Solomon Key

Chapter 14

Isla let out a long, slow breath, stood, and kneaded the stiff muscles of her lower back. She’d spent far too much time sitting in one place. She’d love to get out and stretch her legs, but there were things lurking the grounds of Modron that gave her pause, despite Nineve’s assurance that only the forest behind the castle was dangerous.

“I’ve got to get out of here,” she said aloud. “Even if only for an hour.” She’d always been the restless sort. That was why travel writing appealed to her. She loved seeing new places, meeting new people. And recent events had stoked within her a hunger for adventure of the more dangerous sort. It was difficult to believe she had changed so much in such a short period of time. But could she say she had truly changed when she was afraid to even walk out the back door? “Bugger that. I’m going.”

She made her way to the back exit on the main floor. A quick retinal scan and the door swung open. Darkness and cold night air enveloped her. What time was it? A quick glance at her watch told her it was one o’clock in the morning. She’d missed dinner, but her stomach hadn’t complained.

Behind the castle, a manicured lawn gently sloped down to the dense forest. A crescent moon sprinkled a dusting of silver light on the path before her. She followed it down to a wrought iron fence. Several meters beyond stood a series of tall, narrow posts; their silver surfaces seemed to glow, and they emitted a low hum.

Isla rested her arms on the top of the wrought iron fence and gazed into pitch black forest. She could see nothing more than a few meters in, but she occasionally caught the sound of a reptilian hiss, or something heavy lurching through the trees.

“I wouldn’t go beyond the gate if I were you.”

She snapped her head around and saw Gowan walking across the lawn toward her. His easy gait and relaxed posture looked like that of a man out on an evening stroll.

“I hadn’t planned on it.” She turned away from him and returned to staring into the forest.

To her chagrin, he didn’t keep walking, but instead joined her.

“The posts aren’t electrified or anything,” he said, “but they emit waves at a frequency that the creatures can’t stand. It keeps them away from the edges of the forest.”

“I wondered about that,” she admitted. “Could be bad for all concerned if they ever got out.”

“They won’t attack unless given a specific signal, and another signal stops them in their tracks. Nineve demonstrated for my benefit. It’s remarkable, really.”

“Then why shouldn’t I pass beyond the fence?”

Gowan let out a small laugh. “Because, when it comes right down to it, they’re still animals, and no training is one hundred percent perfect. Also, some of them are quite large, and could injure you without intending to.”

“Understood. So, why aren’t you guarding Nineve?”

“I’m not actually her guard. I just work closely with her.” He reached into an inside pocket of his jacket and took out a tin of mints. “Care for one?” Isla shook her head. “Suit yourself.” He shook a couple into his palm and popped them into his mouth. “I love coffee but I have a deep, abiding fear of coffee breath. Hence the mints, all day long.”

There was something so ordinary, so normal about the comment that Isla couldn’t help but smile.

“How goes the research?”

Isla didn’t flinch. So that was his game. Trying to find out what task Nineve had set her to.

“Slowly.”

Gowan nodded. “I wouldn’t worry too much about it. The bloody ring has gone undiscovered for what? Three thousand years?”

Isla kept her silence. So he knew there was a ring involved. Of course, that didn’t mean he knew which ring.

“King Solomon,” he sighed. “Had more gold and women than he had sense.”

So he did know. “I thought he was supposed to be the wisest of all the kings of Israel.”

In the scant light she saw Gowan roll his eyes. “Based on what? The ‘cut the baby in half’ story? Seriously, who would be dumb enough to fall for that? The man was blessed by God, granted power and wealth, but he suffered from the same disease as his father, King David.”

“What was that?”

“He loved woman way too much. His pagan wives found him easy to manipulate.”

Isla closed her eyes, thinking. “Hold on. But, we’re pagan.”

“Sure we are. That doesn’t mean Solomon wasn’t real…or that he didn’t get played.” He took a moment to pop another mint. “If we didn’t believe he was real, we wouldn’t be searching for his mines, would we?”

“I thought I was the only dog Nineve had set to hunting.” Something high in a nearby tree let out a low hiss and a bulky shape sailed down into the darkness. She suppressed a shudder at the sight.

“You’re the only dog she’s set to sniffing out this particular trail, but she’s had me taking a look at it as well.”

“Why?” Isla tried to sound as if she didn’t care, but Gowan’s smirk told her she had failed.

“Once you figure out where to look, I’m to accompany you. Extra muscle, so to speak.”

“I don’t need any help.”

