Finding Valor

by Charlotte Abel

  The boy cringed, hunching his shoulders.

  “It’s not your fault.” Channie reached out to squeeze his shoulder…and zapped him.

  Now it was her turn to cringe. She was thrilled that she’d gotten her powers back, but Chastity’s magic was a pain in the ass. Even with Enchantment’s positive energy to temper its effects, Chastity’s magic continued to plague her. “I’m so sorry.”

  He held his hands up in an “I surrender” gesture and backed away from her. “It’s okay. Just don’t tell no one I told you about the raid…or that I…you know…”

  Channie sighed. “Triggered Chastity’s curse.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I won’t.”

  Channie headed toward her and Josh’s tent to grab some clean clothes. She smelled like the lake and needed a shower. When she poked her head through the flap, she found Josh, sitting on an apple crate, shoulders hunched, head down, and the Book of the Dead, open in his hands.

  He looked so defeated. Grief poured out of him in waves. All her anger fled in the face of his pain.

  He lifted his head. The canvas sides of their tent filtered the early morning sunlight, giving everything a soft, greenish hue. But even in the dim light, he looked pale. His red-rimmed eyes glistened with unshed tears.

  Channie was afraid to ask what’d happened, but she had to know. “Who died?” Please don’t let it be Hunter.

  Josh blinked, as if the question surprised him. “Oh. None of the good guys.”

  She sat down beside him and tried to take the Book of the Dead out of his hands.

  He jerked it away from her. “Don’t touch it!”

  “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” She’d been so focused on Josh she’d forgotten his ‘order’ to never touch the book. She tucked her hands under her thighs.

  “No. I’m sorry for snapping at you. It’s just…” Josh opened the book and showed Channie the latest message.

  No wonder he looked so devastated. If he didn’t let her fight beside him, she’d die.

  Josh groaned. The sound came from deep inside his chest and sounded more like a growl.

  He screamed, “I hate this book!” and flung it across the tent.

  Thanks to the Bowling Green mages, most of the tents had raised wooden floors. They were made from recycled wooden pallets so the gaps between the boards were two inches wide. The Book of the Dead bounced off the canvas side of the tent then slipped into a gap and disappeared.

  “You better get that out of there before the mice find it.”

  “Let ‘em. I don’t care.”

  Channie hated seeing Josh so despondent. She tried to lighten the mood. “Haven’t you ever heard the phrase, ‘Don’t kill the messenger?’”

  “That book is more than just a messenger. It’s alive. And it’s evil.” Josh shoved his hands in his hair then scrubbed his face with his palms. He dropped his hands between his knees and stared at the floor. His voice was barely a whisper. “It talks to me sometimes, in my mind.”

  Channie’s throat constricted. “Do you think it’s…affecting you?”

  “Oh, it’s definitely affecting me. But I’m not losing my mind. At least, I don’t think I am.” He laughed without humor. “How the hell would I know?”

  She stood up then took his hands and tugged him to his feet. Terror squeezed her chest and dried all the moisture from her mouth. She’d seen what the old Book of the Dead did to Momma. She wasn’t about to let the same thing happen to Josh. She swallowed then carved a smile into her wooden face. “Let’s go talk to Aunt Wisdom.”

  Josh wrapped his long fingers around Channie’s waist and pulled her tight against his body. “I have a better idea.”

  “Now?” A tent didn’t provide much privacy, even at night after everyone went to bed.

  “Let’s get out of here.”

  “And go where?”

  “I don’t know…just away from here. I’m so sick of being cooped up in this damn camp.”

  “You should try being stuck in a cabin for months at a time.”

  “Oh, babe.” Josh dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “I’m sorry. After what you went through, I have no right to complain.”

  “What do you say we grab a blanket, a couple of those green pouches of food and go have a picnic.” She slipped her fingers under the hem of Josh’s t-shirt and traced the ridges and valleys of his rock hard belly. “I’ll bet if we climb the bluffs behind the lake, even Hunter Feenie won’t be able to find us.”

