Uther and the Secret of the Dragon Read online

  They enter the building and are led through a long dark hall of green stone. The floor is tiles with large green tiles each decorated with sprigs of corn and wheat. UTHUR sees through the small glass windows women working in the open next to charcoal fires, some are blowing glass while others are beating copper into long thin wires.

  MERLAIN sees a bull being constructed and under the bronze skin he sees wooden cogs and dials which appear to be controlled by a weight. They are led into a suite of rooms when a table is laden with fruit and bread.

  Please feel free to sleep and eat, but just before dawn

  I shall return and you two must leave her here.

  MERLAIN

  We understand.

  The woman leaves and the three look around the suit of rooms.

  ESUIT

  I have no intention of staying here, you understand

  that don’t you?

  MERLAIN

  Of course, but getting entry is the first step in understanding

  the nature of the magic these people possess.

  UTHUR, did you see that contraption behind the dais?

  UTHUR

  I did, it looked as if the fire was heating water in

  the cylinder and the steam was responsible for turning

  it at great speed. What do you think it does?

  MERLAIN

  I want to find out before we leave. Did you also see

  the bull being constructed. It appears all the movement

  is created by means of cogs and wheels;

  it’s nothing but a very dramatic illusion.

  I will lay gold on the fact that all we have seen

  here are other illusions.

  ESUIT

  Then we must look around this temple and

  find how they are created.

  UTHUR

  Do you think...

  MERLAIN

  What, come on boy, out with it?

  UTHUR

  The dragon, perhaps it’s an illusion too? Esuit,

  have you ever seen one?

  ESUIT

  I have not. But tell me, if they didn’t exist how is rock

  turned into metal. The dragon must be real.

  SCENE 15 . BABYLON DAY

  Jasbar is berating his assassins for allowing the trio to live. Only two survivors made their way back to the city and he is shouting at them in his rooms.

  JASBAR

  What is wrong with you people. An old man and

  two children, one of them a girl and you

  have your ears beaten.

  ASSASSIN

  But the girl was an expert warrior, sire..

  JASBAR

  Humbug, any man who is beaten by a woman; nay,

  by a girl, is not worthy of the title. My father told

  me that if ever I needed something done properly

  I should do it myself and once again his words ring true.

  Now get out of my sight before I have your

  scrotums made into coin bags.

  Useless, absolutely useless fools....

  SCENE 16 INT NIGHT

  Meanwhile back in Medin the trio are making plans...

  MERLAIN

  Esuit, check the doors will you; ensure we are not

  locked in here...

  ESUIT

  The door is unlocked but I see a room at the end

  of the outside hall full of women.

  UTHUR

  What are they doing?

  ESUIT

  I’m not sure, they seem to be making leather strips...

  MERLAIN

  There are many secrets to learn here. UTHUR, you and

  Esuit go and seek out the dragon while I go and find

  out how the priestess was cloaked in lightening earlier.

  ESUIT

  Be careful friend, these people are known to be dangerous.

  The three go in two separate directions and UTHUR and Esuit come across a balcony overlooking the square they’d been greeted in earlier. They see women pouring hot water into the cylinder and then corking it tightly. Building a fire beneath the cylinder steam gradually rises from both of the opposite pointing spokes. In turn this steam pressure makes the cylinder spin. They see it turns a cog over which a long loop of leather is turned and the other end is rubbing against a copper tube equipped with thin copper wire attached to either end.

  The faster the cylinder spins the more friction is caused as the leather loop rubs against the copper tube. Then a woman comes from the side and approaches the two others.

  WOMAN 1

  I have the chainmail tunic repaired do you want to test it?

  WOMAN 2

  You put it on and we’ll ensure it doesn’t spark internally

  again; is the priestess okay?

  WOMAN 1

  Just a slight burn. Her vest slipped up under the gusset and

  the charge made a small contact with the small of her back.

  WOMAN 3

  The job of priestess is dangerous; the powers we work with

  can kill if they are not respected; as well we know...

  WOMAN 2

  She died because the rain was too heavy, I told her not

  to use the machine in wet weather but she didn’t listen.

  Oh, no. She knew what was best and then what; burned

  to a char; I told her....

  WOMAN 1

  Can you stop going on about our dead sister. You know

  very well an important person was here that day.

  We need donations to do our work, to keep this

  temple maintained and to feed the poor of this province.

  He was expecting to see a display of our power and

  if we had said it was off because of the weather; we’d

  look like fools. She had to wear the chainmail;

  rain or not. Bring it to me...

  The thin copper wires seemed to be sparking a little as the spinning cylinder created a significant static charge to build up in the copper tube. WOMAN 2 holds up the chainmail tunic and WOMAN 1 pulls it on. After, WOMAN 3 attaches one of the copper wires to the bottom of the tunic and places one of the white cotton robes the other’s wear over the top.

