The Ports and Portals of the Zelaznids Read online

  I

  t was the Ginyu who saw them first, two score men, bedraggled and close to death, climbing down from the western heights. Their strange clothes and manners identified them as strangers. Once their faces were visible, the alien nature of the newcomers was even more apparent, for they were pale of skin, round of eye, and several had hair atop their heads that was the colour of wheat.

  As the strangers entered the cittie and passed through its streets, people came out of their homes, spurred by rumours of the ‘round eyes’, but none knew what the business of the foreigners might be, for their language was like no other.

  The strangers came before King Xinh, speaking with him at last in the dialect of the Bactrians, with whom a few Salabadi merchants had had occasion to trade. Thus, in the tongue of that southern people, the foreigners gave King Xinh their storie.

  They claimed to be fugitives from a lost nation, descendants of a conquering race which had swept across the continent from the distant west to subdue all who dared stand against them. They told of forefathers who had marched with Alexander the Macedonian; but of this legendarie figure, the people of Salabad knew little. The strangers then told of their fathers, who had come to the foot of the great mountains, building a kingdom out of lands taken from the Hindu. Of the Hindu, the people of Salabad knew much, having traded with them as well.

  King Xinh asked the men what had brought them through the mountains in such a season, for it was late in the year and not a time for travel. The foreigners replied that their beloved king had met his end, whereupon their nation had torn itself apart in civil strife. Brother had turned on brother, each faction looking to build a kingdom of its own upon the ashes of that which they had destroyed.

  At last the province from which these men hailed (a place they called Uddyana) was beset by the forces of her neighbours, the Kapisans and the Puskalavati,[21] until there was nothing for it but to flee. Driven before their enemies into the forbidding peaks of the mountains, the fugitives had, in fear for their lives, scaled to great heights in hopes of finding some distant and hidden refuge. But, forced to embark upon their journie without sufficient preparation, they suffered much hardship.

  In this way, an armie of more than one hundred men reduced itself by degrees to but two score, the unfortunates having one by one succumbed to cold, privation, and other perils too terrible to name.

  King Xinh, hearing the truth in their words, for he had always been a tolerable judge of men, welcomed the westerners and begged them to settle in securitie within his kingdom. And so the Hellenes (for it should be understood that these were none other than the descendants of those self-same Greeks) thanked the king ferventlie, for they were glad to make their homes in Salabad.

  In good time, by which I mean to suggest the passage of some few years, these few Hellenes pledged themselves to the king who had shown them so much favour. Experts at martial skills, some amongst the newcomers brought with them novel ideas for the defense of Salabad, and thus rose to serve as commanders in the royal guard. Others became great traders, leading numerous expeditions across the Takla Makan so that the people of Salabad could extend their reach throughout the land, all the way to the outer edge of the empire of the Han.[22] Yet others, recalling the honour of their ancient blood, entered into the profession of herdsmen, for which the Hellenes had once been famed.

  The strangers soon took on much importance, serving the people of their adopted cittie with strength and honour, and did also enter into more than a few favourable marriage alliances. In this way, the Hellenes, the Ginyu, and the nation of Salabad joined together, blending the strength and wisdom of three great peoples into one.

  T

  he seasons passed until the Ginyu children of Salabad possessed no memories of the rock-strewn desert from which their people had come. In time, they knew of these things in no other way but through the chronicles written of the strange journie which had brought them to their new cittie at the edge of the mountains. The storie of that quest came to share a place in the hearts of the young with those varied tales that parents tell their children without the expectation that their children will believe them. And yet, the young cared deeplie for the legends of their fathers and for the mysterious and brave Majumin, who had vanished into the mountains with the faithful Zelaznu.

  Then came the day when a herdsman, while chasing an errant goat high above the cittie, came across the figure of a man descending from the great mountains, a fellow half-frozen and without the strength to stand upon his own feet. The herdsman, stout soul, forgot the goat so that he might tend to the stranger, taking him to his own meagre home for comfort and mending. Upon waking, the wearie fellow, much to the amazement of all assembled, revealed that he was that same Zelaznu who had, more than fifteen years before, gone into the mountains with Majumin.

  Some were inclined not to believe the man, for he had long ago been mourned for dead. But there were yet souls living who knew Zelaznu on sight and who assured one and all that this was indeed that selfsame man. Chief among them was Tengi, the son of a sister to Zelaznu. Tengi, now a man with a familie of his own, remembered well the uncle who had taught him to fish so long ago. There could be no doubt but that this poor soul was Zelaznu. Thus, with one voice, as if summoned by a single spirit, the Ginyu gave thanks to the gods for returning their kinsman to them. But what, they asked, had become of Majumin?

  In response to this, Zelaznu told his strange tale.

  “Our journey was a difficult one,” he began, “fraught with countless dangers and perils. Nights on end we struggled with the cold, using for our dwellings the caves of the earth when Fortune smiled and our cloaks alone when she did not. By day, we climbed, winding back and forth through the rock-strewn and frozen wastes. By night, we built fires when we had the tinder, so that we might cook the meat of goats and other creatures of the heights. When there was no wood to be found, we ate raw meat and lived as best we could, just as men have done since before time was writ.

