Finding Valor

by Charlotte Abel

  Contents

  Finding Valor Book Three

  EMPTY

  REVELATIONS

  BAD NEWS

  MAGIC MOMENTS

  REUNION

  FREEDOM RIDGE

  REFUGEES

  BETRAYAL

  SAFEHOUSE

  DOUBLE LIFE

  SACRIFICE

  SIDE BY SIDE

  NO GOOD-BYES

  TOTAL ECLIPSE

  EPILOGUE

  Links to other books

  Finding Valor: Book Three of the Award Winning Channie Series

  By Charlotte Abel

  What readers are saying about Finding Valor :

  “Finding Valor was my favorite book of the series as we are finally able to see Josh come into his own.”—Chrissy Harris

  “A thrilling conclusion to The Channie Series. Finding Valor is a dynamic book I couldn't put down!”—Crystal Job

  It is 100% worth every penny and completely a 'can't put it down' type of book.”—Tammy Ladd

  Chapter One

  EMPTY

  “Get. In the car. Now.” Momma curled her lips in a feral snarl then threw the keys at Channie. They bounced off her chest.

  Channie kept her eyes locked on Josh’s face as she squatted down to retrieve the keys. Diego’s sobs tore at her as he clung to Abby’s body. But she was too numb to cry. Too empty.

  She pressed her hands over her heart as she backed out of the room. A vain attempt to keep the shattered pieces from slicing her soul into ribbons. Grief sucked at her body like quicksand. Each step away from Josh required a herculean effort. Climbing the stairs out of the basement left her completely drained. She pressed the button on the key fob with trembling fingers then crawled into the back seat and curled her body into a ball, hugging her knees to her chest. She’d sacrificed everything to save Josh and he wouldn’t even remember her. It was better this way. The remember-not spell would protect his heart as well as his life. If Channie had to die, at least Josh would be spared the grief that now consumed her.

  A quiet tap on the window startled Channie. She sat up and opened the door. Savvy, CoCo and Zeal stood, shoulder to shoulder like little soldiers. Savvy and Zeal trembled, but CoCo was solid as a rock. He put his hand on Channie’s knee. “It’s gonna be okay.”

  He’d just lost his mother. Channie should be comforting him. Not the other way around.

  “What are you doing out here? Where’s your daddy?” Diego needed to get the boys out of there.

  CoCo took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. “He’s saying good-bye to Momma before Granny gets rid of the ever dense.”

  “Evidence.” Channie hiccuped then covered her mouth with three fingers. Abby was a wife, mother, sister, daughter—not evidence. “I’m sorry.”

  CoCo climbed into Channie’s lap and wrapped his arms around her neck. “Don’t cry, Channie. I’ll protect you.”

  Channie grabbed CoCo’s wrists and held his hands against the center of her chest. Panic tightened her throat. “No. You have to get out of here. Take your brothers and hide until after we’re gone. I don’t want Granny changing her mind about letting you go.”

  “Granny’s mean. And you ain’t got no magic to protect you no more. You need me.”

  “I need you to take care of your brothers and your daddy. Granny isn’t going to hurt me.” At least, not yet. Not until summer solstice. She kissed his forehead. “Don’t worry about me. I’m pretty tough, even without magic.”

  Savvy and Zeal crawled into the back seat, climbing over CoCo to get to her. They soaked her shirt within seconds as they sobbed. Channie wanted to console them, but there wasn’t time. Momma could come at any moment. She leaned back and gazed into each of their grief-stricken faces. “Listen to me. All of you. You have to be strong for your daddy and for each other. No more squabbling or bickering. Understand?”

  They all nodded.

  “I love you guys, more than you can imagine.” Channie could barely speak around the lump in her throat. She gave them each one last hug then gently pushed them out of the car. She grabbed CoCo’s hands and pulled him close to whisper in his ear. “I’m counting on you. Take your brothers and find a hidey-hole where Granny can’t get you. Now go!”

  CoCo nodded then grabbed Zeal and Savvy’s hands. They ran across the yard and disappeared behind the house—right before Momma marched out the front door.

