by Trevor Booth
In the middle of the cave sat a large, rectangular-shaped table. Strange markings were engraved all around it. Although the years had faded them, the skill it must have taken to engrave them was quite remarkable.
Te’oma walked up to the table and wiped away the dust from the surface. It was the most incredibly polished slab of rock he had ever seen. It was so shiny that he could almost see his reflection.
Whatever this place was, the people who lived here had long since gone. At the end of the cave, tonnes of rocks had fallen down, blocking the path.
His stomach began to rumble with the ferocity of a lion. He had forgotten about eating. It was time to catch some dinner.
***
Te’oma sat on the ground at the cave’s entrance. He’d built himself a small fireplace, using the torch from the wall. By his side was a decent-sized fish. He held it up in front of his face, and then bashed it over the rocks. He cast his mind back to the first time he learnt to cook a fish.
“Your father loves the way I cook silverback fish, you know,” said Gaia to a then five-year-old Te’oma, beating a fish against a rock, next to a slow-running stream. Damon was leaning back against a tree, relaxing, with his eyes closed. “In fact I think it’s the reason he fell in love with me,” said Gaia.
“That’s not true,” said Damon. “Well partly. I also fell in love with you because you can catch the fish as well,” smiled Damon.
Gaia looked down at Te’oma with a sparkle in her eye. She looked at him with such adoration that he could feel her heart bursting through her eyes, as if she were telling him how much she loved him without uttering a word.
“Now you try it,” she said, handing the fish to Te’oma. He gladly took the fish from her, eager to learn everything she had to teach him. He simply adored her.
The sound of falling rocks broke Te’oma’s daydream. He wiped a tear from his eye. He’d forgotten how stunning she once was. It had been so long since he had seen her like that.
He placed the fish on the fire and laid himself down on the rock. A faint flicker of light caught his eye. He got to his feet and walked over to a broken piece of stone. Directly above it was a tiny beam of light, breaking through the roof of the cave. At the end of the ray of sunlight was a very tiny, delicate-looking cabbage patch, slowly pushing its way up to sun.
He looked above the patch and noticed that the ceiling was cracked. He dragged an old wooden log across and stood on top of it.
He ever-so-carefully pulled bits of the ceiling off. As he did, a small metal grate came into view. Above that was a small, round well that led all the way up to the surface. At some point in time this cave must have been full of water.
He moved all the dirt away from the well. The sunlight rained down over the small cabbage patch and drops of water gave the plant a much-needed drink.
He leaned down, gently touching its leaves. “If you can survive down here, little guy, maybe I can too – just for a little while,” he said.
“Sometimes our path seems devastating and impossible;
yet here we are.”
Chapter 3
New Beginnings
Three years later …
Dense air rose up from the cave water. The air was so cold and heavy you could feel wet just standing in it. The ground below the well had been organised into a small garden bed fashioned out of hay, and a nicely crafted wooden shelf rested against the wall with lots of plants, fruit and vegetables growing well even in this desolate environment.
Water dripped down from the well above, hitting the ground and echoing throughout the cave. The ocean quietly lapped up against the cave floor. The silence was broken by Te’oma bursting out of the water with two large fish in hand. Now in his late teenage years, he had turned into a tall and strong man.
Te’oma made his way out of the water and over to a small fireplace. He whistled a happy tune, one his father had taught him years before. He bashed the fish against the cave wall, then threw them on the fire.
He took an old blanket from the floor and wrapped it around himself, trying to warm up by the fire.
His ears pricked up. The muffled sound of voices could be heard in the distance. Te’oma swiftly threw some water over the fire and disappeared into the darkness of the cave. He had become exceptionally good at keeping his presence hidden.
Tiny particles of dust began to rain down from the well above as the movement of people above caused the ground to vibrate.
“We can’t stay here,” said a muffled female voice.
“We’ve been running for days. How much longer can we run from them?” a man asked.
