The sun had only been up an hour, yet Jane could feel its warmth already. They were walking across the savannah following Fred. Jane could see why James had been so taken by him, for Fred walked with the confidence and assurance of a man with no need to prove himself. His voice was like a soft whisper, whose words soothed the emotions and his face was that of an innocent child, with lively, sparkling eyes. Being in his presence brought peacefulness.
Jane adjusted her backpack, pulled her hat down on her head and caught up with Mark. He smiled, ‘How are you doing?’
‘Okay, I’m intrigued about who this person is that James is supposed to meet.’
‘So is James,’ Mark reflected. ‘He told me last night that during his walk with Fred, all those years ago, Fred had told him many things, that have since occurred. The man’s knowing is weird.’
‘So you think he could help us with the crystals?’
Mark shrugged his shoulders, then said, ‘I hope so.’
Fred stopped abruptly and everyone fell silent. Jane sensed something moving in the savannah grassland to the left. First she saw the tips of two brown ears before the head of a lioness popped up. She had been lying invisible on the ground.
Jane heard a soft step behind her and saw the tip of Stan’s rifle swing into her peripheral vision. Fred raised his hand as if sensing what Stan was doing. Jane held her breath, her eyes fixed on the lioness, who seemed to be staring back at her.
There was further movement to the right of the lioness and another head came up. A young male this time and behind him appeared the head of another lioness. Fred quietly and slowly stepped to the right, murmuring something in a soft voice. Jane and the others followed him. The lions watched for a few more moments, then flopped back down as if the effort of looking at them was too tiring. Jane released her breath. Her heart was pounding with excitement and fear. It had been a sharp reminder to her that she was travelling though the home of wild animals. She was glad to have Stan with his gun, yet being with Fred made her feel completely safe.
‘That was amazing,’ she said to Fred, when they were far enough away. ‘What were you saying?’
Fred smiled, ‘I was telling them we meant no harm and we were sorry to disturb their sleep.’
‘Were you not worried they would attack us?’
‘Lions will only attack if their young are threatened or they are really hungry. Rarely will they attack humans.’ He looked closely at her and said, ‘We shall rest soon. It is still a few more hours of walking before we reach the mountain.’
Jane nodded. The increasing heat of the sun was becoming a struggle for her and it hadn’t even reached midday, but she was determined to carry on. After another hour’s walk, Fred found the only tree for miles and they stopped under it. Stan and Mark rigged up some additional shade and they sat together resting. Jane now understood why so many of the African people just sat under trees or against shaded rocks, drinking tea or water. It was so hot in the middle of the day, that to do anything physical was inviting serious problems. She lay on the ground under a mosquito net, which Stan had rigged up for her, and rested.
Late afternoon they set off again and it was just before sunset when they reached the mountain. Fred guided them into the entrance of a large cave. Jane dropped her rucksack and sat down on a small clump of rock just inside the mouth of the cave. The cool air bathed her hot skin, bringing pleasant relief. She took the bottle of water Mark offered her and drank until half of it had gone. She handed it back. Mark slipped off his rucksack and sat down next to her.
James and Stan did the same. She looked at the men’s three bulging rucksacks and then looked at Fred, who was resting nearby with only his small bag, bow and arrows, and spear. Something inside of her, an ancient memory perhaps, longed to be free, to return to the old ways. Jane realised, even as she thought it, that it would not be possible for her now. She liked her soft bed, the air conditioning, the available food at the supermarket and water on tap.
‘Have we time to see the painting before we make camp for the night?’ James asked.
Fred nodded. ‘It is deep inside, you will need to bring light.’
Stan unpacked four torches and Jane turned to watch Fred, waiting for him to create a fire on a stick, but he just put his hand into his bag and pulled out his own torch. Jane smiled, the old was embracing the new and she liked it. She opened her rucksack and put on a jumper, noticing that the others were doing the same.
Fred led the way down a small passageway, leading deep into the cave. The temperature became colder the deeper they went and Jane shivered despite the jumper. The passage opened up into a small cavern, where Fred pointed out small patches of artwork on the cave walls. They showed stick men with spears, and bows and arrows, chasing herds of antelope. Other pictures showed elephants and rhino, and stick women with children sat in a circle near huts.
‘Which one is it?’ James asked, his voice seeming loud and echoing in the cave.
