Finding Valor (20 page)

“Whatever.” Josh lowered his shield and jumped out of the car.

Hunter burst through the double doors of the bar and hugged Josh so tightly he couldn’t breathe. “I’m so glad to see you.”

Josh patted him on the back then pried himself loose. “I’m glad to see you, too. Where’s Channie?”

Hunter’s eyes widened as he stared at Vince. “Who’s that?”

“My father.” Josh cringed for calling Vince ‘father’—that title belonged exclusively to Ezra—but he didn’t know how else to identify Vince without saying his name.
 

“Your father?” Hunter’s voice rose as all the color drained from his face.

“Yeah.” Josh craned his neck around Hunter and tried to peer into the bar through the swinging doors. “Is Channie in there?”

“No.”

Josh grabbed Hunter’s shoulders and shook him. “Where is she?”

“At her place.”

“Why isn’t she with you?”

“Her momma gave her orders not to leave.”

“Then why aren’t you with her? What are you doing hanging out in a bar while she’s still in danger?”

“Calm down.” Vince put his hands over Josh’s and pried his fingers off Hunter’s arms. He nodded at a couple leaning against the side of a pickup. They’d interrupted their make-out session to watch the unfolding drama. “We need to go someplace a little more private to discuss this.”

Hunter rubbed his arms where Josh had grabbed him a little too roughly. He shot a sideways glance at Vince then frowned at Josh. “Can we trust him?”

“The jury’s still out on that.” Josh tried to break the tension with humor. It didn’t work. “He’s on our side.”

Hunter shoved his hands in his front pockets. His only greeting was a quick nod in Vince's direction. “Mr. Vey—”

“Call me Vince.” He locked gazes with Hunter. “My name’s Vince Javick.”

“Hunter Brown.”

Vince smiled. “Fair enough.”

Josh’s head was about to explode. “Come on!”

“Follow me. I’ll take you to where me and Shep’s holed up.” Hunter hopped into the broken down pickup and cranked the starter three times before the engine coughed to life.

It took an hour and a half to reach the quarry…and the hut where Josh and Channie began their lives together. Flashbacks inundated Josh. He was already wired. The extra energy from the flashbacks was better than the headaches, but he was twitching like a crack addict. It took three of Vince's be-calm spells to stop Josh’s trembling. It would have been worth it if he’d been able to hang onto the memories. But they faded as soon as the flashbacks ended.

There was barely enough room for the four men inside the shack. Josh and Vince sat on the edge of the bed while Hunter and Shep sat on wooden boxes.
 

Josh’s heart broke as Hunter explained Channie’s situation. “So, until we figure out a way to break her death-pledge, she’s stuck.”

Vince shifted his weight, making the bedsprings squeak. “There’s only two ways to break a death pledge. And I seriously doubt that Channie’s mother is going to release her voluntarily. Someone needs to kill Prudence.”

Hunter scratched the back of his head. “Channie’s momma wasn’t always a crazy bitch. She was downright nice until she started using the Book of the Dead.”

Vince's body stiffened. “Is she the one that stole it?”

“In all fairness, she’s the one that dug it up in the first place.” Hunter refused to meet Josh’s eyes. “Channie and Josh took it from her.”

“Is that true?” A vein on the side of Vince's head throbbed. He widened his eyes, stretching the surrounding scars. It looked painful.

“I don’t remember.”

“Oh, it’s true all right.” Hunter nodded slowly. “But the book burned Josh’s name on the cover—well, actually, it wrote Joshua Veyjivik—that’s how we figured out Josh was the royal mage the Book of the Dead wanted Channie to marry. And then later, after he got his power-name, it changed it to Valor Veyjivik. It’s obvious the book wants to belong to Josh.”

“We have to get that book back!” Vince's fervor was more than a little disconcerting.

“We can look for the book after Channie’s safe.”

“If Prudence figures out how to reclaim the book’s loyalty, there’s nothing anyone can do to save any of us, including Channie.”

“You’re talking about that book as if it were alive.”

“That’s because it
is
alive.” Vince lifted his hat and wiped the sweat off his scarred head. A few patches of grey fluff clung to his scalp, giving it the appearance of a newly hatched robin. He jammed his hat back on his head. “It holds the combined powers and intellect of every mage that’s ever died to fulfill its sacrificial demands.”
 