  Josh’s eyes darkened as his pupils dilated. He lowered his face to hers.

  She turned her head, offering him her cheek instead of her lips. If he started kissing her, she wouldn’t have the willpower to make him wait until they could escape the hot, humid tent. She wanted to make love to him without worrying about someone walking in uninvited. She wanted to breathe deeply and smell only fresh air and Josh; instead of the ever-present tang of mildew. But most of all, she wanted Josh to forget about the war, if only for an hour or two. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek to make up for dodging his kiss then slid her hand down his arm and wove her fingers through his. “Come on. Let’s get outta here.”

  As soon as they poked their heads outside the tent, Channie heard the familiar whump, whump, whump of the Veyjivik Enterprises helicopter. The sound usually lifted her spirits, but they’d just gotten a supply delivery. They weren’t due for another for two weeks. That could only mean one thing. Trouble.

  ~***~

  Josh dropped Channie’s hand and bolted. She was fast, but not fast enough to keep up with his long legs and powerful muscles. When she got there, Josh and Hunter were already unloading blood-splattered and wounded people off the chopper.

  Channie opened her arms to receive a screaming baby. A quick magical scan revealed no injuries.

  Josh slung a critically injured man over his shoulder then took off towards the medical tent. This time, Channie was able to keep up with him. “What happened?”

  “Someone gave Dominance a list of names…people in Bowling Green loyal to us.”

  Channie gasped.

  “She’s killing them. All of them…and their families.”

  “Oh, Josh.”

  “Go tell Vince to unlock the cage.” Josh adjusted the man on his shoulder then lifted the screaming infant out of Channie’s arms. “We need Wisdom.”

  Luckily the cage and medical tent, weren’t far from the landing pad. Channie dashed down the trail, yelling for Vince and Aunt Wisdom.

  The cage door was already unlocked and swinging on its hinges when Channie got there. Aunt Wisdom and Vince were inside the medical tent, setting up cots and unpacking medical supplies.

  Aunt Wisdom didn’t look up from the box of bandages she was unloading. “Scrub up, Channie. And use a disinfecting spell on your hands.”

  “I haven’t used healing magic since I got my powers back.” She’d been too focused on sharpening her fighting skills.

  “Open your heart-of-hearts. Can you feel all that pain? Something horrible’s happened to a lot of people. I need everyone that has any healing experience at all to report to the medical tent.”

  Josh burst through the tent flaps with the injured man over one shoulder and the baby balanced on his opposite hip.

  Channie grabbed the infant from him so he could lay the wounded man on a cot. He was in bad shape.

  Aunt Wisdom put a hand on his forehead and closed her eyes.

  Josh leaned over and whispered in Channie’s ear, “What’s she doing?”

  “Assessing him.”

  Hunter came in next and laid a moaning woman on another cot.

  Aunt Wisdom gave the man a resigned look then stood up and turned to the woman.

  Josh grabbed Aunt Wisdom’s arm and pointed at the man. “What about him?”

  Aunt Wisdom shook her head. “I’m sorry. I can’t help him.”

  “Well, I can.” Josh spoke through clenched teeth then strode towards the man’s cot.

  “No.”
Channie grabbed his hand.

  Josh looked over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes at her. “Let go.”

  “There’s more wounded coming. You can’t save everyone.”

  “Rider is the leader of the Bowling Green rebels. I have to try.”

  “That’s Rider?” Channie had never met the man, but she’d heard plenty about him.

  Vince stepped in front of Josh, blocking his view of the dying man. “We let Wisdom decide.”

  “But—”

  “She’s a master healer, son. We’ll save more people if we do what she says.”

  “Who died and made her god?”

  The barely contained fury in Josh’s voice frightened Channie. She wasn’t afraid he’d unleash it on Vince, or anyone else, but if Rider died, Josh would blame himself. He’d turn all that raw emotion inward.

  “All she can do is manage resources to the best of her ability and save as many people as she can.” Vince kept his voice low, but there was power behind it. He wasn’t going to let anyone bad mouth Aunt Wisdom, not even Josh.

