The Paladin's Odyssey (The Windows of Heaven) (36 page)

THE PALADIN’S ODYSSEY
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367

Those men bore me away to the east, and placed me at the sun’s gates, where the sun goes forth according to the regulation of the seasons and the circuit of the months of the whole year, and the number of the hours day and night. And I saw six gates open, each gate having sixty-one stadia (marked spans) and a quarter of one stadium, and I measured them truly, and understood their size to be so much, through which the sun goes forth, and goes to the west, and is made even, and rises throughout all the months, and turns back again from the six gates according to the succession of the seasons; thus the period of the whole year is finished after the returns of the four seasons. And again those men led me away to the western parts, and showed me six great gates open corresponding to the eastern gates, opposite to where the sun sets
…

—
2 Enoch
13:1-14:1a (Slavonic Manuscript)

THE PALADIN’S ODYSSEY
|
367

Gates

U’

Sumi dismounted from the unicorn before the Gates of the Setting Sun just after dawn.
A
huge statue of a winged serpent dominated the pavement between the gigantic six-pillared Sun Gates and the pyramid. Such an
idol
could not possibly have been a part of the original architecture
,
and did nothing to reassure A’Nu-Ahki’s son about the loyalties of the keepers.

Klyeto of Psydonis came from here, after all, according to both
T’Qinna’s explanation and
the scrolls U’Sumi had read at Thulae. The literature
he remembered
said little about the shrine or its keepers, except that Psydonu had ordered the place restored and
its
caretakers paid on stipend because their ancestors
had hailed from the “Holy East,
”
being
related to the line of the Promised Seed. U’Sumi saw little evidence of the latter.

I must be crazy to look for help here!
h
e
fumed, as he entered the wide pavement before the colossal gate megaliths, which stood like giants ready to squash him. He crossed the flagstones only because his father had insisted that maybe some hope remained that a version of Q’Enukki’s message still survived here.

If so, then why would Klyeto have prostituted herself to a Watcher?
U’Sumi wondered again if his father’s fever had affected his judgment after all. It didn’t make sense to come here, much less to seek help from people who were, at the very least, beholden to Psydonu for material support. A’Nu-Ahki had known all these
things while still imprisoned at Thulae and at Temple City Epymetu, yet it hadn’t influenced his decisions at all.

It doesn’t make sense!

The huge topaz phoenix and amethyst upright crocodilian chalkydri
sculptures guarded the main court, refracting the morning sunlight like heavenly seraf
Watchers undiminished by time. The monument to Q’Enukki stood in its sunken patio on the east court, but the bas-reliefs on its walls
differed
from the description given in U’Sumi history scrolls.

A pair of acolytes approached from beyond the sunken patio to meet him. They were unarmed
,
and seemed unconcerned by his presence. When they drew within about fifty paces, they hailed him with hands raised in respect. U’Sumi bowed to them in response.

“How may the Keepers of the Western Gates be of service, friend?” asked one of the robed caretakers.

U’Sumi said,
“I need to speak with your Chief Elder
. Marauders abducted m
y friends in the ruins below
and only I escaped
. I beg assistance as a son of the very Q’Enukki who built this place. I am U’Sumi, son of A’Nu-Ahki, who is son of Muhet’Usalaq, the first
born
of the Great Seer. I have the ear of Muhet
’
Usalaq himself, Q’Enukki’s Appointed.”

The acolytes glanced at each other. “Follow us to our Zaqen.”

The pair of caretakers led U’Sumi and Taanyx—who refused to leave the young man’s side—across the pavement, behind the central
stepped
pyramid. There, a series of cliff-dwellings extended up the steep slopes into a boxed canyon, hous
ing
the small religious community.

An elder of sorts greeted them at the mouth of the largest dwelling.

“This is our Zaqen,
Iskui
,” one of the acolytes said, extending hands to both U’Sumi and his
Zaqen
. “My Father, this is U’Sumi, son of A’Nu-Ahki, son of the Seer Q’Enukki, who built our sacred shrine. He comes from the Sacred East—the land of our fathers.”

U’Sumi wondered why the acolyte had felt the need to add in his introduction the obvious mention that the Sacred East had been the land of their fathers, but then dismissed it as a redundant formality.

Iskui
appeared considerably younger than U’Sumi’s
father did,
perhaps by as much as half A’Nu-Ahki’s age. U’Sumi found th
is
curious, since construction of the megaliths had occurred during
the second century of Q’Enukki’s life
,
and children born to that generation would only now be approaching the age of Muhet’Usalaq or of Lumekki at the youngest. The entire western coastlands showed signs of having once supported a population at least thrice that of the present.

It only now occurred to U’Sumi that nobody he had seen since reaching the west coast could be more than two hundred years old. There were a few parts of the world, still newly colonized, where this might be expected. The former Far West Colonies of Seti and the Gates of the Setting Sun were not among them.

“Greetings, young friend.” The Zaqen smiled with broad white teeth made brighter by the deep reddish-brown of his complexion. “We have heard by oracle that a traveler from the east has visited the Giant Psydonu in the Far North and confirmed him as the Monster Killer. Are you that traveler?”

