The Sacred Vault nwaec-6

by Andy McDermott

  ‘There’s the notch,’ said Kit. There was indeed a V-shaped gap in the natural barrier, but even its lowest point was considerably higher than their current location.

  Girilal turned his face from the falling sun to regard the ridge. ‘You think the Vault of Shiva is over there?’

  ‘That’s right,’ said Nina.

  ‘That is a very dangerous part of the mountain. Many who have gone there have never come back. Are you sure you want to follow them?’

  ‘Yes, I’m sure.’

  ‘I could live without it,’ Eddie muttered.

  ‘I cannot stop you, of course. But I wanted to warn you. Well, I tried! Now, come, come. The village is just ahead.’

  After a short distance, they crested a rise to reach flatter ground. The track ahead was lined with a long string of small huts leading to the village proper; like those in the hamlets down the mountain, their roofs had been removed. The buildings at the path’s end were more solid works of brick and stone, squeezed tightly into the narrow valley floor. The absolute stillness of the scene was eerie, the village in hibernation, waiting for life to return in the spring.

  ‘The pilgrims stay here,’ said Girilal, waving his stick at the skeletal huts. ‘The tourists have more money; they stay in the hotels.’

  ‘Are you taking us to a hotel?’ Nina asked.

  ‘Oh, no! They are private property - that would be breaking and entering, and your policeman would have to arrest me!’ He directed a laugh at Kit. ‘No, I know somewhere better.’

  At the end of the line of huts was a small bridge over a narrow gorge. They crossed it and entered Kedarnath proper. A central street wound up the slope, the houses’ doors barricaded by sandbags to keep out snow and meltwater, locks wrapped in cloth to protect them from the cold. At the far end was the village’s tallest building, a broad stone hall with a high square tower.

  ‘Is that the temple?’ Nina asked Girilal.

  ‘Yes - one of the twelve jyotirlingas, the holiest Hindu shrines, where Lord Shiva himself appeared. That is where I am taking you.’

  Kit looked at him sharply. ‘You’re going to open the temple?’

  ‘I am a humble servant of Shiva; I have been there many times. It is the best place for those in need of shelter to stay the night. And,’ he added, grinning, ‘I know where the priests hide the key.’

  Kit didn’t seem happy, but raised no further objections as they approached the temple. The building was impressive: it had a squat, sturdy appearance, being built from large stone blocks to withstand the elements, yet the blunt functionality was balanced by detailed carved figures set into alcoves around the colourful entrance. An imposing statue of a bull stood guard outside.

  Girilal led them through a gate, but rather than going to the temple’s entrance he crossed to the building’s corner and brushed snow off a small pile of bricks, muttering to himself as he looked beneath each in turn. Finally, he triumphantly held up a large brass key. ‘I told you!’ he said, skipping to the door and unwrapping the cloth from the heavy padlock before opening it. ‘Come inside, come!’ He kicked off his sandals, then picked them up and stepped over the sandbags.

  Kit placed his hands together and lowered his head towards the temple, then unfastened and removed his boots before entering. Eddie looked at Nina with a shrug before following suit. She did the same, hopping on one foot as she fumbled with the laces, and went inside.

  The interior was dark; with the village closed for winter, there was no electricity. Eddie was about to delve into his backpack for a torch when a soft glow illuminated the entrance hall as Girilal lit a lamp. Figures emerged from the darkness: statues. Behind them, mythic scenes were painted on the walls. ‘Please, accept the hospitality of Lord Shiva,’ said the old man.

  ‘Thank you,’ said Nina. She looked more closely at the statues. ‘These are beautiful. Who are they?’

  ‘The Pandava brothers,’ said Girilal. ‘The heroes of the Mahabharata. They came here seeking Shiva before they died. They were serving penance for killing their cousins in battle, and because of that Shiva did not want to bless them, so he took the form of a bull to hide from them. But they found him, and he tried to get away by sinking into the ground. The brothers caught the bull by its hump just before it disappeared, and the hump turned to stone and became the Shivalingam. The temple was built around it.’ He faced the next room, hands together in prayer.

  Nina couldn’t help noticing that his crazy-man act had all but disappeared. ‘What will you do now you’re here?’

  ‘I will pay my respects to Shiva, of course, and ask him to protect you on the rest of your journey.’

