Finding Valor (43 page)

Why hadn’t Momma knocked her out with a be-calm spell instead of this turn-to-stone paralysis magic? Was it a display of her dark magic, a show of power, or did she hate her so much that she wanted her to suffer? Was she enjoying this?

Momma cleared a patch of the floor with her foot then knelt beside Channie. She plucked a shard of broken glass out of Channie’s arm then healed the cut.
 

Channie still had a hard time believing that Momma would really cut her heart out, but this simple act of kindness puzzled her.
 

Momma smiled and brushed the hair off Channie’s forehead. “I can’t offer a damaged sacrifice to the Book of the Dead. You stay put while I go get it.”

Tears leaked out of the corners of Channie’s eyes. They knew that the Book of the Dead worked like a homing beacon for Momma. That’s one of the reasons Josh kept it with him at all times. Momma needed to get the book first, before she could sacrifice Channie. It was a last line of defense sort of thing, but he’d left it in his backpack under the bed.

A scream of rage erupted from the master bedroom. Momma stomped back into the kitchen, smoke curling off her clawed hands. “That evil boy has my book in a cursed box. I can’t touch it.”
 

She released Channie from the paralytic spell. “Go get it.”

“Josh is the only one that can touch that box or the Book of the Dead. You know that.”

“If you don’t get off your lazy ass and go get my book, your death pledge will kill you.” Momma kicked Channie in the stomach, knocking the breath out of her.
 

When she was finally able to suck in a shallow gasp of air, Channie wanted to cry out in pain, but she used her last breath to defy Momma instead. “Better it than you.”
 

Channie’s heart clenched in agony—then stopped.

~***~

Momma screamed as she pounded on Channie’s chest. She grabbed her left wrist with a charred hand and placed the other over her heart. “I release you from your death pledge.”

A weak beam of red light flickered out of Channie’s chest. It was nothing like the original spell that had bound her. Channie hadn’t put her hand on Momma’s heart or clasped her wrist, but apparently, that wasn’t necessary.
 

Channie whimpered in defeat when her heart thundered back to life.
 

Momma disappeared into the kitchen then returned with a wooden spoon. At first Channie thought that Momma was going to beat her with it, but she disappeared into the master bedroom without so much as a backward glance.

The gritty sound of something being dragged across the floor revealed Momma’s plan. She was using the spoon to get to the Book of the Dead.

Channie crawled to the kitchen table and used it to pull herself to her feet. She fought through the rolling waves of nausea, the blinding pain, double vision and dizziness. She knew her search for a weapon was futile—Vince had cleaned the place of everything sharp, including forks and butter knives—but she had to try.

A glint of light caught Channie’s eye.
The shattered pan.
 

She yanked her shirt off over her head then wrapped it around the biggest shard of broken glass she could find. She shuffled across the kitchen as quietly and quickly as her damaged body would allow then pressed herself against the wall, next to the master bedroom door.

When Momma backed out, dragging Josh’s backpack with the wooden spoon, Channie didn’t hesitate. She wasn’t just fighting for her life. She was fighting for Josh’s. She used both hands to drive the piece of glass into Momma’s back.

Momma screamed as blood bloomed around the shard. She whirled around and struck the side of Channie’s head with her fist.

This time, Channie’s vision didn’t tunnel. She didn’t feel any pain as her body crumpled. She was unconscious before she hit the floor.

When she came to, Momma was prodding the Book of the Dead with the wooden spoon. The shard of glass was still poking out of her back. Blood ran down her side and dripped onto the floor, but she didn’t seem to notice it. She muttered and swore about the blasphemy of Valor Veyjivik’s name on the cover of her precious book.

Channie tried to sit up, but Momma had paralyzed her again.

Momma turned towards Channie. First her shoulders, then her head, obviously reluctant to take her eyes off the book. Her mouth split in an evil smile. “So, you decided to wake up in time for the sacrifice.”

Momma crossed the room to retrieve her handbag and pulled a hunting knife with a nine-inch blade out of it. She tilted her head from side to side as she turned the knife in her hand.
 

