The Saggites of Dron, the summer star—Schedar in the Cassiopeia
constellation of old Earth—have a story to tell. I am Dinah
Musafa Trobairitz, and it is my duty and pleasure to tell it.

A brief introduction must come before we begin. I am the first of
the Trobairitz to touch the Quantum Entanglement Communicator, so
many of you will not know us. We are storytellers and travelers
missioned to share the tales of the universe with its people. We
are not journalists. We are not interested in fact or avoiding
bias, of arguing philosophy and passing judgements. We share the
stories.

This story begins in the 855th year since the founding of Beroun,
when a young woman named Sinda began her first holiday. She was
leaving that industrious city behind for respite in the
picturesque town of Ausix. More importantly, she was going to see
and old friend.

The late morning air was warm despite the spray of salt water. The
ferry inched along toward the harbor against a determined wind,
forcing her to squint at the wooden homes peeking through the
trees. Their colorful roofs, a signature of Ausix, dotted the
hillside in its gentle arc toward the Ausentia mountains in the
distance. Beyond them and as far as the eye could see were the
tall sentinels with their perfectly perpendicular trunks and
prickly needle boughs. Together they formed an endless blanket of
green growing softer and hazier as the kilometers stretch on.
Directly ahead, approaching at a snails pace, were three great
wooden platforms painted in white that made up the small harbor.
Boats were arrayed with their masts jutting into sky and lines
wrapped amongst themselves like some nautical spider's fantasy.
Everything smelled of fish and salt and dirty engines. And peace,
thought Sinda.

When finally the boat reached its destination she was the first
away, her silk-weave pack hanging loosely over one shoulder.


Carnival atmosphere, food trucks, tossing hovering rings, trained
birds.

Looks for a ride, finds a square gig pulled by a long nosed animal
the driver calls "bajingan". Slowly travels through the town on
the way up the hill.

The driver and Sinda talk about the Ausentia mountains and the
elves of the hills. Points out a large rock with a building built
halfway round. An old church? She heard the contractor got greedy.

Children run past, use their movement to describe the town. Kites,
drying hooks out windows, animals for transport. A rare sight of
a Leva, vintage model, probably for a collector.

Arrives at the cottage, a tiny affair, where Borzin has already
arrived. He took the attic bunk and left her the wall-bed.

Dialogue!!! What do they sound like? Talk about Sinda's job, and
Borzin's mom and his dog. Fade-out into narration...

They set out on their hike the next morning with dawn and sing
a rhyming song from school (will we write one verse?).

They make their way into the mountains, try to navigate a famously
tricky pass, but each time they find their way blocked and have to
double back. Eventually Borzin gets frustrated and uses some sort
of tech to bypass a challenge. Sinda calls him a cheater and they
move into the saddle between two peaks.

The sound changes in the hidden valley and their voices echo back
at them from all sides. The distant sound of gulls has vanished,
only noticed with its absence.

The trees change from sentinels to unfamiliar twisting types
neither of them recognize. The low entwining branches created big
networks across the animal trails. Borzin wants to turn back but
Sinda says they already cheated, so they might as well see it
through. They crawl under the brambles and get snagged. Sinda is
ahead and can't turn around to help Borzin. Pushes through, says
she'll come back the other way.

Great crackling of ozone and a peel of thunder (lightning storm in
the middle of the day? it was clear). Sinda comes out the other
side and the pass is transformed. The mountains on either side are
pyramids, grandiose and of pure alabaster. Moreover, great
shimmering fields project from turrets around the sides and Sinda
can feel their vibrations like a slow heartbeat against hers. It's
uncomfortable and makes her want to go away.


Somehow they decide to go further and explore

The pyramids have more than 4 sides, but all sides square.

Space distorts as they approach and the structure expands to
a tower with many faces and then to a long hallway as the
dimensionality shifts. Have fun with it.

Eventually the Jinn burn Ausix to keep their location secret.
Sinda and Borzin witness everything from atop the elvish citadel.
They see the fires and the ships taking to the skies. The citadel
itself begins to break apart and segments take off. They see and
are seen by a Jinn woman, but she is in a hurry and they escape.

