Chapter Eight

Loss, Regrets and a Cave of Wonders

"Sir, isn't there any way we could turn back?" Kane buried his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry, Kane." The Captain placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know you're going through a lot of pain. A lot of these men are. Their families died too. But we can't turn back now. We've come too far on this mission. The only way is forward, soldier."

"I understand, Sir." Major Kane looked up, his voice low to conceal the tremble.

The Captain patted Kane's shoulder sympathetically, before leaving Kane alone in his office on board the naval ship.

Just an hour ago, Kane and the rest of the marines on board the naval ship had received news from the mainland that an enemy attack had been launched against the village where they lived. To their horror, they were told that the village had been razed to the ground, leaving no survivors. All of the people on board the naval ship were devastated, and their spirits had been utterly broken. Kane, who had the rank of Major, had decided to talk to the man in charge. Since he was from the army and he had been posted to a naval mission, the Navy Captain, the equivalent to a Colonel in the armed forces, was his new Commanding Officer who he did not know well at all. Here in the navy, Major Kane's rank was equal to that of a Navy Lieutenant Commander, which was below that of a Navy Captain. If he were back in the army, he would outrank a Captain, but in the Navy the ranks were different, and he had no choice but to treat the Navy Captain as he would a Colonel. He had attempted to convince the Captain to turn back as they were all in no condition to carry on with their mission, but the Captain had refused, since they were too far out in the ocean, and reminded him that they all had a mission to carry out.

Alone in his office, Major Kane clenched his fist and slammed it hard against his desk, and the sound reverberated throughout the tiny room. If only he had been with his normal regiment, the Colonel, his own Commanding Officer, would understand and let them return to their homes, but here in the Navy, he had no choice but to obey the Captain's orders. Shedding a tear, he wiped it away quickly, in case anyone entered his room and saw a hardened officer crying.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and Kane straightened out his uniform and checked his bearings before walking to the door to open it.

Outside stood one of the corporals, with a file. "Good evening Sir. The Captain wanted me to deliver the operation rundown to you."

Major Kane took the file from him. "Thank you, corporal." he turned to walk back to his desk.

"Sir?"

Kane looked back.

"I'm sorry for your loss." The corporal said sorrowfully. "I lost my family in the attack too."

Kane turned around and walked towards the corporal. "What's your name?"

"Santos."

He placed a hand on Santos' shoulder. "We'll get through this. Finish the mission to capture The Hanedale so that we can go home to bury our dead." He looked confidently at Santos. "I promise you, Santos. You will get to see your family one last time."

"Thank you, Sir." Santos forced a smile, saluted the Major and walked out of the room, closing the door.

The confident look on Major Kane's face faded as the corporal departed, and he slumped against the wall of his office and slowly slid down into a seated position, file still in hand. It was an empty promise. His head wasn't even on straight. How was he going to lead his men into battle and hope to bring them all home safely? If anything, he was just a convincing liar. The Major exhaled deeply, lightly bumping the back of his head against the wall as he sat slumped in depression. He never should have agreed to embark on this naval mission as a joint-force initiative. If he hadn't, maybe things would have turned out differently. Maybe he could have protected his family against the enemy. His wife and children could still be alive if it wasn't for him. Kane shed more tears as his guilt consumed him and his grief overwhelmed him.

He looked down at the file in his hand. It had the words "SECRET" stamped across it. Major Kane opened the file and looked at the numerous documents inside. Operation briefs, sketches of the enemy ship and detailed schedules… He could not focus as his mind was still stuck with images of his wife and children being slaughtered by enemy forces. Mindlessly, he read through the documents, and nothing was absorbed. He closed the file. It was futile. He was so immersed in his emotions, contrary to how he had been trained: to compartmentalize and focus on the mission at hand, but he couldn't. The pain he was experiencing was far too distracting, and he could slowly feel anger burning inside him. What kind of man would give the order for his men to commit horrors such as destroying an entire village? Only a monster would be capable of that. Kane tossed the file aside violently and the papers inside flew everywhere. He sunk his head in his hands. If only he had the power to change things and to protect his family. But he didn't. And that made him weak and pathetic.

