Banishment : Book 9 of the Heku Series by T.M. Nielsen

that Exavior has returned to haunt her.”
    “Just known her all her life is all,” Alec
said, and then walked out of the kitchen also. Chevalier listened
while Alec explained to Emily that he would be gone for a few days
to go look in on Pat and his family.
    Chevalier waited until Alec was gone before
heading out to talk to Emily. He lightly knocked on her office
door, “Em?”
    She came out and shut the door behind her,
“What?”
    He smiled, “Don’t be mad at me over this
ghost, ok?”
    She just watched him.
    “I’ll have Silas in the house at night while
Alec is gone.”
    “No, send in Kralen.”
    “Why Kralen?”
    Emily shrugged, “If anyone’s going to help me
figure out how to get rid of a ghost, it’s Kralen.”
    Chevalier stifled a grin, “I’ll talk to
Kralen then.”
    She nodded and went back into her office.
    Chevalier walked down the stairs and then
went outside to meet up with the heku that were scattered
throughout the property.
    “Elder,” Silas said, bowing slightly. Kralen
and 12 other members of the Cavalry appeared beside him.
    “ Alec is gone for a couple
of days, so I want Kralen in the house at night,” Chevalier told
them.
    “Yes, Elder,” Kralen said.
    Chevalier smiled slightly, “It’s actually
Emily that requested you…”
    “Ok”
    “She’s having… ghost issues… and thinks
you’re the only one that will help her with that.”
    “Oh geez,” Kralen sighed. “How did I get that
distinction?”
    “I don’t know, but don’t play into it.
There’s no reason for her to be afraid of her own house.”
    “Ghosts though? How can she think I’m going
to help her?”
    “Because she knows you,” Silas said, smiling.
“The rest of us will just tell her to ignore it. You’re going to
try to find the cause.”
    “I won’t!”
    “You will.”
    Kralen’s eyes narrowed, “Whatever. Yes,
Elder, I’ll wait in the house tonight.”
    Chevalier chuckled and got into his Humvee
and drove off.
     
    ***
     
    “ Emily, wake up.” Emily sat
up suddenly and looked into the corner where a dark figure stood,
“Why did you have to do it? I cared about you.”
    She swallowed hard and was finally able to
scream, “Kralen!”
    In the split second it took Kralen to blur
into the room, the ghost Exavior lunged at her, and she was
scrambling to get out of bed when Kralen arrived.
    Kralen appeared in front of her and took her
arms, “What’s wrong?”
    Emily pointed to the corner of the room, “It
was Exavior’s ghost again! He was here and he… he jumped at
me.”
    Kralen turned and looked into the empty
corner, “In that corner?”
    She peered around him, “Yes.”
    “He jumped at you?”
    “Yes”
    “Hmmm,” Kralen said before walking over and
looking into the closet.
    Emily was shaking and had her arms wrapped
around herself when he turned back to her. He smiled and then
returned to her and pulled her into a hug, “It’s ok. I don’t see
anyone there now.”
    “Of course not! He’s not going to appear with
you around.”
    He was able to keep from chuckling, “What do
you want? I can stay in here while you sleep if you’d like.”
    She looked up at him, “You’re not going to
lecture me about how there’s no such thing as ghosts?”
    “Nope”
    “So you do believe in them?”
    “No,” he said, stepping back. “However, I’m
not going to change your mind, so there’s no reason to bring it
up.”
    “There are ghosts! My ranch house was
haunted, and now this one is. Exavior’s out to get me.”
    “Even if he is a ghost, what’s the most he
can do?”
    “Kill me.”
    “I’ve never heard of a ghost that can kill
someone.”
    “He can scare me to death.”
    Kralen sighed and looked around her room, “I
can stay in here with you. That’s all I can think to do.”
    She shook her head and sat down on the bed,
“Don’t bother.”
    “Please don’t be mad at me for this!”
    “I’m not. I just don’t understand how you all
don’t believe in