Finding Valor (49 page)

He recognized the familiar glow as soon as he pulled back the tent flap. Damn. Maybe the Book of the Dead would give him some advice about how to handle a furious wife.

You’ve ignored our council at every turn.
And refused to listen, obey or learn.
The time grows short; our patience thin.
We’ll not forgive your folly again.
Keep your wife at your side, or all is lost.
You cannot imagine the lives it will cost
If you try to protect her, you’ll kill her instead.
And the blood of thousands will be on your head.

~***~

Channie was not happy when Carver returned to the lake without Josh. But the fact that he refused to let her leave, or even tell her what was going on, infuriated her. She argued with him for over an hour then tried to cast a be-calm spell on him, but he got his shield up before it hit him. She wasn’t so lucky. Ness hit her with a be-calm spell so strong it nearly knocked her out.
 

Carver caught her before she hit the ground then pillowed her head in his lap. “Ah Kindness, what have you done?”

“She attacked you!”

“She’s Prince Valor’s
wife!
”

“I know who she is. Besides it’s just a be-calm spell. She’ll be fine in a couple of hours.”

Channie was mildly surprised that Chastity’s magic didn’t zap Carver. He was sitting there with her head on his lap, her ear pressed against his bare belly, but there wasn’t so much as a hint of lust in the air. She couldn’t help but admire his absolute loyalty to his wife, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want to kick him in the nuts.

“How long y’all gonna hold me prisoner?” Channie’s words slurred together as if she were drunk. Ness’s spell packed quite a punch for someone named Kindness.

“We’re just following Prince Valor’s orders.” Carver’s body trembled. “Please, ma’am, do whatever you want to me, but don’t punish Ness.”

“I’m not going to punish either of you.” Channie took pity on the young couple. They really were in an impossible situation. “But I
am
going to kick Josh’s ass as soon as I get my hands on him.”

Channie couldn’t fight the be-calm spell any longer and fell asleep. When she woke up, the eastern sky was tinged with purple and orange, but the sun had yet to peek above the horizon. She was no longer lying on Carver’s lap, thank heaven. He and Ness were cuddled up together. Breathing in sync, slow and heavy, deep in sleep.

She backed away from them on her hands and knees, then turned and ran back to camp. Everyone was lined up outside the chow tent, waiting for breakfast. Everyone except Josh.
 

She looked for Hunter and Zen, but couldn’t find them either. Her heart was already pounding from her sprint back to camp, but it raced even faster when she realized that none of the freedom fighters were in line.

No one would give her a straight answer. She finally cornered one of her CDC kids and ordered him to tell her what was going on.

“Nobody tells me nothin’. All I know is what I overheard.”

“And…?”
 

“Some of Dominance’s bunch raided Sleepy Pine. Prince Valor asked for volunteers to go with him to teach ‘em a lesson—no one under seventeen, of course.” He rolled his eyes.
 

Channie’d guessed that it was a raid of some sort. She wasn’t surprised that Josh hadn’t taken her with him, but she never expected him to sneak off without even saying good-bye. It wasn’t very valiant. “Damn it to hell and back!”
 

The boy cringed, hunching his shoulders.

“It’s not your fault.” Channie reached out to squeeze his shoulder…and zapped him.
 

Now it was her turn to cringe. She was thrilled that she’d gotten her powers back, but Chastity’s magic was a pain in the ass. Even with Enchantment’s positive energy to temper its effects, Chastity’s magic continued to plague her. “I’m so sorry.”

He held his hands up in an “I surrender” gesture and backed away from her. “It’s okay. Just don’t tell no one I told you about the raid…or that I…you know…”

Channie sighed. “Triggered Chastity’s curse.”

“Yeah.”

“I won’t.”

Channie headed toward her and Josh’s tent to grab some clean clothes. She smelled like the lake and needed a shower. When she poked her head through the flap, she found Josh, sitting on an apple crate, shoulders hunched, head down, and the Book of the Dead, open in his hands.
 

He looked so
defeated
.
Grief poured out of him in waves. All her anger fled in the face of his pain.

He lifted his head. The canvas sides of their tent filtered the early morning sunlight, giving everything a soft, greenish hue. But even in the dim light, he looked pale. His red-rimmed eyes glistened with unshed tears.

