by Carl Cupper
The frightening memory of their foray into the labyrinth of Lugh, leapt to the gargoyle’s mind. Meanwhile, Califax listened very intently to the words of the wise teacher Solomon, while standing next to the window of the house.
“However, tell me, what is your interest in all this Hayex?” asked the teacher.
“It is part of the search for the Chalice, teacher. I will tell you all about it when I finish.” The gargoyle promised.
“I’ll be anxiously awaiting your tale. You have not forgotten your promise to tell me the entire story, is it not so?” reminded Solomon.
“Of course not, teacher. You will be the first to know the story.” assured Hayex.
Thus, Califax and Hayex traveled to mysterious Egypt, following the coast of the Mediterranean, until they reached the huge fan-like delta made by the NileRiver, the longest in the world. The vast expanse of the Nile bathed the countryside from Sinai to Alexandria and left the bold travelers in awe of its greatness.
Night had fallen when the explorers reached the beautiful city founded by Alexander the Great. They saw the enormous brilliant signal light in its entire splendor on the island of Pharos,[74] commemorated by the power of the old Empire of Hellenistic Greece.[75]
They flew along the route of the enormous channel of the Nile River until they reached the Rashid tributary,[76] and from there they continued south, where they found a spectacle that still impresses the most calloused of travelers: The Pyramids of Gizeh. The suffocating heat of the desert forced them to look a little further south for a refuge. There, they found an oasis near the city of Memphis, capital of Egypt during those times,[77] where they admired the alabaster sphinx, 12 feet high by 24 feet long, built in honor of the Ptah God[78] in the era of Amenophis II Pharaoh of the XVIII Dynasty. There, they found a great variety of trees such as sycamores, fig, and date, mixed with cypresses, acacias, and eucalyptuses, creating a true place of paradise. There were large and beautiful Rose bushes and Lotus flowers covering the place of the miraculous Eden.
The thick forest that made up the small place was a result of the infinite kindness of God. It offered the adventurers a perfect place to take refuge. They settled into the hiding place, as if they were sultans, to wait for the night, when they would inspect the Great Sphinx back in Gizeh.
After the Astral King hid itself behind the desert horizon of the Sahara, Califax and Hayex went searching for an encounter with the Guardian of Ra.
Under the protection of a moonless night, the valiant explorers began to examine the majestic statue: 60 feet high by 90 feet wide and 220 feet long.[79] Between the claws of the Sphinx they found, partially covered by sand, an altar built by the Romans in Julius Caesar’s time.
They began to dig, expecting to find some kind of tunnel that would lead them to the interior of the Sphinx. After a while, they found a pair of great doors made of shining, brilliant bronze that were nailed in the perpetual sands of the desert.
The dragon and the gargoyle tried to open the doors, but their efforts were futile. The door was locked with an almost invisible, strange kind crossbar attached to the door. After inspecting it for several minutes, they discovered a small hole in the bolt. Califax then took his shining sword and placed the end of the weapon into the small hole.
A shining light illuminated the pale face of the Sphinx and as if by magic, the doors opened. To their surprise, they found a steep set of stairs that seemed to lead to some kind of underground chamber. Cautiously, they descended the stairs and found a wide hallway that split into two passageways. The deep darkness that reigned in that mysterious enclosure brought the horrifying kingdom of Lugh surging back into their minds.
“Not again, please!” Hayex exclaimed in fear. However, Califax kept his calm, lit a flame with his snout, and went entered the maze.
After several minutes of walking in the confusing passageways laced with dead ends, they found themselves back at the beginning.
“This place seems to be as difficult to decipher as the Labyrinth of Lugh.” observed the dragon.
They started out again, and after a few hours of walking in the stone puzzle, they found a narrow spiral staircase at the other end of the labyrinth. They descended very carefully, but suddenly the stairs disappeared, and they slid down a polished surface; they were unable to return to the first level. The brave adventures realized that they were trapped inside the Sphinx. They had no other choice but to continue.
