Stronger than Bone (18 page)

Chase smiled. “I have an idea that will ensure the Army will be on our side.”

(Present Day: 237 Cycles into the Light)

Joszette walked quietly behind Charity as she searched for the herbs and flowers they had been discussing. Charity was a quick study, and Joszette found herself smiling more in the past few weeks than she thought possible. It was so good to have another person to talk to,
“and a girl!”
she thought.
“I feel like my life has meaning again.”

Cuddles was chasing through the bushes, but staying close these days. They had been working with her on obedience, and although she was very strong-willed, she was also very smart. She obeyed more consistently, and would often anticipate what was expected of her.

Charity stooped to pluck a waxy leafed plant that grew near the base of a rotten stump when she heard a branch snap in the distance. She knew Cuddles was much closer than whatever had broken the branch, and she froze. The dog had also stopped moving and stood still to listen. Charity heard a growl from Cuddles about twenty feet through the brush ahead.

Joszette gently touched Charity on the shoulder to let her know she was there. Charity looked back at her quietly, and they shared a concerned look.

Turning back toward the noise, Charity pulled the knife from her belt and crouched. Joszette crouched slightly behind her and the two waited anxiously to see what new challenge they would face today.

Charity heard Cuddles growling and running through the brush toward whatever had been moving out there. The growling turned to loud barking and then a sharp yelp.

“Cuddles!” Charity called in a loud whisper. She could hear her dog’s soft whining in the quiet forest and then the sound of men’s voices. She started forward, but Joszette held her back.

“Charity! No,” she said firmly. “We have to move. Those might be rebel soldiers!”

“But my dog!” pleaded Charity. “She’s hurt!” and she tried to pull away again.

“We’ll come back for her,” soothed Joszette. “Right now, we need to keep you safe. Come on, I know a good hiding place. I promise, we’ll come back for Cuddles soon.”

She took one more look toward the sound of her injured puppy, then turned and followed the older woman away from the voices.

As silently as they could, they ran through the woods. After about ten minutes, they came to the bottom of a steep hill. On one side there was a natural overhang that provided concealment once they slipped behind the hanging wall of vegetation. Charity saw that there were blankets and buckets of water already placed in the small hideaway.

“I’ve used this spot to avoid several difficult situations,” smiled Joszette. “Go ahead and get comfortable for now. We’ll give it some time and then we’ll go back and get Cuddles, I promise.”

Charity nodded and sunk down onto one of the bundled blankets. She put her head in her hands and tried not to hear the echoes of her puppy barking and then yelping in pain. They kept replaying in her mind.

“Where are you dad?”
she thought.
“I need you!”

An hour later in the same forest, Guy was feeling low. He had been going over the incident at the cabin relentlessly in his mind, and he still couldn’t reconcile losing control so completely. It simply wasn’t him.

“Was it me?”
he thought.
“Am I really capable of killing a stranger in cold blood?”
He stopped walking and ran a hand through his wet hair. It wasn’t raining this morning. He was sweating from the work of hobbling through the woods on only one good leg, and he was tired.

His wrist and torso ached where he had been injured. He looked at the wounds again, but he couldn’t see anything new. There was ugly scar tissue, but by all appearances the wounds had healed. Guy let his shirt fall back into place and looked around for a place to rest. Settling for a mossy spot next to an old stump, he sat down heavily. He had sores on his bad leg where the cloth wrapping on his stump had come undone and the leather was rubbing his skin.

Carefully, he untied the straps and pushed the wooden leg away from his stump. The relief was immediate although slight. He sighed and sat back against the stump.

He heard a slight whimpering not far off.

Suddenly he sat up again.
“Is that a dog?”
he wondered. Putting aside his fatigue and discomfort, Guy hurriedly unwrapped and re-wrapped his stump. He pulled the wooden leg back on and cinched the leather straps tight. With more effort than it should have taken, he managed to get back onto his feet.
“Where are you little buddy?”
he wondered as he slowly made his way through the brush toward the whimpering sound.

