Josh ran downstairs to show Hunter, but he wasn’t there. The rattle of a powerful engine startled him. He ran outside and found Hunter on his motorcycle, geared up and ready to go.
Josh had to yell over the sound of the bike. “You were going to leave without saying good-bye?”
“I never say good-bye.” Hunter lifted the visor of his helmet. “But, I’m just gonna go get my old job back so I can keep an eye on you.”
Walking into Monarch was much easier than Josh could have imagined. Kassie had obviously been busy. The other students either gave him sympathetic glances or avoided him completely. His first period teacher didn’t question him when he used “family emergency” as an excuse for not turning in his homework. He kept his head down as he walked to his locker so he didn’t notice Eric until it was too late.
“So, Abrim, I hear your wife ran off again. What’s the problem? Not man enough to keep your little inbred hillbilly satisfied?”
Josh fisted his hands and squeezed his eyes shut but he could still see the fiery, red glow of energy pulsing out of his stomach. If he unleashed it, there was no doubt in his mind that he’d kill Eric. “Back off.”
“What’s the matter? Did you forget your taser?”
Josh ground his teeth and focused on holding on to the energy.
“It’s okay, buddy. I got ya covered.”
Josh opened his eyes. An emerald green bubble of light hovered over Eric. Hunter stood behind him, leaning on his broom.
Josh hesitated. If Channie had been there…if she’d heard those cruel words…Eric would be nothing but a pile of ash. But she wasn’t here. She hadn’t heard Eric’s insult. The only ones Eric had offended were Josh and, possibly, Hunter. He wouldn’t curse Eric without stronger provocation.
Eric glanced over his shoulder at Hunter. “Mind your own business, you stupid hillbilly. Where are you scum coming from anyway? You don’t belong here.”
Hunter smiled, but it was the grin of a predator. “You talking to me city-boy?”
“Get lost asshole.”
Hunter’s smile disappeared. “Josh, either you do it, or I will. Keep in mind where my shield is.”
Hunter’s shield was between Josh and Eric. If Hunter cursed him, he wouldn’t have any protection.
When Josh blew up the oak tree, it was an accident. If he’d cursed Eric a few moments ago, he could have blamed it on loss of control. If he cursed Eric now, it would be a conscious act. “Will the shield hold?”
Eric turned one way then the other as he tried to follow the conversation. He was trapped between Josh and Hunter. “What are you two freaks talking about?”
Hunter clenched his jaw. “Do it. I cain’t keep everyone outta this here hallway much longer.”
Josh held his hands in front of his waist and watched in amazement as a ball of red energy formed in his palms.
Eric snorted and wrinkled his nose. “What the hell are you doing?”
Josh thought of all the cruel things Eric had said and done over the years. He thought of Kassie and the way Eric was spreading rumors about her…claiming the baby wasn’t his. If anyone deserved to be cursed, he did. The ball of energy flew out of Josh’s hands without any direction from him. It slammed into Hunter’s shield and shattered it like a plate-glass window then slammed into Eric. He flew backwards and crashed into Hunter, knocking them both to the ground.
Josh ran towards them, afraid of what he’d find, but Hunter shoved Eric off his chest before Josh knelt beside him. “Are you okay? Is Eric okay?”
Hunter grinned at him. “That was amazing!”
“You’re crazy, you know that? I could have killed you both.” Josh grabbed Hunter’s forearms and helped him to his feet.
“If you’d of used full power you would have.” Hunter dusted off the back of his pants with his hands. “I think I need you to protect me instead of the other way around.”
Eric groaned but Josh ignored him. “Does that mean I can go with you?”
Hunter tapped the center of Josh’s chest. “Search your heart. What’s it telling you?”
Live your life as you did before, when the time is right, you’ll go to war.
The words popped into Josh’s mind so clearly and so suddenly, he knew without a doubt that he had his answer. He had to stay. He also knew it was time for Hunter to leave. “Are you going to tell Kassie good-bye before you go?”
“I ain’t very good at good-byes. Tell her it was good seeing her again, and…good luck with the baby.”
Josh’s heart ached as he shook Hunter’s hand.
Hunter pulled Josh into a hug and thumped his back. “We’ll see each other again. I just hope it’s sooner rather than later.”
BAD NEWS
AN OVERWHELMING SENSE OF DESPAIR pressed down on Channie when she stepped inside the cabin. Cobwebs hung like lace from every corner. Dust covered every surface. The musty scent of abandonment hung in the air. They’d had their share of hard times in that simple log cabin, but they’d also known joy. They’d been a family.
Channie closed her eyes. She could almost believe that Abby and the trips were upstairs, sleeping. And Daddy was out back, checking on his latest batch of moonshine. Momma was in the kitchen…
“Channie! Snap out of it.” Momma smacked the back of her head with an open palm. “Unload the car and get this place cleaned up. I’ll be in my room.”
On the morning of the third day, Momma announced she was leaving. “Don’t go off our property. In fact, don’t even go outside unless it’s to use the privy or feed the chickens.”
“Where’re you going?”
“To go find Wisdom.”
“She’s holed up somewhere with her rebel army. If the Veyjivik trackers can’t find her, I doubt you can.”
