She’d gladly die to save him, but she didn’t have the courage to watch him leave again. She drank in his musky scent as she pressed her mouth to his. His stubble scratched her face, but she cherished the sensation. She traced the ridges of his muscular chest then slipped her hands around his neck, holding him in place.
He moved his hands to her wrists and tugged. “You aren’t making it easy for me to go.”
He’s really leaving. Channie’s cry of grief sounded like a wounded animal.
A wave of calm washed over her. Apparently Josh also remembered how to cast a be-calm spell. She slumped against his side.
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I won’t go far. I’m going to join Hunter and Shep. We’ll protect you.”
“No!” Panic fought against the be-calm spell. She forced the words past her numb lips. “You have to leave. Momma’s too strong. You can’t save me. All you can do is save yourself. Go home, Josh. And take Hunter and Shep with you.”
“If you know me at all, you know I can’t do that.” Josh cast another, more powerful, be-calm spell on Channie. She fought it, but it was too strong. Tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes as he tucked her into bed. He pulled the covers up, under her chin then leaned in close and whispered, “I’m sorry.”
Hunter and Shep tried to talk Josh into going back inside to be with Channie, but his conscience wouldn’t let him. He kept in constant contact with her through their bond, but since she was unconscious, all he got was something like white noise. He checked on her in person every half hour and cast another calming spell on her around two o’clock when she mumbled his name. He resisted the overwhelming, and constant, urge to touch her. He’d lost the right to do so when he’d knocked her out.
But when he heard Vince drive up a little before sunrise, he slid one arm under her knees, the other behind her back and lifted her onto his lap. Who knew how long it’d be until he saw her again? He held her against his chest until Hunter climbed into the loft.
“Do you need any help getting her down?”
“I’ve got her.” Josh stood up and shifted Channie over his shoulder, fireman-style. “Just stay below me, in case this ladder trips me up.”
Josh took his time and made it down without any problems. He carried Channie outside and laid her on the sleeping bag in the back of the Rav4. He didn’t like the idea of Channie making the trip without wearing a seatbelt, but she was unconscious, not asleep. The shoulder harness could cut off her air supply and suffocate her without ever waking her up. He brushed the hair off her forehead then pressed his lips against hers.
It was a long trip, so he cast one more calming spell on her. But that time, he used the sapphire to magnify and enhance his magic. “Stay asleep until you’re inside the safe house. Do what you must to stay alive, but know in your heart and mind that escape is impossible.”
Magic surged out of his chest. Exhaustion took its place. He leaned against the side of the car, too weak to stand on his own.
Vince grabbed Josh’s arms. “What did you do?”
“The spell?”
Vince nodded.
“I used the sapphire and ordered her to stay asleep until after she was in the safe house.”
“That was stupid.” Vince frowned at Josh. “Not only is that an open ended spell—which explains why you’re drained—but Channie won’t be eating or drinking anything if she’s unconscious. I can’t set up a safe house overnight. You need to amend the spell.”
Josh couldn’t believe he’d done something so stupid. He took one of Channie's hands in his. “Wake up enough to take care of your bodily needs, but remain sedated. As if you’re sleepwalking.”
“That’s better.” Vince tugged the brim of his hat, jamming it down tighter onto his head. “Hunter, Shep, come here.”
They set down the boxes of canned food they’d pillaged from Channie’s cabin and ambled over.
Vince sighed and rubbed his forehead with two fingers. “Assume Josh knows nothing at all about magic. Start at the beginning, as if he were a child, and teach him everything. Make him practice until the basics are second nature.”
“I’m not a baby.”
“You are when it comes to magic.” Vince locked his gaze on Josh’s face. “Since Channie won’t wake up during the trip back to Colorado, there’s no reason Hunter and Shep can’t take her. I need to stay with you.”
“No. You need to be sure Channie believes she’s in danger, or better yet, that I am. Tell her who you are and that you’re using her as bait to catch me. We can’t afford to let her become complacent about her captivity. If she stops trying to escape, she’ll die.”
