He nearly collapsed with relief when he rounded the corner and saw Prudence pacing back and forth in her cage—until he noticed a smoldering heap on the ground. He raised his shield and ran to Diego, or what was left of him.
The stench of burned flesh and hair filled Josh’s nose. He knew he was too late, but he knelt at Diego’s side and felt his neck, looking for a pulse. There wasn’t one.
“It was self-defense.” Prudence’s voice was steady, calm.
Josh lifted his chin to look at her.
She pointed at a knife on the ground, next to Diego’s shriveled hand.
“All you had to do was knock him out with a calming spell.” Josh swallowed, tasting bile. “You didn’t have to kill him.”
“He’d never stop trying to avenge…” Prudence’s eyes widened. She snapped her mouth shut. Prudence might be crazy, but she was obviously sane enough to know that she’d screwed up.
“…Abby’s death.” Josh finished the sentence for her. “So you do remember.”
Prudence grabbed the bars of the cage and pressed her face between them. “Give me my book!”
“It’s not. Your. Book.” Josh gritted his teeth.
Prudence shot both arms through the bars and tried to grab Josh. “You and that little bitch will pay for what you’ve done.”
Josh’s magic poured out of his gut like a raging river. He gathered it into his hands. It was time for this psycho bitch to die.
Prudence raised her shield and backed away from him.
He’d blasted through the shields of the Black Mountain guards. Prudence would not be able to stop him.
Pain exploded in the back of Josh’s head. He heard the echo of Prudence’s laughter as he passed out.
When he regained consciousness, the first thing he noticed was a creaking sound. He opened his eyes and groaned when he found the cage door swinging back and forth.
Prudence was gone.
Chapter Nine
SAFEHOUSE
A white flash of pain blinded Josh. He made it to his hands and knees before he threw up. When his stomach was empty, he crawled away from the mess then used the bars of the empty cage to pull himself into a sitting position. The two trees in front of him, moved towards each other then merged into one. Double vision, vomiting, headache… Josh recognized the signs. He had a nasty concussion. “What happened?”
He reached back and touched his throbbing skull. His hair was sticky and matted. A bloody rock, close to where he’d fallen, confirmed his suspicions. Someone had knocked him out. Josh’s eyes rolled into the back of his head. When he opened them, Tim was crouched in front of him, holding his cheeks in his hands.
“Valor? What happened?”
“Prudence killed Diego. I was getting ready to…deal with her…when someone snuck up behind me and hit me in the back of the head with a rock.” A mixture of rage and fear bubbled up inside Josh. “Prudence is gone.”
Tim sighed. “So’s Wisdom.”
“Do you think she helped Prudence escape?”
He nodded. “Wisdom told me to keep everyone down at the lake until she got back. I thought it was a strange order, but figured she had her reasons. After a couple of hours, I decided I better go check things out. I found the guards about fifty feet from here.”
Josh pressed his fingertips against his pounding temples. “Are they okay?”
“They will be. She used a mighty powerful be-calm spell on ‘em.” Tim gently moved Josh’s head to the side. “That’s a nasty wound. Why’d Wisdom cold cock you with a rock?”
“I already had my shield up, to protect myself from Prudence.” Josh blinked against the pain. “We need to get a team together and go after them.”
“You ain’t going nowhere with a concussion.”
“Help me get to my tent and then go find Hunter.”
~***~
A mild tapping noise woke Channie the next morning. It took her a few moments to remember where she was…and what’d happened to her. She crept downstairs and peeked out through the peephole in the door. Vengeance Veyjivik was standing on the front porch with a key in his hand.
Bile rose in her throat. She ran to the kitchen and yanked open drawer after drawer, searching for something, anything, she could use as a weapon. There wasn’t even a butter knife. She grabbed a fork with each hand and ran to the door. The element of surprise was critical. She wouldn’t get more than one chance.
Vince knocked again.
What the hell was he waiting for? He had a key. Most kidnappers would’ve just barged in, wouldn’t they?
