Charmed & Deadly (9 page)

The jungle
Tree-hugging witches: 1
Dead guys: 3 (But I didn’t kill them all.)
Spells: 2

I
’m not sure I’d recommend the African jungle as a vacation hotspot. That is, unless someone is into real adventure. The creature noise is migraine-inducing and the insects (thank god for repellant) are annoyingly persistent. I’m really glad I’m current on all my shots. Oh, and the lovely sounds of rapid gunfire have been our constant companion the last twenty-four hours.

I know it isn’t fair, but right now I’m so angry with Brett for putting us all into this mess. If he didn’t have to be the great do-gooder I’d be able to look for Garnout, chase down Jason, or, at the very least, be at home in Sweet eating at Lulu’s.

Stupid brother.

Today has been one giant crap pile.

The first bit of fun began when we were still in the Land Rover. About three hours into the interior of the jungle, we came to a roadblock.

A tree had fallen, or at least that’s what it looked like. As we slowed, Ezeoha pulled out a rifle from under the seat and handed it to Kaz. Then he pulled out another and gave it to me. I didn’t really need a gun, but I held on to it.

“When I stop the vehicle, you must run for the trees to the right,” Ezeoha whispered. We slipped on our packs as he pulled to the side of the road.

He reached down again and this time brought up what looked like and old-timey machine gun. Something you might see in a John Wayne war movie or something. When he stopped, we jumped out.

I heard yelling but didn’t look back until we hit the trees. Kaz held a finger to his lips. Then he motioned upward.

I raised my eyebrows. He wanted me to climb the tree.
Crap
. The last time I’d climbed a tree I’d been seven. I fell, broke my arm, and Brett wouldn’t let me tell Mom because he didn’t want to get in trouble. His plan worked until dinner. I’d tried to eat with my left hand with no success, and that’s when Mom had noticed. I’d been rushed to the emergency room, and he’d been grounded. He never forgave me and to this day calls me a “wuss.”

I couldn’t understand what the men looking for us were saying, but they weren’t happy about finding the vehicle abandoned. Just for fun they shot off their guns into the greenery. The popping sound made me jump, and that’s when I saw something.

At the end of my branch, the leaves moved in an odd fashion and I thought it might be the wind. Then I realized: there was no wind. I was flat on my stomach staring ahead when something black and huge slithered toward me.

The head of the snake was bigger than my hand, and I almost peed myself right then and there. My breath caught. It was two feet away and would have to creep over me to move along.

The Earth Goddess doesn’t like it when you blow up her creatures for no reason. This was the snake’s domain and I was in the way. Using magic against it wasn’t an option. The Earth Goddess is not a chick you want to anger.

Slithering closer, the snake was only a few inches away. My body seemed to have a mind of its own and flung itself out of the tree. I was falling when someone caught my arm. Pain seared into my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see Kaz’s dark eyes staring into mine. My arm was sweating, partly from the heat, but more from the confrontation with the snake. I slid out of Kaz’s grasp and hit the ground feet first.

The rebels, who wore dark blue uniforms, heard the movement and showered the area with bullets. I threw up a protection shield on both of us. Once I caught my breath, I stood, and I could see them heading my way.

I threw the first fireball at the man in the center. He screamed as his uniform caught fire and the other two turned to see what the commotion was about. They tried to pound the fire out with their hands and then threw the man to the ground and stomped on him. The fire spread quickly, and there was nothing left but a pile of ash in a matter of seconds.

That’s when I heard two pops, and I saw the other two men fall forward.

Ezeoha stood up out of the bushes and walked over to the rebels. He kicked one over and then the other, grabbing their guns.

Kaz jumped down out of the tree and shook his head. His brown eyes were huge with surprise. “Azir told me you were a witch. I didn’t know you had such great power.”

I shrugged. “Sorry. I hadn’t really meant to kill him. I have a habit of blowing people up first and asking questions later.”

Kaz didn’t get the joke. “No. Do not be sorry. It is good they are dead.” Kaz moved forward and Ezeoha handed him something. It was a necklace with something on the chain.

Kaz held it up to show me. “These men are animals. They prey on women and children, and they do not deserve your worry. These men believe killing the young gives them power.”

The horror and disgust of it rushed over me, and the fury began to build. If I ran across more of these bastards I’d wipe them all off the face of the planet.

“What do we do now?” I took a sip of my bottled water to help settle the rising bile.

“We must move away from the road and into the jungle.” Ezeoha grabbed some more water out of the Land Rover and put it in his pack. “The rebels will come looking for these men. We must move quickly.”

