My first novel, The Secret Power Beneath, was released in August 2011.
It’s the story of an underground nation that has remained hidden from the world and has been able to become more technologically advanced than anywhere on earth due to the discovery and development of an inexhaustible form of energy. This nation, however, is under threat from internal pressures, and one of its most important citizens is struggling to ensure its survival.
When two young vacationers accidentally stumble across this nation, they are taken captive and become involved in events that threaten themselves, the nation itself, and the secret source of energy that powers it.
Below are the first few chapters.
Chapter 1. A Dilemma
How do you choose between your family and your duty to your people?
Hans Swensen had been having a difficult time sleeping lately, and tonight was no different. A showdown was coming. He would have to say something that was going to cause problems with members of his family. He had received many opportunities by virtue of his family connections, and was regarded by his peers as being in a very privileged position. And truth be told, he had enjoyed his privileges with the honor and respect that came with them. But for the sake of his people he now felt compelled to say something; his nation was in danger and without drastic action they could perish.
Hans had got up from his bed and was now sitting in his favorite chair with his hands clasped under his chin. He had usually liked the quiet at home after his day’s work, but now he couldn’t enjoy the solitude. The pressure was too much.
He looked at a smiling picture of Frida on the wall. She was so carefree when she was younger, and as they grew older together she had always been encouraging and able to buoy him up. He missed her terribly, but in some ways he was glad that she would not be here to deal with the difficulties he was sure would be coming. She had always known the Nation to be a stable and secure place and had died largely unaware of the problems that Hans had known about for a long time. Why bring them up when he came home to Frida? There was no need to worry her.
Despite the advantages it had given him, Hans sometimes thought of his last name as being more of a curse than a blessing. Weekly he met with the Nation’s governing council which was chaired by his cousin, President Fredrick Swensen and he was becoming increasingly uncomfortable there.
Fredrick was in a position of unassailable power, and to disagree with him was considered unpatriotic, even treasonous, and as a consequence people generally kept quiet about any subject they knew would upset him.
But now Hans felt he could not keep silent. The survival of his people was at stake, something that was far more important than his own standing with his cousin. Hans knew it would not be pleasant — but the time had come to make a stand. If he did not, then nothing would change, and Hans felt he would be responsible for the consequences if he stayed silent. He could not waver any longer.
Things have to change — I will put the wheels in motion and stand up to Fredrick.
His mind now made up, Hans went back to his bed and fell asleep.
Chapter 2. A Holiday
It was a dreary day to start the long-awaited holiday and Will did not want to go. The clouds were low, and the north wind brought in chilly air along with intermittent patches of drizzle. Marcus Duncan, Will’s father, had been outside since about six o’clock finishing up packing the van and sorting things out in the garden.
The Duncans were getting ready for three weeks of living in a remote and serene location in Norway, and Will’s parents were hoping the trip might do something to bring together a family which they feared was drifting apart.
These days, Will didn’t talk much with his parents or siblings. When he was home he tended to eat his meals quickly and silently and retreat to his room at every opportunity, preferring to be on his own than around his sisters whom he really didn’t understand, and his parents who always seemed to be wanting him to do things he disliked (such as helping his mother sort recyclables, or washing the van for his father).
Will was almost eighteen and just didn’t feel like socializing much with his family, preferring the connection with the online world where he could chat with friends, listen to music, watch sports and explore his own interests.
One of the reasons that Will was not looking forward to the vacation was that he would be losing his links to the online world. The place they would be staying did not have internet access, and Will was not going to have phone service. When he complained about this to his parents they told him that this was part of the plan; they wanted this to be a vacation where they would be working, playing, exploring and talking together.
We really don’t do that kind of stuff, thought Will. He loved his family, but spending time with them in close quarters for a month was not appealing.
Will had one thing that took him away from his electronic media: running. He was a talented long distance runner, the best in his school and one of the best of his age group in the region. According to his coach, Will had the talent to be competitive at the national level.
Recently, however, he had been neglecting his running. He had been skipping practice at the athletic club, and had not been running regularly on his own as much lately, something which had been an almost daily habit for the last three years.
His father had been trying to encourage him to keep active, but recently it had been a losing battle for Marcus. “Leave me alone!” “I’m tired,” or “It’s my business!” were Will’s typical responses to his father’s urgings.
David Duncan, Marcus’ brother, was a geologist who worked for PSI Petroleum, an international oil company heavily involved in exploration worldwide. David had been stationed in Norway for about a year, and had recently become very friendly with a local officer in the company who had offered David the use of a cabin he owned in the north of Norway without charge. Knowing his brother and sister-in-law were very keen on the outdoors, he asked if they would like to spend three weeks with him at the cabin during the spring.
The offer was gladly accepted by Marcus and Julie. They saw this as an opportunity to reconnect as a family and hoped that an extended break together would be good for the family.
While Marcus was outside packing his wife Julie was scrubbing down the kitchen counters.
“No one’s going to be using the kitchen for the next month, Mum!” said her fifteen year-old daughter Natalie running into the kitchen. “Why worry about making it spick and span?”
“I want to have something to look forward to when we come home, Nat,” said her mother “There’s nothing worse than coming back from a holiday and having lots of housework staring you in the face. Besides, Mrs. Courtney will be coming in to check on the pets and water the plants, and I want to make things easy for her.”
Will rushed into the kitchen, looking around frantically. “Has anyone seen my phone?” he asked. “I was using in the kitchen last night.”
“I put it in your backpack, Will” said Julie. “I didn’t want you to leave it behind. It’s over there in the corner — the phone’s in the inside pocket.”
Will went over and felt inside the pocket to make sure it was there. “Oh, okay. That’s a relief. Well I suppose I’m ready then. Are we going to be leaving soon?”
“I think we’re getting there. Nat, are you ready?” asked Julie.
“I’ve been ready for hours. Can we just get going?” said Natalie a little desperately.
“Very soon. Can you two go around the house and make sure that everything is unplugged. You need to check the television, the computer and . . .”
“I’ve already done that. Dad asked me earlier. The only thing left was Sally’s TV and she said she wasn’t going to turn it off until we were ready to leave.”
“Sally!” Julie shouted up the stairs. “Come on, darling. It’s time to go! Turn off the television — and unplug it!”
“Finally!” said Sally running down the stairs a few seconds later. “Why does it take so long for people to get out of a house?”
“There’s a lot to do to leave the house for three weeks,” said her mother “Here’s your coat, and here’s your backpack. Now go out to the van. Will, Nat. Come on, let’s get going.”
They went out of the back door and into the driveway where Marcus was rearranging the back of the van. Will climbed into the very back seat and put is feet up.
“Can I sit next to you, Will?” asked Sally.
“No, I’m here and I need to stretch out — I’m tired.” Will unpacked his phone and put his headphones on.
“Will. Please! You haven’t done anything with me for ages — I just want to sit next to you.”
“No, Sally — you’re going to see plenty of me over the next few weeks — I just want to sleep now.”
The idea of being cooped up with his family for so long was really becoming oppressive. He thought if he put his headphones on and closed his eyes he might get some peace. It worked; Sally gave up and sat next to Natalie in front of Will. As Marcus pulled out of the driveway the rain began to fall more heavily.
It wasn’t long until they were on the motorway heading south to Manchester. It was a typical wet English day; the clouds were low, obscuring the tops of the hills they drove past and the busy traffic kicked up a constant spray on the roads. Will didn’t really mind — he found the rhythm of the windshield wipers and the hiss of the wet road rather hypnotic, and his fake sleep soon turned into real slumber.