Channie couldn’t even close her eyes.
Just get it over with! Then get the hell out of here before Josh comes home.

Momma leaned over Channie and kissed her forehead—then ran the thin edge of the blade from the base of her throat to her naval.
 

~***~

The bullet-riddled, black Lexus parked in the yard stopped Josh’s heart.
 

The cabin’s front door was ajar. Josh bolted out of his car and cleared all six porch steps with a single bound. His chest exploded in a flash of light and pain. But the pain wasn’t coming from him. It was coming from Channie.

With no plan and no thought for his own safety, Josh crashed through the front door.
 

A hairless, red and black monster darted out of the kitchen and screamed at him. The primitive part of his brain whispered ‘demon’ before he recognized Prudence—or what was left of her.

She cast a bolt of raw energy at him, but his shield popped into place before it hit him. His only thought was to get to Channie, so instead of retaliating with a killing curse, he shoved Prudence out of his way, knocking her back into the kitchen. She slammed into the refrigerator. Her eyes widened in shock as she slid down the stainless steel door, leaving behind a thick smear of blood.
 

Josh ran to Channie. A piece of broken glass sliced his palm as he knelt beside her, but he barely noticed. It was nothing compared to the pain that tore through him at the sight of her ravaged body. She looked like the victim of a chainsaw murder. He could see her beating heart inside her chest cavity.
It’s beating. She’s alive.
 

He placed his hands on either side of the gaping wound and pressed it together, willing her to be healed.
 

He fought the urge to sob and focused on how much he loved her. How much he wanted her to be whole and strong and alive.

Magic poured out of Josh as blood poured out of Channie. Why wasn’t it working? Something was interfering, but what?
 

A prickle of evil energy stung his palms. Prudence must have cast a spell on Channie. Something told Josh he needed to get rid of it before he could heal her.
 

Mages weren’t supposed to be able to undo anyone’s magic but their own. “I’m not an ordinary mage. I can do this.”

Josh’s sapphire glowed so bright and hot, it burned his skin. He didn’t care. “Come on! Break the spell.”

Words have power. Especially words that rhyme.
 

“Then give me some!” If the Book of the Dead could give him advice, why couldn’t it just give him the damn spell to heal Channie? Josh blurted out the first thing that came into his mind.

“Magic ugly and dark; leave Channie without a mark.”
 

Prudence’s spell dissolved in a shower of sparks.

Channie’s eyes flew open then rolled into the back of her head. Her face contorted into a mask of agony as her previously immobile body convulsed.

Josh closed his eyes and replaced the horrifying image of Channie’s broken and bleeding body with the memory of how she’d looked that morning, lying naked and perfect beneath him. Her creamy skin glistening and flushed with a pink glow. He thought of how steady and strong her heartbeat had sounded against his ear as she held his head against her breast.
 

A swell of love and magic, white-hot and pure, rushed out of his chest and into Channie. Her convulsions slowed then stopped.
 

Josh’s body trembled with exhaustion. He used up all the magic behind his navel then dug into the space behind his heart and exhausted that as well. He sensed Channie’s body striving to heal itself, but it was too badly damaged. She was too close to death.
 

Josh refused to give up. He found a thimble-sized kernel of magic in the center of his own heart and reached for it.
 

This is the magic that sustains your life. If you use it, you
will
die.

Josh would gladly give his life to save hers.

An external wave of healing power washed over and into Josh before he had the chance to make the ultimate sacrifice.
 

Prudence?
The energy was definitely coming from her. And it was definitely
good
energy. Healing, life-giving energy.

Josh didn’t question her motives. He just took her magic and poured it into Channie. He whispered, “Nobody loves you like I do. Heal this body, good as new.”

Josh closed his eyes again and
saw
within his mind what was happening inside Channie.

Severed arteries, veins and nerves reached for each other and reconnected. Muscle, bone, and flesh knit together. The edges of her wound closed like a zipper. The frantic thrumming of her heart settled into a weak, but steady
lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub
.
 

