Hunted in the Valley (Old Sequoia Valley Book 1)

by C. R. Pugh

  “No one will harm you,” I promised her. “I give you my word.”

  When I felt her body relax in my arms, I knew she had finally passed out.

  When I reached the camp again, Gunter and the other Warriors were back with the four captives. I barely gave the captives a second thought since I was more concerned for Ravyn.

  “Gunter!” I shouted urgently. “Bring your needle and thread, quickly.”

  When he saw me carrying Ravyn, he reacted immediately. I took her to my own personal tent. Moving carefully through the tent flaps, I set her down on the fur blankets inside, making her as comfortable as possible. Stitching a wound was painful, even when asleep.

  I removed my makeshift bandage and lifted her shirt to reveal the wound, but careful to keep her body decently covered. She would not thank me for exposing her to anyone, myself included. Gunter stepped inside with a lamp, prepared with his needle, thread, some water, and bandages.

  “I take it this is your Ravyn. What happened?”

  While cleaning away the blood, I rehashed the events leading up to the incident. The retelling was not any easier than watching it happen. I was furious all over again. Gunter took it all in stride of course, asking for details along the way.

  “How deep would you say it is?”

  Pinching my eyes closed and clenching my jaw, I visualized how the man’s knife had slid out of Ravyn’s side, covered in blood. “Maybe four to five inches.”

  “From the angle of it, he could have hit any of her major organs. I can stitch her up, but we’ll have to wait to know for sure.”

  I felt the blood drain from my face. Even Kemena, with all her skill, would not be able to save her if that were true.

  “I’m sorry, my friend.” He rested his hand on my shoulder. Then he added, “Also, I wanted you to be aware … the captive that we found yesterday is gone.”

  My brows pinched together in confusion. “Gone?”

  “Escaped. The cage was empty when we arrived back at camp.”

  I frowned at the news and glanced down at Ravyn.

  When Gunter saw my puzzled stare, he asked, “Do you think she did it?”

  “I would like to think she did not interfere with our doings, but she was strongly opposed to our tradition.”

  When I was nearly finished cleansing her skin, I noticed the bleeding had slowed significantly. I paused and, sure enough, the gash was smaller than I remembered.

  “I’m ready.” Gunter leaned in with the needle pinched between his fingers.

  “Wait,” I said abruptly, stopping him before he pricked her skin. “Something is wrong.”

  Gunter moved the lamp closer and inspected the tear in the skin. “I’m not sure what you mean. She definitely needs stitches from the looks of this, but … that’s odd. Are you sure about the depth of the knife? This doesn’t seem to be fatal. Perhaps all that blood was just bluster.”

  I shook my head, gently touching the pink skin. “The wound was wider.”

  “You might have been mistaken in what you saw, Thorne,” he said. “You looked livid when you came back into camp. Sometimes in our anger we see things as larger than what they truly are. That happens all the time.”

  I checked Ravyn’s pulse at her neck. “Feel her pulse, Gunter. It should not be that strong after losing so much blood. Kemena tells me often that a heartbeat will become weaker because there is less blood to push through the body.”

  Gunter took a peek at the gash again. Some of the redness had disappeared entirely.

  “You know, Thorne, I don’t think you’re seeing things after all.” He gaped at her torso. “The wound is closing up on its own much quicker than is natural. How is that possible?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Look at it there.” Gunter pointed to the edges of the gash, his mouth gaping. “Her skin is closing up. It’s very slow, but you can see it happening.” He shook his head and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “It’s … miraculous.”

  Gunter’s face held the same look of disbelief and shock that was undoubtedly on my own. Who was this woman who could heal so quickly? I did not believe in magic or witches, but there were many people who did. It could be dangerous for Ravyn.

  “Please don’t be afraid of me,” she had said.

  This was what she had meant by that puzzling request. Unfortunately, I would have to wait until she woke to get answers to all my questions.

