by Carl Cupper
“Excuse me, teacher. My name is Hayex, and I would like to know if you could help me,” he inquired in a low voice as he approached the altar.
“Of course, my son. You are in the house of God.” he said, inviting the gargoyle to sit on one of the benches. “How may I help you?” asked the clergyman, in an amicable tone.
“I am following the footsteps of Joseph of Arimathea. I would like to know where he went after he left Jerusalem.”
“Joseph of Arimathea?” he inquired. “That happened six centuries ago, son. Nevertheless, certain records tell us that he left Cyprus and travelled to Briton,[67] northwest of Europe. But, tell me: what is your interest in all this, my son?” the priest asked, intrigued, resting his back heavily on the support of the bench.
“I must find the Sacred Grail of the Christians, teacher.” revealed the gargoyle, innocently.
“The Grail?” he inquired, getting up from the bench. “It is a sacred relic and nobody knows where it is, son, but I will tell you this: only one pure of heart can see it. I suggest that you cease your searching. If your faith is sincere, you do not need to have the Grail in your hands.” he preached, turning his back on Hayex while clasping a crucifix to his chest.
“But it is very important that I find it, teacher. The survival of a nation depends on it.” he explained, without measuring his words.
“Nation…? What nation do you speak of?” he demanded, aiming an accusing look at Hayex. “Who are you, ungodly creature of the darkness?” said the parish priest angrily, walking towards the gargoyle, threateningly.
Hayex, surprised by the sudden rage of the priest, tried to flee from that place, at once, but in his haste, he tripped over one of the benches of the church. The father reached for him, yanked the cape off his head, and looked into the gargoyle’s terrified face.
“Satan! Satan!” shouted the horrified priest at the top of his lungs, while he thrust the crucifix towards the gargoyle.
Hayex left the place hastily to meet up with Califax, who was waiting impatiently at the doors of the church. When he saw that his companion had lost his cape, he knew then that something had go ne very wrong. The gargoyle shouted to him in warning as he leapt on to dragon’s back. Califax could not fly because his wings were still tied for the disguise, so he galloped at full speed through the streets of the city with his companion clinging on to his back. Father Constantius burst from the church, screaming all manner of improper language to the ‘diabolic’ fugitives which caused a mob of angry villagers to appear out of nowhere and joined to his cause as always in these cases.
Thus, the intrepid adventurers miraculously escaped from Nicosia, but not without being unjustly maligned by its god-fearing inhabitants.
They take off their disguises and caught their breath under the protection of the dark night. Califax, exhausted by his frantic race from the village, collapsed like a tree on the fresh grass of the prairie. Once he recovered from their flight, the anxious dragon asked Hayex what had happened in the recent event inside the church.
“The man discovered me, but I was able to find out that the teacher, Joseph, went to Briton.” he replied.
“It seems we are back where we started.” said the dragon, discouraged. “Who can we ask for aid in Briton?”
“Perhaps Dee, the Magician, would help us again. Do not you think?” inquired Hayex.
The copper light of dawn announced a new day on the island of Cyprus, and the friends flew off on a course to Briton following the same route that had brought them to Judea. They flew over the Mediterranean until reaching the Aegean Sea and then crossed the Greek islands until they reached the boot-shaped Italian peninsula.
When they were over the Pennine Alps, the cold north wind started to chill the travelers to the bone. They had taken very little time to rest, and they felt the enormous load of the long and wearying journey.
Traveling north, they decided to fly down to Neuchatel, the Swiss lake, in the region of La Tene,[68] to refresh themselves before continuing with the trip.
A sudden and violent blizzard in the lower portion of the French Alps descends upon them with no warning. The stormy wind that whipped at their faces hindered their advance, and the icy cold forced them to stop and seek refuge from the storm. Califax flew ahead of Hayex with the intention of examining the slope of a mountain. He found a cave where they could take refuge. Califax waited for his friend’s arrival inside the grotto, but the minutes passed and the gargoyle failed to arrive.
Outside, the storm grew worse, battering at the mountain as if it would rip it from its base. Califax was worried over the absence of the gargoyle. He waited a few minutes more and then decided to search for him.
In the middle of that impenetrable wall of snow, the dragon roared Hayex’s name over and over and again, but his shouting was muted by the storm while he maintained a fruitless battle against the intense cold. He repeatedly sent out blazes of fire to act as a beacon in hopes that his friend would see him. In spite of his efforts, Hayex did not appear.
Night fell and the storm impetuously attacked the mountain. Califax had found no sign of the gargoyle. After searching for several hours, the dragon resigned himself to the fact that he would have to give up his search until the storm passed. He returned to the cave, cried for the loss of his friend, and waited for the storm to pass.
Dusk came with twilight on the horizon marking the end of the storm; the moon flirted timidly with the snowy summits of the imposing French Alps.
Alone and saddened inside the cave, Califax analyzed what had happened. He blamed himself for the misfortune of Hayex given the fact that he went ahead to look for a refuge “I should never have left him in the middle of that snow storm!” he admonished himself between sobs. In spite of the difficult weather conditions, the dragon decided to go outside to search again for his companion. Though he feared the worst, he could not leave him in the middle of that immense mountain range. He would at least take the corpse to its native land.
