3. What Happened to Katy

You will probably have been wondering what happened to Katy after Simon had gone off into the darkness and left her.
First (now that Simon was no longer close enough to hear her) she stopped even trying to hold back her tears and had a quiet cry; then she wiped her eyes and blew her nose and began to feel a little better. But she wished she had not let Simon go off on his own. And as the minutes went by and he did not return or call out to her, all her anxiety returned in double measure.
Fearing the worst, she called his name out into the darkness, but there was no answer. And then she knew that the worst was true: Simon was no longer in the cellar. But if he wasn’t in the cellar, where was he? Could it be that this cold, dark place in which she was standing was no longer a cellar at all? Even when Simon had been with her, she had begun to wonder whether, if the light had come back on, they would still have found themselves in that whitewashed room which they had entered only quarter of an hour or so before. Even though it was too dark to see anything, she had felt then that they were somewhere that was much larger and more open. Now that feeling was turning into certainty. She sniffed miserably. There was only one thing to do. She must set off in the direction that Simon had taken and try to find him.
Hesitantly, she crept forward, touching the wall on her right and peering into the darkness ahead. Like Simon, she soon realised that what her fingers were touching was not the smooth plaster of the cellar walls but rough, uneven rock. ‘So I was right,’ she thought with dismay. ‘This isn’t the cellar. I’m in a cave of some sort.’ But on and on she went.
Then, after what seemed a very long time, she saw — to her joy — a small flicker of light far ahead of her and caught the sound of distant voices. She pressed on and soon she could make out bits of conversation, but they didn’t make much sense. She heard Simon saying his father was called Alistair Buckley, but then she heard a voice talking about a queen and a crown and a general.
Shaking with relief, she hurried forward, eager to be back with Simon and curious to find out who was with him, when a third voice stopped her in her tracks. It was the most evil voice she had ever heard and it made the hairs on her arms stand on end. ‘Welcome to the Bestial Republic of Shalanor, Son of Tellus. General Morlok at your service!’ it said — but there was no welcome in the voice, only hatred and cruelty. Then she heard Simon cry, ‘Ow! Let go of —’ before his voice fell silent.
Katy did not know what to do. She wanted to rush forward to try to help Simon — indeed, she actually began to do so — but she was only small and she knew for certain that she too would be captured. Whereas somewhere back there in the darkness, beyond the cave, was the door from the cellar and, through the door, the kitchen and the house and her mum and dad. If she could only get back and bring them here, they would be able to rescue Simon.
But still she hesitated. How could she just leave Simon like this? She could hear other voices now — none of them nice — and the sound of scuffling. It seemed that someone else had now been arrested. But then came a sound which made up Katy’s mind for her; the evil, cruel voice she had heard earlier shouted for lights. ‘Search the cave!’ it said. ‘There should be another of them here — a Daughter of Earth. Take her alive — and bring her to me.’
Katy did not wait to hear more. She turned and fled back down the way she had come. On and on through the darkness she ran, expecting, any moment, to hear the sound of footsteps coming after her. Then, suddenly, she hurtled straight into a wall of rock and was thrown backwards into a heap on the floor. Where, oh where, was the cellar? How was she ever going to get back to it? Hugging her stinging hands, she began to cry again. ‘What can I do now?’ she sobbed.
‘Can you tie a knot?’ said a thin, silvery voice from somewhere high above her head.
Katy stopped crying instantly and peered up into the darkness, but she could see nothing.
‘I said, can you tie a knot?’ repeated the voice.
‘Y— Yes,’ said Katy. ‘I learned them in Brownies.’
‘Then reach for the thread in front of you,’ said the voice. ‘Take the end of it, make a loop big enough for your foot, and tie it securely.’
Katy spread her hands out in front of her. Almost immediately she met with what seemed like a length of string dangling down from somewhere up above her. It was slightly sticky to the touch. Carefully, she found its end and tried to tie it into a loop, just as she had been told; but it was not so easy in the darkness and she managed it only on her fourth attempt.
‘I’ve done it,’ she whispered up towards the voice.
‘Good,’ it said. ‘Now, put one of your feet in the loop and grasp the thread above your head with both hands. Then, when you’re ready, give three tugs.’