“Cuddles?” he said out loud when he finally found the pup. “Is that you? What are you doing here?” He immediately turned in a slow circle, looking for any sign of Charity and Lynn. “Well, how did you manage to get out here by yourself kiddo? And more importantly, how did you get hurt?”

“Huh,” he said as he knelt down and looked her over. “I don’t see anything obvious.” Cuddles wagged her tail slightly and looked up at him with pleading puppy eyes. Guy smiled and gently pet her on the head. “Let me take a better look, ok?” He carefully palpated along her limbs.

The puppy yelped when he touched her right front leg below the shoulder. Out of nowhere anger boiled up and Guy nearly lashed out. He physically pushed himself back onto his heels and took a few deep breaths.

Gaining control of himself he thought,
“Whoa! Where did that come from?”
The puppy was looking at him and whimpering softly. He took one more calming breath and rocked forward onto his knees.

“Okay, the first thing we need to do is put a splint on that leg so it can heal.” He looked around and found a stick the width of his finger and about the same length of Cuddle’s leg. He used a strip of cloth from his new shirt and tied the stick above and below the break, immobilizing it. Cuddles licked his hands and whined while he was working.

“Don’t worry little pup. I’ll get you back on your feet before you know it.” Guy gently lifted Cuddles, careful not to move her leg too much, and began walking east again.

“I’m not sure what happened to you, but I know a little girl who will be very upset if you aren’t taken care of. I’ll get you better and maybe we can find a way to get you home…wherever that is.”

Not too far away, Charity and Joszette remained hidden.

“I think it’s safe to go now Charity,” said Joszette.

It was two hours since they hid behind the foliage of an overhanging cliff. Charity hated every second of it. She wasn’t afraid of the rebel soldiers they were hiding from. In fact, she was hoping to pay them back for hurting her dog. Right now, all she could think about was finding Cuddles and helping her.

Charity raced out of the hiding place and ran through the woods the way they had come.

“Charity!” Joszette hissed. “Be careful! They might still be close!”

Charity ignored the older woman and raced as fast as her 13 year old legs could take her. She dodged around tree trunks, and leapt over fallen trees. She plowed straight through thin branches and bushes. She fell once, twisting her ankle and scraping her cheek, but she jumped right back up and ran on, favoring her other foot. After a few moments she forgot about her ankle and went back to running strong on both legs.

“Where is she?” Charity shrieked. “Joszette! She’s gone!”

Charity frantically searched the area, stooping to look under bushes and fallen trees. “Cuddles! Here puppy!” she called.

Breathless, Joszette finally caught up to her. She had muddy hands and one side of her skirt was muddy as well. She had obviously taken a spill like Charity.

Ever conscious of possible danger, Joszette implored Charity to listen quietly for a moment. “If she’s nearby then she’s heard your calls. Listen for a moment, and let’s see if we can hear her calling back to you.”

“This is your fault!” shouted Charity and she pushed Joszette with all of her pent up anger and worry. Joszette stumbled back and tripped over a root. She made no sound as she fell back and hit her head solidly on the stump where Charity had meant to pick a waxy leafed plant earlier. The older woman laid still, her unblinking eyes staring ahead, partially open and fixed.

Charity screamed as loudly as she could and dropped to the ground. “Joszette!” she cried. “I’m so sorry! Wake up! I didn’t mean to! I’m sorry!”

She fell on top of Joszette’s body and rested her head on her bosom. She closed her eyes tightly and prayed, “Oh God, please save her! I need her!” she begged.

She opened her eyes and looked at Joszette’s beautiful face, now frozen in a horrible caricature of death. She clenched her eyes shut again and buried her face into Joszette’s clothes. “No.” she whispered. “No.”

After what seemed like an eternity, Charity opened her eyes and raised her head. She jerked back in surprise at the sight of a small, peculiar looking man sitting atop a tan pony. The man was sitting completely still and staring at her silently.

