Martyn Vaughan - The Cave of Shadows

Somehow, whatever forces lay behind their meal arrangements knew that there were now two mouths to feed because two bowls of food appeared at the start of every new period. Shana did not comment on their dining arrangements; it was evident that one could have too many mysteries.

They decided that before there was any further discussion of their encircling problems they would check on the situation outside in the village.

They walked a little way from the house and it became immediately apparent that people were avoiding them. If someone happened to pass near, their gaze was directed to the left, to the right, to the ground, to the sky – never to them. Gone were the greetings called out as people saw them; gone were the smiles.

‘This must be what it is like to be some kind of plague carrier,’ Jon observed morosely, as the twentieth person made a wide detour so as not to pass near them.

‘We are plague carriers, Jon. We carry the plagues of doubt and disobedience.’

Despite the invisible barrier that the two seemed to carry with them, Jon noticed that there were more people around than he had seen before. And even as he looked casually around two men came over the lip of the terrace and were immediately surrounded by happy welcomers.

‘Something’s happening,’ he said, ‘there’re more people here now than this village can hold.’

Shana did not comment – she was looking up at the sky, wondering that although it looked green to her, to Jon it was crimson.

Thus it was that they did not see Jarz as he came up to them and blocked their way.

When Jon did finally see him, he snapped, ‘And what now? More warnings?’

Jarz’s face was like stone.

‘As a matter of fact, yes. Our Lord is disturbed by you Jon and,’ and here he turned to glare at Shana ‘especially by you.’

‘Really?’ was her laconic reply.

‘It is not a matter for levity,’ Jarz hissed, and his voice became suddenly quiet as if he feared that someone was listening, ‘You do not understand the power that could be brought against you. Not the Council, that is just a small matter in your fates. But here we are all in the grasp of the Lord Korok; he has our lives in his hands. He can do with us as he wishes; we are just clay he can mould, make and shatter. He can kill us in an instant, yes and resurrect us and kill us again and again!’

Although outwardly unmoved, both Jon and Shana were shaken by this vision of their utter helplessness.

‘And what does he want from us?’ Jon finally muttered.

‘You must give yourself over to him completely. You must cease this questioning and wondering and accept that all you need to know comes from the Lord Korok. He knows your thoughts and he disapproves.’

‘And you know this – how?’ said Shana, her eyes flashing with what was now explicit contempt.

‘Because I have seen others like you who thought to put themselves above the Lord and I saw what happened to them. And there is another thing.’

‘Which is?’ she continued.

Jarz’s voice dropped its sacerdotal quietness and a note of triumph entered it.

‘Look around! See how many of us there are now. Soon there will be enough for our army to cross into the Gate of Light!’

Jon and Shana did not stay much longer outside in the village after their encounter with Jarz. There was little point in doing nothing but watch themselves being avoided by large numbers of people and in any case, his words lay heavy on their minds.

For the first time the unpleasant word “army” had been uttered with the implication that this army would soon be employed against some unknown foe. The Gate of Light was somehow the key to understanding what was about to happen but still they had no idea what that strange object was or what its role would be.

So many questions.

So few answers.

So they sat, dispirited, enervated, facing an existence beyond their understanding and which had revealed itself to be implacably hostile to them.

It was Shana who broke the silence.

‘We must do something, anything.’

Jon shrugged, not even looking at her. ‘What’s the point. Nothing we can do will make any difference.’

She stood up and walked over to the alcove and picked up the strange device.

‘You said Jarz was going to train you in the use of this.’

‘Yes.’

‘Then it must be important. The very fact that he has now refused to tell you any more about it proves that.’

She held it out to him.

‘Put it on.’

He glanced up at her listlessly, saw the determination in her eyes and finally obeyed.

Moment after moment went by and he did not move, did not speak.

Finally, irritated by the silence and immobility, Shana snapped, ‘Well what do you see? Is there something wrong with you?’

He took the device off and put in on the nearby table, moving slowly as if it were incredibly heavy.

‘Nothing. I saw that blackness again and the points of light. Then nothing.’

She frowned. ‘There’s something wrong. Jarz wouldn’t have refused to say any more about it if it’s just a silly toy. Here, let me have it.’

She placed it on her head and closed her eyes.

And waited.

For some time nothing happened and then gradually, very gradually, images began to form, images of things she could not quite understand.

She saw the sky but a sky with a most peculiar colour, neither green nor red but a pale blue and in it or on it were impossible things – great white masses like floating mountains, things that could not possibly exist.

She saw buildings, but not buildings such as the village possessed; but tall, enormous structures seemingly comprised of stone, of metal and material that was totally transparent. In the air there were great flying things, also of similar materials to the buildings; flying things so vast that it seemed completely impossible that they could lift themselves into the air.

And the people! So many people!

How could there be room for all these multitudes!

There were endless roads with metal boxes travelling along them at speeds so vast that she could not keep them fixed in her vision. Everywhere there were the signs of huge numbers of people in a great hurry, of things to do, of journeys that must be made.

It was too much. Despite being immersed in the visions she could feel the unknown implement resting on her head and so she took the thing off and slumped back in the chair.

Jon reached over and held her hands, ‘What’s wrong? You only had it on for a moment.’

She looked up at him in wonderment. His face seemed blurred.

‘A moment? That’s ridiculous!’

She told him of the things she had seen but it was obvious from his face that he did not understand. She gave up trying to describe huge flying things and said, ‘I must go back in.’

‘Why,’ said Jon, concern clearly marked in his expression and in his voice, ‘how do you know what you’re seeing means anything? It all sounds like some kind of dream.’

‘It means something,’ Shana replied firmly, ‘I must see more.’

And she did.

The scenes became more disturbing. There was a feeling of crisis in the way the ant-like communities were behaving. There was tumult in the streets beneath the tall buildings. Some groups were using violence against other groups. There were flames in the buildings, the boxes on the roads stopped moving, huge numbers of people were on the move, some coming into the great villages but more going out, in great waves of desperation. Huge encampments sprang up where displaced people lived in squalor. Some flying things fell from the sky and crashed into the ground in great billows of flame.

Shana saw all this as if she were a god. Sometimes she observed it from high above as if she were floating in the sky; sometimes she was there in the streets, seeing people running with fear and blood on their faces; sometimes great masses of stone fell on her from disintegrating buildings but left no mark. Like an all-seeing ghost, she walked among the terrified multitudes. Sometimes she would descend to a cellar where a frightened family huddled among the ruins of their possessions and the last of their bags of food, hearing the children cry and watching the adults hold each other. Then she would be watching hordes of men shaking what could only be weapons while behind them great metal boxes moved ominously forward, sending jets of flame and thunder to the left and to the right.