Valley of the Broken (Sage of Sevens Book 1)

by K. F. Baugh

  Sage’s head pounded as she stood, and her left ankle felt weak, ready to give at any moment. Using the cave’s wall as a support, she limped from its opening and then to the river once more. Painfully, she extended her arms and filled her hands with sparkling, cold water which she carried it back to cave.

  “Here’s your water,” she said, kneeling next to Tim, but he was silent. Sage dropped the water and leaned her ear against his ribcage. A choked sob escaped her when she heard the strong, steady beat of his heart. She allowed her head to stay against his chest and savored the soothing rise and fall of his deep breaths. Was he really completely healed?

  She ran her fingers over this neck and face once more. The tattered, bloody mess was gone. Tim’s breathing was deep yet quiet, with none of the ominous rattles or whistles of before.

  Confusion danced at the edge of her mind, and a profound weariness joined the terrible ache of her injuries. Whatever had happened, understanding would have to wait until tomorrow. She curled up next to Tim, reassured by the tempo of his breathing. In only a few seconds, Sage felt sleep overtake her aching body with the welcome oblivion of sleep.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Something dripped on Sage’s cheek, and she emerged from confused dreams to reluctant wakefulness. Her limbs felt leaden and even small movements caused shooting pains throughout her entire body.

  She opened her eyes. Faint rays of sunlight illuminated the damp gray rocks above her. When she lifted her hand to rub her crusty eyes, Sage’s body protested even more urgently. What on earth had happened to her? It felt like she’d been run over by a semi-truck.

  A movement against her back startled her. She tensed in anticipation of attack. Then a soft snore broke the taut silence. Tim.

  Suddenly Sage was aware of him, the warmth of his body next to her, the weight of his arm draped across her waist. Wincing, she carefully rolled over and found him inches from her face, mouth open in oblivious slumber.

  She moved closer and breathed deeply. The metallic tang of dried blood was muted by the earthy, sharp scent she’d come to associate with him. She placed a gentle finger at his neck and felt his heartbeat there, strong and steady. The rhythmic thrumming calmed her jittery nerves.

  Evidence of the Skinwalker’s wrath remained as a terrifying reminder of their escape. Tim’s shirt was a tattered, bloody mess. Through the ribbons of fabric, fine white scars in the shape of ragged claw marks traced their way along the right side of his face and crisscrossed his neck and chest. They reaffirmed with brutal clarity how close to death Tim must have been. Sage shuddered. No one could have survived these injuries; not without supernatural help.

  It was true then. Somehow he’d been healed. Had it been her tears? Her words? With trembling wonder, Sage reached out to trace one of the scars that ran along his throat and collarbone. Her finger hovered a hair’s breadth from his skin before she pulled back.

  What was she doing? These scars, they weren’t the kind of scars an ex-priest looking for peace should have to wear the rest of his life. Especially Tim. He’d already had enough close encounters with death and danger in Sudan. He didn’t need Sage dragging him into more of the same. Another casualty in the long line of people she loved dying terrible and premature deaths.

  Sage gently disengaged from Tim’s sleep-heavy arms. Allowing herself one last glance at his peaceful face, she painfully crept to the front of the cave. With trembling legs, she lurched through its mouth, dizzy from the intensity of her pounding head. Sage eased herself against a large, lichen covered boulder and panted with pain.

  When she caught her breath enough to sit up, Sage studied herself in the dawn’s weak light. Oozing scratches and dark bruises covered her arms and torso. “What’s this? Why are these injuries still here?” she asked, louder this time.

  The Wind moaned its way through the trees and settled next to her. “You gave away much of your power last night, Broken One, to heal the priest. Unless I help, you will no longer regenerate as you used to.”

  “This is permanent?”

  “For now.”

  “I’d almost forgotten what this feels like.” Sage rotated her arm and swore. “It hurts.”

  “Do you regret your decision?”

  “Not at all,” she snapped and limped to the stream. The icy water quickly numbed her hands as she scrubbed at the crusty blood that covered them. “I can handle some scrapes and bruises.”

  The Wind let out a sigh. “You can barely walk.”

