Finding Valor (52 page)

Wisdom looked like she was sucking on lemons when Josh handed Hunter the camp’s satellite phone and told him to call Kassie. But she didn’t say anything.
 

After the feast, Vince asked if he could take the leftovers to the prisoners of war. “I remember some of those men from my youth. They aren’t bad people, they’re just fighting on the wrong side. I’m sure most of them were forced into service.”

“I’m not letting them out until the war’s over.” Josh felt sorry for the prisoners, but he didn’t trust them.
 

Vince nodded. “Better safe than sorry.”

“I think I’ll go with you.” Josh wanted to talk to Vince privately and this seemed like a good opportunity.

Josh bundled up in his mismatched secondhand coat, hat and mittens. A year ago, he wouldn’t be caught dead wearing mittens, but they were warm and he was glad to have them. Besides, Channie had knit them for him.

Vince wore the same coat, hat and gloves he’d worn ever since Josh met him. His only concession to the colder weather was the addition of a wool scarf.

They walked in silence until they were about halfway to the cage. Josh cleared his throat. “I have a trust fund that my dad set up for me when he adopted me. I’m not sure how much it’s worth, but if anything happens to me, I want Channie to have it.”

Vince's jaw twitched, stretching the scars on his face. “Nothing’s going to happen to you.”

“But if it does…promise me you’ll see to it that the trust fund gets transferred to Channie.”

“I’m sure Ezra will take care of it.”

“I’m more worried about Channie accepting it. She’s got a lot of pride.”

“Wisdom and I’ll take care of Channie.”

“Sounds like you two are getting serious.”

“I’ve asked her to marry me.”

“Whoa! That was fast.”

“How long did you know Channie before you married her?”

“We didn’t have a choice.” The Book of the Dead prophesied that Channie would die if Josh didn’t marry her before the next full moon. “What’s the rush?”

“War.”

~***~

Josh wanted to do something spectacular for his and Channie’s first wedding anniversary. It might make up for forgetting her seventeenth birthday. There weren’t many options in camp. He didn’t feel right about commandeering the helicopter for a trip to the mall, so he decided to pay Carver a visit.

On December second, Josh took Channie for a long walk around the lake so Carver could deliver Josh’s gift and set it up in their cabin. Josh knew the boy had talent, but when he threw the door open and saw the work of art he’d created, it stole his breath. The pine log bed had their likenesses sculpted into the headboard. It was as if Carver had snapped a photo of them moments after their fairy tale kiss and captured it in wood.

Channie gasped then covered her mouth with both hands. Tears filled her eyes.

“Don’t you like it?” Josh knew she did. Her energy field sparkled with joy, but he couldn’t resist teasing her just a little.

She threw her arms around his neck and tackled him, throwing them both onto their new bed. She landed on top of him. “I love it!”

“What do you say we break it in?” Josh rolled them over, supporting his weight on his elbows.

“In the middle of the day?”

“It’s okay. Hunter and Tim are taking turns guarding the trail. No one’s going to bother us today.”
 

Channie’s eyes widened. “But…they’ll know what we’re doing!”

“We’re married. It’s our anniversary. We’re supposed to celebrate.”

“I’d rather celebrate after dark.”

Josh sighed then kissed the tip of her nose. “As you wish.”

Channie grabbed his biceps and hooked her heels behind his knees. “No. You’re right. We should enjoy each other while…”

Josh’s chest tightened. He swallowed around the lump in his throat. “While we still can?”

Channie closed her eyes and trembled.

Josh rolled onto his back, pulling her with him. He pressed her face into the hollow between his neck and shoulder with one hand and rubbed her back with the other.

She whispered, “There’re less than twenty days until...”

“I know.” By some unspoken agreement, neither of them had mentioned winter solstice in front of the other since the end of summer. It was obvious that Channie had been just as worried about it as Josh. Maybe talking about it would help. He’d do anything to comfort her—even lie.
 

“It’s going to be okay.”

Channie lifted herself up on her elbows. “How are you even supposed to meet her? She stays walled up in her fortress.”

“I don’t know.” Josh wound a strand of her hair around his finger. “I guess the Book of the Dead will set it up.”