U’Sumi bowed
and
replied, “Caretaker, I wish that my visit were one of simple pilgrimage, but I can assure you that I have not confirmed the claims of Psydonu. Neither has my father, who is Q’Enukki’s heir with the Seer’s gift. We come on a matter of even greater urgency, but evil befell my father and my bride-to-be, just as we came upon the threshold of this monument.” He went on to relate the events of the previous evening.

The Zaqen took in U’Sumi’s story with polite nods and punctuated hums, almost in regular manufactured precision. These signs of attentiveness never quite reached his eyes, however.

“Hmmm, yes. Hmm, I see.” The Caretaker nodded
as U’Sumi finished his account. For several seconds
Iskui
looked away from his visitor. After what seemed a
long time
, he answered, “I cannot give you much hope of seeing your people again. Strange things happen in the ruins below—the, ah, town does not really support the work we do up here. I often think there are, shall we say, ‘forces’ moving in that community that would rather see the good work of
E’Yahavah
El-N’Lil stop.”

“Is there nothing you can do?”

Iskui
shrugged. “Pray. Beyond that, there is a company of soldiers about a day’s ride south of here, on the opposite side of the bay.”

“I don’t think we have that much time.”

“I see.” The Caretaker seemed to weigh carefully what he
said
next. “The town people often whisper fearfully about the acolytes
of E’Yahavah’s Shadow. The
members of this evil cult
stalk the ruins at night and
sleep in
the
lonely
hill
caves
during the day. Stories tell of how they worship the Shadow cast by the Great God’s glory.
Not that t
he town
’s
folk
are trustworthy. Th
e
y
sometimes
work the slave trade. S
laver s
hips put in
here
often.
If not for
such
things, we might enjoy
a wealth of
honest pilgrims to the Gates of the Setting Sun. It is a
shame, really.
”

“Who are these acolytes?” U’Sumi asked
, thinking that m
aybe
they seduced
Klyeto and not the caretakers.
Maybe Psydonu only cares for the Sun Gates because
he thinks it’s
expected of the
Monster Killer.
A sickening spiral churned in his gut, as he noticed
here
none of the fabulous technology he had seen at Thulae
, Psydonis,
and Epymetu’s Temple City.
Could I have jumped to the wrong conclusion?
Maybe Pahp was right to come here.
The Caretaker despises the evils of both town and the ruins. It explains the Shepherd’s strange reaction to us.

Iskui
hesitated,
as if he dreaded to speak much about the cult in the ruins
.
“They desecrate what we consecrate.”

“Dragon worshipers?”

The Caretaker gave a fatherly grin. “A quaint way to put it,
though
not altogether accurate
; s
till, I suppose they could be understood that way.”

“I don’t care to understand them! What I want to know is whether or not you have any armed men who will join me in a rescue strike?”

Iskui
held up his hands to calm his guest. “We of the Light do not believe in taking up arms
…
”

“We have acolytes in the ‘Holy East.’ They have no qualms about using the sword at need!”

“I’m sorry. Please try to understand.”

U’Sumi grunted his disgust
and turned to leave.

The Zaqen
called,
“Wait!”

“What is it?”

Iskui spoke haltingly
. “While we are forbidden to take up arms, there are times when it is necessary for the Light to stand up to the Darkness—to maintain balance—when too much is tipped toward the Shadow. Now may be such a time. Let me give you some things to aid your quest.”

He motioned U’Sumi to follow him into a cliff-dwelling and brought him into
the shadows
of
a small chamber.
There h
e
opened
an ancient wooden chest
, and produced a steel sword with
a red-gold orichalcum
-
embossed hilt decorated in finely carved phoenixes on either side of the pommel. Its scabbard was of red leather
,
with gold filigree images of stylized dragonry etched in the Middle Setiim style. Attached by a buttoned strap, came a bow with a quiver of silver-tipped arrows and an ancient rectangular bronze cartouche key amulet hanging by a gold chain.

“The key may open the portal through which your people were taken. Long ago
,
our ancestors
used the caverns as a treasure horde
. T
his cartouche
once
matched the locks on several of the old doors below.
Our fathers
abandoned
those places long before the cult came
, but
mayhap
the vipers
found
entrance to them somehow. Look for its slot on the left side.”

“Thanks,” U’Sumi said, as he followed his benefactor back outside.

Iskui
said, “One more thing, my young friend. The sword once belonged to Fasturi son of Seti, father of our order—before he renounced all violence.
Its
name
is
Phoenix Fire
. I feel impelled to give it to you, along with the bow, for your defense. Keep them well. If the forces are indeed out of balance
,
and you manage to secure your father, please implore him to return here with you so that we may hear his message from his own lips.”

The Caretaker’s glassy stare
went
thr
ough the
colossal
Sun Gates
to the depths of the Great Outer Ocean beyond
,
like some homesick creature of the deeps
.
“It is long centuries since a s
eer of Q’Enukki’s line has graced us with divine words. His son
,
Iyuqan lived among us for awhile, before he went south to prophesy to the Everaddi and Kemvors
,
but that was before my time.
M
y father
’s
father
was a
child when last we heard from the sons of Heaven’s Scribe. Your visit honors us.”

“Thank you. If I may ask, where are your fathers? You are young to hold a zaqen’s staff.”

Iskui
nodded with the toothy grin of a well-fed
rodent
. “They are on pilgrimage and have left me as Caretaker. Go now to rescue your people. May the glory of E’Yahavah
A’Nu go with you.”