He motioned to the door, and the light grew slightly brighter. Luke watched in horror as two Soul Gaunts floated into the room, and parted to reveal Lacy.
No! What was she doing here? He had left her at the Whispering Pines compound, safe! Why was she here?
The Soul Gaunts herded her further into the room, until she finally saw him there, crouched on the floor. He was suddenly even more ashamed than he had been, hating that she would see him like this. With an effort, never taking his eyes from her, he rose to his feet.
“Luke?” Lacy cried. “What are you…” She made to move to him as she spoke, but a Soul Gaunt moved between them, it’s claws raised in a warning. Lacy stopped and looked around it. “What…” she began.
“Enough,” the Advocate interrupted in a bored tone. “I really don’t need to see the histrionics. I’ve had her brought here simply as an object lesson. For both of you. Now, crawl to me. Kiss my feet.”
He leaned back in his chair and extended a black boot from under the long, black robes that he wore. Luke looked at it, then looked back at Lacy, watching him.
Enough was enough. They were going to hurt him anyway, and eventually kill him. They were going to go to earth, and start killing and destroying there as well. They’d have a fight, and maybe they’d even be defeated eventually, but they would do horrible things in the meantime. But for Luke, he had had enough.
“No,” he said quietly. “I’m done. Take me where you want, do what you want. Lacy is tough, she can bear watching it happen if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“Luke, no!” Lacy cried, but he ignored her and turned to the Advocate.
“I’m through,” he said.
“Is that so?” The Advocate seemed greatly amused. “I must say, you are showing a remarkable amount of backbone. I like it, and didn’t see it coming. Well done, sir.” He pulled his foot back under his robe and sat forward in his chair. “However, you misunderstand.”
Luke saw the man’s eyes flicker to the Soul Gaunts and heard Lacy’s scream. He spun around to see one grabbing her wrist, it’s claws sinking into her arm and pulling her toward it. Its other claw came up, one bony, sharp finger extended and inching toward her eye.
“What do you say?” the Advocate asked him. “Should we make the two of you a matched pair, or…?” He slid his foot forward again.
This time, there was no hesitation. Luke dropped to the ground, and started forward on his hands and knees. “Lower,” the Advocate purred. He dropped to his belly and wormed along, until he reached the Advocate. Without stopping, he pressed his lips to the man’s boot.
The Advocate laughed, then kicked Luke, smashing his lips against his teeth. He rolled, clutching at his bloody mouth, but looking back. The Soul Gaunt had let Lacy go. The Advocate laughed softly, motioned, and she was herded from the room.
She was safe, for the moment anyway, and that was all that mattered. The rest, Solomon, the Greenweald, earth itself, could all burn. They had all done this anyway.
“Enjoy yourself,” the Advocate sneered, and walked from the room, leaving Luke in the dark once again.
CHAPTER 51
Lacy was forced back to the room that she and Willow had been held in when they were first brought to the tree. It was a small chamber, at one time a sitting room of some sort, perhaps. All the furniture, the sturdy chairs, the delicate side tables and even the carpets were decaying badly, and the place stank like a dead raccoon that had been laying on the roadside during the hot summer.
At first, they were left there alone, in the near-dark. The Soul Gaunts had hurried them along the forest paths, and almost seemed relieved when they were able to reenter the darkness of the Rustling Elms tree. She remembered what the one on her earth had said; the light hurt them, but it didn’t kill them. But something must have driven them out to come after Willow, because she couldn’t imagine why they wanted her. She was no threat to them, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
There was a dim light in the room that came from a small stone, set in a dish on one of the tables. Lacy remembered Shireen’s story about being here and Thaddeus’s stone, and thought that the two must be similar. It was a small kindness that she had never expected to find.
The Soul Gaunts who had driven them here flowed away when they entered the tree, but others quickly took their place. At first, they surrounded them, making that horrible, annoying sound. But Willow stood tall and faced them down with no sign of fear. After a moment, the chuckling stopped and changed to hisses and spits. They motioned for them to move deeper into the tree, ordering it in their cold voices, but they didn’t approach too closely.
