by C. R. Pugh
Battle
for the
Valley
Other works in the
Old Sequoia Valley Series:
Hunted in the Valley
Secrets of the Valley
C.R. PUGH
Copyright © 2019 C.R. Pugh
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 9781672356459
FOR CALEIGH RAE
Keep writing sweet girl.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title
Dedication
Map of Esperanza
Chapter 1 – Ravyn
Chapter 2 – Thorne
Chapter 3 – Audrick
Chapter 4 – Ravyn
Chapter 5 - Thorne
Chapter 6 – Audrick
Chapter 7 – Ravyn
Chapter 8 – Thorne
Chapter 9 – Ravyn
Chapter 10 – Thorne
Chapter 11 – Audrick
Chapter 12 – Ravyn
Chapter 13 – Thorne
Chapter 14 – Ravyn
Chapter 15 – Thorne
Chapter 16 – Ravyn
Chapter 17 – Thorne
Chapter 18 – Ravyn
Chapter 19 – Thorne
Chapter 20 – Audrick
Chapter 21 – Ravyn
Chapter 22 – Thorne
Chapter 23 – Audrick
Chapter 24 – Thorne
Chapter 25 – Ravyn
Chapter 26 – Thorne
Chapter 27 – Ravyn
Chapter 28 – Thorne
Chapter 29 – Ravyn
Chapter 30 – Thorne
Chapter 31 – Ravyn
Chapter 32 – Thorne
Chapter 33 – Ravyn
Chapter 34 – Thorne
Chapter 35 – Ravyn
Chapter 36 – Audrick
Chapter 37 – Thorne
Chapter 38 – Ravyn
Chapter 39 – Thorne
Chapter 40 – Ravyn
Chapter 41 – Thorne
Chapter 42 – Ravyn
Chapter 43 – Thorne
Chapter 44 – Ravyn
Chapter 45 – Thorne
Chapter 46 – Ravyn
Chapter 47 – Thorne
Chapter 48 – Ravyn
Epilogue – Ravyn
Acknowledgements
About the Author
General Wolfe’s Map of Esperanza
1
Ravyn
We ran like Yellow-eyed Sabers were on our heels.
Leaves and twigs snapped beneath our boots. The smell of gun-smoke and blood clung to my skin. Ferns and low hanging branches slapped my arms and legs as I veered through the trees of the Old Sequoia Valley. I was barely aware of the direction we fled. All I knew was that we were headed away from the compound. And away from Kieron.
We’d been running and walking intermittently for about an hour. Thorne led us through the trees, followed closely by Pierce and Archer. Brock and a blonde female I didn’t recognize sprinted behind them. Kaelem ran just ahead of me to my right. Most of the pine forest surrounding Terran and the compound had been left behind. Sequoias towered over us once more, blocking out most of the sunshine.
My lungs didn’t burn and my muscles were strong. I knew I should feel drained from the week I’d been trapped inside the compound, but whatever the scientist had given me in those fluids had replenished my store of energy to the maximum. The only weakness I felt was the throbbing in my cursed knee.
Kieron shot me! No, he hadn’t been Kieron while I’d been a prisoner. He’d been Two, General Wolfe’s soldier. Kieron’s loss had weighed heavy on my heart for the past year. Before he’d been brainwashed against me, Kieron had been my closest friend. We’d been closer than friends. The bullet grinding against my bones would remind me of him and all the pain he’d caused for the rest of my life.
What had happened? I thought, trying to make sense of everything.
I’d gone back inside the compound to rescue Laelynn, my friend and Kaelem’s sister, but I’d been captured. Wolfe’s scientist had orchestrated my escape. He’d blown down the front doors and somehow crippled the compound’s many defenses. While making my escape, Thorne and Kaelem had snuck back inside the compound to rescue me.
Once outside the compound, Two had found me.
Not Two anymore, I thought. He’s Kieron again. He’s no longer the General’s mind-slave.
