The Ports and Portals of the Zelaznids Read online

  Thus it happened that the Salabadi who now became followers of Zelaznu, and also those who had always done so in secret, went on to nourish their faith behind closed doors, making this fact known to none but their children, whom they taught with the fullness of their hearts, hoping that the day would come when they might declare the truth once more.

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  pin the web of historie forward more than one thousand years, for that is how much time passed before the beliefs of the Zelaznids once more played a part in the workings of Salabad. In the intervening time, kings and emperors rose and fell, as did the kingdoms and empires attached to them. Warlords arrived one after another to bring the cittie of Salabad under their dominion, some successful and others less so.

  During this time, the people lived their lives as best they could, allowing changes in government to alter their ways as little as was possible. Farmers continued to harvest grains from the fields and swamps of the wetlands below the foothills. Craftsmen went on with their various trades, exchanging goods to whosoever desired them and for whatever price they could manage. Herdsmen continued to keep close to the heights, remaining more detached from the ways of the world than other residents of Salabad. And throughout, a silent minoritie continued to teach their children of the old ways, and of the old tales, and of the old memories that no warlord could erase.

  Troubles kept themselves from the lands surrounding Salabad until the coming of the Mongol Horde, that scourge of the earth, thrust upon the world for no other purpose than to build with the sword and cleanse the Earth with fire. Because of its distant location across the great desert, Salabad was long spared the ruling fist of this cruel and barbarous people; but this reprieve did not last. Of a sudden, the armies of Kublai Khan came to claim their own.[25]

  Occupied as he was with the conquest of lower China, Kublai did not come to the gates of Salabad in person, but sent as governor an able and young commander by the name of Qutughai. This strong warrior earned the trust of the great khan through hard labour and the assistance of his providential name.[26] And Qutughai did not make his patron regret the appointment, for the young general saw to it that many citties along the Takla Makan fell to the will of the Mongols.

  Salabad, resting high within the hills, was the last cittie to fall before the might of the armies of the khan. This is not to say that those people fought harder or longer than their neighbours. Rather let it be said that Qutughai had easier sheep to shear than Salabad. Moreover, when it came time for that cittie to answer for its future, it chose not to fight at all but rather submitted to the workings of Fate by opening the gates to the Horde with neither sword nor sling being drawn in its defense.

  This suited Qutughai quite well, for he was not, despite his martial successes, a cruel man, and much preferred quiet conquest to the wanton shedding of blood. In thanks to the cittie for its submission, the governor-general granted the people of Salabad much freedom so that life was little different after the coming of the Horde than it had been before, though there was more order in the streets. Despite their proclivities toward dark acts, it may be said that the Mongols knew the value of order within their dominion.

  As a consequence, Salabad prospered more than other communities in the Takla Makan, a fact that the residents of that privileged cittie used to their advantage by extending the reach of their trade further than ever before. Moreover Salabad, under Qutughai’s rule, became one of the most tolerant places in the ancient world, for the Mongol leader allowed religious freedom among the people, provided they did not speak out against the faith of the Mongols. This is where my own people fell into opposition with the Horde, to our greater destruction.[27]

  The people of Salabad fared well under this new dictum. Most residents of the cittie worshipped the various deities of their ancestors and found no difficultie in adding the Mongol gods to their own pantheon. Thus Tengri,[28] Bai-Ulgau and Esege Malan[29], and also Ot[30] merged in the minds of the Salabadi with their own legends of Nüwa and Fuxi, the sister-wife and brother-husband who had, out of boredom it was said, formed mankind from the clay. In this way, the ancient stories of both the Mongols and the Salabadi combined into a single legend. Thus the varied historie of the people could, on occasion, be heard recited over the course of several days through elaborate üliger, those epic poems known so well to the people of that region, and brought to life by bards on their moriin khuur.[31]

  In such an atmosphere as this, it was not long before those wise and private Zelaznids of the cittie, who dwelt secretlie within the walls of Salabad, broke their silence and bravelie declared their beliefs once more.

  There were those within the cittie who would not hear of the teachings of Zelaznu, for they had been raised in families which had always stood against the ideas of others. But there were other forces at work now than had existed at the time of Zelaznu. For now the Zelaznids, despite the passage of the years, were a larger number within Salabad than would have been thought for a people who had so long kept the secrets of their hearts.

  Of great importance was the presence of Qutughai, as learned a man as ever existed among the brutes of his warrior race. This great and wise leader, brought up though he was with blood in his nostrils, heard much that was good in the ways of the Zelaznids and this impressed him. It therefore came to pass that the Zelaznids again emerged in Salabad as a protected people, with Qutughai standing before all as their stoutest defender. Nor was this the sole boon to those ancient believers, for the trading system protected by Qutughai’s armie also served to aid the Zelaznids, spreading their faith throughout the Tarim basin and the Takla Makan.

  In this way, the teachings of Zelaznu made their way to the east, earning some few converts in each town and cittie through which its missionaries passed, until reaching the terminus of the winding Tarim, that ancient cittie of Ergyan. There, in the marshlands along the great desert, the tales of Zelaznu found welcome ears, for there were yet in Ergyan descendants of those same Ginyu who had traveled with Majumin so long ago, and who still recited legends of his strange journey.

