“So it is all about conquest, after all.” Thaddeus said.
“Mm. In a way, I guess. For me though, it’s more an exercise of the mind. Can we do it? If so, how? You must be curious yourself.”
In spite of his misgivings, Thaddeus found that he was. “But isn’t it answered already? You have your claws into House Glittering Birch, you have the Soul Gaunts. What could possibly stop you?”
“There is one, and I think you know who it is.”
“Solomon? Come on, he’s only one man.”
“Yes, but he’s a remarkable man, who’s after an even more remarkable weapon. He is the fault in our plans. The one thing we can’t account for. We thought we had gotten rid of him, that he would be executed for his ‘failure’, but he was left alive. We sent the Soul Gaunt to that earth to finish him, but he proved too resourceful there as well. Every way we turn, Solomon is there, blocking us. We need him gone.”
“You were responsible for the death of Celia?” Thaddeus felt a hot flush beginning at the base of his neck. She was his family, and a bright light. To think that she had been casually disposed of to further some stupid political end…
“No, actually we didn’t. There are still things in the world that are beyond our control or forethought. We didn’t see that coming, although we were looking at her relationship with Solomon to see how we could exploit it. Celia was killed by a jealous water spirit. We had nothing to do with it, and neither did he. We simply used it.”
Thaddeus nodded, still not pleased. “I see. While I applaud your efforts to get rid of Solomon, you can’t imagine that I would be happy about this.”
“Fine with us. You can be angry, or you can be part of it. It’s your choice. We hope you see fit to join us, but if not, House Subtle Hemlock will go on as we always have.”
“And Solomon? If he’s such a bane to your plans, how will you take account for him?”
“Even Solomon can’t stand against this many Soul Gaunts, not even with that sword. We’ll use them to overwhelm him with sheer numbers. Several of the Soul Gaunts will be destroyed, I’m sure, but really, that’s what they’re there for.”
“You took Lacy and Willow to lure him here.”
The Advocate nodded. “Indeed. We know him well enough to know that he will come to rescue them, if he finds out they’re here. If he goes to the battle at Towering Oaks first, so be it, he’ll be killed there. But if he somehow comes through it…well, he’ll be weakened, we’ll still have them, and we’ll keep some Soul Gaunts here in reserve.”
“There are flaws in your plan.”
“I would imagine so. The question is, do you know how to fix them?”
Thaddeus hesitated. He did. But to implement it meant that he would have truly, irrevocably turned his back on his former House.
“If you need to time consider,” the Advocate said, “I’m happy to let you have it. However, I am afraid it will have to be downstairs…”
“Is that really how you want my cooperation? By threatening me? How loyal would I be to Subtle Hemlock then?”
“You really are very good,” the Advocate laughed. “Very well then, what would you suggest?”
“Solomon needs to see a friendly face when he comes here; one that he has no reason to not trust. I’ll meet him, tell him that I know where Lacy is being held. He’ll follow me, and I’ll lead him into an ambush. Somewhere tight, where he can’t use the sword easily. After that, it shouldn't be a problem.”
“Don’t underestimate him! Nothing about defeating him will be easy.”
“Maybe you haven’t done the right thing,” Thaddeus said.
The Advocate lifted his glass in a salute. “Perhaps you’re right. Welcome to House Subtle Hemlock.”
CHAPTER 55
“Bastard,” Lacy whispered after the Advocate left the room and they had been plunged into darkness again.
She felt Willow squeeze her hand before pulling away. “Where are you going?” She hated the quaver in her voice, but after everything that had happened, she had no more left to give. She was done, and ready to lie down and sleep. Forget everything and wake up back in her own house, ready to enjoy a nice summer’s day.
“Not far,” Willow said quietly.
Lacy could hear her hesitantly moving around the room, bumping into things. Then, there was a quiet, “aha”, and the light glowed softly once more. Willow had the stone from the dish in her hand, and it was glowing again. Not as brightly as it did. The light wavered, pulsing irregularly, fading away to almost nothing, then recovering enough to shine on the Healer’s face, but not much else.
