Chapter 34: Solomon
Charlie and Billy asked me to accompany them on a journey to Piminy Street. There was someone who lived there that they wanted me to meet. It was a woman that ran a kettle shop there who was taking care of Billy's rat Rembrandt while the Ominous's were indisposed. Charlie told me about Mrs. Kettle as we walked down the cobblestoned streets that lead to Piminy Street. She had once given Charlie a kettle that was made by her ancestor, a blacksmith named Feromel. The kettle contained a strange, dark liquid that couldn't be poured away. Whenever the owner of the kettle was in danger, the liquid would get hot to the touch. If the liquid got too hot and boiled dry, that meant that the owner of the kettle was going to die. Charlie promised to show me the kettle whenever we got home from our trip.
"How did the kettle feel this morning?" I asked him.
"It was warm." Charlie admitted.
We turned onto Piminy Street. I had never been there before, but I felt that I had not been missing much. I felt like I stepped through a time machine as we walked through. All of the buildings looked like they had not been touched in hundreds of years. The first building we passed was a very old and decrepit building that had a simple, worn sign that read "Fish Shop". I could smell fish, but the shop didn't appear to be in business.
"This is where Dagbert stays." Charlie informed me. A fish shop was the perfect front to hide a boy like Dabert.
As we walked a little further, I could see another sign attached to another dilapidated building. It was a stone shop and it gave off a very sinister aura. I felt uncomfortable as we glanced at the windows. I turned my head when I couldn't bear to look at the strange and grotesque statues that lived within.
"Eric is in there." Charlie said quietly. I shuddered that the mention of Aunt Venetia's "son".
"Let's go before he brings one of those monstrosities to life." I tugged at Charlie's arm and he seemed to agree. We continued walking until we reached the very end of the dark and bumpy road. The Kettle Shop seemed to be the only building that had lights on inside and had been taken care of. I certainly was not surprised when we walked inside and the walls were lined with various kettles made from different materials. No two kettles seemed to be alike. Charlie led us through the main room and into a smaller room. This room was also full of Kettles, but there was also an old wooden table with four chairs that surrounded it. An antique stove at against the far wall. A kettle sat on its heated surface and as soon as I noticed it, it began to whistle loudly.
"I knew I would see you today, my dears. And you've brought someone new with you." A deep and cheery voice caught me by surprise. I hadn't noticed her in my original scan of the room. She lifted the whistling kettle from the stove and stared at us with her focused amber eyes.
Mrs. Kettle was not what I expected her to be. In all honesty, I was completely in awe of her and couldn't tear my eyes away. She was a very large woman, but she seemed to be mostly made of muscle. She wore a large pair of coveralls and thick leather boots that were splattered with oil. She ran a hand through her short copper hair and wiped away the sweat that was beading at her brow.
"This is my sister, Mrs. Kettle. Her name is Infinity." Charlie smiled at the large woman. "And Billy is here for his rat."
"You'll have to search for him, Billy. You know how much he loves the kettles." Mrs. Kettle gestured to multiple hiding places. "You never told me that you had a sister. Sit down. Make yourselves comfortable. It's a pleasure to meet you." She took my hand in a strong grip and shook it. These weren't the hands of an older woman who owned a kettle shop. These were the hands of a blacksmith. "My name is Katya Kettle."
We sat down at the table while Billy frantically searched the kettles for his rat. He finally found him in a large iron one with a fancy lid. As I watched their joyful reunion, I felt something slither up my leg. When I looked down, I was completely amazed at what I saw. A large, blue snake had coiled itself around what had previously been my leg, but now it was gone. I could still feel it attached to my body, but I couldn't see it. I admired the boa as it traveled upwards. There were feathers mixed in with its scales. "What in the world are you?" I found myself asking it, as if it would answer.
"That's Solomon." Mrs. Kettle answered plainly.
"Solomon?" Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Did you give him that name?"
"We couldn't just call him Blue Boa forever, could we? I thought that Solomon was the most fitting name for him, being that he is so very wise." She chuckled. "She doesn't know about the snake?"