The next morning at six, alone in his quarters, Major Kane laced up his boots and straightened out his uniform. He looked at himself in the mirror, and exhaled deeply. He was going to make one last attempt to appeal to the Captain to turn the ship around on behalf of everyone on the ship. It was a desperate move that was going to make him look pathetic, but it had to be done. With the sounds of the waves and the smell of the fresh sea water filling the early morning air, Kane walked along the corridor leading to the Captain's office with a heavy heart. He knocked on the door and opened it. "Sir?"

The Captain looked up from his desk. "Kane? It's way too early for this. What do you want?"

Kane closed the door quietly and walked into the office. "Captain, I don't think any of us is in any condition for the mission tonight. Sir, I implore you. Let us return to our home to bury our dead."

The Captain looked at Kane as he made his petition known, and sighed. He got up from his desk. "Kane, I get it. Everyone's suffering from grief, I see that. I'm not blind. But I can't turn the ship back now, as much as I want to. We're so close to the enemy ship that has been trespassing in our waters. This is our only chance to mount our attack against The Hanedale and deal a critical blow to our enemy. If we succeed in taking The Hanedale by force, half the war is won. We can prevent countless more villages from being destroyed. Major, you have to look at the big picture."

Kane looked at the Captain with desperation in his eyes. "Sir, you don't understand. Even if I lead those men out there, no one is in any condition to fight."

"Then it's your job to motivate them." The Captain remained steadfast and unbudging.

"But Sir-"

"I'm done arguing about this. Take the marines and storm the enemy ship. That's an order, Major." The Captain cut Kane off, tired of the endless argument. "Now if I'm not mistaken, you have a mission briefing to conduct soon."

"Yes, Sir." Kane saluted the Captain and walked out of the office in defeat. He slumped against the railing of the ship. He had failed. Now, he didn't know how he was going to lead the men into battle when he himself had already lost everything.

Major Kane strapped on his military vest and tightened it around his body securely. He placed his Glock knife into his belt holster and looked around at the marines on the deck, all preparing their gear for the upcoming mission. All of them looked downcast and in no condition to carry out the mission. Kane couldn't blame them, for he felt the same way. He cleared his throat. "Gentlemen."

The men looked at Major Kane.

"You've been at the briefing this morning, you know your roles. Get ready to ambush the The Hanedale in six."

"Yes Sir." The men muttered amongst themselves as they continued to gear up.

Kane noticed Santos amongst the men, and walked up to him. "Remember my promise, Santos." He placed a hand on the corporal's shoulder. Santos nodded, and Kane walked to the edge of the deck. He took out his binoculars and lifted it to his eyes, pointing it out into the ocean. He focused his eyes on the enemy ship in the distance. The night was foggy and the moon hid behind the clouds, giving Kane and his marines perfect cover. They had to strike now before the moon emerged.

Giving the order, Kane and the troops dived into the ocean, decked out in their underwater combat gear. They swam over to The Hanedale quietly and climbed the enemy ship from different entry points. Major Kane and the marines in his detail climbed onto the deck, and to their horror, they were met by an array of muskets pointed right at them. He must have gotten the schedules of the enemy sentries wrong. Kane cursed himself quietly and placed his hands up in surrender. "Men, stand down. There's no way we're blasting our way out of this."

The enemies kicked the back of Kane's hamstrings, forcing him to his knees, and did the same to the rest of his detail. One of the enemies shouted to the rest of his allies to alert them of intruders.

Kane gritted his teeth grimly, knowing that he and his men were in grave danger. "Hey!" he shouted over to one of the enemies, hoping that he could somehow make a bargain with them. One of the enemies took his musket, and with the butt of the weapon, knocked him out cold.

###

"Sir?"

Major Kane opened his eyes.

"We overheard this man talking about the Cave. He knows the way." One of the mercenaries declared triumphantly, and two others threw a man to the ground.

Kane rubbed his eyes. He must have fallen asleep and dreamt of that horrific period of time in his life when he had just learnt that his family had been killed. He had been having that nightmare more often recently, ever since he had embarked on his quest. Kane got up from his chair and walked towards the man who had been thrown to the dusty ground. "So, you know the way to the Cave of Wonders?"

The man looked around desperately for a way out.

"Don't bother trying to run. You're in an abandoned place at the edge of the city. There's no one to save you." Major Kane said calmly, as if reading the man's mind.

