Zephan and the Vision

  'What about me?' a voice asked from the shadows.

  'Ah yes, Profane. Diabolus mentioned you and your foul mouth. Vile, he said. He thought someone like you could undermine the walls.' Self-Pleasing grinned and turned to a creature that had been silent until now. He pointed at him. 'Won't-Believe,' he said, 'step forward. Diabolus says you are a helper whom he trusts greatly.'

  Won't-Believe bowed. 'You must take me.'

  Self-Pleasing roared with laughter. 'I have decided to take all of you!'

  'Do we have to disguise ourselves, as ...' Won't-Believe hesitated. 'As you did?'

  The gasp of horror must have been heard as far away as Castle Nadia.

  'You were nearly burnt alive,' a shrill chorus went up, but Self-Pleasing shouted so loudly that everyone stopped.

  'Enough of that!' he snapped angrily. 'I had the foresight to build an escape tunnel that came out in the bushes. You must all learn a lesson from me, and plan ahead.'

  'Will we be doing battle against the King's Son?' Forgetfulness asked. 'I'm not a fighter, I just poison people's minds so that they forget the K... Forget ... him.' He clutched his stomach and pulled a face. 'I remember what happened to our friends Hate, Anger, Greed and Dishonesty. The King's followers have a Sword that is sharper than anything we possess.'

  The others clutched their stomachs too. 'A very sharp Sword,' they agreed.

  'Now that I think about it, perhaps we need not all go,' Forgetfulness suggested. 'Suppose some of you were to go on ahead. You could offer to become great friends with Nadia, and I might not be needed.'

  'I've just told you, we're all going,' Self-Pleasing yelled. Then he lowered his voice. 'Some of you have already been given important tasks. So now I'm just waiting for Great-Hopes.'

  Talora nudged me. 'Zephan,' she whispered, almost in panic, 'I thought Great-Hopes from Castle Nadia was dead.'

  'The King's Son stripped him of his armour, but he ran away,' I reminded her. 'He must have recovered.'

  'Then there's going to be trouble.'

  I nodded. 'There's going to be trouble all right. Big trouble.'

  CHAPTER 33

  Max

  'Great-Hopes should be here by now.' Self-Pleasing sounded angry as the afternoon wore on. 'I'm going out to find him. The rest of you wait here.'

  Of course I wanted to rush forward with Talora and shout for the King's Son to come and destroy these creatures. But if we could interfere like that -- and believe me, we often want to -- people would be like robots with no free choice. It may be hard to understand, but it's true.

  'Do you remember Max?' The voice from behind made us jump. Well, we recognised who it was immediately. The King's Son seemed to be able to talk to us without these companions of Diabolus hearing.

  'We've not seen him for some time,' I said. 'But we often think about him.'

  'I want you to go to him now,' the King's Son told us.

  'Now?' I couldn't help thinking that this seemed a strange time to leave the cave, just as something big was about to happen. Nadia was the one in danger. Or ... or maybe Max was in danger too. The Lord God had told us to help care for both of them.

  'Go and see him right away,' the King's Son said.

  It was unlikely this evil gang would leave just yet. Diabolus had ordered them to attack Castle Nadia tonight when it was dark, and that was a few hours away. Anyway, if the King's Son says I have to go, then I have to go. It's not for angels to question his plans.

  'Talora, you are to go with Zephan,' the King's Son added. 'Max will need you both.'

  And so we went. We found Max on his own, round the back of his castle, wearing tough gloves. He was dealing with a patch of brambles that were already threatening to reach his windows. Someone had started to build a wooden shack against the back wall. Maybe Max hadn't seen it -- it would surely be the first thing he'd knock down if he knew it was there. We'd been watching some of the creatures that built these shacks outside Castle Nadia, and lived in them, and knew what a nuisance they could be.

  Max looked up at us and smiled. 'Welcome,' he said.

  I have to say we were surprised, because we thought we were invisible. Maybe the Lord God wanted it this way. Anyhow, Max seemed at ease. Almost certainly he couldn't see our wings.

