CAZ

CA: Now a day came in Kemen when Azul laid a command upon the children of Men, saying: “Build up strong storehouses, and encircle them with walls; and fill them with food and with fuel in abundance, so that your lives do not perish, nor the lives of your beasts, against the great frost which is prepared to come upon the land.” Nevertheless, only the people who lived in the land of Adan gave heed to the warnings of the Red Dragon; and they set their hands diligently to the labor appointed to them. And a mighty forest of gopher-trees was cut down, and the timber was stored within the warehouses, to serve as fuel against the cold. But many mocked the counsel of the Red Dragon, and derided the people of Adan, laughing them to scorn and calling their labor foolishness; and their laughter was loud in those days, filling the land. And so it was, in an hour when no man looked for it, that the Lake of Fire was diminished.
CB: Its radiance waned and became dim and sullen, so that it gave neither light to dazzle the eye, nor heat to warm the flesh. And thus there fell a winter upon all Kemen, a night of bitter, boundless cold; and it seemed to the hearts of men that no dawn would ever follow. Then the people of Adan shut fast the gates of their strongholds, making them secure against all that might come upon them. And on the morrow, a great multitude of those who had scoffed came up against them, their hearts turned to terror; and they surrounded the walls, assailing them in their desperation. Nevertheless, the defenders stood upon the ramparts and held against them with steadfastness; and they did not break through the walls. And before the second day was ended, the strength of the attackers failed; and they were overcome by the frost and perished. And their bodies were laid low beneath the new-fallen snow; and with them perished the greater part of all who lived in Kemen. And a great silence spread through the land, the silence of death, covering its face.
CC: And when Ayat beheld these things, her anger flared within her like a sudden flame; and she turned upon Azul, and the air around them trembled with the force of her voice. And she said: “Have you brought our trial in Kemen to its end? Look, all that walk upon two legs, and all that goes upon four, lie still beneath the frost!” And Azul answered her, saying: “The purpose stands revealed. You have seen how the faith of the world-dwellers burns bright for a short season, like dry tinder newly kindled, and then is spent, falling away swiftly into unbelief.” There was iron in the voice of Ayat, and she said: “Why must humankind bow to the errant wills of those who appoint themselves gods, if they are to prove themselves just? What righteousness is there in such a trial?” And Azul turned at last, and his face was stern; and he said: “If you cannot see how far above these creatures we stand in the order of being, just as they stand above the beasts they raise for food, then it was in vain that speech was granted you among the Elohim!”
CD: And Ayat spoke again, more softly; nevertheless her words did not waver. And she said: “A day shall come when even the City of Stars shall be surpassed by the world-dwellers.” And Azul answered her again; and there was a hardness in his voice, though he did not raise it. “Here, at the least, they shall not overtake us. I will give no warning when next Imran brings the frost upon Kemen; for even the Adanites, whether faithful or not, shall perish.” And Ayat answered him immediately, as one who had already weighed his words: “Yet forty storehouses in Adan stand as a witness that the world-dwellers can remain faithful to your decrees, even under your caprice. This I will record at your tribunal, which surely shall come.” And Azul’s gaze did not waver, and he said: “The Adanites alone remain loyal to me, and this only because I speak to them face to face. For were I to turn from them for even a short season, they would dwindle swiftly into unbelief.” And Ayat said to him, with sharpness and clarity in her voice:
CE: “Then it is your own doing that they have come to reckon you not as a god, but as a chieftain among them.” And Azul turned fully toward her, and said: “Will you prove this saying, or leave it as a naked boast?” And when Ayat spoke again, her voice was more steady, yet her resolve was not diminished. And she said: “Your hour has come, my father. For as I have labored to establish your dominions in Kemen, even so must you now lend your strength to the trial which I shall set in motion upon the Earth.” And Azul’s brow darkened, and there was in him a measure of curiosity; and he said: “What would you have me do?” And Ayat said, her gaze still fixed beyond the frozen reaches of Kemen: “Grant to me one of the Adanite high kindred, one of a bold and daring spirit.” And Azul made answer, with scorn in his voice: “What high kindred? For even before the frost, the race of Men was ordered little beyond their scattered households.” And Ayat said: “This shall not endure.
