He stumbled forward until a redwood sapling, ten feet tall, blocked his path. Then he veered right and slipped through a gap between the sapling and the fence.
I dashed after him, but the foliage was thick, and I lost sight of him a few times.
He scrambled ahead, but soon, a fallen giant blocked his way, its three-foot-thick trunk covered with ferns. The asshole had no good option to run sideways; instead he scrambled up the trunk. I caught up with him before he could drop onto the ground on the other side, and I smacked him on the back with my staff. That knocked him down to the rough ground covered with a tangle of ferns, dead branches, and plenty of rocks.
He managed to get back up before I climbed over the downed tree. The monster faced me, lashing out his own staff. He was a powerfully built man, although short.
Lucky for me, my arms were longer. I jabbed at him several times with my weapon, but he blocked each of my blows with his staff. And once, when I overextended my reach, he swung his weapon and hit me with one hard shot above my right ear.
That blow dimmed my lights for a moment and made me mad again. I conjured a second spell. “HOLARTHON, ELBO ASSOMME!”
That stun dropped him to the rough ground. I didn’t hesitate to pile on, pummeling him with my fists, faster and harder, just like Don had taught me. Nobody hides outside my friends’ house and gets away with it.
He kneed me several times, catching me once in the nuts. I gasped, and rolled over. Then he smacked me on the crown of my nose with his fist.
“Son of a bitch!” That stung like the dickens, and my eyes wouldn’t focus for a moment.
My blood gushed all over my shirt, but I went after him again, punching him repeatedly as he scrambled through the undergrowth. I also got in one roundhouse kick before he slithered away.
My fury grew as I thought about this monster escaping and then coming back to hurt Karen and Ellen. Before he vanished into the thick undergrowth, I fired a bolt at him.
“HOLARTHON, ELBO CHOQUE!”
Green lightning crashed into him, creating a loud boom, and a few branches near him were dry enough to begin smoldering. No more lighting strikes in the middle of the forest, idiot!
He thrashed on the ground and screamed. I stomped out a smoldering branch and then kicked him in the nose. That produced a wonderful crunch that changed his screams into a roar.
“How’d you like that, dirtbag?” I asked.
Instead of answering, he went limp, lights out.
The buzzing in my head ended. I bent over to catch my breath.
When I stood again, my head brushed against a low hanging branch on a redwood tree towering above me. I wobbled for a moment, and then I tried to shake some sense back into my head. My brains remained addled, and I pushed my way through the undergrowth until I reached the street.
Laura, Christina, and Karen ran toward me, yelling questions I couldn’t quite understand. They half-carried me across the road to the house. I couldn’t go inside. With my bloody shirt and face, scratched and bruised hands, and filthy knees from crawling around, I was too much of a mess. I sat at a picnic table on the front porch.
Christina cried openly, but I said, “Looks a lot worse than it is, honey. It doesn’t hurt, and I’ll be fixed in a minute.”
The little girl nodded, but tears continued to flow down her cheeks.
Karen grabbed a washcloth from inside to wipe the blood off my face. She also brought me a clean flannel shirt to wear.
Laura did the real healing, quickly setting me back to right. My head cleared.
“Listen,” I said, “we don’t have much time. The scumbag’s handlers may figure out soon that we’re here. Laura, can you come to him with me? If he’s awake, you can heal him, and we can bring him out.”
She nodded.
I looked at Karen. “Don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine now. You need to get Ellen out of here quickly, and take whatever you can grab in ten minutes. You may not be able to come back for a while. Christina, you help Karen until your mom and I get back.”
They ran inside, and Laura and I pushed our way back through the woods.
I found my latest slave sitting on the trunk of a fallen redwood, taking stock of his new situation.
“Who knows you’re here?” I asked.
“Our head slayer in Eureka, Master. I called him a half-hour ago, and he expects another call now.”
“Call him and tell him all’s well,” I said.
He shook his head. “I took a blood oath, master, not to lie when reporting on my surveillance.”
