Zephan and the Vision

by Chris Wright

  Max called back that it was time for Nadia to surrender. This seemed to make her angry, and she pointed to her flagpole.

  'See this flag?' she shouted. 'One like this was good enough for the rest of my family -- and this copy is good enough for me. I just wish everyone would go away!'

  At the time I wasn't too sure what Nadia meant. Her flag was clearly some sort of fake, but she seemed to think it was all right to fly whenever it suited her, because it looked something like a genuine one.

  I stood with Talora on Mount Freedom waiting to see what was going to happen, but the King's Son and his soldiers remained with us. Max and Nadia started calling to each other again. From the sound of Max's voice, I would say that the sight of the army didn't bother him at all. In fact, he sounded really welcoming. But darkness was falling and we weren't going to see much more until morning.

  'What does your large white flag mean?' Talora asked the King's Son, as soon as night came.

  The soldiers had lit a large fire on Mount Freedom, and we sat round it warming ourselves. At times the flames rose high, sending flickering shadows along the walls of Castle Nadia and Castle Max in the distance. Inside both castles all seemed quiet.

  'My flag shows I am offering peace and forgiveness,' the King's Son explained. 'But my enemy has sent many false messages to Nadia, turning her against me.'

  'Diabolus?' Talora asked. 'Is he living here?'

  The King's Son shook his head. 'No, he is not living here, but he has sent his messengers to many castles in these parts. You saw in the vision how he tricked his way into the town of Mansoul.'

  'Are you going to invade Castle Nadia?' Talora asked, trying to put on a brave smile.

  I felt safe here on the hill by the firelight, especially as the King's Son was still wearing his golden armour.

  'Talora, I have already told you, I cannot go where I am not invited.'

  I looked at the King's Son. 'Then why the battering ram and catapults?' I didn't want to make a nuisance of myself, but I thought it was a reasonable question to ask.

  The King's Son pointed to one of the huge catapult machines. 'Even if I knock loudly, the only person who can open the door to me is Nadia, the owner. Be patient, Zephan, and tomorrow you will see why I have brought these weapons.'

  The fire crackled as long flames leapt up into the night sky. I thought the King's Son looked sad. 'Nadia has seen my white flag here on Mount Freedom,' he said after a long pause. 'I want her to know that I have come to offer forgiveness, just as I gave it to Max.'

  I should have realised sooner -- Max had already surrendered to the King's Son. No wonder he looked welcoming when he saw the Creator God's army. And Nadia? I'd suspected from the start something wasn't right about her flag. It was homemade, copied from one that belonged to someone in her family, and only raised when it suited her to look as though she'd surrendered to the King's Son. It was obvious when I thought about it. And there was me thinking angels knew everything without needing to be told!

  'Tomorrow I shall leave this white flag flying on Mount Freedom, and raise another on Mount Justice.' The King's Son sounded less gentle now. 'A red flag.'

  I watched the flames dancing and playing in the middle of the fire that was getting larger and larger as the warrior angels threw more wood onto it. Yes, I could understand why the King's Son felt so sad for Nadia, but the thought of a red flag on nearby Mount Justice didn't sound at all comforting.

  Before the sun shone over the landscape, before people in the nearby castles began to stir in the grey misty dawn, both Max and Nadia were up on top of their castles. They saw it before I did, the red flag hoisted on Mount Justice. As the sun rose in the fiery sky -- a sky that Talora said reminded her of mornings on the planet Eltor -- the flag on Mount Justice looked as red as the twin suns of Caspar.

  'Zephan, Talora.'

  We heard the King's Son calling us, and hurried to find him. 'You are to go to Castle Nadia,' he told us, as he sat on his white horse in his golden armour. He reached down and put a strong arm around Talora. 'Nadia does not understand the meaning of the flags I have raised on these hills. If she asks, tell her the flag on Mount Freedom means I am making an offer of forgiveness.'

  'And the red flag on Mount Justice?' Talora asked.

  'The flag of punishment. The red flag shows Nadia what she deserves. The white flag of forgiveness shows her what I am offering. Forgiveness cannot be earned. It is free -- if she will only accept it.'

