Zephan and the Vision

by Chris Wright

  'Zephan,' Talora asked, 'are you just a bit scared?'

  'A bit. I'm remembering what you said. The Lord God is with us.' But I could no longer feel the Creator's presence. I could trust him though -- trust his promise to be here.

  'Well?' Talora asked.

  I shrugged. 'The enemy is close. I just know it. Look, look over there. See that light?'

  As we crept through the spindly trees, getting closer to the middle of the Shadowed Wood, the twisted branches tried to wrap themselves round our legs like evil claws, and we had to kick them away. It was as though they knew who we were. A dim glow came from the low entrance to the cave where Won't-Believe had run last night.

  'Someone's still in there,' Talora whispered.

  'Go quietly,' I warned, not liking this one little bit. 'There may be a sentry on guard.'

  Do angels get scared easily? Not usually, but we know serious danger when we come across it -- and this felt like serious danger.

  For several minutes we stood and listened. No movement came from inside the cave. We crept closer on the damp ground, but stopped as soon as we heard voices.

  'How about this disguise?' we heard someone ask. 'Nadia knows what I look like, but she won't recognise me now. She'll think I'm one of her new friends.'

  Another creature laughed. 'You look wonderful.'

  I moved closer to the cave. In the flickering firelight I could see several companions of Diabolus, but the smoke inside was thick. I could just make out Self-Pleasing wearing old clothes. He must have been the one boasting about his disguise.

  And then I recognised Won't-Believe. I stepped back in alarm, treading on a stick. It snapped with a sharp noise. Inside the cave everyone stopped talking.

  'Quick, Talora, we have to get away!'

  But we were too late. The companions of Diabolus rushed out and seized us.

  'Two spies, nicely caught before they can report back.' Self-Pleasing looked at us with burning hatred in his eyes. 'So nearly did we fail in our plan, but now ... now nothing can stand in our way!'

  CHAPTER 28

  A Disguise

  The companions of Diabolus tied us up tightly, very tightly, and I'm sure they went out of their way to hurt us as they tugged at the knots. I'm not feeling sorry for myself, or for Talora -- we knew what to expect -- but I think it worth mentioning here that it's not nice to fall into the clutches of these creatures. Having hit us about our heads, they threw us into the back of the cave. That was when I knew there was nothing we could do to stop Self-Pleasing from visiting Nadia.

  Self-Pleasing laughed. 'See, you two pretty ones, don't you think I look handsome?'

  'All I can think was that you make me want to be sick,' Talora said.

  'What makes you suppose Nadia will accept you as one of her new friends?' I asked, still feeling bold in spite of the pain from the tight cords. 'You look like a friend of Diabolus, and nothing else!'

  'You say that because you angels don't understand how it is with people,' Self-Pleasing sneered. 'Soon Nadia will want to be friends with us again. Isn't that so, Won't-Believe?' He turned to his companion and they both laughed.

  I felt angry. 'You saw what Nadia did to some of you with the King's Sword. Do you really think you can escape from the King's Son?'

  'We will take more care not to be noticed this time,' Won't-Believe told us. He sounded confident, and the shadow from his large body seemed to make the cave darker.

  I shook my head. These creatures were certainly making a nuisance of themselves right now. 'The King's Son has already warned Nadia and her friends about enemies like you.'

  'You think Nadia is on the look-out for us?' Won't-Believe snapped. 'She's forgotten we even exist.'

  The creatures looked at each other.

  Won't-Believe smiled. 'Self-Pleasing is right.' Then he laughed. 'It is clear you do not know much about the ways of Nadia and her friends!'

  'And perhaps you do not know how much the King's Son loves them!' Talora retorted, which sounded to me an extremely good answer. I wished I'd thought of it myself.

  The night was long and cold in the back of the cave. I'm an angel, so why didn't I slip out through the ropes, untie Talora, and fly back to Castle Nadia to warn the King's Son that the enemy was on the way? Well, angels can't do magic things, and no matter how hard I tried to escape, Self-Pleasing and Won't-Believe had tied us up too well.