‘We go on further,’ Fred said, pointing to a dark corner. ‘This is where most people stop.’ His torchlight shimmered on the glassy wet-looking walls, illuminating a small hole behind a large boulder. The hole was only a few feet wide and high, leading into a tunnel of the same width. It was just big enough for a slim man or woman to crawl through.
‘How far do we have to crawl?’ Mark said, peering in and shinning his torch over the rock walls. ‘And is it safe?’
‘Very safe,’ Fred replied, ‘a natural passage, not too long. Follow me.’ Fred’s slim body slipped into the tunnel with ease and he wiggled his way along it, like a snake slithering over sand. James followed him, then Mark. Jane hesitated, watching as Mark’s feet disappeared round a corner out of sight.
‘You don’t need to go,’ Stan said quietly, stepping close to her.
‘But I want to see it.’
‘I can take a photo of it for you.’ Stan held up a small digital camera, so Jane could see it in the light.
She shook her head, she had come this far and a small tunnel wasn’t going to stop her now. ‘I’ll give it a go,’ she said firmly and slid into the hole. The rocky floor was surprisingly smooth and extremely cold. A feeling of damp soaked through her jumper into her blouse and as she wiggled along, her sleeves rode up allowing the coldness to touch the bare skin on her arms. The darkness of the tunnel seemed to press in around her, but she concentrated on keeping her head from banging against the rock above and focused on what was before her in the torchlight. The tunnel seemed to be a space between two massive boulders that had been wedged apart by smaller rocks trapped between them. It was just wide enough to stomach crawl and Jane felt like a worm as she pulled and pushed herself forward.
Fortunately, the tunnel was short and it wasn’t long before she could see Mark’s face peering at her at the end of the tunnel. He took her under the arms and pulled her out of the hole, gently lifting her down to the floor. For a few seconds she just held him, then the sight before her captured her attention. She let him go, her eyes focused on James and Fred’s torchlights, shining up to the ceiling of a massive cavern. They illuminated long, sweeping, smooth layers of rocks, which softly curved in a spiral pattern. The cavern’s walls gently merged with the roof and flowed in a seamless pattern down to the floor, where large holes, carved by ancient flowing water, plummeted deep into the earth.
‘It’s beautiful,’ she whispered, moving towards James.
‘This hasn’t been seen by many people, that’s for sure,’ James replied.
Stan and Mark joined her and they followed Fred to the far side of the cavern where in the light of their torches, Fred pointed out the painting. It was of five stick people, four were on a ledge of some kind and a fifth seemed to have dropped off the ledge onto some pointed boulders that were dark in colour. One of the four on the ledge, closest to the fifth person, was holding what seemed like a lightning bolt.
‘What does it mean?’ James asked Fred.
Fred didn’t answer, but looked at Jane.
‘Maybe we need to interpret what we see in the picture, ourselves,’ she said, noticing Fred’s slight head nod. Jane stared hard at the picture and nothing was coming, but as she eased back, her eyes focused on the pointed dark boulders. ‘These are the crystals, aren’t they?’ She paused, glancing at Fred and he gave her another head nod. ‘And these four people are us.’ Her eyes focused on the fifth. ‘Is the fifth one you, Fred?’
He shook his head. ‘It is the one that is missing.’
‘And what is this person doing? It looks like he or she has fallen into a ravine.’ Jane became silent as her mind caught up with what she had said.
Fred peered at the painting then said, ‘It is not known what this person is doing except that they are connected to the crystals and is happy.’
‘How do you know that?’ James asked.
‘There is a symbol, like that of a half sun next to the fifth person. It means a rising of brightness.’
‘Or a falling of darkness,’ Mark muttered.
Jane turned to him. ‘What’s the matter with you? Why are you being so negative about this?’
‘Because I know what my dabbling has created and this isn’t going to help.’ He turned abruptly and moved away.
Jane looked back at the picture, her sight falling on the person with the lightning bolt. She knew it was Mark. As she turned from it, she glanced at Fred and their eyes locked on each other for a second. A hardly seen nod from him confirmed her thoughts and she moved over to Mark. ‘You are connected with all of this. The painting shows you bringing down the energy again.’ In the dim light of her torch she saw the fear on his face.
‘I won’t do it again. I can’t control it. It could make things worse.’
‘But this fifth person is involved somehow, Fred says they will help.’
‘Fred says it’s a prediction, but maybe it’s a reference to what’s already happened. That fifth person could be Ferrand, have you thought of that?’
Jane hadn’t and she could now see how Mark had interpreted the picture, but which one of them was right?