Will was awoken by the van stopping. He sat up and noticed that the rain had stopped and his mother was standing outside the van hugging someone. He remembered that they were going to meet with his Uncle Tom and his Aunt Dawn in a service station outside Manchester so Tom could drop them off at the airport and take their van to his house to save some money on parking. Tom climbed into the van and sat down next to Will on the back seat.
“Hey that’s not fair, Uncle Tom,” said Sally, pouting a bit. “Will wouldn’t let me sit next to him, but he lets you!”
“I don’t get to see him as much as you though, do I, Sally,” said Tom smiling. “I’ll tell you what, you come and sit next to me and we’ll all sit on the back row together! You’re not going to mind, are you, Will?”
Will didn’t object. He really liked his uncle and didn’t want to look petty in front of him. Tom was one of the reasons that Will had started running when he was twelve years old. Tom had been a star athlete as a youth and was now a marathon runner. He’d seen that Will was a talented runner and had encouraged him to join the local club.
“So how is running going, Will?” asked Tom.
“It’s going okay,” said Will. He felt rather ashamed about slacking off now Tom was talking to him.
“That’s good,” said Tom. Will suspected his dad had been talking to Tom. “Just keep it up — you can go far if you work hard.”
“And how are you, Natalie?” said Tom gently tugging on his niece’s hair in front of him. “You’re looking more beautiful every time I see you!”
Natalie turned around and smiled. “I’m fine,” she said.
“Come on Julie,” said Marcus. Julie and Dawn were talking and laughing outside the van. “We have a plane to catch.”
Julie gave Dawn another hug, and got back into the van. Dawn stuck her head through the opened door. “Have a great holiday everyone! I’m really jealous of you all — I wish we were doing this.”
I wish it was you instead of me, thought Will.
“See you at home, Tom,” said Dawn.
Dawn waved goodbye to the Duncans as Marcus pulled back onto the motorway.
“Hey Marcus, I was talking to David just before we left to meet you here,” said Tom loudly from the back seat. “He said some things had come up at work and that he might be quite busy while you are there. Apparently there has been some strange seismic activity going on near where you are going to be staying — stuff that the oil exploration team have never seen before in Norway.”
“Where are they exploring?” asked Marcus.
“Somewhere inland at the moment — they’re getting weird readings from their seismographs – which is strange because Norway is not a geologically unstable area. Anyway, he told me they were going to do some exploring in that region to find out what might be going on.”
“Well I hope we’re able to see something of him while we’re there,” said Julie. “It’s been years since we’ve spent much time with him.”
“Me too,” said Natalie. “I haven’t seen Uncle David since I was twelve. He’s always really fun.”
“Much more fun than me, I’m sure,” said Tom, poking Natalie in the back.
“I didn’t mean that, Uncle Tom,” laughed Natalie, “But we get to see you all the time!”
The traffic was really getting thicker now they were close to Manchester, and there were numerous times they came to a standstill, but at last they arrived at the airport with enough time to spare.
There was a lot of luggage to unpack. Marcus had tried to make sure that they would have equipment for all possible activities, so there were six large suitcases along with four soft bags packed with all kinds of clothes, equipment and supplies they might need.
They said their goodbyes to Tom who drove the van away. The security checks were long and tedious as usual, but in time the luggage was checked and they cleared passport control. They found their gate and a place to sit with still an hour and a half until departure.
Sally was excited and fidgety as her parents tried to keep her from wandering too far away from them. Will listened to music while browsing a copy of a newspaper that someone had left. He wouldn’t be getting much news in English for a while, he figured. Natalie sat by her mother and rested her head on her shoulder trying to sleep.
Finally the flight to Copenhagen was announced. The Duncan family gathered together and Marcus distributed the passports. Before long they were on the plane and on their way.
Chapter 3. To Norway
The flight from Manchester to Copenhagen was uneventful. Sally, who insisted on having a window seat, sat next to her mother, and spent a lot of time looking out of the window trying to identify locations below them, but cloud cover prevented that most of the time.
Natalie sat next to her father who was reading a guidebook about Norway. Marcus was planning kayaking trips and hikes that the family could take in the fjords and mountains close to where they would be staying and he tried to get Natalie excited about all the things they could do.
“Do I have to go with you on all these trips?” asked Natalie.
“Why would you not want to go, Nat?” responded Marcus. “This is going to be a holiday of a lifetime — you should make the most of it. You’ll regret it if you miss out on the adventure.”
“I’m tired thinking about it all, Dad. I just want to relax and unwind. Isn’t that what a holiday is for?”
“You know what they say, Natalie, a change is as good as a rest. I think you’ll find the fresh air and exercise will do you a world of good — more refreshing than doing nothing.”
Natalie didn’t respond. She had laid her head back on her headrest and closed her eyes. She didn’t want to think of the exertion right now, and didn’t feel like arguing with her father. Before long she was asleep.
After about an hour and a half the descent into Copenhagen began. They were finally able to see out a little as the plane descended through the clouds. The city is on the edge on an island and the airport is right next to the sea. For a while the approach to the runway was completely over water which gives a rather disconcerting feeling as plane gets lower and lower with no sign of solid ground below, but at the last minute the airport appears.
The six hour layover was just something to be endured. They set up camp at the gate where their flight would eventually leave from. One person would stay with the bags at all times giving the others the chance to wander around the airport. The one rule was that Sally was not to go anywhere alone.
“Why can’t I do something by myself?” she complained. “Will and Natalie can do whatever they want and I’m always treated like a baby!”
“You are only nine, Sally. This is a strange place, you don’t know the language, and we don’t want anything to happen to you” answered Marcus.
“Come on Sal,” said Natalie standing up. “I have some euros that Mrs. Courtney gave me before we left. Let’s see what kinds of snacks they have in the shops here.”
“Goody!” Sally’s face brightened as she took her sister’s hand and they headed off together towards the main concourse.
“If only Natalie was like that more often” said Julie to Marcus. “Sometimes she’s the only one who can pacify Sally.”
The time in the airport went by slowly as it always does. Will wandered around the airport alone, watching TVs here and there, and observing people, shops and sometimes the aircraft. His phone was pretty much useless to him now as it was not set up to work outside the UK. He’d asked his parents if they could upgrade so it would work while he was away, but they wouldn’t pay for it — they said they couldn’t afford to, and besides, it would defeat the purpose of the family trip if he spent his time texting, chatting and surfing all the time. As he walked through the airport he found himself habitually checking for messages, but of course none were there. He felt different without being constant communication — a bit lost, but somehow a little freer.
He bumped into Natalie and Sally in a gift shop. Sally wanted to try some Danish chocolate, so Natalie had bought a bar for her. Sally snapped a piece off and held it out to Will. “Because I love you,” she said with a bright smile.
“Thanks, Sally.” Will was surprised. It wasn’t common for her to do something like this, but he thought it was very sweet of her.
“Let’s go and look around the shops, Sal,” said Natalie.
The two sisters walked around looking at clothes, gifts, food, perfume (testing some) and even tobacco products. They wandered slowly from store to store browsing leisurely without buying anything. The main purpose was to kill time, which they had plenty of.
Will looked around too, but was more interested in finding things to read. Without a computer he kept looking for abandoned newspapers — but most of those he found were not in English. After half an hour the girls decided to go back to the gate where Marcus and Julie were sitting.
Time crept on. They sat and read, got up and walked around, sat again, walked again, on a continuous basis. Finally, Natalie lay on the floor next to the seats where they had settled and fell asleep. Sally lay next to her but couldn’t fall asleep. She ended up just kicking her feet up and down in a monotonous rhythm that was almost mournful.