Something had happened to Kieron to bring him back; the serum he had taken or one too many knocks to the head. Something had triggered the change, but we didn’t know what it was.
If that hadn’t been enough, my parents had been killed. Kieron had killed them while still under Wolfe’s control. I wanted to fall to the ground, curl up, and allow the sorrow and heartache to take over. But I willed my legs to keep moving, one step at a time.
Kaelem was with us, jogging a few paces ahead of me. The worried glances he kept giving me were wearing on my nerves.
Stupid mind-reader.
Kaelem had used his mind-reading gift against me for the last time. If he hadn’t plotted with Wolfe to recapture me, my parents might still be alive. I would have been there to protect them and Thorne would never have had to put his life in jeopardy for me.
I growled at the thought. I’d been overjoyed that Thorne had found me, but I was still furious with him for being here. The risk he’d taken made my blood run cold. Hadn’t I warned him about how dangerous Wolfe was and what he would do?
What were we going to do now? My plans to finish the General were far from complete. We had missed a perfect opportunity to hit him while the compound was weakened. If we waited, all his defenses would be back in place again and Wolfe’s stronghold would be even more difficult to breech. The scientist, who I was certain had blown out the front entrance for us, might not be there the next time. General Wolfe might finally become aware that one of his own people had helped me escape and eliminate him.
If not for this knee, I would go back to the compound immediately and finish things.
Still following behind the group, I leapt over a fallen log lying across my path; something I’d done countless times while running from the soldiers. My weakened knee buckled when I landed and I stumbled to the ground.
“We need to stop,” Kaelem called out to the others.
Their boots slowed to a halt. I struggled to regain my footing before anyone realized I was the reason we’d stopped. A gentle hand grasped my arm to help me to my feet.
“I’m sorry,” Thorne murmured. “I should have realized -”
I shrugged him off and whispered, “It’s nothing.”
The muscles in his jaw clenched. I sensed he was holding back a barrage of questions about Kieron and what had happened to me inside the compound. Blood was still caked on my skin and in my hair from the beatings Wolfe and Two had given me, so I imagined they all thought the worst.
“Why have we stopped?” the blonde woman complained.
She must be Thorne’s sister, Tallon, I thought. She carried a bow and a quiver of arrows slung over her shoulders. Her blonde hair was redder than Thorne’s, and her blue eyes were a bit darker, but the resemblance was there. She was not quite as tall as I was, but just as strong. A Warrior to the bone.
Kaelem nodded at me. “Ravyn needs to rest.”
Everyone turned their puzzled gazes to me, even as I glared daggers at Kaelem. “Mind your own business.”
“If you don’t tell them, I will.” He tapped his temple. “I’ve been listening to your complaints for a while.”
Thorne took a step closer to me so we wouldn’t be overheard. “Is it your knee? Kaelem mentioned it at the compound.”
I dug into my pocket and pulled out a small container,
shook out two white pills, and popped them into my mouth. The scientist had left them for me as a gift. It was the only thing he felt he could get away with under General Wolfe’s nose while conspiring to set me free. If it hadn’t been for him, I never would have been able to escape.
“Painkillers,” Thorne muttered, eyeing the plastic container. He stepped closer. “Why are you in so much pain? Why are you not healing?”
“I’m fine,” I huffed, sending Kaelem another scathing look. “We don’t have time to stop.”
“Yes, we do,” said Kaelem. “I don’t hear anything behind us.”
“Nor do I,” Pierce confirmed. “The soldiers have given up for now.”
Thorne nodded his head. “Then we rest for a while.” He turned back to the others. “Get some food and water, but keep your eyes and ears open.”
His Warriors fanned out to check the area for threats. Pierce didn’t even glower at his commander. Instead, his knowing blue eyes flicked down to my knee and back up to my face through the dark brown curls hanging down over his eyes. He gave me a grim look and then walked away.
My brows knitted together. Did he see what was in my knee? How did he know something was in there? He had to be altered, like me and Thorne. I briefly wondered what his gift might be.