The Major and his mercenaries had reached the harbour of Agrabah hours ago and had settled in a secluded part of the city. They left half of the mercenaries back on the ship to avoid drawing too much attention as Kane did not want to have to deal with the royal guards of Agrabah or the King, whom he had heard many stories about. He had come to Agrabah for one specific purpose: to find the Cave of Wonders, and his mercenaries had gone out to search for locals who knew how to travel there while he waited in an abandoned house where his forces had set up camp. And now, his faithful mercenaries had brought him a local from the city of Agrabah who knew the way to the Cave of Wonders.

The Agrabah local looked at him in fear, and Kane could tell that the man knew something.

"Leave us." Kane ordered, pointing to the opening where the door used to stand, signalling for his mercenaries to clear out of the building.

The mercenaries walked out, leaving the man alone with Major Kane.

"I-I don't know a-anything about the cave." The man stuttered, failing to lie miserably.

Kane unsheathed his glock knife from his belt, and the sound of scraping caused the man to flinch in fear. "I was taught to read a man's eyes to see if he speaks truth or lie." He crouched down in front of the man, pointing the knife inches away from the man's eyes. "Your eyes betray you."

"Please, I'm just an honest t-t-tailor in the market s-square! I don't know anything about any caves!" the man begged.

"Then why did my men overhear you talking about the Cave of Wonders?" Kane was starting to lose his patience.

"It's j-just a myth, an old legend! It's not r-r-real!"

A surge of anger swept over Kane and he felt the bloodlust suddenly rising again. He plunged the knife into the man's thigh, causing the man to yell and clutch his leg in agony. "I didn't come all the way across the world to be told that the Cave of Wonders isn't real." Kane growled, the totem on his ring finger glowing red. He ripped the blade out of the man's thigh viciously, and the man continued to writhe, lying on the ground and clutching his wounded leg.

Major Kane threw the knife violently on the ground, and the tip of the blade stuck to the ground, etched inches away from the man's head. His fingers tightened around the man's neck, and lifted him off the ground with his right arm. The Major clenched his left fist and the totem glowed red, slowly sucking the air out of the man's lungs.

The man gasped and struggled to breathe while dangling in the air, feet off the ground.

"How do I get to the Cave of Wonders?" Kane tightened his grip on the man's throat.

"Alright! I-I'll tell you!" the man croaked in defeat, and Kane let go of the man. He dropped to the ground and clutched his chest, breathing deeply.

Major Kane looked at the man in disdain. "Show me."

Santos and the other mercenaries waited outside the house by the horses that they had stolen when they had arrived in Agrabah. They heard a scream echo from inside the abandoned building and saw a faint red glow.

"D'you think the boss is losing it?" one of the mercenaries asked.

"Ever since he got the totem from that island, he's been losing his temper more often." Another mercenary replied.

Santos looked at them. "Don't say stuff like that." he hissed. "With that totem, he can hear you from miles away. Do you want him to kill you?"

At that moment, the Agrabah local was tossed through the doorway of the building, and he sprawled on the ground in front of the mercenaries.

The Major walked through the doorway into the sunlight, his knife in hand.

Santos and the others could see that the knife was blood stained, and Kane wiped the knife against his pants before sticking it back in his belt compartment.

"Get him on a horse." Major Kane ordered, pointing to the local who was still clutching his leg in pain.

The mercenaries tied the man's wrists together putting him on a horse and sticking the reins in his hands, while Kane saddled up his own horse. "Lead the way."

With his hands bound, the blood stained man looked back at the Major in fear, as the rest of the mercenaries climbed onto their own horses.

"Try to escape, and I'll crush your windpipe without laying a hand on you." Kane warned, his totem glowing red for the man to see.

The mercenaries, who had saddled up by then, looked at each other. They had never seen the Major this bloodthirsty before. Maybe he really was losing it.

###

The night sky was littered with numerous stars, and the air was cold as opposed to a few hours earlier when it was scorching hot in bright daylight. Major Kane, his troops and the Agrabah local traversed across the sand dunes on their horses, braving the freezing weather.

Kane stared out in front of the local who was leading the way, at the vast landscape of sand and dried shrubs that lay in front of him. That outburst he had displayed while he had interrogated the local was horrifying. He had planned to only threaten the man to get what he wanted without having to hurt him. Somehow, he had lost control of his temper and the bloodlust took over again. That shouldn't have happened. Kane frowned, displeased with himself as he remembered torturing the local. Fortunately, the man had given up the information quickly and he somehow managed to find the restrain to stop himself from killing the man in cold blood. However, the bloodlust was getting stronger and soon, he wouldn't be able to suppress it any longer.

