Journey with Joe (Middlemarch Capture Book 5)

by Shelley Munro

  “Five,” Saber said.

  Not enough for both of them. “Joe needs four.”

  “What about you?” Saber’s green gaze prodded for the truth.

  “I must eat four too.”

  Saber cursed.

  “Give them to Joe first. He’s been sick for longer.”

  Saber hesitated.

  “Please give the berries to him. He doesnae deserve this,” Mungo said.

  Saber squeezed her uninjured arm, his eyes bright with emotion. “Thank you. We’ll do our best to get more berries for you, even if we have to fly to your clan and take them by force. Take this berry.”

  Mungo sat up, biting her bottom lip against the alternating tingles and numbness in her arm. Her hand trembled as she reached for the berry. The wrinkled yellow fruit rolled back and forth in her cupped palm. She sucked in a quick breath and tossed the berry into her mouth. The flavor—somewhere between a sour fruit tincture, brackish water, and rank meat—exploded across her taste buds. Her stomach heaved, and she kept her hand over her mouth, unwilling to spit out any of the fruit. She couldnae waste the sole berry.

  She breathed through her nose in steady inhalations, tears rolling down her cheeks.

  “You okay?” Saber asked.

  Mungo swallowed again and cautiously removed her hand from across her mouth. She nodded weakly and glanced over at Joe. His twin kneeled at his side. “Make sure Joe doesnae sick up the berries.”

  Saber gave her a curt nod and strode over to his brothers.

  Duncan and Sam, still in cat-form, wandered over to her. She offered a weak smile while she watched Joe. He thrashed and groaned and made horrid vomiting noises, but his brothers persisted and didn’t relax until he’d swallowed the foul ragwort berries and kept them down.

  Finally, the tension left Joe’s body. He slumped and lay flat on the ground. He seemed to drift in and out of consciousness, and that worried Mungo. Guilt slid into her. This was her fault. If she hadnae chased after her coos, Joe might have reached his home by now.

  “How long will the berries take to work?” Sam asked.

  Mungo blinked at the words. She hadnae noticed him and Duncan leaving her to shift and don their clothes. “Ah, I dinnae ken. I’ve heard they work quickly, but my brother and his friends take them straightaway if an arrow scratches their skin. With Joe, it has been much longer. I dinnae ken what the delay will do.”

  Sam rubbed her shoulder. “I’ll bring you a bedroll. Rest now. It will be light soon.”

  Once Sam strode away, Mungo tested her arm. It was numb and that dead sensation was creeping across her back now.

  Sly bunked down beside Joe. It hadn’t been easy getting the berries down Joe, but his twin was resting easier now, his breathing less labored. Sly studied the girl and smiled. A redhead like Cinnabar. A brave woman. Feisty and courageous. His smile faded.

  They needed to find more of those damn berries and fast.

  He’d had a chat with Sam and Duncan. They’d told him Joe had wanted Mungo from the first instant he’d seen her. They’d laughed as they said it, so he’d guessed there was more to the story.

  “How is he?” Saber asked, his arms full of bedrolls.

  “He seems to be sleeping easier. He’s not shivering as much. My uneasiness has subsided so I’m thinking he’s recovering.”

  “The girl isn’t doing well. She’s fallen asleep, but she’s moaning and groaning.” Saber’s brow furrowed. “I’m worried about her. What kind of family shoots poisoned arrows at their own? We have to get our hands on those berries.”

  “It might pay to add a stock to our medical supplies,” Sly said. “We have no idea if her clan will follow and attack again. The land bridge is fully passable a few days each month. But if they’re determined enough, they can swim across the last part of the crossing.”

  “I’m torn. I’m not sure whether to take Joe home or wait until we find more berries to give the girl.”

  “Joe won’t want to leave her,” Sly warned. “You remember how it is when you meet your mate. The last thing you want is to let them out of your sight.”

  Saber glanced toward Joe’s girl. “I don’t know what happened to her, but she’s covered in bruises. Her arms and stomach.”

  Sly’s choked laughter had Saber raising his hands in a halt motion.

  “Stop right there,” Saber barked. “I wasn’t doing anything underhanded. Her T-shirt rode up when she was twisting and turning. Christ Jesus, Eva would gut me if I checked out another woman. Not that I would betray my mate,” he added.