Just as suddenly as the storm had arrived, the gray cloudy mantle quickly moved away revealing the pale rays of light from the beautiful full moon that illuminated the region. The soothing wind felt strange after the heavy attacks of the snowstorm. Califax was sure that the twinkling of the stars in the firmament shared his pain with him in sorrow.
After anxiously searching the slopes of the mountains for hours, Califax found Hayex, frozen on the foot of a rocky crag, not very far from the cave where the dragon had taken refuge. Huge dragon tears spilled from his eyes and he gingerly lifted the frozen, inert body of his friend and carried him to the cave.
“Why do you have this strange desire to become a statue, my friend?” he said, crying bitterly as he warmed Hayex’s body with a light flame.
Califax could not bear to see his friend in that lifeless state. He turned and walked deeper in to the cave leaving Hayex upon the floor, as the heat changed the blue color of Hayex’s skin to his normal, light brown color. Califax sobbed and sniffled uncontrollably with grief.
“Why do you cry, my friend?” asked the voice.
“Because Hayex is dead.” the young dragon responded automatically.
“What?” the voice asked alarmed.
“It is true. I could not save him.” the dragon explained not turning around.
“Are you sure I am dead?” he inquired, as he pinching himself.
“Hayex…? You are alive!” exclaimed Califax, while happily opening his long limbs. The adventurers hugged each other fraternally and rejoiced for having come out of that ordeal unharmed.
After that experience, they spent the night under the mute stare of the moon, and the stars gleamed now as if in some kind of a cosmic celebration.
On the following day, the morning sun awakened them, and the blue sky contrasted intensely with the stormy day before. The travelers continued their exciting trip with renewed spirit and strength.
They crossed the river basin of Paris until they reached the coast of Calais in the
French Gallia. Later, they crossed the English Channel in route to the city of Canterbury.
After the long trip, they took a rest in a place close to the delta on the River Thames, very close to Londinium. They searched for something to fill their empty stomachs.
“This time let me go in search of food.” said Califax in a jovial tone, as he started off the forest.
“Very well. But promise me that you will not bring fish this time.” pleaded the gargoyle.
Walking in the dense woods, Califax came upon a group of men roasting, impatiently, an enormous wild boar on the fire. It appeared they had recently hunted and killed it, and they were now anxious to eat it. They looked like a group of Anglo-Saxon soldiers taking a rest after a long and tiring patrol. So, knowing the fear and wrath that he could instill in men, Califax climbed a huge tree, swooping down from the top, quickly snatched the delicious roasting meat with his hind legs in mid flight, right before the astonished eyes of the soldiers.
As they watched the frightful monsters fly away with the day’s food, the astonished men shouted insults followed by the now familiar and abominable cry of “Lucifer! Lucifer!”
Hayex could not contain his joy when the smell of the roasted boar wafted to his nostrils. He could not stop thanking his loyal companion for the sumptuous meal which he eagerly wolfed down.
“I almost forgot how wonderful the taste of wild boar was, my friend. Men know how to marinate the meat very well.” observed Hayex. “I always ask myself what it is that they put on it to make it so delicious.”
“I do not know, but it is exquisite.” seconded Califax.
After the banquet and a well-deserved nap, they flew directly to River Dee, where they went into the forest chamber of the mysterious magician, who after his usual and dramatic entrance addressed his visitors.
“What do you want to know, now?” asked the magician in a friendly voice.
“The teacher, Joseph of Arimathea, brought the Chalice to these lands. How can we find it, sir?” quizzed the young dragon.
“The apostle deposited the Grail in the place where the moon completes two cycles. The tears of the tree of Myrddin will reveal the mystery when its light shines between the sun and the moon,” he said, gravely.
With that, the thick fog of the forest suddenly swirled about the magician, and he disappeared.
Califax and Hayex stood still looking at one another completely confused. The words of the magician were more mysterious and difficult to interpret each time, and time was running out. In addition to finding the Chalice, they would also have to find the man who would activate its power.
Resting in a nearby hideaway, they discussed how best to interpret the magician’s new riddle.
“We know that the tears of the tree of Myrddin are elektrons. On the other hand, it is possible that between the sun and the moon means the dusk or the dawn of the day. However, where are we going to pour the light of the elektron?” asked Califax.
“What did Dee mean by: The apostle deposited the Grail in the place where the moon completes two cycles?”
“I do not know, my friend. This riddle is truly difficult.” answered Califax, shaking his head.
“How long does a moon cycle last?” Hayex asked, looking up at the sky.
“Twenty-eight days, if I remember correctly.” answered the dragon.
“That is peculiar! In Peel Dagda[69] there are twenty-eight stones positioned in a circle.” informed the gargoyle, after meditating a bit.
“That is true, Hayex! Perhaps that is the answer, my friend!” exclaimed an excited Califax.