If I hadn’t been in such a hurry to find my dad and brother, I would have stayed and given the rebels a
real
welcome party. But if these were the kind of people who had kidnapped my family, I wanted to find them fast.

We’re taking a few moments to rest near a large tree. Now I hear roaring. Kaz and Ezeoha both told me there was nothing to worry about; it was probably just a leopard. Just
a leopard? Gah! Are they insane?

Judging from the way they both looked at each other when the animal roared again, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d realized they were wrong, too.

Friday
10 p.m.
Dead guys: 11

We’ve been walking forever, and everything still looks the same. Twisted green trees, mud, snakes, spiders, and really weird monkeys that shriek so loud I almost blew up Kaz, who was standing in front of me the first time I heard them. They made me jump out of my skin. The heat is worse, and there were times when I wasn’t sure I could take one more step. I never say a word, but I think Kaz knows I’ve sort of reached my physical limit.

He suggested we stop for a couple of hours to rest near a small river, more like a creek. About five minutes after we sat down, I must have fallen asleep.

In my dreams I heard Sam and Azir talking. They were coming here, even though I had asked them both to stay home. When I tried to reach them telepathically, Sam put up his shields, and he must have done the same for Azir. He knew I would try to stop them. The last thing I needed was those two getting lost or killed. I was furious in my dream but had no one to scream at.

I woke up with someone’s hand over my mouth and I realized I was being dragged away from the river. My first instinct was to blow up whoever had their hands on me, but when I opened my eyes, I saw it was Kaz. He motioned with his head that someone was coming. He let go and I scooted back into the bushes on my own. The green leaves were damp with the last rain, and the branches scratched through my shirt.

Ezeoha was to our right.

I don’t know why it took my brain so long to kick into gear, but I finally opened up and tried to sense how many people were on the way. I could see two boats loaded down with soldiers and small children.

The boats moved past us and I heard the children crying. I sent my mind into that of a small boy I could see on one of the boats. The rebels had taken all the children from a village. The tiny boy was frightened and repeated a constant prayer for his mother. I saw her lying on the floor, her throat slit.

Bastards
. God only knew what they would do to those poor babies. I couldn’t kill the rebels on the boats. The children might drown. I jumped up and grabbed my pack. Following the path of the riverbank, I ran after the boat. I could hear footsteps behind me, so I assumed Kaz and Ezeoha were close.

I didn’t really have much of a plan past killing every one of the rebels and saving the children. At about the time my lungs were giving out from running in the heat (maybe I’ve mentioned I’m not the most fit of witches when it comes to running—yoga is more my speed), the men turned the boats toward the shore.

They tossed the children from the boat and then ushered them forward into the jungle.

Kaz stood behind me and we watched from the safety of the bushes.

“I’m going to kill them,” I whispered.

Kaz touched my shoulder. “I will help. Ezeoha has moved to the other side to trap them. We must not let any get away, or we will have a war on our hands.”

“Don’t worry, Kaz. I don’t plan on there being many survivors. I’m going to try to get their attention. You move the children away if at all possible, and don’t let them see what I’m about to do.”

“I will do as you ask.” Before I could thank him, he was gone.

Moving toward the sound of the soldiers, I threw protection spells at the children, Kaz, and Ezeoha. Pulling my shirt out from the waistband of my khakis, I tied it into a knot under my breasts, and unbuttoned all of the buttons. I needed a quick distraction, and boobs are some of the best things a woman can use.

I put two confusion potions in my pockets. I said a protection spell for myself, and then stepped into the clearing.

“Hello?” I waved a hand as if I were greeting a neighbor. “I’m a little lost and I wondered if you could help me?”

All of the men turned and stared open-mouthed at me. I gathered that coming across a half-naked white woman in the middle of the jungle wasn’t an everyday occurrence.

Two of the men moved toward me. I tossed the confusion potions at them. They turned and pointed the guns at their comrades.

“Now!” I yelled as I threw two fireballs.

Ezeoha rushed forward, firing at the men as he did. He took out the two men with the children, and then began speaking to the children very fast in French. He told them to run into the jungle with him.

Kaz fired his rifle and took out two more of the soldiers. The others, believing they were surrounded, didn’t bother to fire back. They ran.

I threw more fireballs as fast as I could, pulling energy from the nature around me so I wouldn’t deplete my own power. Kaz and Ezeoha took care of the rest.