  The women clear the Diaz and the second copper wire is attached to it. UTHUR and ESUIT see a thin copper ring encircles the Diaz they watch as the women step back.

  WOMAN 3

  Reach out with your left arm.

  The woman on the Diaz does so and a blue flash of lightening streaks across the Diaz’s and makes contact with the ring encircling the Diaz.

  WOMAN 3

  Now with your right.

  The woman does as instructed and another flash hits the ring leaving just a smoking black graze in the copper.

  Now above your head.

  The woman on the Diaz raises both hands and a flash pulses from her palms before streaking upwards and onto a copper disc high above her head

  Are you okay?

  WOMAN 1

  I am fine, no sparks broke through this time

  WOMAN 3

  Good, good, the repair seems to be holding. Stop the

  engine and we’ll put the tunic away for our next

  visitor day...

  SCENE 17 INT NIGHT

  MERLAIN meanwhile is on the other side of the temple watching three women constructing the internal weights and plies that control the working of the automatic bull. He see’s smoke coming from a small hut in the grounds and lowers himself down through a nearby tree. Keeping to the shadows he creeps up to the hut and looks through a window. Inside two men and a boy are surrounding a hearth. The boy is pumping bellows and the men, dressed in long leather aprons, are checking a large pot in the centre of the hearth.

  MAN 1

  How does the colour look.

  MAN 2

  Good, just a few moments and the alloy will be

  formed.

  MERLAIN sees behind the men a
crate of red rock and a smaller crate of a white rock with strips through it.

  MAN 2

  Get the mould ready, we’re almost there.

  The other man collects a drum filled with fine sand and places a clay tube in its centre before tapping the sand all around the drum to ensure the clay tube is held in place. He then gets a set of tongs with four handles and stands next to his friend by the furnace.

  MAN 1

  Keep pumping boy, we’re nearly there.

  Both men the take two handles of the tongs each and hover it over the furnace. Merlain is intrigued to see that they intend to take the white hot pot from the centre of the furnace.

  Now, grab the Dragoon.

  Upon this instruction both men grab the pot with their tongs and lift it from the furnace. The take it to the sand filled drum and pour the white hot liquid contents into the clay tube. The room fills with steams and the noise of spits and sparks fill the air.

  MERLAIN

  (Under his breath smiling) A dragoon...

  He sees the men lift the clay tube from the sand and lower it in a bucket of water filling the room with steam and noise as the clay bursts from around the metal core leaving a bronze sword waiting to be beaten and sharpened. One of the men bangs the sword with a hammer and laughs.

  MAN 2

  You see, bronze alone is too soft but add just the

  right amount of tin and it’s as hard as rock.

  Once sharpened this sword will cut any other with ease.

  MAN 1

  Load the dragoon with the same, three parts copper

  and one part tin.

  MERLAIN sneaks away and climbs the tree to go inside the temple again. As he sneaks through the darkened corridors on his way back to the guest room he stops to peer cautiously around a corner before hearing a voice. Turning he faces the PRIESTESS their IPSISSAMUS.

  PRIESTESS/IPSISSAMUS

  Can I help you?

  MERLAIN

  Oh, Madam. I am sorry but we were told not to leave

  the confines of our room and yet I needed to use the,

  well, you know?

  PRIESTESS

  The guard robe?

  MERLAIN

  Indeed, the guard robe. In our part of the world this

  place has many names, and smells, but is seldom shared

  with one of the farer sex.

  PRIESTESS

  The adept is still in your guest rooms?

  MERLAIN

  Indeed she is, with the boy. You see how greatly worried

  I was about doing my business within earshot of her

  tender senses. Adults of our age are less perturbed about

  such things but the warrior princess has led a sheltered life

  and such things can so easily cause offence.

  PRIESTESS

  You have no need to explain, we have similar beliefs in

  our culture. Should a woman want some privacy she may

  withdraw with her sisters or mother.

  A young male is less likely to want such privacy but we

  expect the m to act in a modest fashion and thus private

  rooms are put aside for use by both sexes; albeit alone.

  MERLAIN

  I am very pleased to hear that.

  They arrive by a thick door which the woman pushes open. Merlain sees within a bench with a hole in its centre.

  PRIESTESS.

  You may take your leisure within. When finished your rooms

  are at the end of the hall.

  MERLAIN

  Thank you. May I....

  PRIESTESS

  Yes?

  MERLAIN

  May I be so bold as to ask for an private audience with

  you. If we are expected to leave our ward with you in the

  morning I would like to use what evening there is finding

  out more about your interesting culture. I couldn’t ask for

  better, or more beautiful company.

