Encala (52 page)

“
If Damon decides to revive
him that is,” she said, pulling her wrist away from him.

“
Emily, tell me you didn’t
turn him into ash,” he sighed.

“
Sure, if you don’t mind
being lied to.”

“
Sit.” He pointed at the
bed.

Emily sat down on the bed and glared at him.
She heard a loud crash outside of the palace and moved to the
window. She gasped when she saw the drainpipes being removed from
along the wall.

“
I’ll be in the hallway if
you need me. This got too far out of control this time,” he said,
slamming the door.

Emily was locked in her room for two days.
She demanded to see Allen numerous times, but no one would answer
her. Her food trays were pushed quickly into the room and the door
was left locked from the outside. She had become a prisoner in the
palace.

Finally, her door opened and Damon stepped
in, “Come with me.”

“
No, where is Allen?” she
scowled.

“
Your presence has been
requested in the council chambers,” he said, moving aside so she
could leave.

She walked past him, apprehensively, and
walked into the lower portion of the council chambers. She saw the
dark gray cloaks of the four heku standing before the Equites
Council. Exavior turned when she walked in and his eyes immediately
fell to her bruised neck.

Emily avoided looking at Chevalier and
walked over to Exavior, “You shouldn’t be here.”

He smiled, “Stop trying to protect me.”

“
They won’t let me see
Allen,” she whispered to him frantically.

Exavior turned to the Council, “Why has she
been denied her son?”

“
That was a Council
decision, to keep him safe until all tempers calmed down,” Maleth
explained.

“
Bring him here. It’s
unreasonable to keep her from him,” he said, calmly.

Leonid nodded, and a guard by the door
disappeared.

“
So you see,” Damon said,
taking the stand, “that she is alive and well as
promised.”

“
Well?” he asked, and
looked at her. “You consider this well?”

“
Tempers flared, and we
regret the actions of one of our council, but it has been taken
care of,” Maleth tried to assure him.

Emily wrapped her arms around herself. She
felt on display.

“
What about the runes then?
Have they been removed?” he asked them.

“
Not yet,” Leonid
answered.

“
That’s disgraceful and
negligent to leave that mark on her,” he scowled.

“
I take it you know how to
remove it then?” Damon asked, arrogantly.

“
Yes I do,” he said, and
Emily looked at him with wide eyes.

“
We cannot kill the Encala
that put it there,” he said.

“
You don’t need the rune’s
keeper to get it off,” he said. “Especially when it’s ink and not a
tattoo.”

Chevalier scowled at him, “I have yet to
determine exactly how you saw it in the first place.”

“
Please don’t,” Emily
whispered to Exavior.

He frowned, “Why are you keeping it from
them? That wasn’t your fault.”

Her eyes were pleading.

Exavior turned back to the Council, “It’s
not my place to say.”

Emily turned when the door opened, and Allen
ran into her arms. She picked him up and held him tightly to her.
She kissed his cheek as tears rolled down her face.

“
I bring up my original
complaint. It is the opinion of the Valle Council that you are
repeatedly mistreating a mortal in your palace, and should be dealt
with according to the laws set forth when the ancients were
banished,” Exavior said to them.

“
We are not continually
mistreating a mortal,” Maleth replied.

“
Oh? That’s not how it
looks,” he said.

“
What we have here is a
matter of tempers. When two are bonded and love each other, but
both have tempers, it can lead to accidents,” Maleth
explained.

“
Love each other? I’ve
never seen anyone assault one they truly love, and I don’t see any
marks on the Elder,” he said.

“
I had to revive him from
ash,” Damon explained.

Exavior smiled slightly, “Self-defense, I’m
sure.”

“
Take us with you,” Emily
asked, turning to Exavior with Allen still held tightly in her
arms.

“
She’s afraid to be here,”
he said, watching Chevalier closely.

“
Over my dead body,” he
scowled.

“
Everybody calm down,”
Leonid said, standing up. “No one is in danger here, we can discuss
this calmly.”

Exavior raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t yet
even raised his voice, “I agree that it is best if she stay here,
as long as she isn’t kept from her son, and isn’t confined in any
way.”

“
No,” Emily said, shocked.
“Take us with you.”

Exavior smiled at her, “It’s ok, you’ll be
safe here.”

“
Why?” she
frowned.

“
The Valle Elders aren’t
going to want to let you stay with me. They will want you at their
palace with the Elders,” he explained.

Chevalier frowned when Exavior told her the
truth.

“
I do have conditions,”
Exavior said, “Or I will be back.”

“
What conditions?” Maleth
asked.

“
I’ve stated two, the other
is that she be allowed to contact me at any time and I her. I will
be checking up on her from time to time. I also ask that the runes
be removed,” he said, narrowing his eyes. His voice was calm and
controlled.

Maleth nodded, “That is reasonable, though,
we’ve been unable to get them removed.”

Exavior smiled, “Does that mean you do not
know how?”

Leonid glanced at Maleth and shrugged, “That
is correct.”

Exavior turned to Emily, “I can do it, but
it’s quite painful.”

She looked into his eyes, “Get it off of
me.”

He turned back to the Elders, “I will need a
ceremonial room. It’s a long process, and we cannot be
disturbed.”

Maleth looked at Chevalier, and he nodded,
glaring at the Valle.

“
I will be back in one week
to remove it. I’ll also check on her welfare at that time,” Exavior
said. He turned to Emily.

“
Call me if any of them so
much as touch you,” he said.

Emily nodded and watched the Valle walk out
of the council chambers. She was still clutching Allen in her
arms.

