The Ports and Portals of the Zelaznids (16 page)

     Why
,
then, write this missive?  Why tell
a
storie
which the
world will not believe? 
Because
Hoosyar requested it of me?
  Yes, for this reason and another:
there is
no one else
who
can
do so. 
I am
the last Zelaznid
,
if you will
forgive such conceit
.

    
And
time is of the essence.
  I cannot say how long I might remain in this world.  I have long been out of favour at court, and
numerous
times
, of late,
I
have
thought myself followed in the dark of night
in the street outside of my home
.  I fear that one of these dark nights I
will
be found
in a filthie
alley with my throat cut. 
Or
p
erhaps I will fail to
awaken one morning
, the victim of some unknown
maladie
, I shouldn’t wonder
.  Who would speak for
the Zelaznids
then
? 
None, if not me.

    
So
I
will do my dutie to those who changed this world, and my life, for the better.  I will do
what Hooshyar asked of me and
lay these volumes
[118]
before the world
while I am able
, though
it might
well
be that
there are
none
to
understand them
.

~
168
~

Part 3

The Function of Portals

Chapter 11

The Heart of the Faithful

Z

elaznids throughout the ages have often asked
why so few
have known
the ways o
f ports and portals?  To be sure
, apart from the Zelaznids, and even amongst them, precious few
have
been instructed
in
these matters. 
Some say that
it is a lack of
faith which kep
t
them ignorant, for one
must first belie
ve
in such possibilities before one may make use of them.  The wise have had much to say on the subject.  Heed their words as we
convey them and know the truth of
that
which
we
sp
eak
, or else dwell forever in ignorance.
[119]

E

mlyn the
Welsh
wizard, it is said, instructed Arcturus Aurelius and other trusted men in the existence of portals.  “Do not,” he
told them
, “be quick to disbelieve when you encounter ideas that are new.  Would
you have believed in the crueltie of the Saxons had you not experienced it yourselves? 
What of the great sea snake?
  This seemed but a fantas
ie
before Trahaearn pulled one from the waters. 
And
h
ave I not brought you wonders beyond
your
imagining?  Doubt not, therefore, when I speak of the origins
of
such
wonders
. 
Heed me, for
t
here are more worlds in existence than t
here are hairs upon your heads.
”

L

akku was careful w
hen it came to the dispensing of such
knowledge
.  He
would have
no more than three apprentices at a given time, for
he believed that
not all
men could
learn the craft of portal use, even should they desire to do so. 
Despite Lakku’s care, those whom he
instructed
sometimes
fail
ed
as a result
o
f
a weakness in their minds.

     Master Lakku called this weaknes
s of the mind ‘other-blindness’;
an unwillingness to believe
is
at its core.  E
ven those who
master
the craft of portal
s
might
sometimes
fall into
this blindness
.

A

follower
once
asked
Zelaznu
where these lands
-
of which he
so often
spoke
-
were
located
. 
The w
ise old
prophet
took an onion and cut it in half.

     “Look upon the onion.  See how the layers rest one atop
the next
.  They are each of them separate.  Yet, I might take a pin and press it through the flesh,
thus
creating a connection between the layers.

    
“
Now imagine that one layer
is that
port in which we live: this is
our
home
realitie
. 
Look upon t
he
space between the layers,
not as
the width of a hair,
but rather as
the distance of ten thousand
voyages
to the sun. 
And
in place of the pin
, imagine
a portal, bridging the gaps between ports.  This is the universe as it stands.”

Z

elaznu
often spoke of the universe contain
ing worlds upon worlds.  “We gaze upon the mountains around us
and are
certain that there are lands beyond them
, though we have not seen them ourselves
. 
Nor do w
e need travelers from afar to
tell us
of these distant places.  As
do
all
right-thinking
peoples
,
we know without knowing that the earth does n
ot end at the summit of the mountain
.

    
Why then would you look into the skies, or into the darkness, without
having
the same
thought
?

     “Look not upon
the things
within your vision as
if none
but these
may exist.
  H
ave faith that there is
much
which
we do not know
, but that
we have the wit to discover it
.
  Perhaps we will not know all
things
within this lifetime or the next, but th
e
knowledge
is out there, beyond the world
we
know.  Seek these things out even as you seek
the
sustenance
of
life.”

N

ow recall the words of Qutughai, that respected governor-general who did not himself master the use of portals
.  Yet
well
he
understood
their
value, for he had seen the fruits of their use.

     “Do not tell me that such things
cannot be
,” he
was heard
to say at the end of his days. “Even one such as I, who knows few arts but those of war, can attest to the truth of portals.  How
else
was Zelaznu saved
from the terrors of the mountains?  How
else
did
the faithful
avoid the wrath of King
Xinh?  How
else
did the people of Sang-e escape from the armies of warlords?

     “Say
that
the
tale
of Zelaznu is
mere
legend, if you wish. 
But
will you
d
oubt
it
when I tell you
that
I, with
my own eyes
,
witnessed the flight from Sa
ng-e
,
when the
Zelaznids
used such a
portal
for their salvation
? 
Will
you question the truths spoken by your own fathers
,
who
experienced
the miraculous flight from Sang-e to this world
as well as I
?
You may cower
in
unbelief
if you wish
,
but
doubt not
these things in my presence, for I will have none.”