  “Fine. If I can’t heal myself any more, you do it.”

  “You can still heal, only more slowly than before. Like the rest of your kind, it will take time.

  “I don’t have time!” Sage snapped. “I have to get back to Liddy’s cabin and figure out what those files mean. Then I have to destroy that thing.”

  The Wind tousled her hair and moved to wrap itself around her. Sage grimaced as wisps of air probed painfully. Pain was joined by the tell-tale electric tingle of healing.

  “What did you say?” It gently reprimanded. “Who will destroy the creature?”

  “It seems like it’s getting stronger,” Sage said, ignoring the question.

  “It is.”

  “Why is that?” Sage asked.

  “The evil in these mountains is rallying for its surge. There are many who feed it with their dark deeds, dark appetites. Our enemy knows that soon it will be powerful enough to destroy all who oppose it.”

  “Not me.” Sage jumped up and tested her ankle. It felt strong, and the throbbing pain was nearly gone. Her head had stopped pounding, and the scratches had scabbed over. “Not without a fight, anyway.”

  The evergreens groaned and creaked as the Wind slashed at them. “You are at a crossroads, Broken One. You believe you have no alternative course of action than the one you have set your mind to. But that is a lie. The priest is your—”

  “Enough!” Her voice rang, harsh and sharp through the clearing. “Maybe it is a lie, but this is my life. You don’t get to control everything. I will not put Tim in danger again. And I won’t allow you to either.”

  Abruptly, the rustle of the trees ceased and the rocky canyon fell silent.

  Eyes stinging with unshed tears, Sage spun at the crunch of gravel behind her. Tim emerged from the cave, hand raised and blinking against the brilliant sunlight.

  “Hey, there.” Sage bent hurriedly and pretended to adjust her boot laces. She used the dirty hem of her shirt to wipe her eyes and nose. “How are you feeling?”

  “Fine, I think. Actually, great.”

  Sage straightened and walked toward him, swallowing the exclamation of surprise that jumped to her lips. Here in the sunlight, the scars were much more conspicuous than what she’d seen in the cave.

  He cocked his head awkwardly, as he studied the same marks on his neck and chest. “It doesn’t even hurt, but how is this possible?”

  Sage shrugged. “Who knows? But it’s time get going. I think this is Quick Draw Creek. Liddy’s cabin should be about five miles away, over that ridge.”

  Tim’s attention snapped to Sage, but then his face softened into a familiar grin. “I just got out here. Maybe you could give me—”

  “No. Grab a drink, and let’s head out.”

  “Wait. What about what we discovered? And last night.” Tim took a step and reached for her hand. “What happened in the cave? I think I was—”

  Sage backed away from him. “No time. If we hustle we can get to the cabin before dark. Poor Gus must be dying, locked up in there for so long.”

  “Oh, right. Gus.” Tim paused. “But once we get there—”

  “We’ll see if that flash drive is completely destroyed. You still have it right?”

  Tim patted his pant pocket and nodded, but his eyes betrayed confusion and something else Sage didn’t want to identify.

  She turned and trotted along the side of the creek. “Try to keep up.” She ordered over her shoulder, making sure to avoid Tim’s gaze.

 
After several hours of alternate jogging and hiking, during which Sage had ignored all of Tim’s attempts at conversation, they left the stream and the faint footpath that paralleled it. Turning south, Sage led them through a dense conifer forest filled with spruce and ponderosas. Low hanging branches grabbed at her hair as she cut a jagged trail through the pine needle encrusted undergrowth. A massive downed evergreen blocked her way. She climbed over the partially rotted trunk into a meadow and heard Tim follow.

  Before them lay a small pond, with faint wisps of steam rising from it. Trotting to its edge, Sage looked down. Clear turquoise waters and smooth granite rocks beckoned.

  “This place is beautiful.” Tim crouched next to the pool and dipped his hand in. “A hot spring? It doesn’t even smell like sulfur.”

  “Not much, anyway.” Sage sat down on a rock and untied her boots. “I think we both need to get some of this dried blood and grime off. We’re close to Liddy’s cabin, but all she’s got there is an unheated water pump.”