The flash from Stan’s camera illuminated the cave and she glanced back. She hoped with all her heart that her version of the picture was true, for she dreaded what was to come if it wasn’t. The others joined her and when she turned to where Mark was stood, he had gone.
As they all made their way back through the tunnel, Jane’s thoughts were on Mark. He seemed to have retreated into a dark place again. A place of fear and she had no idea how she could help him get out of it.
* * *
After the evening meal, they all sat around the campfire outside the cave. Jane had made sure she was sat with Mark and she was holding his hand. The flames of the fire seemed to draw everyone’s attention and no one was speaking.
‘What did you make of the painting, James?’ Jane asked after a while.
‘I’m not sure really. What I saw was four people on a mountain ledge. They could have been calling up to their gods. The fifth person had fallen off the ledge. He or she may have been an offering or sacrifice. I haven’t made my mind up on it yet.’ He paused and looked over to Fred. ‘But I know and trust Fred and if he says it is a sign of what is to come, then I believe him.’
Jane looked at Stan and he laughed. ‘Do you really want to know what I think?’
Jane nodded.
‘Well there’s four people on a ledge and one has fallen over the edge on to rocks. Of the four people left, one has been struck by lightning. Now the question is, was the fifth one pushed or did he jump? Maybe they were sacrificing themselves to their god, who knows.’
Jane smiled, she liked Stan’s straightforward manner, but she didn’t think he was right either. She looked at Fred. ‘What did you see, Fred?’
‘The stone people are rising up, they are in darkness. There are four friends, all joined in some way to the fifth, who is connected to the crystal people.’
Jane waited, then when Fred didn’t continue she said, ‘But what do you see happening?’
Fred smiled gently. ‘That is unknown, but a great force will be called upon.’
Jane felt Mark’s hand stiffen and she squeezed it hard.
‘So, Mark, what did you see?’ James asked.
Jane saw everyone look at him and when she turned to, she saw him shaking his head.
‘I saw a picture painted by a race of people long since gone. History tells us these people painted what they saw in their lifetime, so as far as I am concerned, it has no relevant meaning to our lives today. It’s history.’
Jane sensed the silence fall once again and a heaviness fill her stomach. Mark’s words had deflated all hope she held of finding a solution. She saw his head drop and she knew she was losing him. Quickly she whispered to him. ‘Please don’t lose hope, we’ll find a solution. Trust me.’
He turned to her and she saw the light from the fire glinting in his eyes. He almost smiled and said, ‘I trust you, Jane. I always have.’
They snuggled closer and enjoyed the warmth of the fire.
* * *
The next day, the journey back was as hot and dusty as the journey to the mountains had been. Jane longed for a hot shower and a comfortable bed but as it was late afternoon when they reached the place where they had left the Jeep, she knew they would have to camp again. She left Stan and Mark to set up the fire and food, and joined James in saying goodbye to Fred.
‘What do we do now, my friend?’ James said, softly.
Fred placed a hand on James’s shoulder. ‘I heard Spirit’s voice last night. You must go to the place of Gaia. It may show you who the fifth person is. That is all I know.’
James nodded. ‘It has been good seeing you again.’
Fred turned to Jane and bowed slightly. ‘You know what must be done.’
Jane glanced back at Mark and smiled, thinking, it’s not going to be easy, then she said, ‘Thank you for your help.’
Fred bowed to them both; waved to Stan and Mark and walked back into the savannah.
‘Place of Gaia, where’s that?’ Jane asked James as they walked to the fire.
‘Don’t know, but we can search for it on the Internet.’
Stan passed her a cup of coffee. ‘Well, the only place I know called that is from Greek mythology. It’s at Delphi, in Greece.’
‘Then Delphi is where we are going,’ James declared.
Mark shook his head. ‘I need to get back to the lab and continue with my research.’
Jane snatched a quick look at James and knew he had the same thought as her. Mark’s decision was a bad idea. ‘We need you with us,’ she said quickly.
‘No, you and James can do this on your own.’
‘I would prefer you came with us, Mark,’ James cut it, his voice serious.
‘Sorry, but someone has to find a way of stopping this and going off to Greece isn’t going to do that.’
‘But you don’t know that,’ Jane said, with some irritation. ‘Have you forgotten what happened at Jasmine’s? The coincidences and meditations that pushed us towards the truth.’
Mark put his cup down and got up. ‘The truth is, Jane, we live in a reality and that reality is, we’re all going to die if I can’t stop this. Coincidences and meditations aren’t going to help us this time. If you want to waste your time in chasing mumbo jumbo stuff, then fine, but you can do it without me.’ He turned away and walked over to the Jeep.