  She put her hands on her hips and scowled as she surveyed the yard. “Where’d those little devils get off to?”

  Channie didn’t say a word.

  “Diego’s going to have his hands full with those three. Especially now that they’ve started using magic.” Momma shrugged her shoulders then slid in behind the wheel as if this were nothing more than a trip to the store…as if she hadn’t just murdered her own daughter…or shattered Channie’s heart.

  She didn’t regret asking Momma to erase Josh’s memory. It was the only way to protect him. But she would never forget the look of betrayal on his face as he reached out to her and called her name. Or the way their bond dimmed as his memories fled. That vision would haunt Channie for the rest of her very short life.

  No. Damn it. She would not give up so easily. She wasn’t dead yet. She still had three months until summer solstice. A lot could change in three months. Especially if they found Aunt Wisdom. Even if she couldn’t cure Momma, she’d never let her hurt Channie.

  And then there was Daddy. As soon as he took a break from gambling, and figured out that Momma was gone, he’d come looking for her. There’d be hell to pay when he caught up with them and found out what she’d done.

  But…Daddy had ordered Momma to stay away from Channie. She’d been right outside their bedroom window and heard every word. “You stay away from Channie, you hear? That’s an order.”

  How had Momma gotten around a direct order? Her marriage vows were binding. They wouldn’t let her disobey her husband. A sense of foreboding quenched the tiny spark of hope in Channie’s heart.

  “Momma? Where’s Daddy?”

  She didn’t answer. But she didn’t need to. Channie already knew the answer. Marriage vows were binding…until death.

  ~***~

  Each passing mile increased Channie’s despair. When they stopped for fuel in Salina, Kansas, Momma told Channie to get behind the wheel. “I want to study my book while you drive.”

  Every time Momma tried to open the Book of the Dead, even with gloved hands, it burned her. And since the burns were caused by magic, there was nothing she could do to heal herself.

  When they passed the Oklahoma state line, Momma told Channie to pull off at the next rest stop.

  She cut the engine and opened the door, but Momma grabbed her wrist before she could get out of the car.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “To the bathroom. Isn’t that why we stopped?”

  Momma placed the Book of the Dead in Channie’s lap. “Open it.”

  Channie clenched her jaw, preparing herself for the burning pain, but the book was cool to her touch. She opened it with trembling fingers. Nothing happened. Channie turned the pages slowly, so Momma could see there wasn’t anything written on any of them.

  Momma glared at her blistered fingers, curled like talons, in her lap. “I don’t understand. Why does it allow you to touch it, but not me? Why does it allow you to open it, but still refuse to share its secrets?”

  Channie held her breath…and her tongue. Momma was crazy, not stupid. She had to know the book wasn’t cooperating because it belonged to Josh, not her. She just refused to admit it.

  Momma banged the back of her skull against the headrest and swore. When she calmed down, it was like flipping a switch. She lowered the sun visor and patted her hair as she c
hecked her reflection in the mirror. Not that it did any good. She still looked like a crazy witch. But as long as she didn’t act like one, Channie didn’t care. “Is it okay if I go use the facilities?”

  “You have five minutes to go do your business and get back out here. Don’t talk to anyone.”

  There was no doubt in Channie’s mind that disobeying Momma would trigger the death-pledge so she kept her eyes on the ground as she ran across the parking lot and into the cement building.

  When she got back to the car, Momma had put the Book of the Dead back in its velvet sack. It was sitting on the driver’s seat. Channie picked it up. “What do you want me to do with it?”

  Momma blinked. A tear leaked out of the corner of her eye. “Put it in the back seat.”

  The rest of the trip, while long and exhausting, was uneventful. By the time they got to Whistler’s Gulch, Channie could barely keep her eyes open. Momma took over driving.

  Channie was surprised when Momma turned left at the fork. “Veyjivik trackers will be watching the cabin. We can’t go home.”

  “My protection spells will keep ‘em away.”

  “Please don’t think I’m being sassy, but…your protection spells aren’t foolproof.”

