Finding Valor (14 page)

Vengeance’s gaze locked onto Josh’s. “I go by Vincent Javick now. But you may call me Vince.”

Mom reached out and cupped Josh’s cheek with her palm. “Josh—”

“No!” Josh ducked away from her. He pointed at Vince but leveled his gaze at Mom. “I don’t care if we share the same DNA, that man is
not
my father.”

“Interesting denial—considering you registered to race as Valor Veyjivik.”
 

“I wanted to race without drawing attention to myself. I didn’t want any drama.”

Elijah made a point of looking all around at the people brushing the dirt off their clothes, then grinned at him. “No drama, huh?”

Hunter had mentioned that Elijah knew about magic. Josh gave him his best ‘shut up or else’ glare then turned his attention back to Vince. “You never answered my question. What do you want?”

Vince put a gloved hand on Josh’s shoulder. “We need to talk.”

Josh twisted away from him. “So talk.”

“Isn’t there someplace more private?” Vince lowered his shield. A sign of good faith? Or a trick?
 

Mom slipped her arm around Josh’s waist. “I’m sorry, Vincent, but you can’t just drop in on us after nineteen years and expect us to trust you.”

Vince lifted his hands, palms out and stepped back. “I understand your concern, but I promise you, I mean no harm.”

Josh didn’t want to be alone with Vince. But it
would
get the man away from Mom and Elijah.
 

Mom’s body trembled against Josh’s side, but she managed to speak with authority. “You need to give us a little time to get over the shock of your sudden appearance. Call me tomorrow. If Josh wants to speak with you, we can arrange a meeting.”

“This can’t wait until tomorrow. It’s important.”

“It’s okay, Mom. I’ll talk to him.” Josh gave her his best impression of a reassuring smile then turned towards Vince. “My car’s in the parking lot.”

Mom grabbed Josh’s hand. “You don’t have to do this.”

He pulled her into a hug and whispered, “Yeah, I sort of do. It’ll be okay.”

They were about halfway to Josh’s car when Vince sighed. He shoved his hands in his coat pockets. “The years have been kind to your mother. She’s just as lovely as I remember.”

“You stay the hell away from my mother!”

Vince took a deep breath through his lipless mouth. “I was merely being polite.”

How in the world had this man seduced Mom? She’d claimed it was a one-night stand—a moment of weakness when she’d had too much to drink and a handsome stranger swept her off her feet—a stupid mistake with a happy ending. Whatever had scarred him must have happened after they met. “Did she even recognize you?”

The corner of Vincent’s mouth quirked up. “You mean because of my scars?”

That’s exactly what he meant, but Josh had spoken without thinking. He may not trust Vince, but that was no excuse to be cruel. “It’s been eighteen years since she’s seen you. And you were only together that one night.”
 

“I was still recovering from my injuries when I met your mother. I used a glamour spell to hide my disfigurement.”

“A glamour spell?” Josh picked an empty Coors can off the ground and tossed it into the recycling bin standing right next to it.

“It doesn’t work on other mages. So, I’m forced to warm my bed with Empty women. Which, of course, is how you came to be.”

A volatile cocktail of emotions clouded Josh’s mind as well as the air around him. “My mother is not a ‘bed warmer.’”
 

“That was a rather unfortunate choice of words. I’m sorry.”
 

“What did you do? Cast a come-hither spell on her? That’s worse than getting her drunk.”

“I’ve never resorted to come-hither spells. And I only use the glamour spell to create the illusion of how I
should
look. I’ve adjusted it over the years, replicating the effects of aging.” He smiled and waved at a toddler in a stroller. The child grinned and laughed. Not the least bit put off by his appearance. “I’m not trying to trick anyone.”

“Why haven’t you tried to meet me before?” Josh jerked the driver’s side door open. How many times had he fantasized about meeting his biological father? Of course that was before he’d learned he was a member of a dangerous clan of evil mages. “Why now?”

Vince eased himself into Josh’s car, as if bending over was painful. If those scars covered the rest of his body, it probably was.
 

“I didn’t know of your existence until a few months ago when Rider told me he’d made your acquaintance. I’ve been looking for you ever since.”

