01 Taxilas Children

TAXILA'S CHILDREN
"A really ancient story tells us that Shaita and Taxila were brothers. Taxila was the older of
the two and his younger, spoiled brother hated him. There is an eternal rivalry which
continues to this day. The story goes on to say that the brothers came to this land and
continued their perpetual battle. Shaita fled before Taxila and hid. When Taxila had passed,
Shaita came out of hiding and saw the ten mothers of the Clans, who were daughters of one
father. He lusted after them - "
Steve couldn't help interrupting.
"What! All at once? I admire his stamina!"
"He was supposed to be a god - By all accounts, so are you! To continue, the ten maidens
fled into a high place and hid in the rocks. Taxila returned and chased Shaita away after a
great battle. Taxila then led the ten maidens out of their hiding places and they were so
overwhelmed by his extreme beauty that they gave themselves to him and he fathered the
Lynxe nation - For god sake take that self satisfied smirk off your face!"
Steve composed his features.
"An interesting story. Skipping over the bit about the eternal battle with Shaita. The
essentials seem to be that the ten maidens fled into a high place and hid and then Taxila took
advantage of their gratitude and they all lived happily ever after. If the ten maidens fled into a
high place, they must have come from a low place - "
Danyk eyed him blankly.
"Do you agree or not?"
"It's possible - "
Steve pointed downward.
"I suggest that the low place is down there and that you might have cousins you don't know
about!"
Danyk shook his head.
"Downwards leads to death, there is only the sky below the cloud."
"How do you know? Has anyone ever tried to go down?"
"Many have tried. We heard their death screams as they fell into the sky."
Steve tried another tack.
"When Taxila had finished his stint of fathering the entire Lynxe nation, what happened to
him?"
Danyk got to his feet without answering but waited for Steve to carefully back away from
the edge and follow him. They walked for about two or three hundred metres before coming
to a natural amphitheatre which faced out over the Rim. At the centre point of a dizzy drop
into the cloud, a large flat rock jutted out over the precipice.
"One day, when his children had grown to full age - sons and daughters - and when their
children were already beyond infancy, he led them here to this place for the last time. He
walked up on to that rock and spoke to them, giving them the last of a long series of laws
which have been the basis of our society until this time. Then he turned and faced out into the
sky and walked forward and vanished from their sight."
Steve swallowed, his knees were suddenly like jelly.
"You mean, he just walked off the edge?"
"So it seemed."
"He must have been quite old by then - a grandfather, perhaps he stumbled."
"He never grew older! He was as young and as beautiful as they day he laid with the ten
maidens. They call this rock: 'Taxila's Leap'. There is one other thing. Just before he walked
over the edge, he made the promise that one day, when his people were in their greatest need,
he would return and purge the land of evil. Perhaps, you now understand why some have
taken your claim to be Taxila seriously. Taxila's children have a great need - they are dying
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