The soldiers had to die. I knew from the quick trips I’d taken into their brains the atrocities they had committed. Kind and wonderful people populate most of Africa, but these guys were not among them.

Shoving my hands out, I used my powers to push one of the men against a tree. Sending my mind through his, I saw my brother blindfolded, his hands tied behind his back.

I stepped over some of the dead bodies to reach him. “Where is my family?” I demanded. The anger burned within me. “I know you have them. Where are they?”

The man shook his head, and I realized he didn’t understand English. I had a feeling that if he did, he would have answered me. A wet spot spread in the front of his pants. He was afraid of me.

Good
.

I sent my mind into his. I rewound it a few days and saw how he and the other men had snuck into the medical tents and had taken my father and brother. They had moved them to a cave not far from here, maybe another two-and-a-half days’ walk. But they had used transports, which got them there in a matter of hours.

I opened my eyes and Kaz stood with a gun pointed at the soldier’s head. “Tie him up. He knows where my father and brother are.”

Kaz did as I asked. Ezeoha motioned to me from the edge of the clearing.

“What do we do with zee children?” There were about six of them, huddled together. Buttoning my shirt, I smiled as I walked toward them.

Sending a healing-of-the-spirit spell, I knelt before them. “You are safe.”

Ezeoha stood beside me and repeated the words in French.

“I won’t let anyone else hurt you. This nice man,” I said as I pointed to Ezeoha, “is going to take you to a place where you will be safe.”

One little girl who couldn’t have been more than three scooted toward me, and then threw her arms around my neck.

The other children followed, and soon I was flat on my butt with all six of them wrapped around me. I hugged them back, and it suddenly dawned on me why my brother couldn’t leave this place. Things like this happened to the children here every day. It was wrong, and he had to stop it.

By the time we made it back into the clearing, Kaz had moved all the bodies out of sight and had left the lone soldier tied to a tree.

We loaded the children into one of the boats. “I do not like to leave you,” Ezeoha said as he ushered the last of the children in. His heavy French accent had grown on me. He’d been very brave—well, he and Kaz—and there was no way I could ever possibly thank him enough.

“Thank you for everything, Ezeoha, but we can make it from here. You are a good man.”

“You are a fearsome but kind witch. I wish you well on your journey.” He handed Kaz the maps. “In case the prisoner tries to take you in the wrong direction, I have marked the trail we were to follow.”

Kaz took the maps. “Be safe, my friend.”

“And you,” Ezeoha said as he held up a hand to wave good-bye.

We traveled for a couple more hours, stopping when it grew dark.

Kaz wants me to sleep in a tree tonight, but after the run-in with that Black Mamba, I’d rather sleep by the fire. Kaz had promised that he checked the tree and shook every branch, but I’m not buying it.

Oh my god
.

“What the hell is
that
?” I pointed to what looked like a large black plate moving across the ground about fifteen feet from us.

“Spider.” Kaz shrugged.

Crap
. That tree doesn’t look so bad after all.

The jungle
Sunday
9 a.m.
Pungent witches: 1
Pissed-off leopards: 1

I
don’t like it when leopards eat people. It’s gross.

Last night we’d tied our prisoner to the tree. Kaz did it so the guy could rest, but not get away. It seemed, at the time, more humane than the guy actually deserved—I mean, considering on what he planned to do to those poor children.

Anyhoo, I fell asleep in the tree. Don’t ask me how. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to do it. The next thing I know, I hear this low growl. The prisoner below screams, and it sounds like something is ripping him to bits. Low, guttural moans, and then silence.

Honestly, the last thing I wanted to do was climb down to see what had happened. It was pitch black. Kaz had doused the fire before climbing up on his own branch earlier in the evening.

I sent Kaz a mental message.
“What do we do?”

“Don’t move or speak.”
Kaz’s words were strong, even though he didn’t say them out loud.

We waited in silence for what seemed like hours. As the sun rose, the jungle lightened and I had my first peek at the carnage below.

A hand, still tied to the rope, was all that was left. It held a small pistol. The sight made my stomach roll, and I took a deep breath.

“Where did he get a gun?”

Shaking his head, Kaz motioned toward the other side of the tree. “I do not know. I feel the leopard favors us, but we shouldn’t tempt fate. We must move quickly, down the other side of the tree. You do not want the blood of the prey on you.” Kaz was already moving behind me. I carefully followed him across the branches of the huge tree until we reached the other side.

The lowest branch was still about ten feet off the ground, so he jumped off and then reached up to help me down.

