Encala : Book 3 of the Heku Series Read online

  “You aren’t becoming attached are you, Elder?” Maleth asked.

  “Hell no, I’ll enjoy her while I can, but when the time comes, I’ll drain her without a second thought,” Chevalier said, coldly.

  Emily pulled away from the wall slowly.

  Chevalier stopped watching the flames. He was watching his hands, enraged.

  “I never said that,” Maleth said, frustrated. He looked at the other heku in the game room, “I swear.”

  “We know,” Leonid told him, and touched his shoulder.

  “The pattern is disturbing,” Mark said. “The ones she trusts, tell her to get away from us. The heku and the ones she don’t trust, tell her to stay with us.”

  “Driving a wedge between the mortal and immortal worlds,” Maleth said, nodding.

  Emily slunk down on the wall and sat on the cold ground. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms tightly around them, then sunk her head between her arms. Her entire body shook with cold and fear.

  “We could get another mortal to go in after her,” Mark suggested.

  “She won’t trust them,” Kyle said.

  “There has to be something we can do. She’s been down there for almost 24 hours,” Mark said, frustrated.

  “Even if we somehow managed to get a heku down there, what would they do? She wouldn’t listen to them, and if I had to guess, she’d run from them anyway,” Kyle said, watching Emily in the flames.

  Emily screamed as two hands reached out and grabbed her bare feet. She kicked hard, but they pulled her down the corridor. The shadows were too dark to make out who it was. Emily turned to her stomach and tried to claw at the ground. She was dragged into a small room, and when the torches lit, she flipped back around.

  “Hello, Sweetness,” Vaughn said, letting her feet go.

  Emily scrambled to her feet and turned for the corridor, but the opening closed. There was only solid wall behind her. She turned around and put her back against the wall.

  “Stay away from me,” she said to him.

  He stepped toward her and pinned her to the wall with his body. He took her wrists in his hands, and extended her arms out, then ran his nose up her neck, inhaling.

  Emily struggled to get out of his grasp, “Let me go!”

  “Not until I get what I was promised,” he said, and ran his cold tongue up the side of her face.

  Emily brought her knee up hard, but he was too tall and it didn’t connect with him.

  “You need to learn some manners, Child,” Vaughn said, and kissed her roughly. He screamed and pulled away from her, grabbing his lip.

  Emily ran to the other side of the small room, the furthest she could get from him.

  “You little Bitch, you bit me,” he said, snarling. “If you don’t learn some obedience, I’ll leave you down here permanently.”

  Emily frowned, “This is your doing?”

  He smiled, “Of course, I always get what I want.”

  “Let me out of here,” Emily said, angrily.

  “It’s only fair… you bit me…” Vaughn was on her in a second and had her cradled in his arms, his teeth buried in her neck.

  This time, Emily felt the warm flow of blood, and her body became relaxed. She stopped fighting, and felt herself becoming soft and limp in his arms.

  Vaughn looked up at her and grinned, then ran his tongue along the punctures in her neck, “See, that wasn’t so bad.”

  Emily blinked a few times and then lunged out of his arms. She ran her fingers over the puncture wounds on her neck.

  “You’ll like the rest of what I have planned too,” he said, stepping toward her.

  Emily screamed in anger. She wasn’t able to ash him either.

  “Now, let’s get this over with. Your blood is Encala, and we feel it only proper that you join us. We’re needing leadership, and you and I… we could rule the faction,” he said, smiling.

  Emily watched him, suspiciously.

  “I’m the strongest heku in the Encala, and you… my dearest Emily, are the only Winchester alive. With a few children, the Encala would be unstoppable,” he said, smiling.

  “You did this?” she asked, frowning.

  “Yes, your loyalty is essential for us to rule… your everlasting loyalty,” he said, looking into her eyes.

  “I am loyal.”

  Vaughn smiled, “That’s my girl. Prove it to me, and we’ll leave this wretched place.”

  “Prove it to you?” she asked, confused.

  “Yes, consummate the bond, and we can leave. It’s that simple,” he took a step towards her.

  “You misunderstand who I’m loyal to,” she said, looking up at him.

  Maleth and Leonid both moved closer to the flame. Chevalier looked down at his hands, and Kyle glared at the wall.

  “You must declare your loyalty to the Encala, then to me,” Vaughn said, sternly.

  “I’m only loyal to one faction, and it’s not yours,” she said, watching him.

  “You don’t have to really mean it though,” Vaughn said, taking her hand. “You just have to say it, and do that one little thing for me, and then we can get up to the warmth.”

  Emily shook her head and took her hand away from him, “No.”