For some reason, they seemed to be afraid of Willow. More so even than the one on earth had been afraid of Solomon. They threatened, and rushed forward, but always veered away before they came within her reach.
Willow had put it to the test at first, refusing to move and even taking a step back toward the doors, but they had cut her off and refused to move. As she approached, they stood firm, and although they didn’t actually touch her, they raised their claws and hissed.
“Even if they won’t touch me, for whatever reason,” she had muttered to Lacy, “I’m afraid of what they’ll do to you.”
So they had moved on, the Soul Gaunts taking them deeper and deeper into the tree until they had come to the room they were now in. Then, and only then, they were left alone and the Soul Gaunts disappeared.
They stayed there for hours, jumping when they suddenly heard screams coming from elsewhere in the tree. For Lacy, it was hard to stay put, and not to run to see if she could help, but she knew that it was agony to do so for the Healer. The screams lasted for a long time, but were finally cut short. Lacy hoped that whoever it was, they were at peace now.
It was shortly after that when they came for her.
Two Soul Gaunts entered the room, pointing at her. “You will come with us,” one hissed.
“She will not!” Willow said, pulling Lacy closer to her.
“Your time will come, Healer,” one of them spat, but Willow simply stared defiance at it.
Lacy couldn’t take her eyes off the Soul Gaunts, so she almost missed the dark figure slipping into the room behind them. A moment later, he stepped forward and she recognized Thaddeus.
“Hey! Where’s Luke?” Lacy felt the old familiar anger resurface when she saw him.
He glanced at her, then ignored her and approached Willow.
“Willow,” he said, glancing side-long at the Soul Gaunts as he passed them. “Please, you must help me. It’s Florian, he’s been hurt and…”
But when he neared, he suddenly lashed out, connecting a solid blow to the Healer’s chin. Willow went over like a felled sapling, Thaddeus standing over her, nursing his hand.
“What are you doing?” Lacy screamed.
The mage didn’t look at her. “Go with them,” he said quietly. “It’s for the best.”
Lacy wanted to run at him, pummel him into the ground and force him to tell her where Luke was. But when she took a step, the Soul Gaunts neared. They reached for her, and she shrank away.
“No!” Thaddeus said. “She’s not to be touched. Go with them, Lacy.”
She stopped, glared at him for a moment and then turned her back. “Traitor.”
They had taken her to a room where she found Luke, and watched as he tried to be brave and defy the Advocate. But she knew that no matter what, if they hurt her, he would do whatever they asked. When the claws dug in and the cold seeped into her arm again, she couldn’t help but scream, even though the wound itself wasn’t bad. Her heart nearly broke as she watched Luke crawl without hesitation, knowing he was doing it for her. Then she had been taken away, leaving him there to be tortured and die, and there was nothing she could do about it.
Even if the tree had been fully lit, she wouldn’t have been able to see from the tears in her eyes. The tears that caused a great deal of joy in the Soul Gaunts around her. They flowed next to her
, whispering of the things they would do to Luke.
When she was forced back into their room, she sank to her knees, head in her hands and sobbed. Willow was still laying on the floor unconscious, and there was no sign of Thaddeus. She tried to stifle her sobs so that she could listen, trying in vain to hear if they had started on Luke yet. But so far, there was only silence. She wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or a bad one.
After a few more minutes, Willow groaned and stirred. Pushing her own grief down inside of her, Lacy rose and ran to the woman, helping her to sit up.
“I’m sorry,” Lacy said. “I should have helped you right away…what can I do?”
Willow shook her head gently, her eyes opening wide for a moment in the soft glow of the room. “There’s nothing. I’m alright. Thaddeus must have put a small spell on me after he hit me. He isn’t that tough.”
