Finding Valor (35 page)

Diego buried his face in his hands. His shoulders shook with silent sobs.
 

Josh rubbed his back and debated casting another calming spell, but decided against it. Diego had a right to be angry.

Diego looked up. Tears continued to stream down his face. He shrugged Josh’s hand off his back. “Every day that woman lives is an insult to Abby’s memory.”

“I can’t kill someone that’s mentally ill.”

“Even if she kills Channie?”

“I don’t know.” Josh couldn’t imagine Diego’s pain, and quite frankly, didn’t want to. Shep’s death had already left a gaping hole in his chest. If Channie died, he didn’t think he’d survive it.

“I heard how you took out all those men in Kentucky. I thought you’d grown a pair. Guess I was wrong.” Diego stormed out of Josh’s tent.

Josh pulled the box holding the Book of the Dead out of his backpack and stared at it for five minutes before lifting it out of the box. He traced his name on the cover, but the book remained dormant. “Tell me what to do.”

“We already have.”

~***~

Josh interviewed half a dozen married couples about their binding ceremonies, but it didn’t help much. The only thing the binding spells had in common was that they were all in poetic form. Some of them didn’t even mention ‘love.’ At least he didn’t have to remember any specific words to make it official. The couple did that part themselves.

The entire camp gathered down by the lake where Carver had built an arbor. At first, Josh thought it was a simple arch decorated with wildflowers, but when he got close enough to really look at it, his jaw dropped. Interlacing Celtic patterns of hearts and birds adorned every inch of the exposed wood. Carver had sculpted a masterpiece in a matter of hours. The words, ‘Carver & Kindness Forever,’ sparkled on the mirror-smooth surface of the lake—created by the sun’s rays passing through the arch.
 

Carver and Ness placed their right hands over each other’s hearts and gripped each other’s left wrists.
 

Josh took his place behind the arch, facing the couple and the crowd. He closed his eyes and focused on the love flowing between Carver and Ness. The words came to him immediately…

Love awakened in the time of war

Reminds us all, what we’re fighting for.

Live for each other and the life you create

Find beauty and peace in a world filled with hate.

Josh waited, hoping more would come to him, but when it didn’t, he opened his eyes. Carver and Ness exchanged vows, promising to love each other forever. Carver promised to provide for Ness and all their children. Ness promised to obey Carver.

A mini-flashback filled Josh’s mind. Channie had promised to ‘love, honor and cooperate’ with him, but not obey him. The memory filled him with yearning. He smiled and sent a pulse of love to Channie through their bond when Carver kissed his bride.

An animalistic scream shattered the tender moment.

Prudence.

A chill ran down Josh’s back. He kissed Ness’s cheek then clapped Carver on the back. “I’m sorry, but I need to go check that out.”

Carver wrapped a protective arm around Ness and nodded.

Two men joined Josh on the path towards the cage. His heart sank when he recognized Prudence’s guards. “Why aren’t you guarding the cage?”

“You said everyone was invited to the binding ceremony.”

Josh hadn’t specifically excluded Prudence’s guard in the camp-wide invitation, but they should’ve known better. “The men guarding the entrance to Freedom Ridge didn’t desert their post.”

“Neither did we.” The older guard spoke between panted breaths.
 

The other guard was in better condition and was able to talk as he jogged. “That empty with the triplets said he’d keep watch for us.”

Josh grabbed each of the guards by an arm and stopped. “Diego?”

“Yeah. Him.”

“But…he can’t protect himself from her magic.”

The two guards looked at each other then ducked their chins.

“Go get Wisdom.” Josh took off at a dead run, leaving the guards behind. If Prudence had escaped, he’d kick those two idiots out of camp and banish them for life.

He nearly collapsed with relief when he rounded the corner and saw Prudence pacing back and forth in her cage—until he noticed a smoldering heap on the ground. He raised his shield and ran to Diego, or what was left of him.
 

The stench of burned flesh and hair filled Josh’s nose. He knew he was too late, but he knelt at Diego’s side and felt his neck, looking for a pulse. There wasn’t one.

“It was self-defense.” Prudence’s voice was steady, calm.

Josh lifted his chin to look at her.

She pointed at a knife on the ground, next to Diego’s shriveled hand.