  “You are trembling. Your mortal body can’t take this kind of cold much longer… feel it… it’s getting colder,” he said, and Emily could feel her hands and feet becoming numb. Steam rose off of her body as the temperature dropped.

  “Run, Emily,” Alec said from inside the room. “Get away from the heku.”

  She looked at her uncle confused, “What?”

  “Listen to me. The heku killed your mother. They killed your brother, and your father. You have to get away from them, please believe me,” Alec said, pleadingly.

  “Join the Encala, Emily, and this will all be over,” Vaughn said, ignoring Alec.

  “Stop!” Emily screamed at them.

  “Run,” Alec said to her, urgently.

  “I will, I promise I will,” Emily said, with fear in her eyes. “Get me out of here and I will.”

  “I can’t get you out of here, Em. You have to get out yourself, and then get away from the heku,” Alec said, and disappeared into the shadows.

  “Don’t listen to that old man… join me and I will take you up where there’s food and warmth. I have Allen, too. You can be with Allen,” Vaughn said.

  “Chevalier wouldn’t give Allen to you,” she said. Her voice was hesitant and timid.

  “You heard them through the wall. All they want is to use you. He doesn’t care about the male child. A female heir is what he wants,” Vaughn said, sadly.

  Emily felt herself losing hope. All of the bravery and courage she prided herself on having, seeped out through her freezing skin. Defeated, she sunk into the corner and her eyes were full of pain and despair.

  Chevalier dropped his head into his hands. The rest of the heku turned away from the flames. The sight of Emily’s broken spirit seemed too personal for them to witness. They didn’t want to observe her desperate fight to save her life, the choice to join the Encala.

  “Ok,” she whispered.

  Chevalier stood up and turned away from the flames. He offered her the dignity to surrender in peace.

  “Come to me then, submit to me,” Vaughn said, coolly.

  “My decision is to die down here, to die an Equites,” Emily whispered.

  The heku in the game room all gasped and turned around to watch.

  “Emily, no,” Chevalier said, watching the fire.

  She screamed and the flames went out, drowning the room in silence and darkness. The heku looked around, confused. Where the flame had been, was a small form curled up into a ball.

  “Emily?” Chevalier said, shocked.

  She raised her head and looked up at the heku staring at her. It was too dark, and she couldn’t see into the room.

  “Lights,” Emily whispered, and then frowned when no torches came to life.

  Emily f
elt along the fireplace wall until it opened into the room. She stood up slowly, as her eyes strained to see. She was still shivering. Her t-shirt and jeans were caked with mud, and her feet were black from the dirt floors of the trap.

  “Who’s there?” she asked, fearfully.

  Kyle flipped on the lights and she shielded her eyes against the sudden brightness. A voice echoed from the fireplace, a soft whisper, “Emily, run.”

  Chevalier took a step toward her and she screamed, a blood-curdling scream that resonated off of the palace walls, then she ran for the door.

  Chevalier put his hand out to stop the others, “Don’t follow her.”

  “We can’t let her go, she’s terrified,” Kyle said, frowning.

  “I know… of us,” Chevalier said, thinking quickly.

  The heku from the game room ran out into the hallway when Emily screamed again. A heku guard was standing above her, trying to help her to her feet as she kicked at him violently. Her eyes were well past terrified.

  “Back off,” Chevalier hissed, and the heku guard backed away from her.

  “She just slipped, I was…” he said, but was hushed by Kyle.

  Emily scrambled to her feet. Her frozen hands and feet were hindering her escape. She stumbled toward the doors just as Kyle ordered the door guards to disappear.

  She threw open the palace doors and ran out into the dark night. She screamed at every noise, and ran hysterically toward Council City. Kyle gave the order for all heku in the city to go inside of their houses and stay there until further orders were given.

  A light rain was falling, but it turned to hail before Emily made it to the stables. She ran past them, her feet cutting painfully on the gravel as she moved.

  “We can’t let this go on,” Kyle said, frantically.

  “She will turn you to ash if you touch her. I promise that,” Chevalier said.

  “We have to do something,” Mark said, watching her stagger through the streets.

  “I know that,” Chevalier growled at him.

  “Emily, stop!” Chevalier called to her. She whirled around quickly and looked at him through the wet hair over her face.

  “Stay back,” she growled at them, and took a few steps backwards.

  “We will,” Chevalier promised her. “We saw what happened. It was an ancient’s room, and you got caught in it. Do you understand me?”

  Emily nodded, but kept walking backwards, “Always blaming the ancients.”

  “All of it was a trick, your Dad, Keith, all of them,” he said to her, staying as still as possible.

  “Now you… are you part of that trick?” she scowled.

  “No, but we also realize there’s no way to prove that to you.”