  I called out to the Lord God, asking him not to let these creatures find Nadia. But like last night, I got no sense of the presence of the King's Son. Something strange was happening. It seemed as though his enemies had become too powerful. Maybe we had to be patient, for surely the King's Son knew what was happening here, and had some rescue in mind for us -- as well as for Nadia and her new friends.

  Next morning Self-Pleasing put on his disguise. Saying goodbye to his companions, he told them he was going to Castle Nadia to wait. He was confident Choosing would give his usual permission for Nadia to come out when the sun rose over the distant hills. If there were enough of Nadia's new friends about, Self-Pleasing said he would probably be able to slip amongst them and cause problems. However, I knew that Conscience would be there with Choosing, so they would help protect Nadia if they recognised Self-Pleasing. Wouldn't they?

  A few minutes later I heard the answer for myself, even though we were tied up in the back of the cave in the Shadowed Wood.

  'Be on your way!' Conscience's thunderous voice sounded clear, even at this distance. Well, he'd certainly recovered rapidly since we helped him escape from Great-Hopes' prison. 'You are no friend of Nadia,' he shouted. 'Where is your white robe?'

  A few minutes later Self-Pleasing was back at the cave, breathless, bruised and scratched from where he must have fallen running back up Shadow Hill.

  'You fool!' Won't-Believe shouted at him as he staggered into the cave. 'Why have you come back here? Maybe someone has followed you. Better they kill you than us!'

  Self-Pleasing had gashed his leg when he fell, and he was busy tying an old rag round it to stop the bleeding. 'I didn't have the right clothes,' he explained in embarrassment.

  'Fantastic!' Won't-Believe yelled. 'Now everyone knows we're living in this cave in the Shadowed Wood!'

  'No, no,' Self-Pleasing said quickly. 'You needn't worry. Nobody followed me. I was turning round all the time to check. That's why I kept falling over. The King's Son has dressed Nadia and her friends in robes of the purest white. I didn't stand a chance in these old things. Do we have anything white I can wear?'

  'White?' Talora laughed. 'Where would someone like you find anything white round here?'

  'Silence!' Self-Pleasing roared. 'When we are out to deceive a castle, we can appear to be dressed in white. Wait until tomorrow morning, then you'll understand how clever we are.'

  I decided to keep still and save my strength for later, when we might get a chance to escape. I have to say that the day, and then the night, passed extremely slowly. It was an uncomfortable time for us.

  As the sun rose the next morning and lit up the entrance to the cave, we watched Self-Pleasing put a long, white robe over his dirty clothing. White? No, it wasn't particularly white, and I couldn't think it would deceive Nadia.

  'A thousand curses on the sun,' Self-Pleasing said, looking out of the cave and shaking his fist. 'I must wait for a darker day. Then perhaps Nadia and her friends will receive me gladly.'

  Well, although it was unpleasant being tied up, I took some comfort from knowing that these creatures would be leaving Nadia and her new friends alone for a time. However, as the night and then the next day passed, and then the next night and next day, I began to feel tired. Angels don't need to eat, so a lack of food wasn't the problem. Of course, we can eat when we're mixing with people on Earth, and have done so on several famous occasions; but when we're tied up in a dark cave, food is neither here nor there. And it certainly wasn't here. Even if it had been, we wouldn't have touched the sort of stuff these creatures devoured.

 
; Every morning Self-Pleasing went out to see if it was the right sort of weather to join Nadia and her friends. Always he returned frustrated.

  'Will they never tire of worshiping their King?' he complained. 'I can't keep these clothes white much longer.'

  Talora laughed again. 'That robe is even dirtier than the first time you wore it -- and it was filthy then.'

  'Ssssh!' Won't-Believe hissed. 'You two will soon see how powerful the companions of Diabolus are!'

  One day, Self-Pleasing thought the weather was right and he went out. An hour passed, then another. By late afternoon he still hadn't returned. The sun set. Darkness came over the whole countryside.

  'There!' Won't-Believe gloated. 'Nadia and her new friends have accepted Self-Pleasing!'

  'Perhaps he's been captured, and killed with the King's Sword,' Talora suggested.

  Won't-Believe didn't like to hear such an idea. 'Do you think we're stupid?' he asked.

  'No,' Talora said. 'We know you are cunning and evil, but you must surely know that the Son of the Lord God is far, far greater than you.'