  “Rider is the leader of the Bowling Green mages. I need him. We all need him.”

  “It’s too late. I’m sorry.”

  “No.” Josh whirled back around. Channie followed his gaze.

  Rider’s pupils were dilated. His lifeless eyes seemed to gaze past the top of the tent. Channie’s own eyes stung but there was no time for grief or even anger. The tent was filling up with wounded and dying people.

  Zen laid an unconscious child on a cot. “This one’s bad. Sucking chest wound.”

  Josh tore away from Channie’s grip and shoved past Vince to get to the child.

  Channie followed then put a hand on Josh’s shoulder and opened her power well. “Use my energy, too.”

  Twelve hours later, they’d stabilized eighty-three men, women and children. Three kids and eight men were still in critical condition. Only time would tell whether or not they’d survive. It was a miracle that the only patient they lost was Rider.

  But Josh didn’t take it well. He sat on an apple crate outside the medical tent. “I could have saved him.”

  Channie knelt in front of him with a bucket of water, a bar of soap and a wash rag. She dipped the rag in the bucket then lifted it to his face. He was covered in blood and gore. After Rider died, he’d refused to give up on anyone else. It was a wonder he hadn’t used up all his reserves and killed himself in the process. “There’s no way of knowing whether or not you could have saved him. You could have poured all your energy into him and he most likely would have died anyway.”

  She rinsed the rag in the bucket, averting her eyes when the water turned pink. “Give me your hand.”

  Josh lifted his right hand. Channie washed his arm from shoulder to fingertips. Someone walked by and silently switched the bucket of bloody water with a pail of fresh, cool, spring water.

  “I guess we’ll never know.” Josh took the rag from Channie and wiped her face. His touch was so gentle, so…comforting. “But I should have at least tried!”

  Channie tried to retake the wash rag, but Josh refused to give it up. She stopped insisting when she realized that performing this simple act of service for her gave him more comfort than her bathing him did. “If you’d spent all your energy healing Rider, you wouldn’t have been able to save anyone else—including his wife and children. What do you think he would have preferred?”

  “I didn’t even know he was married.” Josh wiped between each of Channie’s fingers. “I wasn’t the only healer in there. You or Wisdom or one of the others could have saved them.”

  Channie took Josh’s face in her hands. “Not all of them. Look around. We’re all drained.”

  “Why didn’t they take everyone to the closest hospital? It’s not like they needed to hide magical injuries. All the wounds were caused by bullets…and assholes. This happened in Bowling Green. Why bring them all the way here?”

  “Dominance knows who these people are. They aren’t safe anywhere but here.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  NO GOOD-BYES

  Dominance stared out the plate glass window overlooking the valley below Black Mountain, but the beauty of the landscape barely registered. The sniveling coward kneeling in front of her throne had brought some rather disconcerting news. He was probably just trying to save his own worthless neck, hoping his story of traitors among her trusted advisors, overwhelming rebel forces and an elemental mage that claimed to be one of her spies would impress her enough to pardon his sins. “Explain how you escaped unscathed when the rest of your comrades all fell in battle. Why are you the only survivor?”

  “I think the elemental mage was protecting me. So he could warn you without blowing his cover.”

  She might have believed him if he hadn’t thrown in the wild claim of an elemental mage. Why had he added that? The man was an obvious coward, but he didn’t seem overly stupid.

  She looked down her nose at him. “Tell me more about this elemental mage. Describe him.”

  “He’s young. Somewhere between twenty and twenty-five. And tall. Real tall, at least six and a half feet. He has dark wavy hair and blue eyes…” The man sucked in a quick breath and licked his lips.

  “Go on.”

  “It was dark, but I got a good look at his eyes while he was studying a map with a flashlight.” The coward’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “I’ve only ever seen a few other people with eyes that blue.”

  Dominance clutched the arms of her throne. The Veyjivik line was famous for a lot of things, including sapphire blue eyes. Are you trying to tell me this young man is related to me?”