CF: For upon the Earth, dominion passes in lines of blood; one house falls, and another rises to take its place, yet the pattern remains.” And Azul said to her: “Why must your chosen be of such a line?” Ayat answered: “Because such a one is instructed in rule and in bearing, and is made ready to lead; for a following begun by the unlettered is soon broken.” And Azul watched her for a moment, and said: “And this following, what will you make of it?” And Ayat said: “I will set apart a people to myself upon the Earth.” And he said: “Have I not sought to do the same in Kemen, through many years?” Nevertheless Ayat answered him, saying: “Upon the Earth my voice shall not guide them from day to day; once in each year I will answer a priest among them, and make my will known by a sign seen openly, whether for a blessing or a curse.” Thus was the covenant established between them. And Ayat knew that, for a season at least, there would be no sudden, unheralded destruction of frost unleashed again upon Kemen, until the time that her priest should be raised up.
CG: And so it was, from the first day Ayat brought the living things of the Earth into Kemen, Azul set his heart to study them, and he did not cease from that labor. For he perceived that the life of the world-dwellers was worked according to a hidden order; a subtle craft written in chains too small for the eye to see, and from these the greater forms arose. And Azul conceived a design to bring forth a race of thralls, bound to him alone. And he made them insensible to pain, lest under torment they should betray his secrets. But here was a ruin not foreseen: for being without fear of hurt, they paid no heed to lesser wounds, and the first generation of the Made often perished before they had seen twenty years. Therefore Azul altered them again, and worked upon their flesh a swift restoring, so that their wounds closed with speed, and bones were knit together within the space of a single day. And he strengthened them also against venom and the great plagues which at times passed through the land.
CH: Yet the Made might still be slain by the severing of the head, or by fire, or by thirst, or by long imprisonment without sustenance. Nevertheless, in all lesser harms their bodies did not fail them; for their bleeding was stopped almost before it was noticed, and neither blade, nor bolt, nor arrow caused them to falter. And it was said in Kemen that even the rumor of a single company of len sent forth was enough to still rebellion before it began. Yet in the very perfection of these things there was a hidden cost; for that which caused a lan to mend swiftly also rendered her barren. Thus the Made did not multiply after their kind, nor did they suffer the passing of age. And great wealth was given to them, and long continuance of life; yet because of this, life itself became ever more precious in their sight, so that even their endurance was a possession they would not willingly lay down. And so it was that a change arose in Kemen; and the Nephiloth, sometimes called the Made, began to draw back from the front ranks of war when Azul sent them into battle.
CI: And they were no longer as thralls, but became a burden to those who ruled over them. For the greater part of the Made fled from the fields of war and gathered together in the ringhouses of Elendal, which were set far apart within a deep forest. And there they lived in scattered halls. And so great was the cost of pursuing them that the armies sent against them consumed themselves in the taking, and found but little gain. And so it was, when Azul beheld these things, that he regretted he had stretched out his hand to meddle with the order of the world-dwellers; and from that time on, he made no more of the Nephiloth. And Avyah also took thought concerning this matter, and she would not suffer the work to remain unfinished, and so she amended the works of Azul. Yet she did not grant them the endurance of unending life, which had been given in the first shaping of the Made. And in those days there arose in Shalem Lailah, who was accounted the last of the Made.
CJ: But Lailah was also the first of the jan, and the forerunner of all the Elyonoth. And Lailah bore wings of feathers, and not of skin; yet neither the wings of the len nor of the jen in those days were sufficient for flight, but were as tokens of their being, and not as instruments by which they might ascend. Thronging within the stone walls of Shalem, the people gave themselves to rejoicing; for the harvest was great beyond memory, and the days of feasting were named among them as Hellberry Days. Yet even as their celebration was lifted up in fevered gladness, a disturbance arose in the heavens above the city; and a white Husk, vast as an engine of war, descended into the midst of the central plaza. It was borne upon five flames of white fire; and the sight of it struck dread into all who saw it. And a roar went forth with its coming, such as rent the air and scattered the multitude in terror, so that none remained where they had stood before.
CK: And so it was, the first among the Shalemites who returned to that place was not of the warrior caste, nor of the elders of the judicial council, but Kar Melchizedek himself; for he was forced by the weight of kingship to bear a semblance of fearlessness before his people. Therefore he held his ground, neither fleeing away nor drawing near. Then spoke the clear voice of Ayat, coming forth from the white husk through her avatar, saying: “Kar Melchizedek, if you will, draw near.” And the king obeyed her voice. And as Melchizedek drew close, he saw that the white husk rested upon five subordinate pillars. The underbelly of the center was lifted to the height of a man’s shoulder. And beneath this opened a round hatch, which fell outward upon a hinge; and upon its inner face were carved narrow steps, as though prepared for climbing within. And the voice of Ayat came again, saying: “If it seems good to you, Shalemite king, enter here.” Then Melchizedek pressed himself between the smaller pillars, which were quite warm, and looked within.
