“Yeah. A powerful song for those who need a bright spot to hold onto.”
“Doc,” Lia said softly and placed her hand on his, “the whole world needs a hero. You’re our last chance. You won’t be facing them alone, either. You have your allies and friends.”
Doc nodded, looking at her hand on his. “It’s different. I’ve always been alone, but now I have friends, two wives, and a place I want to call home. I find that even more daunting. If I fuck up, it’s not just me that will pay, but the people I care about.”
“Yes, it is difficult,” Lia agreed. “But there’s only one way to truly fail.”
“To give up. Yeah. You have my back?”
Lia gave his hand a squeeze. “This is my home, and you’ve helped restore it to me. I will have your back.”
Doc calmed when she said that. “Thank you, Lillianna.”
“You’re welcome, Mr. Holyday.”
Doc laughed. “Okay, that’s too formal for me.”
“I prefer Lia, but an occasional use of my full name is fine.”
“Noted.”
“Doc, come quick!” Ivan shouted, bursting into the room. “Rangvald’s been shot!”
Doc was on his feet instantly. “Where?”
“The bank! With the wagon!” Ivan gasped, winded from running to get him.
Doc was out the door as quickly as he could run. His blood felt as cool as the rain falling on him. He could see the dwarves by the wagon— a number of them looked wary and were holding guns, ready for use. Two of them had bandages on their arms, damp with blood.
“Rangvald!?” Doc barked as he got closer.
“Back here!” one of the dwarves shouted from the rear of the wagon.
Doc found Rangvald laying in the back. He was white and wheezing, his eyes glassy. “Fucking hell,” Doc grimaced when he saw the three gunshot wounds in Rangvald’s chest. Not saying a thing, he summoned healing hands and pressed them onto Rangvald’s chest.
Rangvald gasped when Doc’s energy hit his body. His eyes shifted, as if looking for him. “Doc…? Ambushed… s-sorry.”
“Shut it!” Doc snarled as he poured all he could into the dwarf. “I’ll hear it when you can look me in the eye.”
Rangvald’s eyes rolled up and he slumped over. Doc grimaced, but didn’t relent.
“Left pocket!” Doc snapped. “Feed it to him!”
The dwarf who’d been there pulled the vial clear of Doc’s pocket and quickly poured it into Rangvald’s mouth, rubbing his Adam’s apple as he did. “We got ambushed. Five men, all dead, three hours ago. They hit him first, and we made them pay for it. We came as fast as we could.”
Doc ignored him, entirely focused on Rangvald. Heart and his lungs are safe, but his liver, stomach, and spleen all got it. Need to close the stomach first... keep as much inside as possible. Then his liver and spleen.
Doc felt his energy bottom out and his vitality start to drain as he kept pushing to heal Rangvald. More voices came close, shouting and angry, but Doc ignored them. He had a task, and he’d see it done.
Woozy and eyes trying to close, Doc knew he’d stopped the worst of it, but Rangvald wasn’t out of danger. Need to push a little more...
The heavy hand that gripped his shoulder ripped him away from Rangvald. “Unlicensed healing outside of a house of worship? That’s a crime!” Grange snarled. “You’ll be coming with me.”
Doc tried to refute his words, but his eyes wouldn’t focus and he couldn’t form the words he needed.
“Grange, you can’t arrest him,” Lia’s voice penetrated his fog-addled mind.
“Lia, you stay out of this!” Grange snapped. “He committed a crime right in front of me. He’s under arrest.”
“You can’t do that!” Ivan shouted. “He’s saving Rangvald!”
“A crime is a crime!” Grange spat. “Now, back down! Deputies, if anyone tries to stop me, shoot them.”
Fido and Spot both grimaced as they reluctantly drew guns. “Stay back, please,” Fido said.
“All of you, stand down,” Lia said grimly. “Just let the sheriff take him. We’ll deal with it. Ivan, feed this to Rangvald. I’m sure he’s not done being healed, yet.”
“Lia, I—” Doc began trying to turn to find her.
“Don’t resist!” Grange snarled.
A sharp pain crashed into Doc’s head and darkness claimed him.
Chapter Thirty-nine
Doc felt woozy when he came to. He’d had odd dreams— bits and flashes that all seemed so real: Lia calling out for him to stay strong. Worried dwarven voices wondering if he’d be okay. Spot and Fido carrying him down the street, softly whispering that they were sorry. Iron bars and a moldy cot in an unpleasant room. Fiala, Sonya, and Ayla all calling to him with worried faces from behind the bars.
Sitting up, his head throbbed, and Doc gingerly touched the back of his skull. He found a tender spot that had swollen up to the size of an egg. “What happened?” he asked the air as his vision swam, then shivered as if freezing.
“Oh, the guy in number two is awake,” a crass voice laughed. “Pissed off the sheriff, is my guess. Haven’t seen Grange smiling like that in months. The dogs seemed unhappy, though.”