Channie was afraid to ask what’d happened, but she had to know. “Who died?”
Please don’t let it be Hunter.

Josh blinked, as if the question surprised him. “Oh. None of the good guys.”

She sat down beside him and tried to take the Book of the Dead out of his hands.

He jerked it away from her. “Don’t touch it!”

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” She’d been so focused on Josh she’d forgotten his ‘order’ to never touch the book. She tucked her hands under her thighs.

“No. I’m sorry for snapping at you. It’s just…” Josh opened the book and showed Channie the latest message.
 

No wonder he looked so devastated. If he didn’t let her fight beside him, she’d die.

Josh groaned. The sound came from deep inside his chest and sounded more like a growl.
 

He screamed, “I hate this book!” and flung it across the tent.
 

Thanks to the Bowling Green mages, most of the tents had raised wooden floors. They were made from recycled wooden pallets so the gaps between the boards were two inches wide. The Book of the Dead bounced off the canvas side of the tent then slipped into a gap and disappeared.

“You better get that out of there before the mice find it.”

“Let ‘em. I don’t care.”

Channie hated seeing Josh so despondent. She tried to lighten the mood. “Haven’t you ever heard the phrase, ‘Don’t kill the messenger?’”

“That book is more than just a messenger. It’s alive. And it’s evil.” Josh shoved his hands in his hair then scrubbed his face with his palms. He dropped his hands between his knees and stared at the floor. His voice was barely a whisper. “It talks to me sometimes, in my mind.”

Channie’s throat constricted. “Do you think it’s…affecting you?”

“Oh, it’s definitely affecting me. But I’m not losing my mind. At least, I don’t think I am.” He laughed without humor. “How the hell would I know?”

She stood up then took his hands and tugged him to his feet. Terror squeezed her chest and dried all the moisture from her mouth. She’d seen what the old Book of the Dead did to Momma. She wasn’t about to let the same thing happen to Josh. She swallowed then carved a smile into her wooden face. “Let’s go talk to Aunt Wisdom.”

Josh wrapped his long fingers around Channie’s waist and pulled her tight against his body. “I have a better idea.”

“Now?” A tent didn’t provide much privacy, even at night after everyone went to bed.

“Let’s get out of here.”

“And go where?”

“I don’t know…just away from here. I’m so sick of being cooped up in this damn camp.”

“You should try being stuck in a cabin for months at a time.”

“Oh, babe.” Josh dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “I’m sorry. After what you went through, I have no right to complain.”

“What do you say we grab a blanket, a couple of those green pouches of food and go have a picnic.” She slipped her fingers under the hem of Josh’s t-shirt and traced the ridges and valleys of his rock hard belly. “I’ll bet if we climb the bluffs behind the lake, even Hunter Feenie won’t be able to find us.”

Josh’s eyes darkened as his pupils dilated. He lowered his face to hers.
 

She turned her head, offering him her cheek instead of her lips. If he started kissing her, she wouldn’t have the willpower to make him wait until they could escape the hot, humid tent. She wanted to make love to him without worrying about someone walking in uninvited. She wanted to breathe deeply and smell only fresh air and Josh; instead of the ever-present tang of mildew. But most of all, she wanted Josh to forget about the war, if only for an hour or two. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek to make up for dodging his kiss then slid her hand down his arm and wove her fingers through his. “Come on. Let’s get outta here.”

As soon as they poked their heads outside the tent, Channie heard the familiar
whump, whump, whump
of the Veyjivik Enterprises helicopter. The sound usually lifted her spirits, but they’d just gotten a supply delivery. They weren’t due for another for two weeks. That could only mean one thing. Trouble.

~***~

Josh dropped Channie’s hand and bolted. She was fast, but not fast enough to keep up with his long legs and powerful muscles. When she got there, Josh and Hunter were already unloading blood-splattered and wounded people off the chopper.
 

Channie opened her arms to receive a screaming baby. A quick magical scan revealed no injuries.
 

Josh slung a critically injured man over his shoulder then took off towards the medical tent. This time, Channie was able to keep up with him. “What happened?”

“Someone gave Dominance a list of names…people in Bowling Green loyal to us.”