  'You look busy,' I said. I know it wasn't anything profound, but it's the sort of thing angels tend to say to open a conversation

  'Just doing a spot of gardening,' Max explained cheerfully. He didn't stop working while he spoke, but kept glancing up at us as he continued hacking away at the sharp thorns. 'You wouldn't believe how often I have to do this.' He pulled his hand back quickly as a sharp thorn pierced his glove. 'Every day there's something to sort out around my castle.'

  'Whose building is that?' Talora asked.

  Max looked puzzled. 'Building?'

  'This one,' I said, banging on the wood.

  'Oh, that building. I've not really thought about it before. I've been too busy clearing these brambles.'

  'We could help you knock it down,' I offered.

  Max shrugged. 'Is it a problem?'

  'It's going to be a problem soon,' I told him.

  Talora agreed with me. 'Just get rid of it now,' she said.

  Max dropped his sharp knife and examined the shack. 'Do you think anyone is inside?'

  I must admit I was too nervous to risk poking my head through the door. 'Get some matches,' I said. 'The wood looks rotten.' I remembered how Self-Pleasing's house had burnt easily at Castle Nadia, and hopefully the occupant of this one didn't have an escape tunnel.

  Max ran indoors and returned with matches and a sharp Sword. The Sword of God was engraved along the blade in gleaming letters that seemed to burn our eyes. This must be what was written on Nadia's Sword.

  Max twisted the Sword in his firm grasp and I could see that the letters on the other side were slightly different. The letter S was missing. The words, glittering and flaring, now read The Word of God. I smiled to myself. Yes, the Word of God is the Sword of God. Max obviously understood it, and was prepared to put his Sword to good use.

  'You're right,' Max told me. 'Nasty things live in these places. Sometimes they keep whispering to me all day long. It gets better when I talk to the King's Son and ask for his help. Even so, I fail him -- ever so often.'

  'What do you do then?' Talora asked.

  Max smiled. 'I ask him for forgiveness. Do you know Nadia? She's in the castle over there.'

  I said we did.

  'I thought I'd seen the two of you there.' Max waved his Sword in the air and took a practice lunge. 'Nadia didn't bother to keep asking for forgiveness, and then she forgot all about the King's Son. That's why it's all gone wrong for her and for some of her friends. Even for two of my friends.'

  I pointed to the wooden building. 'Are you going to use your Sword on that?'

  Max's eyes gleamed. 'I'm going to smash it down. Then we can burn it.' He thrust his Sword at the wooden boards but it bounced back and nearly cut his leg.

  Max tutted to himself. 'Whoops, I shouldn't have tried that alone. Lord God,' he said quietly, 'please help me.'

  I could see now why the King's Son had sent us here.

  'Lord God,' Max repeated. 'Please help me.' As he spoke, Max looked at me and our eyes locked. I just nodded.

  'You?' he said grinning. 'You're the help I've just asked for? You came to help me before I even asked? What a great God we have.' Then he closed his eyes for a moment and whispered a prayer of thanks to the King's Son.

  'We'll deal with it together,' I said.

  The handle of the Sword was large enough for the three of us to hold. We pulled the Sword back and thrust it powerfully through the side of the low building. Something inside screamed, but Max didn't seem concerned.

  'Now I'll set light to the place,' he said calmly.

  The flames leapt up as soon as Max put a match to it. No further screams came from inside. The Sword must have finished off whatever had been in there.

&nbs
p; 'Look at those clouds,' Max said suddenly, pointing to the sky as the shack collapsed into ashes. 'It's going to rain soon. A big storm. I'd better go inside, but I'll be out again tomorrow. There's always something to do. And thanks ever so much for your help.'

  'No,' I said firmly, 'don't thank us. You must thank the Lord God. That's the way it works.'

  I waved my hand and smiled. Not so much a farewell as a see-you-again-soon.

  'I'll thank him now,' Max called. 'Come again. I've enjoyed meeting you.'

  With that he went inside, shutting the castle door and bolting it firmly. He didn't ask who we were or where we'd come from. Perhaps he was too busy with his gardening to think about it.

  Or perhaps he guessed.

  'Come on,' I said to Talora, realising Max was right -- the weather did look extremely threatening. 'We'd better fly back to the cave on Shadow Hill.'