Katy bent down and carefully slotted her right foot through the loop. Then she straightened up, grasped the thread above her head, and jerked it three times. Instantly, she was lifted smoothly from the floor and began to be carried up, up, up, into the darkness. And not a moment too soon. Looking below, she could see yellow, flickering lights approaching in the distance and she could hear the sounds of search — snuffling and sniffing — getting closer all the time.
‘Quick!’ she hissed to whoever was up above her. ‘They’re coming. Pull me up faster.’
‘Don’t worry. You’re nearly there, now,’ said the voice calmly. ‘They’ll not find you up here. Let go with one hand and reach out for the ledge. When you find it, grasp it with both hands and pull yourself in.’
Katy did as she was told and, moments later, she had reached safety. Around her was another cave, but it was quite unlike the one she had just left behind. For a start, it was filled with a pale kind of light which seemed to be coming from the rock which arched high above her. It was not like daylight but neither was it like electric light. It had a greenish tinge and it lit the walls around her. And it was the walls which made her gasp and held her spell bound. They were studded with gems of every kind and colour imaginable. In our world, gems do not look at all special until they have been cut and polished, but that is not so in Shalanor. There were sapphires of icy blue, creamy chalcedonies, yellow and green garnets, purple amethysts, rubies of deepest red, sea-green emeralds, jaspers, beryls, heliotropes, and fire opals of deepest orange. Katy did not know their names, of course, but she thrilled just the same to their splendour and their beauty. It was as if the whole cave was festooned with twinkling, coloured Christmas lights. ‘Oh,’ she breathed. ‘Oh, wow!’
‘Pretty, aren’t they?’ said the silvery voice behind her.
Enraptured by the sight which had greeted her, Katy had forgotten her rescuer. Now she turned, and immediately let out a shriek; for standing in front of her was the most enormous spider she had ever seen. It was at least half a metre high with eight hairy legs and a dark brown body covered with creamy markings.
The spider looked a little hurt. ‘No need for that,’ it said. ‘Among my own kind, I’m considered to be something of a beauty, you know.’ It ran two of its legs together, straightening the hairs on one of them. ‘"Estria," they say, "How do you do it? How do you keep looking so young?" "A proper diet," I tell them. "That’s the secret. Fresh flies. Not stuff that’s been in the web for weeks." But they don’t really pay any attention, you know. They just carry on in the same old way ...’
As the spider talked, Katy relaxed a little; though she did hope that Estria, or whatever her name was, wouldn’t make any sudden movements in her direction.
‘Now,’ said the spider. ‘I assume you are the Daughter of Earth I was told to watch out for?’
‘I’m Katy,’ said Katy. ‘I’m a girl.’
‘That’s what I thought,’ said Estria. ‘A Daughter of Earth, or Tellus as we sometimes call her. So — I must set you on your way without any more ado.’
‘Are you going to show me how to get back to the cellar?’ asked Katy.
‘Where the path leads, I do not know,’ said the spider. ‘But it is His path and all His paths are true and right for those who walk in them.’
‘Who is "He"?’ asked Katy.
‘The One who called you from your world into this,’ said Estria.
‘No one called us,’ said Katy. ‘We were exploring the cellar in our new home and we just found ourselves here.’
‘Believe me, child,’ said the spider. ‘Unless Elyon had called you, you would not be here in Shalanor. All things are in His hands. Now, no more questions. We must be on our way. But first you must choose a stone.’
‘Choose a stone?’ said Katy. ‘What kind of stone?’
The spider waved one of her legs at the walls of the cave. ‘Whatever kind pleases you,’ she said.
Katy let her eyes feast on the glittering array of gems before her. It was very hard to choose between so many when each was as lovely as the next but in a different way. She saw a blood-red ruby as big as an egg and reached for that, but then drew back. Then she saw a massive diamond, cold as ice; but again, as she was about to take it, she paused. Finally, her eyes alighted on a small but brilliant, pale green stone which burned like fire and — certain of her choice this time — she plucked the gem from the rock and laid it in her hand.