Julie looked at the clock. “Four more hours of this” she sighed, exasperated.
Somehow, however, the time passed, and at 6:33 p.m. the Duncan family was on the plane to Oslo.
Chapter 4. To the Cabin
As soon as the family cleared customs at Trondheim airport David Duncan, a tall, burly man with light brown curly hair and a beard was at the front of the group waiting for the arriving passengers. He smiled broadly when he saw his family emerge from the crowd and grabbed his younger brother and gave him a bear hug. “You look good, Marc!”
“You do too, Dave — but what’s this on your chin?” He tugged on his brother’s beard. “And look here! I think you’re turning grey!”
“Getting older, getting older — and I’m feeling it!” David said with a laugh.
He then turned to the rest of the family and hugged each one of them. When it was Sally’s turn he picked her up. “You’re all grown up” her uncle exclaimed. “I can’t believe how tall you are!”
Sally laughed “Your beard is tickling me Uncle David!”
He put her down. “Sorry, Sally. I know I look a bit different since you last saw me. The beard helps when I’m out on the boats — that North Sea wind can be awfully cold. Now come on, let’s get your luggage — we still have quite a drive ahead of us.”
It took quite a while for them long to collect all their baggage and get it onto carts. “It’s a good thing that I borrowed a company van,” said David. “There’s no way I could have got all this in my little car with all of you. Come on, this way!”
David led them out of the baggage claim area and over the road to the parking area. It was a beautiful evening. There were only a few wispy clouds and barely a breeze. In the distance were ranges of snow-peaked mountains.
They soon found the van, which had two bench seats in the back and plenty of room for the luggage.
“Can I sit up front with you, Uncle David?” asked Sally.
“I don’t see why not. We need time to catch up on news, don’t we? Is that okay with you, Marc?”
“Fine with me,” said Marcus.
“There’s room for you, or Julie — three seatbelts,” said David, climbing in the driver’s seat.
Natalie wanted her mother to sit by her, so Marcus took the other front seat. Will once again chose the back seat. He wasn’t looking forward to yet another leg of this journey, but least now he had room to stretch out. Although he was tired he sat up and looked out at the scenery.
The journey to the cabin took them along the water’s edge for much of the ride and they drove through some of the most spectacular landscapes Will had ever seen. He was used to seeing the hills and fells of the English Lake District which always seemed grand and lofty, but they were small compared to these mountains which rose up like giants from the fjord’s edge, with their steep sides covered with tall evergreen trees. They passed neat and picturesque wooden houses, many painted with bright colors, very unlike the stone and brick homes of England.
Sally and Marcus seemed happy to be in the front with David, who showed lots of interest in his niece, asking her about school, books and movies she liked and food she enjoyed. Sally obviously like the attention and was happy to fill David in on her likes and dislikes.
“Tom told us that you have to be busy over the next little while,” said Marcus.
“Yes, I’m really sorry about this,” said David, “I’d planned to take some extended time off while you were here. But I’ve received an assignment to check out some strange geological activity south of here. We usually don’t do any oil or gas exploration in the interior, but we’ve been asked to go over there to see if we can find out what is going on.”
“What kind of activity?” asked Marcus.
“Well we’re not exactly sure, but there have been measurements of earth movement deep under a mountain range, which is quite unusual for this part of the world. The company thinks it might be worth exploring – we often find oil fields near geologic faults.”
“Hey Will,” David turned his head to the side and raised his voice. “How would you like to come with me and do some exploring tomorrow?”
Will hadn’t been listening to David and his father. “What for?”
“We don’t really know — my company has been getting some interesting geological readings and they’ve asked me and one of my colleagues to go to some mountains to check it out. There’s snow up there, so it will mean some skiing.”
Will perked up a bit. He’d skied a little before and enjoyed it.
“Yeah . . . that sounds cool.”
“Great. Oh, sorry, I forgot to ask — is that okay with you, Marc and Julie?” asked David.
Will’s parents looked at each other and nodded. “That would be great, David,” said Julie “Just the kind of thing that Will would like.”
“Uncle David . . . ?” Natalie said, hesitating.
“Yes, Natalie . . .?” David imitated.
“Would it be ok . . . if I came too? I’d like to ski and see some mountains.”
“Well, I wouldn’t mind — but you better ask your parents about that.”
“Please, Dad — I really would like to try,” whispered Natalie in Marcus’ ear.
“Well cross country skiing is hard work . . .”
“Dad!” Natalie was indignant “I’m strong enough! — Remember all the hiking we did last summer? I was ahead you most of the way!”
“I think you’d do fine, Nat,” said her mother, “Besides, you and Will need to spend some time together.”
“Well, why not — it should be fun,” said Marcus.
Sally turned around and looked at her mother; her face had flushed a little. “But what about me?” she said in a slightly cracking quiet voice. “How come they get to have all the fun?”
“I’m sorry, Sally,” said David, “You’re a bit too young yet for this kind of trip.”
Sally turned away from her uncle and buried her head in her father’s side.
“But I tell you what we will do, Sally,” said David. “When we get back tomorrow it will still be light, and you and me — just you and me — will go out fishing on my boat.”
Sally unburied her face. “Really?”
“Yes, really. There won’t be room for your brother and sister — not with all the fish we’re going to catch!”
Sally beamed with excitement. “I can’t wait!”
“Now look ahead, everyone,” said David, “I can see the cabin!”
Ahead of them to the right of the road was a field which sloped gently to the water’s edge. Through the middle of the field ran a driveway which led to a small wooden house only a few yards from the water. David turned off the hard surface and onto the narrow gravel road.
It was nearly ten o’clock and the light was fading but it was still light enough to see the magnificent setting. Behind them towered the wooded slopes and the lush green field around the cabin spread out like a carpet. The water of the fjord was perfectly calm and reflected the mountains on the far side. In front of the house was a jetty with a small boat moored to it.
“Is that the boat, Uncle David?” asked Sally as the van pulled up to the cabin.
“Yes, that’s her — she’s called Solveig.”
“That’s a strange name,” said Sally, unbuckling her seatbelt. “Can I go and see her?”
“Yes, go right ahead, but don’t get in.”
“I won’t” said Sally as she climbed over her father who had just opened the van door. She jumped out and ran down to the jetty.
“She’s excited!” said David, smiling.
“You saved the day, I think David,” said Julie. “She was not happy to be left out of the ski trip.”
“Well I can think quickly when I have to,” laughed David. “Now we better get this van unloaded before it gets too dark.”
“Can we go out for a ride now, Uncle David!” shouted Sally from the jetty. “It’s still light enough!”
“Not tonight, Sally,” Julie shouted back. “Come on back here and help us move our things in!”
The cabin was clean and attractive, but quite basic. It was made entirely of wood, with just a few woven mats on the floor to give it color. There were two bedrooms, a loft area above the kitchen where David slept, a kitchen/dining room, a small living room and a bathroom.
Will was not very happy to discover that he would have to share a room with his sisters — something he hadn’t done since he was a small boy. He took the top bunk and hoped to be able to stay out of the girls’ way up there.
As he was unpacking his backpack, Will discovered that his phone charger was not in the pocket with his phone. He dug through every section of the pack but couldn’t find it. He then remembered that his mother was the one to put his phone away. He jumped off his bed to look for her and found her unpacking things in her room.
“Mum, did you pack my phone charger?”
Julie looked at him with a rather dazed expression.
“Umm, no . . . I don’t think so. I found your phone by the toaster and just put it in the backpack – why, can’t you find it?