Lacy felt giggles starting in her stomach. It was entirely inappropriate and there was nothing funny about anything, but Willow’s statement had caught her by surprise. She snorted as she tried to contain them, earning her a confused glance from the Healer. Another followed, and then she couldn’t contain them. They burst forth, until she was holding her stomach and rocking.
“Are you alright?” Willow asked, which only made her laugh harder.
After a few seconds, Willow’s mouth twitched, and she giggled herself. Soon, the two of them were laughing together, holding on to one another.
Lacy wasn’t sure when the laughter turned back into tears, but she was glad the Healer was there to hold onto. When they pulled apart, she saw the wet tracks running down Willow’s cheeks that matched her own.
“I’m sorry,” Lacy said again, “but it’s so much. And it was such a weird thing to say about Thaddeus. And Luke is…”
“It’s okay. We will survive this. But now, let me look at that arm.”
“It’s fine, really. They didn’t hurt me very much.”
“Not on the surface, maybe. But Soul Gaunt wounds can be deeper than they seem.”
She bent over Lacy’s arm, her fingers light on her skin. A warmth spread out, countering the chill that she now realized had been there since the Soul Gaunt had grabbed her. It helped ease the pain in her arm and in her heart, although it was still heavy with grief and fear about Luke.
“They’re going to kill Luke,” she whispered. “I don’t know what to do.”
“We’ll fight,” Willow murmured. “We’re not done yet.”
“What a nice sentiment,” a deep voice said. They turned, and there in the doorway stood the Advocate. “And such laughter. It’s been long since this place has heard any. Not since my friends got bored and broke their toys, anyway. But now they have a new one, and that will keep them occupied for a while.”
“Why are you doing this?” Lacy said, reaching over to take Willow’s hand. “We didn’t do anything to you.”
“No, you didn’t. Not that it matters. But I have a reason for holding on to you. Both of you, really. And I’m sure that reason will come storming in here, doing his best to free you both. Although, I have taken steps to see that that won’t happen. Still, I have to admit that he is resourceful, and if he does overcome what I’ve sent his way, why then, you’ll be my little insurance policy, as I believe they say in your wretched world.”
He smiled at them both and turned to leave the room.
“Wait!” Willow called. “Why kill Luke though? You don’t have to. And who was that screaming before?”
The Advocate turned back. “Of course, I don’t have to kill Luke. Being able to is simply a bonus, and one that will tie my friends even closer to me. As for the poor soul you heard before…well, let us say that Lord Florian had much more to him than I would have thought. He lasted much longer than expected. But by the end, dear Healer, he was beyond even your skills.”
Florian. If it was possible, Lacy’s heart fell even further. He had been kind to them, seen that they were out of place and offered a part of his own home for their use. There was a certain grace and charm to him. And it was now gone. She bowed her head and felt Willow’s hand tighten on hers. She squeezed back, wanting to rant and rail, but knowing it would only amuse the Advocate. Instead, she silently willed herself to stay calm.
“You’ll pay for that,” Willow said through clenched teeth.
The Advocate laughed out loud. “Oh, very good! I was so hoping someone would tell me that. Now I feel like a proper villain.”
Still laughing, he strode from the room, and the light in the stone slowly dimmed to nothing.
CHAPTER 52
Solomon stepped from the waterfall and into the cave, shaking the water from his hair. Through the falling curtain he could see the forest, stretching away into the evening. He recognized both the view and the cave itself. The water spirit had done as she promised and delivered him to the cave of the Guardian.
Solomon turned back to the waterfall where she appeared, a wistful expression on her face. “I’ll be back. When all this is over, I’ll return to your pool. And you will take me to Celia, no matter how far or difficult the journey.”
The spirit nodded and lifted her hand in a tentative farewell. Solomon grimaced but returned the gesture, and then turned away and walked deeper into the cave.
Now, the trick was to summon the Guardian, and then to convince him to let him pass. No easy feat, which is why he had left the sword here in the first place. It was easy enough to get him to appear if you were leaving something with him, but much more difficult if you came to take something away, even if it did belong to you. The Guardian was jealous of the things he had.