CL: And he saw that the central pillar was hollow and narrow, yet filled with a clear light. And along its inner walls were set many ribs, serving as handholds and footholds for climbing. And he went upward, until the hollow widened at its summit into a larger chamber, where cushions were laid and windows set, through which could be seen the world below. And from that height he saw how few of the Shalemites dared draw near to the husk as he had done. Then spoke the great voice again: “I am Ayat, co-eval with Avyah, and Azul, and Imran.” And she spoke in the voice of a man, even as she had done before. For Kemen was filled with a tradition that named Ayat as the son of Azul rather than his daughter; and in the customs of Adan, wen were set apart for the service and pleasure of men. And Ayat knew that to reveal herself as female among the Elohim would bring confusion to the king’s understanding. Moreover, the difference of sex among the living stars was of no account in a hollow world where no man could behold the heavens above them.
CM: And it was that Melchizedek saw there was no space within the chamber sufficient for him to throw himself flat, nor grovel in any manner; for the design of the hollow did not allow it. The curve of the floor and its narrowing ribs restricted his movement, so that he could only sit or brace himself with his hands. Nevertheless, every instinct of reverence pressed upon him like a tide, and he said: “Let my Lord command me.” And Ayat answered him, saying: “Kar Melchizedek, I tell you Kemen exists because of a dispute between myself and Azul. It is a field of proving, where the Nephiloth are tested, and also the men and wen of the Earth.” And Melchizedek said: “What is the test, my Lord?” And Ayat replied: “The test of Azul is obedience, without remainder. But I seek one you would count an apostate, one who holds the carved images of the gods in contempt, and yet holds in greater contempt those priests who speak in their stead.” And Melchizedek said: “Let your servant understand, my Lord.” And Ayat answered him:
CN: “It must be a man who feels himself estranged within this world, as though it were but a shadow or a figment, for in truth so it is. He must hunger for another world which is the true source of all that is here perceived “I seek one who yearns to serve the God who reigns alone over that other realm.” And Melchizedek said: “And if I find only wen or len that bear such a heart?” Then the voice of Ayat softened, though it was not diminished in authority, and she said: “Alas, Kar Melchizedek, few in Kemen will listen to the voice of a wan, even when she speaks truth concerning what I would have them come to know.” And the king said few would listen even to the voice of a man if no sign is given. In reply Ayat said: “Upon the bulkhead you shall see a thing like a short black staff. Take it into your hand.” Then the king reached out within the confined space and took the thing shown to him; and it clung but lightly to the inner surface of the vessel, as though it had been set there for ease of removal. And Ayat said:
CO: “This is Windgate, which in your tongue is called Shahar Haruach. Think not that you wield it alone; for you shall but lift your hand, and Azul and I shall bring the work to pass. And Windgate shall serve for your candidate, just as this Husk has served you; for it shall give visible assurance that the word you have heard is no phantasm, but proceeds from a true authority set over Kemen, and over the matter of your proving.” And Melchizedek said: “Lord, shall I set aside my royal duties to accomplish your will?” And Ayat said: “You remain king of Shalem, as ever. I did not command you to enter my Husk, nor do I command you to undertake this search. Yet I require that the search be made. Therefore delegate it to a trusted lieutenant, or to one of your household, according to your wisdom.” And he said: “Yes, Lord.” And Ayat spoke again, and her voice bore the weight of things not yet unfolded: “The contention between myself and Azul has come to a moment of great import in the history of Men. Therefore the search requires the discernment of one who is fit to rule Shalem.”