"There."

Major Kane looked up, and saw the local pointing ahead. He looked beyond the man, and saw the Cave of Wonders about two hundred metres away from them.

"Now you w-will let me go?" the Agrabah local asked cautiously.

The Major continued to stare at the cave, unable to believe that he was finally seeing the Cave of Wonders with his very own eyes, a legendary mystical place that he wasn't fully sure existed, until now. He waved his hand, signalling for his mercenaries to release the man.

Santos dismounted from his horse and walked over to the horse which the man sat on. He beckoned for the man to lower his hands which had been tied, and used a knife to slice the ropes, freeing the man. Now free, the man rode away quickly from the mercenaries before the Major could change his mind. As the man rode away down the sand dune, Kane turned to Santos and nodded with conviction.

The right hand man nodded back in acknowledgement. He hurriedly walked back to his own horse, and reached into his bag. Pulling out a long range rifle, he fixed his scope onto the weapon. He adjusted his scope and fine tuned it expertly, before lying down on the sand with his bag and rifle, propping the rifle up against the bag securely. He looked through the scope, aiming at the local who had ridden quite a distance away, before pulling the trigger and firing a single shot. The bullet whizzed through the air and found its mark on the man's skull. From such a far distance away, Santos could see the faint figure of the man fall from his horse, as it rode away without him, leaving the man sprawled on the sand. Santos sighed, dismantling his weapon and standing up. "It is done."

Major Kane looked back at Santos with remorse. It had to be done. The man could not be allowed to talk to the authorities back in the city. Kane could not risk King Aladdin learning about his journey to find the Cave of Wonders. The King had specifically passed a law forbidding anyone from entering the Cave of Wonders, as he himself had an encounter in the cave many years ago before he had become king, and had barely survived the dangerous escapade. Major Kane knew that the King's army was a force to be reckoned with, and that he would not be able to escape without losing a great number of his forces. That was a risk he could not afford to take as he still needed them for the next stage of his quest.

Removing his jacket, Kane gave it to Santos. He walked towards the cave, leaving his men and the horses a distance away. As he neared the entrance of the cave, the ground beneath him began to shake, and the sand rose, merging together to form the image of a huge tiger.

The "Sand Tiger" opened its eyes, which glowed red like fire. "I am the guardian of the Cave of Wonders," the Sand Tiger opened its mouth, voice booming as it looked down at Kane. "You seek to enter the Cave of Wonders?"

"Yes." Major Kane replied confidently.

"Then you know that those unworthy of entering the Cave shall perish within it?"

"Yes." Kane remained steadfast. He had prepared for this moment for years, and he wasn't going to be denied.

"Very well. Proceed." The Sand Tiger opened its mouth wide and sand fell from around it to reveal the opening of the cave. Major Kane took a deep breath. Finally. He stepped into the Cave of Wonders, disappearing down below the sand.

Writer's Commentary:

I decided to start this chapter off by throwing you readers into the past, to see for yourselves who Major Kane used to be before the present events. Painting him as a military leader wasn't exactly hard, as I drew on my own experiences in the military to write his story. I tried my best to humanize Kane by bringing you guys to the time right after he finds out that his family has died.

Hopefully it worked in highlighting the stark contrast between Kane in the past and the present. What a different person he has become in the span of a few years. But as you will discover in later chapters, it is circumstances that shape who he becomes eventually. We end off the flashback on a cliffhanger of sorts. The death of his family is just the beginning of his sufferings.

In the present, we see him interrogate a poor local from the city of Agrabah, and I purposely put this scene right after the flashback to show how much Kane has changed as a person. The snake totem plays a huge part in his change, as he has become more bloodthirsty and temperamental ever since he acquired it from the island. We get to see things from the eyes of Santos as the mercenaries discuss the state of their masters' mind. We also learn that Santos is from the Major's past, and that he has seen Kane change from a good man to the evil warlord he is now. I hope to explore Santos more in the coming chapters, as there's so much to juggle, what with our heroes' character arcs, squabbles, and the Major's own internal conflict.

Meanwhile, Kane finally finds the Cave, and gets one step closer to the completion of his quest. We'll be exploring the Cave of Wonders next. I'm actually pretty excited for what the Cave looks like and the challenges that it might hold for Major Kane.