“Who are you?” she asked suspiciously while wiping the tears from her face.

“Corazon, I sometimes wonder the same thing,” he said in a soft voice. “What happened to your mother?” he asked pointing at Joszette.

Charity burst into tears and covered her face with her hands. “It’s my fault,” she said through her sobs. “I’m a monster!”

Mateo looked over his shoulder and then back to the girl. He let out a sigh and slowly climbed down from his pony. He held the reins in his hand and walked softly over to her. “Corazon, whatever happened, is done,” he said. “Your mother is…in a better place. Is there someplace for you to go? Is your father at home, or do you have any other family nearby I can take you to?”

Charity shook her head and looked up at him. The small man looked kind and she wanted to trust him.
“Do I have a choice?”
she thought. She looked at Joszette and fresh tears flooded her eyes.
“I’m so sorry,”
she thought again.

“There’s no one else sir,” she said. “Joszette was not my mother, but…I wish she was.” Charity choked back more tears and stood up. “My father went to the capital a few weeks ago. Can you take me there?” she asked through moist eyes. Her bottom lip was quivering involuntarily.

“Corazon, I just came from the capital. My own family and daughters are there,” he said with a comforting smile. “I will happily take you there, but first I am trying to find a man who came by here recently.” He looked over his shoulder again. “There are some bad men trying to find him, and I’m afraid it won’t be long until they come. Have you seen a man with one leg?”

Charity’s eyes opened wide. “Guy?” she asked. “Are you looking for Guy Martin?”

Mateo shook his head. “I don’t know his name, little one, just that he walks on one leg and he took something that a very mean man wants back. He was right here not long ago. I followed his tracks here to this very spot.” He looked closely at the ground around them. “I think he rested here a little while and then continued that way,” he said, pointing west. Mateo continued to peer closely at the ground and walked a little farther into the bushes. “He walked back and forth at least once, and then he knelt down over here,” said Mateo.

“I think it is Guy!” she said excitedly. “He knows my dog, and she’s missing! That’s why we were out here. We were looking for Cuddles. I got mad because Joszette made me wait, and when we couldn’t find my puppy I yelled at her and pushed her…” Charity started sobbing again.

Mateo walked over to Charity in his awkward way, and considered giving her a hug. In the end he just stood beside her and waited. When she was able to get up, he led her to his pony and helped her climb on.

“I have to bury her,” said Charity in a quiet voice.

“I will take care of that, Corazon,” said Mateo as he led the pony west. “I want to get you away from this place for now. I promise, I will come back and bury her.”

Charity watched the little man as he walked in front of the pony with a curious gait. He bobbed up and down as he walked, and his arms stayed down by his sides rather than swinging.

For the third time in a year her life was turned completely upside down.
“Where are you dad? Please find me,”
she wished silently.

(Present Day: 237 Cycles into the Light)

“Duke Dennison is gathering an Army your Highness,” said his chief advisor. The advisor was a cleric and well versed in politics. To those outside the King’s inner circle, his chief advisor was known as a cruel and poisonous man. The king admired those qualities, and considered him a weapon to use against his enemies at court. He was quickly finding out that enemies were not in short supply for a man in his position.

“In addition to the faction of defected nobles he swayed to his cause, he has made an alliance with the Rebel army. There are reports that they are massing for a campaign as we speak."

King Percival Oglefurth slammed his fist down on the table with all his might. He immediately regretted doing so. “Aghhh!” he yelled as he jerked his hand back and massaged it close to his body. “Ow!”

Kelly turned his eyes away from the pathetic showing by the new King.
“God grant us mercy and kill this fool today!”
he prayed silently.

General Collins, the King’s Battle Commander stepped forward. “Your Highness, two things need to happen foremost. We must move our main forces to block the Rebel advance, and we must…cut the head off the snake,” he advised. He stood sharply at attention while he awaited the King’s response.