“I should have been a part of your life from the beginning. I should have taught you all you need to know about magic.”
Hunter and Shep shared a look. They picked up the boxes of stolen food and jogged towards the woods in an obvious effort to give Josh and Vince some privacy.
No one could ever take Ezra’s place in Josh’s heart, but maybe, there was room for more than one father. “You’re a part of my life now. And you always will be. Anyone can teach me the basics of magic. But right now, you’re the only one that can keep my wife and your grandchild safe.”
Vince's eyes softened. The corners of his mouth lifted. “You don’t fight fair.”
Josh pushed away from the car then wrapped his arms around Vince's boney shoulders and gave him a quick hug. “I’m glad you found me.”
Vince hugged him back, harder and longer than Josh expected. “Me too son. Me too.”
Josh’s heart ached as he watched Vince drive off with Channie. Their now one-sided bond throbbed in time with his pulse. But he refused to wallow in self-pity. The sooner he took care of Prudence and retrieved the Book of the Dead, the sooner he would be reunited with Channie.
He’d started using the crazy woman’s name instead of thinking of her as ‘Channie’s mother.’ He needed to dehumanize the bitch before he killed her.
Josh turned towards the woods and cupped his palms around his mouth. “Hunter? Shep?”
A shrill whistle echoed all around him. There was no way he could tell which direction it’d come from. “Stop playing games and get back here.”
Another whistle was his only answer.
“Damn it!” Josh trotted off in the direction he thought Hunter and Shep had been going but within five minutes of entering the woods, he was utterly lost. There wasn’t so much as a hint of a trail. He had no idea how to find the hut, or even Channie’s cabin. “This isn’t funny!”
This time, there wasn’t even a whistle to let him know that he’d been heard. Josh swallowed his rising panic. Calm down and think…use magic!
Josh pulled his sapphire out from under his shirt and held it in his palm. Lead me to Hunter.
He turned around in a slow circle. When he’d turned forty-five degrees to his right, the gem flickered. It pulsed faster and grew brighter and warmer as he continued to turn. When he faced the opposite direction from where he’d started, it glowed steady. Bingo!
He used the gem as a compass and corrected his course every time it flickered. It wasn’t a perfect system. Josh was so focused on the gem he tripped over stones and roots. He smacked his forehead on a low branch and got tangled in thorny vines. It seemed as if the forest itself were his enemy.
“I thought plants were supposed to work with mages, not against them.” Josh froze, shocked by his own stupidity. He closed his eyes and imagined a path opening up through the forest, leading him straight to Hunter. Magic gushed out of him. Josh dropped to his knees. The spell was taking too much power. He whispered, “stop,” right before he passed out.
When Josh opened his eyes, he found Hunter and Shep both leaning over him, much too close. Hunter offered him a hand. “Hey, buddy, you okay?”
Josh nodded and let Hunter help him sit up. “What happened?”
Hunter shrugged. “We ain’t exactly sure. Your magic don’t work the same as ours. But from what we can fi
gure, it looks like you tried to rearrange the forest.”
Josh scooted over and leaned against a tree trunk. He was still dizzy. “I couldn’t find you guys, so I used magic to create a path from me to you.”
Shep arched his eyebrows. “You can do that?”
“Apparently.” Josh chuckled, but it fell flat. “Although, I probably shouldn’t.”
“Probably not.”
Josh glared at Hunter. “Why’d you run off and leave me?”
“Your daddy told us to teach you magic as if you was a toddler.”
“You leave children alone in the woods?”
“A distress spell is one of the easiest spells to cast. It’s pure instinct. When a kid lags behind on using magic, you have to get creative.”
“You already know I can use magic. You didn’t need to distress me.”
“Didn’t you ever play hide-and-seek as a kid?”
“Not in the wilderness.” Josh was glad he’d grown up in the suburbs with normal people. “Next time you want to teach me something, give a little warning.”
