I made my way to the ravine told of in the
Book of Akhtrrae, situated in the foothills
below the mountains. I was close to the end
of my journey. The last of my travels was
before me and I was ready to seek what I came
for; the Lockbox of Zatnixu.
The sacred land of the mountains was known as
the Hazenite Highlands. The Hazenites were a
small group of advanced people rumored to
maintain a temple for spirits that they built
to a great splendor.
The Hazenites made little or no contact with their
neighbors. Few knew about them to any extent. I
learned of them only through the revelatory text in
the Book of Akhtrrae, and as I paused before the
ravine and recalled what travels there were behind me
and all of what I'd been through, I could be certain
that the Lockbox of Zatnixu was real. Many other things
were true in the Book of Akhtrrae.
I took a deep breath of the fresh air then went inside the
ravine. A smooth footpath winded back and forth up the
side of the cliff. The other cliff was bare of any pathway.
Above me the sky was revealed like a thin ribbon. Up the
path I went. In some areas it was difficult to take, but I
made it to the top.
With the foot of the mountains before me and the cliffs
behind me I never felt so small in my life with the
magnificent size of those natural features.
Trees thinly veiled the landscape and through them I'd seen
no underbrush. The gradual ascent was a beautiful hike. I
followed a wide footpath that the Hazenites used obviously
as I'd seen the occasional campsites that they would've
used repeatedly on their journeys up and down the
mountainside.
Eventually the smooth foothills became jutted with rock
formations that grew in size with each passing minute. The
footpath shrank in width and began to wind through the rock
formations.
I came to a clearing and was short of breath. A sheer rock
face towered above at the other end while two trails, one on
the left and one on the right, offered a choice to continue
climbing.
The entrance in the rock face was of a good enough size to
fit a horse and buggy, if such a thing could be brought to
that location. Expertly made, the masonry skill needed to
craft such a pleasing visual was of an advanced sort.
I sat on a rock to catch my breath and eat my lunch and I was
half through my meal when a group of four people I assumed
were Hazenites appeared out of the mountain entrance.
They quickly saw me sitting there with my food in hand and
came my way. I remained in place, cautious to not make any
threatening moves.
They were two young women and two young men dressed in finely
crafted garments. They were not soldiers and had no weapons
that I could see.
"It's a fine day for a visitor." Said the taller of the two
men as they neared me. He continued, "What is the nature of
your visit?"
I put my food away into my item bag then replied, "I am
SeVille Goldton of London and I came far to seek a treasure
told of in the Book of Akhtrrae. I am an explorer and an
adventurer. I am glad to meet you and mean no harm. Am I
correct in assuming you are of the Hazenite persuasion?"
"Yes. We are Hazenite." One of them replied, "And we rarely,
if ever, receive visitors as we live in secret with our own
traditions in peace in our mountains. We would be happy to
invite you to our city so that you can join our celebration.
Today is a great day in our culture as we celebrate life and
our god Dashneh, the ruler of all that is fine and pleasurable.
Would you care to join us, SeVille?"
I replied with enthusiasm, "Yes! I would very much like to join
you!"
"Then follow us!" I was told, "And we will see to it that you get
the right council on your search for that treasure that you came
for."
We then went inside the entrance to the mountains. Inside the
tunnel the path was wide and evenly cut. Life size figures carved
of marble depicting beautiful Hazenite people gave us something
for the eyes to admire.
Huge caverns with finely crafted houses carved out of rock greeted
us at the end of the tunnel. The city was grand and of a wonderous
magnificence I'd never seen in anything built with human hands
before. I was in disbelief at how large the city was. It was something
out of a fable brought to life.
My new friends guided me to the center of the city where a temple waited.
I thought this could be the temple told of in the Book of Akhtrrae.
"Here is our temple to the spirits of Dashneh. A gateway to another world,
it prevails as our high example of our ingenuity as Hazenites." One of them
told me.
We went to the center of the temple area where a machine-like craftwork was.
Made of an intricate design of gold and precious cut diamonds with different
parts connected together with a finely woven rope made of gold. I was
intrigued at the craftsmanship of the altar, if that's what it was.
"You see," Said one of them, "When the time is right at the celebration we
will observe the high elder muse the spirits with an elaborate play. Once
the play has ended he will throw this lever that you see here, and in doing
so he will conjure the spirits who will cross over from their world into
ours. When they arrive they should bless us and we should mingle with them
for the remainder of the night. You know now, the significance of this day to us."
That day was filled with conversation as I got to know my Hazenite friends. I'd
shown them the Book of Akhtrrae and told them of the Lockbox of Zatnixu.
The Lockbox of Zatnixu was presented to me and I found that inside of it was a
plain chip of rock. They said that it was from the entrance to the city, saved
from the initial day of the masons work as a symbol of the labor required to build
the city. I said of the chip, "Not all treasures are made of precious elements."
That night the spirits came in a fury of shouts and screams. The wind was high as
they made their escape into our world from theirs. A tiny tornado formed at the altar
and the Hazenites scattered far and wide. The spirits sought safety from the
chaos in their world. When the gateway was closed again we found ourselves tending
to the spirits, not the spirits tending to us. And that is the tale of my journey.