Ferus : Book 6 of the Heku Series by T.M. Nielsen Page A

hope not. She’s
been wiping covens out all over the continent.”
    “What’s his wife look like?”
    “How am I supposed to
know? Again… Kralen would know. He’s one of her guards.”
    “Fine… stay here. I’ll go
get him,” the shorter guard said, and blurred back towards the
coven. The taller guard stood impatiently and watched over the
still form on the ground as she slowly began to sink into the
deepening mud.
    The shorter guard,
drenched from the rain, knocked on the door to the main house. The
Captain of the Guard answered, “What do you want, Nate?”
    “I’d like a moment with Kralen, please,” the
shorter guard said.
    “You aren’t coming in here
dripping wet. What do you want with Kralen anyway? He’s here on a
vacation and is relaxing right now.”
    “I just… I just wanted to talk to him for a
moment, about the missing Elder’s wife.”
    The Captain of the Guard
grinned, “Why do you care? Gonna go look for her?”
    “Maybe, I just want to know what she looks
like is all.”
    “She’s tiny and has long
red hair, enough said,” the Captain told him. “Now leave Kralen
alone.”
    “Yes, Sir,” Nate said, and
headed back into the rain. By the time he reached the taller guard,
the rain was starting to turn to snow.
    “Where’s Kralen?” the taller guard
asked.
    “They won’t let me see
him. The Captain said the Elder’s wife is tiny and has long, red
hair,” Nate said, looking down at her.
    “Is her hair red?”
    “Looks wet to me, I don’t
know,” Nate said, irritated. “It’s… mud colored.”
    “Well, we need to decide,
or she’ll freeze to death if she’s not already dead.”
    Nate sighed, “Ok… here’s
what I think. I say we take her down and put her in a cell. It’s
warmer, and she won’t get up and run around. We’ll decide what to
do with her without running the risk of her dying of
exposure.”
    “Sure, you get her. I’ll
watch for city guards.”
    “No way! You pick her
up.”
    “What are you two girls doing standing out
here in the snow?” a gruff voice said from behind them. They both
stood up suddenly and saluted.
    “Sir,” Nate said. “We were
trying to decide what to do with it.”
    “It?” the Commander asked,
and walked around to see behind them. He gasped and knelt down,
“Damnit, she’s alive.”
    “Yeah, barely. We aren’t
sure what to do with her,” Nate explained.
    The Commander picked her
up, “Where’d she come from? I smell an Encala.”
    Nate inhaled, “Oh, didn’t notice that.”
    “An Encala feeding gone
bad I’d guess. Trying to pawn it off on the Equites,” the Commander
growled. “Let’s get her inside and see if we can take her
home.”
    The three heku went back
into the coven’s compound, and the Commander headed into the main
house with her. It was the only place he could think of that might
have a bed or couch to lay her on.
    “What’s going on?” the
Captain of the Guard asked when the Commander walked in, dripping
water and mud all over the floor.
    “Nate and Elbin found this
mortal outside on their patrols. Smells like an Encala to me, and
almost dead,” the Commander said. “Figured if we could warm her up
and find out where she lives, we could just take her
home.”
    The Captain looked over
her, “Idiots almost drained her. Put her on the couch. Let’s see if
we can get her eyes open long enough to control her and get her out
of here.”
    “Yes, Sir,” the Commander
said, and laid her down. He touched her arm, “Hey…
lady?”
    The Captain watched
nervously, “Try again.”
    “Hey!” the Commander said
louder.
    Emily struggled toward the
voice. She finally managed to open her eyes slightly. The Commander
locked her easily, and when her breathing slowed to match his, he
spoke, “Where do you live?” he asked calmly.
    “Palace,” she answered, her words were soft
and slurred.
    The Commander frowned,
“You live in a palace?”
    “Yes,” she said, almost
dreamily.
    “What