  Gunter began packing up the supplies, leaving the water and some of the bandages. “I don’t believe she will need my services, not that they match your sister’s.” He grinned at me. “Wouldn’t life be much easier if we could all heal like this?”

  My stomach roiled at his flippant comment. This was the reason she was on the run. I felt it deep in my bones.

  “Say nothing to the Warriors of this,” I said. “This stays between us.”

  “You know, she might be the reason for all those stories.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Stories?”

  “Max’s tale? The black hair; the way she doesn’t die. Could she be the demon?”

  15

  Ravyn

  When I opened my heavy-lidded eyes, I had no idea where I was. The room was dark, but not pitch-black. It was difficult to see if it was day or night, so there was no way to know how long I’d been unconscious. I remembered struggling with someone. The man had been strong, never buckling under my assault on him. I hadn’t tried to kill him since he only seemed bent on taking me captive, but I was regretting it now. My scalp ached where the man had yanked on my hair and my side was throbbing … he’d stabbed me! And Thorne …

  I was suddenly very alert, but I continued to lie motionless. My tattoo was silent on my skin. Thorne had never felt dangerous to me, but he’d surely seen my secret. He had seen me heal at a supernatural rate, something I had been hiding since I was a young girl in Terran. Even my family had never witnessed it. Well, there was no going back now. I was still alive, which meant that maybe … just maybe … he wasn’t afraid of me.

  I touched my side gently to make sure that the Warrior hadn’t stitched my skin back together. Stitches would be useless to my body. The skin was probably near to closing over by the time he got me back to camp anyway. I really hated lying around, but it was better for the healing process and much less painful. Eating would help, but I couldn’t do that while lying flat on my back. It was best to just wait.

  The next thing I noticed were the soft, thick furs covering the ground beneath me. They felt wonderful. I dug my fingers into the silky tendrils and, like a kitten, I nestled my cheek into the comforting blanket.

  “Are you purring?”

  Pain surged down my side when the unexpected sound of Thorne’s voice made me gasp and tense up. He chuckled from somewhere close by in the darkness.

  “I didn’t realize I was,” I admitted.

  The rustling of fur and clothing could only mean one thing. He was moving closer. Another soft gasp escaped me and I flinched when I felt the warmth from his body on my shoulder. Having Thorne so close, and unable to see anything but a shadow of him, unnerved me.

  “You look worried,” he said.

  “I tend to be cautious around people who know my secret.”

  “I have had some time to get over the shock,” he muttered. “Do you want to sit up or will you continue to lie there as I question you?”

  “I need to stay still for a while longer.”

  “Your wound has been closed for a while now.”

  “You’re only seeing the outside,” I explained. “The skin usually closes over even before the rest begins to mend, but there’s still pain on the inside. That means I’m still healing.”

  He startled me by brushing his fingers across my bare flesh. Goosebumps flashed across my skin in response.

  “You are as skittish as my stallion.”

  “Well, I can’t really see you,” I pointed out.

  “Did General Wolfe make you this way?”

  “No.” My voice
quivered from his touch. “I’ve been able to heal like this for as long as I can remember.”

  Thorne pulled his hand away. “Am I hurting you?”

  “No,” I answered quickly, silently cursing my silly behavior.

  “Then why does your voice tremble?”

  I giggled awkwardly. “It’s nothing. It’s not because of pain.” There was no way I was revealing why his touch made me so anxious. After all, I was nearly seventeen; old enough to know what typically occurred between men and women. It had been different with Kieron; not quite so sudden. Still, Thorne wasn’t the first male I’d admired.

  “I will have some answers from you now.”

  I smirked at Thorne. “Well, aren’t you a bossy-pants.”

  “You talked me in circles yesterday and did not answer me directly. Today, I will be direct, and I would like the same in return.”

  I supposed I shouldn’t be so shocked by his demanding tone. He was commander of a great many people in Peton and he had bossed me around in the same way yesterday, after the clash with the soldiers. He’d been brought up to speak so.

