Solomon's Exile

by James Maxstadt

  But he held on, taking another step and another. He lifted it up, marveling at how something that was so light could be so strong, and then plunged it down, over the side of the pool and into the water.

  The weight of its own robes were a benefit to Solomon now. They helped weigh the thing down, and aided him in holding it there in the water. It struggled, and cut his forearms to shreds, but he held on, keeping it submerged. Soul Gaunts didn’t breathe, but drowning it wasn’t the plan.

  “Now!” he yelled.

  “But you’ll get…”

  “Lacy! Now!”

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her approach the pool, the heavy-duty cord in her hand. She hesitated, and he groaned as the Gaunt cut into his arm again.

  “Hurry, I can’t hold it!”

  She tossed the end over the side and into the water, holding her other arm in front of her face. There was a flash, and Solomon felt like he had been stung by a thousand wasps, everywhere, all at once. The Soul Gaunt stiffened, vibrating, its claws locked tightly around Solomon’s arms. But his were locked on the Soul Gaunt as well, and when his body went rigid, his arms locked, holding the thing there in the water.

  His breath stopped, and his chest hurt badly, like a large animal was sitting on it. In his one good eye, everything started to turn red, with black creeping in around the edges.

  Then something hit him and he was falling. His hands were empty and he hit the ground hard. His last thought was hoping that the plan had worked. Most things wouldn’t kill a Soul Gaunt, but maybe electricity would.

  CHAPTER 30

  By the way Orlando kept his horse close to hers, Shireen knew that he was well aware of the seething anger she was barely holding in check. In spite of the newly re-forged friendship and alliance between Jediah and Florian, it wouldn’t do to speak openly about the meeting with Jamshir. Not yet.

  She was hoping that the two Heads of House would separate now, each going back to their own compound to ponder what should be done next about the Soul Gaunts, but there was no such luck. Instead, Jediah rode along next to Florian, taking the path that led back to Whispering Pines.

  Breathe, she told herself. Jediah knows more than you. He’s older and more experienced and wiser and…

  It was no good. Despite telling herself these things, she didn’t understand why he had let Jamshir say the things he did, and why the two of them had let him off the hook that easily about Solomon, to say nothing of what had happened at Rustling Elms!

  Her ire rising, she shook the reins to step up her pace. Beside her, Orlando muttered an oath and did the same.

  “Jediah! What are we doing now? Surely we’re not…”

  She got no further before Jediah raised his hand. “Peace, Shireen. I’m well aware of your feelings, and I share them. We go now to discuss what we can do and what we will do. I want you and Orlando there, but if you can’t control your emotions, then I’ll settle for Orlando only.”

  Rebuked, Shireen hung her head, feeling the blood flush into her cheeks. “Yes, of course. Forgive me, lord, I…”

  “It’s forgotten. Now please, give Florian and I space to continue our conversation.”

  That was about as direct a dismissal as Jediah had ever given her, and it stung. Still, she had to admit that she deserved it. Of course, she had no right to intrude on their conversation. She dropped back, fully aware of Orlando doing the same.

  “Come on,” he said, in low tones, when they had regained their previous positions. “Did you really think that he was just going to let it go? You know better.”

  “I know, and I don’t need you reminding me of my foolishness!” she hissed.

  “I’m not. But we’re all too keyed up at the moment. We need to stay calm. Let me help you with that.” His hand reached out for hers, but she pulled back. “Shireen. Come on. It’s what I’m here for. Why we’re so good together, remember?”

  She sighed and stretched out her hand to clasp his. They rode like this for a couple of moments, and then released each other. The awkwardness of trying to ride while holding hands brought a small smile to her face. The first in days, she felt.

  Her mind wandered as they rode through the trees. Was Thaddeus truly dead? There was a part of her that hoped it was so. If not, then unimaginable tortures could be happening to him at the hands of the Soul Gaunts. One was bad enough, but a horde of them? She could imagine the magic user being passed from one to another, in a cruel contest to see which one could make him cry out the loudest, or endure the worst pain without passing out. While she never felt that she had a particularly vivid imagination, it was enough so that it was painting a picture for her now. A picture full of darkness, and bright, red blood.