“No, I’ve looked everywhere. It was in the kitchen, and I thought you had packed it with the phone.”
Will let out a sigh of despair. “I’m going to have to go this whole holiday without any music now! It’s bad enough not having phone or internet – but no music, too?”
“I’m sorry, Will. I didn’t think about the charger,” said Julie meekly.
“I can’t believe it!” shouted Will. He left his parents’ room and stormed outside.
It was almost completely dark now, but a faint light still glowed in the western sky. He walked down to the jetty and sat cross-legged on the wooden boards, his head in his hands. How was he going to manage these next three weeks?
Will lay back and looked up at the sky. The stars were beginning show and the coolness of the night was settling in. He couldn’t help notice how peaceful things were here. No streetlights, little traffic, no close neighbors and spectacular scenery. He didn’t want to admit it, but perhaps music wasn’t so important right now after all.
For about fifteen minutes, he lay there on the gently rocking dock with his hands behind his head, absorbing his surroundings. He heard the hoot of an owl from the mountains behind him and the footsteps of some creature — perhaps a deer — in a thicket of trees away to his right. The spell was broken by the voice of his father.
“Come on in, Will. We’re having supper!”
The family was at the kitchen table.
“Come and sit down, Will,” said David. “Make yourself a sandwich before you go to bed. We need to be up early in the morning so we can get to the mountains in good time.”
Will sat down and put together a sandwich. It was a little strange to be eating as a family so late at night, but Will realized they hadn’t had a meal since they were in Copenhagen and he was quite hungry.
“I’m excited about tomorrow, Will,” said Natalie. “Dad has put some stuff on the chair over there for us to take in the morning.”
“I’ve tried to think of everything you might need — your ski pants, backpacks, snacks, gloves, hats,” said Marcus. “So when you get up you can just grab your stuff and go.”
“What time are we starting?” asked Will.
“I want to be out of here by 6:30,” said David. “We’re picking up my co-worker Svein in Trondheim at 8 o’clock. We should be at the Skarvans by 9:30”
“What are the Skarvans?” asked Natalie.
“The range of mountains we’re going to. They’re about an hour away from Trondheim. That’s where this strange geological activity seems to be originating. We’re just going to take a look and get an idea of what could possibly be happening. The company is always interested in unusual things going on in the rocks, it could mean the possibility of new deposits of oil.”
“You wouldn’t drill for oil in the mountains would you?” asked Will.
“No. We couldn’t drill there, it’s a Norwegian National Park.” said David. “We’re mainly interested in understanding the geological aspects of the area. Drilling for oil is a lot of guesswork, and any clues we can find can help us figure out good places to drill. Plus, this part of Norway is not normally very active — and we want to maybe understand a bit more about what’s going on there.”
David stood up and took his plate to the sink. “Now get to bed nephew and nieces! You’ll need your sleep.”
“I don’t need to get up early,” said Sally. “I can stay up as long as I want.”
“It’s way past your bedtime, Sally,” said Marcus. “Come on, off to bed with you.”
“But I’m not tired, Daddy!”
“Well I am, and you will be! Come on, let’s put you to bed,” said Marcus.
Marcus stood up and picked Sally up from her chair and slung her over his shoulder. Sally giggled.
“Uncle David, don’t forget tomorrow night! You promised me a boat ride,” said Sally.
“I won’t forget, Sally. We’ll be back by eight o’clock.”
“You better!” said Sally.
“Sally! Don’t be rude to your uncle,” chided her mother.
“It’s alright Julie — we have a deal and she’s just making sure I keep my end of it,” said David. “Goodnight, Sally. See you tomorrow evening if you’re not awake when we leave.”
Chapter 5. Skiing
Sally wasn’t awake when Will and Natalie left with David. They retraced their drive of the previous evening and stopped on the outskirts of Trondheim to pick up Svein. He looked like the kind of person who would be interested in examining seismology charts. He was tall, bespectacled, and slightly balding and seemed much more serious than David. He greeted Will and Natalie with a weak handshake and a formal nod of the head, but not much of a smile.
Svein sat in the front of the van with David as they drove away from the city and into the countryside. Svein had brought maps with him and he and David were discussing the location they wanted to pinpoint. They plotted the target area on Svein’s GPS and decide on a place where they should park the van.
The road from Trondheim climbed steadily, winding sometimes through forests and sometimes open land. They passed through scenic villages and by lovely country homes and farms. Patches of snow started to appear in the fields and before long there was a fairly even covering of snow everywhere. After about two hours of driving they reached the parking area that David and Svein had decided on and they climbed out of the van and looked around.
They were in an open snow-covered plain ringed by mountains and dotted by patches of forest. “That’s the area we’re heading towards,” Svein said, pointing to a mountainous area that seemed to be many miles away beyond a large area of trees. “There’s an easy ski path that runs through these woods that will take us there. Now we need to get you both into your skis. I hope you are both fit — cross country skiing is hard work.”
“They are going to be fine. Will’s as fit as anyone I know,” said David, “and Natalie — well she’s just plain tough!’
Natalie smiled.
“Good,” said Svein seriously. “Then let’s get ready and on our way.”
“We need to be back here by six o’clock,” said David. “It’s 9:30 now, so that will give us eight and a half hours — which should be fine to do what we need to do.”
They each put on their skis and backpacks; David locked up the van, and they and started out along the track with Svein leading the way. The weather had been clear and sunny earlier, but clouds were moving in. It was cool, but not terribly cold, and after they got moving they were perfectly warm enough.
Will stayed close behind Svein and Natalie at first tried to keep up with them until she noticed that David was lagging behind a bit. She then hung back so he wouldn’t get too far behind the group. At one point Will and Svein stopped at the top of a steep section of the track so the others could catch up.
“How are you two doing?” shouted Svein, as Natalie and David neared the ridge.
“Fine,” said Natalie. “This is fun!”
“It’s fine for you fit young things.” David was smiling but breathing hard. “It’s been a while since I did any skiing. Maybe I’m getting too old for this!”
“You’re not old Uncle David! You just need to get more exercise,” laughed Natalie.
“I need a rest,” said David, stopping and sitting on a rock. “Here, have something to eat.”
David pulled some granola bars out of his jacket pocket and passed them around.
The mountain ahead of them was looming larger on the horizon. “We should be there in about an hour if we keep up this pace,” said Svein.
“Sounds good to me, Svein,” said David. “I just hope it’s clear when we get there — I see more clouds in the west and I think they’re heading our way.”
“Yes, I had notice that,” said Svein. “Let’s try and pick up the pace a bit, so can get our work done while the weather still holds. It’s possible we could get our work done and get home early.”
“Sally would love that,” said David. “I’m sure she’s counting down the hours till we get home. Ok, let’s get back on the trail. Help me up would you, Will?”
David held a hand up and Will gave him a pull. David groaned as he stood up. “No sympathy for your old uncle!” said David, smiling.
The four of them continued on with Svein leading the way. Will tried to keep up. He had strength and stamina, but not the technique of Svein who seemed to glide effortlessly across the surface of the snow. Will’s motions were jerkier and he found that over time his arms were getting tired. Will took off his hat and gloves and tied his jacket around his waist, as it seemed to be getting warmer with the clouds increasing.
Svein was the first to reach the foot of the mountain. By the time the others reached him he had his skis off and was unpacking next to a large boulder. Svein passed around paper bag full of mackerel sandwiches which Will and Natalie were not really used to, but they ate them gladly following their strenuous journey.
David pulled out a laptop from his backpack and was studying the screen carefully.