“That ain’t the way we do things.”
“Why am I not surprised.” Josh struggled to his feet. “How far is it to Freedom Ridge?”
“About eighteen hours, if you’re used to hiking.”
“We’re wasting time. Let’s go.”
Once Josh recovered his strength, they made good time. Hunter was more patient than Shep. He showed Josh how to ‘encourage’ brambles to shy away from his body, using the plants’ own energy. “If you work with the plants, instead of against them, it’s much easier.”
Hunter was right. It didn’t take long before Josh was urging Hunter and Shep to move faster. Shep insisted they take a break to rest and eat. But as soon as they were done eating, Josh had them on their feet again. He wasn’t stopping until they got there.
Josh lost his bearings several times. Shep insisted they go one way, but Josh needed to go another. He couldn’t explain it. He had no idea where they were or where they were going, but he knew Shep was wrong.
“It’s a misdirection spell.” Hunter patted Josh’s back. “Usually, I’d trust your gut instinct, but Shep’s been there before. We have to trust him.”
The disorientation grew worse. Josh thought he was going to puke from vertigo when the sensation ended abruptly.
“Whew-ee!” Hunter wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “I’m glad that’s over!”
“So that’s a misdirection spell?” Josh ‘encouraged’ a poison ivy vine to wither up and die then leaned against the tree it’d been climbing.
“It was a super-strong misdirection spell, cast by more than one mage. That’s why it made us so sick.” Hunter put his hands on his knees and leaned over. “It ain’t usually that bad.”
“How much further?”
Shep arched his back and stretched. “About an hour.”
FREEDOM RIDGE
THEY ARRIVED AT THE ENTRANCE to Freedom Ridge a little before sunrise. Two cliffs, split by a narrow cleft, loomed over them. The rocks jutted out at such sharp angles, Josh doubted even a mountain goat would be able to climb them. But that was nothing compared to the magical barrier that blocked the path between the cliffs.
“Now what?” Josh tried everything he could think of to get past it, but nothing worked, not even the sapphire. All that did was demonstrate the stone’s power, forcing Josh to explain it to Hunter and Shep.
He thought they’d beg him to try it out themselves, but they refused to even touch it, claiming it was evil.
“It’s no more evil than I am.”
“How would you know?” Shep didn’t even try to hide his disdain. “You don’t know nothing about magic.”
“I just know. That’s all.”
Hunter lowered his voice to a whisper. “I believe you.”
“Well I don’t.” Shep frowned at both of them. “Keep that thing away from me.”
Josh tucked it back inside his shirt. “Vince doesn’t want anyone to know I have it, so please don’t tell anyone about it, okay?”
“I ain’t about to paint an even bigger target on our backs.”
A sudden bang dropped them all to the ground. Another one sent them scurrying behind a boulder.
Hunter punched Shep’s shoulder. “Way to tempt fate, ass hat.”
“What’s an ass hat? Something you fancy boys wear when you’re stripping?”
“I ain’t no stripper.”
“Shut up!” Josh couldn’t believe they were arguing while someone was shooting at them. “I need to think.”
A shower of dirt and gravel rained down in front of them. “Come out with your hands up and your shields down.”
Hunter and Shep obeyed. Neither of them seemed all that concerned so Josh followed them out into the open.
A dirty, ragged man held a shotgun against his shoulder. The dangerous end aimed at Shep’s chest. “I thought I told you…Feenies ain’t welcome here.”
“You ain’t in charge, ass hat.” It didn’t take Shep long to adopt Hunter’s vocabulary. “Tell Ms. Wisdom we got someone she needs to see.”
The man grumbled and swore as he walked away. Hunter elbowed Shep’s ribs. “Why’d you go and insult him like that? You better hope he comes back with Ms. Wisdom and not half the rebel army.”
Josh agreed.
The ‘ass hat’ returned twenty minutes later and leveled the shotgun at Shep again. Josh gathered his magic, but before he had the chance to curse the man, a stout woman with a time-worn face stepped into view. She put a hand on the barrel of the shotgun and lowered it until it pointed at the ground. “Stand down.”
