“Getting rid of these bells! I feel like Santa Claus riding his sleigh.”
“Who?!” The statement left Elly dumbfounded and now it was Eliana’s turn to ask incredulous questions.
“I’ll explain later, Eliana; I’m too tired just now,” Elly sighed.
The sound of anklet bells bouncing off the dark floor a little distance away made Eliana laugh and she joined in with Elly’s example and created her own bouncing bell sonata.
“I’m so glad to see the last of those horrible things,” Elly complained, shivering at how close they had come to something overtly dire.
Just as Elly laid her back against the tunnel wall, a pair of warm hands gently grasped at her feet, causing her to flinch. Eliana began to massage Elly’s aching soles with tender strokes.
“Mmm, that feels so good, Eliana.”
Moments later, the sound of ripping cloth tore through the blackened tunnel. Eliana stopped her work, wondering what was happening until Caleb felt his way close and started to tie the black hood fragments to Elly’s feet, making her a pair of makeshift thick cloth boots.
“Oh, that’s a great idea, Caleb, thanks!” Elly bubbled, feeling the heavy cloth insulating her feet.
More ripping sounds and Eliana knew it was her turn, settling her back against the wall. Feeling for her feet, Caleb’s strong hands took her tiny soles in his grasp and gently massaged, ironing out the soreness.
Eliana was quiet for a long time, embarrassed at the close attention of her rescuer, but soon she was enjoying the gentle and methodical relief of his big hands. It all ended too soon with Caleb wrapping her feet in cloth and then tying the ends securely around her tiny ankles.
“Thank you, sir,” Eliana whispered.
“Okay, are we ready to go?” Caleb softly invited and then reached for Eliana’s hand again, feeling very comfortable with her hand in his.
Eliana grasped for Elly’s hand with her free hand and soon the little convoy was underway again, complete with new shoes.
After a while, Caleb grasped for the wall, searching for the next hand grip and confirmed what he was hoping to find.
The shelter and safety was only moments away.
Eliana’s inquisitive voice bubbled over Caleb, diverting his thoughts, “What are you doing, Caleb?”
He reached for her arm and then closed her hand over the hand grip. “These are our guiding hand grips and they are positioned throughout the sanctuary. Each grip has a coded mark etched into it; can you feel the circle and the two lines, one above the circle and one below?”
Eliana was incredulous as she struggled to identify Caleb’s description. “Oh yes, I can feel it.”
“Well, the circle is the sanctuary, and the line above means we are within one hundred feet of a turn, and the one below tells us it is a left turn.”
“How do you make that out of a circle and two lines?” Eliana queried.
“It’s just practice and if you don’t understand the code, you will get lost quickly in the maze of tunnels in which we live. The Alama Masu won’t come down here, because they don’t understand the code and they don’t like the dark.”
“That figures,” Elly responded, feeling more antagonised towards the cowardly bullies.
Soon the convoy was on the move again and made a left turn, exactly where the hand grips had pointed to. Moments later, sounds of habitation drifted down to meet the band and then the unmistakable illumination of flaming torches lighting the sanctuary, stung their eyes with the sudden light.
“We’re here; you’re safe at last,” Caleb whispered and then called into the sanctuary, announcing their arrival.
But before anyone could approach, Eliana reached up to Caleb and hugged his neck then planted a thankful kiss on his cheek. “Thank you, I will always be grateful for your courage.” Her adoring brown eyes settled on the brave Raider.
It was the first time Caleb had had a chance to have a good look at Eliana and her beauty broadsided him, capturing his heart immediately and tying his tongue in knots.
Elly smiled at what she could see happening and then reached in to hug Caleb as well. ”That’s ditto for me, too.”
Before long, the joy of people hugging the girls and welcoming them into the family echoed through the sanctuary in great excitement.
Elly watched a beautiful young woman approach Caleb with deep concern etched in her eyes. Her intense gaze searched Caleb’s, but he turned away from her frantic eyes and silently shook his head in despair.