“What’s the computer for, Uncle David?” asked Natalie.
“This is what we use as our seismograph. It’s very sensitive and can detect even slight movements below the earth. It’s lightweight and there’s plenty of battery life so it suits our purposes today. It seems to be working fine.”
Svein was looking up at the mountain. “David, I think I’ve found the perfect way for us to get even closer to the heart of the mountain for the best readings. Look up there, there’s a path that runs across this south slope over to those cliffs. It should be a good place for recording, and also examining the rock formations.”
“Sounds good Svein,” said David. “But could you give me a little time to rest first.”
“Fine. Let’s get moving in five minutes,” said Svein.
“Only five minutes! You’re killing me Svein,” said David lying back in the snow. Svein just smiled. David closed his eyes for a few minutes while Svein packed up lunch.
“Are you coming with us?” David asked Natalie and Will.
“Um, well … would you mind if I didn’t come,” said Natalie. “I hate heights — and it looks like it gets quite steep up there.”
“I’ll stay with you, Nat,” said Will, “I may do a little exploring around here.” Will didn’t like the idea of Natalie being all alone for hours at a time.
“Thanks, Will,” said Natalie. “That’s very nice of you.”
David and Svein left their skis with Will and Natalie and set off up a snow covered mountain path. Both men took their ski sticks with them to help steady them as they traversed the mountain. Will and Natalie watched them move steadily along, getting smaller and smaller until they were just dots on the face of the mountain. The clouds were lower than ever now, and the cliff that David and Svein were heading for was no longer visible.
Will and Natalie suddenly felt a jolt, and then heard a trembling.
“What was that?” asked Natalie, startled.
“I don’t know, but I can still feel it,” said Will. The ground below them was shaking slightly. “Maybe one of those tremors Uncle David has been talking about.”
The next sound came from above. It was like a fast train approaching from a distance. Will and Natalie looked up. At first they could see nothing, but suddenly from below the clouds they saw what looked like a wave breaking onto a beach. The rumbling sound rapidly increased to a roar and the sides of the mountain seemed to disintegrate as cracks appeared and great slabs of snow began to move ahead of the wave.
“Avalanche!” cried Will as he grabbed Natalie and pulled her back with him against the wall of the boulder where they set up their camp.
“Get down under the rock!” he shouted, his voice now difficult to hear against the roar above them.
They both crouched down on their knees with their heads against the rock. There was a sound like thunder now and suddenly they were engulfed within a whirring cloud of snow that stung their faces and ears. After about a minute the sound dissipated as rapidly as it had started and the clouds of snow diminished.
Natalie lifted her head. Everything was calm now.
“Uncle David!” she cried getting up on her feet.
They both stepped away from the boulder to look at the mountain. The slopes which had been smooth minutes were now rough and covered in huge lumps and chunks of snow and it was impossible to make out the path that Svein and David had been walking on.
“Oh no! They may have been buried, Will! What do we do?” Natalie was crying and trembling.
Will didn’t know what to do. Instinctively he pulled out his phone. It turned on, but he was unable to get any kind of service. “Why wouldn’t they let me transfer to a European plan!” he shouted. “We can’t get hold of anyone, even in an emergency!”
“They might be safe, Will — maybe they were far enough over that it missed them.” said Natalie looking at the mountain.
“Maybe, I hope so,” said Will, “But maybe not. We’re going to have to get help, Nat! We’ll never be able to find them ourselves. We need to get back to the road — and find someone who can call for help. Let’s get our skis on.”
They were going have to take a different route back because the path they had come up on was buried under huge mounds of snow.
“We’d be buried if it had come just a bit more this way,” said Will.
They really had been very fortunate, but their concern for David and Svein overrode any feelings of gratitude for their own safety right now.
“Which way should we go?” asked Natalie.
“Let’s head this way,” said Will pointing to the east. “We should be able to find another route heading back south before too long.”
They put their skis and backpacks on and started moving. The clouds were even lower now, and they couldn’t see much of the mountains. The further they went, the clouds got lower, and it wasn’t long before they found themselves engulfed in fog.
Chapter 6. The Fog
They didn’t know where they were. The fog had descended very quickly and was now so thick that they could only see a few yards in any direction.
“Let’s keep going straight,” said Natalie, “We might get out of this in a while.”
“Ok, but let’s stay close together,” said Will. “I don’t want us to get separated — stay right behind me.”
Natalie kept up with Will, making sure that she could see him. But as time went on the fog became denser and all of a sudden Will disappeared from view.
“Will, I can’t see you!” Natalie shouted, panicking. “Come back!”
“It’s okay, Natalie, I’m here, right ahead of you. Just keep moving — I’ll go more slowly. Just shout if I get out of sight and I’ll wait for you . . . don’t worry, I’m not going to leave you!”
They skied on more slowly and closer together, still hoping for the fog to clear. Natalie kept her eyes fixed on the back of Will’s skis. Suddenly Will saw a large rock directly in his path and stopped just in front of it.
Natalie did not have time to slow down and she crashed into the back of Will. Their skis intertwined causing her to lose her balance and fall over sideways.
“Ouch!” Natalie cried. “My ankle! I’ve hurt myself, Will.” She sat up and reached forward to unbuckle her boot from the ski.
“Here, grab my arm and pull yourself up,” said Will, bending down and offering his forearm to Natalie.
“I don’t know if I can stand up,” she said.
“Come on, Nat, just try,” said Will.
Natalie took hold of Will’s arm, her ski sticks hanging by their straps around her wrists and Will pulled her up, but as soon as she put some weight on her left ankle, she screamed and let go of Will’s arm, falling backwards into the snow.
“I’m sorry, Will. I can’t stand, it hurts too much,” gasped Natalie. “Oh why did this have to happen now? What do we do?”
Will could see that Natalie was not going to be able to ski, and he did not want to leave her, but he needed to get help for David and Svein. He also realized that if he did leave her he could get badly lost in the fog which would make things even worse.
“I think we should stay here, for now Nat,” Will said. “I may get lost in the fog.”
“Okay,” said Natalie. “Can you help me get my other ski off? I’m getting cold down here. Let’s see if we can find somewhere dry out of the wind.”
Will unbuckled the boot and helped Natalie to her feet. She was unable to stand by herself, so she put her arm around Will’s shoulder. Moving slowly, Will helped her get seated on a nearby rock which was close to a wooded area.
The wind was blowing harder now and they felt colder since they were no longer moving. They sat for a while in silence wondering what to do.
“My ankle’s really painful,” said Natalie as she slowly removed her boot and sock. “Ooh, look at this!”
“Wow — it’s really swollen, it looks like a bad sprain,” said Will, who had once had a similar looking ankle after twisting it on a street curb while running. He had to walk on crutches for about ten days, and it was a few weeks before he was able to start running it again.
Will took off his backpack and started digging around in it. “Let’s see what’s in my emergency kit,” he said.
He pulled out a large zipped plastic bag and opened it up.
“Here’s something wrap around you.” He handed her a folded piece of plastic that looked like aluminum foil. “Open it up.”
Natalie opened up a shiny emergency blanket, which she was wrapped around her.
In the emergency kit Will also found a whistle, some hand warmers (sticks that you break which produce heat) some energy snacks, rope, a knife, candles, a lighter, some first aid supplies and a small canteen. There was also a small first aid booklet which he pulled out and started to read.
“It talks about ankle sprains,” he said.
The booklet explained that there were four main elements in first aid treatment: rest (stay off the foot), use ice to reduce swelling, tape up the ankle to reduce bleeding and swelling, and elevate the foot to keep blood and fluids from collecting in the ankle.