Archer had returned to the Old Sequoia Valley with Thorne and Pierce. I’d recognized his red hair and clever green eyes during the fight at the compound. He moved around our temporary camp, checking everyone’s firearms and ammunition, and tending to wounds.
Brock seemed to blend in to the forest with his brown skin, hair, and eyes. I recalled Thorne once calling him a chameleon. Perhaps that was his special gift. He crouched down beside Tallon, speaking quietly with her.
Kaelem picked up a pine needle and began chewing on it. His chocolate hair fell in waves to his shoulders and the top half of it was tied back with a cord to keep it out of his face. Leaning back against the trunk of a smaller sequoia, Kaelem crossed his arms over his chest and stared at me with eyes that matched his hair. I wondered what thoughts he was hearing from the Warriors. I brushed my curiosity aside. I didn’t want to know. Kaelem and I agreed on one thing: our gifts were often a curse.
When Kaelem smirked, I glared back at him and turned away.
I trudged back through the shrubs and sat down on the log, keeping my back to the group. I couldn’t stand it if I saw them staring or giving me pitiful looks. The blood stains on my body made me feel weak and my skin itched from being filthy. I was certain I looked as gross as I felt.
I stiffened when Thorne sat beside me on the log, his eyes boring into me.
“Talk to me, little warrior.”
Calling me by that pet name sent flutters through my belly.
“It’s nothing that can’t wait,” I muttered, staring down at my feet.
“Ravyn …”
I risked a glance up at him and inhaled sharply. Even when Thorne was furious, his ice-blue eyes always seemed to leave me breathless. His white-blonde hair had grown some since the last time I’d seen him, curling slightly around his ears and neck. When his jaw ticked again, my gaze was drawn to the scars running down the right side of his face. I hated that he could turn me to mush, even when he was being so bossy. I gritted my teeth against the urge to confess everything. Once I revealed that Kieron had wounded me, Thorne might feel compelled to find him and kill him. I’d have to tell him eventually. But not now. Not when there was nothing the Warriors could do to help me anyway.
I pinched my lips together and lowered my eyes back to the ground.
“Fine,” Thorne grudgingly agreed. “I can wait, but not for long. There are things I must confess to you as well.”
Thorne rose from the log and stalked away. Peeking over my shoulder, I watched him swagger across the camp to join Pierce and Archer. I wondered what on earth he had to confess.
Peering over at Kaelem, I raised a questioning eyebrow, knowing he should have some idea. The smug grin on his face left me feeling even more confused.
I shook my head and turned my back on everyone again. The Warriors were whispering behind me and I knew I was the topic of their discussion.
They should leave me behind, I thought miserably. The bullet was keeping the muscles and ligaments in my knee from healing properly. My body would attempt to heal again and again around the bullet, draining my body of energy. General Wolfe had made me lame. I won’t be good in a fight once the painkillers are gone. My head dropped into my hands in defeat. What about Camellia? How am I going to protect her now?
The sound of my name being muttered behind me interrupted my thoughts. I glared over my shoulder. Tallon and Thorne were speaking to each other in soft voices. I scowled at their audacity to gossip about me while I was sitting right by them.
I glanced over at Kaelem. He’d fallen asleep with a pine needle stuck between his teeth. Without making a sound, I rose from the log, stepped carefully around the sequoia, and plopped myself down, sitting with my back to the tree between a couple of roots jutting out of the ground. At least now I wouldn’t be able to see them gawking and whispering.
And what was I supposed to do about Kieron? Why had he suddenly woken up? Thorne had mentioned the General’s serum before we fled the compound, but why had it taken so long to take effect? Maybe healing the broken pathways of the mind took longer with the serum.
My blood ran cold at my next thought: what would General Wolfe do to Kieron once he found out? He would torture Kieron and break his mind all over again.
Thorne’s raised voice behind me shook me out of my thoughts.