  “Want to check out the horse?” Sly asked. “It reminds me of a zebra.”

  “Sure. I wouldn’t mind seeing your new cattle either.”

  “Me too,” Sly said with enthusiasm. “Hell, it’s excellent having my sight back. I owe Liam.”

  “He and his cousin have brought the resort a lot of new business,” Saber said. “They’re excellent allies, although you’ve discovered what it’s like to get on their wrong side. Let’s hope it doesn’t happen again.”

  “We don’t want that,” Sly said as he led his oldest brother to the enclosure where they were overnighting the cattle.

  The chestnut-colored animals had shaggy coats and sweeping horns. Several animals dozed while others sat on the ground chewing their cud.

  “They’re in much better condition than I expected,” Sly said. “The journey hasn’t affected them at all.”

  “Most of them are in-calf.”

  “I noticed,” Sly said happily. “Joe has done well. Hey, Max.”

  “You can see?” Max asked in his deep rumble.

  “Yeah.” Sly’s voice held joy. “Liam arrived after you took off with Joe and the others.”

  Max embraced Sly and slapped him on the back before yawning.

  “Grab a quick nap,” Saber said. “Sly and I will keep watch. We’re going to check out the horse.”

  “Approach Harriet with caution. She’s been fine with us, but Mungo said steeds—that’s what she calls her—take exception to most people. They’re fussy about who rides them and some have attacked or killed those they dislike.”

  Saber scowled at the revelation. “Is it safe to have the horse at the resort?”

  Max shrugged. “Sam, Duncan and Joe have ridden Harriet without a problem. Mungo had her when she joined us.”

  “I thought Mungo was a boy’s name,” Sly said.

  Max’s mouth flattened. “It is. From what she’s told us, Mungo’s father is a prick.” He punctuated this with a huge yawn.

  “Go. Sleep,” Saber urged. “It’s still early. You can get an hour.”

  “One last thing. If you see any micelets, grab them. Sam’s owl will create a ruckus if it doesn’t receive dinner.”

  Saber grinned. “You guys have a regular menagerie.”

  Max flashed a return smile. “Have you seen Roly yet? The owl is the cutest thing. It’s pink. Besides, you can talk. You and Eva have Blue.”

  Blue was the strange dodo bird Saber and Eva had rescued after a humongous hawk had dropped them on the other side of the island. Blue, named for his color, was a favorite at the resort.

  “Well,” Saber said, “let’s check out this horse.”

  Half an hour later, they wandered the short distance back to the campsite. Each carried two wriggling micelets.

  Sam was already up and making coffee.

  Sly’s gaze sought Joe. He halted, fear sliding into his chest and seizing his lungs. An instant later, his breath puffed out. “Where’s Joe?”

  Sam pointed, and Sly relaxed once he saw his brother with Mungo. “Joe is awake but he’s groggy.”

  “Here. Take these.” Sly thrust the micelets at Sam and strode over to his twin. Saber followed at his heels. “Joe.”

  His twin lifted his head, his face pale. “Mungo is sick.”

  “One of her clan shot her,” Saber said.

  “Bastards. I want to throttle her father.” Joe’s voice was hoarse. “This is all his fault.�
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  “How are you?”

  “I feel as if someone hit me over the head with a hammer. My head is aching and I have a foul taste in my mouth. I remember nothing. Sam said they shot me.”

  Sly nodded.

  “Do you have transport? Can you take us to the resort?” Joe asked.

  “We can,” Saber said. “But we still need to find those berries for your girl. We figured it’s best if one of us flies after the herd while the rest of us search for ragwort bushes.”

  Joe frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  Sly explained.

  Joe let out a curse. “Why didn’t you give Mungo the berries?”

  “She said, and she was right, that your need was more urgent. She insisted we treat you first,” Saber said. “Joe, we will do everything in our power to find more berries. I’ve washed out the wound and treated her with an antibug shot. She has eaten one berry.”

  “What about the Incorporeal people? Or the replicator machine?” Joe demanded.

  “Neither option will work,” Sly said. “We’d need a berry for them to copy or to duplicate in the machine.”

  Joe swallowed hard and nodded, but Sly sensed his twin’s pain, the ricochet of panic and fear almost taking him out at the knees. Sly grabbed hold of Saber to maintain his balance.