Jane stared into her coffee cup, forcing back her emotions. She couldn’t believe he had said that, after all they had been through together. The pain of his words was like a slap in the face; a rebuff of what had brought them together. She noticed the silence and glanced up.
James said softly, ‘He’s not himself at the moment, he’ll come round before we get back.’
Stan looked at her with soft musing eyes and said, ‘A trip to Greece sounds interesting, if you want company.’
‘Happy to have you, mate, but I thought you said you had something on next week?’ James said cheerily.
Jane got up and picked up her sleeping bag, just catching Stan’s reply as she walked away.
‘Nothing that can’t be cancelled. I figure I’d like to tag along for a while and see how this pans out.’
Jane glanced across to Mark and then back to Stan, who was still watching her. The reflection of light from the fire gave his face a warm glow and put a sparkle in his eyes. She felt her body flush again and turned away, thinking, this could become quite complicated.
* * *
It was early morning and they were back in the Jeep travelling towards the town where they had left James’s car.
‘Do you think the men watching the house will still be there?’ Jane asked James.
He took out his phone and after a few minutes he said, ‘No signal yet. Kwasi said he would text me, so I should get it when we get closer to the next village.’
Jane returned to looking out of the window, her thoughts on Mark, who had spoken very little to her since breakfast. He looked tired, his face tinged with a shade of grey and his body sagging as if supporting a huge weight. A word popped into her head. “Hope”. Yes, she needed to give him hope, but how? If he returned to the lab in his current emotional state she was sure the effect of the crystals would kill him. How could she persuade him to come to Greece?
The ring tone of her phone startled her out of her thoughts. She pulled it out of her trouser pocket and looked at the screen. The number was unknown to her and she stared at it wondering whether to answer it. The phone continued to ring, its tone seemed urgent and persistent.
She answered it. ‘Hello,’ she said, cautiously.
‘Jane! Oh thank God.’
Jane didn’t recognise the voice, it seemed distorted as if someone was speaking with a mouthful of food. ‘Who is this?’ she demanded.
‘It’s Fiona,’ the voice said, in a disappointed tone.
‘You don’t sound like Fiona and this number isn’t her phone.’
The person on the other end of the line went quiet and Jane thought she caught the sound of a sniffle, then a mumble of words and a new voice came on.
‘Jane, I’m Caroline, Fiona’s friend. It’s my phone she’s using.’
Jane knew of Caroline and a sudden dread filled her. ‘What’s happened?’
‘Fiona’s in hospital, she went to your flat and was attacked by two men… they beat her so badly…’ Caroline’s voice faded as if her throat had clogged up, ‘…she almost died.’
Jane could hear her crying, then she heard the distorted voice again.
‘Jane… they know where you and Mark are. You have to get out…’ Fiona paused and gasped as if a sharp pain had gripped her.
‘We’re not there. We’re safe. But what about you?’
‘I think I’ll live,’ Fiona grunted back. ‘Those idiots couldn’t punch a hole in a wall, even if it was made of paper…’ She paused as if speaking was too much for her.
Jane was beginning to hear the old familiar tone of Fiona’s voice. ‘Seriously, how badly are you hurt?’ Jane noticed the silence in the car and saw that Mark, James and Stan were listening intently. Stan had even slowed down so that the noise from the road didn’t intrude too loudly.
‘Seriously? Pretty bad. In a lot of pain…’
Jane waited while Fiona gasped again. She could hear Fiona’s breathing become heavy in attempt to compose herself so she could speak again.
‘I know my face needed an up lift, but they did a pretty bad job of it…’
Jane couldn’t raise a smile. The guilt she was feeling for sending Fiona to her flat was overwhelming. ‘I’m so sorry, Fiona,’ Jane spluttered, tears slipping down her face. There was a moment’s silence, before Fiona came back.
‘Don’t cry, Jane. Please don’t cry…’
Jane could hear the sobs coming from Fiona and it made her cry even more. Finally she felt Mark take the phone from her and pull her into him.
‘Fiona, it’s Mark. Jane’s a bit upset at the moment, can we call you back?’
He listened, then nodded and said, ‘It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. We’ll call back soon. Bye.’ He switched off the phone and Jane felt him tighten his arms around her as she cried.
After a few minutes her crying eased and she took the tissue James offered her. They were all looking at her and she noticed that the Jeep was stopped off the side of the road.