  At the mention of the Lord God's name, Won't-Believe set on us and kept beating us with a heavy stick until we both fell unconscious.

  I drifted in and out of wakefulness, on one occasion noticing that the trees of the Shadowed Wood looked more dead than usual, the branches even more bare, and covered in white stuff I guessed was snow. The conspirators always stayed huddled together as though waiting for someone.

  'Winter,' I told myself. I knew Earth would have seasons, just like Eltor, but we'd only been here a short time and had never seen winter. But even as I watched, the snow melted and the sun shone higher in the sky. Time was passing in a way that only angels know.

  'Look, shadow angels!' Talora spoke to me in alarm. 'They must have arrived when we were unconscious.'

  That brought me fully awake. The sun was well up in the sky, and the cave entrance was bright. The inside of the cave, however, seemed more depressing than ever.

  'We must be very quiet,' I whispered, blinking and shaking my head to clear my thoughts. 'Do they know we're here?'

  The companions of Diabolus and the shadow angels were talking in a large circle. As far as I could see, not one of them was looking in our direction.

  Talora raised her head. 'Perhaps they saw us when they arrived, but I've been in a dream-world since Won't-Believe beat us up.'

  'Me too. I wonder how long they've been here. It must be months.'

  Talora gasped. 'Look, Zephan, I can see Self-Pleasing. He's talking to the shadow angels. I wonder why he's come back. I must hear what they're talking about. I think I can roll over towards them.'

  'Be careful,' I warned. 'Oh, Talora, please be ever so careful.'

  CHAPTER 29

  Shadow Angels

  While Talora rolled her way slowly across the floor of the cave, neither the shadow angels nor Self-Pleasing's gang of deceivers took any notice. I think they were too excited by their plotting to look anywhere but at each other.

  'What were they saying?' I asked impatiently, as soon as Talora came back to me.

  She had bad news. 'Nadia made friends with Self-Pleasing. It seems none of her new friends have realised he's a friend of Diabolus. Nadia is thinking of making him her leader when he returns. If only we could escape and warn her!'

  I pointed outside the cave where it was now springtime, but a very poor springtime here in the Shadowed Wood. 'I have an idea.'

  In spite of trusting the King's Son to rescue us, it seemed to me that he had left us here for a very long time. Not far from me I spotted a rusty sword that must belong to one of the shadow angels.

  'Talora, you can roll about the cave quite well now. See that old sword by that rock? Roll over and feel if the blade is sharp enough to cut your ropes. And be careful no one sees you.'

  The shadow angels and the companions of Diabolus were still deep in conversation, and never once glanced in our direction. Within a few minutes Talora had cut through her cords, but the sword was too heavy to move.

  'Now that my hands and feet are free I can come over and untie you,' she whispered.

  'Be quick,' I said. 'The shadow angels have started singing. I think they're getting ready to leave.'

  Talora nodded. 'I heard one of them say they have to report to Diabolus. Perhaps I'd better lie down and pretend to be tied up.'

  'No,' I insisted, 'untie me now. We need to get out of here fast.'

  Talora untied me before the shadow angels were into the second verse of a song of victory. I spoke urgently to her. 'They're so full of their singing they've closed their eyes. Be very quiet, and we'll creep past them.'

  As quietly as giskos -- or should I say mice -- we slipped past the group of conspirators and into the daylight. A team of dirty horses, tethered outside the cave, snorted in alarm as we appeared, pushing at us, trying to stop our escape.

  The shadow angels ran out of the cave.

  'Keep with me, Talora. We can get to Castle Nadia if we're quick!'

  By the time the shadow angels had sorted themselves out and jumped on their horses, Talora and I were out of the trees and able to spread our wings. I looked back at Shadow Hill. The shadow angels sat in a row on their horses, glaring at us but not coming any closer. Maybe they needed instructions from Diabolus.

  Just before we reached Castle Nadia we dropped to the grass and started to walk. Weeds and brambles grew everywhere around the castle walls.