‘You have chosen well,’ said the spider. ‘Now put it carefully in your pocket and guard it with your life. Tell no one of it — no one, remember. And, however right it might seem to do otherwise, neither reveal it nor use it until you hear the cry "Let stone return to stone!"; for on that stone and on what you do with it hangs the fate of all Shalanor. Come, follow me.’
Together they left the treasure cave and made their way through a dark, narrow tunnel which climbed and twisted upwards through the rock. Many a time it forked and branched but the spider never faltered as she led the way. Soon, Katy could feel cool, fresh air on her face, and Estria halted.
‘You must go on alone from here, Daughter of Earth,’ she said. ‘Outside lies Witton Heights.’
‘And what will happen when I get outside?’ asked Katy.
‘That I do not know,’ said the spider. ‘But I do know that you will be told what you must do. And I know too that, if you do as you are told, all will be very well. Now go, child — and, remember, tell no one of what you carry in your pocket.’ With that, the spider turned and vanished back into the darkness while, reluctantly, Katy went forward into the unknown.
She did not have far to go. Soon, heather blocked her way and, pushing through it, she found herself on a high hilltop. But — oh — the disappointment! She had expected to emerge into the bright light of day, but, instead, she had left one kind of darkness for another. There, outside, it was night! Above her, stars twinkled in a clear sky and a light wind tugged at her anorak.
She looked around her, feeling very alone and afraid, and wished Estria had not left her. Even a spider was better company than no company at all. The top of the hill was flat and empty except for a high outcrop of rock which she could make out in the darkness over to her left. ‘You’ll be told what you must do,’ the spider had said; but who was going to tell her? There was no one here. Perhaps she had arrived early? Or perhaps whoever was going to meet her was late?
She walked to the edge of the hilltop and tried to see if anyone was approaching from below, but she could make nothing out in the darkness. Though she was wearing her anorak, she began to feel cold and shivered a little.
‘Perhaps I’ll be warmer if I shelter against those rocks,’ she thought.
When she got close to them, she found that they were bigger and smoother than they had first seemed. They were covered in moss and fine, long grass; and that made them very soft. Katy sat with her back against them, drawing her legs up to her chin, and putting her arms around her knees. She thought she would try singing to keep her courage up, but the only song which she could bring to mind was Kumbaya. She had almost reached the end of the first verse when she thought that she could hear — though only faintly and at a great distance — the sound of a flute or pipe accompanying her; but when she stopped there was no sound but that of the wind in the grass. She did not try to sing again because the frail sound of her own voice in all that silence and darkness had made her feel more alone than ever. So she just sat quietly and waited. She was facing east and eventually, as she watched, she saw the sky begin to change from black to grey and the stars (except for one big one very close to the horizon) grow faint. Then the grey turned to silver and the silver turned to pink as dawn began to break over the distant hills.
‘Are you quite comfortable, little one?’ said the richest, warmest voice that Katy had ever heard in her life. It came from somewhere up above her head.
She gasped with shock, leaped to her feet and turned. There sitting on top of the highest of the rocks, lit by the rising sun, was — well — Katy did not know who, or what, he was. Even though he was seated, she could tell that he was tall — very tall; and from his waist upward he looked almost human. But as for the rest of him! His flanks and thighs were covered with hair — long, thick, creamy-coloured hair — but his lower legs were narrow and almost hairless and ended in small, neat, cloven hoofs. And he had a tail — a long, thin tail which was draped over the rock beside him and which ended in a huge tuft of the same creamy-coloured hair. The human parts of him — his broad shoulders and strong arms and great, deep chest — were tanned by the sun, as was his face. And it was his face that Katy could not take her eyes from. His hair was a mass of short, golden curls and out of it there protruded two, small horns — one on each side of his forehead — spiralled, ivory-coloured and slightly curved. His nose was quite long and straight, and his mouth was wide and generous. As Katy stared at him, it broke into a smile and showed neat, white teeth. His beard, like his hair, was gold and curly. And his eyes were brown and deep and kind, and full of light and joy. In his hand he held a set of pipes which, though they looked like reed pipes, were made of gold; and, as Katy continued to gaze at him in awe, he put these to his mouth and played a bar or two of Kumbaya.
‘Oh!’ cried Katy. ‘So I did hear someone playing when I was singing. It was you.’