The young woman burst into desperate tears and the pain in her turbulent cries echoed throughout the passageway, leaving the joyous greeting to fracture into sombre remorse.
Elly’s heart tore for the young woman. “Is that your companion’s wife?”
“No, Heather and Finn were friends; Hakham warned us one of us wouldn’t make it back.”
Suddenly, the price of Eliana’s and Elly’s freedom from the Alama Masu had a tangible human price.
And Heather and Finn had paid dearly.
*~*~*~*
Caleb entered the sanctuary and bowed his head to the altar in reverence and then turned to the distraught figure of Heather, sobbing bitterly in Hakham’s embrace. His ancient hand rubbed her convulsing back, coaxing the painful waves of grief to find solace in the old man’s wise words.
Caleb stood before the elder, the fire of expectation in a new dangerous mission burning in his eyes. Searching Heather’s convulsing form, Caleb was determined to revenge his leader on the Alama Masu.
“I can take the Raiders straight back to rescue Finn? We can be ready to go within the hour.”
But Hakham’s response puzzled Caleb.
“Jehovah has a plan, Caleb, and it does not include the Raiders or yourself. You must be prepared to trust the wisdom of the Ancient of Days and wait for His deliverance. It is difficult to see Jehovah’s beautiful daughter in such distress, but we must think with the mind of Jehovah and bow to His will, or something He did not intend may result from our interference.”
Heather’s tirade quieted at Hakham’s decision and she felt strangely peaceful. She wiped the tears from her face and determined to follow Hakham’s words. “Father and I have room enough to accommodate both of the new women in our chamber,” Heather sniffed and then wiped her face again with the back of her hand.
“Then let it be as you have suggested, Heather. Jehovah teaches his learned daughter with the hand of pain and she understands the wisdom taught in His classroom very well. Seek His face and the reasons will eventually fall into place.”
*~*~*~*
Chapter 27
Elly and Eliana were quickly adopted by the family, drawing immense interest from the young men in particular vying to gain the attention of the two new beautiful arrivals.
It was a strange ambience among the family members, joyous for the rescue Jehovah had appropriated, but remorseful that Finn had not returned and one of their own was still missing in action.
Many had witnessed the cruelty of the Alama Masu firsthand and a prize like Finn would be tortured brutally before being executed in front of a bloodthirsty and vengeful crowd.
The fact Hakham was still face down in the sanctuary and not mingling among the family on such an occasion spoke of the depth of his concern, the hope he held to and the intensity of the situation.
Heather finally worked her way through the crowd and stood face to face with Elly and Eliana; Jehovah’s warmth and love streamed through her veins and a new determination strengthened her will. For reasons unknown to Heather, Jehovah had taken the only man she had ever loved from her life and instead, replaced him with two young women her own age who badly needed a family and a new start in life.
It was a moment by moment battle of submission to Jehovah’s will and to choose acceptance of her two new sisters, but her resolve was severely tested as uncharitable thoughts boiled over in her emotions and Finn’s memory haunted her.
In these harrowing times, sit
ting before the altar, the only question her heart would allow her to ask of Jehovah was... why? But as usual, Jehovah was silent and His all knowing peace settled instead, allowing her to battle on for another few hours before the process repeated.
“Welcome to the family, Elly and Eliana; your new home will be with Father and me. My name is Heather.” Heather leaned into the two girls, one at a time and took each one in a warm hug. Even with their soiled white dresses, disturbed manicured hair and the hint of sweet perfume, these girls were beautiful and it didn’t take much imagination to understand what the evil Malhalem’s intent had been for them.
As Heather gleaned from Caleb’s description, he and Finn had intervened just in time and her heart melted again for the intense fear these two women would have had to endure.
“Come, you must be tired from your ordeal; the warm bathing spring will revitalise you and then you can eat and sleep. I have two spare robes that you can use and while you sleep, I will wash your clothes,” Heather whispered with the care of a mother after her child’s close scrap with tragedy.