  Emily took a step back and ran into someone. She turned suddenly and was face-to-face with Kenneth.

  “What have we here?” he asked, looking down at her.

  “Kenneth, I called general quarters,” Kyle yelled at him.

  Emily balled her hands into fists, “You want blood from me, too?”

  “Would love that, but not in front of the superiors,” he said, and then laughed.

  “Kenneth…” Kyle warned.

  Kenneth suddenly disappeared into a pile of soggy ash.

  Chevalier sighed.

  Emily turned around, “He ashed,” she said, confused.

  “That’s because you’re out of the trap,” Chevalier told her.

  “So I can ash you, too?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.

  “Yes, if it will help prove to you we’re real, then go ahead, ash me,” he said, taking a step toward her.

  Emily pulled her wet hair back away from her face.

  “I don’t know what to do,” she said to no one.

  “You need to get into the warmth,” Chevalier said to her, watching her shiver in the cold.

  “I suppose I have to do something to get that,” she scowled.

  “Just walk into the palace, that’s all,” he said.

  “Do I have to pledge my undying devotion to something?”

  “No,” he said, and then lowered his voice so only the heku could hear him. “You already did.”

  “Allen is dead,” she said, her voice cracking.

  “No he’s not. I didn’t kill him. I didn’t touch him,” Kyle said.

  Emily looked around the dark streets.

  “Get back,” she said, taking a step toward them.

  The heku spread apart and left a wide path for her.

  Emily headed back to the palace, leaving a trail of blood from her feet on the gravel streets. She turned often to check on them, making sure they weren’t too close.

  Kyle gave orders to clear the palace, and heard the building fall silent.

  The smooth tiles felt good on her feet as she entered the foyer to the palace. She was relieved to feel the warmth of the building, but it made her shiver harder. She walked up the stairs, leaving a trail of blood and water behind her. Maleth and Leonid left them and headed for the council chambers when Mark stayed at the foot of the stairs. Kyle and Chevalier followed her, but stayed a safe distance behind.

  Emily opened the bedroom door and looked inside. She stepped in and turned around to check on the others. She shut the door and locked it.

  “It’s going to be a long night,” Kyle said.

  Chevalier nodded, “Damon?”

  Damon appeared at their sides, “Yes, Sir?”

  “Kyle will show you where Kenneth is. Revive him and bring him to my office,” Chevalier said, angrily.

  Damon nodded and blurred from the palace with Kyle. Chevalier headed for his office, but kept a close ear on the bedroom up the stairs.

  Chapter 13 - Sealing

  “Enter,” Chevalier said when he heard the other Elders come to his door.

  “How is she?” Maleth asked, coming into the office and sitting down.

  “I don’t know. She locked the door.”

  Leonid frowned, “It’s a lock.”

  “It’s a request for privacy,” Chevalier told them.

  “We’ve been researching how to seal the trap.” Leonid said, sitting down. “It shouldn’t be too hard, but we need the blood from a mortal.”

  “Do it then,” Chevalier said, quickly.

  “It has to be fresh blood, so we’ll need to bring in a mortal,” Maleth explained.

  “Can’t you just get it and seal the door immediately?”

  “No, it has to go directly from the mortal to the door,” Leonid said, showing Chevalier the book entry on it.

  “We think…” Maleth said, and hesitated, “it should be Emily.”

  Chevalier growled.

  “Just listen to us,” Leonid said. “She’s the only mortal we’ve known that’s escaped from an ancient’s trap. She’s half ancient, her blood has got to be the most… well… capable, to seal the portal.”

  “No,” Chevalier said. “Find another way.”

  Maleth nodded, “We just had to ask.”

  “We’ll bring a mortal in blindfolded, seal the door, and then they can leave,” Leonid said, softly.

  “Can we even ask her?” Maleth asked.

  “No,” Chevalier hissed.

  “You’re right, she would say no anyway,” Maleth nodded.

  “She would say yes… but I’m saying no.”

  Chevalier sighed when there was another knock on the door, “Enter.”

  Kyle walked in with Kenneth and Damon. Kenneth was scowling and still shaking from the burn and revival.

  “One smoldering heku, at your request,” Damon said, shutting the door behind them.

  “Do you want to explain why you felt it necessary to break the general quarters?” Chevalier asked, standing up.

  Kyle pushed Kenneth so he was closer to the Elder.

  “I… I thought there may be some trouble,” Kenneth said, nervously.

  “What made you think there was the kind of trouble that would allow you to break an order?” Kyle asked him.

  Kenne
th looked at the ground, “It was my mistake. I heard that mortal talking and she sounded mad. We have all heard how she turns a heku to ash on a whim, and I thought you may need help.”