  Talora nodded, and took me by the hand. Slowly we started to walk towards Castle Nadia, until the army of the King's Son seemed far behind. Nadia called down to us from the top of her castle. 'You look like two very holy people. I hope you've not come to preach to me!'

  I put my hand to my eyes to shield them from the bright sky as I looked up at the tower. 'She can see us,' I said quietly to Talora, 'but she doesn't know we're angels. She thinks we're just visitors.'

  'Are you part of what's going on out there?' Nadia called down.

  'The King's Son is making you an offer,' I shouted. 'You have a choice. You can accept ...'

  'I can't hear you.'

  I tried to shout louder, but Nadia seemed strangely deaf.

  'She's too high up,' Talora told me. 'I don't think she's ever going to hear us.'

  The face at the top of the wall disappeared. I looked at Talora and shook my head. And that was when someone wearing a loosely fitting cloak, concealing every feature, raced out through the castle door.

  CHAPTER 19

  The Magnificent Great-Hopes

  I turned away. 'We're never going to get Nadia to hear us. Let's go back to the King's Son.' That was as far as I got. I struggled as the person from the castle grabbed hold of me. Then the hood of the cloak came away from her head and I saw Nadia's face. She looked furious.

  The next moment she had us tied up securely. I can't say how she did it, because it all happened so quickly. That was when I realised that although angels are strong, we can't push people around.

  'What are you doing here?' Nadia demanded.

  I managed to pull myself upright, although Nadia held us tightly by the arms. Strangely, she didn't seem to notice our wings.

  'We came to tell you about the flags,' I said breathlessly, struggling to break free.

  'If you have anything to tell, you can tell it to the Magnificent Great-Hopes. He's in charge here,' Nadia snapped.

  'Great-Hopes?' I asked in surprise.

  Nadia spoke indignantly. 'Have you never heard of the Magnificent Great-Hopes?'

  'Yes, I've heard of him,' I said. 'We met him in Mansoul. He had the helmet of Hope. As far as I can remember he wasn't that magnificent.'

  'I remember him too,' Talora added. 'Magnificent? He's nothing compared to the Lord God, the King of the Universe.'

  Nadia became silent, but she still gripped us tightly. I noticed that the mention of the Lord God's name made her embarrassed, and for a moment I thought she looked unhappy.

  Then, without another word, Nadia pulled us round to the back of her castle, our heels dragging along the soft ground. Now, if we'd been people, Nadia would never have been able to do this. I think angels must be a lot lighter, although I've never tried picking anyone up to check. Anyway, Nadia didn't seem to notice how easy it was to pull us along. Maybe she was too angry to think about it. Round the back of the castle we saw a line of small tumbledown buildings, old shacks or sheds really, packed tightly together.

  'Is Great-Hopes in one of those?' I asked, and I suppose my voice sounded more than slightly mocking.

  'Silence!' Nadia screamed. 'Strangers are not allowed to speak without permission when they are near the dwelling of the Magnificent Great-Hopes.'

  I kept quiet.

  'Zephan and Talora.' The voice of the King's Son floated across from Mount Freedom. 'I have already said you will meet bad inhabitants here, as you did in Mansoul. These inhabitants are sometimes people, but usually they are thoughts and wishes that whisper to the owners of th
e castles. There are good ones that come from me, and bad ones that are the companions of Diabolus. As you will discover, the bad ones have great influence on the people who live in these castles. I too heard many bad whispers when I lived here as a man, so I understand how powerful they can be. I will let you see them all as people, so you will know them for what they are.'

  Nadia sensed something unusual was happening, even though she couldn't hear what the King's Son was saying to us. She seemed uncomfortable, but all she did was hold us even more fiercely.

  'Good morning, Captain Boasting. I've brought two visitors to see the Magnificent Great-Hopes,' Nadia explained to a sentry who was guarding the door of the tumbledown shack.

  The sentry flung the door open and Nadia pushed us inside. Talora tripped and fell, sprawling on the mucky floor. A man sitting on a rickety chair stared at us suspiciously.

  'Well, well,' he said slyly. 'I am very pleased to welcome you to my palace.'

  Palace? If this was where the Magnificent Great-Hopes lived, it was far from being a palace. Just a dirty old shed with no windows. Maybe people can hope for anything if they can't see what's going on.