Josh opened his eyes and gazed at her chalk-white, blood-spattered and beautiful face. She placed a trembling hand over his and smiled then passed out.

Exhaustion overwhelmed Josh. He wanted nothing more than to lie down beside Channie and close his eyes. He’d saved her. No, they’d saved her. He couldn’t have done it without Prudence. At least not without killing himself in the process.
 

Prudence moaned and uttered something unintelligible.
 

Too weak to stand, Josh crawled towards her on his hands and knees. He didn’t trust her, or her motives for helping him heal Channie, so he stopped just out of reach.
 

Not surprisingly, she was a bloody mess. But not all of it was Channie’s blood. A widening circle of crimson stained the floor under her back.

Josh rolled her onto her side and found the wound, but not the source of the injury. “What happened?’

“Channie stabbed me with a piece of broken glass.”

Good for her.
Josh kept the thought to himself. “It’s bleeding pretty bad.”

“It would have been okay, but when I fell, I jammed the shard deeper. I think it hit one of my kidneys.”
 

“You need a doctor.” Josh pulled his phone out of his pocket, but before he could dial 911, Prudence grabbed his wrist.
 

“They’ll never get here in time. I’m dying.”

“Maybe I can heal you.”
 

“You don’t have enough energy and by the time you power up again, I’ll be dead.”

“I’m sorry.” Josh spoke the words automatically, but when he realized it was true, it shocked him.

Prudence motioned for Josh to come closer. He raised his shield then pried the knife out of her hand, just in case it was a trick.
 

Pink foam gathered in the corners of her mouth. “Complete the sacrifice.”
 

Josh’s hands shook as he pressed the knife to Prudence’s throat. “You sick, twisted bitch.”

“Not Channie. Me.”

Josh lifted the knife away from her neck and sat back on his heels. “No.”
 

“You must.” Prudence’s voice was weak.
 

Josh enhanced his hearing and leaned closer.
 

“I brought this curse upon myself and my posterity. If you don’t cut out my heart before it stops beating and place the Book of the Dead in my chest; all of my line, including Abby’s boys, will lose the ability to use magic.”

“There’re worse things than living without magic.”

“Not for a mage.” Prudence coughed, spraying Josh’s face and chest with blood. “Hurry. There’s not much time. If you won’t do it for my children, do it for yours.”

Josh wouldn’t mind one bit if his kids didn’t have super-powers, but what would Channie want? Even if there was no chance of healing Prudence, and he knew in his heart that there wasn’t, would Channie want him to perform this gruesome sacrifice? Even if he only shortened her life by a few minutes, would it still be murder?

Prudence inched her hand across the floor then wrapped her fingers around his. “Please. Let my death atone for my sins.”

The most recent instructions from the Book of the Dead rushed into Josh’s mind:
Forgive and set free the one burdened with guilt.
There’s mercy in death, when righteously dealt.

He bowed his head and sighed. “How do I do it?”

A single tear leaked out of the corner of Prudence’s right eye. “Go get the book.”

Josh found his backpack next to Channie. He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. She smiled and sighed. He briefly considered waking her up and asking her whether or not he should perform the sacrifice, but decided against putting that burden on her.

He opened the lid of the little cedar box and groaned when the book filled the room with light.

Prudence’s eyes flew open. “Show me.”
 

She spoke with reverence instead of madness so Josh picked up the book and held it front of her face.
 

She lifted a trembling hand and traced the “V” of his power-name. “It doesn’t burn me when I touch it. You really are Valor, aren’t you?”

Josh sighed and said, “Yes.”

Prudence laughed, but it was cut off by a spasm of coughing that should have killed her. “Open it. Please.”

Josh moved from his knees to his butt, crossed his ankles and opened the book. Sparks danced across the blank page and inscribed another cryptic message. He read it out loud.

Bury this book in its rightful place
Or the magic from this line you’ll erase.
Gather your courage before the end
And a prior curse you shall amend.
A name that was changed can be restored
For the one most beloved and adored.
You know the cost should you refuse.
The time grows short, it’s time to choose.