“She’s my flesh and blood. I’ll find her.”
Channie didn’t want to piss off Momma, so she didn’t argue. “Take me with you.”
“No.”
That was it. No explanation, no apology. Just ‘no.’
“What if a tracker comes while you’re gone?” Channie didn’t like the idea of staying behind with nothing but a shotgun for protection. Momma hadn’t spent much time making the new plants grow. Channie watered them, but she didn’t have the ability to recharge Momma’s protection spells. The magic wouldn’t last more than a couple of days.
“Why do you think I spent good money on that shotgun?” Momma pointed at the twelve-gauge in the corner. “If you see a tracker, shoot him.”
“What if there’s more than one? What if they disable me before I can get a shot off?” Channie knew it was risky to piss off Momma, but it would be even riskier to leave things unsettled. “If they knock me out or get the drop on me and force me to leave after you’ve told me not to, my death pledge will kill me.”
“I doubt that they’d bother with kidnapping you.”
“When Harvey captured me, he said there was a huge reward on my head. You can’t sacrifice me if I’m gone…or dead.”
“If it’s completely out of your control, then I release you from my order to stay in the cabin.” Momma narrowed her eyes. “But you can’t go willingly. You have to put up a fight, unless you believe that doing so will result in your death. You must constantly strive to find your way back to me if you’re taken.”
Channie nodded and whispered, “Thank you.”
Momma had been gone less than twenty-four hours when Channie felt a distinctively male energy approach the cabin.
She grabbed the shotgun and considered her options. Her death pledge wouldn’t kill her if she were taken against her will. But would she be any better off with a tracker? The memory of what Harvey tried to do to her twisted her gut. She didn’t have magic to protect herself anymore. She’d rather die than have some filthy tracker’s hands on her body.
The air pressure inside the cabin increased as the tracker prodded Momma’s protection spells. Channie hadn’t expected them to hold, but she still jumped when he broke through.
The door knob turned. Channie cocked the shotgun and fired.
The tracker yelled then rattled off a string of cuss words so nasty it burned her ears. She re-cocked the shotgun then opened what remained of the door, but her smile fled as soon as she recognized the man lying in a pool of blood.
She dropped the shotgun then fell to her knees and pressed her hands over the worst of his wounds. “Shepherd Feenie! What are you doing here?”
“Looking for Hunter.”
“He’s not here.” Channie took one of Shep’s hands and slipped it under hers. “Keep pressure on this while I go find a bandage.”
Momma had taken the medicine kit with them when they’d moved to Louisville, so Channie grabbed the cleanest kitchen towel she could find and pressed it against Shep’s leg. “What made you think Hunter was here?”
“I didn’t expect to find anyone here, but Ms. Wisdom said this would be a good place to start looking.” He grimaced as Channie pressed harder. His blood soaked through the towel within minutes. “I think I need a healer.”
Channie nodded. “I lost my powers, but I was able to heal a knife wound using my husband’s magic.”
Shep released control of his own magic, but Channie couldn’t use it. His power flowed through her and prodded her scarred power well, but steered clear of her heart-of-hearts as if it knew that no one’s energy but Josh’s would be welcome there. “It’s not working!”
“What can I do to help?” Shep’s voice shook.
“I’m afraid your superficial femoral vein might have been nicked by a piece of buckshot.”
“If it’s superficial, why’s there so much blood?”
“It’s only superficial when compared to the major femoral vein.”
“You sure it didn’t hit the major one?”
“If it had, you would have bled out already.” That was still a possibility. “I have an idea, but it’s going to hurt.”
“Do it.”
Channie lifted the bandage, ripped what remained of Shep’s trousers away from his body and plunged her finger in the wound.
Shep threw his head back and howled.
Channie yelled over his screams. “Follow the pain and seal the vein with raw power.”
“You want me to burn myself?”
“You have to cauterize it to stop the bleeding.”
“Can I cast a pain-away spell first?”
Channie shook her head. “You need to use the pain as a guide so you can pin-point the damage. It won’t do any good to stop the bleeding if you seal off the entire vein.”
Shep panted through clenched teeth then screamed.
Channie yanked her hand away from his leg involuntarily when his magic burned her finger.
The bleeding didn’t stop, but it slowed. Channie probed the wound with a different finger. “Do it again.”
Shep didn’t answer.
Channie patted his cheek with her other hand, but it didn’t do any good. She slapped him. “Wake up, Shep. We’re not done.”
His eyelids fluttered open.
It took two more tries before the bleeding stopped. Channie cleaned Shep’s wounds, and her burned fingers, with soap and water then taught him how cast a general disinfecting spell. It was sloppy work, but it was better than nothing. She bandaged his leg with a fresh towel then dragged him off the porch into the cabin.
She let him sleep for half an hour then jostled him awake. “I’m sorry, but we need to figure out what we’re going to do before Momma gets back.”
Shep propped himself up on his elbows. “Find me a forked branch to use as a crutch and let’s get the hell outta here.”
“I can’t leave. I swore a death pledge to Momma.”
Shep groaned. “Oh, Channie. What’d ya go and do that for?”