  “But what about Gus? I thought we were rushing because you were worried about him.”

  “Oh, right.” Sage remembered her excuse. If Gus was desperate enough, Liddy’s ramshackle cabin wouldn’t prove that much of a challenge. “We don’t have to spend hours here, just a few minutes.”

  Tim didn’t answer.

  Sage peeled away her socks and then unbuttoned her shorts. Tugging them down her hips, she froze as she looked up and saw Tim’s shocked expression.

  Unbidden, the image of his body curled up next to her in the cave flashed into her mind. Something tickled in her throat, and she kicked her shorts the rest of the way to the ground before tugging off her stiff tank top.

  Once it was off, she glared at the profile of Tim’s averted face. “God, Tim, don’t be such a prude.” Quickly, Sage flung her bra and panties on top of the pile. “It’s not that big of a deal.” She jumped into the pool.

  When she emerged, Sage saw Tim sitting on a rock several feet from the pool. He cleared his throat and kept his gaze fixed on the mountains in the distance. “Why are you doing this?” he said, his voice heavy.

  “Doing what?” Sage laughed as she swam from one granite rocked rim to another. “I’m not trying to seduce you, if that’s what you mean.”

  “I know you aren’t,” Tim said, his eyes still on the horizon. “You’re trying to do the opposite. To push me away.”

  Sage felt her stomach drop, as if someone had heaved a large stone into her soul. “Push you away?” She tried to force another laugh, but found she couldn’t.

  “Whether you like it or not, there’s a bond between us, Sage. I didn’t give up on you when that creature wanted to rip you off the wall, and you didn’t give up on me when I lay dying in that cave.”

  “I don’t know about dying,” Sage answered. A ripple of air rustled through the leaves. “I guess we were both pretty banged up.”

  “Don’t try to rewrite what happened,” Tim said sharply. “I heard some of what you said. About your family. Your uncle.” He shook his head. “And your tears. They burned when they fell on me.”

  “Well, it was pretty chaotic, Tim. I’m sure we both imagined a lot of things.”

  “Imagined?” Tim’s voice held a note of disbelief. He stood and finally looked at her. “I thought you were braver than this, Sage.”

  The ripple of a breeze turned into a gust, and Sage dunked under the water, staying there as long as her breath would allow. Finally, when her lungs screamed in pain, she surfaced. Seeing no one, she panicked for a moment before she spied Tim among the trees at the edge of the clearing. He sat huddled in the shadows.

  A wave of shame enveloped her. Was this the coward’s way out? Couldn’t she talk to Tim? Convince him that it was too dangerous for him to continue on their treacherous trajectory?

  No. He’d never listen. In fact, her arguments would probably make him even more adamant in his commitment to stay. This was the only way.

  With grim determination, Sage climbed from the pool and jerked her stiff, filthy clothes back on.

  “Liddy’s cabin is just over the hill behind you,” she yelled in his direction. “I’m done, so take as long as you want.”

  Tim gave no indication he’d heard her. Sage dashed past him, through the woods in the direction of the cabin as fast as she could, eager to escape the breeze that moaned between the pines.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Relief flooded through Sage as she came over the hilltop rise and spotted Liddy’s cabin in the warm, soft light of late afternoon. It enveloped her in a wave so strong that she staggered against a large boulder next to the trail.

  The sound of Gus’s frantic barking, quickly chased the relief away. Sage raced the last few yards to the cabin. When she jerked the door open, the dog bolted onto the porch and nearly knocked Sage over with a mighty leap. She tripped down the rickety stairs and collapsed into the grass.

  Gus raced frantic circles around her legs, occasionally leaping up to lick her face. “Calm down, calm down.” She murmured and attempted to hug him, but the dog continued to race circles around her. Surprised at the tears that ran down her cheeks, she finally tackled Gus and pulled him to the ground in a full body embrace. “Just relax, you big baby. I’m fine.”

  Gus gave one last wiggle then lay still, but after a moment flattened his ears and whined.

  “What is it?” Sage asked, sitting up. The dog looked pointedly at her side, behind her, then back at the woods.