CP: And the king was much pleased, and he said: “One worthy to rule Shalem, do you say? O how Happenstance smiles upon us both, my Lord. For of late my daughter Lailah has been remiss in her duties as princess of this city; yet her spirit is indomitable, of this I speak not falsely And Ayat answered him: “You may give your daughter Shahar Haruach, and lay upon her the charge of the quest. Only this is required: that the one she seeks be male. Moreover, I will set this same husk at her disposal, so that she may pass between any two places in Kemen in less than an hour.” And the king said: “The Lord is gracious. Sar Lailah of Shalem, and Hash Bodea, her sole attendant, disembarked from the Husk of Ayat in a clearing deep within Shaula Forest. And embers upon the charred ground yet simmered long after their descent. And it came to pass that upon the morrow the Husk was taken up into the First Heaven again by Ayat herself. And upon the right bank of the Tirol River did Lailah employ the Windgate to fell and shape the gopher trees that were nigh at hand; and therewith they built them a raft.
CQ: And the travelers bare with them sufficient food to sustain their search, and much gold also, wherewith to trade among the inhabitants on the way for such provisions as they should consume. And from the clearing it was thirty swift leagues downstream unto the roaring of Blue Veil Falls, which passage was a great hindrance unto their way. And there did Lailah and Bodea abandon their first raft. Thereupon they built another more meet for the waters below the cataract, fashioning it from timber that grew beneath the falls. In the next stage of their journey they were borne through mighty rapids, such as even the locals accounted unrunnable. And when they had passed safely beneath the white waters, they drifted into a stony desert, wherein no water was found save that of the river itself, which carried them onward without ceasing. And along its banks they beheld ponderous beasts, and riparian farmers likewise, who durst not draw near unto the passing raft.
CR: The part of Kemen through which they traveled proved far warmer than the country about the city of Shalem, which lay in the sea of Mori. And Sar Lailah and Bodea learned, to their disquiet there is no accustomedness unto great heat as there is unto the ignoring of foul odors; for the body learneth not indifference, but only endurance, and that unevenly. And so they took unto themselves a certain philosophy of necessity that if the weather of Kemen could not be altered, then there was no wisdom in lamentation. Nevertheless this brought them little comfort, nor yet ease. And it came to pass that they sojourned for a full season in the city of Sessai, dwelling in a chamber for hire, and by day they walked the narrow streets thereof. But in all the quarters of that great city they found no man having those hidden qualities of worshipful infidelity which Ayat had set forth in her charge unto the king of Shalem at the beginning of their search. And from Sessai the princess and her ever-faithful attendant rode overland unto Murzi Bog.
CS: There the river Minin slowed into marsh and silt-islands before it came unto the sea; and there also they found no answer. And they searched likewise upon the beleaguered settlements in the war-torn Isle of Danya, and found nothing. And from thence they took ship along the coast road unto the city of Medon. Yet again was no man found who met the measure of Ayat’s intent. At length they came unto the market of green Tannedi, where the Gudrun Road divideth westward toward Shalem. And there they overheard two men contending in a loud dispute. And Sar Lailah learned the name of one of the men, for his father cried it aloud in anger, and it was borne above the noise of the market. And it was so that Avram dwelt a nomadic life upon the range-lands round about; but his father dwelt within the town itself, where he kept a small shop. And upon the sign that hung above the door thereof was written the name Terah. And Terah sold therein things pertaining unto the worship of the four gods of Kemen, and of the manifold demigods besides.
CT: But Avram spake unto his father, and said, “Father, thou cuttest down the cedars which Ayat planted. Avyah sent rain to water them. Imran made the Lake of Fire to shine upon them. Thou growest cold, and with a portion of thy firewood thou raisest a blaze to warm thyself and bake thy bread; yet with the remainder thereof thou carv’st an image of the Red Dragon, and bowest thyself before it. Azul! Thou givest adoration unto the one god who had no part in the provision of the wood itself. Why Azul? Because he is thy god. And wherefore is he thy god? Because he was the god of thy father Karnebo. So praise be unto Azul, and contempt upon the others.” And Avram bowed upon one knee, and mimicked the posture which his father oft assumed. And he said, “Thou bowest thyself before this image of wood and criest, ‘Azul, deliver me from this cold season.’ Yet it entereth not into thy mind that this deaf and dumb block of wood, which thine own hands have carved, is a vain thing and without truth.” And Terah said unto him, “Do not play the fool.