  CHAPTER 34

  The Showmen

  The cave was empty when we reached it, with not even a glow from the fire to break the gloom, and the ashes felt barely warm. Had we left it too late? No, the King's Son must have a plan for Nadia. Surely he would never have sent us to Castle Max if it left Nadia in greater danger.

  It was dusk when we flew towards the hill where Castle Nadia stood, walking the last part of the way so as not to attract attention. The storm clouds had certainly been building up for the past couple of hours, but it wasn't raining yet. To our surprise we found visitors busily unpacking their wares. Nadia and her friends stood in a group, examining brightly coloured and mysterious objects.

  Within what seemed minutes -- I'm not very good at judging time -- the strangers had put up a set of fairground tents, lit by the flames of burning torches fixed up high on posts. A clown ran from the first tent, laughing and joking. He scooped a small furry creature from one of his huge pockets and held it up, wriggling.

  'It's a gisko!' Talora gasped. 'How did he get one of those, Zephan? Did you bring it with you from Eltor?

  'It's not a gisko,' I told her. 'The hair is too smooth.'

  'This is a gopher,' the clown shouted. 'And now I'm going to eat it!'

  To gasps from Nadia and her friends, he tipped his head back and opened his mouth wide. It was obviously a conjuring trick, but a very good one. Everyone seemed convinced the clown had swallowed the animal whole.

  He pulled another gopher from his pocket to great applause, and proceeded to 'swallow' it too, although it was probably the same animal as before. For a clown he didn't seem particularly well dressed. His costume was worn and badly patched in places, but his act seemed to be going down well -- just like his gophers.

  'Who are you?' someone called.

  'I eat gophers for fun,' the clown shouted. 'And that is my name.'

  As if by magic he unrolled a large banner with the name Eat Gophers -- the Incredible Clown. Nadia's friends laughed even more at that, and applauded loudly again. I noticed Nadia making her way to the front, and apparently so did the clown. He smiled at her and called her forward.

  But before Nadia could get there, a showman emerged from the adjoining tent, flinging the canvas door wide open. Inside I could see a shooting gallery with a range of targets, and what looked like very expensive prizes.

  'Come and hit the target,' the showman called. 'Don't worry about it being hard work. These guns almost shoot themselves. You can forget all your cares and worries with one of these. See the sign above the targets, and believe it.'

  The sign said Effortless Gun, and the people certainly did believe it. They pushed forward to try their luck.

  In the third tent we saw someone dressed in a white surgeon's coat hang a notice on the outside of the tent flap. Open Far it said. Painless Dentist. I admit I was puzzled. A fourth tent flap opened and someone dressed in the old-fashioned black gown and mortarboard of a schoolmaster emerged to announce a spelling competition.

  'Come and test your spelling, just for fun,' he called. 'Come in. Just spell some simple words. A prize every time. You'll be safe. There's no punishment for mistakes. That's why this is my name.' With that he produced a large chalkboard from inside the tent and stood it on the grass. Safe Spelling it said.

  The showman at the next tent whisked the cover off a large circular stand. You may have seen a fairground stall where plastic fish or ducks swim round, with a ring on their backs. This was something similar, but instead of fish, huge black and brown slugs slid across a shiny mat. They looked real, but the rings made me think they couldn't be.

  Talora shuddered when she saw them, and said she was glad we don't have things like slugs on Eltor. I explained that the air there is much too dry for creatures like that, and Talora said it was just as well. I was going to tell her you need morning dew for slugs, but this wasn't the right time to tease her about the meaning of her name.

  'Catch a slug and get a prize,' the showman shouted. 'Every slug wins a prize. Roll up, roll up, it's free! All you have to do is hoist a slug with this rod and line. Don't forget now, it's free.'

  He unrolled a sign from the awning that blared Hoist Free Slug in garish red and blue lettering. These people were up to no good, I could see that, but exactly what were they up to? I felt sure the plan of Diabolus to recapture Castle Nadia was well in hand.

  A tubby showman, wearing a short brown coat, pulled back the front flap of the last tent. 'Come and taste my free sweets,' he called. 'Just one bite and you'll love them.'

  I have to admit the confections looked delicious. Angels don't normally eat sweets, but I certainly fancied some of these -- especially the ones with red and green frosted stripes.