Snow began to trickle through the well, followed by a terrific thud as the man fell onto the metal grate that separated the bottom of the well from the cave below. He screamed out in agony.
“Julius!” screamed the girl. “Are you ok?”
Te’oma peered out of the darkness to see what was going on.
“Hold on. I’m coming down,” said the girl.
“Hurry,” replied Julius. “My arm is stuck and I can feel it twisting.”
Julius dropped his head down in pain, resting on the metal grate. A flicker of light came from Te’oma’s torch below and, for the slightest of seconds, Julius got a glimpse of Te’oma’s silhouette standing in the shadows.
“Hey,” screamed Julius. “Hey, there’s someone down there! Help me,” pleaded Julius.
“Who are you talking to?” yelled the girl.
“There’s someone down here, Ariana.”
“Just keep still. I’ll be down in a minute,” replied Ariana.
The floor of the cave began to rock back and forth violently. The ground roared. Terrified, Te’oma curled up in the darkness. The ground shook more and more. Bits of the roof began to fall down. It was an earthquake.
Ariana desperately tried to hang onto the wall of the well as the ground shook. Rocks and dirt fell all around her. The rock she was hanging onto broke away from the wall and she fell down the well. She crashed on top of Julius with an almighty thud. They both screamed in agony as the walls of the well crumbled.
A large rock fell down from above and smacked Ariana in the head, knocking her unconscious.
The sound of the quake grew louder with every passing second. More and more rocks fell from the roof.
Julius shook Ariana. “Wake up, Ariana. Please, wake up!” he pleaded.
Julius looked down at the cave below. “Hello!” he screamed out. “I know you’re there. Please, please, you have to help us.”
Rocks and dust rained down on Julius and Ariana. Te’oma looked on in fear. He hadn’t spoken to another soul in years. “Please,” said Julius. “I don’t want to die.”
Te’oma plucked up all the courage he could muster. He ran over to the ruins and picked up an old metal bar. He grabbed some rope and tied it to the end of the bar.
The rocks quickly piled up above Julius and Ariana. Te’oma ran over to the well and looked up at Julius. “Here, catch this!” he yelled, throwing the bar to Julius. “Now, throw the rope back down and I’ll pull the grate out.”
Julius rested the bar on the grate and dropped the rope down to Te’oma.
The rope was old and frayed. It had been down there as long as the ruins had. Te’oma pulled it as hard as he could. The metal grate began to creak from the pressure.
“It’s working!” yelled Julius, just as a heap of snow and dirt fell down on him, knocking him out.
Te’oma looked up, terrified. He steadied his nerves, looked back at the rope and, with gritted teeth, pulled with everything he had. With a mighty crack, the metal grate gave way, sending Julius, Ariana and a mountain of dirt and rocks down to the floor of the cave.
Te’oma pulled them out of the rubble as the earthquake eased, and over to the fireplace. He looked up at his once-flourishing garden bed, now covered in rocks and dirt. His heart sank. Deep down he knew that he couldn’t stay there, but that place had become the only real home he had ever had.
***
Hours passed. The dust settled around them. The sun slowly began to creep back in through the cracks in the cave. Te’oma snored quite loudly as he slept on the rock.
Julius began to stir. He opened his eyes; it was clear from the look on his face that he was in immense pain. He rubbed his aching head. A constant ringing noise echoed in his ears as he struggled to get up.
Julius looked around at the mess. He saw Te’oma sleeping, but he could not see Ariana anywhere. He quickly got to his feet when he heard the sounds of rocks falling.
“Ariana? Ariana, is that you?” called Julius as he wandered about the cave. Ariana poked her head around the corner of a giant pile of rubble below the well.
“Help me with this, will you?” she snapped at him, as she pulled on the rope, trying to extract it from the rocks.
“What are you doing?” asked Julius.
Ariana ignored him as she finished pulling the rope out of the rocks. She wrapped the rope around her arm, then set off towards Te’oma.