  PRIESTESS

  Sir, this is a holy order and intercourse between a man

  and one of our Ladies is strictly forbidden.

  MERLAIN

  Who said anything about intercourse; I envisaged only

  oral pastimes; although being a full bloodied man I could

  be persuaded to...

  PRIESTESS

  Don’t gallop before you can trot, Sir. I will wait here

  until your bladder has been emptied and then we can

  spend some time in the public rooms.

  I feel I need to keep my eye upon you...

  MERLAIN

  And such a beautiful eye too....

  SCENE 18 INT NIGHT

  Meanwhile ESUIT and UTHUR are spying upon the women as they place the chain-mail tunic away in a locker. When they open the door the couple see inside a beautiful gold and silver sword which one of the women removes from the locket to polish.

  WOMAN 1

  This needs to be polished every week to prevent

  tarnishing. It must look it’s best when we perform

  for the next visit by investors.

  To get their money we must put on the best show.

  WOMAN 2

  You’d never believe it was crafted by illiterate peasants,

  on the banks of the Ganges River.

  WOMAN 1

  Their skills were passed down through the generations

  by word of mouth only. Since they have been able to

  craft metals they have been making swords; although

  this sword has been beaten from a fallen star.

  She was presented with this just before....

  WOMAN 2

  I miss Altia so much; she was the best IPSISSAMUS we

  have ever had; it’s a shame she died so horribly....

  WOMAN 1

  Still, the order moves on; change is inevitable. She

  got this on her final pilgrimage to the mountain temples

  of the East. It was a gift from Esa Khali Akbar.

  The Goddess of the river.

  UTHUR

  Esa Khali Akbar; how romantic...

  WOMAN 2

  What was that?

  WOMAN 1

  What?

  WOMAN 2

  I thought I heard something or someone. A whisper

  coming from over there, in those shrubs...

  WOMAN 1

  Wait here, place the sword away...

  The woman cautiously creeps up to the bushes and suddenly pulls them to one side but finds nothing. ESUIT AND UTHUR are already creeping back to their rooms giggling.

  SCENE 19 INT: NIGHT

  MERLAIN comes from the Guardrobe and finds his host still waiting for him. She smiles and leads him down a long stone hall decorated and lit on either wall by huge bronze burners and stone gremlins whose intricate expressions follow them in the twilight. She opens a huge set of double doors at the end of the hall and leads him into a vast room fitted with plush sofas arranged around a blazing hearth. One of the bald adepts approach as the doors close behind them.

  ADEPT

  Mistress, we were not expecting you...

  PRIESTESS.

  Fetch a pitcher of wine for my guest and I;

  are you hungry?

  MERLAIN

  I will admit to having eaten quite a while ago.

  PRIESTESS

  Return with some food for us, fruit and cheeses...

  ADEPT

  Yes Mistress...

  PRIESTESS

  Come sit with me...Here.

  They both sit on one of the sofas while the Adept goes to fill her request. In the flashing light of the fire MERLAIN examines his hostess; her eyes catch the light and sparkle, the loose hood over her head seems to glow like a halo and he feels attracted to her...

  MERLAIN

  What shall I call you, Priestess is a little bit formal?

  PRIESTESS

  My name is Amber of Samar
ia; Ipsissamus of the

  Temple of Medin. My Adepts call me Mistress in

  respect of my Grade within the Order.

  What shall I call you?

  MERLAIN

  My name is Merlain. An honest traveller.

  How long have you been in

  charge here, they seem very obedient.

  PRIESTESS

  They have to be respectful, it is part of our training.

  Women who choose to leave the order do so with a

  full education, able to read and write, fight and take

  care of themselves.

  They can then choose either to marry or stay alone and

  run some mercantile business if they wish.

  Or they can stay within the order and gradually work

  their way up; one day anyone of them can become

  Ipsissamus.

  To answer your second question. Only a few months,

  our last Ipsissamus was killed during one of our ceremonies.

  We burned her mortal remains on the last full moon;

  it was a beautiful ceremony and we were all moved greatly

  by her loss and transition to the next level of existence.

  MERLAIN

  Next level?

  PRIESTESS

  We are taught that all life and death are merely journeys through

  time; that our mortal bodies age and die but that spark

  that makes us who we are, well we believe that never dies.

  We are all immortal.

  MERLAIN

  What a beautiful thought; it’s a shame it can’t be proven.

  PRIESTESS

  Oh but it can, we see the cycles of death and rebirth

  every day, in the rise

  and setting of the sun, the birth and death of the moon.

  The cycles of that moon and it’s relation to the

  coming and going seasons remind us.

  Even the ebb and flow of the tides teaches that