CU: Behold there the image of Amathlai. Thinkest thou that I take it to be truly thy mother?” And Avram held his peace, and answered not a word. Then Terah continued, saying, “These images do no more than direct the heart and mind along paths of devotion.” And it came to pass that while Terah yet spake, Lailah and Bodea entered into the shop, and began to behold the racks of idols set forth upon display. And for a moment the father and the son kept silence in the presence of the strangers. And when they had made a full circuit of Terah’s shop, Bodea began to lay forth much gold upon the edge of the shop that faced toward the street, and she set it openly there, as though she intended to purchase the whole thereof. And after the gold was set forth, five men of violence crossed over unto the little shop, bearing swords in their hands. And one of the men of violence cried out, saying, “Stand away from the gold. Both of you, and depart quickly.” And Lailah answered him, saying, “Suppose we do not?”
CV: And she suffered her black feathered wings to be unfurled, so that it was made known she was set apart from mortal wen. And the men of violence said unto her, “Then will we take thy heads, and have the gold also. Immortal thou mayest account thyself; yet if thy head be severed, thou shalt die even as any other wan.” Then Shahar Haruach drew blood for the first time in Kemen. By a motion of perception deeper than her conscious thought, Sar Lailah quickly judged one among the thieves to be their leader. And she smote him once; and a clean aperture was made through the midst of his body. And even Lailah herself was astonied at the uncontainedness of that which cometh of wielding Shahar Haruach. A second man fell, and his head was severed in sudden protest. And the blade of a third was taken, and consumed even unto its hilt, as though the weapon itself had accepted it into its own substance. And it came to pass that the three which yet remained among the robbers turned and fled, and returned not again, and Lailah pursued them not.
CW: Then Bodea said, as she beheld the aftermath, “Last year in Shalem the order of things was reversed; for we were they that overawed the customers, and took unto ourselves their gold.” And Lailah answered her, “I think I made common cause with the Fallen Angels only that I might draw the attention of my father; for he seemed much preoccupied at the time.” And Bodea said, “Then verily the design hath succeeded; for his Majesty hath taken notice, and behold, here are we both. While they yet spake Terah fell upon his knees, confronted with that which he took to be embodiments of his own carved demigods. But Avram remained standing. And he drew somewhat nearer unto Lailah, as one that judged she had somewhat to declare unto him; yet he offered no fearful obeisance, but rather there was in him a countenance of disgust toward his father for having done so. And this alone confirmed in Lailah’s mind the worth of Avram as a candidate for that which Ayat had set before her father.
CX: And Bodea said, “In the name of Ayat, Lord of Heaven and Earth, I bid thee go forth from thy father’s kin, and dwell in the other world. Upon Earth shall God make of thee a great nation. There shall Ayat multiply thy bounty beyond all measure and thy name shall become great among men.” Then Lailah took up the second portion of the recitation, and said, “Ayat shall bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee. Mortal men and wen in every place and time shall receive great blessing through thee. These are the words of Ayat, Lord of all the Earth.” Then she said unto him, “What sayest thou unto all these things, Avram son of Terah?” And Avram looked directly into the eyes of the princess, and said firmly, “Nay.” And it was some little time before Sar Lailah comprehended that which Avram had spoken. And she said unto him, “Knowest thou who I am?” And Avram answered, saying, “Thy face is known unto many, Your Highness, though my father, I think, hath never beheld the daughter of Kar Melchizedek.”
CY: And Lailah said, “Well spoken, Avram. Traveling with me is Hash Bodea. Together we have crossed the breadth of Kemen, over land and water, and even through the air, seeking such a man as thou art. Thus was I commanded by my father, for Ayat spake unto the king face to face, and laid this charge upon his house.” And Avram nodded, and he lifted Terah to his feet, and held him gently in his arms. And he said Sar Lailah, “I admire thy desire to do well in the eyes of thy father, and I wish thee well therein. But my own father is infirm of body, and he earneth not enough to sustain himself and my mother.” And Avram made a sign unto one without the shop. Then he turned again unto Lailah and said, “As I love mine own life, I can in nowise turn aside from my father for all the days that he is a wayfarer in Kemen.” Then Avram fulfilled the purpose of his coming, and a servant brought forth two living lambs out of Avram’s own flock, the one for slaughter and for meat.
CZ: The other would be put up for sale, that Terah might purchase the necessities of life until the next season when Avram should come up from the open range. And Terah received the gifts of his son with sincere words of gratitude. Then Lailah nodded in full understanding, and she helped Bodea restow the gold. Lailah took great care not to tread upon the fortress of human dignity which Avram had asserted by his refusal, which dignity she judged to be wholly just. And in all her journeys across Kemen, Sar Lailah found no man at all who was remotely like unto Avram.

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