  The tales of Zelaznu gave the Ginyu of Ergyan much delight, so much so that four score of them resolved to divest themselves of land in that cittie and make their way to Salabad, so that they might be reunited with their distant kinsmen once more. And there were other folk who likewise embarked upon this pilgrimage.

  Salabadi traders at the edge of the Gobi found much the same reaction amongst the herdsmen along that rockie desert. These tribal villagers, like the people of Ergyan, still told legends of that time when Majumin and his followers had left for the west, never to be seen again; though it must be said that these tales little resembled realitie after such a passage of time. A band of Gobi dwellers thus followed the precedent of those in Ergyan, leaving their homes for the pilgrimage west.

  The Zelaznids of Salabad were scarcelie prepared for the arrival of pilgrims in such numbers; for, in addition to the Ginyu from Ergyan and the Gobi, there came others with no kinship to the travelers who had followed Majumin, but who yet felt their hearts and minds gladdened by the teachings of Zelaznu. These, too, made their way to Salabad, so that they might join others of their ilk and visit the places known to Zelaznu in his day.

  These places, which included the pass in the mountains and the hut where the prophet recovered after his strange journie, became so crowded with visitors that an enterprising soul established a business wherein visitors paid some few coins to take part in pilgrimage tours. Even those who did not choose to move their families to Salabad yet began to travel to the cittie on an annual basis in order to honour the memorie of Zelaznu and those followers who had vanished with him so long ago.

  In all of this, the governor-general was much pleased. Monies from frequent visitors and the expansion of trade made Salabad the wealthiest cittie in the Takla Makan. Qutughai was thus able to send vast amounts of tribute to the great khan. This in no little measure greatlie enhanced the reputation of Qutughai in the eyes of his leader.<
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  nd yet, all was not goodness and light in the streets of Salabad, for there were in that cittie no few schemers of jealous complexion who saw little benefit to themselves in consequence of the religious freedoms supported by Qutughai. Rather, they believed that too much favour had been visited upon the Zelaznids. In addition, in the court of Kublai Khan were bureaucrats of similar colour who believed that too much favour had been visited upon the distant Qutughai.

  As is the way of great men, Qutughai thus found himself pinned between factions and plotted against by both the disgruntled souls of Salabad and the corrupt officials of the khan’s court. For their part, those jealous Salabadi wrote secretlie to the khan to declare their dismay over Qutughai’s abandonment of traditional religious teachings. At the same time, envious bureaucrats whispered in the ear of the khan that his favourite general had, due to his popularitie amongst the peoples at the far edge of the wasteland, sought to elevate himself, a mocking affront to the power of the great khan himself.

  The khan was not at first inclined to listen to such slanders. But, being a man jealous of his own exalted position, it came to pass that the powerful leader decided to visit war upon the people of Salabad, ordering Qutughai to be brought before him. But this was not to be.

  The armie of the khan, arrogant and certain of its strength, traveled in comfort along the Tarim, never riding too hard or too fast, always resting in towns or citties from which entertainment might be had. Unlike the khan, who was but a distant ruler known for little but the callousness of his armie, Qutughai was beloved throughout the settlements of the Tarim basin by virtue of those traders and missionaries who never failed to speak of the governor-general with great reverence.

  As such, village traders brought word to Qutughai that the soldiers of the khan were on their way several days before those forces at last set their eyes on the loftie walls of Salabad. The great and wise Qutughai, finding himself in a difficult position, made for himself, and for those who would heed his words, a fateful and difficult decision.

  Following the example of Zelaznu, Qutughai summoned all of the Zelaznids to come before him at the grounds of the governor’s palace. They assembled there in a large courtyard, whereupon Qutughai stood before them. He informed the crowd, which numbered in the tens of thousands, about the coming danger and what he thought they should do to protect themselves; for all feared the wanton slaughter and destruction that might otherwise befall them at the hands of the armie.

  Qutughai’s decision, in essence, was to follow the path Zelaznu had once taken into the mountains and, barring an otherworldlie encounter, cross the peaks into the lands of Kaasmir.[32]

  “After all,” the great leader explained, “did not the Hellenes of old come through those same mountains to find a welcome home in Salabad? We must now retrace that historic passage, returning to the lands from whence they came.”

  “Are you to guide us there, Governor-General Qutughai?”

  The wise leader then bowed his head and spoke so that all those assembled had to strain their ears to hear him. “I was not of a mind to leave this place before called from my post by my master, the Great Khan. And I would have bowed to his will in humilitie even had he ordered me to return to court and answer for my actions. But, by sending an armie to seize his servant by force, the Great Khan has made an enemie of the loyal Qutughai. Even so, I would yet have done my dutie to the emperor, though it cost me my life, were no other lives at risk in this business.”

  The crowd murmured, as some no doubt grew nervous to hear the extent of the governor-general’s loyaltie to the khan. Then Qutughai lifted his head and his voice high, so that all might know the strength of the man who stood before them.