‘Yes, it was me,’ agreed the faun (for that is what he was). He stood up and bounded down the rocks like a mountain goat. ‘Come,’ he said. ‘Take my hand and let us walk together for a while.’
Katy looked at the large hand held out to her. Then she looked at the horns and the tail and the cloven hoofs. And she hesitated.
‘You won’t hurt me, will you?’ she said.
The faun’s face fell and his smile faded. ‘They say it is a dreadful thing to fall into my hands,’ he said. ‘But it is an even more dreadful thing to refuse them. Come!’
Cautiously, Katy moved forward and lifted her hand to his. Then she looked within his palm and drew back. ‘Oh!’ she said. ‘Oh, how cruel! Does it hurt?’
‘It hurts,’ answered the faun.
‘Who did it to you?’ asked Katy.
‘Maybe one day you will find out,’ said the faun. ‘But not now. Tell me — are we going to be friends?
‘Yes,’ said Katy; and then, more decisively, ‘Yes, please!’ She put her small hand in his large one and looked up into his great, strong face. He bent towards her and kissed her lightly on her forehead, and at once she felt life and warmth and joy come bubbling up within her.
‘What’s your name?’ she asked happily.
‘Here, in Shalanor, I am called Elyon,’ he said. ‘But I have other names in other worlds.’
‘Elyon,’ said Katy. ‘The spider — Estria I think her name is — said that you called Simon and me to this world.’
‘Then she spoke truly,’ said Elyon.
‘But we didn’t hear you call,’ said Katy.
‘You did not hear any words,’ agreed Elyon. ‘But you saw the door I showed you, and you obeyed the urge to open it and to explore. That was my call.’
‘Wasn’t it a real door, then?’ asked Katy. ‘Simon said he thought it was funny that none of us had noticed it before.’
‘It was real when you saw it,’ replied Elyon. ‘But you may not always see it. It is only one of many strange things about that house which your father and mother have bought. The lady who died there now lives in my country — beyond the Gates of Dawn — but once she was a great queen here in Shalanor. Queen Maud is her name. And in your world she was a Guardian of the Way — the Way to Shalanor that you and Simon have travelled.
Then Katy asked a question which she was almost too scared to ask. ‘Elyon,’ she said. ‘Is Simon safe?’
‘Presently, he is safe,’ said Elyon. ‘He has escaped his captivity with the aid of a friend. But, soon, he will again be in grave danger. However, when he needs it, help will be at hand — and so will you.’
‘Will you be with us?’ asked Katy.
‘I am with you always,’ said Elyon. ‘But you will not always see me — and often you may doubt that I am there.’
As they had talked together, the sun had risen in the sky and now it stood high above them. Elyon let go of Katy’s hand and walked to the edge of the hilltop. Katy watched him; then she took off her anorak. ‘It’s summer here. I don’t need that anymore!’ she told herself.
‘The time has come to summon aid,’ said Elyon, looking east. ‘You had better cover your ears.’
Katy put her hands to her head. Elyon raised his pipes to his mouth and blew a single, low note which began softly but then grew in strength and intensity until even the ground beneath their feet began to vibrate.
‘See!’ said Elyon presently, and he pointed into the sun.
Screwing up her eyes against the glare, Katy looked and saw a tiny speck which was getting larger as it came towards them.
‘Aquila, the eagle,’ said Elyon. ‘He will carry you to your brother.’ The faun turned and looked to where Katy had thrown her jacket on the ground. ‘But before he arrives, is there not something which you need to do?’ he said quietly.
Puzzled, Katy followed Elyon’s eyes. Then, suddenly, she realised what he meant and colour flooded into her cheeks. ‘Oh, no! Elyon, I’m so sorry,’ she said. ‘I’d completely forgotten about the —’
‘Sh!’ said Elyon, laying a finger to his lips. ‘You were told to tell no one of your secret. Do now what you should have done before — and learn to be faithful in the small things as well as in the great.’ Then he turned away and looked back into the eastern sky.
Quickly, Katy took the pale, green gem from her jacket pocket and tucked it safely in the pocket of her jeans. ‘I’m ready now, Elyon,’ she said.
‘Good,’ said Elyon. ‘For here is Aquila.’