“He’s out,” Melanie said. “We should go. All he’ll remember now is that we spoke, and he was thrilled with what we’ve accomplished. He’s granted us rooms up here, too.”
“Nicely done.” Thaddeus rose. “But what was he talking about?”
“Exactly what he said. He plans to let the Greenweald be destroyed.”
“How?”
“I’m not sure. All I could get was images of a place that’s all sadness and anger. It was buried deep though, and I was afraid to push too hard. He was fighting me, and make no mistake, Malachi is strong. He was starting to push back.”
Thaddeus hesitated. “Is it as bad as he’s saying? Can he really destroy it all?”
“Yes. I have no doubt he can, and what’s more, he’s started to.”
“We may have to rethink our plan.”
Melanie nodded. “And we don’t have a lot of time.”
Chapter 35
Solomon caught himself chuckling as Old Sam helped him to sit up against the wall again.
“Why are you laughing?” the old man asked.
“Feels like I’ve been in this situation a lot lately, that’s all. From someone who always had it all together and overcame every obstacle. Now, it’s like I can’t go two days without getting beat up or knocked out somehow. Kind of funny.”
Although it really didn’t feel all that funny. He hurt all over, again. The bite from the… what did Sam call them… plague rats? ...was still bothering him. His leg felt too heavy and he couldn’t bend it, and his hand was swollen like a balloon. And it had become increasingly difficult to concentrate enough to even notice those things.
He leaned his head back against the dirty wall behind him and closed his eyes. Focus. Breathe. Use the same techniques that helped him before.
It was no good. Every time he tried to focus on the problem at hand, getting better and finding Celia, his mind slid off it like it was made of ice. He saw no way, and could only picture himself sitting here, the infection getting worse until he dropped off and didn’t wake up.
“Hey,” a hand shook him, startling him back into awareness and sending a shock of pain through him. “Hey. She’s here. It’ll be all right now.”
Solomon opened his eyes but couldn’t seem to get his head to tilt forward. It was comfortable against the wall, so instead he moved his eyes, letting his gaze fall from the gray sky between the buildings to the woman approaching.
Short dark hair and a no-nonsense stride. She carried a black bag and, unlike almost everyone else Solomon had seen in this place, she didn’t constantly check her surroundings. Instead, she kept her eyes on him, narrowed as if already thinking of what she needed to do. Solomon liked her already. She reminded him of a shorter version of Willow, at least in terms of focus.
“What happened?” she said, when she neared. “I thought you said it was a plague rat bite?”
“It was,” Sam answered. “It is. Two of them. But someone got at him while I went to get you. I thought he’d be all right…”
“Oh, Sam. Why would you think that? Why didn’t you leave him hidden?”
“Man can’t stay under a house all day. A man ain’t no plague rat, doc.”
“Yes, but you came to get me. He wouldn’t have been under there all day, just long enough to keep him safe.”
She started to examine Solomon while she talked, touching his swollen face gently and carefully lifting his newly broken hand.
“Well, I—" Sam stopped. “You’re right, Doc. As always. I’m sorry.”
Doc Mia sighed. “It’s okay. We’ll help him.” Then to Solomon, “Can you hear me? Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Yeah, Doc, I can understand you.”
“What happened to your eye?”
At that, he did bring his head forward. With all his fresh injuries, she was asking about that?
“Soul Gaunt,” he rasped.
“Don’t know what that is, but it did a number on you. That’s all right, you’re still a good-looking man, scar and all.” She smiled up at him from where she was examining his leg. Then, she turned to Sam. “I can’t do much for him here. We need to get him to my office. Can you help?”
“Of course!” Sam bent down and grabbed Solomon’s arm, the one with the rat-bitten hand, and threw it over his shoulder. Solomon took a sharp inward breath as a spike of pain coursed up his arm.
“Easy, Sam!” Doc Mia scolded him. “He’s hurt badly. We need to help him gently.”
She demonstrated by getting on the opposite side of him and easing his other arm over her own shoulder, then they both stood, dragging Solomon upright.
He tried to help them, moving his uninjured leg under him to push himself the rest of the way up.
“Whoa. Taller than I thought,” Doc Mia said. “This isn’t going to work.”
Solomon leaned against the wall behind him, breathing heavily. “I can walk. Just give me a minute, and we’ll have to go slowly.”
“You’re in no condition to—"
Solomon pushed himself from the wall and took a halting step forward, putting his weight on his swollen leg for less than a second. The pain was intense, but he swallowed it down. He took another step, then another, sweat beading on his face.
Sam walked next to him, letting Solomon use him as a leaning post.
“You’re a tough SOB, I’ll give you that,” Doc Mia muttered.
The walk to her office took less than half an hour. To Solomon, that might as well have been days. He let his body do what it had to while he tried to take his mind somewhere else, somewhere that didn’t hurt. He let thoughts of his friends and