“Rest your foot onto the rock, Natalie,” said Will, scooping up some snow.“This won’t be fun, but it should help.”
Natalie raised her foot and Will gently packed the snow around Natalie’s ankle.
“Aahh!” Natalie gasped.
“See how long you can stand it, Nat” said her brother.”This will be good for you — hurt athletes get this kind of treatment all the time”
Natalie clenched her teeth and closed her eyes as she tried to endure the extreme cold. “That’s enough, Will,” she cried after about a minute and started brushing the snow off her ankle.
“Sit back, Nat. Let me do it,” said Will who brushed the snow as gently as he could from her ankle with his gloves. He took out a woolen scarf from his backpack and wrapped it around his sister’s foot and ankle. “That should warm you up.”
“That feels much better.” Natalie sounded very relieved. She sat quietly for a while as the scarf warmed her foot, while Will read the first aid booklet.
“Ok, lean back, Natalie — I’m going to bandage you up,” said Will. He removed the scarf from her foot and tied one end of the bandage round her shin, and started winding it around her lower leg, ankle and heel. He wasn’t sure if he was doing it correctly, but he tried to follow the directions in the booklet.
When he was finished with the bandage he put Natalie’s sock back on. Natalie lay back propped up by her backpack and covered in the emergency blanket.
“How does that feel now?” asked Will.
“Much better. Thanks”
With his sister’s immediate needs taken care of, Will’s thoughts now turned to getting help. He found the whistle that was in the emergency pack and blew into it — it was loud and shrill, which was good. Perhaps someone would hear. Will stood up and gave a series of short, loud blasts. This was at least something they could do while they were stationary.
After blowing on the whistle for a few minutes Will went back to sit with Natalie
“I’ve been thinking, Will,” said Natalie. “Once the fog has lifted a bit I think you should leave me here and go and get help. I’ll be fine — I can stay warm and I have some food. We have to do something for Uncle David and Svein.”
“Maybe you’re right,” said Will. “But there’s no point in me going anywhere in this fog.”
They sat for a while in silence. Then Will stood up.
“I’m going to see if I can make a fire,” he said. “It will help keep us warm, and maybe someone will see the smoke after a while.
Will over to the group of trees a few yards away and found some dry twigs and pine cones which would make good kindling, as well as some larger twigs and branches.
After a few trips he had enough wood to start a fire which he built close to the rock where Natalie was sitting. Using the lighter from the emergency kit he got the fire started and after adding some more wood it wasn’t long before a healthy blaze was going, and soon they were able to start feeling some warmth.
Will was glad to find some chocolate covered raisins and peanuts among the snacks that Marcus had packed the night before, and they each ate just a few, thinking it wise to ration them.
There were times when they thought the fog might be lifting, but any improvements in visibility were short lived as they were followed by thicker fog billowing in. Every few minutes, Will would stand up and blast on his whistle in the faint hope that there might be someone to hear.
After about an hour of sitting by the fire, watching the clouds and waiting, Will felt something unwelcome on his face — a drop of rain. He first hoped it was a random, isolated raindrop, and he did not mention it to Natalie, but he soon felt others. Eventually a depressingly steady rainfall was upon them.
The fire began to hiss and smoke, and after a while the flames died down and its warmth decreased. Natalie pulled the foil blanket over her head and the rest of her body to try and stay dry. Will found a rain poncho in his emergency kit which he put on over his clothing, but the rain was beginning to fall more heavily now and it was clear that they really needed better shelter.
“Stay here, Nat, I’m going to see if there might be a better place for us go. I won’t go far and I’ll be back within a few minutes.”
“Okay, but please hurry.”
Will walked back to the trees where he had gathered his firewood to see if they would provide some good shelter. It was certainly drier underneath the trees than out in the open, and there was a soft bed of needles that would be more comfortable for Natalie to lie on, but as the rain continued falling, large drops of water started falling through the trees. Maybe there was somewhere better.
Will walked uphill through the wood and noticed through the fog that there was a dark backdrop behind the trees. As he got closer he found there was a cliff behind the trees. When he reached it he discovered an overhang on part of the cliff which formed a natural shelter from the rain. This would be the perfect place for Natalie!
Will ran quickly through the wood back to where Natalie was waiting, looking more wet and cold.
“Nat, I’ve found a perfect shelter for you!”
“Oh good,” said Natalie. “The rain’s getting under the blanket and I can’t stay warm. How far is it?”
“Well not too far — about 100 yards I would guess. It’s through the trees and up a hill
“Come on, get up. I’ll get you up there right away, and then come back for the rest of the stuff.”
Will pulled Natalie to her feet and she put her arm around his shoulder. Slowly and steadily they moved together over to the trees. The rain was falling heavily and steadily now, and even under the trees they were getting very wet. Natalie could barely put any weight on her injured foot.
“See that cliff up ahead?” said Will. “That’s where we’re heading – not far now.” It was about twenty yards ahead of them now.
“Yes. I can’t wait to and sit down,” said Natalie, grimacing. “My ankle is killing me.”
“It won’t be long now. Just keep going.”
The last part of the walk was the steepest, and Will could sense the pain his sister was in. Each step was an effort now, but she kept going; and finally they made it to the rock face, and found the overhang.
Natalie dropped down in the dry area, exhausted. Luckily there was a coating of spruce needles which gave some cushion. Will took the foil blanket from her shoulders and shook it a number of times to try and get the water off it, then he laid it over her. He could see tears running from Natalie’s closed eyes, but she didn’t say anything.
”You rest, Nat,” said Will. “I’m going back to fetch the rest of our stuff. I won’t be long.”
“Okay,” said Natalie faintly without opening her eyes.
It took two trips for Will to bring back both backpacks and both sets of skis and sticks. When he returned the second time he found Natalie had fallen asleep. He was glad — she needed the rest and at least she was comfortable enough to sleep. Rest was needed to help her ankle heal. Will laid their belongings behind Natalie in the shelter of the rock.
Will decided to look through Natalie’s backpack to see what supplies she had. He found her emergency kit, which had the same contents as his own kit, with one addition: a small flashlight. He turned it on and found that it worked perfectly. Will got out the emergency blanket and poncho. He put the poncho over the sleeping Natalie, and wrapped the blanket around himself and sat down.
Reaching into his jacket pocket, Will found his phone again. Maybe, just maybe, he thought, there might be some way he could contact someone. He turned on the phone – but it immediately turned off. The battery was dead now. He had blamed his mother the night before, but that wasn’t really fair. He should have thought about bringing the charger – it was a long shot anyway, there probably wasn’t service up here.
Will hadn’t realized until now how exhausted he was. His concern since the avalanche had been for Uncle David, Svein and his sister, but now he needed to rest. The long day of travel yesterday, the late night, early morning and exertions of the day caught up with him, and with his head on his backpack he closed his eyes and dozed off.
Chapter 7. A Proposal
Hans walked the two short city blocks from his office to the Council Building just as he had done every week for the last seventeen years since he took over the Chief Expansion Officer position on the death of his father.
Over the last few years he had come to dread the meetings. His cousin Fredrick Swensen, the President of the Nation of Bergsland was the kind of Chairman who would dominate the meeting, praising his own good decisions, and those of people who agreed with him, and disparaging anyone who came up with ideas he did not like. Consequently, most councilors in these meetings had learned not to speak up in opposition to Fredrick and the meetings became largely an exercise in agreeing to anything Fredrick wanted.