“Fido and Spot,” Doc corrected the man without thinking. “Not dogs.” Shuddering again, Doc tried to think, but his brain felt like congealed oatmeal.
“Right,” the man laughed. “With those names, they know they’re dogs, and so does everyone else.”
Head throbbing as the man laughed, Doc mumbled, “Fuck off, idiot. Lady, my head hurts.” Another shudder made his head pound harder, and he sneezed, adding more pain to his life. Triggering healing hands, Doc sighed in relief as the pain faded, and the incipient cold he had was killed.
“Guard! Guard! Come quick!” the man shouted.
“What the hell is it, Chuck?” a deeper, older voice asked crossly.
“He used magic!” Chuck said. “He’s a mage.”
The jailer looked at Doc, whose hands were still glowing. “Well, fuck me sideways.” The distinctive click of a hammer being drawn back came just before he spoke again, “Mage, stop it right now, or I’ll have to stop you.”
Doc let the power fade, thankfully feeling better already. “I was just fixing my head. I didn’t mean to startle you.” Looking up, he saw an older man with gray hair staring at him with his single blue eye.
“Damned deputies should’ve warned me that you were a mage.”
“I’m not a mage,” Doc clarified. “I’m a faith healer.”
“Oh, that explains it,” the man said as he eased the hammer down and holstered his gun. “Judge will be seeing you soon.”
“Same day trial?” Doc asked.
The jailer snickered. “You’ve been out since they brought you in. It’s tomorrow morning to you.”
“Glad I survived the major concussion,” Doc said tightly, holding his anger in. “Is there breakfast?”
The jailer laughed. “Only if you’re here for dinner.”
Doc met the jailer’s single eye. “I won’t be. I don’t even recall why I’m here.”
“Happens with head injuries,” the jailer snorted. “Just don’t do no more funny stuff.”
“Oh, come on, Alton. He used magic! You should put the special manacles on him,” Chuck grinned. “Been ages since you used them.”
Doc looked over at Chuck, finding a man of middle years who was the very definition of town drunk. “Special manacles?”
Alton shook his head. “He’s not a mage, just some deluded fool who thinks gods are real, Chuck. Now, pipe down.”
Doc looked at the cell he was in and grimaced. “Shithole” described it well. The iron bars that blocked the way out were slightly pitted, and the floor had been scuffed repeatedly where it wasn’t covered in damp straw. The pile Doc had been on looked even worse, and he nearly vomited when he caught sight of the dead rat where he’d been laying.
I so need a bath when I get out of here, Doc thought with
a shudder.
“So, what’d you do?” Chuck asked with a smirk. “Alton won’t hear us unless we raise our voices, so be frank with me.”
“I can’t be frank with you,” Doc said, giving the drunk a glance. “I’m Doc, not Frank.”
The drunk frowned as he tried to puzzle out what Doc said.
“You’re an ass,” Chuck sneered. “No idea what those three bitches see in you. Well, besides a human who’ll stoop to their level. Even I wouldn’t go dicking a cat, dwarf, and breed.”
Doc’s eyes twitched, but he just turned his back on Chuck as he continued to look over the room.
“Will they cry when you get found guilty?” Chuck snickered. “Maybe I’d give the breed a chance, at least.”
Doc wondered if the concussion might not have been better than listening to Chuck.
“Are her ears as sensitive as an elf’s? I hear those pointy-eared harlots can get off just by having their points nibbled, and I’m not talking about their nipples, either,” Chuck brayed.
The scuff of boots coming their way made Chuck stifle his laughter. Alton was there a moment later with a grin.
“Holyday, come here.”
Doc moved to the bars. “Yes?”
“Hands,” Alton demanded, tapping the food slot in the middle of the door with a finger.
Doc pushed his hands through the slot and watched as Alton locked the manacles on his wrists. Once he was locked up, Alton unlocked the door and pulled Doc from the cell. Stumbling a step, as he hadn’t expected to be moved so roughly, Doc almost fell, but managed to catch himself on the far wall.
“Walk,” Alton snapped. “Down the hall.”
Doc turned and walked before he could be encouraged to do so. When he came to an open doorway, he saw Grange waiting for him. The sheriff watched him with a smirk.
“Grange,” Doc said stiffly as pieces of memory floated back to him.
“Holyday. I told you I’d be there to arrest you when you fucked up,” Grange snickered.
Doc met the large man’s eyes. “Just happened to be nearby when a friend of mine was bleeding to death?”
“Are you implying something?” Grange asked menacingly.
Doc shook his head and stopped walking a couple of feet from the sheriff.
Grange snorted and looked at Alton. “He’s signed for. I’m taking him up now. Should have him back down in a couple of minutes. It’s an open and shut crime.”
Alton shrugged. “Sure, sure. I’ll be here, as always.”
Doc caught sight of the cot in a corner of the room, as well as a heavily-locked chest under it. “Where are my things?”
“Be quiet!” Grange said, cuffing Doc in the back of the head.
