Seal of Solomon (Journeyman Book 2) (19 page)

“Come,” he said invitingly, motioning to the ground. “Let me apologize for my tone earlier; questions are never a bad thing. Come, sit! Join me for a bit; I think I owe you a little more explanation before we go further.”

Worryingly, she looked back over her shoulder to the portico now far up on the hill. “But those things…” she started.

“Cannot get in here,” he finished. “That archway keeps them away from this place. However, you notice the area in which we sit?”

She looked around at the unremarkable scrapes in the dirt. “Yes,” she answered, though not doing that well a job of hiding the confusion in her crinkled face.

“Well, this is a simple means for us to keep what’s in there from knowing we are here.” He pointed toward the temple before bringing his fingertip to the line. With a touch, the lightweight etchings snapped solid and glowed with a faint green light. “We have privacy now. A simple sound line; it does its job though I've found them to be far less effective here.”

“Oh great,” she said, wondering what new horrors awaited them inside. “Why can’t treasure hunting ever be easy?”

Silver chuckled, stroking on his white beard. “I wish it were, as we would all have far fewer lines on our faces; a decade’s worth of fatigues shaved off in an instant. It never has been easy for the Journeymen, has it Adrienne?”

She stepped into the glowing square and sent eyes his way, looking deep at the lines he mentioned that crisscrossed his face. They told a story of tribulation, but the lead’s name was missing. She sat herself down on the cold ground and asked, “Who are you really? Solomon? He did go missing all those years ago, actually around the time you suggested this temple was built.”

Ah she listens well,
he thought.

“I am from the same realm as you,” he answered somberly, as if that realm was a place that had been locked away for far too long in memory. “Plus, as destiny would seem to have it, I am also here to help you. The full scope of what is going on will be known soon enough, once we are successful in this little endeavor.”

She didn’t get the direct answer she was searching for, but left it alone. The reply had reassured her more than she expected and if she pressed him with even more unrelenting questions, then that would likely just make him angry again. She was much more at ease when he was too. After all, she was at his mercy in this hellish place.

“So at last we are here,” he continued, glancing around the glade while a hand fidgeted with a pocket inside his robes. “Within those walls I know of something that could serve to kill two proverbial birds with a single stone. On one hand, retrieving it will be one more thorn in the side of your enemies, preventing the bastard Noctis from completing their plans. On the other hand, I believe we can also use it to get you back home.”

Adrienne felt a cocktail of no less than five emotions affect her at once. All of this sounded remarkable and promising, yet something nagged at her… something missing. “This is all very great,” she said, voice trailing off to a murmur, “but what exactly is it I am here to retrieve?”

“The Seal of Solomon,” he replied, mincing no words.

He might as well have said Gage was in the temple, naked and waiting too, because her heart leapt at the mention of it.

“THE seal? Like… the actual Seal of Solomon?” she questioned excitedly. If she was right, all of this suddenly made some sense. It wasn't just one of the forty-four sigils often used in their weapons and defenses. No, this was the original one, from which all others were imbued with their power – thus the most powerful.

“Yes. We are talking about one and the same thing,” he answered, a smirk forming to match the one she was starting to express.

“That's just incredible!” she shouted, unable to contain her elation. Thank goodness for the sound line being in effect, her voice squashed before it even crossed the thin sliver of green. “Yes, definitely count me in,” she said in a much more reserved tone. “With that in hand, the Journeymen will definitely have an advantage over the Noctis.” Her face flushed and she looked like she was going to explode. “I have so many many other questions!”

“I may take back my earlier statement that asking questions is a good thing,” he said, laughter carrying him to his feet. He turned to the temple, a gentle breeze wafting through his robes. “All in good time, though.”

She shook her head, joining him at his side to look upon the massive metal doors.

“In all seriousness, I do have one more question if I may,” Adrienne asked coyly.

He nodded, albeit reluctantly, bracing himself for more questions on the seal.

“Do you think it will be possible to send a message to someone on Earth from here?” She looked at him, unwavering, waiting for his response.

“You mean to Gage?” he asked.

A tear overflowed down her cheek as she sighed, wiping it away as she giggled softly. “Yes...”

He was tempted to touch her shoulder for comfort, but didn’t for fear of making her uncomfortable. Instead he spoke to her in a soothing, hopeful tone. “With the seal in hand, Adrienne, we should be able to. The signs all point to this being doable: the seal is not born of the Astral Plane and you still have a foothold, though faint, in both worlds. With these two things I can certainly see a verbal connection being made, in addition to a physical one. We will get you home. Your love will carry you, without a doubt.”

“It will be good to hear him again,” she said, reminded of that grizzly yet comforting voice; damn she didn't realize how much she missed it. “Also, to let him know that I’m okay and also tell the others that we have the seal. Gosh, it’s so hard to tell how long I’ve been gone.”

“Yes, time passes differently here and with no real frame of reference, judging is incredibly difficult.” He plunged his head toward the ground and kicked away a small stone by his foot. “There is also a small problem.”

She didn't like the sound of that at all. “Do I dare ask what that problem is?” she asked, frowning.

There was a long pause, at the end of which he looked up to the raging sky, unable to find peace. “I will not be able to go with you into the temple,” he said at last, a sadness definitely clinging to his words.

“Why not?” she asked, eyes wide and now greatly concerned. “You said you were from the same place as me, right?”

“I am,” he replied, trying to smile but it ended up flat, “but you also have the benefit of residual energies attached to you from that world. I do not, that energy dissipating from me long ago. Because of that, I have not been able to enter the temple since learning of the seal housed inside. That hasn’t changed, so the temple will see me as part of the Astral Plane and bar entry.”