“Hello?” said Julius with a frown.
Ariana knelt down at Te’oma’s side and tied his hands together.
“What the hell are you doing?” snapped Julius.
“We don’t know anything about this guy. I’m not taking any chances,” said Ariana.
“He just saved us from certain death,” said Julius.
“I don’t care. How do you know he’s not one of them? This is what the others would want us to do,” she said.
Ariana tied the rope around Te’oma’s waist, locking his arms around his back. Then she slapped him in the face, violently waking him from his slumber.
A hazy and distorted Ariana knelt right in front of Te’oma as he slowly woke up. Suddenly, Ariana slapped him across the face again and her angry gaze became crystal clear.
“What was that for?” asked Te’oma as he wiggled his jaw in pain.
“Who are you?” yelled Ariana, slapping him again.
“Ariana, that’s enough,” said Julius.
Te’oma leaned back in fear. “Please stop. My name is Te’oma.”
“Why were you following us?” asked Ariana.
“Following you? I wasn’t following you. I live here,” he replied.
Ariana raised her hand again. Te’oma winced in fear. Julius grabbed Ariana’s hand and pulled her back.
“What are you doing?” demanded Ariana.
“I believe him,” said Julius. “Look in his eyes.”
“It could be a trick. It wouldn’t be the first time they fooled us,” said Ariana.
“I have seen many good men pretend to be cold before, but never have I seen a Sentari warrior fake this well; this man is telling the truth.”
‘A man,’ thought Te’oma; he had never considered himself to be a man.
“I think we should take him to the council. Let them decide what to do,” said Julius.
“Fine,” said Ariana, as she looked down at him curiously. “Since when did we start calling ourselves a council? And don’t call him a man. He is the same age as we are,” laughed Ariana.
“Are you saying I am not a man?” asked Julius.
“Please, as long as I can beat you in a fight, you are not a man,” said Ariana.
“Now all we have to do is work out how to get out of here,” said Julius.
He and Ariana wandered around the cave, searching for an exit. Te’oma wrestled with the rope, trying to break free. He knew the way out of the cave, but should he stay here and wait for the opportunity to escape or should he take a chance with these strangers? His heart told him he could trust them, but their actions said otherwise.
Te’oma wiggled to his feet and said proudly, “I know the way.”
“What did you say?” asked Julius.
“I know the way out of these caves, but I can’t show you with these ropes binding me,” said Te’oma.
“Then let us see you free of them,” said Julius as he quickly untied the ropes.
“What do you think you are doing?” asked Ariana, running over to Te’oma and holding the ropes tight.
“Come on, Ariana. He knows the way out of here and, besides, it’s a long enough walk as it is back to the city without his being tied up slowing us down.”
“Fine, but I’m keeping an eye on this boy,” said Ariana.
“Alright, lead the way,” said Julius.
Te’oma took one last look around at the cave he had called home for so long. In his heart he had known this day would come, but now that he was leaving he was not sure if he wanted to. The decision was quickly taken out of his hands as he was kicked in the bottom by Ariana.
“Come on then,” she snapped.
“I’m really starting to dislike you,” said Te’oma as he walked to the water’s edge. “I hope you both know how to swim.”
***
Light snow fell from the ever-grey sky. In one direction, the ice covering the ocean stretched out as far as the eye could see. In the other, the snow had covered the rolling hills that sat at the base of the mighty mountains, surrounding the ocean’s edge.
A faint thud could be heard thumping the ice below. The thud grew louder as the ice began to crack. The ice broke open and Te’oma’s hands burst through. He pulled his semi-naked, freezing cold body out of the water, gasping for air.
He got to his feet and shivered in the snow. He looked out at the world he had avoided for so long. It was even colder than he remembered.