“Do you remember the first time we opened the book?” She returned her head to his chest.

“Like it was yesterday.”

“Do you regret it?”

“No.” Josh rolled Channie onto her back and edged her legs apart with his knees. “Without the book’s help, we never would’ve been able to break that damn chastity curse.”

~***~

Josh woke up with a start and bolted out of bed. Someone was trying to pound their door down with their fist. No one was supposed to disturb them unless it was a dire emergency. That’s why he’d picked the most remote spot in camp to build their cabin. He jammed his feet into his jeans and yanked them up over his bare ass.

Channie sat up, clutching the quilt to her chest. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m not sure. Get dressed, but stay inside.”

“But…I’m supposed to stay by your side.”

“Get dressed first.” Josh cracked the door open and slipped outside. Hunter, Tim and one of the prisoners were huddled together in front of his door.
 

“What’s wrong?” Josh shifted his weight from foot to foot, trying to keep from freezing his toes off.

Tendrils of steam rose off the mens’ backs and necks. They were all panting and holding their sides. Hunter’s breath fogged the air when he spoke. “It’s the prisoners.”

“What about ‘em?” Josh hoped Vince wasn’t going to try to talk him into letting them out of the cage. The living conditions inside the cave were miserable, but it was the only secure place to keep them.

“They all escaped. Except for this fella.” Hunter pointed at the stranger. “He was unconscious and lying on the ground.”

“No.” Josh put a hand on the side of the cabin to steady himself.

Channie pushed the door open and waved everyone inside. “Hurry up. You’re gonna let all the warm air out.”

Josh threw another log on the fire then sat on the hastily made bed. He pulled Channie onto his lap and rested his chin on the top of her head. “How’d they escape?”

Tim leaned closer to the prisoner then raised his voice. “Both guards are dead. One of ‘em must’ve gotten too close to the cage. The key’s still in the lock.”

“Damn it!” Josh threw his head back and smacked it on the headboard. “This is a freakin’ disaster! I guess we better evacuate everyone.”

Tim handed Josh a piece of paper then mouthed, “Read this.”

The prisoners all have tiny microphones implanted under the skin behind their ears so watch what you say. Dominance is spying on us. This man managed to avoid Dominance’s death pledge so joining us didn’t kill him. He’s a childhood friend of Vince’s and on our side.

Josh scanned it again while Tim yelled at the prisoner. “We should go to Bowling Green. The stupid bitch will never think we’d go back to the sight of our worst defeat.”

The prisoner tilted his head to the side and lifted the hair off his neck, exposing a long, thin scar behind his ear.

Josh knew he needed to respond to the last thing Tim said out loud to maintain the subterfuge, but his mind was a blank. All he could think was,
Dominance is listening.
 

Channie must have sensed his distress. She arched her eyebrows and pointed at her chest.

Josh nodded.

She took a quick breath but spoke in a normal tone of voice. “Did any of the prisoners know that the majority of the Arkansas National Guard are mages loyal to our side?” She mouthed, “Say, no.”

Tim must have realized how fake he’d sounded, because this time he kept his voice at a normal volume and only leaned towards the prisoner a little. “I doubt it. I didn’t even find out until I joined the guard last month.”

Hunter grinned and stepped closer to the prisoner. “I just hope no one talked about how Homeland Security is watching Black Mountain in front of the prisoners.”

Josh decided it was time to speak up before this got completely unbelievable. “You mean like you’re doing right now?”

“Sorry.” Hunter hung his head.
 

Josh held his index finger up and shook his head to let the prisoner know he was only speaking for Dominance’s benefit. “Now, I’m going to have to kill this guy because you couldn’t keep your mouth shut.”

Vince spoke up for the first time. “I know your views about torture, but if you’d just let me work on him for a few weeks, I might be able to get some valuable information.”
 

“Fine. Put him back in the cage. And this time find a guard smart enough to keep his shield up and stay away from the bars.”

~***~

“Why am I just now discovering that the rebels control the Arkansas National Guard?” Dominance sat on her throne and glared at her advisors as she considered all she’d learned from her spies at Freedom Ridge. She’d learned more from them than she had in years of covert operations. She’d learned that Vengeance was still alive…and still defying her. She’d also learned that Valor was indeed her grandson, as well as an elemental mage. This was information that could only be gleaned from inside the rebel base, but there was no excuse for not knowing about the Arkansas National Guard.
 

