Solomon's Exile

by James Maxstadt

  Jediah must have seen the confusion and distress on her face.

  “Calmly, Shireen,” he said. “There are strange things in the world, you know this. Is it so unbelievable that the stories you once heard are based on some truth? It’s often the way of things.”

  “But, no,” she protested. “Solomon would have told us if that were true. He wouldn’t have been able to keep that secret.”

  “He kept it secret because I asked him to,” Jediah said. “Otherwise, there would have been panic.”

  “Where did this happen?” Orlando asked, his brows drawn down on his forehead.

  “It’s not important,” Jediah said. “But you should know this. Yours isn’t the only report we’ve had like this. There have been others, reports of strange deaths stumbled across by scouts. But yours is the first time that a Gaunt has come close to one of us. It was getting bolder, and what’s more, I fear it may not be alone.”

  “That’s impossible!” Orlando said, but Shireen knew that he believed it fully, but wanted it to not be so.

  Jediah grimaced at the outburst.

  “I apologize,” Orlando said quickly. “I just mean that…how will we defeat them if that’s true? One is bad enough, but more?”

  “There is only one way that I know of,” Jediah said. “We need to convince Jamshir to bring Solomon back.”

  “He’ll never do it,” Lawrence put in. “The pressure on him was too great.”

  “Yes,” Jediah said, “I agree. Unless Florian can be made to see reason.”

  Shireen scoffed, “Good luck with that. He’ll never forgive Solomon.”

  Jediah sighed. “I will try. And if I fail, then may the gods help us all.”

  CHAPTER 10

  Solomon followed Ed as he looked over Lacy’s yard. He noted the carefully tended garden, with its neat rows of vegetables all growing tall and strong, and felt a kinship with her. Here was someone who cared about growing things, and that spoke to him. He didn’t think he had been a farmer of any sort, knew that he hadn’t been as a matter of fact, but there was something inherent in him that responded to it nonetheless.

  “What did she mean by that?” Ed asked as they strolled around.

  “By what?”

  “By saying that it was nice seeing you again.” A slight hint of suspicion had entered Ed’s voice.

  “Oh, that. I went to visit her earlier, before she got out of the hospital.”

  Ed stopped walking and put his hand on Solomon’s arm, bringing him to a halt as well.

  “Two questions. Why? And why didn’t you tell me?”

  Solomon sighed. “I thought that maybe I could help. I had a feeling that I’d run into whatever had attacked her before. I still think that, but I have to admit, I’m not really sure. I didn’t say anything, because I don’t have any answers. I should have though. Regardless of what I found out, or didn’t, I should have let you know. Sorry.”

  Ed nodded and let go of Solomon’s arm.

  “Look, you’re a free man and Lacy is an adult. If she didn’t want you to visit, she could have said so, and if she didn’t want you here now, she could have said that too. I’ve known Lacy for a while, and trust me, she wouldn’t have any problem doing that. But let me know if you do anything like that again. That way no one can claim you’re interfering with an investigation or anything.”

  “You got it,” Solomon said. “Didn’t mean to step on your toes, Ed. Won’t happen again.”

  “Good enough. Now come on. Let’s check the trunk and see about a couple of flashlights. It’s starting to get dark.”

  The sun was dipping below the tree line and casting long shadows in the yard and into the woods behind the house. Solomon walked back to the police cruiser with Ed and watched as he opened the trunk and rummaged around, coming out with a large, black, metal cylinder.

  “Thought I had an extra one back here,” he said, handing it to Solomon.

  “What are those?” Solomon asked, pointing to a bundle of red, paper wrapped tubes.

  “Road flares. You know, for emergencies at night. You light em up, then set them on the ground so that oncoming traffic can see that there’s an emergency.”

  Solomon reached in and picked one up. “Are they very bright?”

  “Oh yeah. Don’t look directly at it when you light it, or else you’ll be seeing spots for an hour.”

  “How does it work?”

  “Simple. Pull the cap off the end, and strike the end of the flare against the rough end. Like lighting a match.”

