Finding Valor by Charlotte Abel

remained of the door, but her smile fled as soon as she recognized the man lying in a pool of blood.
    She dropped the shotgun then fell to her knees and pressed her hands over the worst of his wounds. “Shepherd Feenie! What are you doing here?”
    “Looking for Hunter.”
    ~***~
    “He’s not here.” Channie took one of Shep’s hands and slipped it under hers. “Keep pressure on this while I go find a bandage.”
    Momma had taken the medicine kit with them when they’d moved to Louisville, so Channie grabbed the cleanest kitchen towel she could find and pressed it against Shep’s leg. “What made you think Hunter was here?”  
    “I didn’t expect to find anyone here, but Ms. Wisdom said this would be a good place to start looking.” He grimaced as Channie pressed harder. His blood soaked through the towel within minutes. “I think I need a healer.”  
    Channie nodded. “I lost my powers, but I was able to heal a knife wound using my husband’s magic.”
    Shep released control of his own magic, but Channie couldn’t use it. His power flowed through her and prodded her scarred power well, but steered clear of her heart-of-hearts as if it knew that no one’s energy but Josh’s would be welcome there. “It’s not working!”
    “What can I do to help?” Shep’s voice shook.
    “I’m afraid your superficial femoral vein might have been nicked by a piece of buckshot.”
    “If it’s superficial, why’s there so much blood?”
    “It’s only superficial when compared to the major femoral vein.”
    “You sure it didn’t hit the major one?”
    “If it had, you would have bled out already.” That was still a possibility. “I have an idea, but it’s going to hurt.”
    “Do it.”
    Channie lifted the bandage, ripped what remained of Shep’s trousers away from his body and plunged her finger in the wound.  
    Shep threw his head back and howled.
    Channie yelled over his screams. “Follow the pain and seal the vein with raw power.”
    “You want me to burn myself?”
    “You have to cauterize it to stop the bleeding.”
    “Can I cast a pain-away spell first?”
    Channie shook her head. “You need to use the pain as a guide so you can pin-point the damage. It won’t do any good to stop the bleeding if you seal off the entire vein.”
    Shep panted through clenched teeth then screamed.
    Channie yanked her hand away from his leg involuntarily when his magic burned her finger.
    The bleeding didn’t stop, but it slowed. Channie probed the wound with a different finger. “Do it again.”
    Shep didn’t answer.
    Channie patted his cheek with her other hand, but it didn’t do any good. She slapped him. “Wake up, Shep. We’re not done.”
    His eyelids fluttered open.
    It took two more tries before the bleeding stopped. Channie cleaned Shep’s wounds, and her burned fingers, with soap and water then taught him how cast a general disinfecting spell. It was sloppy work, but it was better than nothing. She bandaged his leg with a fresh towel then dragged him off the porch into the cabin.  
    She let him sleep for half an hour then jostled him awake. “I’m sorry, but we need to figure out what we’re going to do before Momma gets back.”
    Shep propped himself up on his elbows. “Find me a forked branch to use as a crutch and let’s get the hell outta here.”
    “I can’t leave. I swore a death pledge to Momma.”
    Shep groaned. “Oh, Channie. What’d ya go and do that for?”
    “I had to. It was the only way to save Josh.”
    “That’s Valor, right?”
    “How’d you know?” Josh’s true identity was supposed to be a secret.
    “Ms. Wisdom told us all about him. We was getting mighty discouraged before she shared the prophecy from the Book of the Dead.”
    “Oh, no!” Channie’s heart leapt into her throat. “Who all did she tell?”  
    “Everyone at Freedom Ridge.”
    “Freedom Ridge?”
    “That’s what we named our base camp. We got over two hundred people there and more