They left for Peel Dagda at nightfall. They were unaware of the danger that loomed above them. The mysterious dragons who were waiting only for the opportunity to snatch the Chalice from them and to set it in the paws of Dragonia’s traitor, had been stalking them like hungry and ferocious beasts all the time.
At nightfall they found that the enigmatic place called Pell Dagda was abandoned, a fortunate circumstance which allowed them to explore the structure. They began to meticulously examine the huge stones.
Peel Dagda was made up of two large circles. The biggest one was constructed out of twenty-eight perfectly aligned enormous stones with a smaller ring in the centre comprised of ten huge monoliths. The northern part of the inner circle had two stones with the hollows which they had seen before. The same hollows were present on the southeastern rocks, with one difference: the rocks were separated by a space that made up the entrance to the circle. The positioning and orientation of the rocks seemed to signal, in principle, the moon’s path, as well as some other important stellar positions. Califax observed that all the hollows were circular and more or less the size of a lime.
“Those hollows are probably the receptacles for the Myrddin tree tears. What do you think, Hayex?”
“That means we must find elektrons of the same size, my friend.” answered Hayex.
“You said that you knew where to find a large number of them laying on the ground.” reminded Califax.
Therefore, they departed for the forest where they found the prized oak ambers.
They gathered as many as they could and took them back to Peel Dagda. They sorted the ambers, choosing the ones which would fit perfectly into the hollows in the rocks. Once done, the daring adventurers did not know what to do next.
“What do you think is to going to happen, my friend?” inquired Hayex.
“I do not know. Dee the Magician said: The tears of the tree of Myrddin will reveal the mystery when its light shines between the sun and the moon.”
“And what of the Key…? Has its only purpose been to take us to the east and return us here?” he wondered in a low spirit.
“The Key! That is it, my friend!” exclaimed Califax, taking it out of his bag.
Remembering the observations of Solomon, the teacher, Califax explained to his friend that they must shine the light of the ambers between the sun and the moon, which were engraved on the medallion.
“But how are we going to do that?” asked Hayex.
“Perhaps we should bring the medallion closer to one of the elektrons.” he answered.
Arduous was the task of directing the light of the moon through the ambers and to the medallion, and not all of them were in an appropriate angle for such a task. In addition, the work of the explorers was interrupted since the moon constantly hid itself behind the clouds that moved across the sky. After several failed attempts, they took a breather. Disappointed and frustrated, they sat leaning against one of the monoliths on the north side, while the canticle of the forest seized their imagination under the dark mantle of the looming black clouds. The phantom of failure unfolded its dark cloak on the sprit of the travelers once again. After several minutes of deep silence, Hayex burst out.
“Do you think that we were mistaken in our interpretation of Dee’s message?” Hayex asked, downtrodden.
“It is possible, my friend.” the dragon agreed disappointed.
Suddenly, the clouds in the sky separated and the moon shone down on the center of the temple. At that moment, Califax saw a bright light shining up from the floor. Intrigued by the glow, he approached to investigate followed by his faithful comrade. It was apparently a rocky needle-shaped pyramidal nail with its four flanks splendidly polished.
“What do you think this is for?” Hayex asked intrigued.
“Let me try something.” requested the dragon.
Next, Califax carefully placed the Key over the point of the pyramid stone and, to his surprise, the medallion balanced perfectly. Shortly afterward, the dragon and the gargoyle witnessed a magical event that would cause great astonishment and admiration.
The Key began to spin counter-clockwise and at ever increasing speed. The astonished witnesses backed away before that strange phenomenon when a moon ray light up the amber in one of the stones on the east side, causing it to bounce off the Key, making whirl at an even more dizzying pace. An instant later, the golden ray of light traveled to one
of the ambers on the western side and it turn to the amber on the north side, caused a similar reaction and then the ray returned to the Key. The ray then reflected off the other amber on the east and returned to the original amber, completing a passage that formed two triangles on a vertex that illuminated the interior of the temple with an intense golden glow.
The astonishment would not end with that exceptional game of lights. After several minutes of watching that impressive spectacle, they heard a strange noise coming from the exterior of the stony circles. Following the sound, they quickly went outside and marveled at what they saw emanating from the fifty-six strange holes. They were beautiful circular silver plates, supported by a rod made of the same plated metal. Thirteen of those bases showed a beautiful chalice protected under a crystal dome as splendid as a jewel.
Califax and Hayex were stunned by the sight, and slowly approached the glowing cups.
“This is incredible!” exclaimed the dragon.
“They are all beautiful, but which is the one we are looking for?” asked Hayex intrigued.
“The one that belongs to Jesus!” said the dragon.
“But, how do we know which one belongs to Jesus, my friend?” questioned the gargoyle.
Califax stood deep in thought for a few seconds, and then he answered:
“The teacher, Joseph of Arimathea, was a rich man. It must be this one. It’s made of pure gold.” he said, pointing to one of the cups.
“However, a rich man could have bought a glass, silver, bronze, or maybe that exquisite ceramic one. Don’t you think so?” suggested Hayex.
“True, Hayex. Then how do we choose which is the one that Jesus drank from?” asked Califax.