Everyone in the King’s Council room stood silent while the King nursed his bruised hand and presumably considered General Collins’ counsel. After several seconds eyes began to shift nervously, as each wondered what the others were thinking.

King Oglefurth dropped his hands to his lap, suddenly conscious of being watched. “Everyone out but my war council,” he commanded.

“Finally,”
thought Kelly.
“The King is growing some balls.”
He stood still as several clerics and advisors of lesser position left the room.

When the chamber doors were closed again, the King looked around the room and said, “The head of the snake…yes, I agree it must come off. What I need to know is, how many snakes must I decapitate? What other serpents lie in wait to bite the heel of God’s ordained King?”

No one seemed willing or able to speak immediately, and the King pushed further. “Who else seeks to lay claim to my crown or my kingdom? Speak!”

“Your highness,” said the King’s advisor.

King Oglefurth leaned toward his advisor and made a grand show of listening intently.

“The rumors about this hero resurfacing are growing. It is said the hero of Hidden Valley is the same hero from years gone by. He was first known as the hero of Bloody Draw and then the hero of Bloody Beach.”

“Tell me about this hero,” said the King with interest. He held out his hand for a glass of wine.

A servant rushed to oblige as the advisor spoke. “Sire, the story has reached the farthest corners of the kingdom. There is no doubt that this man is rising in popularity, possibly to a dangerous level.”

“What do the stories say, exactly?” asked the King after taking a loud slurp of his wine. He was drinking more frequently and more heavily since putting on the crown. It was the subject of many conversations these days. Other vices had been adopted as well. There were rumors of young women visiting his chambers late at night.

The Battle Commander, General Collins, spoke up. “Your highness, his name is Lynn Hayes. He came up through the ranks as an enlisted man and as near as I can tell, all of the stories are true. He is a genuine hero.”

“As a private, he led a successful counter attack up-hill against seasoned troops to save his commander,” said another General. “He was promoted to Corporal on the spot. I was Captain of their sister company at the time, and I remember seeing him in the months that followed. I personally recommended him for a commission on two occasions, but they were denied”

The Battle Commander added, “At Bloody Beach, Sergeant Hayes rallied a beaten and starved platoon of veterans into nothing less than 40 blood-thirsty hounds of hell. In all my years I have never witnessed such ferocity and bravery on the battlefield. Before he took command, those men were decent enough soldiers. On that day, when he stepped in front of those men, they changed. If a man like that were to lead an army…they would be unstoppable.”

King Oglefurth raised his hand for silence. He drained the wine glass and held it out to be refilled as everyone waited. “So what are you telling me?” he asked. “Am I supposed to be afraid of this man, or am I supposed to admire him?”

The advisors each traded looks, obviously unsure what to say. Kelly was about to break the silence when the Battle Commander spoke again.

“Highness, the Army faces a battle like nothing we have seen in decades. This man inspires the troops. Hell, he inspires me! Make him a commander in my Army. Let me give him a battalion and let us see how far we can trust him. If he proves to be a traitor, I can crush him. But if he is loyal and continues to be a hero for the crown…I can use him to win this war!”

Kelly tried very hard not to smile. Captain Martin and Lieutenant Brente had done a fine job of spreading the rumors throughout the military. Lynn was gaining a following, even at the highest ranks. Soon he would have the full support of the military and a coup would be within their grasp.

“General, you have my permission. Make this man a Colonel and give him a battalion. Make sure the people and the soldiers know that I have blessed this resurrection. In fact, tell them that Colonel Hayes is my personal Champion! Tell them that he is the hero that will help us crush that traitor Duke Dennison and the entire Rebel army!”

“Yes your highness,” said the General, bowing. He traded a concerned look with others in the room before hurrying out to do as the King commanded.

Kelly was awestruck at what had just transpired. The King had just unknowingly ensured his own removal from the throne.