  'I am the Magnificent Great-Hopes,' the scruffy occupant announced pompously.

  I remembered him in the vision of the town of Mansoul, but of course he'd not seen us there. And he certainly hadn't smartened himself up in the meantime. This was the creature who promised all would be well in the end; whose great hopes were false hopes.

  Nadia struck out angrily at me as I helped Talora to her feet. 'Quick, you two, bow down before the throne of the high and mighty Great-Hopes.'

  'Bow down, bow down,' a hundred voices seemed to call from out of the darkness, although I could see no one.

  'Talora,' I said, 'stay on your feet. We have no one to answer to but the Lord God of Heaven.'

  Nadia shouted. 'You are insulting my great and magnificent leader.'

  I managed to pull myself free. 'Great-Hopes has been deceiving you.'

  'Nonsense,' Nadia cried, while Great-Hopes sat without moving.

  I turned to Great-Hopes. 'On whose authority do you speak?'

  'On the authority of a higher king,' Great-Hopes said after a bit of thought. 'He sends me regular messages.'

  'And do you know his name?' I asked.

  'I have great hopes that he is the ultimate authority on life and death.' Great-Hopes stroked his chin thoughtfully and nodded to himself. 'I am not sure exactly who he is, but he sends me many messages of hope.'

  'His name is Diabolus,' I said, and Nadia gasped.

  'Clear the room,' Great-Hopes shouted. 'I will not be insulted like this.'

  Nadia knocked me to the floor.

  As I got to my feet, Talora turned to Nadia. 'I'm not afraid of Great-Hopes,' she said quietly. 'The King's Son is far stronger than he is. We're not afraid of Diabolus either. He joined the losing side against our King a long time ago.'

  Nadia stared open-mouthed, so Talora continued.

  'You must listen to the King's Son, Nadia. He has bought you -- with his life.'

  I could see that Talora had Nadia's attention.

  'He loves you,' she added.

  The Magnificent Great-Hopes stood up from his throne -- the old chair -- his clothes hanging on him like rags. 'The King's Son?' he snorted. 'He will never force his way inside my castle. This is my stronghold. I have warned Nadia that the enemy is coming, and she does not wish my castle to be invaded.'

  'It's not your castle,' I said. 'It's the Lord God's castle.'

  'Never,' Great-Hopes thundered. 'You can tell your ... your King ... that I will have no dealings with him. Make no mistake, everything will work out all right for Nadia in the end. It does for everyone.'

  'You're deceiving her,' I said, brushing myself down. The floor was filthy. 'The King's Son is getting ready to attack. Soon Nadia will learn the truth.'

  Great-Hopes laughed. 'Truth? To this castle the truth is that I bring great hope, and Nadia will learn nothing different. Who are you, to be doing work for your King?'

  'We are servants of the Lord God,' Talora said, standing tall and proud. 'We shall obey him always.'

  The mention again of the Lord God sent Great-Hopes into a deeper rage. He pulled us out of the room and dragged us to the foot of the castle walls.

  'You're going to the dungeon,' he roared. 'And you'll never speak to Nadia again.'

  The dungeon looked like a deep well. I could see several other holes that had been dug in the ground, two of them going sideways under the castle walls, bringing the risk of collapse. Castle Nadia was in danger, and Nadia either didn't know or didn't care.

  A heavy metal plate covered the top of the dungeon. As Great-Hopes struggled to slide it sideways, Nadia bent down to help him. When the hole was open, Great-Hopes untied us and threw us both in. As we fell we weren't able to open our wings in time to stop ourselves landing with a painful crash far below. I looked up to see Nadia and Great-Hopes sliding the cover back into place. For a moment everything seemed completely black, but it wasn't long before I noticed a small amount of light leaking around the edges of the cover.

  CHAPTER 20

  Prisoners

  I expect you know that dungeons are dark and they always smell damp. This one was not only dark and damp, it had a disgusting smell.

  Great-Hopes -- that is, Nadia's personal version of Great Hopes -- had probably built it for her when she tried to discover the truth. It sounded as though there was always a Magnificent Great-Hopes to give encouragement to anyone who asked him about the future. Quite what people had to hope for he never got round to telling them, but constantly assured them that everything would be all right in the end. And people like Nadia probably listened gladly. It was an easy way to get through life.