“Go tell Pierce and the others to keep heading toward Linwood,” Thorne ordered. “I’m going to find her.”
“Where would she go?” Tallon asked him.
“I don’t know,” Thorne grumbled. “Go tell them. I’ll catch up with you in Linwood.”
I heaved an aggravated sigh and wiped my hand down my bloodstained face. Why did they think I had run off? Did they think I was stupid?
Suddenly, I heard Thorne bellow, “What are you doing?”
Peeking around the sequoia, I found Thorne hauling Kaelem to his feet by his shirt collar with a murderous expression on his face. Kaelem stared up at him, completely blindsided and befuddled.
Kaelem finally came to his senses and shoved Thorne away from him. “What am I doing?” he shouted back. “What is your problem, Thorne?”
“What happened to Ravyn?” He gestured to where I had been seated on the log. “Where did she go? Did you see her leave or were you too busy napping?”
Kaelem’s mouth fell open. “I only closed my eyes for a second. Ravyn is not my responsibility anyway. You should have been watching her. She’s your wife!”
My stomach clenched up in painful knots at Kaelem’s words. There had to be some mistake. Perhaps I hadn’t heard him properly … but he had shouted it for all to hear.
I strode out from behind the sequoia and confronted them. “What did you say?”
Thorne released Kaelem and slowly turned to face me. His face blanched and his mouth hung open. “Ravyn … I …”
I glanced at Kaelem and said, “I’m not his wife.” I shifted my gaze back to Thorne. “Tell him.”
Thorne’s mouth opened and closed as if he were trying to think of something to say.
I balled my hands into fists and planted them on my hips. “Thorne, tell him.”
Thorne merely stood there, paralyzed.
“The words you said in the cave,” I whispered, shaking my head at him. “I thought they were awfully formal.” I felt the blood drain from my face when I remembered the guilt on Thorne’s face. I’d dismissed it, thinking he was feeling insecure. But he’d tricked me into saying vows! And that desperate kiss afterward …
“Let me explain, please,” he pleaded.
Thorne took a step toward me, reaching out a hand to me, but I took a step backward to match it.
“Just … don’t.”
I stormed away from the
camp – well, it was more like a fast walk with a limp – pushing branches out of my face as I walked. My eyes burned with furious tears.
How could Thorne deceive me that way?
“Ravyn!”
I clenched my jaw, knowing he’d be right behind me. “Leave me alone. I need to think.”
“Ravyn, you are being foolish.”
“Am I?” I yelled over my shoulder. I tripped over a root jutting out of the ground and nearly fell down again. Once I’d caught myself, I growled and kept walking.
“Yes,” he replied. He was only a few steps behind me. “This is dangerous, and you are not going the right way.”
I halted and scanned my surroundings. The sequoias towered over both of us and the sun was going down in the west for an early autumn sunset. It was true, I had no idea where I was. If I had been here before, I had no recollection of it. Most of the sequoias in the Valley looked similar to each other. It was easy to get lost.
I hated that Thorne was right. It made me want to scream.
Once Thorne had caught up with me, he stood behind me, waiting for me to face him, but I refused to turn around and look at him.
“Ravyn, please let me explain,” he said softly. “It’s not what you think.”
“How could you make me your wife without telling me?” I said through gritted teeth. “Who does that?”
Thorne sighed and took a step closer. I felt the warmth of his body at my back. “It wasn’t something I planned,” he said gently.
I whirled around and glared up at him. We were nearly nose to nose. His eyes gleamed brightly in the lingering sunlight. I wanted to melt into him, but I had to resist. Right now, I hated him.
“You lied to me!” I accused.
His jaw ticked. “And you lied to me!”
“What did I lie about?”
He jabbed his finger back toward the compound. “You told me Kieron was dead!”
I gaped at him. This was the argument he was going to throw in my face?
“Kieron was dead!” I bellowed. “Everything I loved about him was gone. The General destroyed who he was to me!”