  Solomon nodded, took one of the flares and stuck in in the back of his waistband before Ed shut the trunk.

  “What do you need that for?” Ed asked. “We’ve got the flashlights.”

  “I don’t know, really, but I feel more comfortable having a quick source of fire.”

  They walked back to the edge of the woods where Daisy sniffed around the compost pile. She stopped and raised her head, sniffing the air as well and looking into the forest, but didn’t show any signs of alarm. After she had examined the whole thing, she came back to Solomon’s side.

  “Well, that says there’s nothing here tonight more than anything I can think of,” Ed said as she returned. “Still, I think we’ll hang out here for a while.”

  “Fine with me,” Solomon said. “If it makes Lacy sleep better, I’m all for it. Besides, even if Daisy isn't spooked, I have the feeling that whatever attacked her is still around.”

  They settled down in the front seat of the police car, while Daisy stretched out in the back, eating the sandwiches that Maggie had packed for them and watching night settle in over the yard. When it was fully dark, Daisy rose from where she had been sleeping and sniffed the air coming in from the open front windows. When she did, she got agitated and began to whine and paw at the door.

  Solomon and Ed looked at each other, and climbed out of the car. As soon as Solomon opened the rear door, Daisy bolted to the edge of the yard, silently running. Once there, she lifted her nose, sniffed again, and plunged into the forest.

  “So much for nothing being around,” Ed muttered, as he and Solomon ran after her.

  The woods were dark, and the flashlight beams only lit up narrow strips at one time. It was enough to stop them from stumbling over downed branches or undergrowth, as long as they went slow enough. The noise of Daisy crashing through the woods ahead of them continued, and they followed as quickly as they could.

  Suddenly, there was barking and growling, followed by a yelp, and then silence fell over the whole area.

  “What the hell…” Ed said.

  Solomon called for Daisy and walked forward quickly, the flashlight beam picking out the trees and undergrowth in the darkness. He could see his breath from the suddenly freezing air steaming in the feeble glow. Hunting Hounds could take care of themselves, but that yelp worried him. Daisy had been a good friend, and he felt sick thinking that she had been hurt.

  There was a crackling noise in front of them and they froze as something moved toward them. The air felt close, despite the chill, and Solomon saw Ed give a huge shiver that ran down his body, but then collect himself and call out, “Whoever that is, stop right there and identify yourself!”

  The noise stopped for a second, then started up again, coming closer to the light.

  Ed reached for his gun, unclipped the strap and put his hand on it.

  “I don’t want to shoot,” he called out, “but I will if I have to. Now tell me who’s there!”

  Solomon stood still, trying to peer deeper into the darkness and listening as hard as he could. While he could feel the dread all around them, and knew that Ed was holding it back by force of will, he didn’t feel any actual fear himself. He wasn’t scared of whatever was coming, but cautious; wanting to know what it was so that he could make a plan for how to deal with it.

  A figure entered the light, and Solomon saw a thin, ragged man, with matted hair and a scraggly beard stumble forward.

  “Please,” he said, his
voice husky and raw. “Run…run…please…”

  “Luke?” Ed’s voice was barely above a whisper. Then stronger. “Luke! What the hell? What are you doing?”

  Solomon stared at the new arrival, knowing that something was wrong here. There was something that he was missing.

  He was starting to feel that he should be able to remember more, when he felt a horrible, cold presence behind them, and turned in time to see a black, indistinct figure flow up from behind Ed, and two, bone-white, thin hands grab him on each side of his head.

  Ed’s mouth opened in a silent scream, and his eyes rolled back so that only the whites showed. His hands curled into fists, the one clamped tightly on the flashlight, and his arms started to flail. In the wildly moving light, it was hard for Solomon to keep track of what was happening, but he moved quickly, throwing a punch over his friend’s shoulder, aiming at the shape behind him.

  His fist met no resistance, but he stumbled forward, knocking into Ed and sending him reeling, breaking the grip of those skeletal like hands. The figure flowed to the side, trying to avoid the light that Solomon was keeping trained on it. Ed lay on the ground, gasping and mewling, but he couldn’t turn his attention from the thing in front of him.