  “If it’s any consolation, she’s doing better than you were. Her color is much better,” Saber said. “We’ll move off shortly. Sly or I will pilot the flymo and you and Mungo can ride in comfort. The rest of us will drive the cattle and scan the countryside for this ragwort berry.”

  14 – Confronting The Bone Men

  Joe brushed Mungo’s hair back, fear gripping him. She couldn’t die. He’d just found her. After all they’d faced in the few days since that meeting, he refused to let her die now.

  “Mungo, you hold on,” he said through gritted teeth. A knot closed his throat, making it difficult to speak. “Although if this full-on excitement is what our life will become, you should’ve warned me.”

  Sly’s amusement glinted in his expression as he controlled the flymo. Their chubby gray utility vehicle resembled an ungainly bubble but did the job well enough. His twin piloted the flymo low along the coast, covering the grid pattern they’d agreed on with Saber. Sam and Saber followed their part of the grid while Duncan, Max, and Kenan who were in charge of the animals also scanned the landscape for the bushes Mungo had described the previous evening.

  Joe traced his fingers over Mungo’s dirty cheek. “I can’t wait to see you in a dress, sweetheart.”

  “I hate dresses.”

  “You’re awake,” he said, relief threading through his voice.

  “Hurt.”

  “You’re covered in bruises. How did you escape your father?”

  “They made me cook dinner. I picked leaves from the sleeping plant and put them in the stew,” she croaked.

  “Want a drink of water?”

  “Please.”

  Joe caught the bottle Sly tossed him and helped Mungo to sit up. “Do you want me to hold it, sweetheart?”

  “Nay.” She sipped the water greedily, and it spilled down her chin.

  “Slow,” Joe urged. “You drugged everyone?”

  “Aye. Once they were asleep, I took Harriet and left. I discovered ye on the track. Ye be a heavy lump.”

  Sly chuckled.

  “This is Sly. My twin. We have this twin bond thing and if something is wrong, we usually sense it. He came to our rescue.”

  “We almost drowned. The water closed before we passed the bridge.” A shudder ran through her and a moan escaped. “My father willnae give up. He’ll come for me.”

  “Do you want to go with him?”

  “Nay! He’s marrying me off to the Grantlach. He’s selling me in exchange for coos and coin.”

  “Who is the Grantlach?” Sly asked.

  Mungo sighed hard before she met Joe’s gaze. “The laird of a neighboring clan. He’s old. I spoke to him once when I was a child. He was kind to me, but I heard his last wife died in suspicious circumstances. I dinnae want marriage to him.”

  Joe caressed her shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll sort it out.”

  “We will,” Sly said.

  “You can see,” Joe said, staring at his brother.

  Sly grinned over his shoulder. “I wondered when you’d notice. Liam arrived with a different spell. The success of this one after so many failures surprised him, I think.”

  “What do you think of our cows?” Joe asked.

  “My coos,” Mungo protested.

  “If you stay with me, they’ll be our cows,” Joe said.

  “If I dinnae go with ye and yer family, I’ll have nowhere to go,” Mungo averted her gaze. “I dinnae wish to be an imposition.”

  Sly started to speak, but Joe sent him a warning, followed by a shake of his head. He’d wanted to explain the mating concept to Mungo at his pace. And he wanted her to choose him rather than the bind of mating compelling her to accept him.

  “Let’s find these ragwort berries and worry about this later.” Joe squeezed Mungo’s hand. “Try to sleep.” He slumped into the seat next to Sly. “I’m beginning to think these berries are mythical.”

  “We’re not giving up. It’s not the Mitchell way.”

  Joe nodded, his attention on the ground outside. This near the coast, the terrain was flat and flooded during the rainy season. As a result, few plants or trees grew in the area. Gradually, they flew farther inland, but with no success.

  It was almost dark by the time they landed for the night. Saber and the others had already set up camp on the edge of a line of head-high saplings. The plants on Ione Island were even more colorful than the mainland. A copse of towering trees with pink and blue fronds stood behind them. Somewhere out of sight, water trickled over rocks. Joe took in vivid lilac and green bushes to their left. The plants bore long, deep-purple pods. A nut sold in the market, and one of Eva’s favorite treats. If Saber’s mate was present, she’d be stuffing her face with the nuts for sure, but these weren’t the plants Joe wanted.