An exhausted sigh emanated from Elly; the thought of a warm bath and safe, comfortable sleep almost overcame her on the spot and her eyes wanted to close then and there. She dragged her feet tiredly behind Heather, disappearing once again into a darkened passageway dimly lit by a small flaming torch attached to the wall and curious to see how Heather found her way, feeling the hand grips for confirmation.
Soon, a discreet opening in the passage wall appeared and the three women wound their way behind a rock curtain and into an intimate cavern. A small flaming torch attached to the far wall illuminated a crystal clear babbling brook, running into a small swimming pool sized tarn.
“This is the women’s bathing brook,” Heather pointed to the pool.
Just then, another of the young women appeared carrying an armful of clean clothes and handed them to Heather and waited for the girls’ soiled garments, ready for cleaning. Just as Heather had promised, the water was warm and soothing and Elly almost fell asleep immersed in its luxury.
Heather’s father had forbidden any visitors to his family chamber, dispersing the large gathering of curious family members, mainly young men, from the doorway. The girls had returned from their bath and wore Heather’s spare robes, but had opted for sleep over food. It was hard enough for Heather’s father to keep the admirers from his chamber door with one beautiful daughter; now he had three and he was even more determined to keep the admirers on the back foot.
Caleb had offered his services as a guard over the chamber entrance, but his intentions were immediately discredited and he was sent on his way, too.
The family women gathered around Heather as she worked at the laundry stream, each wanting to assist with washing the girls’ clothes and to help Heather bear the load of grief, supporting her in her time of despair.
They all understood the pain Heather felt and admired her for wanting to serve the recipients of Finn’s sacrifice.
*~*~*~*
Caleb’s thoughts were boiling with many emotions and he couldn’t understand Jehovah’s refusal to allow the Raiders to return and fight for Finn’s release from his captors. The day had dragged on in a confusing and frustrating black pit of despair; he was powerless to do anything to help Finn, and if Finn had evaded capture he would have returned to the sanctuary by now.
Caleb wandered aimlessly into the dark reaches of the tunnel mazes, far beyond anywhere he had ever been before. The guiding hand grips suddenly stopped, but the dark tunnel did not, making him realise no one had been beyond this point before.
His thoughts suddenly turned to Eliana. Her brown eyes and tantalising soft feminine features burnt into the deep reaches of his heart and her perfume haunted him, like the fine and mellow essence of lavender fields gently wafting on the soft winds of summer and playing with his heartstrings, while desire for the young woman began to stir.
Carelessly, Caleb pushed on beyond the guiding boundaries and into the unfathomable maze of the deep, subterranean tunnel system, fuelled by frustration and drowned by conflicting images of the beautiful maiden and his traumatic past.
Even the delightful childhood stories his mother told him about life before the terrible destruction had destroyed their world and then the Alama Masu invasion that stole their hope, seemed like an impossible dream and only added to his heavy burden. Caleb’s grief intensified as the memories of his mother’s last moments on earth stabbed at his mind. She had been executed too, like many others, but with her last breaths she had admonished her young son and begged the boy not to hate the Alama Masu and to forgive, for his own sake.
Now, as another member of his family had been murdered by the black hooded ones, Caleb struggled with the putrid hate his mother had warned him against, pulling his heart strings away from the beautiful Eliana and drawing him further down into despair.
In a desperate attempt to divert his mind, he deliberately recalled the warmth and tender touch of Eliana’s hand in his, bringing a flutter of delight. The feel of her soft skin and her tiny feet as he massaged the tension out replayed in his mind and then her hug and the kiss that sealed his fate at the end of their journey.
Caleb pushed on into the darkness, lost in the highs and lows of troubling and confusing emotions, and unaware of how far beyond the hand grips he had travelled or whether the passage had crossed other tunnels.
The darkness appeared like a cloak over his mind, enabling him to think without the distractions of the light. The path happened to dip down quite suddenly, making Caleb’s stomach complain at the sharp decline and his footsteps a little unsure at the turbulent change, but then the unmistakable presence of gently moving air caressed his hair and brought relief to the steadily increasing humidity.
