Lycanthropos (43 page)

 

"This is the sign of the carpenter, O sons of the Magaya, W
hose names shall be called Yeshua and Joshua and Iesous and Iesus and
Jesus and a hundred other names, for He shall be the anointed one, He whom we call the
Saoshyant
.
the deliverer, who will be called
Meshiach
and Christos, Whose death will serve to keep many from falling from the Bridge of the Separator. The lines connect four points within the circle of universal
truth, and form the image of the agency of His bitter death.
And mark well the journeys of the stars, sons of Magaya, for a great light in the heavens will proclaim the birth of the
Saoshyant
." The
finger moved again:

 

 

"This is the sign of the shepherd, O sons of Magaya,
whose name is Dawidh, and who is at this very moment a child, tending his flock on a hillside far to the west of
the
Aryanavayu
.
He will soon become the king of his people,
and he will establish his power over all the lands between
Egypt
and
Syria
. His son will build a great temple to Ahura Mazda, whom Dawidh calls
Yahweh Elohim El Shaddai
, the Self-Created Almighty God, and his
people shall remain through the thousands of years,
proclaiming the majesty of Ahura Mazda in their faithfulness
and their suffering and their joy. The lines connect six points in two triangles within the circle of universal
truth, for six twos are twelve, and twelve is the number of the tribes of the nation of Dawidh. Ten will perish, but two will survive unto the end of the world." The aged hand swept
onward to the next symbol:

 

 

"This is the sign of the merchant, O sons of the Magaya, the
crescent moon and the star. His name will be spoken by millions after the peculiarities of their tongues, as Mohammed and Muhammed and Mahomet and Maomad and Mehmet and Mahmad and a hundred other ways. He shall lead his people
from the worship of demons and stones to the worship of the
one God. Seven points within the circle of universal truth rest in his symbol, for two points connect in the crescent
and five points connect in the star. He shall proclaim that there is no god but Ahura, and hundreds of millions shall
heed his words. There will be great travail among the sons of men, Magayan, for the children of Dawidh and the
servants of Yeshua the
Saoshyant
and the followers of
Mohammed
wil
l
hate each other bitterly, not seeing the
truth of Ahura Mazda in each other's words." The hand of
the prophet moved to the final symbol:

 

 

"This is my sign, O sons of Magaya, the sign of the
camel driver Dzardrusha, the revelation vouchsafed to the people of the
Aryanavayu,
the sign of Ahura Mazda as He has revealed Himself to the Aryans. Eight lines connect eight points within the circle of universal truth, and the image is that of endless motion within motionless permanence, even as the sacred fire which we venerate is the ever moving essence of Being, even as Ahura
Mazda is Himself the ultimate essence of Being, the ultimate
reality, the final totality, the constant change which never
changes, the eternal Becoming which always Is and always Was and shall forever Be."

The three young Magi absorbed the words of Dzardrusha, and then Isfendir said, "But Master, there is an
inconsistency!"

Dzardrusha smiled, pleased at the initiate's perception.
"And what is the inconsistency, son of Kuriash?"

"One point is the symbol of the ancestor," Isfendir said. "Two is the symbol of the king, three of the tent maker, four of the carpenter..." He paused. "Six of the shepherd, seven of the merchant, and eight of your sacred self. But what of five? Why is there no sign of five
points?"

Dzardrusha gestured at the feet of Isfendir. "Behold,"
he said. Isfendir, Jamnaspa and Hystaspes looked down at
the stone floor:

 

 

The five-pointed star within the circle was carved deep
into the stones beneath the feet of the three Magi, and they jumped back as soon as they saw it, fearful lest they defile
a sacred symbol. But Dzardrusha raised his hand to calm them, saying, "Be not concerned, sons of the Magaya, for behold the sign of Angra Mainyu, the sign of the Liar, the signature of ultimate evil. The circle is the universe of the eternal Lie, whose image is the disk of the full moon,
the mirror image of the sun. See how the five lines connect
five points, an endless circuit of meaningless repetition
with neither resolution nor symmetry, even as evil and lust
and greed and appetite and selfishness and cruelty and
deceit turn ever back upon themselves and, unable to devour themselves, devour everything they touch." The voice of the
prophet sank to a dark, frightening whisper. "This is the
mark of the Beast, sons of the Magaya, the Beast that
struggles to rule each man's heart. It is the doorway to endless misery, the signature of eternal sorrow, the harbinger of everlasting pain!"