  I felt Talora jump with fright when we heard something move in the corner of our gloomy cell, and a feeble voice came from a heap of straw on the floor. 'Are you prisoners too?' it asked.

  'Who are you?' Talora demanded. 'I thought we were alone.'

  'Alone?' the voice asked sadly. 'You might as well be alone. Why, I can hardly speak, I have been silent for so long.'

  'Who are you?' I demanded.

  'Who was I, would be a better question. I am not alone in this corner, you know. My friend here is even more silent than I am.'

  'Tell us your names,' I said, going forward to hear the whispered voice.

  'My name is C ... C ... Conscience.'

  'And your friend?' I asked.

  'His name is Understanding,' came the whisper. 'We were both helping Nadia -- a long time ago.'

  I remembered the vision of Mansoul, where these two had also been prisoners. Or maybe not these exact two, but two very much like them, with the same names -- and with the same problem of getting thrown into prison. 'I was wondering if I'd see you two here,' I said. The King's Son had told us we'd discover whispered thoughts and see them as people. Perhaps they were part of Nadia's thoughts. I started wondering how many more of these 'people' we were going to find.

  'I ... I have not spoken for a long time,' Conscience said quietly. 'There was a day when this castle shook as I spoke. There was a time when I heard a voice saying to me, 'This is the right way. This is the way to go.''

  Even though it was almost completely dark, Conscience must have noticed Talora feeling her way along the wall of the dungeon. I suppose he'd been down here so long that his eyes had adjusted to the lack of light, and this made me wonder how he'd get on in the sunshine if we could find a way to rescue him. 'What are you doing?' he asked.

  'I'm looking for a door.'

  'Door? Young lady, the only way out is through the metal cover up there,' Conscience said gloomily. 'Great-Hopes has built this prison deep in the ground. It is not only dark, it has made me lose my voice. Even Understanding here in this pile of straw, even Understanding hasn't spoken for many months -- although he's always awake. Without being able to use his eyes, he has no idea what is happening in the castle.'
r />   That was when I wondered why I was still standing on the dirty floor. I could fly up to the cover and push it away. 'Fly up there with me,' I said to Talora.

  Well, it seemed a good idea at the time. But not only was there not enough room to spread our wings properly, the cover was much too heavy to move aside, even though we managed to cling onto an iron handle underneath it. I remembered how Great-Hopes had needed Nadia's help to slide it aside.

  'You know Great-Hopes then,' I said when I'd got my breath back, relieved to have found someone who might be able to help us do battle against the King's enemy. 'I think he's been getting messages from Diabolus.'

  'Not only from Diabolus,' Conscience said. 'He sometimes gets messages from the Lord God, but he passes them on to someone called Choosing who decides what he wants Nadia to hear.'

  I remembered Choosing from Mansoul, a skinny man with a thin voice. Maybe he'd put on a bit of weight by now, but I had no wish to interrupt Conscience and Understanding. So for once I kept quiet.

  Understanding got up slowly and painfully. I could hear straw falling away from his body as he brushed himself down. 'I can tell that you are not from here,' he said, in a voice that sounded weak from lack of use. 'You have come from the King's Son. He is close to the castle -- I know that to be so. He is at the door, is he not?'

  'He's very close,' I said. 'We wanted to tell Nadia that the King's Son is coming with love, with an offer of forgiveness -- but somehow we ended up down here with you.'

  Understanding moved closer. 'There is a way out.' His voice sounded stronger and clearer now. 'By the time my friend and I discovered it, we were too weak to use it to escape. There is a small gap in the wall behind my head. I lie near it, so I can get some fresh air to keep away the terrible smell of decay. The passage behind it will be long and tight, but I believe it comes out somewhere under the castle walls.'

  This sounded exciting. I tried to push my way through the narrow hole in the prison wall and into the tight tunnel.

  'Be quick,' Understanding urged, as we heard a noise from the metal cover above.

  I found I could just squeeze through, although my wings kept catching on the rough stone. The passage climbed up and up, becoming tighter and tighter, until the walls were so close I found it hard to breathe. Understanding could be wrong. Maybe this passage didn't come out anywhere.