  “No, my queen.” He tucked his head into his hunched shoulders like a turtle. “I’m just saying his eyes are blue.”

  “As blue as mine?”

  He nodded.

  “Did he tell you his name?”

  “No, my queen.” He kept his head down. “But I heard someone call out to him during the battle.”

  “How do you know it was him?”

  “Because they called him ‘Prince’ Valor.”

  Dominance gasped before she could lock down her emotions. She hated to appear anything less than perfectly poised, no matter how insignificant or lowly her audience. She nodded at the guard holding onto the coward’s left arm. “Execute him.”

  ~***~

  Josh gritted his teeth, trying to keep his freaking head from exploding. The emergency council meeting had been dragging on for hours with no sign of wrapping up anytime soon.

  Half the council wanted to bury their heads in the sand and pretend that the Bowling Green massacre wasn’t their problem. The other half wanted to storm Black Mountain immediately.

  Josh was torn. He wanted revenge for the Bowling Green mages. He wanted Dominance to know that her heinous crimes would not go unpunished. He knew he had to keep Channie by his side but he hated to risk her life by dragging her into battle. The damn book said that she’d die if he didn’t, so he knew he would ultimately let her stay with him, but it never promised to keep her safe if he did. That burden was completely on Josh's shoulders.

  Zen cleared his throat. “We’re lucky that the empties are blaming the death and destruction on arson. But if these battles continue to escalate in size and violence, it will be harder to avoid implicating ourselves. I propose that we send a small task force of our most experienced fighters to Black Mountain and assassinate the bitch.”

  Zen was giving him an easy out. But Josh couldn’t take it. “According to the Book of the Dead, I’m supposed to face Dominance on winter solstice. I can’t do that if she’s already dead.”

  “We can target her top advisors.”

  “I’m not about to send my best men on a suicide mission.”

  Channie squeezed Josh’s hand. “I agree with Zen. We need to take the offensive. But instead of targeting the head of the beast, I say we cut her feet out from under her.”

  Josh was pretty sure that he wasn’t going to like the answer. “How?”
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  “By hunting her roving bands of murderers and taking ‘em out before they can kill any more innocent men, women and children.” Channie smiled at the nodding heads and positive remarks. “Who’s in favor?”

  One by one, each member of the council voted to accept Channie’s plan. But this was not a democracy. The council members were advisors, not legislators. Josh’s vote was the only one that counted.

  He needed the loyalty of his people to strengthen his magic if he had any hope of defeating Dominance. The months he’d spent hiding out with Channie in Colorado had eroded that loyalty. He needed to go on these patrols to regain the ground he’d lost. And he needed to take Channie with him. Not just because the Book of the Dead demanded it. But to prove to everyone, himself included, that the cause they were fighting for was worth any sacrifice.

  Josh dug into the very depths of his soul, searching for the courage he needed to do what was right. He gazed into Channie’s emerald green eyes, burning with the desire to fight beside him. This was her war, too. “Let’s do this.”

  ~***~

  Josh secured his weapon and leaned against the split rail fence to watch the rest of his group fire at the targets. He’d never worked so hard in his life. Not even when he was preparing to race at Grands.

  He and Channie spent every free moment training with Intimidation Nesbit. Josh preferred Zen since he was an ex-marine and had more experience with military weapons, but he’d gone out with the first patrol, actively hunting for Dominance’s death squads.

  Josh and Channie would be leaving with the next patrol as soon as Zen’s team got back and he wanted to be as prepared as possible. That’s why he was out there, shooting at paper targets in the middle of the afternoon instead of lounging in a hammock under a shade tree.

  Sweat trickled down his back, along the hollow of his spine and pooled under his arms. Channie was the only woman at the firing range, so he peeled his shirt off and draped it over the fence. It was far too humid to hope the smelly thing would dry out, but at least it wasn’t clinging to his body.

  He’d never be a great shot, but at least he knew how to clean, load and fire his weapon. Besides, you didn’t have to be a sniper to hit a target with an HK 416 assault rifle. His chewed up target was proof of that.