“Channie? I know you’re in there. Open the door.”
“Keep away from me you pervert!”
“What?” Vince sounded shocked.
“I saw all them skimpy skivvies in the drawers upstairs? What did you do to me while I was unconscious?”
Vince groaned so loudly, Channie could hear it through the door. “You’re my son’s wife, for gods’ sake.”
“Pervert.”
“Channie, listen to me. I didn’t do anything except kidnap you. A woman can tell whether or not her body’s been abused. How do you feel?”
Channie thought about it for awhile and realized Vince was right. “Okay, so you haven’t done anything…yet. What about all them skimpy skivvies in the drawers upstairs? Why’d you buy such nasty underwear for me? Huh?”
“I didn’t buy any of the clothes or undergarments in that house.”
“Oh yeah? Then who did?”
“A female friend of one of my associates. That’s what I need to talk to you about. May I come in?”
“I can hear you just fine through the door.” Channie peeked through the peephole again.
Vince sighed and dropped his chin. “Fine. I just wanted to let you know that I’m leaving, but my associate, the one with the dirty-minded girlfriend, will check on you while I’m gone.”
Channie’s heart stuttered. What if his ‘associate’ was another scumbag tracker? She shuddered as the memory of Harvey invaded her mind. “I don’t want your ‘associate’ checking on me.”
“He won’t hurt you, I promise. As long as you don’t try to escape.”
“If I don’t try to escape, my death pledge will kill me.”
“Not if the attempt would also result in your demise. And that’s exactly what will happen if you try to get past my containment spells.” Vince cleared his throat. “Well, anyway, I just wanted you to know that I didn’t forget about you.”
“Pervert.”
Vengeance touched the brim of his hat as he nodded then whirled around and stormed down the path.
Channie watched through the peephole until he disappeared into the forest then turned around and leaned against the door for support. She slid down its length until her butt hit the floor.
~***~
The first thing Josh did when he got back to camp was check to see if the Book of the Dead was still in his backpack. It was. That meant that Wisdom was in charge when she and Prudence left camp. There was no way Prudence would leave without that book.
Josh’s concussion improved, but he remained in a state of intense anxiety. Wisdom had taken the satellite phone with her so there was no way to keep in touch with Hunter and Tim. The waiting was unbearable. So was the guilt. Savvy, CoCo and Zeal refused to leave his side. Their grief-stricken faces were a constant reminder that if he’d just obeyed the Book of the Dead and killed Prudence immediately, Diego would still be alive.
Josh had no patience for anyone other than the trips and cancelled all training sessions and arbitration meetings indefinitely.
By the time Tim and Hunter returned, nearly forty hours later, Josh was so consumed with remorse, he knew he wouldn’t have any problem killing Prudence.
But one look at their faces told him that he wouldn’t be doing it today.
Hunter’s shoulders slumped. “I tracked them all the way to Wisdom’s Academy of Magic and Modern Living, but they was long gone by the time we got there.”
&
nbsp; “And you just gave up?” Josh shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from punching Hunter in the face.
“Wisdom kept a 2002 Ford Focus in the school’s garage. It’s gone. I can’t track ‘em on foot.” A note of frustration crept into Hunter’s voice. “My motorcycle’s still in Kentucky. Remember?”
“I have to go.” Josh fisted his hands in his hair. “I have to protect Channie.”
“They’re headed east, not west.” Tim rested a hand on Josh’s shoulder, obviously trying to comfort him. “So that means Wisdom’s still in control. Channie’s safe, for now.”
“For how long?” Josh shrugged off Tim’s hand. “Just because Wisdom was in charge when they left, doesn’t mean it’ll stay that way.”
“If Prudence gets the upper hand, she’ll come back looking’ for the Book of the Dead before she goes searching for Channie.”
“Probably, but I’m not willing to take that chance.”
“Me neither.” Hunter folded his arms across his chest. “I’m going back with Josh.”
“What about Freedom Ridge?” The corners of Tim’s eyes creased with worry. “Who’s going to keep this place running if you leave?”