  Momma backhanded Channie without even looking at her.

  She licked her split lip and tasted blood.

  When they got to the cabin, Momma parked right in the front yard, in plain sight. “What happened to the oak tree? And my rose garden?”

  Channie kept her bleeding mouth shut. She wasn’t about to tell Momma that Josh had accidentally destroyed ninety percent of the plants in the front yard when he got his power-name.

  Momma got out and slammed the door. She paced around the yard, fingering what remained of the shrubs she’d used for protection spells. Maybe now, she’d see how dangerous it would be to stay.

  Channie sighed with relief when Momma got back in the car and started the engine. “Josh and I lived in a shack out by the old bauxite quarry.”

  “I ain’t living in no shack.”

  “The trackers are watching Aunt Wisdom’s place, too. They’ll find us.”

  Momma patted Channie’s knee. “Don’t worry about a thing, baby girl. Momma’ll protect you.”

  Until it’s time to kill me.

  Momma drove back into Whistler’s Gulch. She bought a twelve-gauge shotgun, a couple boxes of ammo and every shrub in Walmart’s garden center. She filled the trunk and backseat with plants then tucked another five bushes around Channie in the passenger seat.

  Channie’s heart sank even lower as they drove back home. Hunter Feenie had defeated Momma’s protection spells last summer when the plants were at their prime. These little spring saplings weren’t going to hold enough magic to keep out a mouse, much less a tracker.

  ~***~

  The first thing Josh noticed when he woke up was the pain. A sharp-edged ache in the center of his chest throbbed with every beat of his heart, echoing the agony behind his eyes. He groaned and pried his lids open. It took him a moment to recognize the speckled, sound-dampening ceiling tiles, sage green walls and eighty-four inch flatscreen TV. What the hell was he doing at Dad’s house?

  “Daddy! Josh is awake.” The high-pitched, childish voice ratcheted Josh’s pain to a whole new level of agony.

  Two identical, tear-stained faces leaned over him. Double vision, migraine, confusion, lethargy…he must have a concussion. Josh squinted, but couldn’t merge the images. When a third face appeared, identical to the other two except for a lack of tears, Josh squeezed his eyes shut.

  A small, warm hand patted his cheek. “You can’t go back to sleep. Channie needs you.”

  “Get back, CoCo. Let him breathe.” The man’s voice was hoarse with a light Spanish accent. “He’s not going to remember anything.”

  Josh slowly rolled his head to the side and forced his eyes open once more. The man was about twenty with dark skin, hair and eyes. He’d also been crying.

  “Who are you?”

  The little boys chattered at the same time, making it impossible to understand any of them.

  “Dial it back a bit. I have a headache.” Josh rubbed his temples but it didn’t help.

  One of the kids cocked his head to the side. “Use a pain-away spell.”

  Josh fought through the pain, dizziness and nausea to sit up. “Okay, what’s going on?”

  The man sighed, long and loud. “You’re not going to believe this.”

  Twenty minutes later, Josh had two theories. Either Diego and his sons were crazy or this was all an elaborate prank.

  He was leaning towards prank. Eric must have slipped something into his Pepsi while he wasn’t looking then brought him to Dad’s house after he passed out. But what about this guy and his kids? Had Eric hired them? It seemed like too much effort for a prank.

  “I don’t want to sound insensitive, but if your wife was murdered right in front of you, just two hours ago, how come everyone’s so calm?”

  One of the boys—Josh still couldn’t tell them apart, but he thought it was Savvy—spoke up. “CoCo cast a be-calm spell on all of us. That’s why you ain’t freaking out.”

  “Believe me, I’m freaking out on the inside.” Josh stared at the wedding band on his left hand. It wouldn’t be hard to slip a ring on his finger while he was unconscious. “And there’s no way in hell I got married.”

  “Check the photos on your phone.” Diego closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck. “There’s a picture of you and Channie at your wedding.”

  “Any semi-competent graphic artist can photoshop a picture. That doesn’t prove anything.” Josh opened the photo app on his phone. He drew an involuntary breath as pain lanced his heart.