As my feet touched the ground, we heard a roar. It sounded far away, but the jungle can be deceptive.

“The camp where your brother works is nearby, a few hours’ walk.” Kaz loaded his pack onto his back, and I did the same. “We’ll stop there and see if we can get any more information as to where your father and brother are.”

I nodded. With the lone remaining soldier dead, we’d lost our guide. I knew the camp was probably crude, but I prayed there might at least be a place I could take a quick bath. There are at least twelve layers of insect repellant on my skin, and I’ve surpassed my personal best with the body odor.

We’ve stopped to have a quick bite to eat and to rest. Kaz believes we are only about two hours away.
Please, let him be right
. It feels like someone is watching us, but every time I send my mind out, I don’t see a thing.

The jungle is getting to me. I’m going mad, I tell you, mad!

Geez
. I really do need a shower and a Diet Coke.

Camp Maharas
9 p.m.
Zonked witches: 1

Compared to where I’ve spent the last few days, Camp Maharas is the Ritz. It’s basically a medical facility my brother set up to help the Rwandan refugees. It consists of five large tents, with a well for water and more children than I’ve ever seen in my life.

When we first walked into the camp it was silent, and I wondered if it had been abandoned. I called out, “Hello? Is anyone here? I’m Bronwyn, Brett’s sister.”

“Yes?” A beautiful African woman poked her head out of a tent with the huge red cross on it. “You are Doctor Brett’s sister?”

I nodded and tried to smile. I say “tried,” because at that moment exhaustion had overtaken me—it was all I could do to stand. I said a quick energy spell, and it helped some.

Wearing a long white coat over denim shorts and an olive tank, she rushed out to meet me. “I’m Doctor Sarah Umbarto. We are so happy you are here.” She took my hands. “Your brother speaks highly of you.” Her bright eyes were so green they looked like glass marbles.

I seriously doubted my brother ever said a kind word, but I appreciated her attempt at being friendly. “Thank you.” I motioned beside me. “This is Kaz. He’s been helping me get through the jungle the last few days.”

She nodded toward him and he gave a slight bow in her direction.

I could hear whispering from the tents.

“Children, it’s safe.”

There was a rush of giggles and suddenly we were surrounded by chattering children. They didn’t seem to mind the fact that I smelled of bug repellant and sweat. They patted and pawed me until Dr. Umbarto shooed them away.

“You must be stern with them or they’ll pester you for as long as you let them.” She smiled and shook her head as she spoke. “Off to school, now.” She pointed to one of the larger tents.

“Where do they all come from?” I followed her into the medical tent.

“Many are refugees, others are orphans who have lost their parents to AIDS.” She waved to a nurse and another doctor. “This”—she pointed to the nurse—“is Tiana. She assists us with everything from surgery to physicals and probably knows more than all of us put together.”

Another woman walked up beside Tiana. “This is Doctor Carmen González, who has been with us for the past eight months.”

Carmen held out her hand. “I’m so sorry about Brett. I’ve worked with him on and off for many years, and we’ve never had anything like this happen. And your father, well, it’s too much.” She had beautiful olive skin, light brown eyes, and a figure that runway models would die for.

Something about her name seemed familiar. I wondered if she might be the same Carmen he dated in med school.

I shook her hand. “Thank you. Are you the same Carmen from college?”

Her smile turned shy and she looked away. “Yes.” She sighed. “Have you heard any more news?” Her hopeful plea made me cringe.

“No. But I’ve been in the jungle the last few days, so if any came, I wouldn’t know it.”

Carmen walked over to a computer with a satellite hookup. “If you want to check here you can. We can also make calls through an Internet link.” She held up a headset.

“Thanks.” It suddenly dawned on me that we’d lost Kaz somewhere along the way.

I called out, “Kaz?” No answer. “Did you see where he went?”

Dr. Umbarto shrugged.

I stepped back outside the tent. “Kaz?”

“I’m here, Bronwyn.” He stood at the edge of the camp. “They have no guards, guns, or protection.” The worried look on his face told me loads.

“You know you don’t need guns when I’m around.” I smiled to ease his worry. “I’ll put a protection spell up for the entire camp, and I’ll make charms in a bit so we’ll know when an enemy approaches.”

Kaz put his rifle back into the shoulder holster. “There should be men here to protect the children.”

“I know. That’s probably why my brother has refused to leave all this time. He’s been here for two years straight and hasn’t so much as taken a weekend away. Well, until now. And I have a feeling wherever he is, it isn’t much of a vacation.”