That meant the slayer and his crew would arrive soon. “How many sorcerers exist in this area?”
“Only a handful.”
“Who’s the burly guy who was riding on your boat the last two weeks?”
“Bruno Sitka.”
“Who’s he after?”
“He wants to kill you, and if possible, enslave your wife.”
Laura gasped, but I’d expected that. “How’re you staying in contact with him?”
“I don’t. Our slayer does.”
I checked my watch. It was 5:40 p.m. We only had a few minutes before they’d come looking for this guy.
Laura patched him up, and we headed back to the house. On the way, I asked more questions, but he knew nothing else useful. Before we left the forest, I said, “I claim the spoils of victory.”
The rush of warm energy soothed me, and when it ended, we walked across the road to the house. I asked Karen for the name of the leading witch in the Eureka clan. Karen told me, and I told my slave to go to the witch’s address and do whatever the woman wanted him to do. He nodded and drove off.
Karen and the nurse helped Ellen into Karen’s sedan. Laura, Christina, and I helped Karen gather her important papers, journals, and photographs. Then we stuffed them in her trunk.
When we finished, I said, “I think you should head someplace safe. Unload everything, and then come back for us.”
She nodded. “I’ll return as quickly as I can, but if other sorcerers show up before me, take the Jeep in the garage. Go to the end of this lane. There’s a rough four-wheel-drive road from there that heads west, and few vehicles will be able to follow you. At the stream, stay on the left side. That road will lead to the main north-south highway in this area, U.S. 101. Take the highway south past Eureka to Fortuna. Check into the Eel Riverside Motel. It’s owned by a witch I know. He’ll keep you safe for a few days until we can get outside help.”
We exchanged hugs, and she showed me where they kept the key to the Jeep. Then she bolted out the door and drove Ellen and the nurse away.
So much for our plan to record Ellen’s wisdom for future generations.
-o-o-o-
LAURA AND I PLACED our luggage by the door leading to the garage, in case we had to make a quick getaway. Then I called the number Gill had given me for Sequoia.
A man said, “Orick Campground.”
“Sequoia?” I asked.
“Nope. He isn’t here, took off again. Only the Great Spirit knows when he’ll be back.”
My stomach sank. “How long is he usually gone?”
“Five hours to five months. He took a huge backpack this time, so I’ll bet it will more likely be months.”
“Can I leave him a message?”
He snickered. “Sure.”
I gave the guy my cell number and Laura’s. “It’s urgent. Please ask him to call right away.”
“Right.” The guy hung up.
Laura looked at me with wide open eyes. “That didn’t sound good.”
“It wasn’t. We’re on our own.”
I called Diana and passed on what I’d learned from the sorcerer and the campground host.
“I could send Gill,” she said.
“He’s over a hundred. I think his fighting days are finished. At worst, we’ll run.”
I shouldn’t have tempted the gods that way. Gill’s medallion zapped me square in the chest. “They’re here. Gotta go.”
Laura grabbed the key and opened the garage. “You said, ‘they.’ How many?”
“Two, I think.”
We grabbed our bags and tossed them in the rear of the Wrangler. She jumped behind the wheel in case I needed to cast spells.
As she tore out, I looked up the road the way we’d come but saw nothing yet. “They should come around the curve any second. The ward covers the road, and I hope that’ll slow them down.”
A black SUV careened into view. Laura turned right toward the four-wheel-drive road we hoped would stop those guys but not us.
The SUV blasted through the ward with no trouble, sending a shower of sparks skyward. Someone powerful was behind us, probably Sitka.
“Fasten your seat belt,” she said. “Could get nasty.”
No shit. The Jeep trail in front of us was deeply rutted and dotted with huge boulders. As soon as we left the pavement, we were all thrown upward. My head hit the soft top.
Christina kept a good grip on the sides of her car seat and screamed.
“Hang on tight, honey,” I said. “Your mom’s a great driver.”