The last person to come out in serious opposition to Fredrick was Bjorn Isaakson, who five years earlier had proposed a change in policy regarding the Secret. Bjorn had suggested establishing an academy in which a few selected and trustworthy students would under strict conditions of confidentiality would be given knowledge of the Secret operated. His reasoning was that if anything were to happen to the Three Guardians at one time, the Secret would be lost to the Nation forever. In addition, Bjorn argued that young and bright students might be able to find new and improved ways that this technology could be implemented for the betterment of society here.
Fredrick was adamantly opposed Bjorn Isaakson’s idea. The policy regarding the Three Guardians had been established by Karl Swensen at the founding of the Nation and was specified in the constitution, and he said there was no circumstance under which it could be changed (the constitution did include provisions for amendments, but none had ever been made) . It was this policy that safeguarded the security of the Nation, ensuring that the Secret would never find its way into the Outside where it would be abused, or fall into the hands of people within the Nation who might use it for disruptive or destructive purposes.
As a result of this proposal, Fredrick brought to the Council a resolution of no confidence against Bjorn on the grounds that he was proposing something that was unconstitutional, and had thus become a destabilizing influence in the government. The proposal was passed unanimously, and Bjorn Isaakson was dismissed from the Governing Council
Hans was now ashamed to think that he went along with every other person on the Council to dismiss Bjorn, but had been afraid to upset Fredrick. Bjorn was stripped of his position as Chief Electronics Engineer, and was reassigned to work in the flour mill. This demotion had certainly affected Bjorn’s social standing in the Nation and had earned him the mistrust of people who had previously admired him.
Today, Hans entered the Council Chambers determined not to be intimidated by his cousin. He was sure of what he had to say and would say it, come what may. He took his usual position at the table between Christian Utne, the Director of Roads and Erik Masterson, the Director of Intelligence Operations. Hans exchanged his usual cordial, but formal greetings with his neighbors and settled down for the meeting that he knew could change his life.
The meeting started out in a routine way. There was a report on the status of the repainting of the city lampposts, a petition from residents of an apartment complex for new flowerbeds to be put in front of their building, and a report from Arnold Frei, the Director of Agriculture, showing that composting was down two per cent from this time last year. Arnold said he suspected that some people were putting more organic materials in their carbon converters (used for processing waste products into oil) rather than in their compost processers, because oil production was slightly higher this year.
Fredrick Swensen was not happy to hear this. “We need send a memorandum out on this, Arnold. Soil is more important than plastic. See that this changes! And soon, Arnold!”
“Yes, Fredrick,” said Arnold sheepishly,” I’ll deal with it right away.”
With the scheduled reports out of the way, Fredrick asked if there was any other business.
Hans spoke. “Yes, I have a matter I would like to raise today.”
“By all means,” said Fredrick.
“Gentlemen, I have a suggestion to make today. I understand that what I am going to say may go contrary to many people’s thinking, but I believe we have come to a time when we need to do some rethinking of our current direction.”
This opening got the attention of everyone present. People sat up and eyes opened wider.
“In my work of expansion we are running into trouble. Frankly, I believe we are beginning to reach the limits of underground growth. There are fewer caves available to make use of, and we are beginning to see some significant geological instability because of all our excavation and mining projects. Lately there has been some cracking of the rock in some of the mining areas and we are having to dramatically increase the amount of stabilizing we are doing. My geologists are telling me that the earth is shifting because we are over-excavating.
“This is why we have engineers, Hans,” said Fredrick.”Engineering is what has brought us to where we are, and will continue to serve us well. We have dealt with problems like this in the past — there has always been someone who has been able to find a solution. Perhaps you need more help in your department”
“Fredrick, I already have the top engineers working with me. They are doing their very best to keep things together. But I think everyone realizes that we cannot continue to excavate indefinitely. My engineers are worried, Fredrick, they say that we might be putting lives in danger if we are not careful. There may come a point when the whole geological structure will become so weakened that caves begin to collapse.”
“We all know that out grandfather taught that there would come a time when we would eventually have to emerge from Bergsland — that because of space and resource limitations we would not be able to continue here indefinitely. I really think it might be time for us to start thinking about the Emergence and here is why . . . “
Fredrick sat up straight in his chair. “The Emergence, Hans? You think it is time for us to make contact with the Outside? I certainly know what Karl Swensen taught, but he was thinking it would be centuries until any Emergence would take place, and it would only be considered if the Outside was ready for what our civilization has to offer.”
“Have you not been paying attention to what is going on out there? There are madmen out there who would kill us to find out about the Secret. And once they got it they would use it to unleash more blood and terror than they are already doing. It would lead to utter chaos, Hans!” Fredrick’s face was red and his hands were trembling.
“There is only one person who has any decision regarding how, and if, and when the Emergence should take place — and that is the President of Bergsland. And I say it is entirely out of the question right now!”
Hans had not finished. “Fredrick, I understand what you are saying, but there is something else to consider. The Emergence may be forced upon us.” Hans was trying to speak calmly and logically.
“Our Observers are reporting that that petroleum and mining companies in Norway are involved in exploration in the interior of the country these days. If they come into this area and start drilling to any depth, they may well find us. If they listen carefully to their seismographic equipment they might even be able to detect our mining activity already. There is a possibility that we could be discovered against our will — and how would we handle that?
“I don’t want to be an alarmist here, but I do think there are some important issues here that are cause for concern. We could be finding ourselves in a difficult situation in a short time — and at least I think it is important to bring these things up for discussion. Thank you.”
Hans sat down.
Fredrick was speechless. But instead of erupting, as Hans had expected, the president seemed to gain some control of himself. “Thank you, Hans. Could you please submit a more detailed report in writing? We need more information about the mining problems you mentioned.”
“Of course.”
Fredrick continued with the meeting. “Any other business?”
The councilors looked stunned following the exchange. No one said a word.
“Hearing none, the meeting is adjourned.” Fredrick stood up and walked swiftly from the room.
Chapter 8. In the Cave
“Will, Will, wake up!” Natalie was shaking her brother’s shoulder. Will opened his eyes but stared blankly at Natalie.
“Will, I heard someone! I heard someone walking, I’m sure of it”
Will sat up. Reality was coming back to him. “From which direction?” he asked.
“I was lying down and I am sure heard footsteps coming from over there.” Natalie pointed along the face of the cliff away to their right.
Will pulled out his whistle from his coat pocket and stood up. He blew three loud short blasts and then waited. Both of them listened. All they could hear was the dripping of the rain which was still falling. Will blew again three times and again waited. No response.
“Hello!” shouted Will.
“I’m scared, Will,” said Natalie. “What if there is a dangerous person, or dangerous people? They could hurt us.”
“If someone was here, and really wanted to harm us, they could have done that while we were asleep. Besides, we don’t know for sure if there really is anyone here. You could have been hearing water dripping, or wind.”
“It really did sound like footsteps — I could swear to that — but I hope I’m wrong, because this is so creepy,” said Natalie.
“I know you aren’t going to like this, Natalie, but I think I really think I should go down there and see what might be going on. I promise I’ll be back soon. Give me five minutes.”
“No, Will, please don’t leave me here. I’m scared!” Natalie looked over at their pile of belongings. “Here, bring me my ski sticks.”
“Why?”
“Just get them for me … please!” She was not to be denied, and Will didn’t feel it was wise to protest. He fetched the sticks and brought them to her.
“Okay, help me up on my feet” said Natalie, holding out her hands. “If you go down there, I’m coming with you.” Will could see a new strength in her — fear had led to determination.