Doc winced, but since Grange wasn’t holding a pistol this time, he didn’t collapse.
“They’re locked up for now, and if the judge lets you go, you can come claim them,” Alton said. “Until then, get him out of my lockup.”
Grange grabbed Doc by the left bicep with bruising force and pulled him toward the thick wooden door on the far wall. “If you don’t walk, I’ll make you walk,” Grange told him.
Doc did his best to move quickly, giving Grange little chance to manhandle him. Up a short flight of stairs, Doc found himself behind a building. Forced through a door nearby, Doc knew where he was a moment later, as the double doors of the courtroom were just ahead of him.
There was a commotion coming from behind those doors, and when Grange opened one, Doc smiled. The courtroom was packed with his friends and allies. At the front of the viewing area, his wives stood side by side with Ayla, Lia, and surprisingly, Sophia.
“Grange, this had better be good,” the judge said sternly. “This circus has been waiting here for nearly an hour.”
“My deputies should’ve given you the charges,” Grange said, giving Spot a hard look.
“I have the charge,” Bero said, “but I don’t have any damned statements.”
Grange gave the room a hard look. “I was going to tell the court when I brought him up. I didn’t expect this.”
“You should have,” Lia said.
“Order!” Bero snapped, pounding his gavel. “I’ll hold people in contempt if they speak out of turn. Even you.”
Lia stared at the judge for a moment before she bowed her head.
“Bring the accused forward,” Bero said. “We’ll read the charge and hear his plea.”
Grange brought Doc a few feet from the judge. “I have Doc Holyday here for illegal healing, your honor.”
“Holyday, you’ve heard the charge. How do you plead?”
“Your honor,” Sophia said quickly before Doc could speak, “I’m here on behalf of the accused.”
Bero turned a firm gaze to Sophia. “Miss Sagesse, I’ve warned the room of what would happen if someone spoke out of turn.”
“But you never asked if he had legal counsel, and he does: me.”
Bero blinked. “I see. Holyday, is Sophia Sagesse your counsel?”
“Yes,” Doc said simply. Having seen her with the others, he was certain one of them had set this up.
“Very well. Counsel, did you have a plea to enter on behalf of your client?”
Sophia moved through the gate and came to stand beside Doc. “He is innocent, your honor.”
Grange barked a laugh. “Innocent? I caught him breaking the law myself!”
“Sheriff,” Bero said stiffly, “you’ll get your chance. Just wait.” Clearing his throat, Bero looked at the full room. “A plea of innocence has been entered. Take your seats. Sheriff, you may take the box first.”
Sophia guided Doc to the table near the audience on the right half of the room. “I’ll handle this, Doc,” she said softly. “I’ve already heard the story.”
Doc gave her a smile and whispered, “Thank you.”
Grange took a seat in the box to the judge’s left and raised his left hand. “I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, or may Apoc strike me down.”
“Very good,” Bero said. “Take your time and tell us what happened.”
“I was doing a round through the town and it began to rain. Not wanting to deal with it, I was heading back to my office. As I got closer to the bank, I saw the accused, Holyday, at the back of a wagon. His hands were glowing green and, when I got closer, I saw that the injured dwarf in the back of the wagon was healing. Knowing Holyday isn’t a licensed healer, as only Doctor Whittaker is, I moved to stop him from breaking the law.”
“I note there’d been a second charge, Sheriff,” Bero said when Grange paused. “It was retracted by yourself. Why?”
“Holyday tried to pull away from me and I had to subdue him,” Grange said. “He went down hard. His friends,” Grange gestured at the crowd, “argued that he’d just been surprised and my strike might’ve done significant damage. I dropped the charge to mollify them that I was just doing my job.”
“I see. Did he, or did he not, resist?” Bero pressed Grange.
“I felt that he did,” Grange said.
“The court is adding a charge of resisting arrest to the accused,” Bero said. “How does the accused plead to the new charge?”
“Innocent, as he never should’ve been arrested to begin with, making the new charge moot,” Sophia replied with a clipped tone.
Bero stared at her again. “Miss Sagesse, you would do well to remember your tone when addressing the court.”
“I am doing my best, but when a false arrest leads to charges, it becomes difficult.”
Grange got to his feet. “Are you accusing me of something?”
Sophia gave him a small smile. “Of course not, Sheriff. Everyone can make mistakes.”
Bero banged his gavel. “Order! Sheriff, is there anything else to add?”
“No, your honor.”
“You may step down, but do not go far.”
“Yes, your honor.”
Once Grange was sitting at the other table, Bero turned to Sophia. “Did
you have anything to bring before the court?”
“I have a few people to make statements,” Sophia replied. “Elder Becker, would you take the stand, please?”
Elder Becker stood up from the crowd. Doc’s eyebrows rose slightly when he saw her, as she was wearing chainmail with leather underneath it. Various decorations dotted the ensemble that Doc had a feeling spoke volumes to those who knew them.
Cashing In (Luck's Voice Book 2) Page 32