A couple of times, rocks clanged against the bottom of our rig, but the wheels kept turning. That’s all that really mattered anymore.
The Wrangler tossed us in every direction, like a bucking bronco. We bounced upward when the front wheels hit a dead tree trunk lying across the trail, but the back tires didn’t roll over it. I thought we were done and tried to find the release button for my seat belt. Better to take the bastard behind while standing.
Laura hit a button on the dash. “Locking the differentials.”
The Wrangler groaned, twisted sideways, and lunged forward again.
Each time we passed an obstacle, I glanced back in my side mirror and prayed that the SUV got stuck.
It didn’t happen, and they even gained on us. When they were three car lengths back, I confirmed Sitka was driving. A shorter man sat next to him.
My stomach churned as they came closer. To protect us from their spells, I conjured a protective ward around our Jeep. A few seconds later, a loud crackling told me our protection had saved us from a lightning bolt. That warmed my heart.
Sitka drew closer, to within two car lengths. Mud covered most of my side mirror by now, but I could see him in the clear portion of the glass.
We kept bouncing around and jerking suddenly from side-to-side, but Christina had stopped yelling.
“Hey, girl, you’re being very brave. Isn’t your mom driving great on this crappy road?”
“My arms hurt,” the six-year-old yelled.
I was surprised that she wasn’t more banged up, but she didn’t deserve this. I said to Laura, “If you stop for a second, I’ll get out and face the monster. You and she will be able to get away without racing.”
Laura snorted. “How about I get out and you drive her away? He can’t actually fight me, and I’ll just stand in the middle of the road to block his path.”
That wasn’t happening. “Okay, sorry for mentioning it. We’re in this together.”
“Damned right,” she said.
“Damned right,” Christina echoed from the back seat.
Up ahead, a fast-moving river blocked the trail. No bridge. A lush growth of willows and tall cottonwoods lined the water.
As best I could tell, no one had crossed the ford recently. The track on the other side remained dry. In the middle, the water was too deep to see the bottom.
I clutched my staff and steeled myself to face the assholes behind us.
Laura didn’t slow down.
“You’re going to chance it?” I asked.
“Hell, yes! The alternative is slavery for my husband, or death.”
“Karen—Ouch!” Thanks to the jerky motion, I almost bit my tongue in two, “—said stay to the left.”
“I remember. Here goes.”
The Jeep hit the river, and water sprayed up and out from all four wheels. Laura gunned the engine, and rocks rumbled under us. We jerked forward a few feet and stopped despite the wheels spinning like mad.
The river flowed over the hood, and it seeped in around my feet.
“I love you both.” The words popped out without me thinking. “In case I don’t have time to say it later.”
Laura laughed. “Same goes, ye of little faith. The more we sink, the better traction we get.”
Until the engine drowns. I almost said before mentally kicking myself for being negative.
To my surprise, the Jeep bounced forward again. The water inside our rig rose high enough to soak my butt in my seat, but the engine didn’t die. Another loud clang told me a rock had smacked the undercarriage, but we kept churning forward.
In the center of the river, my side of the rig dropped lower than hers, and I wondered whether the force of the water would roll us over. I glanced at Christina and tried to figure out how I could pull her from her seat upside down if I needed to.
Thank the gods, the Jeep remained upright, and we moved ahead. As we approached the other bank, the water level receded. Damn! That was close.
With a final big bounce, the Jeep’s front tires bit into the dry dirt on the bank of the river. I gasped for air, not realizing I’d been holding my breath.
“You made it,” I said. “Fantastic.”
Laura grinned and opened her door to let the water out as she kept driving. I opened my door, too.
“You really know how to four-wheel, don’t you, darling?”
She laughed with a hysterical note. “Actually, I can’t believe we didn’t flip over.”
I laughed myself and glanced in the mirror. The water had been deep enough to wash most of the mud away.
The SUV had spun sideways in middle of the river, and it was being carried downstream until it vanished behind the thick foliage along the riverbanks.
