False Horizon - Alex Archer [46]
Tuk noticed that both Annja and Mike were now paying attention to every word coming out of Guge’s mouth.
“Opening ourselves up to the people of the West proved to be a tragic mistake. The Jesuit missionaries insisted on building a chapel in Tsaparang, saying that the teachings of Christianity were even more profound than those of the Buddhist traditions we all followed.
“The ruler of the time allowed the construction to begin. Thereafter, the missionaries began teaching the people of Guge about Christianity. This did not sit well with some of the other rulers in the area who were devoutly Buddhist. To their way of thinking, all was well and harmonious with Buddhism and these new teachings contrasted with what they believed. Worse from their perspective was that the missionaries succeeded in converting the king and his wife to Christianity. This led to an open battle between the opposing factions.”
Guge coughed again and then cleared his throat. “Regrettably, this led to an almost complete slaughter of the Guge people. Only a few hundred survived and fled from Tsaparang, which was later razed.”
“Where did they go?” Tuk asked.
“They fled to Qulong, a city closer to the border with Nepal. There, they rested and spoke openly of the need to once again find their way back to their Buddhist teachings. But with so few survivors, it seemed unlikely that they would be allowed to live in peace in order to repopulate themselves.”
“What did they do, Father?”
“They took all that they knew about living in harmony with nature and the universe and found a secret valley—this valley—hidden between two massive mountains. One that is always visible to the outside world and one that remains hidden from view. They retreated into this valley and set about turning it into the lush paradise of their past greatness.”
Vanya smiled. “And they succeeded. Within a generation, they had created a marvelous kingdom, shielded from the outside world and prying eyes. No one knew that our people existed here. The way the two mountains come together forms an almost impenetrable descent that would be too risky for anyone to attempt, if they even knew where to look.”
Tuk could see that Annja was dying to say something. “What is it, Annja?” he asked.
“I’m just wondering how that is even possible? I mean, we’ve got satellites in space that can peer anywhere on the planet. Wouldn’t they be able to discern the presence of two mountains and a secret valley?”
Vanya smiled. “While I do not know what these things called satellites are, I can tell you that the universe acts in ways that have thus far enabled us to live without molestation from the outside world. Once we retreated into this valley, our lives became a constant wonder.”
“It’s just incredible,” Annja said. “And it honestly strikes me as impossible. But I can’t argue with the fact that we’re standing here.”
Tuk looked at Mike, but found him still paying attention to everything being said by his mother and father.
Vanya kept smiling. “Every once in a while someone finds their way here, through the portal or just outside of it. We take care to extend to them the utmost courtesy and respect, but for some reason, none of them ever sees fit to tell of the place they’ve seen. We remain safe and secure.”
“Except for that one time,” Guge said to his son. “When you were taken from us and brought to the outside world, that man was punished by the universe for his transgression. Otherwise, we have never had any problems.”
“But what about the reason we seem to be so much smaller than other races?” Tuk asked. “Is it because of our isolation?”
Vanya nodded. “Apparently, yes. In some ways, we believe that evolution has altered us in this fashion. This valley might not support our population if we were all