with horror-filled eyes. I’d never felt more out of place and unwanted in my life.
Excalibur ignored the people gathering in the yards, holding back their children from whatever they played with before our intrusion, and walked slowly toward the dirt road ahead. A bad vibe hung in the air around this settlement, or maybe I was the bad vibe. There were seven houses in all, and above each front door hung a bundle of herbs.
We were almost out of the settlement when a gray-haired man came up behind us holding a shotgun.
“Keep going, boy, and don’t come back to these here parts, or you mightn’t be so lucky next time.”
Determination gleamed in his black eyes.
Sweat trickled down my face and into my eyes, stinging them. I blinked the perspiration out, but was careful not to make another move. I had no doubt this man would pull the trigger. Once we passed the last house, I risked a glance back. The man with the gun hadn’t moved an inch. Taking a chance, I dug my heels into Excalibur’s sides. He broke into a fast gallop, churning up road dirt behind him. The strange scene behind me vanished in the dust cloud.
A half hour later, we reached broken pavement, and a level of sanity, once I had Melba’s house in my sight. The feeling of someone reaching out, ready to grab my back, had diminished.
Excalibur walked almost lazily to the backyard, where I slid off into the grass. Instinct told me I was safe, for the moment. Melba came bursting out of the back door.
“Solomon!”
The frantic tone of her voice brought Desiree to mind. “Is Desiree all right?”
My question caught her in a moment of confusion. “Yes, she’s fine.”
“Have you heard from her?”
“Y—no. Not since the last time you asked. No. That’s not why I’m upset.”
“What’s wrong?”
Her look was stern. “You should never have gone to the guardians.”
“Guardians? And I didn’t go there to visit. I was chased there.”
“Mae just called…”
“Who’s Mae?”
“My second cousin once removed on my father’s side. She said the devil himself, sitting arrogantly on top of a white horse, rode through her property, and now she will be cursed forever.”
“What? It was just me, and I didn’t go there on purpose… I told you I was chased.”
“By who?”
By the devil you spoke of. I decided to be frank with Melba, since she seemed to know more than she let on, anyway, but clouded the truth with a small lie. “I went fishing, and—”
The pointed look she gave me told me she wasn’t fooled.
“Solomon, you can’t pull the wool over my eyes. I see clearly, remember? Now why did you go to the river?”
Behind her, I saw Excalibur munching grass, as if it was just an ordinary day. I took a deep breath and spilled everything that had happened since leaving her backyard that morning.
“What do they guard?” I asked after a moment’s pause.
“You already know the answer to that. And now I think you’ve disturbed the grave. For more than one hundred and fifty years, my people diligently watched over it, undisturbed. You went and stirred up some bad mojo around here. They will never let you stay now.” She looked up from the ground. “You have to leave, and the sooner you go, the better for both of us. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth before, Solomon.” Her voce lowered as if she didn’t want me to hear the rest. “I was hoping you really were a college kid with amnesia.”
“Who exactly am I?”
The way she looked at me, the apologetic, yet fearful look displayed on her face, sent a chill through me.
“You look exactly like him.”
Then she changed the subject quickly. “A friend of mine runs a pay-weekly motel, and will spot you a month’s rent until you get on your feet. Her cousin’s son got you a job working as a laborer with him. He also has a friend who is making you a fake ID. You’ll have a new name. What you do with it and what you choose for your background will be up to you.”
So
Excalibur ignored the people gathering in the yards, holding back their children from whatever they played with before our intrusion, and walked slowly toward the dirt road ahead. A bad vibe hung in the air around this settlement, or maybe I was the bad vibe. There were seven houses in all, and above each front door hung a bundle of herbs.
We were almost out of the settlement when a gray-haired man came up behind us holding a shotgun.
“Keep going, boy, and don’t come back to these here parts, or you mightn’t be so lucky next time.”
Determination gleamed in his black eyes.
Sweat trickled down my face and into my eyes, stinging them. I blinked the perspiration out, but was careful not to make another move. I had no doubt this man would pull the trigger. Once we passed the last house, I risked a glance back. The man with the gun hadn’t moved an inch. Taking a chance, I dug my heels into Excalibur’s sides. He broke into a fast gallop, churning up road dirt behind him. The strange scene behind me vanished in the dust cloud.
A half hour later, we reached broken pavement, and a level of sanity, once I had Melba’s house in my sight. The feeling of someone reaching out, ready to grab my back, had diminished.
Excalibur walked almost lazily to the backyard, where I slid off into the grass. Instinct told me I was safe, for the moment. Melba came bursting out of the back door.
“Solomon!”
The frantic tone of her voice brought Desiree to mind. “Is Desiree all right?”
My question caught her in a moment of confusion. “Yes, she’s fine.”
“Have you heard from her?”
“Y—no. Not since the last time you asked. No. That’s not why I’m upset.”
“What’s wrong?”
Her look was stern. “You should never have gone to the guardians.”
“Guardians? And I didn’t go there to visit. I was chased there.”
“Mae just called…”
“Who’s Mae?”
“My second cousin once removed on my father’s side. She said the devil himself, sitting arrogantly on top of a white horse, rode through her property, and now she will be cursed forever.”
“What? It was just me, and I didn’t go there on purpose… I told you I was chased.”
“By who?”
By the devil you spoke of. I decided to be frank with Melba, since she seemed to know more than she let on, anyway, but clouded the truth with a small lie. “I went fishing, and—”
The pointed look she gave me told me she wasn’t fooled.
“Solomon, you can’t pull the wool over my eyes. I see clearly, remember? Now why did you go to the river?”
Behind her, I saw Excalibur munching grass, as if it was just an ordinary day. I took a deep breath and spilled everything that had happened since leaving her backyard that morning.
“What do they guard?” I asked after a moment’s pause.
“You already know the answer to that. And now I think you’ve disturbed the grave. For more than one hundred and fifty years, my people diligently watched over it, undisturbed. You went and stirred up some bad mojo around here. They will never let you stay now.” She looked up from the ground. “You have to leave, and the sooner you go, the better for both of us. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth before, Solomon.” Her voce lowered as if she didn’t want me to hear the rest. “I was hoping you really were a college kid with amnesia.”
“Who exactly am I?”
The way she looked at me, the apologetic, yet fearful look displayed on her face, sent a chill through me.
“You look exactly like him.”
Then she changed the subject quickly. “A friend of mine runs a pay-weekly motel, and will spot you a month’s rent until you get on your feet. Her cousin’s son got you a job working as a laborer with him. He also has a friend who is making you a fake ID. You’ll have a new name. What you do with it and what you choose for your background will be up to you.”
So
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