by Zuheb Alep
Herman had always had a way of making people see what they hadn’t seen. He was a true friend to Benjamin and probably the one who understood him best. It was always Herman to whom Benjamin had run with his tears or worries. It seemed like only yesterday when Benjamin had broken Mama’s make-up set in her bedroom while he was trying to reach the photo albums on her top shelf to show them to Kaileena. When Mama had found out, she’d punished him with two slaps on the bottom and no supper. He cried that night and only Herman had come to reassure him.
“It’s all right,” he said back then. “By tomorrow morning, Mama will have forgotten about it.”
Tonight wasn’t the same, though.
Herman said nothing to reassure Benjamin that all would be well the following day. This brought home to him the gravity of the situation of the missing children.
Benjamin sat there listening to their slow breathing. He didn’t know if what Herman had said was really true. Was he a good brother and a good friend? If so, then why hadn’t he been able to protect any of his loved ones today? His head swarmed with doubts, and the only way to get rid of them was to redeem himself.
“I really came to give you this.”
To Benjamin’s surprise, Herman produced a knife. The long, curved blade was sheathed in silver, etched with gold flowery designs; it was studded with rubies on the crossguard and upon the hilt was a red stone of inestimable value. Benjamin took it into his hands before drawing out the knife. To his surprise, the blade was strikingly sharp. Holding it towards the moonlight, he could see his reflection in it.
“Aren’t you setting me a bad example?” he asked.
“I know what you mean.” Herman chuckled. “Use it wisely. If anyone tries to hurt you, use it to save yourself.”
“Thanks. And don’t worry; I know how to look after myself.”
“Don’t show it to anyone else in the family, especially Mama or Papa.”
Benjamin nodded. “But where did you get this?”
“Someone gave it to me and told me to give it to you.”
“Who told you to give it to me?”
“I don’t know – just someone. Get some sleep, will you? Let’s just hope that everything will be all right soon.”
Bidding him goodnight, Herman left the room. Benjamin was delighted with the knife. It was a beautiful gift. He knew that it would help him in great peril, and that he would use it to protect his friends and the other children.
He wondered who could have given it to Herman.
*
Sleep seemed to elude him tonight. Benjamin had made up his mind. The knife seemed like a sign; he was meant to go and rescue the children. He wore a pair of thick jeans, a large navy jumper and a blue jacket with a fur-trimmed hood. On his feet were his blue Timberland boots. Looking in the mirror, he was satisfied. He had already packed his bag, the large one he used for his school sports kit. Along with two sets of clothes, nightclothes and changes of underwear, he put in a torch, a map of the Far South ripped from the atlas, a small compass, a rope, a pen with a notepad, and some food and drink just in case.
The last two things he took with him were his new wallet with his bank card and the long knife. Benjamin didn’t know how long he’d be away and whether or not he would return. One thing he was sure about was that he wouldn’t come back without his friends and brothers. He was going to rescue them, and not even his mother could stop him.
When he looked at the clock, he found that it was already five. The morning prayer was just about to start. Sitting on the floor, Benjamin wrote a short note to inform his parents of his absence and waited for the right time to go out. He heard the front door open. Getting up, he cautiously peeped out of the window to see Sebastian and Jordanna crossing the deserted road.
An orange car lay parked in front of their house. There was no one to say goodbye to them at the front door. In the car were Sebastian’s colleagues, one of them familiar to Benjamin: this was Supreme Commander Warrick, a tall, burly, ginger-haired man with bulky hands. When they’d greeted one another they got into the car and it drove away, heading towards the ships at the western docks.
As Benjamin watched the car pass out of sight, he heard the bell of morning prayer sounding in the chilly air of Springhaven. Now was the best time to sneak out. He placed the note on his bed and crept out of his bedroom into the dimly-lit corridor, trying not to make a sound in his heavy boots. Then the sight of his parent’s open bedroom door froze him like a statue.
Peeping inside brought tears to his eyes. His mother and father were embracing each other on their bed. They were still awake and Mama was still crying. Papa was brushing her dark hair, reassuring her that their sons would be back home in a few days when they had been rescued. Benjamin hated seeing his mother cry. It was a painful sight to a child. His absence would surely cause her more worry, but at least he was leaving them a note.
“I’ll bring Kevin and Alby home,” he whispered. “I promise.”
Turning away, he crept down the stairs and remembered Edgar, Herman and Nadine. He wondered if they were awake too; probably. They must all be as worried as he was. He gazed up at their bedroom doors, which were closed. Would Benjamin see them all again? In a few days, a few months or even a year?
Benjamin couldn’t quite believe that he was leaving. He wanted his old life back, the way it used to be. He wanted his family to be all together again. Staying here and doing nothing wasn’t going to improve matters, so he would go. Making his way quietly to the front door, he unfastened the lock and ran out onto the road beneath the dawning sky.
Benjamin left home.
Chapter 7
The Western Docks
First of all, Benjamin hurried towards the sanctuarium. It was best to go there and pray before embarking on a journey. He placed his boots on the shelves and went in. Candles were lit in dedication to the missing children and incense sticks made the whole place smell of lavender. This sanctuarium was dim with dark stone walls; like many others in this city, it was ancient, but in good condition.
