was a crack in the clay pot, and
it had leaked out above your head.”

“That’s stupid,” Emily said, brushing herself
off.

“It’s been two weeks since a cleaning crew
found that stuff and cleaned it up. No more ghosts,” Chevalier
assured her.

“It’s not the spices.”

“It is.”

“It was discovered to have hallucinogenic
properties in 1829,” Silas told her.

“It’s not the spices. That house is haunted
by Exavior.”

Chevalier hid a grin and kissed her on the
top of the head, “If you see him, call for Kralen, ok? Try to
sleep.”

“I guess. Then next week I’m going to the
Valle,” Emily said.

“You are? Why?”

“To ask for Dain back, of course.”

“They don’t know where Dain is.”

“You won’t tell me who does, so I have to at
least ask them.”

“It’s not the Valle.”

“Then who is it?” she asked, looking over at
him.

“Ask Asher. He seems to know,” Chevalier
said.

She frowned, “How would Asher know?”

“Nothing… just rambling.”

“Heku don’t ramble.”

“Take a heku free weekend and have fun.”

Emily sighed and then started for the garage,
“Sure.”

She drove into the city with Silas and Kralen
but knew the house would already be surrounded by guards. She felt
some comfort in them, because she didn’t want to be under house
arrest with the Encala again. Chevalier hadn’t found out about
that, and she hoped he never did. She wasn’t sure what he’d do in
retaliation for the confinement, but she had already forgiven them,
though she and Andrew weren’t completely back on friendly terms
yet.

The house seemed extra cold and empty when
she pulled up. Megara had chosen to stay in school, and Emily hated
being in that big of a house alone, especially with Exavior’s ghost
walking around.

Kralen was out of the truck first and went to
open the door. As late as it was, Emily decided just to eat quickly
and then head to bed. Kralen and Silas took up posts outside of her
door, in case she yelled for them.

It was almost three hours later when Emily
finally sat up in bed and looked around the dark, empty room. She
hadn’t felt well since finding out Dain was banished. After
screaming at Allen, Alexis, and Megara for months about his
whereabouts, she had turned a cold shoulder to them, and her life
had felt empty.

Not sure what else to do, Emily opened up the
safe in her room and pulled out items to look through. A small
wooden box contained the rank pins she’d taken while recovering
from Salazar’s torture. She held them in her hand and smiled. It
seemed like a lifetime ago that she’d been in recovery from
Salazar, and it always amazed her, the care and compassion the heku
showed to her during that time.

Allen’s rank pin was in there also, and she
studied its tiny inlaid gems and the dangling ‘I’ that indicated he
was an Island Coven Guard. She couldn’t imagine him banishing his
brother, and just the thought made her heart sink further.

An odd copper coin was set off to the side of
the chest, and Emily reached out and took it in her fingers,
feeling the heavy weight of it. In her quest to find something to
give Emily of Dain’s, Alexis had wrestled his rare half cent coin
away from him to give to her. Dain had scavenged it from a hidden
location and was holding it to cash in when Alexis took it.

Emily couldn’t help but smile some at the
image. At the time, Dain was still afraid of Alexis, and she was
sure the fight had to have been rather brief. All of that over a
simple coin, yet that coin was something Emily now cherished even
more than when it was originally given to her.

How had it all turned out so badly? She’d
recovered from the horrors in Salazar’s coven, yet now she felt
alone again and out of control. Her son was suffering in the
ground. She hadn’t really spoken to Allen or Alexis in a year, and
she felt a rift between her and Megara.

Everything seemed chaotic, and she felt a
whirlwind of panic at the thought of Dain suffering. Her sketchy
memories of recovery from Denmark didn’t help. She wished she could
remember what happened there that caused Dain to be banished for
800 years. Even Chevalier admitted he thought that 800 years was a
bit drastic, but yet he still refused to go to the Valle to get the
number changed.

As she studied the coin, tears welled up in
her eyes. Whatever happened in South America had driven a wedge
between her and her children. She missed her late-night
conversations with Alexis. She missed Allen and Miri dropping in
unexpectedly just to see her. They always livened up the palace and
interrupted what was usually going to be a rather dull day.

Emily replaced the items and re-locked the
safe before heading in for a hot bath. The house seemed colder than
usual and quieter. She knew she had heku guards outside of her
door, but she couldn’t hear anything but the wind that had picked
up during the night.

Sinking into the hot water seemed to help,
and she leaned back and put a warm wash cloth over her eyes. Once
she kicked on the jets, the quietness of the house was drowned out,
and she was able to relax.

Just as she began to drift off to sleep, she
heard a voice beside her.

“
Just until Dad dies. Then
I’ll stop.”

“
What makes you think he’s
going to die?”

“
I fully plan on killing
him.”

“
Why?”

“
No one else will rid this
world of him. It's my job.”

“
Dain…”

“
No, I hate him! He needs
killed.”

She sat up in the tub and pulled the wash
cloth off of her eyes to look into the room. It was her and Dain
that were speaking, but it sounded like it was happening right in
the room. She frowned slightly as she thought of what Dain had
said. She wondered who it was that he was planning on killing and
when that conversation had taken place.

Emily was just sitting back in the tub when
the voices sounded again.

“
So now you want to be an
Ancient?”

“
I already am. You made me
as great as one, and once I figure out how to revive them, I’ll
join them, and we’ll do away with the heku.”