“How?” Lacy asked.
Willow smiled at her. “I have some small amount of magic outside of healing myself. It’s not much, not even close to what someone like Thaddeus controls. But enough for this.”
She motioned to Lacy to scoot over and the two sat with their back against the wall. It was slimy and cold, but better than trying to sit in one of the ruined chairs. The light, meager though it was, made Lacy feel better.
She sighed as she looked at the stone. “I haven’t heard anything from Luke,” she said. “No screams, I mean. Not like with….before. Maybe they haven’t done anything to him. Maybe that man was lying.”
“Maybe,” Willow replied, but Lacy could hear the doubt in her voice.
“It could be true,” she insisted. “He could have been trying to torture me, the same way he got Luke to do what he wanted.”
“It is possible. But even if they haven’t yet, I don’t think they’ll hold off for long.”
“Then why haven’t we heard him?”
The Healer shrugged, but Lacy knew what she was thinking. Maybe Luke couldn’t scream, maybe he was too hurt, or they had done something…or maybe they had killed him already. The light blurred as her eyes filled with tears again.
“I have to go,” she said. “I have to see what they’ve done.”
She was expecting Willow to protest, to tell her that it was hopeless and that they’d never make it to the other room. Instead, she was silent. When Lacy glanced at her, she saw the Healer was staring at the stone in her hand, her mouth moving in a silent whisper.
After a moment she finished, and then looked at Lacy. “There,” she said. “That will help stabilize it. Maybe long enough.” She rose to her feet. “Let’s try.”
The hallway was strangely abandoned. There was no sign of the Soul Gaunts anywhere around. Not in the hall itself, or in any of the rooms that they passed. It was as if they had all left or were gathered elsewhere. Lacy swallowed hard, trying not to imagine that they were all around Luke.
She led the way, staying within the radius of the dim light that Willow carried. Moments later, she came to the room that she had been taken to a short time ago. They stopped in the hall, and then slowly peeked around the corner of the doorway to see if anything waited for them inside.
Luke was curled up on the floor, his head buried in his hands. There was no sign of a Soul Gaunt anywhere near. Lacy rushed to him, followed closely by Willow.
“Luke!” she hissed, but he didn’t stir.
She reached out and pulled his hand away from his face, but even that elicited no response. Luke’s eyes were open, but they stared straight ahead, unseeing.
“Luke? Come on. We’re getting out of here.”
Still nothing.
Lacy looked him over but didn’t see any more marks or wounds on him than those she had seen the last time. Cuts and punctures covered his arms where the Soul Gaunts had grabbed him, but nothing more. “Willow,” she said, “what’s wrong with him?”
The Healer knelt next to Luke and placed her hand on his temple. She closed her eyes and the light in the stone dimmed to a mere flicker. “He’s gone deep inside himself,” she muttered. “He’s afraid. Afraid of what is coming for him. And for you.”
“Can you help him?”
“I can try,” Willow said. She handed the stone to Lacy, who expected it to be warm, but found that it was still the normal cooln
ess of any other round pebble. Then, Willow worked her other hand under Luke’s head, so that she touched his other temple. Her eyes stayed closed, but she went silent, her body rigid.
They stayed like that, Lacy holding the dimly glowing stone, Willow, her hands on Luke’s head, bolt upright, and Luke, staring blindly at the wall. But after a moment, a low moan came from Luke. He blinked, and Willow sagged, her own eyes opening.
“Luke?” Lacy said, bending so that he would be able to see her.
For a moment, he didn’t seem to register that she was there, but then she saw the recognition bloom in his eyes.
“Lacy,” he croaked. “What are you doing here?”
“We came for you, you dope. Can you move? We’re getting out of here.”
“I think so,” he said, and pushed himself gingerly up into a sitting position. He glanced over and found Willow as he did. “I heard you,” he said to her. “Thank you.”