“All you had to do was knock him out with a calming spell.” Josh swallowed, tasting bile. “You didn’t have to kill him.”

“He’d never stop trying to avenge…” Prudence’s eyes widened. She snapped her mouth shut. Prudence might be crazy, but she was obviously sane enough to know that she’d screwed up.

“…Abby’s death.” Josh finished the sentence for her. “So you do remember.”

Prudence grabbed the bars of the cage and pressed her face between them. “Give me my book!”

“It’s not. Your. Book.” Josh gritted his teeth.
 

Prudence shot both arms through the bars and tried to grab Josh. “You and that little bitch will pay for what you’ve done.”

Josh’s magic poured out of his gut like a raging river. He gathered it into his hands. It was time for this psycho bitch to die.

Prudence raised her shield and backed away from him.

He’d blasted through the shields of the Black Mountain guards. Prudence would not be able to stop him.

Pain exploded in the back of Josh’s head. He heard the echo of Prudence’s laughter as he passed out.

When he regained consciousness, the first thing he noticed was a creaking sound. He opened his eyes and groaned when he found the cage door swinging back and forth.
 

Prudence was gone.

A white flash of pain blinded Josh. He made it to his hands and knees before he threw up. When his stomach was empty, he crawled away from the mess then used the bars of the empty cage to pull himself into a sitting position. The two trees in front of him, moved towards each other then merged into one.
Double vision, vomiting, headache…
Josh recognized the signs. He had a nasty concussion. “What happened?”

He reached back and touched his throbbing skull. His hair was sticky and matted. A bloody rock, close to where he’d fallen, confirmed his suspicions. Someone had knocked him out. Josh’s eyes rolled into the back of his head. When he opened them, Tim was crouched in front of him, holding his cheeks in his hands.

“Valor? What happened?”

“Prudence killed Diego. I was getting ready to…deal with her…when someone snuck up behind me and hit me in the back of the head with a rock.” A mixture of rage and fear bubbled up inside Josh. “Prudence is gone.”

Tim sighed. “So’s Wisdom.”

“Do you think she helped Prudence escape?”

He nodded. “Wisdom told me to keep everyone down at the lake until she got back. I thought it was a strange order, but figured she had her reasons. After a couple of hours, I decided I better go check things out. I found the guards about fifty feet from here.”
 

Josh pressed his fingertips against his pounding temples. “Are they okay?”

“They will be. She used a mighty powerful be-calm spell on ‘em.” Tim gently moved Josh’s head to the side. “That’s a nasty wound. Why’d Wisdom cold cock you with a rock?”

“I already had my shield up, to protect myself from Prudence.” Josh blinked against the pain. “We need to get a team together and go after them.”

“You ain’t going nowhere with a concussion.”

“Help me get to my tent and then go find Hunter.”

~***~

A mild tapping noise woke Channie the next morning. It took her a few moments to remember where she was…and what’d happened to her. She crept downstairs and peeked out through the peephole in the door. Vengeance Veyjivik was standing on the front porch with a key in his hand.

Bile rose in her throat. She ran to the kitchen and yanked open drawer after drawer, searching for something, anything, she could use as a weapon. There wasn’t even a butter knife. She grabbed a fork with each hand and ran to the door. The element of surprise was critical. She wouldn’t get more than one chance.
 

Vince knocked again.
 

What the hell was he waiting for? He had a key. Most kidnappers would’ve just barged in, wouldn’t they?
 

“Channie? I know you’re in there. Open the door.”

“Keep away from me you pervert!”

“What?” Vince sounded shocked.

“I saw all them skimpy skivvies in the drawers upstairs? What did you do to me while I was unconscious?”

Vince groaned so loudly, Channie could hear it through the door. “You’re my son’s wife, for gods’ sake.”

“Pervert.”

“Channie, listen to me. I didn’t do anything except kidnap you. A woman can tell whether or not her body’s been abused. How do you feel?”

Channie thought about it for awhile and realized Vince was right. “Okay, so you haven’t done anything…yet. What about all them skimpy skivvies in the drawers upstairs? Why’d you buy such nasty underwear for me? Huh?”

“I didn’t buy any of the clothes or undergarments in that house.”

“Oh yeah? Then who did?”

“A female friend of one of my associates. That’s what I need to talk to you about. May I come in?”