  “He’s fine too. Just taking a little longer at the hot spring.”

  Gus cocked his head disbelievingly.

  “What? He’s safe. And I needed a little space.” She reached out to scratch Gus’s ears, but he pulled away.

  “Are you kidding me?” Sage slumped against the rough porch. “I thought you were always supposed to have my back.”

  Gus nosed her hand and yipped, but remained standing.

  “I don’t know what happened. I mean, we both almost died. Multiple times. And then I think I saved him and lost some of my power in the process. I woke up, and he was lying next to me. It’s all a complicated mess and … and…” Her voice cracked. “I seriously can’t handle this interrogation right now, okay?”

  Gus crawled onto her lap and licked her chin. He whined again. Sage buried her face in the rough of the dog’s neck. Long minutes went by until Gus finally raised his head and licked her tear-salted cheeks. When the rumble of her stomach sounded, Gus leapt back and gave a startled bark.

  Sage rose with a half-hearted chuckle. “Let’s get some food, buddy.”

  Gus barked once more and ran to the nearest tree to relieve himself.

  “You’re a good dog,” she called gently as he ran back toward the porch. “A good friend.”

  Tim arrived at the cabin just as the sun set, and Gus gave him a similar welcome to the one he’d given Sage.

  Alerted by the dog’s ecstatic yips and howls, Sage left the soup she’d been heating. “I was starting to get worried,” she said when Gus’s greeting calmed down. “Thought you might have taken off.”

  “Nope,” Tim responded shortly.

  Sage leaned against the porch railing and studied her ragged nails. “Well, you can’t have been in that hot spring the whole time. You’d smell like a rotten egg.”

  “I wasn’t. I spent some time thinking. Processing all that happened. Praying. And I have to tell you something.”

  “Oh.” Sage took a step back. She wasn’t in the mood for a lecture.

  Tim climbed onto the porch. He stopped a few inches in front of her and remained silent until she looked up into his honest gaze. “I heard what you said about your family. I wish you could trust me, but I get why you don’t. And why your closest friend is Gus. I want you to understand that, Sage. You’ve gone through more than I can fathom.”

  Sage nodded and swallowed, tearing her eyes away from his.

  She felt hemmed in by the railing. Tim was so close she could feel the warmth of his breath o
n her forehead. Her body suddenly ached with the desire to be touched by someone other than Gus. Her fingertips tingled with the anticipation. What if she reached out and took his hand? Or traced the rough stubble of his cheek? What then?

  Instead she slipped past him and back to the doorway. “The soup’s almost ready. There’s bread too. Would you like some?”

  Tim swallowed, then gave a small nod. “Yes, thanks. I’m starving.”

  They sat at the table in a thick, strained silence, broken only by the sound of Tim’s spoon against the bowl.

  Gus sighed in contentment beneath the table. At least he’s happy, Sage thought, kneading the dog’s back with her toes for several minutes. Unable to stand the quiet any longer, Sage retrieved Tim’s computer from the loft and set it next to him.

  “Want to see if anything on the flash drive is retrievable?”

  Tim fished the device out of his pocket. “I’m not hopeful, but we can try.”

  He plugged it into a computer port and clicked his mouse. After a few minutes his eyebrows shot up in surprise.

  “Something?” Sage asked.

  “Something.” Tim nodded but didn’t look up. “But I’m not even sure what I’m looking at. Basically, it’s just page after page of medical records.” Sage scooted her chair next to Tim and shifted the computer between them.

  “Medical records? But—” She scanned through several pages of data. “But why are they so obsessed with townspeople’s health charts?”

  “I don’t know,” Tim replied. “It looks like most of the population of Black Mills and from what I can make out, a few of the other nearby mountain towns.”

  Sage scrolled through pages and pages of information. Tim spoke again. “I don’t understand why these records are so valuable to them. Valuable enough to store in an underground bunker. And to possibly kill people for?”

  Sage nodded. “They’re incredibly detailed. Is that normal?”

  “I noticed that too. Like I said, I didn’t finish medical school, but they do seem more intense than normal files. ”