“No wonder the book’s advice is confusing. It’s got multiple personality disorder.”
 

“It’s a powerful weapon. Whoever controls the Book of the Dead controls the fate of all mages. We have to get it back while your name is still engraved on the cover.”

Josh stared at his hands, hanging limply between his knees. All he wanted to do was grab Channie and get them both as far away from there as possible. Something deep inside his chest ached. It wasn’t the familiar tug of the heart-bond, but something else, something equally as powerful. He didn’t understand what he was feeling, or why, but he knew finding Prudence and the Book of the Dead was his responsibility. His duty. “How am I supposed to find it?”

Josh had spoken quietly, under his breath, but Hunter answered him. “Channie said her momma was looking for Ms. Wisdom. We should probably try to contact her and find out if she’s showed up or not. Once we find Prudence, we’ll find the book.”

“First, I want to get Channie out of that cabin and so far away her mother can never find her.”
 

Shep frowned. “I already tried kidnapping her. She said that I had to prove I was willing to kill her or she wouldn’t go with me. I couldn’t do it.”

“Why didn’t you knock her out with a calming spell?”

“And then what? I’d have to keep her tied up all the time. She’s better off in the cabin where she can at least move around.”

“Keep her unconscious until I…take care of the problem.” If Josh couldn’t say ‘until I kill her mother’ out loud, how the hell was he supposed to actually do it?

“It takes too much energy to keep a person knocked out for more than a few hours. Ain’t none of us got that kind of power.”

I do.
The star sapphire grew warm against Josh’s chest. He pressed his palm over the gem to hide its glow from Hunter and Shep and glanced at Vince.
 

He shook his head then rested his hand on Josh’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. It was a comforting gesture, something Dad would’ve done if he were there. “You can’t keep her unconscious for more than a couple of days without jeopardizing her health.”

“Then you have to take her. Channie already knows the Veyjiviks are tracking her. She’ll fight you, but she won’t force you to ‘prove’ you’re willing to kill her. She’ll be expecting it.”

The scars on Vince's face kept his expression hard, but his eyes softened. “Do you really want to put her through the ordeal of another kidnapping? Hasn’t she suffered enough?”

“She’s suffered more in the past six months than any one person should have to endure in their entire lifetime.” Josh propped his elbows on his knees and dropped his head into his hands. “I have a feeling that if we don’t get her out of there, something horrible is going to happen.”

Hunter stood up and stretched. “Josh’s ‘feelings’ tend to come true. I vote you kidnap her.”

“I don’t like it.” Vince looked at Hunter then Shep. “Can the two of you get Valor safely to Wisdom’s hideout? Do you even know where it is?”

Shep nodded. “I do. But there’s a blood barrier spell blocking the only entrance. No one with Veyjivik blood can pass.”

“Then one of you will have to go in first and bring Wisdom to Josh.”

Shep gave Hunter a questioning look. Hunter nodded for him to continue.
 

“Our momma was a Veyjivik. She run off and married our daddy when Dominance started killing folks.”

Vince blinked three times then studied both boys’ faces. “What was her name?”

“Pride Veyjivik. Did you know her?”

“We grew up together. Pride was one of my favorite cousins. How is she?”

“Dead.” Shep narrowed his eyes. “Thanks to your mother.”

Vince bowed his head. “I’m so sorry.”

Hunter brushed tears out of his eyes. “We need to get the Book of the Dead back to Josh before we lose any more of our family.”

“Just get me to the entrance. I’ll figure it out once I get there.”

Vince groaned, but the frustrated sound was more of a growl. “You can’t just walk up to a rebel base and knock on the door. You have to have a plan.”

Hunter cleared his throat. “Ms. Wisdom knows who Josh is. She’ll let him in.”

Josh stood up and pulled his shoulders back. “Let us worry about finding Prudence and getting the Book of the Dead. You get Channie out of that cabin.”

“I’ll need to set up a safe house.” Vince sighed. “Creating and maintaining a perimeter to keep her from escaping is going to take a lot of energy. Not to mention setting up all the keep-away and misdirection spells to protect her from trackers.”

Josh fingered the star sapphire through the fabric of his shirt. “Can you do it?”

Vince nodded. “I can cast all the spells, and keep them charged for about a week. After that, I’m going to need help maintaining it.”