  'You'll love them,' the showman continued as Nadia's friends gathered, licking their lips. 'They're new, so just take a bite -- one bite!'

  That was when I noticed the sign above his stall that read Love New Bite. Everyone pushed forward for their free sample.

  I looked for Nadia, but she had wandered off. I wanted to search for her, but Talora suggested we stay and see what these showmen really wanted. If only we could see their faces more clearly we might recognise them, but the burning torches were fixed up too high, casting their faces into shadow.

  At last we saw Nadia emerge from the tent of the dentist Open Far and run to her friends, using the name of the King's Son as a swear word. Her friends laughed and said they must get their mouths seen to. They came out one by one, using words that they would have been ashamed to use before the showmen pitched their tents here.

  Those who had taken the Safe Spelling test also seemed pleased with themselves. They told their friends that if they could all enjoy themselves like this, life would be great.

  'Something bad is happening,' Talora whispered.

  Too right it was. The clown with the name Eat Gophers was willing to share some of his tricks with everyone, promising to show them how to perform amazing magic.

  'I can show you magic that is so good you need have no fear for the future, because you will be able to control what happens to you. Things will work out well -- and that's a promise!'

  I moved to the shooting gallery. The stall seemed to live up to its name of Effortless Gun, for people fired the weapons time after time without becoming tired, always winning marvellous prizes. I think they'd have gone on shooting all evening if they could, forgetting where they were and what time it was.

  Other friends of Nadia were busy catching plastic slugs on the Hoist Free Slugs stall. I must say they looked extremely pleased with themselves, as though they had genuine talent. But all they had to do was catch hold of a ring, using a rod and line with a hook on the end -- hardly a skilful task. Still they couldn't help boasting about how well they'd done, whispering among themselves that they were the most clever people at the fair.

  The most popular stall was Love New Bite where everyone was indulging in the free sweets -- and obviously finding them irresistible. All they wanted to do was enjoy themselves, having seemed to have forgotten they belonged to the Lord God and his family.

  I was s
truggling to understand what was going on, but Talora figured it out first.

  'Look carefully at the signs,' she whispered.

  'Are there clues somewhere?' I asked. 'Why, what have you discovered?'

  'What happens when people win prizes on the Hoist Free Slug stall?'

  Talora seemed in a teasing mood, but I think all she wanted was to make me think the answers through properly. I mean, it was all right to be teasing each other on Eltor, but this was dangerous territory.

  'They look as though they're marvellous and can do nothing wrong. So?'

  'And what happens when they learn to do tricks from the clown Eat Gophers?'

  'They seem to think they can carry out some sort of magic, and everything will be all right.'

  'Zephan, doesn't that give you a clue? What happens when someone visits the dentist, Open Far?

  'They all seem to come out swearing,' I said. 'And I don't like hearing it. Not from people who claim to belong to the King's Son.'

  'Tell me the dentist's name again.'

  'Open Far,' I repeated.

  'Read it again, but mix the letters up.'

  Angels are astute readers, especially when it comes to reading scrolls. Some even write on walls. Well, I personally know an angel who is an expert on graffiti, and once wrote Mene, Mene, Tekel, Uparsin in huge letters on the wall of a palace in Babylon -- but I'm sure he'd want me to make it clear to you that the Lord God asked him to do it. If you want to know what those words mean, you'll have to read about Belshazzar in the book of Daniel in your own Sword -- your Bible.

  I know we angels are supposed to be bright, and quick learners, but it took me a time to catch on to what Talora had already discovered. It was only when I wrote down Open Far and moved the letters around that I got it. 'He's Profane! We saw him in the cave!'

  'And Eat Gophers the clown?'

  I shuffled those letters around. 'That's Great Hopes! This is terrible. Hoist Free Slug is ...'

  'Self-Righteous,' Talora finished. 'The man pretending to be a teacher running the Safe Spelling competition is Self-Pleasing. No wonder everyone comes out thinking they can be free to please themselves in life.'

  I wanted to guess the last two names. It seemed easy now. Effortless Gun, the showman with the shooting gallery, was Forgetfulness. Love New Bite was their plump companion, Won't-Believe. Yes, now it all made sense. These tents and stalls must have been packed inside the sacks we saw inside the cave on Shadow Hill.