Her most trusted advisor stood up to address her. “We don’t have enough manpower to investigate every government agency in every state.”

“Is the Kentucky Guard under my control?”

“No, my queen. We only have two mages in that organization and both of them are underlings.”

“And why is that?” Dominance gritted her teeth to keep from losing her temper. All of her advisors were terrified of her, as they should be, but it was hard to get reliable information out of a group of sniveling cowards.

“We’re spread too thin.”

They’d burned through half the treasury getting her nephew, Power Veyjivik, elected to the Kentucky state congress only to have the ungrateful upstart refuse to follow her orders as soon as he was in office. She regretted not killing his family when she’d had Power kidnapped. They’d disappeared off the face of the earth but she’d find them, eventually. No one could defy her and live. “Doesn’t the guard report to the governor?”

“Yes…but even he can’t order them to attack a neighboring state.”

This war was dragging on much too long. She was wasting all her resources fighting other mages when she should be focusing on wresting control from the empties. It all started to fall apart when her grandson came into power. She didn’t dare attack him in his stronghold or on Arkansas soil. No, he needed to come to her.

“Somebody go find Scribe. I need to send a message.”

~***~

Someone pounded on Josh and Channie’s door just before dawn on December fifteenth. He bolted out of bed and motioned for Channie to stay put. She ignored him, of course, and grabbed her clothes off the floor.

Josh yanked his jeans on and peeked through the cracks of the shuttered window. He heaved a sigh of relief when he recognized Hunter’s profile. After a quick glance over his shoulder to be sure Channie was dressed, he opened the door. “What’s up?”

“Dominance sent a messenger.”
 

Josh’s blood ran cold.
This is it.

Hunter crossed the room then held his hands over the glowing coals in the fireplace. “Tim’s holding her in his cabin. She won’t talk to nobody but you.”

Channie took Josh’s hand and wove her fingers through his.
 

He saw her do it, but he couldn’t feel it. He couldn’t feel anything. His entire body was numb. He could barely move his lips. Swallowing was out of the question.
 

Hunter reached over and grabbed Josh’s arm. “Hey, buddy? You okay?”
 

Josh barely heard him over the ringing of his ears.
Pull it together.
He took a deep, shuddering breath, then another. He wasn’t calm, not by any means, but he was steadier. At least he no longer felt as if he’d pass out.

“Let’s go.”

The messenger was a teenage girl, a little younger than Channie. She sat in a chair next to Tim’s fireplace with her hands bound in front of her.

“What the hell, Tim? Untie her.”

“No!” Channie shot a hand out in front of Tim. “I know this girl. Her name’s Ambition. She delivered an ultimatum to Daddy at a hotel in Blackhawk…demanding Aunt Wisdom surrender.”

Josh couldn’t help feeling sorry for the girl. She was so young and looked so vulnerable with her hands tied. “I don’t believe in punishing the messenger.”

“She killed her own trackers right in front of Daddy and me just to make a point.”

The girl jutted her chin out and glared at Channie then turned her full attention to Josh. “I have a message from her royal highness to the Crown Prince, Valor Veyjivik. It’s in my satchel.”

Tim snatched the leather bag before Josh had a chance to touch it. “It’s probably cursed.”

“Is it?” Josh locked his gaze on the girl.

“The scroll’s got a touch-me-not spell on it,” Ambition glanced at Tim, wrinkling her nose, “to keep nosy underlings from reading it.”

“Can I touch it without getting zapped?”

She nodded. “The queen excluded all in her direct line from the curse.”

Tim held the bag in front of Ambition. “You open it.”

“I can open the satchel, but only a Veyjivik can touch the scroll without triggering the curse.”

“Give it here.” Josh grabbed the bag from Tim and thrust his hand inside. He pulled out a small scroll. The thick parchment was stiff, but not brittle. He picked the ornate wax seal off the edge with his thumbnail then sat down to read.

Channie looked over his shoulder. Tim and Hunter crowded in on either side.