“Channie’s trigger happy.” Shep rubbed his thigh and shuddered. “There’s no way you’re gonna get anywhere near that cabin without her filling you full of buckshot.”

“I’ll take care of it.” Josh didn’t want Vince to back out. “I need to spend some time with Channie before you take her, anyway.” Heat spread across Josh’s cheeks as he thought about strengthening their bond. “I’ll cast a be-calm spell on her after she falls asleep then you can just carry her out to the car. How far is it to Channie’s cabin?”

“About an hour if we hoof it, forty-five minutes if we take the truck.” Hunter answered before Shep had a chance to speak.

“Forty-five minutes?”

“The road winds around the mountain.” Hunter shrugged then cocked his head to the side. “You wanna do this tonight?”

Josh stood up and rubbed his aching chest. “The sooner we get her out of there, the better I’ll feel.”

“And then what?” Vince locked gazes with Josh. “What am I supposed to do with her once I’ve got her?”

“Take her to Colorado and rent a cabin in the mountains. Make sure it’s got lots of trees and plants around it to hold the protection spells.”

“I’ve been in hiding for twenty years. I know how to choose and protect a safe house. I just don’t have the ability to pay for one.”

“Give me your phone.” Josh added Dad’s number to Vince's contacts. “Call my dad as soon as you get a signal and tell him what’s going on. He’ll take care of it.”

“You’re sure Ezra will do that? It’s going to be expensive.”

“I’m sure.” Josh didn’t want to call Dad himself and have to explain why he wasn’t coming home with Vince and Channie. He handed Vince his phone then tugged on Hunter’s sleeve as he headed out the door. “Let’s go.”

Vince grabbed Josh’s arm. “If you expect me to get Channie to Colorado in one piece, we are not doing this tonight. I need to sleep before I drive again.”

“I agree.” Josh patted Vince's hand then turned around to hide his flaming red face. “Come get her at sunrise.”

Vince gasped. “You are not spending the night with her!”
 

“But…we’re married. Right?” Josh’s face and neck burned.

“It’s not about sex. In fact, I want you to strengthen your bond, just make it quick. You can’t afford to let Prudence find you there.”

Hunter coughed into his fist. “Channie’s been through too much lately. A quickie’d break her heart. She needs to be held all night long. Shep and I’ll keep watch.”

Josh was grateful for Hunter’s support, but he had to bite his tongue to keep from asking him how the hell he knew what Channie
needed
.

“I don’t know…” Vince frowned.

“This isn’t open for discussion.” Josh looked Vince in the eyes and spoke with quiet authority. “I’m spending the night.”

~***~

The only thing that kept Josh from charging up the path and banging on what remained of Channie’s front door, was the physical proof of just how devastating a shotgun blast could be. The screen door, missing all but a few scraps of screen, dangled precariously from the top hinge. A patchwork quilt hung behind a gaping hole in what had once been a very solid pine door. It was a wonder Shep had survived.
 

But that wasn’t what had Josh’s heart trying to pound its way out of his chest. He was finally going to meet Channie.
 

Hunter gripped Josh's shoulder. “You need to lock down your heart-bond so she don’t forget the consequences of disobeying her momma’s orders. If she feels you’re close, there ain’t nothing gonna keep her from running to you.”

“Then maybe you better hit me with one of those calming spells.”

“You’re already exhausted. If I put a be-calm spell on you, it might make it hard to stay awake once the adrenaline wears off.”

“Believe me. That won’t be a problem.”

Even after Hunter cast the spell, tremors continued to wrack Josh's body.
 

Hunter chuckled. “You got the wedding night jitters, don’t ya?”

“Shut up and let Channie know we’re here.”

Hunter puckered his lips, as if to whistle, but all he produced was a rush of air. He chuckled again. “I cain’t whistle until I quit grinning. And I cain’t quit grinning thinking about how nervous you are.”

Josh punched him in the shoulder.

“Ow!” Hunter scowled as he rubbed his arm. “That hurt.”

“Try again.”

Hunter’s whistle sounded just like a bird.
 

The front door disappeared inside the cabin as the screen burst open. An angel in a white blouse and blue jeans ran to the edge of the porch. She wrapped her arms around a thick, pine support beam then stretched her neck and titled her head to the side, searching the edge of the forest.