Valle : Book 2 of the Heku Series (22 page)

“No guns, Child, no guns. I don’t want to hurt you.” His voice was cracked and uneven.

“I don’t need a gun to fight you. Who are you?” she asked.

“Mmm smells good, she does,” the heku said, running his cracked tongue along the shattered teeth in his mouth.

“I asked who you are.” Emily’s eyes narrowed.

“I have many names, pretty one.” His eyes scanned down her body, and then back up to her neck.

She knew that, historically, each heku had many names, “Ok, then what are you doing here?”

“I live here, young one,” he said, meeting her eyes for a moment before they dropped back to the vein in her neck.

“You aren’t going to feed from me, so I suggest you stop the savoring crap and explain yourself.” She held her voice calm, but her hands were shaking.

He bowed slowly, his head almost touching the mossy ground, “I am Elder Larsen, of the Equites.”

Emily sighed, “If you don’t want to tell me, then fine, but don’t lie to me.”

“I am, Child. I should try that again though, I was… Elder Larsen.” He was looking hard into her eyes.

“That doesn’t work on me, and if you try it again you’ll…” his words cut her off.

“Turn me into ash?” he asked, smiling.

She wasn’t entirely surprised. The word had gotten out quickly who she was and what she could do. It was the casual way he talked about her abilities that shocked her.

“Yes,” she said, watching him. “If you were an Elder of the Equites, what happened to you?”

“Do you not know, Child? The Council is powerful. The only way to replace one is to banish them to the ground. I was not ready when they came for me, and alas, didn’t put up much of a fight, but I have found my way above ground.” He took a step toward her.

“You don’t look much like a civilized heku.” She glared at him, and something in the back of her mind was telling her to run.

“I am no longer. I have starved and weakened over the last six hundred years. As I feed, I will become stronger and will soon return to my former glory.” His eyes were far away as he remembered how he once looked.

“I don’t believe you,” she said, not taking her eyes away from his ragged teeth.

“You, Child, are you a donor?” he asked, running a long, thin finger across his lips.

“I am not. I live here,” she told him, and took a few steps back toward the clearing.

“Pity,” he said, taking a step toward her.

“I don’t want to kill you, so I suggest you go back where you came from.” She was out in the clearing now, and Patra shied away from the smell of the heku.

“Please, Child, just one taste. Once you see me as I truly am, you will be amazed.” His smile sent shivers down her spine.

The heku quickly looked behind her, and then ran back into the dark forest. She turned to see who was approaching as the hoof beats grew nearer.

“Emily?” Kyle asked, looking at her strangely. She was standing at the tree line with the rifle in her hand and an odd expression on her face.

“Did you see him?” she asked, looking back into the trees.

“See who?” Kyle looked toward the trees.

“A very old, wrinkly heku claims to be Elder Larsen.” She started back into the trees.

“Emily, wait!” Kyle said, dismounting his buckskin mare. “Was he in there?”

“Come here, I’ll show you.” She disappeared into the trees.

Kyle caught up with her quickly and he grabbed her shoulder to stop her when he smelled the decay.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, turning to him.

Kyle put his fingers to his lips, and took a step toward the trees, “I can smell you in there, heku. Come out or I’ll come and find you.”

Emily turned when she saw the withered heku step out from behind a tree. Kyle stepped quickly between them and crouched defensively.

“Who are you?” he hissed, and his hands balled into fists.

“Do not address me as a commoner, Boy.” The heku stared at him angrily, “I was once an Elder of the Equites and will be treated with the respect that is owed.”

“I don’t care who you used to be, get off of this island. You have no business here.” Kyle didn’t move a muscle.

“Please, Child, tell him I didn’t hurt you when I could have… tell him I am to be trusted.” His eyes locked on Emily’s.

“Tell him yourself and stop trying to control my mind. I told you, it doesn’t work.” She glared around Kyle at him.

The heku looked nervously at Kyle, “I wasn’t trying to control her mind. I wouldn’t do that.”

“I’m not going to tell you again, get off of this island,” Kyle hissed at him.

The heku looked sadly at Kyle and Emily, then nodded and returned to the trees.

“How do you find this stuff?” Kyle asked, turning to her.