Josh didn’t even hesitate. “You are.”
For the first time since Josh’d arrived at Freedom Ridge, the council was united. None of them wanted him to leave. He wanted to leave immediately, but decided to wait for the next supply run from Veyjivik Enterprises. That would give him a few more hours to be sure everyone understood that Tim was in charge. It would also be faster if he could persuade Zen to reroute the helicopter to Colorado. Not only would the trip be faster, it would be safer. Safe enough to take the trips with him. He’d asked for volunteers to foster the boys, but when no one was willing to take all three of them, he didn’t have the heart to split them up.
The only sign that Zen disagreed with Josh’s decision to leave camp was a slight tightening of his mouth. The trip to Colorado was blessedly uneventful. As soon as he got a signal on his cell phone, Josh called Vince to let him know that Prudence had escaped. They both had to use magic to enhance their hearing, and even then the noise of the helicopter made it hard to understand each other. So Josh waited until they landed to refuel to call Dad and let him know he was coming home. And that he was bringing company. When they landed at Boulder Municipal Airport, Dad and Liz were already there with three car seats installed in the middle bench of a rental van.
The trips remembered Dad and Liz and crawled into the van without a word. Josh shook Zen’s hand. “Thanks for everything. Buy at least eight satellite phones, one for you and Tim and one for each council member. Be sure the council members understand it’s only for emergencies. This inability to communicate is ridiculous.”
“Yes, sir.” Zen nodded then turned and trotted back to the helicopter.
Josh climbed into the back of the van with Hunter and waited for the trips to doze off. He cast a sound dampening spell around the little boys then leaned forward. “Vince said you found a safe house for Channie above Nederland.”
Dad glanced at him in the rearview mirror and smiled. “It belonged to an eccentric old recording star that liked his privacy. It met all of Vince's requirements and it’s only a forty-five minute drive from Monarch so I bought it.”
“I’m not going back to school.”
“Yes. You are.”
“Dad! I have to protect Channie.”
“Vince and I have already taken care of it. He’s got the entire perimeter protected with magic, even though there’s only one way onto the property. And I hired Blackthorne Security company to guard the cabin. Their guys are all ex-military with combat experience. Channie couldn’t be any safer.”
“Are they mages?”
“No. But they can handle any threats during the day while you’re at school.”
“Not as good as I can.” Josh was done leaving Channie’s protection in anyone else’s hands but his. “If Prudence hadn’t escaped, I wouldn’t have a problem with it, but—”
“Channie’s Aunt Wisdom called and told me she has everything under control. She and her sister are in Orlando.”
“Orlando?” Josh exchanged a look with Hunter then caught Dad’s gaze in the rearview. “I don’t believe it.”
“She said you wouldn’t.” Dad tossed Josh his cellphone. “That’s why she took a video of the two of them inside Splash Mountain.”
Josh watched the video clip on Dad’s phone. He recognized the animatronic characters on the famous ride. He must have ridden that thing at least a hundred times with Elijah the last time they were there. He also recognized Wisdom and Prudence, sitting in the log-shaped cars that moved people through the ride. “That clip could have been doctored.”
“That would have been incredibly difficult to do. Besides, she sent it to me live.”
“Oh.” Josh took a deep breath as the significance of this news sank in. Even if Prudence were able to get away from Wisdom, it would take hours for her to get to Colorado from Orlando.
“Here’s the deal, Josh.” Dad used his serious, courtroom voice. “Either you go to school, or Vince and I aren’t going to tell you where Channie is.”
Josh leaned in close to Hunter and spoke out of the side of his mouth. “Can you find her?”
“Sure, but we ain’t gonna get past Vince's protection spells if he wants to keep us out.” Hunter shrugged. “You should just go to school. This war ain’t gonna last forever. You need to graduate so you can get a good job. You got a baby on the way.”
“A high school diploma isn’t going to make any difference. I need a college degree.”