  “For three weeks we climbed, until at last we reached a deep gorge cut by a river; this we could not cross. Majumin grew vexed, for visible to us on the far side of that crevasse stretched the heights of what is surelie the greatest peak in the world. Majumin believed this to be his goal: the home of the gods. We made camp at once so that we might, on the following day, begin a search for the best route across the river to the king of mountains.[23]

  “With the dawn, we each set out in our own directions in order to more quicklie determine which path would lead us to the other side. I searched without success for much of the day and then returned to camp to wait for the return of Majumin.

  “Much time passed before I heard his screams. Running in the direction of the cries, I saw no tracks, the rock being bare of snow in that place. With no way to track my companion, I had nothing to guide me but those screams, which I prayed most heartilie I would not hear again.

  “But the screams came again and I followed them until at last I reached a flat and open space. There, Majumin lay upon the ground. Standing over him was a beast, a great ape, covered from head to toe in long, white hair which gleamed in the near darkness, excepting for those dark patches made by my companion’s blood.

  “My heart felt the pain of it at once, knowing that Majumin would not survive this horror. But grief could not long remain in the forefront of my thoughts, for that great beast turned its evil eyes upon me, intending no doubt to send me into that netherworld to which Majumin had alreadie traveled. I am no coward, but as the creature descended upon me, I felt determined to flee. Yet, my legs stood rooted, and I realized that I could in no way induce myself to move. It seemed that I, too, would meet my death, that our quest would end in failure.

  “But this was not to be, for there came into the clearing four men. From whence they hailed I knew not, but they bore in their hands metal tubes from which issued fire, smoke, and such a loud report that I feared that the mountains would tumble down upon us.

  “The white
beast crumbled before this attack and I also fell to my knees, certain that I had at last come into the presence of the gods. My mouth would not move as they took up the carcass of Majumin; strong hands lifted me as well, for I had no strength remaining. In my weariness, I fell into a deep sleep.

  “I awakened warm and comfortable, in a soft bed in an unknown place. When I rose and stumbled to the wall in my weakness, I found a window fashioned of smooth clear material, like the flat surface of a windless lake. And beyond the window stretched vast fields of green, dotted here and there with the multitudinous colours of flowers.

  “Was it the abode of the gods?” asked a curious soul.

  To this, Zelaznu sat a moment in silent contemplation. When he spoke, none within the sound of his voice had trouble making out his words, so intent were they upon his answer.

  “You would not think to call the denizens of that place anything other than gods; and such did I call them, though they insisted that they were not divine. For certain, those persons showed me things that have never been seen in the land of men. And their home is in a land so far away that it rests not in this world at all. In all ways they seemed like gods. But, they are not gods.

  “I can see that you are disappointed. I do not mean to say that the gods of our fathers do not exist; I can but say that I did not find them. Recall the purpose of our journie across the sands, along the river, and into the mountains. We sought redemption for the Ginyu. Majumin took us to the edge of the great mountains in hopes of giving our people a better life. I have returned to tell you that I have succeeded. I know what we must do as a people.”

  The assembled Ginyu did not at once respond, for there was much confusion amongst them. Moreover, they felt as though their lives had alreadie improved as much as they dared hope simplie by living under the protection of King Xinh. Zelaznu explained that his time amongst the “otherworlders” had not been carelesslie spent. He told them that he had learned the ways of another world, that there were, in fact, numerous worlds: countless ports in the vast sea of the universe. Moreover, Zelaznu explained that he had learned how to locate and open portals between these ports, to travel from one world to the next.

  Most of the assembled Ginyu feared that Zelaznu, during his time in the mountains, had suffered such privation that his mental faculties had left him. This is how they explained to themselves how a good man could utter so much nonsense. One by one the people wandered away from their kinsman, a beloved man whom, though no longer lost in body, they now believed to be lost to them in other ways. These folk did not remain to listen to the ravings of a madman, but left to tend to the ways of the world.

  Y

  et, there were those among the Ginyu who were glad to place their faith in Zelaznu, just as they had done for Majumin. And there were some amongst the Hellenes also who were open to the words of Zelaznu, for his tales of other worlds had stirred them deeplie. Their fathers and father’s fathers had spoken with wonder of Alexander the Macedonian, that great leader who had known things that no other man had known, who claimed to have seen worlds with his mind’s eye that no Hellene had ever seen. They wondered if, like Zelaznu, Alexander had traveled to this strange otherworld and been privvie to these same sights. Some believed it so and thus a number of Hellenes entered into the circle of Zelaznu.

  As Zelaznu regained his strength, he began to preach, relating what he had seen and done. He described, to all who would listen, impossible things; but he spoke with such claritie that some could not help but believe him. In time, the number of followers began to grow. They listened to him as he spoke, teaching them all he had learned from those strange persons who seemed like demigods to the Ginyu.

  The lessons were simple. The people were to seek out knowledge wherever they might find it. They were to search for answers to all questions. They were to assume that all things could be accomplished. They were to act for themselves rather than waiting for the gods to aid them. Yet, they were also to have faith that a benign and great power had brought the world into being, a power worthie of admiration and one which, if pleased with its creatures on Earth, might well favour them with blessings in the years to come.