My brother felt so drawn to this place and now I understood why. These people needed him. That’s why he’d given up his cushy practice at home and stayed. Never in a million years would I admit it, but we have that in common—when our friends need us, we’re there.

Brett had come here two years ago as part of the Doctors Across Borders program and never went home. His two-week trip had turned into two years.

I have to find him. These children need him.

11 p.m
.

I’m going to kill Sam and Azir. I mean it. The idiots followed me here after I begged them not to, and now I can’t sense them.

Sam had sent an e-mail.

Idiots. I just sent my mind out to check on them, but I can’t find anything. It’s as if they’ve disappeared, which is never a good thing. Usually even if Sam blocks me I at least know he’s around, but not this time. When I find him I’m going to cause him extreme physical harm for putting me through this. Then I’ll attack him like a horny tiger, but only after I hurt him bad.

Cole had also e-mailed—no word on Garnout, which really pisses me off. I can’t believe the huge spook brigade can’t find one wizard. It’s nuts.

They did find some interesting information about Jason. His family has disowned him, which is a good thing in my book. Turns out he killed one of his cousins after he escaped the Institute, and that didn’t sit well with his folks. The family has promised to assist the spook investigators in whatever way possible.

The prime minister is furious with me. I received a snippy e-mail from Miles about how unprofessional I’ve been, and that I’ve abused Dr. Zocando’s kindness.

Bite me
. As far as I can see, Zocando still hasn’t done anything to find my dad or brother. The prime minister said they were heading this way in the next few days. Geez, my family could be dead by then.

Throughout this whole escapade I’ve been second-guessing myself and wondering if I’ve made the right decision. Now I know. I can’t sleep, even though I’m exhausted. I’m so worried, and we’re supposed to leave at first light tomorrow.

I guess I’ll at least make good use of the time and put together some protection charms for the camp.

11 a.m.
The jungle
Eerified witches: 1

The whole time we’ve been in the jungle it’s been noisy, until today. I’ve heard the occasional bird, but most of the time it’s gunfire that interrupts the silence. It’s eerie because there’s no way of knowing where it comes from or how far away it is.

We left the camp around seven this morning, a little later than expected. Kaz had a tough time waking me up, probably because I’d only fallen asleep three hours before.

“Here—you should eat these to keep up your strength.” Carmen handed me a dozen protein bars. She’d been waiting outside my sleeping tent. I knew the bars had to have come from her personal stash, and I waved them away.

“No, I know how precious these things are out here. We have food.”

“Please, take them,” she begged. “It’s the one thing I can do to feel like I’m helping to find Brett.” Her voice caught. She looked at me and I noticed her eyes were shiny.

I don’t know what made me do it, but I took the bars and hugged her. “I’m going to find him.” I patted her back, wondering if my brother had any idea how much she was in love with him.

“I can’t imagine why you care so much about him. He’s such a pig-headed jerk.” I pulled away from the hug.

She wiped her eyes with her hand. “I know,” Carmen sniffled, “but I love him anyway.” She smiled. “Of course he probably doesn’t have a clue. He’s so wrapped up in this place he barely notices I’m around.”

I had a hard time believing that. Carmen was beautiful, with her shiny black hair and perfect figure, and I had a feeling she had no idea how gorgeous she was. My brother was stubborn, but he wasn’t stupid.

“I’ll have him back here soon. No worries.”

It took fifteen minutes to say our good-byes to the rest of the staff and the children. We’d been walking for the last three-and-a-half hours through the jungle. The farther we moved away from the camp, the quieter it became. Then about an hour ago we began to hear the gunfire. The jungle is tense with the sound of it.

From what Kaz whispered earlier, it may be good news—we might be close to where they are holding my family. I hope so.

We stopped a few minutes ago to rest and eat a light lunch.

I’m so sick of all this crap that if those rebels find us now they are dead meat. There’s nothing I’d like more right now than to blow someone up.

Well, a hot bubble bath would be nice, too. Oh, and Lulu’s fried chicken and chocolate pie. Hell, right now I’d settle for a turkey sandwich, potato chips, and a big glass of iced tea. My throat aches with the thought of it.

Damn
. Kaz is doing that twitchy thing with his head, which means it’s time to move on. I shouldn’t complain. Every step we take is bringing me closer to my family…and to the rebels who kidnapped them.

I’m soaking up all the nature I can, and I’ve been building my power for days. When the time comes, I’ll be at full capacity and very, very dangerous to any foe.