“I can hear you just fine through the door.” Channie peeked through the peephole again.

Vince sighed and dropped his chin. “Fine. I just wanted to let you know that I’m leaving, but my associate, the one with the dirty-minded girlfriend, will check on you while I’m gone.”

Channie’s heart stuttered. What if his ‘associate’ was another scumbag tracker? She shuddered as the memory of Harvey invaded her mind. “I don’t want your ‘associate’ checking on me.”

“He won’t hurt you, I promise. As long as you don’t try to escape.”

“If I don’t try to escape, my death pledge will kill me.”

“Not if the attempt would also result in your demise. And that’s exactly what will happen if you try to get past my containment spells.” Vince cleared his throat. “Well, anyway, I just wanted you to know that I didn’t forget about you.”

“Pervert.”

Vengeance touched the brim of his hat as he nodded then whirled around and stormed down the path.
 

Channie watched through the peephole until he disappeared into the forest then turned around and leaned against the door for support. She slid down its length until her butt hit the floor.

~***~

The first thing Josh did when he got back to camp was check to see if the Book of the Dead was still in his backpack. It was. That meant that Wisdom was in charge when she and Prudence left camp. There was no way Prudence would leave without that book.

Josh’s concussion improved, but he remained in a state of intense anxiety. Wisdom had taken the satellite phone with her so there was no way to keep in touch with Hunter and Tim. The waiting was unbearable. So was the guilt. Savvy, CoCo and Zeal refused to leave his side. Their grief-stricken faces were a constant reminder that if he’d just obeyed the Book of the Dead and killed Prudence immediately, Diego would still be alive.
 

Josh had no patience for anyone other than the trips and cancelled all training sessions and arbitration meetings indefinitely.
 

By the time Tim and Hunter returned, nearly forty hours later, Josh was so consumed with remorse, he knew he wouldn’t have any problem killing Prudence.
 

But one look at their faces told him that he wouldn’t be doing it today.

Hunter’s shoulders slumped. “I tracked them all the way to Wisdom’s Academy of Magic and Modern Living, but they was long gone by the time we got there.”

“And you just gave up?” Josh shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from punching Hunter in the face.

“Wisdom kept a 2002 Ford Focus in the school’s garage. It’s gone. I can’t track ‘em on foot.” A note of frustration crept into Hunter’s voice. “My motorcycle’s still in Kentucky. Remember?”

“I have to go.” Josh fisted his hands in his hair. “I have to protect Channie.”

“They’re headed east, not west.” Tim rested a hand on Josh’s shoulder, obviously trying to comfort him. “So that means Wisdom’s still in control. Channie’s safe, for now.”
 

“For how long?” Josh shrugged off Tim’s hand. “Just because Wisdom was in charge when they left, doesn’t mean it’ll stay that way.”

“If Prudence gets the upper hand, she’ll come back looking’ for the Book of the Dead before she goes searching for Channie.”
 

“Probably, but I’m not willing to take that chance.”

“Me neither.” Hunter folded his arms across his chest. “I’m going back with Josh.”

“What about Freedom Ridge?” The corners of Tim’s eyes creased with worry. “Who’s going to keep this place running if you leave?”

Josh didn’t even hesitate. “You are.”

For the first time since Josh’d arrived at Freedom Ridge, the council was united. None of them wanted him to leave. He wanted to leave immediately, but decided to wait for the next supply run from Veyjivik Enterprises. That would give him a few more hours to be sure everyone understood that Tim was in charge. It would also be faster if he could persuade Zen to reroute the helicopter to Colorado. Not only would the trip be faster, it would be safer. Safe enough to take the trips with him. He’d asked for volunteers to foster the boys, but when no one was willing to take all three of them, he didn’t have the heart to split them up.

The only sign that Zen disagreed with Josh’s decision to leave camp was a slight tightening of his mouth. The trip to Colorado was blessedly uneventful. As soon as he got a signal on his cell phone, Josh called Vince to let him know that Prudence had escaped. They both had to use magic to enhance their hearing, and even then the noise of the helicopter made it hard to understand each other. So Josh waited until they landed to refuel to call Dad and let him know he was coming home. And that he was bringing company. When they landed at Boulder Municipal Airport, Dad and Liz were already there with three car seats installed in the middle bench of a rental van.