  “How is your girl?” Saber asked.

  “Worse, Once I get Mungo settled, I might keep searching for a ragwort bush.”

  “Joe, you need to rest. You can’t help Mungo if you’re over-fatigued. Ma would tell you the same thing.”

  Joe ached to hit something. Someone. His feline writhed beneath his skin. He wanted to scream and curse and stomp. This helpless frustration—he loathed it.

  “Mungo gave me the berries even though she realized we mightn’t find more,” he said to Saber. “Everyone else in her life takes from her or uses her to get what they want. I can’t do the same thing. I refuse to let her down.”

  Tears filled Joe’s eyes and his throat tightened. He swallowed and blinked hard, trying to control the apprehension weaving through his chest. Normally, he faced a problem head-on and solved it by sheer determination. Now, when the outcome was most important of all, he could do nothing. Frustrated, he turned to Saber.

  Saber wrapped his arms around Joe and hugged him hard. The tears flowed down Joe’s cheeks, and once he started crying, he couldn’t stop.

  Throughout his meltdown, his oldest brother held him.

  Sly placed his hand on Joe’s shoulder. “You’re tired, bro, and still recovering yourself. You need to sleep, and we’ll start again in the morning.”

  Joe stepped back, cleared his throat and swiped his hands over his face. “I’ll check on Mungo before I bunk down.”

  “You do that,” Saber said. “I’ll set up bedrolls for you both and sort out something to eat.”

  About an hour later, Joe settled beside Mungo. She shivered, her slumber uneasy as he drew her against him. His heart gave a hard pump of fear. He prayed their search for the berries was successful tomorrow.

  Mungo was no better the next morning. Joe tested her forehead. His fingers came away sweaty. Although she appeared asleep, she yammered nonsensical words in that accent of hers,
and her limbs twitched.

  He had to find those berries.

  Joe kissed her lightly on the lips and rose. He sought Saber and found his oldest brother stoking the fire. Already a kettle sat over the flames to boil the water for their morning coffee.

  “I’m leaving now to search for the berries,” Joe said. “The others are still asleep. I’ll be back in less than an hour.”

  “Take Sly with you,” Saber said.

  “No, I…” Joe gave an irritable shrug. “Ask him to watch Mungo for me. Please.”

  Saber closed the distance between them and squeezed Joe’s shoulder. “I’ll watch Mungo. If you’re longer, I’ll send Sly to get you.”

  Joe nodded and strode into the trees. After zigzagging around monstrous black trunks, he found a wide path, which made traveling swift and easy. A series of bushes lined the track. Some bore recognizable fruit. Mungo might enjoy the change of diet. He whipped off his T-shirt and picked a handful, using his shirt as a receptacle.

  A narrow stream trickled off to his right, the tinkle of water melodic and relaxing. Joe continued his search, scanning the bushes, his gut becoming heavy, his mind despondent. He’d never appreciated how Saber must’ve suffered when his fiancée died due to the feline virus.

  As he wandered along the track, the distant roar told him the stream took a tumble over rocks. Joe spied more of the vivid lilac and green bushes and picked several of the deep-purple pods to add to his stash. They’d all appreciate the fresh fruit and nuts after days of living on dried food.

  In the midst of picking nut pods, Joe sensed he was no longer alone. The insects continued their hums and clicks. A bird twittered, and another squawked as it flew overhead. Yet someone or something was watching him. He cast out his senses and nothing registered until he sniffed. Holy Finnian bats, as Saber’s mate would say.

  “Who’s there?” Joe snapped. He wasn’t in the mood for company, not even his twin’s. “Is that you, Sly?”

  The bushes rustled. “Agh!”

  Joe blinked at the creature that rolled out and ended up in a heap at his feet. Before he could speak, the creature jumped to its feet.

  Her feet.

  Joe blinked while trying not to gawk. Her brows and facial features were more prominent than a human’s and most of her visible skin was a bright pink-red. Light-brown hair covered her arms, legs, and torso—too light to be called fur but heavier than anything he’d seen before. She had a nose piercing and was obviously female since she had perky breasts. Apart from the fuzzy hair on her body, she wore no other clothing.