  Any warmth from the day evaporated for her as she remembered the feeling of being inside that tree, surrounded by the Soul Gaunts. She felt like she would never be warm again, and shivered in spite of herself. Orlando seemed fine, or mostly so. How was it that he was so strong, while she felt like she was falling apart?

  If only Jamshir would have agreed to bring Solomon back. He’d know what to do, or at least, he’d come up with a plan. She could see him now, that half smile on his face as he contemplated the best way to deal with the Gaunts, and the look of fierce determination that would replace it when it was time for action.

  The world warmed, a little, as she thought of it. Shireen loved Orlando deeply, and wouldn’t trade one moment of her time with him. Her feelings for Solomon were different. She loved him also, yes, but it was a different type of love. The love for a close friend, of course, but also, the love for something that was better, that showed the world could be a great place, and that took you along with it.

  She shook her head, becoming more aware of where they were. Soul Gaunts had openly attacked and destroyed a House of the Folk, and here she was wool-gathering as they rode! Some expert soldier and scout she was!

  Throwing back her shoulders, she kept herself at attention, resolved to stay focused until they had reached their destination.

  Later, she and Orlando sat at a small table in one of the gardens of House Whispering Pines, a bottle of amber wine between them. Florian had insisted that they take their rest, to recuperate from their ordeals at Rustling Elms, and Jediah had relieved them of duty until he called for them.

  She had to admit, it felt good to simply sit, have a glass of cool wine and not worry about anything. It wouldn’t last, it couldn’t now, but for a few minutes…

  Orlando took a drink and sighed. “Looks like our break is over.”

  She followed his gaze and saw Jediah and Florian approaching. Climbing to her feet, she came to attention, noting as she did that Orlando simply stood casually.

  “Alright, Shireen,” Jediah said. “I said everything was forgotten. You’re allowed to be upset at times. Let’s get back to normal, okay?”

  She relaxed her posture slightly. “Okay. It won’t happen again.”

  “Good enough. Now, we have some talking to do. Come with me, both of you.”

  They didn’t go far. Florian must have had a spot prepared in another area of the garden. While she may think he was fluffed up, she had to admit that his hospitality was unparalleled. The four sat at yet another table, servants brought more wine and food, and when they had left, Jediah began.

  “Florian and I have been talking. It’s only the four of us at the moment because what we’re going to propose could possible by seen as treason. Although we don’t think so, and we think we’ll be vindicated. Still, there is a chance that we won’t be. And if that turns out to be the case, you two will also be complicit, should you choose to go along with what we propose.”

  “We’re yours to command, of course,” Orlando said.

  “Not in this. What we’re going to ask is not a command, and not doing it will not affect you, or your standing in my House, in any way. Understood?”

  “Understood.”

  “Good. Florian?”

  Florian took a sip of wine and wipe
d his lips with a cloth napkin. “Well. To put it simply, we’re going to ignore what Jamshir said. We’re going to get Solomon back on our own.”

  “What? That’s wonderful!” Shireen said.

  “Yes, it is,” Orlando said, but ever more thoughtful than she herself was, he continued. “But how? Jamshir’s sorcerers were the ones who sent him away. We don’t even know where on that earth he is.”

  “No,” Florian answered. “But someone does.”

  Jediah gave a soft whistle, and a huge, shaggy, gray dog came around the corner and sat near him. “This,” he said, “is Daisy. And apparently, she knows exactly where Solomon is.”

  Shireen looked at the dog, knowing it for a Hunting Hound. “And you want us to…?”

  “Go with her, of course. She has some way of crossing between here and there. Follow her, hold on to her, and hopefully, she’ll take you with her.”

  She looked at the dog doubtfully. Hunting Hounds had fearsome reputations. It was said that no-one except for the Master of Hounds could truly control them. Yet, here one sat, seemingly perfectly content to remain near Jediah, with no sign of aggression at all.