This time she saw an image with the voices,
and the Equites caves began to form in her mind. Dain was furious,
and she could tell, even now, that he was out of control.

“
You’re not a lot more
powerful than the weak mortals I’ve killed.”

“
Mortals?
Plural?”

She couldn’t breathe as his words rang
through the bathroom and the sheer anger in them emanated from
around her. She felt almost afraid of him, even knowing he wasn’t
near her.

“
I’m not confused, Mom.
The only thing I feel is power.”

Emily stood slowly and slipped a towel around
her. Her knees were shaky, and she felt sick to her stomach as some
of the memories returned. The feel of falling was making her head
spin, and she realized it was Dain who pushed her. She wasn’t as
sure as Chevalier that it was an accident though, and she felt
better when she was back in her bedroom, and no one was around.

She sat on the edge of her bed and looked
around the room. There was still some lingering fear, and she
couldn’t quite shake it. She felt that her life and the life of her
family was in jeopardy, but she knew that that fear was unfounded.
Dain had threatened to kill Chevalier and had tried to kill both
Miri and Alexis. He was now banished, and even though her heart
constricted at the thought, she found some comfort that he was
unable to hurt anyone.

Emily glanced at her phone and hesitated
before picking it up and dialing.

“Mom? What’s wrong?” Alexis asked,
panicked.

“He…,” Emily started, but then she squeezed
her eyes shut to fight back the tears.

“Mom?”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“For what? What’s wrong?”

“I was going to do it, too.”

Alexis sighed, “I know.”

“I didn’t remember that.”

“Do you know it all now?”

“I’m not sure. I do remember that I was going
to have to stop him.”

“If there was another way…”

“I know,” Emily said as tears streamed down
her face. “I’m sorry I doubted you. I just…”

“I know, Mom. It’s ok.”

“He’s my baby.”

“Yes, he is.”

Emily couldn’t speak. It felt good to talk to
Alexis again, but she felt helpless and lost with Dain still
suffering.

“Why don’t you come out to the Island for a
bit?” Alexis asked. “I’m looking at a house tomorrow, and you can
come with me.”

“You’re moving?”

“I’m thinking about moving out to the Island,
yes.”

“Why?”

“It’s hard with Garrett still patrolling the
streets.”

“Leaving though? I can just get rid of
Garrett.”

“It’s ok, Mom. I like it here, and Garrett,
though an idiot, doesn’t deserve to be ashed and hidden.”

“I’d do it.”

“I have no doubt. Come out here and see us,”
Alexis said.

“I guess I could.”

“We have a year to catch up on, and I know
Allen won’t believe me that you’re ok with us now.”

“That sounds awful,” Emily told her.

Alexis laughed, “Not what I meant. Just come
out.”

“Well, Kralen’s here. I guess he could fly
me.”

“It’ll be fun! I’ll let Gordon know. He’s
been trying to feed me for two days, so it’ll give him someone to
take care of.”

“Sure, let me tell Chev, and then we’ll head
over.”

“Great!”

Emily hung up and then packed a quick bag.
She wasn’t at all surprised that Kralen was already gone to get the
helicopter ready when she emerged. Silas and Gifford were waiting
for her outside of her door.

“We notified the Elder,” Silas said,
smiling.

She glanced at him, “Some privacy once in a
while would be nice.”

“We can pretend we don’t hear.”

“Why don’t you just not listen?”

“Can’t help it. Sorry,” he said, still
smiling.

“Let’s just get this over with. I hate that
helicopter.”

“We could drive it, Ma’am,” Gifford
suggested.

“I don’t really want to drive all night
either. Where’s Kralen meeting us?”

“At the regional airport in the city.”

She nodded and then followed them out to the
Jeep. She was anxious to get to the Island and try to get some
sleep, if at all possible. She wished Megara was coming with but
knew she was occupied with her studies, just as the other kids had
been at her age.

They arrived as the sun was coming up. Storm
and several Island Coven guards were standing on the helipad
waiting for them.

Once the helicopter was powered down, Silas
helped Emily out of the helicopter, and she walked up to Storm.

“You didn’t have to come out just because I’m
coming,” she said, smiling at the guard beside her.

Storm bowed slightly, “Of course we do.
Gordon has your breakfast waiting, and your children are in the
dining room.”

“Ok, thanks.” They all followed her down. She
felt a bit like they were watching her too closely but decided not
to say anything. She was sure that Chevalier was nervous about her
talking to the kids and would be there if he wasn’t needed in
Council City.

“Mom,” Allen said, standing when he saw
her.

Alexis smiled, “Great to see you.”

She smiled but could still feel the tension
in the air. Gordon brought in a plate and set it down before bowing
and leaving.

Emily sat down and then picked up her coffee
while the heku left and her kids sat down.

“Alexis said… things are ok?” Allen asked
hesitantly.

“Well, it’s complicated,” Emily said. “I
remember now that I was going to ash him myself to stop him.”

“But?”

“But 800 years? That’s a bit severe, don’t
you think?”

“We didn’t give him 800 years,” Alexis told
her. “We also thought that was too long, but the Valle set it.”

“That’s just…” Emily stopped talking when she
started to get choked up, “That’s just a really long time to
suffer.”

“I know.”

“I guess I’ll go talk to the Valle to see if
they can lessen it.”

“That sounds like a good idea.”