Like a scuttling mouse, Benjamin crept into the large hall where men were praying on their own. The dark floor was comfortably soft, and rows of wooden benches were nailed to the ground. At the front of the large hall, there was a choir of young men dressed in white. Benjamin listened to them sing songs that had been passed down for centuries. The melodies were beautiful. It was peaceful here.
Placing his bag below the bench, Benjamin leant forward and clasped his hands together to pray for a minute to the Almighty; eyes closed, he thought of the missing children and wished that they were safe. When it was time for the morning prayer, the people in the hall moved forward to the front. Forming lines, they closed their hands together, placing them on their chests, and like the others present in the hall they sang with the softest voices Benjamin had ever heard.
Benjamin didn’t join them. He didn’t want to waste a minute more; he crept out, fetched his boots and went out into the chilly air. Walking briskly, Benjamin turned east onto the long road which led to Dusty Park, where he’d arranged to meet Kelindra. He hoped that nothing had happened to her since and that she was still safe.
The door creaked open behind him. The morning prayer hasn’t finished yet, has it? he thought. Looking back, he saw a boy of about his own age.
“You’re Benjamin, aren’t you?” asked the boy.
Benjamin nodded. The boy’s face was familiar and finally he placed him; he was one of the missing children they had found on the day of the Summoning. “Oh, yes, you’re Musab.”
Musab nodded. “Where are you going dressed like that?” he asked.
“I’m going away on a long expedition to rescue the missing children in the Far South,” Benjamin told him. “Would you like to come?”
Musab tilted his head in thought for a moment, and then nodded vigorously. “I’ll come,” he said. “I don�
�t think I want to go back home, not with my cousin gone.”
All of a sudden, another boy walked through the double doors of the sanctuarium.
“I want to come as well,” he said. He had been eavesdropping. It was Hamish, another one of those saved on the day of the Summoning.
Looking at the two boys, Benjamin sighed.
“Meet me at Dusty Park. Go home and get your things first. Wear warm clothing and bring some helpful stuff like maps, compasses, torches, rope, food, drinks or weapons – anything that might be useful. Don’t forget to leave a note to let your family know you’re all right and haven’t been kidnapped again. All right?”
The two nodded in confirmation, their faces alight with excitement.
*
Benjamin expected to see only Kelindra when he arrived at Dusty Park, but she was accompanied by two other girls of a similar age. They were all sitting on the climbing frame. It was bitterly cold. No one ever came to the park this early in the day.
“Hey, Benjamin!” called Kelindra. “This is Amberina and this is Ruby, friends of mine. I met them at the sanctuarium this morning. When I told them about our plans, they offered to come along. Ruby’s desperate to come because her little brother Ranjit and her cousin Pari went missing a few days ago. Amberina just wants to help.”
Benjamin frowned. He had just invited two boys along. Would an extra two girls be too many to take on? Ruby, an Asinian girl, had covered her face with her long, curly hair, but Benjamin could see that she was crying. Amberina, a Afrikan girl with dark, frizzy hair, rubbed Ruby’s back, reassuring her that everything would soon be fine.
“We can’t go yet,” Benjamin told her. “We’re waiting for Hamish and Musab. I invited them when I saw them at the sanctuarium, too.”
Kelindra frowned anxiously. She was thinking the same, that they might be taking on too much. Benjamin knew that the bigger his group was, the better; the problem was how to sneak all of them into the ship at the same time. If worst came to worst, he told himself, he’d go alone.
After ten minutes Hamish arrived with Musab, both breathless in their thick, heavy clothes.
“Thanks for not leaving without us,” they said.
Benjamin noticed that they were both dressed just like him, warmly, with thick jumpers, jackets, jeans and a shawl. They also had bags of goods strapped around their waists.
“Is that everyone?” said Kelindra. “Let’s go, then.”
She was about to urge haste but Musab interrupted. “There’s something you need to see first,” he said to Benjamin. “I’ll show you on the way.”
Benjamin was startled by this. What could it be? Kelindra grabbed him and pulled him along. Together they walked through the small gate like a band of vagabonds. In the chilly air and eerie silence of early morning, Benjamin walked with his new friends towards the western docks. The sun rose higher in the sky and the clouds turned a deep shade of pink.
Benjamin would have liked to stop off at the royal palace to fetch Prince Adam first; to have him along would be brilliant, but he knew it wasn’t going to happen. Musab grabbed Benjamin by the arm and pulled him towards a nearby grocery store. He pointed to a rack where stacks of newspapers lay on top of one another. “Look!” he said.
Benjamin read the front page, and so did the others who crowded around. The headline said:
PRINCE ADAM GOES MISSING!
Benjamin couldn’t believe it. He could hardly breathe. This was totally unexpected. Prince Adam has gone missing? How? he thought. He’s a prince; he’s supposed to be well-protected in the palace! What happened? Boiling anger rose inside him, but he managed to calm himself down. There was one positive side to this; Kaileena was surely with Adam. Benjamin was doing the right thing; he would rescue both Prince Adam and Kaileena, as he had promised the other night on the roof of the palace. There was no need to worry. He had even prayed for their safety.