  “Ask away,” I said, conceding just this once.

  “Explain how you healed so quickly.”

  I shook my head. “I honestly don’t know.”

  “Are you a witch? Or some sort of demon?”

  A short bark of laughter escaped my lips. “A demon? Are you serious?”

  “Answer the question.”

  “I said I don’t know,” I snapped. “I’ve been this way since I was a child.”

  “I needed to ask,” he said, oblivious to my anger at his ridiculous question. “Some traders from another clan brought stories to Peton not too long ago about something new roaming the Valley. Something that was even deadlier than a Night Howler. It kills easily and doesn’t die, and then leaves behind long strands of pitch-black hair.”

  “Oh dear,” I croaked. “That does sound like me, doesn’t it?”

  “It does.” Thorne chortled at my answer. “That is what people are calling you. The traders said that when you looked at them, they believed you would suck out their souls.”

  “Do you believe that?” I swallowed nervously. These rumors about me were even worse than the reality.

  “I do not have a superstitious nature.”

  “I think I remember those men,” I muttered, thinking back. “It was, maybe, ten days ago. The soldiers got me good that time … before I killed them. The traders caught me piling up the bodies to burn. When they saw me, I’m sure I looked like death warmed over. My clothes were torn up from the bullets I had taken and I was covered in blood.”

  “You were shot? I assumed that was an exaggeration.”

  I couldn’t see his expression, but if I gauged his voice accurately, I was certain he was gaping at me in shock. I didn’t blame him. How could anyone believe such a tale?

  “How did you -?” he started to ask.

  “- Survive? I have to take the bullets out before I can heal properly. I heal faster when I’m well fed, and it also depends on the severity of the wound. How long did I sleep?”

  “About two hours.”

  I considered the information for a moment. “Usually being stabbed only takes about an hour’s time to heal, but I haven’t eaten since last night. That might be why it’s taking so long this time.”

  His body tensed beside me. “Usually? How many times have you been stabbed, woman? And shot?”

  I was torn between laughing at his outrage and shouting at him for calling me ‘woman’. I settled for glaring in his general direction.

  “You can’t change what’s already been done, warrior. Besides, it could have been a lot worse. Most of them are terrible shooters.”

  For a full minute there was nothing but silence. I could almost hear the wheels turning inside his mind.

  “Is this why General Wolfe hunts you?”

  I pinched my lips together and nodded.

  “What does he want with you?”

  The genuine concern in Thorne’s voice gave me butterflies and muddled my thinking, but I had to keep it together. There was no good reason for him to know everything.

  “It’s not safe for you to know my secrets, Thorne.”

  “So you will not tell me.” The bitterness in his tone made me wince, as if I’d injured him somehow.

  I bit my lip and stared into the dark. Confessing everything to Thorne would be so easy. I wanted to. As a compromise, I decided to only to give him part of what I knew.

  “He wanted to use me as a weapon, more or less. He wanted me to be like the other soldiers; brainwashed like a mindless machine. Without my free will I could be used to kill on command.”

  “And being able to heal unnaturally fast makes you a valuable asset,” he reasoned.

  I nodded. “His mistake was assuming that I would bend to his will like the others.”

  “What was he planning?” His demanding tone made me bristle up like an angry Saber, but I supposed his concern was valid. His clan, and perhaps his family, needed to be protected.

  “There’s no telling what goes on in the General’s evil mind,” I said vaguely. “He didn’t entrust his secrets to me. The other soldiers are expendable. They’re just bodies that do his dirty work for him. But whatever purpose he’s creating them for, it’s not good. Destroying them will destroy his plans.”

  “The captive that we had caged … did you free him?” Thorne’s voice had gone chilly.

  “What?” The sudden change in topic caught me off guard and so did his accusation. “He’s not there?”

  “No and, since you were in our camp while my Warriors and I were not present, you would have had the opportunity to set him free.”