  ‘Can you ask him to stick up a sign pointing to his vault as well?’ Eddie said. Kit gave him a somewhat irritated look.

  ‘Eddie, we’re in a sacred Hindu temple,’ Nina chided him. ‘Behave yourself.’

  Girilal laughed. ‘It is all right, Dr Wilde. Shiva has a sense of humour - some say Ganesha was created from his laughter! Now please, make yourselves warm. I will be back soon.’ He went into the darkened hall.

  Eddie took a combined paraffin heater and stove from his pack and set it up. ‘This’ll be cosy,’ he said as he lit it. ‘Better than kipping in a tent, though.’

  ‘What’s the plan?’ Nina asked.

  ‘It’ll be night soon, so best bet’s to start off at first light tomorrow and head for that ridge. We should be able to get over it before it gets dark again - if we can find a way up.’

  ‘A safe way,’ added Kit. ‘After what Girilal said, I’m wondering if we should have brought more climbing gear.’

  ‘We’ve got enough,’ said Eddie, nudging his pack. Metal clinked inside it. ‘Long as we don’t have to scale any sheer cliffs, we’ll be fine - if the weather holds.’

  ‘Do you think it will?’ said Nina.

  ‘Place like this, it can completely change in five minutes. Only way to know is to keep an eye on the conditions, and if it gets dodgy be ready for it.’ He looked at the others’ packs. ‘Okay, so who’s got the nosh?’

  Provisions were retrieved, and sleeping bags unrolled and laid out around the heater. Kit started preparing the food. Nina looked into the adjoining hall. ‘Girilal?’ she called. ‘Do you want anything to eat?’ No reply. ‘I’d better see if he’s all right,’ she said, concerned that the long, cold trek might have finally taken its toll.

  The next, larger room was dark except for a faint orange glow, the temple windowless as further protection against the weather. Padding closer, she saw the light was a candle, behind a curtain. Girilal’s voice reached her, speaking quietly in Hindi. She parted the curtain and entered the small chamber beyond. ‘Girilal? Are you okay?’

  The old man was sitting cross-legged on the stone floor before a small altar, the flickering candle beside him lighting the turquoise walls. He looked round, startled. ‘No, you should not be in here!’ he said, scrambling to his feet.

  ‘I’m sorry!’ said Nina, backing out. ‘I just wanted to make sure you were all right.’

  He composed himself, and lowered his head. ‘No, I should apologise. I should have told you what I was doing, and asked you not to disturb me. It is my fault.’

  Despite wanting to respect his privacy as he prayed, Nina couldn’t help but look at the altar. ‘Is that . . .’

  ‘The Shivalingam, yes.’ While lingams were usually cylindrical, this was instead a small three-sided pyramid of polished black stone, red stripes painted across it. ‘For those who have reached enlightenment, Lord Shiva will manifest himself as a pillar of cosmic light and bless them.’

  ‘Have you . . .?’

  ‘No.’ He shook his head with sad resignation. ‘I am not worthy. I have too much to seek forgiveness for.’ He picked up the candle, and gently but firmly ushered Nina out of the chamber. ‘Now,’ he said, his voice becoming more positive, ‘you said something about food?’

  22

  Even inside the temple, cocooned in her sleeping bag and wearing several
layers of clothing, Nina still woke up shivering. Eddie was already awake, heating water on the stove. ‘Morning, sunshine.’

  ‘Morning,’ she said blearily. ‘What time is it?’

  ‘About twenty to seven. Sun’ll be up soon. We’ll need to get moving once it is. Got a lot of walking ahead.’

  ‘Can’t wait.’ She sat up, seeing that the outer door was ajar, letting in a slit of predawn light. ‘Where are Kit and Girilal?’

  ‘Kit’s gone for a piss. Dunno where the old guy is; he went out about twenty minutes ago. Maybe he’s taking a dump.’

  Nina groaned. ‘I could have lived without you putting that image in my head, Eddie.’ She unzipped the sleeping bag. ‘What’s on the menu?’

  ‘Coffee first, then breakfast. Lots of high-calorie stuff - we’re going to need it. Cereal, porridge, that kind of thing.’

  ‘Mmm. Delicious,’ she said, unenthused.