  He expected a posed photo of a bride and groom with his head cloned onto the groom’s body. What he saw was a photo of himself, dressed much as he was now, in jeans and a t-shirt. A look of pure joy on his face. The girl was also wearing casual clothes, but she was more beautiful than any bride he’d ever seen.

  Gold light shot out of the center of Josh’s chest. He covered it with his hand, but the light still shone through his fingers. “What the hell? What is that?”

  “What is what?”

  Josh lowered his hand. “This light—shooting out of my chest. You don’t see it?”

  Diego shook his head. “Do you guys see what he’s talking about?”

  Zeal and CoCo shook their heads.

  Savvy nodded. “It’s your heart-bond.”

  “How come you and I are the only ones that can see it?” Josh rubbed his chest again. “And why does it hurt?”

  Savvy shrugged. “Most mages can’t see someone else’s heart-bond. But I’m special.”

  CoCo rolled his eyes. “You are not.”

  Savvy ignored him. “It hurts because Channie hurts. She’s scared and she misses you.”

  The thought ripped the hole in Josh’s heart wide open. An electric current prickled his skin. It was a mild sensation, sort of like putting on a statically charged sweater. The hair on his arms stood on end as a wave of peace washed over him. “What was that?”

  “Another be-calm spell.” Savvy sank to the floor and yawned. “Knock it off, CoCo.”

  “If you don’t want to get hit, get out of the way.”

  The image on Josh’s phone drew his gaze like a magnet. “No way would a gorgeous girl like that go out with me, much less marry me.”

  Diego laughed, but it sounded more like a broken sob. “Go look in the mirror.”

  Josh needed to pee anyway. But when he saw his reflection in the bathroom mirror, he forgot all about his bladder.

  He no longer resembled a beanpole. He inhaled and grinned as his chest expanded. He twisted sideways. The view was just as impressive. Broad shoulders; deep, sculpted chest; strong neck; eight-pack abs. He yanked his shirt off and flexed his muscles. His lats flared like a cobra’s hood. His biceps bulged. “Damn. When and how did I get so ripped?”

  He could
dismiss the ring and the photo as a prank. He could almost convince himself that the weird, intermittent glow pulsing out of his chest was some sort of migraine symptom affecting his vision. But nothing—not even steroids—could produce that much muscle overnight. Even his face looked stronger, older. “What happened to me?”

  The last thing Josh remembered was sitting on a picnic table in Heritage Park talking to Eric. Which, according to the calendar app on his phone as well as the dozen or so websites he’d checked, was over six months ago. Not last night. Josh flexed his muscles again then put his shirt on. He went back to the media room and leaned against the door jamb. “Okay. I’ll admit that things are beyond weird, even unexplainable. But that doesn’t mean magic is real.”

  “Believe. Don’t believe.” Diego shrugged. “I don’t care. But Channie gave up everything for you and she’s in danger.”

  “Then we need to call the cops.”

  This time when Diego laughed, there was no mistaking the bitterness. “What are you gonna tell them? Prudence destroyed all the evidence with your magic.”

  “What do you mean she used my magic?”

  “She put one hand on your stomach and the other over your heart then recited a poem about borrowing power. Your back arched until only your feet and the back of your head touched the floor. Then ‘poof.’” Diego flung his hands up in the air. “Everything was gone. The blood, the dirt, the plants…Abby. Just…gone. As if none of it had ever happened. Call the cops if you want. But all they’ll do is lock you up in the looney bin.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  Diego gripped Josh’s shoulder with one hand and tapped his glowing chest with the other. “Listen to your heart, man. You have an unbreakable bond with Channie. It will lead us straight to her. And to the crazy bitch that killed my Abby.”

  “I’m sorry about your wife.” Josh patted Diego’s hand then lifted it off his shoulder.

  “I can’t deny that I feel something for Channie.” His heart hurt every time he thought about that photo on his phone. “But I don’t remember her. Magic isn’t real. And there’s nothing I can do to help you.”