Soon, his ears filled with the sounds of cascading water, like a weir tumbling carelessly over chaotic rocks placed disparagingly in the clear liquid’s path. But then as he turned a corner in the deep path, a majestic sight flooded his mind and filled the young man with awe.
A mammoth cavern opened before him, lit colourfully with tiny, brilliant apparitions attached to the cavern roof and shining like minute pinpricks of starlight.
Illuminated in the colour, the cascading waterfall bubbled and a lake of pristine beauty opened before him while the magnificence of the sight caught his heart and allured him into the charismatic scene.
A rock wall stood guard over the splendour, giving an unhindered view. Caleb picked his way into the chamber but stumbled over a lose whinstone, sending a crashing interruption into the peaceful scene. As if orchestrated by some giant hand on a light switch, part of the roof blacked out, sending the cavern into an unexpected partial curfew.
However, as Caleb settled into a sitting position above the waterfall and remained still and quiet, the tiny lights began to blink on again, one by one. Each coloured light seemed to take courage from its influential neighbour and gingerly its energy began to shine again, but only after they were convinced the covert threat had passed.
As Caleb concentrated on the beauty of the arena, his eyes fell on the pure white sandy soil surrounding a portion of the water’s edge. It was like an immense beach leading into the pristine water, a sight he had never seen before.
The hours passed in calming awe and inspired by the enchanting chamber, Caleb poured out his concerns to Jehovah and connected with the mighty presence of his God, delighting his soul even more.
He spoke of Eliana in his plea and searched his heart before the powerful presence and asked Jehovah for her hand, if He was willing. The silence of Jehovah’s reply seemed to discourage his affections toward the beautiful Eliana and his heart dropped at the lack of a response.
But out of Caleb’s sight and behind the waterfall, the dim light surrounded a delicate and shy face, pale in its texture but beautiful beyond comprehension and almost mature, awaiting Jehovah’s time and eager for its place, picked and planted in the hearts of soul mates.
> *~*~*~*
Chapter 28
By the time Caleb had retraced his steps and found his way back into the community, leaving the wonderland behind him, many hours had elapsed and the family had begun to gather for the evening meal.
Turning to face the direction he had just come, he felt peaceful and recharged, wondering whether he would ever be able to find the dazzling cavern again and more to the point, whether anyone would believe his fantastic tale.
Heather sat close to her father at one of the many old tables neatly placed throughout the cavernous hall of dining, but there were no signs of Eliana and Elly. Heather patted a seat beside her and invited Caleb to join them in their evening routine. He accepted her invitation with a nod of his head and made his way over to join Heather and her father.
“You look very relaxed, Caleb,” Heather offered.
“Mmm, I spent some time with Jehovah today.” He thought about telling Heather of the enchanted colourful cave far beyond the guidance of the hand grips, but the whereabouts of the two girls sidetracked his intention with a sweeping glance of the dining cavern.
Heather had seen the searching eye of a man in pursuit of a maiden before and understood the quizzical glance, answering his unspoken question with a teasing, knowing smile. “They’re both still fast asleep and I gather they will sleep well into the morning. Their ordeal would have been unenviable and I’m just so glad you and Finn...” Heather tapered off as her voice cracked and caught in the back of her throat, coughing on a stab of pain.
Full of Jehovah’s wisdom, Caleb squatted beside Heather and encouraged the stricken young woman. “I don’t know what Jehovah is doing with Finn and the family, Heather, but we have to believe He knows best and He will bring out the best for all of us. Finn was like a brother to me and I have to trust Him with the details, even if it means pain.”
Comforted by the handsome Raider, Heather reached over from her seat and hugged Caleb’s neck. “You’re like a big brother to me, too; thank you for your wise counsel.”
Caleb returned her hug and took his seat next to Heather and glanced around the tables again, this time searching for Christina or Louisse, but he couldn’t find either. “Have you seen Christina or Louisse today, Heather?” Caleb whispered.