  ‘Hey, you wanted to come here. I had another look at the map now we’ve seen the terrain first-hand, by the way. Think I’ve worked out a route. Girilal thinks it’ll be safe.’

  ‘How well does he know the area?’

  Eddie smiled conspiratorially. ‘Better than he lets on. Sneaky old sod. I don’t think this is the first time he’s been up here in the winter.’

  Nina indicated the next hall. ‘He must come to worship at the Shivalingam. Poor guy. Whatever it is he’s doing penance for, I don’t think he believes he’ll ever be forgiven for it.’

  ‘Well, maybe he’ll get a better crack at things in the next life.’ He looked up as Kit re-entered the temple.

  ‘Morning, Kit,’ Nina said. ‘Is Girilal outside?’

  He briskly rubbed his cold fingers. ‘Yes. He said he wanted to watch the sun rise.’

  ‘He must be freezing!’

  ‘He must be mad,’ Eddie amended. ‘Kind of ironic, since that’s what he was already pretending to be.’

  Nina shook her head. ‘He’s just looking for forgiveness, and I don’t see how he’s going to find it, because he can’t forgive himself. I feel really sorry for him.’

  ‘No need for that, Dr Wilde,’ said Girilal cheerfully, skipping over the sandbags into the temple. Nina blushed at having been overheard. ‘But I feel sorry for you. You will not find the Vault of Shiva, because it is not there. Please, make this old man happy and go back to Gaurikund. Do not risk your lives for a legend.’

  ‘That’s sort of what we do,’ Eddie said with a wry smile.

  ‘And you say I am mad!’

  Nina smiled. ‘Thank you for caring, Girilal, but I’m afraid we’re long past that point.’

  ‘Well, I can at least wish you well and see you on your way.’

  ‘After breakfast,’ she said. ‘Care to join us?’

  He laughed. ‘Of course! I am mad, not stupid!’

  By the time they left the temple the sun was up, though the sky was mottled with cloud. Girilal shook their hands. ‘Please, come back down the mountain with me,’ he said hopefully. ‘It will snow later, I can tell.’

  ‘We’ll be fine,’ Nina assured him, her breath steaming in the cold air. ‘Thank you for all your help.’

  He bowed his head in modesty. ‘I am only doing what should be done. But I have asked Lord Shiva to watch over you, and I hope he will be generous.’

  ‘I hope so too,’ said Kit, peering up apprehensively at the ridge.

  ‘Then have a safe - and uneventful, ha! - journey. Perhaps we shall meet again if you return.’

  ‘When we return, you mean,’ Eddie said.

  ‘When you return, of course! Dr Wilde, Mr Chase, Mr Jindal . . . be safe.’

  ‘You too,’ said Nina. ‘Will you be okay getting back to Gaurikund?’

  Girilal grinned. ‘I shall sing, and I shall dance, and I will be back there as quickly as if I had flown like a bird!’ He did a little jig in the snow.

  Eddie held up a hand. ‘Listen, mate - we know you’re not really mad. So you don’t need to keep up the act.’

  Girilal pursed his lips. ‘I didn’t even realise what I was doing. Perhaps I have been doing it for so long, it has become natural.’

  ‘Perhaps you’ve been doing it too long,’ said Nina pointedly.

  ‘Perhaps. In that case, I shall walk in a very normal way back to Gaurikund. Goodbye. And good luck.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘And I hope you find what you’re looking for.’

  ‘So do I,’ the old man said, waving as he set off back down the long path.

  Eddie turned to gaze up at their own destination. ‘Okay, that gap in the ridge is about three miles from here, and over a mile higher up. We’ve got a long bloody climb. Let’s get started.’

  Nina detected a new tone in his voice. ‘That was very military, Eddie. Were you like that in the SAS?’

  ‘If I was doing things like in the SAS, we wouldn’t still be standing here - we would have been running up the mountain with full gear and weapons before the sun was even up.’

  ‘Speaking of weapons,’ said Nina, regarding him suspiciously,

  ‘did you bring . . .’

  ‘Course I did.’ He unzipped his coat to reveal the Wildey tucked in its holster.

  She put a hand to her head. ‘Oh, God. Why?’

  ‘Hey, you never know - we might run into a yeti.’

  ‘Yeah, that’s just the headline I want: “Legendary Himalayan creature discovered - and has its head blown off by demented Englishman”!’