She nodded tiredly, and smiled at him. “I’m glad you heard me.”
“What happened, Luke?” Lacy asked. She knew they had to get out of there, but Luke didn’t look like he was in any condition to move quite yet. They had to give him a moment or two to recover and get at least a little bit of strength back.
“I’m not sure.” His voice trembled. “After they took you, the rest left too, but then one or two of them came back. They were trying to scare me. You know, rush up, claws out, hissing, but then not doing anything. After I stopped flinching, they must have gotten bored with that, so then they’d touch me. Not hard, not enough to cut. They’d run their finger along my face, or my arm, wherever they could. The cold! It was like being cut but not.”
He stopped and shivered. Lacy moved closer and put her arm around him. “I shouldn’t have asked. I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. They kept at it, laughing with that annoying sound like they do. Then, I don’t know…one was in here, touching me and making me squirm to get away. It stopped suddenly, like it heard something and then it was gone, and I was alone.”
“You never screamed,” Lacy said.
“No, I wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction. Besides…I knew you’d hear it. I wasn’t going to do that to you. Then, I started thinking about what could be happening to you…they kept saying things when they were in here. About the things that…horrible things. I thought they were doing them, but I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t…I wanted to go…but. Then, I went away. I tried to go somewhere that I wouldn’t have to hear them anymore. I’m sorry.”
He fell silent and hung his head, but Lacy knew what he meant. He wanted to come find her, but he was too afraid. He felt like a coward and a failure. Lacy didn’t feel that way, though. He had been through so much, and just put himself through more to try to protect her.
“Shhh,” she whispered, tightening her arms around him. “It’s all good. I’m here, and we’re going to get out of this place.”
She held him for a minute, feeling his body shiver against hers. Finally, he calmed enough to talk.
“Lacy,” he said, and his voice sounded steadier, more like the Luke she knew. “I’m sorry. For all of it.”
“I know. We can talk more about it when we get home.”
“Home would be good,” he said.
“It will be. But first, let’s get out of this stinking tree.” She stood, helping him to his feet, and then reached out a hand to Willow, who had sat quietly by while they talked.
The Soul Gaunts were all gathered around the main entry to the tree. Lacy and the others watched them, hidden in the shadows at the top of the stairs, the stone’s light doused. The Advocate stood in front of the double doors.
“Soon,” he was saying. “In a few minutes the sun will be down enough that we can go. Follow me, and when we get there…kill them all!”
Lacy was almost sick at the apparent glee the Advocate was taking in giving the order. The Soul Gaunts hissed, chuckled and flitted through the air, obviously eager to be gone. She was eager for them to leave as well. She wasn’t sure where they would go, but at least it would be away from there.
There was no sign of Thaddeus anywhere either, but wherever he was, he had made his bed, so he could lie in it. It was enough that she would get Luke and Willow out.
The Advocate cracked open the doors and looked out. He stepped back, and with a dramatic flourish, flung them open all the way. Dim evening light flooded the entry hall, and the three of them shrank back so that they wouldn’t be exposed. Lacy kept her head up enough to be able to see.
The Soul Gaunts raised an unholy wail, all of them making the same eerie, undulating sound. Lacy gasped, and ducked back under cover, her hands clapped over her ears. The noise went on and on, rising and falling, piercing into her brain. Willow was doing the same as her, while Luke was curled up again, his hands also tightly pressed against his head.
It was a war-cry, she realized, made to frighten their enemies before they took the field. She didn’t know if there were any Folk within range of the sound, but she hoped not. How anyone could hear such a noise and still have the will to fight was beyond her.
Finally, the wailing started to fade, and she carefully peeked back down the stairs. The Advocate was gone, and the Soul Gaunts were flowing out the doors, into the darkening forest and away. The noise they were making went with them, and she wondered if they would keep it going all the way to wherever they were headed.