  It was tall, almost as tall as he himself was, and dressed in a long, flowing black robe, with a deep hood. There was a black mist coming off of the cloak itself, which made the figure indistinct and hard to focus on. The white hands disappeared into black sleeves, and the mist was too heavy near the ground to tell if the thing was actually walking, or if it was truly floating as it appeared to be.

  Inside the hood, two eyes glowed a sickly green color, pulsing bright and then dimming. It hissed at him and moved forward again. Solomon attempted to dodge, but it was quick, and a hand shot forward and clamped down on his wrist.

  It was as if someone had suddenly plunged his hand into an ice bath. It went numb and he couldn’t feel his fingers, the cold beginning to spread up past his wrist. If he didn’t break away, the numbness would spread up his arm, and then to his head, and he’d be on the forest floor next to Ed, helpless as the thing finished them off.

  And it would. At the pain of the icy touch memories came flooding back. He had faced one of these things before, in a forest much larger and older than this one. It was a Soul Gaunt, and most of his people, the Folk, he now knew, considered them to be legends. But he had fought one. With a flaming sword, he had defeated it and watched as the fire and the steel had consumed it, and it writhed and burned and turned to ash. That day had almost been his last, he knew. The Gaunt had fought fiercely, and it was only luck that had enabled him to turn the tables on it.

  But he had no such sword now, no way to kill it, or even to drive it away. For the first time, a small trickle of fear wormed its way up his spine, but that only gave him strength, and he jerked his arm free of the Gaunt’s grasp with a sudden wrench. It hissed again and flowed forward, but now he was ready for it.

  Reaching behind his back, he pulled out the flare he had taken from Ed’s trunk, pulled the cap and struck the end across it, the red light glaring in the night. The Gaunt hissed louder and pulled back, but Solomon was on it. Turning his eyes from the flame, he thrust the flare into the things hood, hoping to blind it.

  The Gaunt screamed, a thin keening sound that split the night air, turned and fled, moving like a black cloud over the ground. The flare fell to the forest floor where it continued to sputter and burn, but the Gaunt was gone.

  Solomon stood rubbing his numb hand as the feeling slowly started to return. He bent and picked up the flare before it could set the dead leaves alight and watched carefully for any sign of the Soul Gaunt returning. A moment later, the sounds of night life began to return to the woods and the temperature rose to be that of a warm summer’s night once more.

  The only noise that was out of place was Ed’s cries, quiet and plaintive. Solomon ran to him and knelt by his friend, cradling his head in his lap.

  “Ed?” he said, speaking softly. “Ed? Can you hear me? It's going to be okay. We’ll get you help.”

  But he wasn’t sure if it was going to be okay. A Soul Gaunt could easily hurt one of the Folk with the way it had attacked Ed. Solomon didn’t know what that would do to a human.

  While its touch had harmed Ed greatly, it had had almost the opposite effect on Solomon. He remembered his past life, and more memories were returning every second. He knew what he was now, and it wasn’t human. He also remembered two very dear friends, Shireen and Orlando, who had backed him up in many a tight spot.

  He was not of this world, but belonged to the Greenweald, a huge, ancient forest. He served House Towering Oaks, where he was a soldier, a scout, a platoon leader and anything else that Jediah, the Head of his House, needed him to be. He remembered being exiled, for failing to protect Celia, and letting the daughter of the Head of House Whispering Pines die.

  That thought brought a sudden anguish to him, and he bent with the force of it. Not because of his exile, he deserved the punishment. But because he had loved her. And she had loved him. Florian may not have ever given his blessing for her to marry a mere soldier, but the emotions remained.

  He was still bent over, fighting his grief, knowing that Ed still needed him, when a noise announced the return of Daisy. He lifted his head and saw her coming closer, limping and cut across her muzzle. She had fought the Gaunt before Solomon had and paid the price, and his heart broke for her loyalty.