  “And we know this one knows where Solomon is because?”

  “Because she was sent after him,” Florian said. “I had Thaddeus do it when Solomon was first exiled.”

  There was a strange noise from her left. It took her a moment to realize that it was Orlando quietly laughing. It seemed as if it had been a long, long time since she had heard it.

  “And Solomon, of course, not only didn’t get killed by the Hound, but actually made friends with it. Why am I not surprised?”

  The others smiled also, and she felt her own face mirror theirs. She picked up her wine and raised her glass. “To Solomon. Who in saving himself, will save us all.”

  CHAPTER 31

  Lacy was knocked aside as a body rushed past her, barging into Solomon and knocking him to the ground. The noise, the sound, and the smell of the Soul Gaunt as it cooked in the pool had driven almost everything else out of her head. The fear and despair that the thing generated had almost paralyzed her, and then the thought of electrocuting Solomon also…

  With a start, she came to her senses and rushed forward. Luke had done so first, of course, and it was he that had run into Solomon, knocking him away from the pool. The two men lay in a tangle now, groans escaping Luke, but only silence coming from Solomon.

  She glanced over the side wall of the pool, afraid to see the Soul Gaunt coming around and rising, dripping and furious. But it was still there, floating in the water with steam coming off it. She knew enough not to touch the water even now. Solomon had wired the cord directly into her circuit breaker box, with no breaker, so the current would still be flowing.

  Time enough for that later, though.

  “Luke,” she said softly, bending over him. “Come on. Can you get up?”

  Her husband lay, filthy and emaciated, face down. At the sound of her voice though, he rolled, and Lacy let out a cry when she saw the gaping hole where his left eye had once been. The Soul Gaunt had taken all of her attention before this.

  “Oh, Luke. What happened to you?”

  He stirred again, opened his remaining eye, and actually smiled at her. “Hey, Gorgeous. Did you get it?”

  “Yeah. Yeah, we got it. Well, Solomon did, anyway. Come on, get off of him so that he can get up, too.”

  She reached a hand down and helped pull Luke to his feet. He rose slowly, and stood, leaning on her, obviously still weak. “I’m sorry,” he said, as he looked into her eyes.

  “We’ll talk about that later. Right now, I’m just glad it’s over.”

  She put her hand on his cheek and smiled at him. Then, she turned to Solomon.

  “Solomon? Hey. Can you hear me?”

  There was no movement from the tall man lying in the grass. She bent down again.

  “Hey. The Soul Gaunt’s dead. Or at least I think it is. It’s not moving anyway. Solomon? Can you hear me?”

  But there was still no response. Luke came over and squatted down near him, picking up his hand and pressing his fingers into Solomon’s wrist. “He’s got a pulse. Feels strong to me. Not that I really know a weak one.”

  He was alive, at least. That was a relief. But they couldn’t leave him lying here in the yard. “Come on,” she said to Luke. “Help me.”

  She got her hands under one of Solomon’s shoulders and started to lift, straining at the weight of his unresponsive body. Luke did the same on the other side, and between them, they managed to get his arms over their shoulders, where they were able to hold them as they dragged him across the lawn.

  But when they reached Lacy’s deck, they stopped. Luke was panting heavily, reminding Lacy that he had been through an ordeal himself the last several days. She was winded as well, although she sounded better than Luke did, but she knew that she wouldn’t be capable of dragging Solomon up the steps.

  “Set him down. Gently.”

  They lowered Solomon to the ground. It was then that Lacy noticed the terrible damage that the Soul Gaunt had done to him. She drew her breath in sharply as she saw his shredded forearms, the blood soaking his right arm and shoulder, and the terrible wound running down the side of his face. He too, she saw, had lost an eye, but unlike Luke’s, this wound was fresh and still oozed blood, black and sluggish.

  “Stay with him,” she told Luke, fighting the nausea that suddenly grew in her stomach. “I’m going to get some blankets, and some first aid stuff.”