When Califax again lit a flame with his snout; a new set of stairs greeted them. They descended very carefully. They came to a wall that stretched from side to side in front of them; this new chamber had hallways much narrower than the other ones. They went to the left, and after a short time, they hit a dead end, which forced them to retrace their steps. So, they returned to where they had started and went to the right this time; the passage led to a long corridor. They did not know it at the time, but they were on the verge of going into an intricate place where only priests and a privileged few knew the way out.
They spent long hours in that labyrinth without finding a way out. Outside, the sun illuminated the desert sky for quite some time, but the adventurers were still trapped by perpetual darkness that prevailed in the eerie site. Desperation caused by confusion and the deep cold of the labyrinth which chilled their bones, combined to discourage and frustrate them. Thirst and hunger started to take their toll. They had not eaten anything for hours, and they had not drunk so much as a drop of water.
“Oh, how I would love to eat a piece of lamb like the one in Athens!” remembered Hayex, nostalgically.
“Do not torment yourself. We will take a break before going any further. We will get out of here very soon,” Califax encouraged him with a pat on his shoulder.
“We should have been more cautious and brought some food and water, do not you think so, my friend?” muttered Hayex.
“Now is not the time to fuss over what we did not do. If we stay calm, we will get out of here alive. If we could get out of the Labyrinth of Lugh, we can get out of this one.” Califax encouraged.
After catching their second wind, hey started out again, and as night fell again outside the Sphinx, they finally found a long corridor that led to a great chamber whose walls and columns were exquisitely adorned with large, multicolored paintings. On the far wall, there was the enormous eye of a fabulous bird that held them in a hypnotic gaze. On the bird’s head, there was a strange disc, in bas-relief, supported by a stylized U.[80]
“Have you noticed a strange similarity between the symbols of the human nations?” observed Califax.
“Yes.” agreed Hayex. “This eye is similar to Lugh’s,[81] not to mention the labyrinth. I would say that this disc represents the sun.” Hayex offered.
“These strange inscriptions must show the way to the Rock of Ebony that the magician spoke of; but how are we going to interpret them?” wondered Califax.
Time inexorably marched on as they admired and examined the magnificent frescos with curiosity. However, the strange hieroglyphics were incomprehensible to the brave explorers who, without giving up, devised a way to make a copy of hieroglyphics. With a copy in their claws, they could seek the help of an interpreter. That debilitating work would be interrupted by an event that hung over the unsuspecting amateur archaeologists as if it were the sword of Damocles: The earth announced a tragedy in which they would be buried within a few moments.
“What was that?” Hayex asked alarmed.
“It was just a little tremor, my friend.” explained Califax.
“While we are in here, no tremor seems little to me.” retorted Hayex with stark fear in his voice.
Suddenly, the place began to shake furiously. Sand began to filter between the rocks, the ceiling, and the walls of the chamber. Terrified by that violent movement, Califax and Hayex felt that their time had come. Everything indicated that the great Sphinx would devour them. It seemed that their last resting place was going to be inside the underground temple and consequently cause the
failure of the mission.
Califax could not hold the flame in his snout any longer, and the deep darkness of the place seized the very soul of the adventurers. However, Hayex, who had squirmed into a corner of one of the walls, pushed the door of a cavity that led to a secret passage, which they had not noticed before.
The gargoyle quickly advised his companion about his fortunate discovery, and they hastily left the chamber. Seconds later it collapsed, totally, with a great crash.
The dragon ignited a flame with his snout and the light revealed three small but steep, sloping hallways leading upwards at a sharp angle. Because of his large size, Califax had to squirm on his belly in order to climb up along that small, suffocating crawl space, while Hayex followed close behind. They took the hallway to the right and they advanced very slowly until they arrived in a very damp place that appeared to be a gallery, where they rested.
“What a strange place!” said the dragon as he illuminated the upper portion and ceiling of the chamber.