Rider? The name sounds familiar…I wish I could remember everything Hunter and Diego told me.
 

The sudden rush of information gave Josh a headache, but it wasn’t nearly as painful as the ones the flashbacks had given him. He still wouldn’t have been able to point Rider out in a crowd, but he remembered every word that Hunter and Diego had spoken since he woke up in the basement. With a little luck, he’d be able to fool Vince.

“What did you just do?”
 

When Josh opened his eyes, Vince was glaring at him.

“Nothing for you to worry about.” Josh needed to be more careful. Vince was more aware of magical energy than he was. He didn’t want to appear weak by admitting he’d lost his memories. “I should have killed Rider when I had the chance.”

“Why? He holds you in the highest regard.”

“Then why’d he rat me out?”

“Rat you out? You mean…to me?”

“I’d already be dead if he’d told Dominance.” Josh couldn’t believe how easily the name rolled off his tongue. This total recall was amazing. Too bad it didn’t work on his lost memories.

Vince's features were frozen by his scars, but his energy field bloomed with bright-red light when Josh mentioned the evil queen. It helped that Vince obviously hated their mutual enemy, but it wasn’t enough to make Josh trust him.
 

“How did you find me?” Josh suspected Vince was last night’s intruder. He didn’t know how he felt about that. He’d rather it was Vince sneaking around than a tracker, but he didn’t like being spied on.

“Rider told me you raced mountain bikes. He showed me the course you traversed during your escape. I must say, I’m very impressed with your skills. It’s hard to believe that you’re satisfied with this.” He nodded at the arena.
 

“Hey!” Josh was sick of people comparing BMX to mountain biking. They were both legitimate sports.

“I wasted a lot of time looking through biking propaganda for the wrong sport.” Vince opened his coat and pulled a magazine out of an inside pocket then handed it to Josh.
 

He stifled a groan when he saw his face on the cover of
BMX Today
. The caption,
Rising Star Falls to New Low,
hit him like a fist. A sense of shame crept up the back of his neck, heating his cheeks and ears.

Vince took the offensive magazine and slipped it back into his coat. “It was tucked behind the last copy of
Mountain Bike International
.”

“Figures. They always bury the BMX stuff behind everything else.”
 

“I couldn’t believe my luck. The article didn’t give your address, but it mentioned the tracks where you like to practice. I didn’t expect to find you so quickly. Some might call it fate.”

“I don’t believe in fate and you make your own luck.”

“You’re a bit cynical for such a young man.”

“Look, I’m not trying to be a smart-ass, but I’d really like to know what it is you want from me.”

“My
mother…
” Vince practically spat the word, “will destroy everything and everyone in her path. She wants to rule the entire world, not just ours. I need your help. We all do.”

“How can I possibly help? I don’t know anything about how to fight a magical war.” Just because he’d been able to curse Eric, didn’t mean he’d stand a chance against another mage.

“I don’t want you to fight. Our clan needs someone they can rally behind. They have a cause worth fighting for, but they have no hope. They need a leader that can inspire them.”

“You’re next in line for the throne. You inspire them.”
 

“If word gets out that I’m still alive, my mother will divert all her resources out of the field and hunt me down like a dog.”
 

“And if I reveal myself, she’ll come after me. Is that what this is about? You want me to take the heat off you?”

“For all I know, she’d welcome you with open arms and make you the crown prince. But I don’t recommend you try that tactic. She’s just as likely to execute you.”

“Which is why I don’t want her to know I was ever born.”

“She’ll find out eventually.”

“How? Are you going to turn me in? Is Rider?”

“Someone is spreading rumors about a Book of the Dead prophesy. They’re claiming an unknown, royal mage will reveal himself as the rightful heir to the throne and unite all the clans.” Vince turned to Josh. “I assume they’re talking about you.”

Josh wiped the sweat off his brow. “What else are they saying?”

“They’re predicting a decisive battle during the lunar eclipse on Solstice night.” Vince leaned back and folded his arms across his chest. “It’s very clever propaganda. Mages tend to be superstitious. Especially the uneducated hillbillies that make up ninety percent of our population.”