Gowan shrugged. “Tell Nineve if you like. Won’t do you any good, though. She doesn’t change her mind. At least, not that I’ve ever seen.”

Isla didn’t bother to argue. She had a feeling he was right.

“Anyway, the ring is your deal. I’ve been researching the mines.”

“What have you learned?”

“As you probably know, King Solomon’s mines were located in a place called Ophir. The location was kept secret, but people have spent the last three millennia trying to figure out where it was.”

“Any likely spots?”

“Plenty of spots. Don’t know how likely any of them are.” He turned away from the forest and sat down on the soft grass, his back resting against the fence. After a moment, Isla followed suit. “Ptolemy placed it in what is now Pakistan at the mouth of the Indus River. John Milton thought it was in Zimbabwe. Christopher Columbus believed it was in Haiti. Walter Raleigh thought it was in Surinam.”

“I hadn’t heard any of those theories. I know the Solomon Islands got their name because a Spanish explorer thought the mines were there.”

“Right. Plenty of other theories. Some say they were in the Middle East, close to Israel, and they weren’t gold mines, but copper.”

“That would be no fun.”

“No, it wouldn’t at that. I don’t buy it. In addition to the gold, they brought back ivory and exotic animals, like apes and peacocks. And we have a record of how long the round trip to the mine would take. All of that excludes any sites in the immediate vicinity.”

“You have your own pet theory?”

Gowan shook his head. “Not at the moment. After Solomon’s death, the kingdom split into Israel and Judah. Not long afterward, Jerusalem fell to the Egyptians and whatever treasures Solomon might have had were lost. I’ll wager the secret was lost with the library at Alexandria, or lies buried in some dusty tomb.”

Isla considered his grim outlook. Surely Nineve wouldn’t set them an impossible task. “You think Nineve knows something we don’t about this?”

“Always. But if it were something that might help us find either the ring or the mines, she wouldn’t hold it back. I’m sure of it.”

Isla ran a hand through her hair, closed her eyes, and leaned her head back. “This seems a risky proposition to me.”

“There’s always danger when you go after something of such great value.”

“Not to me. Risky for the organization. Think about it. One of our aims is to undo the damage done by the monolithic Middle Eastern religions. To prove the existence of Solomon’s Mines, hell, to prove that Solomon himself existed, only strengthens Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.”

Gowan scratched his chin, nodding thoughtfully. “You are correct, of course. I presume she wants the wealth but not the fame that would come from the discovery. The ring…I suppose she believes it has magical powers.”

“I think you’re right.” A loud hiss, seemingly directly above them, interrupted her thoughts. “Bloody things!” Despite her reservations about the man, Isla couldn’t overcome her natural curiosity. “What, exactly, are these creatures?”

Gowan seemed to consider this question for a while. “Science experiments, when it comes right down to it. A combination of genetic engineering and careful breeding. They were supposed to have all been put down when the Sisterhood fell a few years back, but loyal elements within the government worked to save as many as they could. They’re actually quite friendly once you get to know them.”

She whipped her head to the side to stare at Gowan. He returned her gaze for a long moment and then burst out laughing.

“I’m talking out of my ass, of course. Never gotten too close to any of them.”

Isla shook her head.

“Why do you serve the Sisterhood? You’re American and your accent places you firmly in the Bible Belt.”

“I never fit in there,” he said promptly. “I know I don’t look it or sound it, but I’m fifty percent Native American. I believe in the old ways and think the world would be better off if our beliefs and traditions were strongly supported. I’m not out to eradicate the major religions, but to show people there’s more than one truth, more than one way. Maybe someday I can do for my people what Nineve will do for the descendants of the Celts.”

“You believe we’re doing the right thing?”

He didn’t hesitate. “Absolutely. There’s a certainty that comes with the belief that yours is the one true God, and with that certainty comes a license to oppress, even to kill. We’ve witnessed it for centuries and it’s getting worse. Violence between Christians and Muslims is going to tear this world apart unless we show them a different way. A better way.”

Isla nodded, though she wasn’t completely convinced. Gowan’s was a narrow, slanted view, but it was far too late for that sort of nuanced debate. One thing he was right about — the division in society was becoming too great. Something needed to change.

Gowan yawned, stretched, and tried to put his arm around her shoulders. What an ass. They’d just had their first civil conversation and he had to go and ruin it.

She stood and forced a yawn.

“I think I’m ready to turn in,” she said. “I’ll need my rest if I’m going to find a ring that’s been lost for three thousand years.”