The man nodded without taking his eyes off Shep.
“Hello, Josh. It’s good to see you.”
A flashback hit Josh as soon as he heard her voice.
Evergreens and roses scent the night air. He looks up and smiles at the chuppa. Pride and love expand his chest. I built this. A full moon shines down upon him and Channie. The woman…Wisdom…stands at the foot of the bed and recites a poem…
Beneath the moon and wedding bower,
Join your hearts with ancient power.
Look upon each other’s face
And bind yourselves with courage and grace.
Feel your love grow strong and whole.
Surrender body, mind and soul.
When time and distance keep you apart,
Let love protect your spell-bound hearts.
Seal your vows with true love’s kiss,
And fill this night with songs of bliss.
For the breaking dawn will kill the moon,
And this magic moment end too soon.
“You married Channie and me.”
“I’m surprised you remember.”
“You know what happened to me?”
“Prudence said you got out of control and she was forced to erase your memory. Her explanation didn’t make sense, but she’s not well. It’s hard to discern what’s real and what’s a delusion.”
“Prudence was here?” Red light pulsed out of Josh’s stomach. He knew everyone could see it, but he didn’t care. “Did she tell you her plans for Channie?”
Wisdom frowned. “She sent Channie to Mexico with Abby and Diego after trackers killed Money.”
“Channie’s not in Mexico. Trackers didn’t kill Money. Prudence did. She also murdered Abby in my father’s basement and bound Channie to her with a death pledge. She’s planning to sacrifice her during summer solstice to gain control of the Book of the Dead.”
Wisdom’s face blanched. She swayed on her feet then grabbed the man holding the gun. He lifted a hand to help her, but didn’t seem to know what to do with it. By the time he figured it out and wrapped his fingers around her waist, Wisdom had regained her balance. She swatted the man’s hand away. “Go back to camp. Tell Intimidation to gather the council and bring them to the gate. And don’t tell anyone what you’ve seen or heard. That’s an order.”
The man gulped and whisp
ered, “Yes, ma’am,” then turned around and ran. He didn’t jog. He didn’t trot. He ran.
“Whoa.” Hunter spoke out of the side of his mouth. “What got into him?”
Wisdom grabbed Josh’s biceps and squeezed. She was amazingly strong, especially for a middle-aged woman. “Where’s Channie?”
“On her way to a safe house.” Josh wasn’t about to disclose any information about Channie’s location, not even to Wisdom.
“Why aren’t you with her?”
“Look. It’s complicated.” Josh didn’t think it would be a good idea to confess his intentions to kill Prudence. “Channie’s safe…for now. My father’s taking care of her.”
“Your father is magically disabled. He’ll never be able to protect her from trackers.”
“My biological father isn’t magically disabled.”
Wisdom gasped then blinked. “She’s with Vengeance Veyjivik?”
“It’s a long story, but he’s on our side.”
Wisdom sat on a fallen log and crossed her arms. “Start talking.”
It took over an hour for Josh to tell his story and answer all of Wisdom’s questions. Now, it was time for her to answer a few of his. “Do you know where Prudence is?”
“I’m not going to let you, or anyone else, harm my sister.”
“She’s here, isn’t she?”
Wisdom glared at Josh, but didn’t answer.
“Can you make her release Channie from that death pledge?”
“I’m working on a cure.”
“Really? And how’s that working out?”
Wisdom closed her eyes and sighed. “Not well.”
“You better at least have that crazy bitch locked up somewhere safe.” Josh hadn’t meant to raise his voice, but he was beyond frustrated. The solution to all his problems was right there, but he couldn’t do a damn thing about it. “If Prudence escapes, she’s going to track Channie down and kill her.”
“She’s surrounded by magical barriers, and under a two man guard, twenty-four hours a day. She’s not going anywhere.”
Believe: The Complete Channie Series Page 78