U

nder this world and above it, beside it and within it - this is where the great Hooshyar
said w
e
might
find
all of the
ports of the universe if we c
ould but
harness the power of
the
portal
s
in our world. 
Hooshyar
also
taught
, however,
that the abilitie to see
these portals
is an
art
which
has been
all but lost in this most modern of eras.

     “Never have we known so much about the heavens as we do today.  This is a boon to the knowledge of all
;
much do we appreciate the strides made by men of science in these few centuries.  Yet,
it seems that
the students of the natural world have lost something of the
wonder
which
they used to hold in their hearts.

     “After all,
they think,
what are the fancies of old men
when there are new
elements
to discover
?  How can we expect the young to
turn their imaginations to mystical
matters when astronomie
offers
new worlds in the form of planets?  What value
is
an unknown passage to an unseen land when the locomotive promises a
more tangible
future?

     “Knowledge has ever been the bosom companion of the Zelaznids. 
But
it seems that the world loses its sense of wonder
even as it
learns more about
itself.  Can it be long before there is no one left
who possesses the imagination to
investigate the nature
of
portals?”

     T
h
e truth of portals
cannot be denied
; these passages to other worlds have borne the Zelaznids from danger upon danger, to world after world
.  We do not know whether the Zelaznids will return to this wo
rld to convey their knowledge to
the generations yet to come.  As such, it is our lot to speak to the future, just as Hooshyar desired.

~
168
~

Chapter 12

The Locating of Portals

L

et us now discuss the
locating of portals.  Where
might
they be found
?  How might one locate them?  It is certain that
th
is is
no
simple
business. 
But
little is
effortless
in life, least of all the nature of portals.

     Before
you
concern
yourself
with the
location of portals,
consider
whether you should
seek
them
at all.  Ask yourself why you wish to find them.
  Do you approach these wonders with a
selfless
heart
or with a
thought towards
all that you might gain from them? 
U
nworth
ie
souls should neither seek out portals nor be trained
to find
them.  It is best if these
persons
have no congress with
portals
whatsoever.

A

lways, when seeking portals, remember to
halt your journie
often in
order to
close your eyes and meditate.  With eye
s shut to the world, survey the
surroundings with
your inner sight
.  This is your mind’s eye, which can see beyond seeing and know beyond knowing.  Train yourself to see in this darkness.  In this
way
you shall learn to find the energies of portals.

    
And yet
,
this
will not be unless you have
the proper mindset from the beginning. 
To find
a
portal
you must
know more
than the
nature of its
mechanism. 
Before this, the seeker must
be certain
-
must
know in his heart -
that
the
portal
will be
there.  This takes faith in
things which
cannot be seen. 
Unless you know that the portal exists, you will not
find it.

     Such were the teachings of Lakku.

K

eep your face to the sun as it meets the horizon. 
This is the surest way to locate
a
portal, for the
sun
can
reveal
as
much in its
absence as
it may
in its presence
. 
But
be cautious of
a
portal once revealed.  These places number hundreds upon hundreds in our world and
some
lead to dangers
, for not a
ll portals
lead to
worthie places.  Take care that you know the nature of the portal you w
ish to
open.  As with all things, use of the mind’s eye
brings much claritie to these issues
.

K

abul warlords sent warriors to destroy the Zelaznids of Sang-e.  As has been told, the people escaped through
a
portal before harm
could
befa
ll
them. 
But
be assured that
Lakku did not
open this portal without
forethought.  We know
that
this
is
true because of the
writings of Abdul
Hazred
which
tell
us that before Lakku opened the portal, he first made certain that no enemie
s
had reached the mountain
where they might
witness the miracle
.
[120]

    
T
hose who seek portals should
learn from the example of Lakku
.  Upon discovering a portal
,
you should
look about
to be assured that no enemies
lurk
thereabouts.  Th
ese
include
declared opponents, to be sure;
but
the seeker of portals must
also
beware of those who
se mantle
of friendship
hides the soul of an adversarie
.  
With caution you
may
thus
guard against those who would do you harm, or
who would
use portal
s for selfish ends
.

U

nderstand that it is of the utmost importance
to
rest before
openi
ng a portal.  Even Zelaznu could not
build a bridge
between worlds without suffering much weariness
thereafter
. 
Energies must flow
in
order to
open
a
portal.  This energie comes from
both
within and without
; you must be prepared to harness it - s
o
said the wise
Hooshyar.
 
Emlyn
, too,
warned
his pupils about the
onset of
weariness,
though
it
is said
that
he lost
his life
in this fashion
.

    
The lesson is clear.
 
Before opening a portal, you
must:
s
eek solitude and rest
; m
editate
in peace
; e
mptie your
mind
of negative thoughts
; and let
the energies flow through you.
  Take these precautions before using
a portal
if
you
would avoid the dangers
therein
.

~
168
~