“Is it true? Was he an Elder?” Emily asked, walking back to Patra.

Kyle nodded, “Yes, he was banished to the ground about 600 years ago.”

“For what?” She jumped up on Patra and took the reins.

“We don’t speak of it anymore.” He slid easily up on the buckskin mare and started back for the barn.

“Why are you out here anyway?” she asked, looking at him.

“I saw the cows bothered and came to see what was up.” He was looking toward the barn, “I should have known you would be in the middle of it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she snapped at him.

“Just that if there’s trouble… somehow you always seem to be there.”

Emily reached out and slapped the buckskin mare on the rump and sent her flying toward the barn. It was only a second before Kyle steadied himself and allowed the mare to run.

By the time Emily got to the barn, Kyle was gone. Sam took Patra’s reins, and Emily slipped off the horse, “Get the corral cleared out, I’m going to break in that colt.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Sam said, heading out to the corral. Emily grinned. She noticed that Sam only called her ma’am when he didn’t agree with what she was doing.

Emily picked up Allen and watched Sam get things ready. It was long past time to break in Patra’s colt. She hadn’t even named him yet, but it was time he was ready to ride. She wanted to give the stallion to Allen, but he needed to be entirely broken in first.

Sam took Allen back when Emily headed out to the corral. She easily slipped a bridle onto the stallion, but he pulled violently once she got it fastened. She stood back as he struggled with the feel of the bit in his mouth. Once he calmed, Emily threw a blanket over his back and stood back again, watching him fight to get it off.

“He’s a mean one,” Sam called out to her.

Emily nodded and tied the reins to the fence. She walked over and got the saddle from the stand and headed over to the unhappy stallion. The horse stood 17 hands tall, and Emily had to get a good hoist on the saddle to land it on his back. She hadn’t even gotten the tie strap around his chest when he reared back and kicked her in the chest. She flew back and landed hard against the ground.

“Damnit!” she screamed and scrambled to her feet.

“Ouch,” Allen said to Sam, and Sam just winced and nodded.

Emily tried again and got the tie strap securely around his chest, but the Paint watched her carefully. She reached under him slowly and grabbed the flank cinch. She fastened it quickly, and then stepped back as the stallion began to buck angrily.

Emily slipped off her long sleeved flannel shirt and flexed her hands within the leather gloves, then approached the young stallion carefully, and calmly talked to him. She stood alongside his left side and petted his neck. She slowly lifted her left foot and put it into the stirrup and the young horse immediately began to fidget nervously.

Emily mentally counted to three, then hoisted herself up into the saddle, gripping the horn tightly as the horse began to buck and kick. She was able to hold on for almost thirty seconds before she lost her grip and flew back into the fence. She fell to the ground, gasping for breath. The fence post had knocked the wind out of her.

“Emily!” Sam yelled, running up to her.

“I’m fine,” she growled.

“Ouch,” Allen said again from Sam’s arms.

Emily got to her feet and headed back to the angry stallion.

“Let’s try again tomorrow… just leave the saddle on him and let him get used to it,” Sam said, taking Allen back into the barn. He knew Emily was taking this personally, and he didn’t think Allen needed to see his mom get trampled.

“Alright you Sonofabitch, we can do this nicely or we can both die trying,” she said, grabbing his bridle and jerking it.

As soon as she jerked his bridle, the horse reared back again and kicked her to the ground. She quickly rolled out of his reach.

“Damnit!” she yelled again, and slowly got to her feet.

Emily approached him slowly and was able to get securely in the saddle before he began to buck and kick. She held onto the horn and squeezed her knees together, hanging on while the raging horse tried to get her off. Her body thrashed with his kicking, but she set her jaw and managed to stay on top.

After a few minutes, the horse stopped kicking and whinnied madly. Emily sat in the saddle, still holding on tight, though he didn’t buck again. She kicked her feet gently against his sides, but he stood firm and crooked his neck to look back at her.

She grinned, “Fine, we’ll finish tomorrow.”

As Emily slid off the stallion, she saw the anger in his eyes and wondered if he would ever be gentle enough for Allen.

“Leave him in the saddle and bridle tonight, Sam,” she said, and took Allen from his arms, then put him on the ground to walk.