"She wasn't around whenever we found him. She was in the hospital, in a coma." Charlie explained. "This snake is over a thousand years old. He belonged to the Red King. There's more of a story behind him, but all you really need to know for now is that he can make people invisible."
"He really likes you, Infinity." Billy spoke up. The snake began to hiss. It was amazing to see Billy's endowment in action. I always enjoyed it. "He says you remind him of the princess who was kind to him."
"The King's daughter, Guanhamara." Charlie explained. "I guess Infinity is kind of like Guanhamara, isn't she? She was a witch, too."
Mrs. Kettle smiled kindly at us and sat a plate of cookies down on the table. She gathered up four tea cups and sat them in front of us, pouring us each a cup of tea from one of her handcrafted kettles. Solomon the snake had allowed my leg to reappear and crawled down onto the floor. He seemed to be suddenly disturbed as he weaved his head back and forth, hissing as he did so. He seemed anxious.
"He said that someone came into the shop." Billy explained. We looked around, but there was no way that someone could have walked in without any of us noticing.
"He must be mistaken. Did he say who it was?" Mrs. Kettle furrowed her brow and looked down at the snake.
"He says that he doesn't know." Billy frowned.
I felt uneasy. There was no reason for the snake to lie to Billy, especially when it seemed to respect him so much. I looked over at Charlie. His face was pale and he seemed to be thinking about something. "You've got the stone troll here, don't you?" He asked.
"You bet I have. It has been chained up in my workshop since it attacked that girl and her father. That troll had a venom of its own once Eric brought it to life." Mrs. Kettle shook her head and tapped her fingers nervously on the table.
I didn't like to think of Aunt Venetia's step-son, Eric. He was an evil child. The ability to animate stone was one of the more dangerous endowments I had come across. "I met that troll," Charlie began to tell Mrs. Kettle about the day he had traveled into Badlock. "When it was real. Its name was Oddthumb."
"Met it, Charlie? The troll?" Mrs. Kettle fixed her amber eyes on Charlie. "Have you been traveling again?"
"Yes." Charlie bit into a cookie and began to tell her about the trip that he had taken into Badlock. He had her full, undivided attention. She didn't speak or attempt to interrupt him at all, she was in awe. She didn't even speak when Charlie had finished his story. She just shook her head in dismay.
I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up and I began to feel anxious. I didn't know what was going on, but I had the overwhelming desire to flee the kettle shop. My heart was beating loudly in my chest as I scanned the room for whatever hidden danger I seemed to be sensing. The kettles lost their luster and the room was darker. "The shadow is trying to come back. If you know what's good for you, you'll lock your cellar and throw away the key." Mrs. Kettle said finally. "You cannot go back into that cursed painting, Charlie."
"But Runner Bean!" Billy exclaimed.
"You'll forget about him if you're wise." Her face was solemn but I knew her words would mean nothing to Charlie. While he didn't lash out at her like he did me for making a similar suggestion, I could see the annoyance flash in his eyes. "The Stone Shop is occupied again. For years, it has been vacant. But two days ago, I heard a noise. It was the sound of metal on stone. Someone was over there and they were hammering away. I left my workshop and walked down the alley behind the stores. When I looked in the stonemason's yard, there was a man. He was fierce looking with a yellow mustache and a cowboy hat. He said his name was Melmott, but not much else. I fear he is the first of many."
"Of many what?" Charlie asked.
"Magicians." Mrs. Kettle sighed dejectedly. "The street used to be full of them, but by the time I had inherited this place, they had all gone. But now, the wickedness is coming back. It's not just Eric, it's those other children at Bloor's too. The drowner, the poisoner, the magnet, the hypnotist, and then that witch, Mrs. Tilpin. They're getting stronger and we are going to have to watch out for each other. I'm the only one left on this street, the only one who can stop them. I fear for my life. They are going to want me gone."
"I want to see the troll." Charlie interrupted.
"Is that really a good idea?" I asked. I looked over at a metal door hidden off in the corner. I had a feeling that was her workshop and I felt uneasy just looking at it.
"I want to make sure Oddthumb is still there." Charlie pleaded.