“Look behind.” I said.
“They’re gone!” she said.
I blew out a huge sigh of relief. “What a great driver you are!”
Christina cheered, “Way to go, Mom!”
“You said it, kid.” I turned to smile at Christina.
The trail in front of us was just as nasty for the next mile, but I didn’t care. I knew we’d make it. Laura had brought us through the worst.
When we found a paved frontage road along U.S. 101, she stopped for a second and rested her forehead on the steering wheel. I patted her on the back.
Then we drove to an entrance onto the highway and headed south.
“What was the name of the motel again,” she asked.
“Eel Riverside, in Fortuna.” I checked my phone for directions. “Found it.”
Chapter 7
FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER, WE entered the manager’s office. It reminded me of a small living room in an old farm house. The soft plaid furniture was clean and comfortable. The man behind the counter looked us up and down. “Ian and Laura, I presume?”
I nodded.
“I’m Matt. Karen called and said you’ve got serious sorcerer trouble.”
I didn’t want to get into the details with a stranger, so I simply said, “Yep, is she okay?”
“Fine, she just returned to her house and found her ward blasted to hell and the Jeep gone. She’ll be thrilled to hear you got away. I suggested she leave immediately. That way, if the scum returned, they wouldn’t catch her.”
“Excellent advice,” Laura said.
He beamed. “We’ve got a nice room for you that backs up to the river. Put the Jeep in the red garage next door. We don’t want anyone driving by and spotting it. How long do you plan to stay, and how would you care to pay for your room?”
“Not sure about how long,” Laura said. “Probably a few days. As for the charges, use this.” She handed the man one of the gift credit cards.
The room was older but spacious with two queen-sized beds and a tiny but spotless bathroom. White lace curtains blocked pryin
g eyes from outside, and the pink carpet was thick and warm on my bare feet.
This place seemed like a helluva deal for sixty bucks a night. We must’ve gotten the witches-in-distress discount.
Laura called Karen’s cell on a burn phone to update her on the news that we’d survived the attack.
I called Diana and related the same news.
“Do you think you can trust this guy who runs the motel?” Diana asked.
“I do,” I replied. “Karen vouched for him, and he did help us hide the Jeep. I shook his hand, and he has minimal power. Definitely not a dark magician.”
“Then stay in that room until I can get somebody there to collect you two. Katie is happy to come, but you’re twenty hours away. I’d like to send Gill with her.”
“Sounds fine,” I said. “We’re just going to lay low and rest. We’ll wait the two days, no problem.”
Laura laid on one of the beds and napped. Christina got the other bed for herself. I helped her under the covers, and she dropped off to sleep right away. Then I laid next to Laura.
When the motel’s phone rang, I picked it up quickly. Luckily, it didn’t wake our little girl up.
The manager said, “Listen, Ellen and Karen’s house is on fire. Turn on Channel 4.”
“Oh, no!” My heart felt as if it was being crushed by a heavy weight. This was too much for one day.
After I hung up, I turned on the TV with the sound off so Christina would stay asleep. Laura silently cried as I hugged her.
On the screen, the local news showed pictures of a large fire consuming the home we’d just left.
I called Karen. “I’m terribly sorry that all this trouble has come onto you because of us.”
Her voice broke as she talked. “Don’t feel responsible. I knew what I was signing up for when I told you to come earlier today. It’s just that I never expected them to attack you this hard.”
“Is there anything we can do to help?” I asked. “Do you have insurance?”
“We’re fine,” she said. “You protect your family. As for the house, of course, we’re insured. Thanks to your suggestion, I took everything important to us.”
We chatted for a few more minutes before I hung up. Then Laura and I held each other for about five minutes—without saying anything. Finally, the news switched to a different story, and I turned the TV off. We laid together quietly, and I pulled as much suffering out of her as I could, but more pain kept replacing it.
Vengeance (The Sorcerers' Scourge Series Book 3) Page 6