  “What about 911?” Luke asked.

  “Let me get him warmed up first. Then we’ll call.” She couldn’t explain her reluctance to call the EMT’s. Solomon obviously needed medical attention, more than she could provide. But something was stopping her from wanting them examining him too closely. If he went to the hospital, what if they found out that he wasn’t human? What would happen to him then?

  She set her jaw as she rummaged in her house, pulling out bandages and iodine from under the bathroom sink. If he didn’t improve, or showed any signs of getting worse, no matter how small, then she would call the authorities, but until then, she would keep Solomon here.

  She hoped she was making the right decision. On the surface, it seemed wrong in every possible way, but somewhere inside of her, she knew it was what he would want her to do.

  When she came back out, she found that Luke had pulled over an old chaise lounge that had been propped up by the side of the deck for the last two years. It has seen better days, but it would serve to get Solomon up off of the ground. Luke took the blanket from her and spread it over the lounge, and then helped her get Solomon onto it.

  Once there, she looked at him more closely. The blood wasn’t flowing anymore, but was still sticky. Were the wounds not as serious as she had feared, or was this some aspect of his otherworld physiology? It didn’t matter. Start with the most severe first.

  She took a soft cloth, dipped it into the bowl of warm water she had brought out, and dabbed gently at his face. Soon, the cloth was soaked through and the water in the bowl was a dark red color.

  “Can you refill this, please?” she asked Luke. “The sink is…”

  “I know,” Luke replied, taking it from her. “I remember.”

  “Of course. Sorry.” It felt like it had been years since Luke had lived there with her.

  “It’s okay, I understand.”

  He walked slowly up the steps and disappeared into the house. While he was gone, Lacy pulled Solomon’s shirt down, exposing the hole that the Soul Gaunt had made in his shoulder. “Ohhh, that one needs stiches, I think.” But that was beyond her. Still, it was no longer bleeding, so if she was able to clean it up, then he could make that decision when he recovered.

  Luke returned with two bowls of water and more cloths. He helped her clean Solomon, and wrap clean cloths around his forearms. She was glad to see that very little blood seeped through, staining the material. Solomon breathed deeply and steadily, and Luke said tha
t his pulse felt the same to him. Finally, she had done all that she could, and rose stiffly to her feet.

  “I’m going to stay here with him,” she said. “You should go in, though. Get some real sleep for once.”

  “Do you really think I’m going to do that? And leave you here by yourself? Don’t be silly.” He smiled at her and went back up onto the deck. A minute later he reappeared, carrying two chairs down the stairs. He set them down and motioned her to one of them, and then wearily sank into the other himself.

  He had no sooner sat down though when he grunted, climbed back to his feet and approached the pool. “Luke, don’t!” Lacy shouted, as he reached out and grabbed the cord. But he simply gave it a yank and pulled it out of the water and onto the ground.

  She watched the pool with wide eyes, expecting to see the black, wraith-like shape rear up, attack them again. But there was no sense of dread, no feeling of coldness spreading through the air. The Soul Gaunt was dead.

  “It’s dead,” Luke said, and Lacy wasn’t sure if he meant the cord, or the Soul Gaunt. Luke looked into the water, shuddered and returned to his chair.

  He only sat for a minute or two, though, before shifting uncomfortably. “Umm, I hate to say this, but I really need to shower. Would you mind?”

  She glanced over at him and realized how filthy he was, and what bad shape his clothes were in. His stuff was still here, she hadn’t had it in her to get rid of it all yet. “Yeah, of course. Your clothes are in the spare bedroom, pretty much thrown on the bed. Everything else is where is always was. When you come out, bring some scissors and we’ll lop off a little of that nasty beard, too.”

  He grinned at her, glanced at Solomon and went into the house, leaving her alone with the unconscious man and the dead thing floating in the pool. She didn’t want to think about that. Instead, she checked on Solomon again, then settled back in her chair and tried to keep her imagination from wandering.