“Miss Emily?” Sam asked, walking behind her.

“What Sam?” She turned to him.

“How are you going to explain your back to Chevalier?” He brushed the dirt and weeds off of her back, but the blood was obvious.

“How bad is it?” she asked, trying to see for herself.

Sam halfway grinned, “I’m going to plead the fifth and tell him I tried to stop you.”

She sighed and headed inside, holding hands with Allen. Emily managed to get into her room without Chevalier seeing her, and she put the toddler in his play pen while she went into the bathroom to clean up.

She glanced in the mirror and rolled her eyes, “Great.”

Her clothes were covered in dirt and were torn. She noticed her left shoulder was bruised and scratched, and she had a small scratch under her right eye. She slipped off her shirt and turned in the mirror to see her back.

She gasped. Her back was a mess of bruises, cuts, and scrapes. She could distinctly see the bruised outline of a fence post traveling up the middle of her back. She heard Chevalier come into the room and begin to talk to Allen.

“Be right out, going to shower!” she called out to him.

Chevalier picked Allen up from his play pen and threw him into the air. Emily hated when he did that. She said it wasn’t safe, but she wasn’t around, and it made Allen laugh.

“How was your day little guy?” Chevalier asked, sitting down on the bed with him.

“Ouch,” he said, pointing off into nowhere.

“Aw, did you get hurt today?” Chevalier asked, grinning.

Allen nodded excitedly, “Damnit.”

Chevalier fought against laughing and raised an eyebrow at his son, “Damnit, eh?”

Allen nodded.

“Did Mommy say that?” He smiled when Allen nodded.

He heard Emily out get out of the shower, “Had a rough day, Em?” he called to her.

“Not really, why?” she asked from inside the bathroom.

“Just thought it was an interesting word to teach our son.”

“What word?” she asked, and came out of the bathroom in an oversized fuzzy robe. Her hair fell over her face just enough to cover the scratch under her eye.

“Damnit,” he said, and Allen repeated it.

“Great,” she said, sitting on the bed by them. “Allen that’s a no-no word.”

“Ouch,” the toddler said, pointing at Emily.

Chevalier turned to Allen, “Oh! Is the ouch for Mommy?”

Emily’s eyes widened as Allen nodded and repeated the word, pointing directly to her. She figured it wasn’t worth fighting over, “I started to break in the colt.”

Chevalier’s eyes narrowed, “I told Sam to hire someone to do that.”

“Yes, and I told Sam I would do it.”

Chevalier looked closely at her face, and he saw the scrapes, “Why must you always put yourself in danger?”

“I wasn’t in danger. You act like I’ve never broken in a horse before.” She looked squarely at him.

“Not one like this, Sam even told me how mean that one is.” Chevalier could feel a fight coming on and called Anna to take Allen. He screamed as the heku carried him from the room.

Emily winced as they left the room, Chevalier sending Allen away only meant one thing.

“Before you get angry, just hear me out,” Emily said. “I’ve broken horses before, even mean ones, and I’ll do this one too. I’m not going to bring someone in to do my job for me.”

“How badly were you hurt?” he asked, moving closer to her. His words were caring, but his voice was angry.

She scooted away from him, “I’m not going to let you turn this into a big thing. I’m not hurt, and I will break that horse myself.”

“Emily,” he growled and reached out for her. His fingers barely grasped her injured shoulder as she pulled away from him.

“Stop it,” she said, and frowned at him.

“You don’t seem to have the self-preservation that God gave a turnip.” He grabbed the back of her robe when she tried to get away, and it pulled down far enough he could see the damage to her back.

Emily yanked the fabric from his hand and stood up, adjusting her robe, “It’s not as bad as it looks.”

“Emily,” Chevalier hissed. “Let me see it better.”

“No”

“What?” He frowned. He would never get used to his orders not being followed immediately and without question.

“I said no.” She set her jaw and turned to face him.

“Damnit, Emily,” he hissed and took a step toward her.

“I said, no. You’ll see it and get all over protective and make a big deal out of it, and then we’ll get into a huge fight and honestly, right now, I will probably win, which will just tick you off more.” She crossed her arms and stood her ground.

“At least let me put some peroxide on it, so it doesn’t get infected,” he said, still mad.