  I don't think any of Nadia's friends realised it, but while some of them were still in their white robes, others were back in their ordinary clothes. Not that the white robes looked very special after all this time. I knew that the Lord God has given angels special vision to see these robes that are invisible to humans, and there are times when what we see comes as a real surprise. Some of the most holy-looking people seem to be wearing old rags, while other -- very ordinary -- followers of the Lord God shine brightly.

  Choosing had definitely lost weight again in the few months we'd been away. He could see our white cloaks, and he started to laugh. 'Why, you two have kept yourselves amazingly clean!' he called. 'Where have you been?'

  'Trapped in a cave,' I said, and Choosing looked puzzled.

  He didn't try to stop us mixing with Nadia's friends. I was going to say Nadia's new friends, but I recognised many of her old ones in the group. It was only right that Nadia had all sorts of friends, but some of these made me uneasy because she seemed to be trying to copy them.

  The shadow angels now started to advance on horseback, but suddenly turned and rode back into the Shadowed Wood. I wondered why. Nadia's friends paused and listened intently. Aware that something was making them feel uncomfortable, they looked alarmed. But never once did any of them call out to the King's Son for help.

  'Talora! Zephan!'

  We looked round in surprise at hearing the voice of the King's Son.

  'Things have been dangerous for both of you.'

  'Where are you?' I asked.

  'I am over here.' The voice came from the shelter of a high rock.

  With Talora close behind me, we ran over.

  'Nadia is very precious to me,' the King's Son said sorrowfully, 'but I know she would no longer recognise me if she saw me.'

  We knelt as the gentle figure appeared before us. Now I knew why the shadow angels had fled. 'We wanted to warn you,' I blurted out, 'but we got caught. Ages ago.'

  The King's Son came close. 'Do you think I did not know? Oh, Zephan and Talora, I have been watching over you every minute,' he said. 'I am sorry you got hurt, but I could not let you escape until you learned more about the ways in which my enemy works. You must remember that you still have much to discover about my creation.'

  'But if we'd been here earlier we could have helped Nadia,' I protested. 'Her whole castle looks a mess now.'

  Maybe I felt frustrated at being powerless. Maybe I wanted to use my own power, not the Lord God's -- and that would have been a big mistake.
/>   'Zephan,' the King's Son said, 'you still have not learnt about people. As you can see, Nadia and many of her new friends have forgotten me. I can make my presence known, as you have seen, but I cannot interfere where I am not wanted.'

  'But Nadia had so many new friends,' I objected. 'They can't all have forgotten you.'

  'No, indeed not all,' the King's Son replied. 'It is only a few who have caused the trouble, but they have driven the others away. They have convinced them there is no point in bothering with Nadia any more.'

  'Then you must make Nadia want to know you again,' I cried in frustration.

  The King's Son shook his head. 'Do you still not understand, Zephan? I cannot make people do anything. They have free will to do as they please. Every hour. Every day.' He smiled at us. 'I did not create people to be like angels, who were given only one choice.'

  'And I chose to serve you at creation,' I added.

  'You did indeed, Zephan, and so did you, Talora. You know I love you both, but I have a very special love for people. That is why I had to die on the cross -- the Lamb of God taking the punishment Nadia and everyone else deserves, to give them freedom and forgiveness.'

  'But everything was going so well when we last saw Nadia,' I protested. 'You were all enjoying the party in front of the castle.'

  Again the King's Son shook his head sorrowfully. 'we were, indeed, and I am sad that the rejoicing should have turned to this. Self-Pleasing has been walking up and down outside Castle Nadia making new friends. Come with me now and you will see that Nadia does not recognise me. It is as though she and these friends have made themselves blind.'

  'Perhaps if you were to stand at the castle door they'd come to you, seeking forgiveness again,' Talora suggested.

  The King's Son smiled. 'They know I am here, Talora, but they take no notice of me. Look up. Nadia is no longer flying the white flag. She still belongs to me, but I doubt if any other castle around would know.'

  'Are you going away?' Talora asked in alarm.

  'If I walked away from here,' the King's Son said, 'do you think Nadia would call me back? You will see how some of her friends have become more interested in pleasing themselves than pleasing me.'

  That, of course, was the trouble with letting someone like Self-Pleasing join in the fun. 'Will you really go?' I asked. 'Surely you love Nadia too much to do that.'