Mrs. Kettle sighed and gave in. Charlie followed her over to the workshop but Billy and I stayed rooted to our seats. I had no desire to see the dangerous troll and I was sure that Billy was much too fearful of it. Charlie walked into the workshop bravely, but Mrs. Kettle stayed behind. "Are you satisfied, Charlie?" She called out.
"Yes." I heard him answer, but then there was an earsplitting crack. Charlie screamed and something came flying through the door to the shop. I stood in awe as a hideous statue charged through the doorway and crashed into a table, sending kettles flying in all directions. I panicked and grabbed Billy's arm, pulling him behind a counter where I hoped that we would be safe. As I pulled Billy behind the counter, I saw the stone troll strike down Mrs. Kettle. She hit the ground hard. Charlie ran around the tables and ducked behind the counter with Billy and I.
"I have to go get her. Both of you stay here, don't move." I commanded. I was the only one who was capable of defending myself. I couldn't let Mrs. Kettle be killed by this creature. I waited until it crashed through the main store before I ran towards her body. "I need to get her into the workshop." I yelled. "Before the troll comes back!"
But the troll never had the chance to come back. As Charlie and I began to drag her body into the workshop, I heard the front door squeak. Someone was coming in. There was a deafening crack, and then silence. Charlie left my side to investigate what had happened while I tried my hardest to heal Mrs. Kettle's aching head.
"It's Tancred!" Charlie yelled back to me. "He finished the troll off."
"Can't be sure." Tancred said as he walked through the door. A strong gust of wind followed him as he made himself known. He must have fought off the troll with his stormy endowment. He looked at Mrs. Kettle and I on the floor. "Oh my god. Is she dead?"
"She isn't dead." I snapped at Tancred, not meaning to. A sound came from the main shop that made Tancred and Charlie rush back out to check on the troll.
"It's getting away." Charlie exclaimed.
"Eric!" Tancred yelled out. "Get back here." He went to chase after them but Charlie grabbed his arm.
"He'll go to the Stone Shop. There's no way we can fight him there." Charlie frowned. "We'll need to figure something out."
"I…I think you all should go." I said, looking down at Mrs. Kettle. "I'll take care of her and the shop. If Eric thinks you're all gone and Mrs. Kettle is dead, he won't come back here. It's hard for me to focus on what I'm doing with all of you here anyway."
For once, my brother agreed. Charlie, Billy and Tancred all left the shop. No sooner than they had left, I got Mrs. Kettle conscious again so I could properly heal her concussed head. We spoke not of what happened, but picked up the shop in depressed silence. After an hour of cleaning, Mrs. Kettle finally spoke. "That's quite an endowment you have there. What else can you do?"
"Force fields." I shrugged. "I can summon weapons, too."
"Weapons? May I see?" She asked with piqued curiosity.
I held my right hand out and envisioned a simple little sword. No sooner than I imagined it, a bright swirling light engulfed my hand and I tightened my fingers around a sturdy hilt. My weapons didn't look like normal weapons, they were almost translucent and threaded with a bright, pure light.
Mrs. Kettle's eyes lit up as she watched me. "Do you know how to use a sword, dear?" She asked me. I shook my head. While it was my only means of protection other than my force field, I had no idea how to use it. The day I had summoned a dagger to fight off Manfred had just been a lucky swing. "If you would like, I could teach you. A bound sword like that could be just the thing to cut through stone."
"You know how to use a sword?" I stared at Mrs. Kettle in awe.
"I think that one should be able to use the weapons in which they make, so I did learn. And I think that you should too." She waved for me to follow her back into her workshop. My suspicions had been correct, and Mrs. Kettle was definitely a blacksmith. Her workshop was complete with a forge and beautiful ornamental swords than hung from racks that she mounted on her walls. Instead of grabbing a sword, she grabbed two simple staves. "We'll start off easy, so no one will get hurt. If you wish to take this seriously, I would like you to come see me every Friday and Saturday night. Would that be okay with you?"
I nodded breathlessly and followed her out to the garden behind her shop, ready to learn whatever she had to teach me.