Duke Elric - Michael Moorcock [88]
Still distressed, Isaak rounds on Elric—
ISAAK: “What? Did you lead us here, simply as sacrifice to your blade's insatiable lust for souls?”
Close-up of ‘Elric's face. It's suddenly racked with conflicting pain. An appalling ambiguity.
ELRIC: “I sincerely hope not…”
PART TEN
INEVITABLE CONJUNCTIONS
Valley of the Phoorn. Central Sahara, Tuesday, 1st October, AD 1000. Elric is reunited with his blood brother, Flamefang, last surviving member of a race once bonded with Elric's folk …
Isaak, avoiding looking at the corpse of his friend, places a hand on a gigantic bone. Elric's attention is on whatever we can see of Flamefang. Rebecca is also staring hard at the dragon.
ISAAK: “Our Book tells us there were giants in those days.”
REBECCA: “But as usual, people wouldn't see them …”
ELRIC: “Isn't it how you humans always deal with unwelcome realities?”
ISAAK: “Existence is what we make of it, my lord.”
FLAMEFANG: “The skeffla'a, brother—I can only help you if I have it…”
Inset—Elric reassures his dragon brother (Let's have vast dragon and the figures absolutely tiny.)
ELRIC: “Soon, brother, soon …”
And nearby …
We see Jack/Tarak in a small picture riding down on unseen foes—his camel is racing, his shield is on his arm and his spears are in his hands …
Isaak is disgusted. He is making moves to leave the scene. He's had enough. But Rebecca stops him. Meanwhile Elric looks towards where the unseen Tarak is now approaching.
ELRIC: “Any moment now …”
ISAAK: “This sorcery is too complex for an ordinary scholar like myself. It's time to leave, I think …”
REBECCA: “Stay! A great weaving of destinies is taking place …You're safer here …”
Isaak looks up—-following Elric's eye…
ISAAK: “What? Another stranger? Too much for me. I promised to bring you here, daughter. Now it's time to wander on alone …”
This stranger had brought gifts of sorts …
Tarak-al-Tan -al-Oorn arrives with the Rose and Kwyll’ trussed up as his prisoners. They stumble along ahead of him while Tarak pokes them with a spear tip. They are glowering, thoroughly fed up. Around Quelch/Kwyll's shoulders is the carpet we first saw in episode two and which they stole from Elric on the ship. The newcomer is absolutely clearly Jack Karaquazian. There's a faint smile on his face as he raises his hand in greeting.
TARAK: “I believe my prisoners want to return some stolen property …”
KWYLL’: “Damn you, Jack. You're going too far.”
ROSE: “Jack never knew what ‘too far’ meant…”
Tarak presents the captives to Elric—a gift. He looks directly at Elric, ignoring Rose & Kwyll'.
ROSE: “Playing for Law now, are we, Jack?”
KWYLL’: “You're behaving melodramatically, Jack. Ease up on the bonds a little, eh?”
TARAK: “I give them to you, brother, to do with as you choose.”
ELRIC: “I'm eternally grateful…”
Elric turns, displaying the carpet, once again in his possession, to the enfeebled dragon.
ELRIC: “See, dear brother! We have the skeffla'a!”
The dragon brightens a little.
FLAMEFANG: “At last…”
Tarak is already riding away—-followed by Isaak on his camel—watched by Rebecca.
ISAAK: “Wait, sir. I'll travel with you …”
REBECCA: “Farewell, Father. May your soul find ease!”
Elric suddenly realizes! He calls after Tarak who has almost disappeared behind a dune …
ELRIC: “The horn! You said it was here?”
TARAK: “Look within!”
He's gone.
Taking the stolen carpet, Elric climbed with familiar ease …
Elric carries the “magic carpet” as he scales the dragon—Kwyll’ on the ground looks baffled.
KWYLL’: “The carpet! What's he doing with it?”
REBECCA: “What it was always designed to do …”
…until he stood at a certain spot on the monster's back …
Elric now begins to unroll the carpet. He stands on the dragon's back-It is a huge, broad back and is almost à landscape of its own, very irregular, but at the centre near the beginning of his neck is à large, smooth area, almost like a great burn, deep in his scaly skin. This area is large enough to accommodate the carpet and the