Shadow of the Dome: A gripping tale of friendship, duty and destiny in the court of Kublai Khan by Karen Warren

Author:Karen Warren [Warren, Karen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lume Books
Published: 2017-09-20T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Indian Ocean, 1292

Occasionally, on a fine clear evening, the princesses were permitted to leave their cabin to gaze at the night sky. Nergui would sometimes join them, listening carefully to Master Marco’s explanations of the movements of the stars and the planets.

One night, when the moon was full and bright, they stood and watched the moonlight rippling on the water, scattering and reforming with the rise and fall of the waves. The deck was bathed in an eerie half-light, creating a clear but colourless world.

Mei Lien looked up into the sky. There were no clouds, but the brightness of the stars was dimmed by the light of the moon. Suddenly she grabbed hold of Kokachin’s arm in a panic. “What’s happened to the moon? It’s disappearing!”

It looked as if a small chunk had been taken from the side of the moon, a chunk that was getting bigger as they watched. It was as if someone was gradually extinguishing a light, so that they could no longer see one another clearly. At the other end of the ship, some sort of commotion had started, and they could hear frightened shouts from the sailors.

“There’s nothing to worry about. It’s only an eclipse, and the moon will return soon,” said Marco, escorting them back to the cabin. “But you’ll have to excuse me while I go and calm down the crew.”

The unrest continued into the next day and there was an uneasy atmosphere aboard the ship. “Oulatai says that the shadow on the moon is a bad omen,” said Kokachin. “Our voyage is cursed because there is no shaman aboard.” Her face was flushed: she was clearly enjoying the excitement, although fearful that Oulatai’s interpretation might be correct.

“The crew think it means bad times ahead,” Peter told them. “That’s why they were getting so excited last night. I went to find Wan Tei, the medicine man, to see if he agreed with them, but he just said that it was a powerful sign. It could be good or bad, but change is on the way.”

Mei Lien had not spoken but she was pale, and Nergui sought to reassure her.

“Master Marco says it is not a sign at all. It is just a shadow upon the surface of the moon. Perhaps it is caused by the Earth itself as the sun passes behind us. Wherever the shadow comes from, it is a natural occurrence with no particular significance.”

She paused. “He said that the shadows come quite often and our shamans can predict their arrival. We’ve never seen one before because our cities have the curfew and we are mostly at home after nightfall.

“But there is an old Mongol legend about these occurrences. The people of the steppe lands say that the shadow appears when a terrible monster is eating the moon. If they do not stop it, it will steal all their light. So they hide in their tents and make a tremendous noise, banging pots and pans together and crashing on their drums.

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