This was making her head spin. “So, I am going at this alone. I would be lying if I said that made me feel warm and cozy.”

“I would expect nothing less,” he acknowledged.

She looked all over the exterior of the ancient building with apprehension, taking in its majestic scale. “What kind of stuff should I expect inside?” she asked nervously.

“I really can’t say,” he regretfully replied, “apart from strange creatures lurking the halls. I have seen them, but only briefly, which is why I placed the sound line for us. I don’t know if they can enter the glade, so best be cautious.”

“Right!” she agreed. “And once I find the seal, how do I get out?”

“It is my hope that the seal will guide you. Barring that, try your best to remember which way you came.”

“Again, you are not filling me with a massive amounts of good vibes. I need good vibes here.” She laughed anxiously.

“It’s not my place to fill you with false hopes,” he replied. “Of course, you don’t have to go. The decision is yours and yours alone to make. I will accept whatever you deem appropriate.”

She fell into silent thought, unable to focus on any one thing. She had to have glanced from the ground to the sky fifteen times in as many seconds.

“Are you ready to go, darling?” Silver asked after several minutes of waiting, leaning into his staff with a look of contentment.

She realized that there was little choice but to proceed; this was a task far greater than just her own will. The fate of Earth hung in the balance. Nodding, she gave him a little sideways glare once it registered what he said. That comment reminded her so much of something Gage would say at a time like this. “Yup. I’m as ready as I’m ever going to be.”

He beamed. “So be it,” he said with relief, reaching into this robes. A few seconds later, he pulled out two small items from his pocket, one after the other. One was a small toy truck which he gazed at momentarily before shoving it back inside. The other was a disc of glass the size of a hockey puck, translucent on the sides with a clear top. Within it, a shard of blue crystal whizzed around, its sharp end coming to rest by pointing to the temple door. He handed it to over to her, shaking it a few times for good measure. “Here, this should make finding the seal a little easier.”

She grabbed it, feeling the roughly etched surface with her fingers. It was much lighter than she thought it would be. “What is this?”

“Yours now,” he told her. “A compass of sorts – it may be useful for finding other items to stop the Noctis, too.”

Grinning, she tucked it into one of the front pockets of her jeans, finishing with a little tap. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure. It is time.” He held up the rod, stepping out from the square so his voice could be heard.
“Resero,”
he commanded with a whisper.

The enormous doors quaked, splitting right down the middle before spreading apart by a couple of feet. Noise rode the dust filled air and if silence had been their ally, they were betrayed. Any creatures inside were sure to be aware that someone was paying the temple a visit.

“The way is now open,” he said hastily. “For a little while at least. Best of luck to you, dear Adrienne.”

Those words carried a new, heavier meaning for her as she looked back at him pensively. She began hiking slowly up to the entrance, past the lifelike carvings that threatened to leap off the walls and tear her to shreds. Taking a deep breath, she stood ahead of the tall doors, even more vast than they had seemed before. A narrow black gap ran neatly down the center, calling her inside.

“Here goes nothing… again,” she said, taking her first step onto the stone tiles and into the darkness.

FRIGID WAS THE
Utah night, with a cloudless sky full of stars. A run down campground sat tucked in amongst russet shrubbery near the still waters of Bridger and Farmington Bays. Two recreational vehicles were there, parked haphazardly on the cracked pavement with their insides dark. One was a Travco motorhome, aerodynamic in its former life. Now it was held together with a lot of rust caked in between the pieces of its peeling blue exterior. The other was a modern fifth wheel, mounted over the back of a robust white dually.

A subtle
clang
rang out, disturbing the quiet. A subdued light came on, leaching out from behind the closed blinds of the motorhome. Shortly after, its narrow door flung open and two shapes emerged into the cold, sweeping out from the vehicle.

“See anything?” asked the one in front, a dark haired man no older than thirty. Despite the bite of the air and with sleep still in his eyes, he walked around barefoot – forgetting his shoes on the floor in the rush to get outside. He stood while his fangs chattered, wearing nothing more than a pair of hideous boxers and a loose gray tee. Surveying the area cautiously, he blew into his cupped hands for warmth. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, despite the earlier racket.

“I see nothing,” came another voice, lower with a roughness like sandpaper. The speaker moved forward, wearing far more appropriate clothes for such a night. His eyes reflected the swift orange flare of a lit match as he took an extended draw from his joint; blood that had caked along his mouth stained the rolling paper red. He held in the smoke for a few seconds, puffing it out in small rings, mingling with the cool vapor of his metallic breath.

“You sure it wasn’t the sherm talking to you, Ed?” he asked, cutting eyes over to his ill-dressed colleague, who was jumping around trying to keep warm while shaking uncontrollably, searching for the nothing that was there. Having enough, he flung a hand in the air. “It’s colder than a witch’s tit out here! I’m heading back inside.”

“Look here! I knew it. Something
had
knocked over the garbage,” Ed declared, pointing to the large silver can tipped onto its side, its pungent contents spread across the ground. He looked back up, but hopeful that his colleague had seen it and was coming over, but that was not the case. It was in fact opposite, the other vamp already back at the motorhome not paying the slightest bit of attention. “Jake! Come on!”

“Ed, it was probably just one of the fucking antelopes,” he replied derisively as he reached the door, taking a fresh hit before placing a hand on his hip. “This place is called Antelope Island after all.” He paused thoughtfully for a second. “Hell, it could also be the wind. More often than not it’s always the -”