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Koja asked in surprise. He had assumed the khahan was a hereditary rank,
like that of king or prince.
"All men are born to become what they will. Such is the will of Teylas, Lord
of the Sky," she explained, playing her fingers up and down the staff. "When
Burekei died, Yamun became khan of the Hoekun. It was only later, after he
conquered the Dalats, that the families named him great prince of all the
Tuigan." Bayalun crossed her feet and adjusted her seat.
"But, I did not invite you here to answer all your questions, envoy, although
they have been amusing." She gave him a slight mocking smile and watched
to see what kind of reaction her gentle barb would bring.
Koja became red-faced. "Accept my apologies, Second Empress," he
meekly responded, bowing his head slightly.
"Please, call me Mother Bayalun," the empress chided. Sitting back in her
seat, Bayalun carefully set the staff down by her feet. "You say you are a lama
of the Red Mountain," she began casually. "What teachings do you follow?"
"The lamas of the Red Mountain live by the words of the Enlightened One,
who taught us how to reach peace and perfect oblivion. We seek to banish
our passions, so we can understand the teachings of the Enlightened One."
He paused, waiting for some sign of understanding. Bayalun watched him
closely but gave no indication that she understood.
Koja continued. "If I drink tea and I like tea, my life will be ruled every day
by the desire for tea and I will not know anything else. Every day I will think
about my cup of tea and will miss what is happening around me." The priest's
hands mimed holding a cup of tea. "Only after we no longer savor life can we
truly feel everything life has to offer." Koja tried to keep his explanation simple,
not wanting to confuse his hostess with the complexities of Red Mountain
theology. Judging from the shaman beside him, the Tuigan were not all that
familiar with sophisticated philosophical teachings.
Mother Bayalun squinted at him. "I heard it said you followed Furo the
Mighty. Isn't he the god of the Red Mountain Temple? But today you talk of
the Enlightened One. Do you follow the teachings of one and worship the
other?"
Koja scratched at the stubble on his skull. His simple explanation was
getting more complex. "We know it is a truth that Furo the Mighty is a divine
agent of the Enlightened One."
"So, you practice the teachings of the Enlightened One, but pray to Furo to
intercede on your behalf?"
"Yes, Mother Bayalun." Koja marveled at the astuteness of her questions.
" 'He is like the wind all about us. Felt but not touched, heard but not
spoken, moving but unmovable, always present, but always unseen,'" quoted
Bayalun, her eyes closed in concentration.
Koja stared at her in amazement, too dumbfounded for words. "That is from
the Yanitsava, the Book of Teachings," he whispered.
"And you're surprised that I know it," she chuckled. "I, too, have spent my
life learning the teachings of wise men. These worthies have been my
instructors." She waved a hand toward the men who sat down the row from
Koja. "This is Aghul Balai of the Tsu-Tsu, a people close to the border of Shou
Lung," she said, introducing the thin man in the mystical robes. "For many
years he studied in Shou Lung, learning the secrets of Chung Tao, the Way."
The wizened man pressed his palms together and bowed slightly to Koja.
While at the temple, Koja had heard a little about Chung Tao. It was
powerful within the Shou empire, far to the east. It was said that the emperor
of the Jade Throne himself followed its teachings. Koja had been taught its
teachings were wrong and had heard many evil stories about its practices. To
Koja, the mystic suddenly looked sinister and dangerous.
"This other," continued Bayalun, pointing to the fur-clad man, "is Fiyango.
Through him, we are able to speak with the spirits of the land and our
ancestors, and learn much good advice." The shaman, whose age Koja found
impossible to place, smiled a toothless smile at him.
"And she," concluded the second empress, tapping her staff in front of the
old crone, "is Boryquil, and this is her daughter Cimca. Boryquil has the gift to
see things as they are and things as they should be. She knows the ways of
the kaman kulda, the dark spirits that come from the north."
"With my eyes I can see them; with my nose I can smell them," cackled the
hag, reciting an old, ritualistic formula. Her lungs labored from the exertion.
With each gasping breath, her necklace clacked and rattled. Peering at it from
across the aisle, Koja saw that it was a leather cord strung with broad, flat
bones. Each bone was covered in red-inked script.
"So you can see, Koja of the Red Mountain, I have surrounded myself with
people of useful skills. They advise me and they teach me." Bayalun stopped
and quickly wet her lips. "Aghul hopes to convert me to Chung Tao. Fiyango
worries that I will forget the spirits of earth, sky, and water, while Boryquil
protects my tent from evil spirits. Of course," she added softly, "not that any
spirit could enter this area." She touched the finial on her staff.
"Tell me, Koja of the Khazari, are you here to teach me the secrets of the
Red Mountain?"
Koja paused for a bit, trying to think of an appropriate response. Finally, he
answered, "I was never the best student of my masters, and so I only learned
a little from them. These were only small things in the teachings of Furo. I
have traveled instead, hoping to aid others through the services of the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]