The last one flew out of the door, and silence fell over the tree once more. The doors stood wide open, only a few feet away. Down the stairs, across the floor and out! From there, they could hide in the woods, let Willow guide them back to Whispering Pines, where they could figure out a way to get home.
“Come on,” she whispered. The Soul Gaunts were gone, but speaking in a loud voice still seemed imprudent somehow. As if the sound of her voice could summon them back.
She pulled Luke to his feet, and Willow joined her in helping him to get down the stairs. They moved slowly, keeping their eyes peeled, looking for any sign of a Soul Gaunt, the Advocate, or Thaddeus.
“I think we’re going to make it,” she said, and smiled at the Healer. Willow smiled back, but her expression became more solemn when she looked at Luke.
“We’ll make it,” Lacy said more firmly.
Luke still didn’t look good. In the dim light coming in the doors, she could see how pale he was, and how shallow his breathing. They may not have damaged him much physically this time, but the mental wounds were obviously severe. She hoped that when they were out and safe, Willow would be able to do something. Beyond that, maybe getting home to their own house and resting for a while would help. She didn’t like to think that this whole episode would make Luke’s prior problems that much worse.
They made the bottom of the stairs without any problem and started across the floor, their eyes locked on the view of the outside.
“Almost there,” Lacy muttered, and the doors swung shut with a boom.
They stopped, their vision totally gone in the sudden darkness. Out of the gloom in front of them came that horrible noise, the one they had all grown too familiar with. Willow chanted loudly and the stone in her hand began to glow feebly. It wasn’t much, but enough that they could see the four darker shapes in front of them. The hisses that accompanied them told them everything they needed to know. The Soul Gaunts had let them come this far, but were not going to let them go.
Luke sobbed, and sagged against Lacy, who struggled to hold him up.
“Come on,” she said, and started to back away.
Behind them, came another cold chuckle. The stairs were blocked off and they had nowhere to go.
“What do you want?” she screamed at them, her voice echoing in the hall. “We’re going back! Leave us alone!”
“That one.” A lone Soul Gaunt came near, close enough to be seen in the light of the stone, but still not within touching distance of Willow. It raised its bone white claw and pointed at Luke. “Leave it. It belongs
to us.”
“No.” Willow spoke calmly, but she stepped in front of Luke. “You can’t have him.”
“We will take him. And her, too. Step away, Healer. Your time will come.”
“You keep saying that, but I think you’re afraid of me. Are you afraid that I can heal you? That I can take away whatever pain it is that keeps you as you are?”
The Soul Gaunt laughed, a dry hissing sound. “You know less than nothing. Move aside, or we’ll take you too.”
It raised its claws and came on, and Lacy could see the vague shapes of the others coming closer also. Willow’s bluff had failed. They may have been frightened of her, but not enough. The nearest one reached out, and raked his claws in the air, barely missing the Healer. Willow flinched back, her eyes suddenly less certain.
Then, she regained her confidence. Stepping forward quickly, she grabbed the things arm and began whispering. The effect was astounding. The Soul Gaunt screamed, sounding more human than Lacy had ever heard, and writhed in Willow’s grip, trying to pull free. She smiled, glad that the tables were finally turned.
But the others rushed forward and the one behind her grabbed Luke, tearing him from her grasp.
“No!” she screamed and lunged for him. She screamed again as an icy hand closed around her shoulder. It was on the same arm that had been injured at home, and all that pain seemed to flare to life again. It was intense enough to drive her to her knees, her vision blurring.
In what almost felt like a dream, she watched as Luke was dragged away, his body limp and unresisting. She saw Willow struggle to hold on to the one she had grabbed, but then fall to the ground as another reared up next to her, and grabbed her head with both of its sharp claws.
“It’s over,” she mumbled, as the Soul Gaunt squeezed her shoulder and she felt bones grind together.
The world was becoming even darker as she pitched forward.
But then there was a loud noise, like the crack of doom, and a brilliant white light lit up the room. The Soul Gaunts screamed, loudly and horribly, and Lacy smiled again.
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