  ‘Better than “World’s most famous non-fictional archaeologist eaten by snow monster”, innit?’ He started uphill. ‘Well, come on. The Vault of Shiva’s not going to find itself. And, oi! What do you mean, “demented”?’

  Nina and Kit followed him, sharing a smile.

  The ascent began relatively easily, but before long parts of the slope became steep enough for them to need to use telescopic aluminium climbing poles and even their hands to scrabble up it. The grass hidden beneath the snow gave way to nothing but earth and rock.

  They kept climbing, Eddie scouting out the best route. Even with his experience, they had to double back a few times when the way ahead became too steep to ascend without climbing gear, something he wanted to avoid for as long as possible. But there was a route to the foot of the ridge, however convoluted and draining.

  Rest breaks became more frequent the higher they got. ‘God, this is killing me,’ Nina gasped as she flopped down on a boulder. She pulled off one glove and rubbed her temple.

  Eddie was with her in a moment. ‘Got a headache?’

  ‘A bit. It’s not serious,’ she assured him. ‘I just need to get my breath back.’

  ‘You took some altitude sickness medicine this morning, right?’

  ‘Yeah, I did. Really, I’m okay. What about you, Kit?’

  The policeman was taking deep, slow breaths. ‘I’m fine. I think. This is the most exhausting case I have ever been on.’

  ‘Art theft doesn’t usually take you up the Himalayas, I suppose,’ said Eddie, surveying the area. The landscape below was hidden by mist, but he could see clouds visibly rising, strong winds pushing them up the mountainside. He looked higher. The patches of cloud had grown thicker and darker, and the air was noticeably more hazy than when they had left Kedarnath. ‘Girilal was right. I think we’re going to get snowed on.’

  Nina regarded the clouds unhappily. ‘Nice Christmas cardy snow, or horrific flesh-stripping blizzardy snow?’

  ‘Three guesses. How’s your head?’

  ‘Better. A bit.’

  ‘Give it another minute, then.’ He patted her shoulder.

  As she waited for her headache to subside, Nina’s attention went to the ground around them. Even under the snow, it had a distinctly stepped appearance, as if long terraces had been dug into the slope. ‘Have you noticed this? It almost looks like it was once cultivated.’

  ‘Up here?’ Eddie said sceptically. ‘There isn’t even grass this high up.’

  ‘There have been warmer periods in
the past - there used to be vegetation in the Antarctic, remember. Maybe the priests at Kedarnath in Talonor’s time grew things up here. Or maybe there were people who lived closer to the Vault of Shiva - they’d need to get their food from somewhere.’

  He shook his head. ‘Could just be a fluke of layers of rock or something.’

  ‘Yeah, I know. And if it were used for cultivation, it would have been a long time ago - there’s a lot of erosion. It’s still an interesting possibility, though.’

  ‘Depends on your idea of interesting.’

  ‘Quiet, you.’

  Once Nina’s headache faded, they set off again. The ridge loomed over them, a colossal wall of stone. From this distance, the ‘notch’ was revealed as a deep pass in its own right. Eddie checked it with binoculars. ‘There’s a way up to it. Pretty steep, and there’ll be a lot of zigzagging, but I think we can do it without having to rope up.’

  ‘Can we reach it before it starts snowing?’ Kit asked.

  He looked at the sky. The clouds had thickened still further. ‘Probably not. It might not be too bad, though. Not much wind at the moment.’

  ‘Let’s hope it stays that way,’ said Nina.

  They picked their way up the steepening route to the pass. About half a mile short, they stopped to eat. It was now past midday; only five hours before sunset. Rested and nourished, the trio pressed on until they reached the bottom of the path.

  The sun was lost behind cloud, the temperature falling. Nina realised the clouds themselves were closing in. Kedarnath’s peaks were already obscured, and the upper parts of the ridge disappeared into the leaden grey. As she watched, a lone snowflake drifted past. It seemed to be a fluke . . . then another appeared. And another.

  ‘Shit,’ muttered Eddie as the fall began in earnest. He tried to pick out the switchback path above him. ‘We’ve got about another three hundred feet to climb, and there’s nowhere to put up a shelter if it gets bad. We’ll either have to go back down and wait it out, or get to the top no matter what the weather does.’

  ‘Can we make it all the way up?’ asked Nina.