Might as well try the easy way first he thought. “Guardian! Come out and show yourself! It’s Solomon, and I have need of something that I left in your care!”
There was no answer and no one appeared. He hadn’t thought it would be that simple, so with a sigh, he headed deeper into the cave. It soon took a turn, plunging the passageway into total darkness. For most, that would be enough to cause them to pause, but Solomon knew that to be a mistake. Without hesitation he strode forward, into the darkness, keeping his hands to his sides so that he wouldn’t be tempted to put them out in front of him to feel the way.
He took three, four, and then five steps, making sure each was measured and confident, showing no sign of being afraid of the dark or any unseen obstacles. After taking the fifth step, the walls began to glow a pleasant yellow color.
Step one, Solomon thought to himself. That was the easy part.
He continued on, coming to a chasm that crossed the floor of the cavern.
“This is new,” Solomon said aloud, and inched to the edge to look over. The floor dropped away, sheer rock walls disappearing into the gloom with no sign of the bottom in sight. Still, it wasn’t very wide and he could easily leap across. He took a few backwards steps, but as he started forward, flames shot up from the crack, reaching to the ceiling of the tunnel and blistering the air with their heat.
Solomon skidded to a halt, arm thrown up in front of his face.
“Hmmm.” He studied the flames for a moment, then smiled and walked calmly forward.
The heat was intense and he could feel his skin turning red and smell his hair burning. The pain only increased as he moved forward, but he gritted his teeth in a rictus grin and kept going.
When he reached the edge of the chasm where the flames rose highest, he simply continued walking, taking a step that would carry him over the edge and into the heart of the fire. Instantly, the flames disappeared, and there was no sign of the abyss that had been there moments before.
“How did you know?” The voice came out of what seemed to be thin air.
Solomon took a breath, almost afraid to look at his skin. But when he did, he was perfectly whole and unburnt. The pain he had felt had vanished with the flames.
“I know you too well, Guardian,” he said. “Plus, come on. A chasm and flames? Overdoing it a little, aren’t you?”
“I was afraid of that,�
�� the voice said. “but I liked the visual of the whole thing.”
“It was very dramatic, I’ll give you that. Now, any more tests? Or are you going to come out and talk to me?”
“I’ll come out, but you can’t have it, you know.”
“We’ll see. Come on.”
There was a grinding noise from in front of him, and a section of the tunnel wall slid back to reveal a well-lit chamber beyond. A huge figure blocked out the light as it came to the doorway and entered the cavern.
It was nearly ten feet tall at the shoulder, and covered in what was either a thick, coarse coat of black hair, or wearing a pelt of some unidentified animal. Its arms were long, hanging down to almost touch the cavern floor, while its legs were short, and slightly bowed. A broad, powerful chest led to a thick neck, supporting a large head, with a sloping brow and two huge fangs projecting from its lower jaw.
But for all that, the eyes spoke of great intelligence and cunning. They were a bright green and took in Solomon as if the Guardian knew all his secrets.
“It’s good to see you in the Greenweald again, Solomon,” it said, and bowed to him.
Solomon returned the formal greeting. “It’s good to see you too, Guardian, and to be home again.”
“Be that as it may, I’m afraid I have to stand by my statement. You can’t have it back.”
“And I’m afraid that I must insist. The Greenweald is in great danger. Soul Gaunts have invaded, an army of them, and Justice is the only thing that can drive them away again.”
For most, the mention of Soul Gaunts brought a terrified look, shudders, and a quick glance around to make sure that none were nearby. The Guardian simply shrugged, as if the news were no more bothersome than saying there would be a spot of rain today.
“That doesn’t really concern me. They won’t find me here, and even if they did, I have precautions to prevent them from entering.”
“But the rest of the Greenweald isn’t so lucky,” Solomon said. “There will be death, terror and pain for everyone else.”
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