  And so those who held to the ideas of Zelaznu began to speak less of the myriad unseen gods which had guided their ancestors, and more of Man’s place in the universe. They still gave praise to whatever power had given them life, but while some spoke of “God,” others said “being” and still others “energie.” By this I mean to say: what theologie they possessed now looked upon a single power rather than a cadre of supreme beings.

  This did not well serve the Zelaznids (for so they now called themselves) in the eyes of King Xinh, for the king had always claimed that the favour of the gods passed to the people through him and no other. Though they had not said as much, the Zelaznids held beliefs which seemed to cast doubt upon the existence of the gods from which King Xinh claimed to derive his right to rule. This did not please the king, yet he hesitated to act against the Zelaznids, for they were a peaceful people who, by virtue of their alliances and kinships, had a large number of powerful and vigourous defenders in Salabad.

  Yet, as the Zelaznids grew in number, their enemies used this growing strength against them. For, despite their peaceful and contemplative nature, the Zelaznids inspired in others a frightful jealousie; for the people of Salabad could not understand why the Fates had shown so much favour to a people who were (in the minds of the spiteful) little more than uneducated countrie folk and foreigners.

  These ill-meaning souls whispered to the king that Zelaznu, the prophet of the Zelaznids, spoke in blasphemies and that his followers sought nothing less than the overthrow of the kingdom. This was poison in the ear of the king. By this time, it must be said, King Xinh had, in consequence of his advanced age, grown wearie of mind to such an extent that the evil advice of his trusted servants had great effect upon him.

  At last, the king ordered that Zelaznu should be arrested along with all of those foolish souls who might stand with the aging prophet. But there were those within the household of the king whose hearts were open to the teachings of Zelaznu, though they had not spoken of it to others. These persons, thus knowledgeable of the king’s plan, went amongst the Zelaznids to warn them of the coming catastrophe. Soon, word spread into the streets and fields of Salabad: Zelaznu was to be arrested. And there were those who were prepared to take up arms in defense of their leader and his ideas. But Zelaznu would not have it so. He ordered that those who wished to follow the truth in their hearts should take all that they could bear and meet him on the path leading into the mountains.

  This they did. Seventie-three men, sixtie women, and ninetie-five children, all fearful and laden with their belongings, stood upon the path to the great mountains, waiting for Zelaznu to lead them into those frozen heights, to what end they did not know. Not a few of them trembled at the thought of such a journie, of exchanging their comfortable homes for the dangers of the wild. But, believing in their aging leader, they waited.

  When Zelaznu came, it was without great haste, even though they could see that the armie of Salabad, led by their wearie king, was climbing the path in pursuit of the old man.

  “Here we stand,” Zelaznu called to his people, “Ginyu, and Hellene, and Salabadi as one. And here comes the might of the king, seeking to bring us to heel.”

  “Let us yet fight,” cried a voice.

  “That we shall not do,” Zelaznu called, “for to look upon the faces of our enemies would also be to see our kinsmen. What need have we to strike down our own when we can make a new life in a new land?”

  “But what of our homes? Are we to lose all that we know?”

  Here the great man raised his hands to the sky.

  “No, we shall not. For all that we know lies within; we will take all that we know with us to sow further our seeds of knowledge and to harvest them at some distant place and time. We will lose belongings this day, to be sure, but these things of the Earth, these comforts th
at have made us soft, can be got again if needs be, again and again.”

  Here, a loyal follower touched Zelaznu upon the arm. “The armie comes. We must go if we hope to outrun them.”

  But Zelanzu said, “I have no wish to run.”

  Staring upwards, the old man shouted into the howling winds in words that tickled the minds of those assembled then faded, leaving behind no memorie of their contents. All at once there appeared a bright light, shining like the sun from the hillside. And the Zelaznids, as one, walked into that light, were swallowed up by it, and were seen no more.[24]

  ~ 23 ~

  Chapter 3

  The Coming of Qutughai

  T

  he Zelaznids were, in fact, seen again, but not by those whom they left behind in Salabad. Likewise, neither the king nor those who had witnessed the miracle in the mountains would ever know what had become of those lost followers of Zelaznu.

  Yet, it cannot be said that all of the Zelaznids vanished from Salabad upon that fateful day; for there were those within the cittie who were believers in the teachings of Zelaznu, yet who had not summoned the courage to flee Salabad with their brethren. What is more, in the days following the disappearance of Zelaznu and his people the miracle in the mountains played upon the minds of the Salabadi most profoundlie. There were none who could explain where their kinsmen had gone. It took but little imagination for them to conclude that Zelaznu had been speaking the truth all along and that he had led his loyal followers into the haven of another world.

  The first of the Salabadi to become new followers of Zelaznu were those who had seen the Zelaznids vanish. Yet, like those secret Zelaznids who had remained in the cittie while the others fled, few of the new believers dared to speak of their faith. For was it not so that those who had most openlie followed the teachings of Zelaznu were driven from the cittie? With the king’s thirst for vengeance unquenched, would he not turn upon those who declared themselves to be of like mind with the exiles?