“I had to. It was the only way to save Josh.”
“That’s Valor, right?”
“How’d you know?” Josh’s true identity was supposed to be a secret.
“Ms. Wisdom told us all about him. We was getting mighty discouraged before she shared the prophecy from the Book of the Dead.”
“Oh, no!” Channie’s heart leapt into her throat. “Who all did she tell?”
“Everyone at Freedom Ridge.”
“Freedom Ridge?”
“That’s what we named our base camp. We got over two hundred people there and more refugees pouring in every day.”
“I thought the camp was supposed to be secret.”
“Ms. Wisdom and the other master mages designed a misdirection spell that keeps out anybody with even a trace of loyalty to Dominance the Destroyer.”
“The Destroyer?”
Shep’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. His energy field pulsed with grief and rage. “She’s killing off entire clans, even the children. We cain’t wait until winter solstice. We need to take the fight to her as soon as possible.”
“Josh isn’t ready to fight. He can’t even curse Hunter.”
“Have you two got something against the Feenie clan?”
“No. Why?”
“Valor’s trying to curse Hunter and according to Ms. Wisdom, I ain’t the first Feenie boy you shot.”
“It was an accident! I thought Hunter was a tracker.”
“You need learn to look before you shoot, Missy.”
“And you need to be more careful about who you sneak up on, Buster. I’ve been cursed, kidnapped, beaten and nearly raped. Momma’s already killed Abby and Daddy so excuse me if I’m a little trigger happy.”
“Abby and Money are dead?” Shep’s already pale complexion turned to chalk.
Channie swallowed hard to keep from bursting into tears. “Momma murdered them.”
Disbelief clouded Shep’s eyes. It was still hard for Channie to believe that Momma was capable of such evil, and she’d seen her kill Abby.
“Momma stole the Book of the Dead. She’s addicted to dark magic. She would have killed Josh if I hadn’t traded death pledges with her.”
“What’d you say in your death pledge?”
“I swore to do everything she commanded.”
“I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but why’d she go to all that trouble? Why didn’t she just kill you, too?”
“She’s planning to sacrifice me on summer solstice.”
“Why?”
Channie sighed and wiped her bloody hands on her pants. “She triggered a curse on herself when she retrieved the Book of the Dead and thinks she can get out of it by killing me.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah. Damn.”
“I’m surprised Valor ain’t tried to rescue you.”
“I had Momma cast a remember-not spell on him so he wouldn’t follow us.” Channie couldn’t keep her tears at bay any longer. She turned her back, but that didn’t stop Shep from trying to comfort her.
He used the pine bench under the front window to pull himself to his feet then wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “I’m sorry for your loss. I know how you feel.”
“How can you possibly know how I feel?” Channie ducked out from under Shep’s embrace.
His chin dropped to his chest. He took a slow breath then lifted his head. Grief etched his handsome face, making him appear years older than nineteen. “You ain’t the only one that’s lost close kin.”
Fear squeezed Channie’s chest. She didn’t want to know, but she had to ask. “Who?”
“Ma and Pa, Farmer, Peacekeeper and both their wives are dead.”
“No.” Channie covered her mouth with both hands.
“Steward and Hunter are missing.”
Channie wiped her eyes on her shoulder then took Shep’s hands. “Hunter’s fine. He’s living and working in Las Vegas.”
“Hunter got a job?” Shep’s eyes widened. “Doing what?”
An inappropriate giggle escaped Channie’s throat, but laughing felt better than cry
ing. “He calls it exotic dancing, but he’s a male stripper.”
“No way! Ain’t no woman gonna pay to see that kid’s scrawny ass.”
“Once he started getting regular meals, he filled out real nice.”
“You still got a thing for Hunter?”
“No! I’m in love with Josh.” As if to prove her point, a blast of golden light shot out of Channie’s chest. She pressed a hand over the glow and closed her eyes.
She’d felt their bond tugging at her heart sporadically ever since Momma had erased Josh’s memory, but more frequently in the past few days. A part of her wanted to believe it was because Josh was fighting the remember-not spell. She wanted to believe that he remembered her, but a bigger, more noble, part of her wanted him to stay safe, so she tried to sever the bond. It didn’t work. Josh was the only one with magic. He was the only one that had any control over their bond.
Shep kept one hand on the wall as he limped across the room. He leaned over and picked the shotgun up off the floor—then cocked it and pointed it at the floor in front of Channie’s feet. “What happens if someone kidnaps you? Does your death pledge allow for things beyond your control?”
“You can’t trick a curse. So, unless I actually believe you’re willing to shoot me, I’ll die the instant I step off the front porch.” Channie fisted her hands and held her breath. Come on, Shep, convince me.
He sighed and lowered the gun.
Channie’s heart sank as she exhaled. “I can’t even give you a message for Aunt Wisdom without risking my life.”
She kept her gaze locked on Shep’s muddy boots. She was already tempting the curse to strike, hinting for him to ask Aunt Wisdom for help. She needed to change the subject. “Momma didn’t tell me not to talk about Hunter. Do you want to know more?”
Believe: The Complete Channie Series Page 67