  Looking around, he saw that Luke had disappeared along with the Gaunt. Solomon had never heard of a Soul Gaunt using a mortal as an ally, or bait, but then again, he had never heard of a Gaunt crossing over between the worlds either. Solomon didn’t know what any of it meant, but he did know that he needed to get Ed out of the woods, and back to Lacy’s where they could get him help.

  He lifted the man in his arms and called Daisy to his side, when he heard yet another noise in the woods. Bracing himself, he prepared to flee from the Gaunt if need be, to carry Ed to safety, when a beam of light appeared through the dark trunks. A moment later, he heard a voice calling out. Lacy had come to find them, and Solomon marveled at the courage of the woman, then strode ahead, the unconscious Ed held in his arms, to meet her.

  CHAPTER 11

  Now that she knew that Ed and Solomon were outside, Lacy felt a little safer and, to her surprise, found that she would be able to sleep after all. She was yawning as she made her way to her bedroom, and was asleep almost before her head hit the pillow. It was a deep sleep, dark and undisturbed by dreams or noises in the night.

  At least until she heard the dog yelp. It was faint, as if it came from far away. Maybe she had imagined it, or dreamed it. She lay there in the dark, staring blindly up at the ceiling, listening for the sound to come again. But even though it didn’t, she knew that she had heard it, and that it was from the huge dog that had walked along so calmly at Solomon’s side.

  Which meant she had to go. The thought sent ice through her veins, even as sweat broke out on her forehead from thinking about it. But if the dog was hurt, then it was possible that Solomon and Ed were as well. If not her, then who would go get them and make sure Ed made it home to Maggie?

  She climbed out of bed and hurriedly dressed much as she had two nights before. The flashlight she had used that night was lost in the woods somewhere, but fairly frequent power outages had taught her to be prepared, so she had others. She grabbed one, laced on her boots, and steeling herself, opened the back door to the night air.

  Pausing on the deck, she leaned over the rail and looked at Ed’s car. It was empty, as she had thought it would be. She peered into the woods, hoping to see the two men returning, but not really expecting it. When they didn’t appear, she sighed heavily, and ignoring the pounding in her chest, took the steps down to the lawn, and into the woods.

  Immediately, she felt it. That same sense of tightness in the world, of something wrong, and yes, she had to say it, of something evil. It was here again. Whatever
had attacked her was still around, which also meant that Luke could be too. She didn’t want to believe that he was somehow involved with these strange matters, but she had seen him. Then he had run, and left her to be attacked.

  Only…did he? There was no reason for her to still be alive. Whatever had attacked her, had had every opportunity to kill her. So why hadn’t it? Did Luke somehow stop it, or convince it not to? That thought brought her little comfort, but at the moment, walking through these dark and forbidding woods, she would take what she could get.

  Walking as quietly as she could, she strained her ears, listening for anything that would tell her where Ed was. But the woods were still, and again she was struck by how silent they were, until she heard Ed’s voice, calling Luke’s name. While she was glad to be vindicated, an even deeper chill came over her. What if that thing followed Luke? So that when Ed saw Luke, it saw Ed?

  She began running toward where she thought the voice had come from, although it was hard to be certain at night. After she had taken a few strides, she no longer had to guess. There was the noise of a commotion, and then a sudden bright red light, flaring between the dark tree trunks. A horrible, high-pitched keening wail split the silence of the night and Lacy had to stop and put her hands to her ears, bending over, trying to block it out.

  When it stopped, she straightened up, her breathing heavy and labored. She willed herself to go on, to keep putting one foot in front of the other, but it was too hard. Try as she might, she couldn’t bring herself to move toward that light and that horrible noise. Her heart felt like it was going to burst from her chest, and all she could hear was the sound of her own panting.

  But that old familiar anger surfaced. She thought of Ed, or Solomon, lying on the ground, hurt as she had been, but maybe worse. She thought of that beautiful dog lying somewhere dead, and her fury broke through her fear. There were people who needed help, and she was the one able to give it!