“It’s not propaganda.” Josh slid down until his knees bumped against the underside of the dash.
He closed his eyes and repeated the words from the Book of the Dead…
“Son of Vengeance seeking light,
Grasp the hilt and join the fight.”

He rolled his head to the side, to gage Vince's reaction. “Sound familiar?”

“Where did you hear that?” Vince pressed his lipless mouth shut and inhaled through his nose, making an eerie whistling noise.

“From a book?”

“You have a Book of the Dead! Where is it?”

Josh’s shield popped into place, but it didn’t stop Vince from wrapping his claw-like fingers around Josh’s bicep.
 

He leveled his gaze at the man. “I’ve already said too much.”

“That’s a Book of the Dead prophecy and since it mentions me by name, I have the right to read it!” Vince's grip tightened.

“Cut it out!” Josh jerked his arm out of Vince's grasp. “I don’t have the book anymore. Someone stole it.”

“How could you let that happen?” A flash of red light shimmered in front of Vince for a moment. He crossed his arms and leaned away from Josh, sucking the light back into his body. He was obviously trying to control himself. “Was it the same mage that cursed you?”

“What makes you think I’m cursed?” Josh lowered his voice. He didn’t know anything about him, but with Vengeance for a power-name, it wouldn’t be a good idea to piss him off.

“There’s a barrier in your mind. And you didn’t put it there.”

“You can read my mind?” Hunter had specifically said that mind reading wasn’t possible. Josh didn’t like the idea of someone else having access to his memories, especially when
he
didn’t.
 

“You don’t know much about magic, do you?”

Josh snorted then tried to cover it up with a cough. “Whatever I know is hidden behind that barrier. Can you remove it?”

“I can’t read your mind and I can’t fight another mage’s magic. But you can.”

“How’s that?”

“If you can’t break the barrier, find a way around it.”

“And just how am I supposed to do that?”
 

“I haven’t got a clue. Like I said it’s your mind.” Vince tilted his head to the side, as if he were looking out the window, but Josh knew he was using the reflective surface to watch him. “What do you know about the rebellion?”

“All I know is that there are two opposing groups…clans, whatever…that can’t get along.” Josh wasn’t about to share any details of the small amount of information he had. For all he knew, Vince could be a spy.

“I am not a spy.”
 

“I thought you said you couldn’t read my mind?”

“Your energy field is pulsing with suspicion.” Vince turned his shoulders towards Josh. “Do you know what a death pledge is?”

Josh’s heart skipped more than one beat. “I’m not swearing a death pledge to you or anyone else.”

“I wasn’t asking you to. I’m willing to swear one to you. I need you to trust me and I can’t think of any other way.” Vince shifted his gaze to his lap. “I hope you aren’t squeamish.”

“It depends.”

Vince tugged his gloves off his disfigured hands then unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, exposing a web of scars. “You need to tug the collar of your shirt aside, or let me slip my hand under it.”

“What for?” Josh didn’t like the idea of a man’s hand under his shirt. Scars or no scars.

“You don’t know how a death pledge works, do you?”

Josh shook his head. Diego told him that Channie swore one to save his life, but he hadn’t shared any details about the actual spell.

“We need to clasp each other’s wrists with our left hands and place our right hands over each other’s hearts. And it has to be skin-to-skin contact for it to work.”

Josh held his shirt open so Vince could press his palm against the bare skin of his chest. Then did the same.

Magic was already in the air, but when Vince grabbed Josh’s wrist, the hair on his arms stood on end.

“I, Vincent Javick, formerly known as Vengeance Veyjivik, do hereby solemnly swear, upon pain of death, to never intentionally harm Valor Veyjivik, also known as Joshua Vincent Abrim. This I pledge, else my life be forfeit.”

Red light poured out of Vince's chest. It was nearly the same color as angry energy, only darker. It spiraled up Josh’s arm and into his heart. He tried to pull away, but he couldn’t let go of Vince's wrist or lift his hand off his scarred chest. The magic bound them together.
 

Vince stared at Josh for a few seconds then said, “You need to accept my pledge.”

“How do I do that?”

“Just state your name and say the words, but don’t promise anything in return.”

“Okay. I, Joshua Abrim, Valor Veyjivik…whatever…accept your pledge.”