Julius and Ariana shivered as they climbed out of the water. Ariana pulled a sealed backpack out of the water and opened it up. Inside, their clothes were surprisingly dry. Julius ran over to Ariana’s side and began pulling clothes out of the bag.
“Hang on. Hang on. Wait your turn,” said Ariana.
Julius jumped up and down on the spot, trying to get warm. Ariana handed him his clothes and took her own clothes out of the bag. Te’oma looked on, shivering. Ariana paused for a second, then passed him the bag.
Ariana began to get dressed. Te’oma held the bag in his hands, trying not to glance at Ariana, semi-naked. Around her neck she wore a shimmering silver chain. At the end of it was a gold medallion with some undistinguishable markings.
“What are you looking at?” snapped Ariana. Te’oma looked away, embarrassed, and started taking his clothes out of the bag.
The tiniest hint of a smile formed on Ariana’s face. Julius looked at Ariana with a large smile on his face. She quickly changed her expression.
Te’oma pulled the final layer of clothing over his head. “So where to now?” he asked.
“Just walk,” said Ariana as she stormed away.
Julius looked at Te’oma with a smile. “She grows on you, I promise,” he said.
The three walked across the large ice shelf towards the land’s edge.
For hours they walked, struggling their way through valleys covered in thigh-deep snow, river beds with razor-sharp rocks covered in frozen water and vast plains with no life at all.
Ariana kept a close eye on Te’oma the whole way. Te’oma just whistled happily. It was his passive way of trying to get under her skin.
Finally, they reached the edge of a mighty mountain, which seemed to burst straight out of the valley and rise almost vertically towards the sky. Te’oma looked up, trying to see the top of the mountain through the clouds that obscured its peak.
At the base of the mountain was a dark, forbidding tunnel that disappeared deep inside. They stopped at the tunnel’s entrance.
Julius walked over to Te’oma’s side. Te’oma felt nervous as Julius’s expression turned serious. “This is an extremely dangerous place we are about to enter. For your safety and our own I would ask you to stay quiet and keep your eyes on the ground. If a Sentari warrior gets one look at you, we are all in big trouble,” he said.
Te’oma thought back to his tiny little cave and wondered if he’d made a mistake in leaving it.
“Do you understand?” snapped Ariana.
“Yes,” said Te’oma nervously.
“Good. Because, if you so much as open your mouth, I’ll shut it for you,” she said, marching into the tunnel.
“Is she always this intense?” asked Te’oma.
Julius smiled.
“I don’t understand something,” said Te’oma. “If this place is so dangerous, why do you live here?”
“Hide in plain sight,” replied Julius.
Small lanterns lit the way as Julius and Te’oma walked through the mountain. The tunnel wound its way deep into the mountain. Ariana walked ahead, keeping a look out. Dripping water echoed throughout the tunnel, and a slight murmur of voices could be heard in the distance.
A small crack of light appeared, growing brighter as they approached it.
Ariana disappeared into the blurry light.
“Now is the time to lower your gaze,” said Julius, as the two reached the end of the tunnel.
Fixing his eyes upon the ground, Te’oma stepped out of the tunnel into the light, staying as close as possible to Julius. The urge to look up and to see the city was overwhelming, but he held his nerve.
Te’oma followed Julius through a bustling, noisy crowd of people, doing his best not to bump into anyone. They caught up to Ariana, who was busily chatting away, but her voice was low and distorted.
Te’oma’s heart began to race faster and the air started to feel just that little bit colder. He looked across to see the feet of an enormous man standing only a few feet away from him. Then he heard a sound that he had not heard for a very long time. At first he didn’t realise what it was.
From behind the man’s legs stepped the most fearsome death hound Te’oma had ever seen. Its eyes were as black as night, its teeth exposed through its jaw. It snarled in Te’oma’s direction. He panicked as his mind flashed back to the day he lost his parents.
The death hound pulled on its chain as it tried to walk towards Te’oma. Its snarling and drooling became more intense as it strained forward.