When she was upright with her weight on her left foot, she took the ski sticks from her brother and started slowly walking, transferring her weight from her good leg onto her sticks, barely steadying herself with the sore foot. She found after a little experimentation that she was able to put a little more weight on her bad foot than earlier, and could now move slowly without excruciating pain.
Will was impressed with what Natalie was doing, although didn’t say so. He picked up one of his own ski sticks (for a walking stick and self defense, if necessary), and took the flashlight from Natalie’s backpack.
The fog had prevented them from seeing much of their surroundings, and as they moved along the face of the cliff they realized that there were even more sheltered areas underneath the rock face. They came to an area which was more than just a shelter — it was a cave. The entrance was about two meters tall, and four meters wide, and the floor of the cave was rough and uneven with numerous boulders of various sizes scattered around.
Will shone his torch toward the back of the cave, and they could see that it was fairly large. The cave narrowed towards the back and curved around to the left continuing out of site.
“Wow,” said Will quietly, surprised at their discovery. He started to walk towards the back of the cave, shining his flashlight in all directions. Seeing a rock, Natalie sat down — her arms were aching from using her ski sticks to support most of her body weight.
“Helloooo!” shouted Will. “Anybody in here?”
“Will!” said Natalie half-whispering. “What are you doing?”
“We need help, Natalie — think of Uncle David and Svein.”
“I’m scared. What if the people are not friendly?” said Natalie.
“Why wouldn’t they be? You’re not likely to find criminals in the area — people who come here are going to be like us — tourists, skiers, climbers,” said Will.
Suddenly they heard a distinct thud which came from the dark, unexplored end of the cave. It sounded like two large rocks colliding.
“Did you hear that?” asked Natalie.
“Yes,” said Will “It came from down there. I’m going to take a look.”
“No, don’t, Will. You don’t know what’s down there!” said Natalie urgently.
“I’ll be careful. I want to find out who it is.”
Will moved slowly forward by the light of his flashlight trying to make as little noise as possible. He stopped frequently to listen for signs of life, but each time he heard nothing but the dripping of water. The further on he went, the narrower and darker the cave became. At times he had to duck his head beneath large protrusions of rock in the roof of the cave. There were also an increasing number of rocks on the ground to maneuver around or climb over.
After clambering over one particularly large rock he found that the cave roof lowered considerably and the passageway descended. As he followed the downhill path Will came to a dead end; as he shone his flashlight all around he could see was nothing but a wall of rock in front of him.
All at once, out of the corner of his eye, Will saw a vertical crack of light appear in the cave wall a few feet to his left. It was visible for less than a second, but when it disappeared Will heard same dull thud he had heard earlier, except much louder. Soon everything was as dark as before. Will couldn’t quite process what he had just seen. It must have been some kind of doorway — but to where?
The light meant life — people. Were they friendly, hostile, or neither? He had been curious before, but now he was scared. He realized that he and Natalie could be getting into deeper trouble than they were already in and he turned hurriedly to retrace his steps and get back to his sister.
He again had to climb over the large rock, and it was even more difficult from this side, but he managed to get on top of it. The fastest way to get down the other side was to hold on to a protrusion with his face towards the rock, and drop. As he let go he landed on top of someone, sending both of them crashing to the ground.
“Will! Get off me!” cried Natalie. “You’re on my ankle”
“Sorry, Nat,” said Will getting up as quickly as he could.”What are you doing here?”
“There’s no way I was staying back there with the weird stuff we’ve been hearing. Here, help me up!” Will pulled her onto her good foot and picked up her ski sticks for her.
“Listen Nat, I saw something very weird. I have no idea where it came from, but I saw light shining through a crack in the cave — bright light.”
“Oh no,” said Natalie “I don’t like this at all, Will. Let’s get out of here. We have no idea what creeps we could be dealing with in here — whoever it is obviously doesn’t want to help us.”
Will was about to explain that that they couldn’t be sure that there were creeps around them, when from behind them burst a flood of light. They turned to see a tall man with light brown hair and a neatly trimmed beard holding a bright light in his right hand.
“I can help you,” they heard a calm voice say in perfect English. “Come with me, I can give you food and drink.”
Will and Natalie were speechless. They glanced at each other and then back at the stranger. He wore a long coat that reached below his knees, and tall unlaced boots. His face was unsmiling, but he did not seem hostile.
The siblings looked at each other, again without speaking, neither of them sure what they should do. Finally Will spoke haltingly: “Thank you . . . we can wait for you here.”
“No, you must come with me,” replied the man.
“Where to?” asked Natalie faintly.
“You will see. Now follow me.”
As much as they needed help, Will was definitely opposed to doing anything or going anywhere he didn’t want to. He took Natalie by the arm and stood still.
“I’m sorry, but we cannot come with you,” said Will as confidently as possible. “We need to find help for two men who may have been buried in an avalanche. Thank you for your offer — but we must get help.”
“The men are safe. We have seen them,” said the man.
“Where are they?” exclaimed Natalie.
“They are on the side of the mountain — the avalanche missed them,” he replied.
“We have to find them, then! Come on, Will, they will be looking for us.” Natalie turned and started to move away.
“I’m sorry but you have no choice.” He turned the base of the light he was holding towards Will and Natalie saw a sharp bolt of jagged light, like lightning, crashed onto the floor beside them, knocking Natalie to the ground.
“I hate to use this, believe me. But if I must, I will.” His voice was calm but he appeared deadly serious. “For your own sake, please, come with me. If you cooperate with me you won’t be harmed.”
Natalie had begun shaking uncontrollably, and she was having a hard time getting back up, even with Will’s help. She bowed her head, trying to stifle sobs.
Will was trying to determine what he should do. He did not doubt that this man was serious, and he didn’t want to be taken prisoner. He had no clue who he was, or where he came from — but it seemed like they were in the process of being kidnapped and now was the time to resist, not when they were imprisoned somewhere. Yes, the man was armed with a fearsome weapon, but perhaps he could wrestle it away from him.
Will knew he was fast and strong and thought he had a chance of overpowering this older man. Without further deliberation, he suddenly lunged with both hands at the man’s right hand which was held the weapon. He grabbed the man’s wrist and started twisting it backwards. In no time at all the man transferred the weapon from his right hand to his left, and Will felt an excruciating pain in the back of his neck as his adversary applied an intense electric shock. Will lost all control of his muscles and collapsed on the floor at the man’s feet.
“Will!” shouted Natalie, who let go of her ski sticks and dropped to her knees beside her brother.
Will groaned, trying to raise himself up on his hands and knees as Natalie put a hand on his shoulder. “Are you OK?” Will slowly rubbed the back of his neck.
“That was a warning!” snapped the captor. Don’t try anything like that again. Next time will be much worse. “Now get up, both of you. We must go!” Demoralized, Will got up slowly, and then helped Natalie to her feet again.
“We’re going back the way you came,” the man said. Will helped Natalie over the large rock and then climbed over it himself. Natalie was moving even more slowly now, and she wept quietly as they made their way along until they reached the point to where Will had seen the light.
The man walked just a little way ahead of Will and Natalie and put his face close to the cave wall. He spoke softly and immediately a portion of the cave wall swung inward like a door. Light streamed through the entrance. “This way, please,” he said standing by the doorway.
Natalie and Will hesitated — this meant capture and separation from the world they knew.
“Hurry!” said the man sharply.
They had learned there was no point in trying to resist so reluctantly they walked through the doorway into a well lit passageway. It had a smooth floor and walls and ceilings that appeared to have been cut out of rock. The man turned to face the wall and spoke again quietly. The heavy rock door moved slowly on its hinges and closed with a thud.
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