‘What happened?’ James asked her gently.
Jane relayed what Fiona had told her. ‘I shouldn’t have sent her to my flat,’ Jane sniffed.
Mark squeezed her hand and said, ‘It’s not your fault. Ferrand’s men are ruthless and poor Fiona would have been targeted anyway after their visit to your office. They just got lucky she turned up at the flat when she did.’
‘But why did they have to hurt her?’
‘They wanted our address and Fiona’s a tough lady, but she couldn’t hold out against the beating they gave her. She’s lucky to be alive…’ Mark stopped as if a thought had struck him.
‘What is it?’ Jane asked.
‘Fiona’s still in danger,’ Stan quipped in. ‘If they’ve left her alive it’s because she could be of use to them again.’
Jane turned to him. ‘What do you mean?’
‘If they don’t get you at the place she’s told them, they’ll pay her another visit.’
Jane suddenly felt sick. All this was too much. She flung the car door open and staggered out. Her knees buckled and she fell to the floor. An instant later she felt herself being gently lifted and placed against one of the Jeep’s rear wheels. She looked up into Stan’s face. ‘I don’t know what to do,’ she croaked, her eyes watery with tears. He gently touched her face, before moving away to let Mark kneel beside her.
‘Are you okay?’ Mark asked softly.
Jane pulled him closer and just held him. Her mind was full of fear and condemnation. She remembered cavalierly sweeping away the warning Mark had first given her, when he had told her he would bring her trouble if they stayed together. What had she been thinking? She had been so naïve about what that trouble was and now Fiona, who knew nothing about any of it, was hurt and could now die because of them. Why had she done it?
Mark pulled back and gently eased bits of her hair from her face, stuck down by her tears. She looked into his brown eyes and knew the answer to her question. She did it for love.
A shadow cast over them and when she looked up, Stan and James were stood over her. Mark helped her up and Stan leaned forward, removing his sunglasses to look at her. He smiled. ‘Got a bit of colour in your face now. You look much better.’
Jane gave him a weak smile.
James held up his phone. ‘And I’ve had word from Kwasi. Ferrand has indeed been to the house.’ He held up his hand as Jane went to speak. ‘Aisha and Kwasi are fine. They hid whilst Ferrand’s men searched the house and are now at a safe place.’
‘It means that they will be waiting for us to return,’ Mark stated.
‘Or they will visit Fiona, again,’ Stan declared.
Jane couldn’t hide the fear that must have shown on her face, for Stan caught hold of her arm. ‘Don’t you go worrying about your friend. I’ll make sure she’s okay.’
‘What are you going to do?’ Jane blurted out.
‘A lady in distress, is my speciality,’ he grinned.
‘But Ferrand’s men and the police!’
‘Arh well, I’ll avoid the police, but as far as Ferrand’s men are concerned, I haven’t had a good fight for ages.’
Jane stared at him, the voice was jovial, but the look in his eyes was hard and penetrating, making her realise that he wasn’t joking.
‘That leaves us,’ James declared. ‘We’ll go to Greece, and Mark, you’ll have to come with us now.’
Jane was glad to see Mark nod his agreement. She took her phone from him. ‘I’ll call Fiona and tell her to expect you, Stan.’
‘I’ll need something of yours, to show her it’s me she can trust,’ Stan said.
Jane thought for a moment and went to the back of the Jeep to fetch her rucksack. Stan followed her. After digging to the bottom of the bag, she held out a bracelet of amethyst stones and silver stars. ‘This is Fiona’s present to me, she knows I have it and will recognise it.’
As he took it, he gripped her hand and held it. Jane looked into his handsome face and caught a look from him that she wished she hadn’t seen. He excited her and this was creating conflict with her emotions. She loved Mark, but she was very attracted to Stan. She needed to stop this before it got any further.
‘I’ll keep this and your friend safe,’ he whispered, moving closer to her.
Their faces were only inches away from each other and Jane’s eyes were locked to his. She so wanted to kiss him.
Quickly she took a breath and said, ‘Thank you for doing this. For both of us.’ She turned her head away to glance over to Mark.
His eyes followed hers and slowly a grin came on his face. He stepped back and let go of her hand, taking the bracelet from her. ‘James will know how to contact me,’ he said, and walked over to where Mark and James were stood talking.
Jane sighed deeply, feeling slightly sad, but also relieved. She dialled the number last received by her phone to speak to Fiona.