She headed for the door, but the guards
stopped her and she turned around, her eyes full of terror.
Chevalier felt his heart jump. He had never seen her that terrified
before. He wanted to run to her and hold her, but he realized he
was the cause. The purple bruises on her neck were proof enough of
that.

“
There is one more thing to
discuss,” Leonid said, and motioned for Emily to step forward. She
took just a few steps toward the Council quietly.

“
It is against faction law
to fraternize with members of the other factions,” Leonid told her.
“You may not have been aware of that rule.”

“
Since when have I been
forced to abide by the rules of the heku?” she asked softly, her
eyes ran along the council members.

“
We are just concerned that
you became friends with one of the Valle council members,” he said,
softly.

“
I didn’t know he was
Valle, or a council member, until the last day,” she told
them.

“
Yet you spent two weeks
with him?”

“
Yes”

“
You knew he was heku?”
Leonid asked.

“
Yes”

“
Did he tell you he was
Equites?”

“
No, he wouldn’t tell me
his faction,” she explained.

Leonid sighed and sat down, “We will discuss
this further as a Council.”

She just watched them.

“
How did the Valle see the
runes on your thigh?” Damon asked, frowning.

“
Death, betrayal, or
infidelity?” Emily asked, pulling off the essence ring.

The council members gasped.

“
This one’s on you… it was
still attached until a few minutes ago,” she said, walking up to
Chevalier’s side of the table. She set the ring down in front of
him.

Emily turned and left the room with
Allen.

Chevalier picked up the ring and turned it
around in his fingers. He whispered, “Two weeks.”

Leonid nodded, “Two weeks to put it back on
her before the bond is completely severed.”

“
Let the Valle have her.
They have no idea how much trouble she causes,” Damon said, and
cringed when all three Elders growled at him.

“
Try, Chevalier, don’t let
this fight end it for you two,” Maleth said, softly.

“
I’m not sure I can fix
it,” he said, looking at the ring.

“
Try,” Leonid
said.

“
Maybe Exavior is right.
Maybe she’s not safe here with me,” Chevalier whispered.

“
She loves you,” Maleth
said, softly. “She just needs reminded.”

Emily heard a knock on her door and she
looked up from her book, “Who is it?”

“
It’s me,” she heard
Chevalier say.

Emily looked at Sam frantically, and he ran
to the door and stepped out, “What do you want?”

“
I came to talk to Emily,”
Chevalier said.

“
You’ll have to talk to her
through me,” Sam said, crossing his arms.

“
It’s been four days. I
need to see her,” he said.

“
Sorry, boss’s
orders.”

“
She hasn’t even left her
room since the council chambers, I just need to talk to her,”
Chevalier said. He debated pushing the familiar out of the way and
getting what he demanded, but knew that wasn’t the way to win back
Emily’s affection.

“
I’ll give her your
message,” Sam said, and went back into her room, squeezing through
the door and locking it behind him.

“
What did he want?” Emily
asked, sitting cross-legged on the bed with her book.

“
He just wants to see you,”
Sam said. He sat back down with Allen and a puzzle.

“
How does this keep
happening to me?” she sighed.

“
Well…” Sam
said.

“
Oh, I know how it
happens.” She glared.

“
Have you asked Exavior
what to do?” Sam asked her.

“
No, I’m afraid to tell
him,” Emily said, putting her book down, “But this room is driving
me crazy. I need to get out of here.”

“
Not without them
noticing,” Sam said, putting the last piece in the frame of the
puzzle.

“
Freak,” she yelled,
standing up to pace the floor.

“
You need to let me get
some crackers and Sprite in here or Allen’s going to… t-e-l-l.” Sam
said, not looking up.

“
Oh no, that wouldn’t clue
them in,” she scowled.

“
Ask him when he calls,”
Sam suggested again.

Emily sighed, “What if they hear me? Bloody
heku can hear anything.”

Emily went over to the window and looked
out, “There has to be a way to get out of here.”

“
We’re on the fifth floor.
I don’t think you can use a sheet,” Sam said, walking up beside her
and looking out the window.

“
So I can’t talk to Exavior
without someone eavesdropping, and I can’t get out of this room
without the heku knowing anyway,” she whispered,
harshly.

“
I could get a rope,” Sam
said, looking down.

“
Me? Climb down a rope?”
She looked down onto the lawn.

“
True… loud
music?”

“
That’s it! I can crank up
the TV!” Emily said, and grabbed her phone when it rang.

“
Hello?”

“
Emily, how are you?”
Exavior asked, politely.

“
Fine… one second, I need
to prepare,” she said. She turned the TV volume up onto full. Allen
covered his ears and frowned at her.

She whispered into the phone, “Can you hear
me?”

“
Barely,” he yelled to her.
“Who are you hiding from?”

“
Everyone, I need an
opinion,” she whispered.

“
Ok.” The tone in his voice
changed, “Go ahead.”

She sighed and looked around to make sure
Allen couldn’t hear, “I think I’m pregnant… again.”

“
Oh is that all?” he asked
relieved.

“
Is that all? You don’t get
it… I get kidnapped, beaten, locked away, tortured, hung…” He cut
her off.

“
I know, I’ve heard the
stories,” he said, amused.

“
I can’t do this right
now,” she said.

“
I know you are no longer
bonded, but it doesn’t have to be horrible,” he said.

“
I can’t even leave the
palace,” she explained.

“
Why? Are they stopping
you?” His voice was stern.

“
No, but they’ll… you know…
smell,” she whispered into the phone.

“
Oh, yes they will. Let me
think.”