Channie gasped.

“She’s killing them. All of them…and their families.”

“Oh, Josh.”

“Go tell Vince to unlock the cage.” Josh adjusted the man on his shoulder then lifted the screaming infant out of Channie’s arms. “We need Wisdom.”

Luckily the cage and medical tent, weren’t far from the landing pad. Channie dashed down the trail, yelling for Vince and Aunt Wisdom.
 

The cage door was already unlocked and swinging on its hinges when Channie got there. Aunt Wisdom and Vince were inside the medical tent, setting up cots and unpacking medical supplies.

Aunt Wisdom didn’t look up from the box of bandages she was unloading. “Scrub up, Channie. And use a disinfecting spell on your hands.”

“I haven’t used healing magic since I got my powers back.” She’d been too focused on sharpening her fighting skills.

“Open your heart-of-hearts. Can you feel all that pain? Something horrible’s happened to a lot of people. I need everyone that has any healing experience at all to report to the medical tent.”

Josh burst through the tent flaps with the injured man over one shoulder and the baby balanced on his opposite hip.

Channie grabbed the infant from him so he could lay the wounded man on a cot. He was in bad shape.

Aunt Wisdom put a hand on his forehead and closed her eyes.

Josh leaned over and whispered in Channie’s ear, “What’s she doing?”

“Assessing him.”

Hunter came in next and laid a moaning woman on another cot.

Aunt Wisdom gave the man a resigned look then stood up and turned to the woman.

Josh grabbed Aunt Wisdom’s arm and pointed at the man. “What about him?”

Aunt Wisdom shook her head. “I’m sorry. I can’t help him.”

“Well, I can.” Josh spoke through clenched teeth then strode towards the man’s cot.

“No.” Channie grabbed his hand.

Josh looked over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes at her. “Let go.”

“There’s more wounded coming. You can’t save everyone.”

“Rider is the leader of the Bowling Green rebels. I have to try.”

“That’s Rider?” Channie had never met the man, but she’d heard plenty about him.

Vince stepped in front of Josh, blocking his view of the dying man. “We let Wisdom decide.”

“But—”

“She’s a master healer, son. We’ll save more people if we do what she says.”

“Who died and made her god?”

The barely contained fury in Josh’s voice frightened Channie. She wasn’t afraid he’d unleash it on Vince, or anyone else, but if Rider died, Josh would blame himself. He’d turn all that raw emotion inward.

“All she can do is manage resources to the best of her ability and save as many people as she can.” Vince kept his voice low, but there was power behind it. He wasn’t going to let anyone bad mouth Aunt Wisdom, not even Josh.

“Rider is the leader of the Bowling Green mages. I
need
him. We all need him.”

“It’s too late. I’m sorry.”

“No.” Josh whirled back around. Channie followed his gaze.
 

Rider’s pupils were dilated. His lifeless eyes seemed to gaze past the top of the tent. Channie’s own eyes stung but there was no time for grief or even anger. The tent was filling up with wounded and dying people.

Zen laid an unconscious child on a cot. “This one’s bad. Sucking chest wound.”

Josh tore away from Channie’s grip and shoved past Vince to get to the child.
 

Channie followed then put a hand on Josh’s shoulder and opened her power well. “Use my energy, too.”

Twelve hours later, they’d stabilized eighty-three men, women and children. Three kids and eight men were still in critical condition. Only time would tell whether or not they’d survive. It was a miracle that the only patient they lost was Rider.
 

But Josh didn’t take it well. He sat on an apple crate outside the medical tent. “I could have saved him.”

Channie knelt in front of him with a bucket of water, a bar of soap and a wash rag. She dipped the rag in the bucket then lifted it to his face. He was covered in blood and gore. After Rider died, he’d refused to give up on anyone else. It was a wonder he hadn’t used up all his reserves and killed himself in the process. “There’s no way of knowing whether or not you could have saved him. You could have poured all your energy into him and he most likely would have died anyway.”

She rinsed the rag in the bucket, averting her eyes when the water turned pink. “Give me your hand.”

Josh lifted his right hand. Channie washed his arm from shoulder to fingertips. Someone walked by and silently switched the bucket of bloody water with a pail of fresh, cool, spring water.