Califax took one step forward; as he meticulously examined the place, he unexpectedly disappeared from Hayex’s view, and the gallery went completely dark.
“Califax! Califax!” shouted the terrified gargoyle from the edge of the gallery.
When he did not get an answer, he groped his way over to the place where Califax had last been seen. He found a deep pit into which, it appeared, his faithful companion had fallen.
Long seconds of intense anguish were experienced by the gargoyle. Suddenly, he heard Califax’s voice. He hung precariously on a rock that was sticking out of one of the walls of the deep pit, just on the other side of where the dragon had fallen. Unfortunately, the pit was not wide enough for him to flap his powerful wings, so he held tight to the rock, lit his snout and tried to find a way out of his problem. Hayex then saw the grave situation of his friend and, without thinking twice; he began climbing down to try to help him. He pushed on the tail of the heavy dragon, but he had no luck in moving him even one inch.
Califax soon began to lose strength and was in danger of falling to the bottom of the stinking, flooded pit. Seconds later, the unavoidable happened: Califax let go of the rock and fell heavily, dragging the poor, unfortunate gargoyle along with him.
Fortunately, the hole was not as deep as it looked; the reflective water had kept them from seeing the bottom, but Califax could not help but fall on top of his friend, who, once again, was covered with dirty, sticky mud.
“Again?” protested the gargoyle angrily, as he shook the mud from his body.
“Perhaps your true vocation is pottery, my friend.” said Califax, trying to stifle his laughter.
Looking about them, they saw a series of rocks protruding from the walls of the hole which formed a sort of stairway, which allowed them to climb up and to continue walking along the hallway from which Califax had fallen. The tunnel extended for several feet until reaching a vertex that led them into a new chamber. There, they found many beautiful objects made of ceramic, wood, and pure gold. The walls, however, were bare, contrasting starkly with the beautiful walls of the Sphinx temple.
They began to examine the chamber to see if they could find a way out. While they were doing this, Hayex bumped into an enormous object which, when he saw what it was, left him breathless. What he was looking at was nothing less than the sealed sarcophagus of Cheops, mummy and all. They had entered the chamber of the king of the great pyramid.
Hours passed as they searched for an exit from the tomb. Hayex had already lost hope of ever escaping their ill-fated trap.
“Solomon told us that no one had ever lived to tell the story of leaving this place, my friend.” pronounced a frightened Hayex.
“Keep calm, my friend. I am sure that there is a way out. Listen!” he indicated with ears perked sharply.
A soft sound showed that an air current ran through the place. Thanks to his acute hearing, Califax managed to find the source of the air current. High in one of the walls, they found a hole that appeared to be some kind of air duct. They saw a dim light coming through from the other side of the cavity. Then Califax took his magic sword and put the end of it in the hole, after which, a flood of fine sand filled the room, threatening to bury the explorers alive. However, the sandy flood stopped when it reached the halfway mark of the chamber.
When the vent was emptied, the soft light of sunset shone through, for the first time in centuries, on the king’s chamber, revealing its valuable treasures. For the travelers, it was the invaluable road to freedom.
They exited on the west side of the pyramid and saw in astonishment that the desert sand had covered the illustrious Sphinx to its neck. The earthquake, which had shaken them so furiously, made the Sphinx fall heavily on top of the two levels that supported it, burying the terrible prophecies and the valuable treasures forever.
“Now, how are we going to find the man to whom we must deliver the Chalice?” Califax asked afflicted to the gargoyle
The afternoon waned in the desert steppe along with the hopes of the daring adventurers. Everything indicated that the important mission that the dragon had been entrusted; this time had become a complete failure.
***
8
The Rock of Kaabah
Califax and hayex took refuge in the oasis of Memphis, while the night overpowered the desert in an unusual halo of tranquility. The dragon saw his mother in a dream standing at the foot of the Sphinx, guided by the claw of his father, who, with his bold presence, pointed his sword in the same direction as the enigmatic sphinx was facing.
