Emily shook her head, then stepped into her room and shut the door. Allen immediately ran into her arms and she picked him up, despite the ache in her arm. Sam nodded and left. He had been staying in the stables to watch over the horses at night.
She kissed Allen's peanut butter covered face, “Did you have a good day?”
Allen smiled up at her and nodded. Emily took him into the bathroom to wash his face off. When she got into the better light, she saw it was more than his face that was covered, so she ran a bath for him and sat on the edge of the tub to watch him play.
She heard someone out in the bedroom, “Sam?”
No one answered.
“Chev?” she called out.
When still no one answered, Emily picked Allen up out of the water and wrapped him in a towel, then carried him into the next room.
Emily looked around the large bedroom and didn't see anyone. She sat Allen down on the floor when she got the feeling that she was being watched. Allen quickly ditched his towel and began to play with a toy truck on the floor.
A sound behind her made Emily jump, and she turned to face a strange heku. He wore dark red robes and bore the signature tattoo of the Encala. Emily narrowed her eyes and dropped into a defensive crouch.
The Encala grinned and took a step towards her.
“Who are you?” she asked, her hands balled into fists.
“A friend. I came to see why the Equites have allowed a mortal in their palace,” he said, and took a step to the side. He was now between her and the door.
“Get out,” she ordered.
The Encala inhaled deeply and looked back at her with the look of a predator, “Seems to me, they just needed a donor close.”
She glared at him, “Get out, now.”
He took a step toward her and ran his tongue across his lips, then crouched down, ready to spring.
“Allen, run!” Emily screamed just as the Encala jumped at her, pinning her to the ground with his teeth at her neck.
Emily's training flooded back to her, and she saw Allen open the door and run out as the Encala sunk his teeth into her. She knew she wouldn't be able to fight for long, so she positioned her hands on his head and cranked his head to the side. The grotesque sound of crunching bones sounded through the room.
The Encala screamed. A scream that echoed through the hallway and she heard the rush of feet coming toward her. She tried to move the heku off of her, but he weighed too much and was quickly healing and his hands still pinned her to the ground.
The heavy weight on her chest was lifted suddenly as the Encala was thrown across the room and smashed into the stone walls. Emily quickly got to her feet and covered her neck as the blood seeped through her fingers. She swayed a bit before stumbling into the bathroom and locked the door. She could hear the sounds of a heku being torn apart in her bedroom and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to imagine it.
Emily grabbed a towel from the warming rack and pushed it tightly against her neck to stop the bleeding. When she wrenched the heku's head to the side, he took a small chunk of her with him.
As the sounds in the bedroom stopped, she heard a light knock on the bathroom door.
“Lady Emily?” she heard a strange voice call to her. She wasn't about to open the door to another strange heku.
“Get Chevalier,” she said, sinking to the ground.
Emily heard footsteps as the heku ran off, but the voices in her room let her know she still wasn't alone. Grabbing the counter for support, she stood up, still shaky, and opened the door to her room, then stepped out and looked around, astonished. There was blood everywhere and pieces of heku strewn around.
Emily tried to take a few steps, still clutching the towel to her neck, but she stumbled and felt strong arms lift her. She looked into the eyes of a strange heku as the world began to spin, then she saw his dark green cape and Equites crest pin, and laid her head against his shoulder.
She heard Chevalier growl as he entered the bedroom and she looked up to see a horde of guards follow him in, one of them carrying naked Allen.
“Clean this up,” he ordered, and took Emily from the guard.
“I can walk,” she said, and he put her down, but kept an arm on her shoulder. She followed him out of the room and into Kyle's room across the hallway where she sat down on his bed.
Chevalier knelt down beside her and took the towel away from her neck, “It's not too bad,” he said angrily.
Emily leaned back on Kyle's bed.
“Emily?” Chevalier asked in a panic.
“I'm ok, just let me lay down for a second.” She shut her eyes and took some deep breaths.
“What happened?” She felt him sit down beside her.
“I heard someone out in the bedroom, it was an Encala. He just… well… attacked,” she said, and heard a low growl.
“Stay lying down, I'll be right back,” Chevalier told her, and then stormed out of the room.
Emily tried not to listen to him, but it was hard, he was shouting. She heard the other Elders join him in their bedroom and the door slammed. With the outer door shut, she could only hear voices shouting angrily, but couldn't make out the words. She cringed, thinking how badly someone was going to get into trouble for this. The door opened and slammed again and then Kyle's voice joined in the angry shouting.
Emily got to her feet and found she was steady again. She dropped the towel by the door and walked out into the hallway. She gasped, the guard assigned to her while Kyle was away