Dad cleared his throat. “I made a deal with Wisdom. Someone wants to kill her sister so she’s going to keep moving to keep her safe. As long as I don’t tell anyone, including you, where she is, she promised to call my office everyday at 3:30 from a pay phone. If she fails to make the call, then we’ll know to be on the lookout for Prudence.”
“Okay, fine.” Josh was glad that Wisdom hadn’t told Dad that he was the ‘someone’ that wanted to kill Prudence. He was also grateful that Wisdom was willing to gamble on Dad’s integrity in order to protect Channie. She didn’t know Dad’s reputation, but Josh did. That lead was a dead end. “I’ll go to school. But I’m moving into the safe house with Channie.”
~***~
Two armed men met the van at the gate and demanded to see everyone’s IDs. They were polite and kept their rifles pointed at the ground, but they were every bit as formidable as Intimidation Nesbitt. One of them examined the undercarriage of the van with a lighted mirror. The other one leaned down to speak with Dad through the window. “Mr. Vincent is waiting for your arrival at the turnabout.”
They drove another quarter mile and found Vince leaning against Josh’s Rav4. Everyone, but the trips, piled out of the van.
Vince reached for Josh with both arms, but changed his mind at the last second and shook his hand instead. He must have noticed Josh’s uneasiness and decided to spare him the awkwardness of hugging him in front of Dad.
After a round of greetings they got down to business. Josh turned towards Vince. “Did you tell Channie that you were leaving and that Hunter would be in charge while you were gone?”
“I dropped in on her right after you called this afternoon. But I didn’t tell her who was coming. I just told her that an associate of mine would check on her.”
It was nine-thirty, now, so that meant Channie had been worrying about who might be checking on her for eight and a half hours. Josh had resisted the urge to connect with her through their bond. He didn’t want her to sense his closeness and worry about him falling into Vince's trap.
Hunter chuckled. “Is she going to try to conk me over the head with a frying pan or something?”
“Probably.” Vince didn’t even crack a smile. “You need to be careful. There aren’t any guns or sharp knives in the house, but Channie is resourceful. Make sure she recognizes you before she has a chance to kill you.”
> Hunter nodded. “Will do.”
“It’s been a long day.” Josh yawned and stretched, but everyone saw through his ploy to move things along a little faster.
Dad laughed as he pulled Josh into another hug. “Be careful, son.”
“I will.”
“And don’t worry about Channie’s nephews. We’ll take good care of them.”
Josh cringed. He’d forgotten about the stinging spells that had covered Diego in welts. “I should have warned you about these guys.”
Dad chuckled. “I’m sure they’re a handful, but they can’t be any worse than you or Elijah.”
“Actually…they’re a lot worse. They can’t control their magic when they get upset.”
“Already?” Vince's eyes widened. “They can’t be more than five years old.”
“What do you mean they can’t control their magic?” Dad glanced at the trips then returned his attention to Josh. “I won’t put Liz in danger.”
Liz cupped Dad’s cheek with her palm. “It’s okay, Ezra. Look at them. They’re just children.”
Josh knew that Dad was picturing Liz after she’d been attacked.
Vince said, “Even if they wanted to hurt someone, they don’t have the ability to do more than surface damage.”
“Surface damage?” Dad narrowed his eyes.
“Stinging spells, itching spells, that sort of thing. Annoying and uncomfortable, but not dangerous.”
“I’ve got an idea.” Josh grinned as he remembered something Hunter had told him. “Before I knew I was a mage, Channie made a shield for me, to protect me from her chastity curse and her parents. I can do the same for you and Liz.”
Hunter wrinkled his nose and cocked his head to the side. “That ain’t gonna work.”
“Why not?”
“Your shield tapped into your energy without you even knowing it. Ezra and Liz ain’t got no powers to draw on. Any shield you build for them is gonna need to be recharged at least once a day.”
“Damn.” Josh looked at Vince. “Can you do it?”
“I can when I’m around, but I really do need to leave. There’s still a war going on and we can’t afford to relax our recruiting efforts.”
Finding Valor Page 28