Califax woke up, startled, from his strange dream, and immediately woke his tired, sleeping friend.
“Hayex! Hayex!” he shouted with enthusiasm.
“What happened?” asked a groggy Hayex.
“I have it!” shouted Califax.
“What is it that you have?” the doubtful gargoyle asked to the young dragon.
“I know where the Rock of Ebony is!” announced a jubilant Califax.
“Really…? Where?”
“The magician said:The guardian of Ra, the Sun of the East, indicates the secret way to the Rock of Ebony.” he remembered. “The Sphinx indicates the direction; it does not hold the secret within. Do you understand?”
“No.” he answered with a yawn.
“The Sphinx looks to the east.” insisted the dragon. “That is where the rock must be!”
“Do you really think so?” said the gargoyle doubtfully.
At dawn, the dragon and the gargoyle traveled southeast crossing the vast desert, and later crossed the Gulf of Suez and of the Aqaba. They reached the Sinai Peninsula. From there, they could see the 7,911 feet high Biblical Mountain, where Moses was given the Ten Commandments, the Sacred Law of God, which up to our time has fallen on the deaf ears and hardened hearts of men and nations of this world.
After crossing the Red Sea, they came to the HejazMountains to the west of the Al-Arab[82] Peninsula, where they saw a caravan of merchants traveling south.
Without knowing the exact location of the Rock of Ebony, they decided to join that procession, hidden under their customary disguises: their objective was to question some of the nomads. Discreetly, they joined that long line of people, horses, and camels that carried all kinds of merchandise from all over the world. When they saw that Califax was not carrying anything, a merchant placed a large bundle of objects and heavy bags on his back.
“Here, in the desert, even royalty has to help with the caravan.” he said, as he placed the heavy items on the dragon’s back.
Hearing the merchant speak Gaelic, Hayex took advantage of the situation and approached him asking:
“Excuse me, sir, but do you know where I can find the Rock of Ebony?”
“No such thing exists, son. Ebony is a type of wood, which indeed is black and hard.” he said, without even giving the gargoyle a second glance.
“What I am looking for is a sacred rock. Someone told me that it is called the Rock of Ebony, sir.” he insis
ted, after discreetly glancing at the dragon.
“I told you that thing does not exist!” he shouted in the gargoyle’s face. “However,” he said, this time a little more friendly, “the Sacred Rock of Kaabah is black. Maybe your informant is referring to that rock, son.”
“Do you know where it is located?” Hayex asked.
“Of course. It is in the City of Macoraba,[83] we are going that way.”
Following the caravan through the desert, the daring travelers arrived at Port al-Wajh, where the merchants took a break while they offered their rich display of merchandise for sale to the people of the city.
After spending the night in al-Wajh, they continued south following the “uadi”[84] el-Hamd. The long journey under the intense heat of the sun had begun to sap Califax’s strength and his feet and back began to ache under the immense weight of his load. Nonetheless, the dragon continued along walking without mentioning the heavy mass or complaints.
Six days and five nights went by before they reached the City of Yathrib,[85] where the caravan finally stopped. However, a few days before their arrival, an immense sand storm had wrapped around them with its ominous reddish mantle, forcing them to slow down. The furious attack of the sand storm on the caravan was so violent that they finally had to stop to protect themselves from being buried under the hot embrace of the desert. After the storm blew over, the leaders decided to have a little healthy fun for the men. They organized a traditional camel race, where the winner would take a wineskin full of red wine as the grand prize. For obvious reasons, Califax and Hayex were not interested in competing in the event, but their refusal was overturned ‘in a friendly manner’ by a group of ill-tempered Koreish men.[86]
The competitors prepared their camels and took their positions. Hayex put a scarlet turban on his head and covered his face according to the custom of the nomads and mounted the back of Califax as if he were an experienced jockey. The route of the race was drawn around the campground, which they would run counterclockwise. Whoever completed nine laps would be the winner of the wineskin.