“That’s what I wanted to show you,” said Musab. “I read it on my way to Dusty Park.”
Benjamin shrugged. “It doesn’t matter now. We’re going to rescue him, and the others too.” He tore his gaze away from the newspaper and followed the others.
*
The western docks was a huge place. Numerous gigantic cargo containers were piled up one after another like colourful bricks, smelling unpleasantly of rust. A huge crane soared above, stretching its arms to load the containers onto the massive ships, each as big as the Titanic. There were eight of them altogether, lining up one after the others in rows to export goods to the Far South.
Benjamin savoured it all but remained alert. To get himself and his companions onto one of the ships without being caught would be difficult enough, but having to do it without Sebastian and Jordanna seeing him made it even harder. With the utmost care they crept past each alley, hiding as well as they could. The smell near the edge of the harbour was vile. Ruby almost vomited from the stench of dead fish, and Benjamin nudged her to keep still and make no sound. Nothing was dry down here; everything was damp from the rippling waves of the sea beyond.
Just about to venture a little farther forward, Benjamin froze, pushing back his new companions. Loud orders were being shouted. Ducking as if the sounds were bullets, Benjamin listened to captains and battalion leaders direct their Aradian soldiers, men and women dressed in orange suits below thick steel armour. Rifles clenched firmly under their armpits and long sheathed swords dangling below their waists, they all marched aboard.
When Benjamin peered above a wooden barrel to look, an impressive sight met his eyes. There were so many soldiers; eight thousand if he remembered rightly, one thousand for each ship.
“They’re not going to war, are they?” Kelindra asked, touching his hand.
“Looks like it,” said Benjamin, pulling his hand away. “Maybe there’s another army waiting there to fight us.” It was the only logical theory he could come up with.
The army was divided into various separate battalions. There was the air force, trained to fight in the sky as seen by the large numbers of crates with balloons being hauled onto the large vessels. Another group had huge swords and long guns to fight at either the front or rear of a battlefield. There were naval soldiers who fought in the sea and medical divisions as well. Benjamin gazed upon them all marching past, grunting like bulls, with bodies built like rocks.
When it was safe, he quickly crawled over to another set of barrels, crouching behind one. His companions peeped over like a band of cautious squirrels. Benjamin had no time to waste; he crooked his finger to signal the others to follow. One by one they crawled along, trying not to be seen. Fortunately, they had almost reached their destination; the ships’ gangways were now only a dozen yards away.
Benjamin took a deep breath and sighed, then decided to wait. It would be better to postpone boarding until all the soldiers had left. He scowled at the five other members of his group, accepting that it might have been too many to take on. How would he manage to smuggle them all in? What if one of them made a mistake and they were all caught? If that happened, they’d be sent home. He didn’t even know most of his companions!
After much consideration, Benjamin realised that thinking negatively would get him nowhere. It might have been much easier to board if Benjamin had been by himself, but if he were honest with himself, he needed his companions and they needed him. Although he hadn’t shown it, he was glad that they had come, glad to have company. At least he wasn’t alone.
About half an hour later, Benjamin looked around and saw that there was no one in sight except for the fishmongers passing out crates of supplies. Thankfully, Sebastian and Jordanna were nowhere near. He didn’t want to imagine the consequences of being seen by them.
“I can’t see my brother and sister anywhere, Kelindra, can you?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head without even looking.
“Well, then we should
go now. Just behave normally.” Benjamin strode forward, trying to act casually. Time seemed to pass more slowly than usual, like a snail taking its time to reach the end of a leaf. Everything was quiet except for the melody of a high-pitched violin. Where the music was coming from, Benjamin didn’t know. The sun shone brilliantly upon his face, making him feel like a saviour for those who needed him. Staring directly at the ships and hardly moving a muscle, Benjamin blinked slowly with wonder and his group walked slowly past him like a herd of turtles.
I’m really leaving home, he thought, Will I see my family again? Am I really leaving behind everything I know?
It took a while for him to steel himself for his leap into the unknown. When he was ready, he stepped aboard the ship they had chosen and drew a deep breath. Benjamin’s journey to the Far South had begun.
Part 2
The Far South
Chapter 8
The Band of Benjamin
“Why didn’t you wake me up?”
Benjamin had slept soundly for four hours around a hidden corner in the supply room which smelled strongly of fresh fruit and vegetables. It was now twelve noon. He’d heard people coming in to take a few things to the kitchen and knew it was not the best place to hide but it was tremendously cold and dark here which was a good advantage. “I asked you to wake me up when the ship moved.”
“I know,” Amberina replied, “but – ”
“You had just fallen asleep when the ship began to sail,” Kelindra interrupted. “We thought it best not to waken you as we could see that you needed the sleep. Sorry.”
Benjamin was disappointed but tried to hide it. “That’s okay,” he lied. “I understand. I could do with more sleep, anyway.” He stood up from the hardened floor and took a look around. His head swayed dizzily from the throbbing of the engine below; it felt as if there was no gravity here.