  “Grateful though I have been for your good service to me and to your fair cittie, I have not been led to adopt your ways, though I respect greatlie the sum of your beliefs. I was, rather, content to follow the path that my ancestors laid before me and to leave the question of faith to those who are inclined to studie such matters. And yet. . .

  “My avowed enemie, the Great Khan, declares war not alone upon me but upon you, and upon your ideas, indeed even your right to have ideas. Is this the act of a wise leader? Is this the act of a kind soul? No. I am not a man to stand aside whilst an idea is crushed beneath the leather boots of the soldier. Therefore I declare unto you that, though I do not say that I am one of you, I shall yet lead you from this place.”

  A great cheer rose up from the multitudes, but no celebration, for there was much to do and little time with which to accomplish all that lay before them. Throughout the cittie, families loaded all that they could into satchels and bags, sometimes piling clothing and food onto blankets which they then tied into the semblance of bundles. Riches that could not be carried with ease were sold to whatever merchants intended to stay behind.

  But the Zelaznids did not impoverish themselves in order to escape; on the contrarie, they designated several of their number to haul such gold and silver and riches as the band possessed. Moreover, the herdsmen amongst them fashioned strong ropes with which to tie their livestock together for the coming expedition.

  At last, several hundred Zelaznids stood in preparation, steeled for their trek into the unknown. Their enemies were not idle during these preparations, but sent word to the armie that those whom they sought would soon flee. Yet, the forces of the Great Khan did not concern themselves with this news, knowing as they did that the high mountains were perilous and sure to turn back all but the most stalwart travelers.

  This is why, when the soldiers arrived at Salabad, they were not alarmed to find that their prey had fled into the mountains. Imagine their surprise, however, when a thorough search of the various trails revealed no sign of the fugitives whatsoever.

  Qutughai and the Zelaznids had vanished.

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  he disappearance of Qutughai and his Zelaznid followers, inexplicable though it was to both the Mongol warriors and the Salabadi enemies who searched for them, was not quite so mysterious as it seemed. Consider that the year had reached late spring, a time when the snows clung to the highest peaks alone, and then in patches, as if the heavens had neglected to evenlie spread the vast white blanket across the land.[33] Consider that, within an hour’s walk up the mountain path, dirt gave way to bare stone, thus providing difficult ground through which to track the travelers. Consider also that the fleeing Zelaznids, in fear for their lives, were much more interested in escaping than the complacent armie was in capturing them.

  Given these factors, it should not be difficult to, with scientific precision, determine how Qutughai and the Zelaznids vanished into the mountains. In brief, they fled with great speed, well ahead of their pursuers, leaving little in the way of tracks until they were far from the place where the Salabadi at last gave up their pursuit.

  Here was no assistance from otherworldlie beings, no miraculous rescue. These peoples, by virtue of their determination, escaped into the mountains and out of the reach of their enemies without the need for magic. Yet, we might say that a miracle did occur, for never have such people faced so much danger and lived to speak of it. And this is how I am, five centuries later, able to record their tale for the benefit of all.

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  eaching this point in the fantastical historie of the Zelaznids, the reader might well begin to doubt the events described herein. To this I can say little but that the Zelaznids themselves have passed these legends down from father and mother to son and daughter. These are the facts as told to me by the last of their line, before the Zelaznids were hounded from this world. I cannot attest to the truth of such things, but I am certain that the tellers of these tales believed them to the depth of their souls. For my part, I can do little but put the matter before the public as the Zelaznids would have wished.

  Interpretation I shall leave to the judgment of posteritie.

  ~ 168 ~

  Chapter 4

  The al-Hazredi Dynastie

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  ummer came to a close, bringing cold weather earlier than usual to the village of Feyzabad in the land of Kush.[34] In the deep river basin, farmers brought in small plots of vegetables earlier than was their custom, so as to avoid the damage of the coming frost. Numerous generations had battled the climate of these mountains, stretching back into time further than anyone knew. It was the way of the simple folk of Feyzabad to take what they could from the land and be grateful for all that they possessed.

  One such farmer, working a small plot far up the river, heard shouting in a language that he did not know. Looking about him, he saw no one. Yet the cry came once more, echoing between the steep walls of the mountains. At last, he looked further up the river valley, where the land was not flat enough even for the small plots he tended; and then he spotted them.

  They were bedraggled, suffering from chill, and thin with hunger. These souls, their faces pale and haunted, lurched forward as if their legs answered to some authoritie outside of themselves. As they reached the farmer, he recognized the language of the Mongols, who had swept through Feyzabad in previous years, though they had no permanent presence in the village. But the farmer, whose name has been lost to posteritie, spoke Arabic and did not know the language of the Mongols enough to understand the words.

  This detail, however, did not concern the farmer at that moment. More pressing was the fact that these strangers had come from the mountains and had, according to their appearance, been in the wilderness for some time. He feared that a partie as desperate as this might well resort to injustice in order to sate their hunger. Most alarming to the fellow was the presence of the well-armed Mongol leading the ragged band.