The three Magi stood motionless in uncomfortable
silence, gazing down at the symbol of Angra Mainyu. At last
Dzardrusha said, "Return now to your temples. Perform the
fire purifications, and listen to the words of those who come to you for succor. Think well this night on what you
have heard, and return hither tomorrow that we may speak further
."

Dzardrusha bowed his head very slightly to the three young
Magi as a gesture of dismissal, and they in turn fell to
their knees and pressed their foreheads to the floor at his
feet. The prophet turned from them and hobbled over to the altar and stood motionless before the sacred flame of Ahura Mazda, gazing into the flickering fire silently. He did not
turn back to the three young men as Jamnaspa took one of the
two torches and led his fellows from the subterranean
chamber.

They began the ascent back to the surface level of the great
Temple
at
Balkh
without speaking at first, but at last
Isfendir said, "Truly the eyes of the prophet see
everything."

Hystaspes shrugged. "I do not know, Isfendir. What he
has told us is hard to believe."

"Surely the prophet would not lie to us!" Jamnaspa said.
"He is the chosen one of Ahura Mazda!"

"Yes, and may his name be blessed through all the generations of man," Hystaspes said quickly. "But I cannot understand his meaning, for if Ahura is known to all by
other names, how is a man to tell the Great God from a false
god?"

"As one tells the living man from the statue carved in
stone," Isfendir replied, "for a living god touches us in our hearts and in our minds, while a false god sits in silence and neither listens nor hears nor speaks."

Their conversation continued in this manner during the long walk back up to the audience room, and soon they had exited through the secret doorway in the wall behind the throne of Dzardrusha. Jamnaspa replaced the torch into the large sconce on the wall and then he said to Isfendir and Hystaspes, "Let us do as the prophet has instructed us, for I feel the need to meditate upon this before we speak with
him again tomorrow."

"Yes," Hystaspes agreed. "Let us eat and then rest and meditate." The three Magi had been given rooms at an inn in
Balkh
, an inn which was supported largely by the initiates who spent their time of learning in the great temple. They were by no means the first of the Magaya clan to be so taught by Dzardrusha, and the innkeeper knew well the
solitude and service which they would need that night.
Hystaspes's words reflected the fact that he was eagerly anticipating the roasted calf which they had seen earlier
that day, turning upon a spit behind the inn.

"I shall remain here to pray," Isfendir said. "You two return to the inn and eat, if you wish."

Jamnaspa repressed a smile, recognizing in Isfendir's
response a subtle rebuke of Hystaspes, whose devotion to the pleasures of the flesh was greater than was either common or proper for the priests of Ahura Mazda. Hystaspes flushed slightly and then turned to leave.

Isfendir looked at Jamnaspa, who said, "I shall remain here also, and pray with you." Isfendir smiled.

The two remaining Magi sat upon the cool marble floor of the audience room and turned their minds inward, reviewing in their thoughts the words of Dzardrusha. An hour passed in
contemplative silence until Jamnaspa whispered, "Isfendir!
What is that sound?"

Isfendir frowned and strained his ears to hear. "I do not know…footsteps, I think…"

"Many footsteps," Jamnaspa said, "and the sound of clanking metal."

"Armor?" Isfendir wondered. "Weapons? In the great
Temple
itself? Impossible!"
They listened again as the sound grew louder and closer,
and then they looked at each other in fright. "Turanians!"
Isfendir said.

"Or Karpans!" Jamnaspa said.

They were both correct, for the large wooden door of the audience room was thrown open a moment later and dozens of armed barbarians burst into the room, followed with austere dignity by five of the turbaned, red robed Karpans, the priests of the old religion, the enemies of Dzardrusha. Isfendir and Jamnaspa jumped to their feet and tried to flee, but two of the Turanians grabbed them and held them fast, laughing at the impotent struggles of the frightened
young priests.