  “He was there the last time I looked. It might have been yesterday evening when I saw you speaking with him. I didn’t think to look this morning.”

  “You did not care for our taking of captives,” Thorne said doubtfully.

  “I swear to you, I didn’t let him go. I may not agree with it, but I would never interfere with your clan’s business.”

  “What were you doing in the camp, if not to free him?”

  Staring up into the dark, I heaved a sigh of frustration. “I wanted to see the horses. I had never seen one in person. I wanted a closer look, that’s all.”

  “So you’ve been close to the camp since we parted?”

  “Yes. I’ll admit that much,” I confessed. “I was hiding up in a tree nearby.”

  “What were you doing?”

  “Just watching,” I said, shrugging.

  “Spying?”

  Annoyed with his skepticism, I rolled my eyes and huffed. “No, of course not. I wasn’t close enough to hear anything that was said. I was only curious.” It would have been more difficult to explain that just being near normal people made me feel a little less lonely for a change. “It’s my turn to ask questions. Why did you help me, Thorne? What do you want with me?”

  There was suspicion in my voice at that last question, but I had to know. Did he still harbor the idea of taking me captive? I would not become a victim because of my blood again. All I wanted was to get to the coast and live in peace.

  “I helped you because I wanted to.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “And you have no ulterior motive?”

  He chuckled. “We have already met our quota of captives for this year. You would not make a good captive.”

  “That sounded like an insult.”

  That deep, throaty laugh escaped Thorne again. “Only if you take it that way, little warrior.”

  Butterflies fluttered through my stomach again at his pet name for me. This was not a good sign. The overbearing brute seemed to enjoy quarrelling with me, and I needed him to keep his distance. Having friends had consequences, just like with Laelynn and her brothers. One of them had just tried to kill me. It seemed no one could be completely trusted.

  “I think I’m done now,” I said, hoping to gain some physical distance from him. I
raised myself up to my elbows. Thorne grasped my hand in an attempt to help me, but I shook him off. I was fumbling around in the dark trying to find a comfortable place to sit when Thorne grabbed hold of me again.

  “Just let me help, woman,” he huffed, clutching my waist and pulling me down beside him. “Is that more comfortable?”

  “No, it isn’t! I’m nearly in your lap.” I tried to escape his grasp and inch away.

  “You are not in my lap. But that can be arranged.”

  “No!” I protested, even as he sniggered in amusement. “It’s not funny!”

  “The look on your face is quite entertaining.”

  I went still in his arms. “How can you see my facial expressions in the dark? I can’t see you at all.”

  “I don’t know,” he said thoughtfully. “But I can see you clearly. I suppose I’ve never had trouble with my vision at night. And now you are frowning for no reason.”

  “There is reason,” I argued. “You are touching me.”

  “You had no trouble holding my hand earlier.”

  I felt my cheeks redden at the reminder. “I was delirious. Now that I’m not bleeding to death, it’s unnecessary. Your touch makes me uneasy.”

  “You do not like me touching you?” he said, even as he tucked stray hairs behind my ear.

  “I’m not accustomed to it,” I whispered, shivering at his touch again.

  Showing him that weakness was a new experience for me, but it was true. I hadn’t been touched in kindness in a long time. Mother tried to be affectionate, but Father always admonished her for it. He hadn’t wanted her to become attached to me because he knew that I would be gone one day. Then there was Kieron …

  “I think I should probably go. Me being here … the soldiers …”

  “I think you are about to insult me and my Warriors,” he interrupted, his breath warm in my ear.

  When I turned to face him, we were inches apart. His eyes were dark and his face was nothing but a shadow. I could barely make out his scars in the dark, and I had the sudden urge to run my fingers over them. Only his obvious attempts to hide them earlier stopped me from doing so.

  “You don’t know who you’re dealing with. My problems with the soldiers aren’t going away. They won’t stop hunting me.”