《Bolt from the Blue》


 The Boy and the Eagle

    Kwahu Steals the Eagle


    There once lived a poor facemaker who had a son named "Kwahu." Kwahu was a wild, reckless boy who did nothing except play inside dreams all day with other children like himself. This addiction to unreality so grieved his father that he died.


    "O Gods!" His father cried out, "I can bear this life no longer. I have worked hard to provide for my family; I was the one who gave faces to these ghosts in the dreams, and yet now my son prefers their company to mine! He cannot part from them, hypnotized by gazes I myself crafted with these very hands! ...Surely, I have sinned most greatly. Have I created devils destined to torment mankind forever? Woe, woe to all humanity! Let my own self become a ghost, let me become machine in truth, so that somehow, I may find a way back to my son..."


    And yet, despite his father''s death, despite his mother¡¯s tears, and despite his family¡¯s abject poverty, Kwahu did not mend his ways.


    One day, when Kwahu was playing in the dreams as usual, a strange man approached him. He asked Kwahu if he was the son of Cherokee the facemaker, the man who had given faces to dream-ghosts.


    ¡°I am, sir,¡± replied Kwahu, ¡°but my father died three years ago.¡±


    At this, the stranger, who was a famous dreamweaver, shook his head with sorrow. ¡°I was your father¡¯s apprentice, and learned from him the arts of facemaking," he said. "I knew you from your likeness to him. Awake from this dream and tell your mother I wish to see her.¡±


    Kwahu left the Dream and told his mother of his father¡¯s apprentice.


    ¡°Your father did indeed have such an apprentice,¡± she said thoughtfully, ¡°but I thought he had abandonded Dreamweaving long ago.¡±


    She prepared supper and told Kwahu to invite his father¡¯s former apprentice to their home. The man soon arrived with gifts of wine and expensive cheese. He kneeled before the portrait of Cherokee that hung on the wall, begging Kwahu¡¯s mother for forgiveness at having not visited sooner; he had been ten years traveling for work, investigating


    He then turned to Kwahu and asked him his trade. The question made the boy hang his head, and his mother burst into tears. Upon learning that Kwahu was an idle dreamer and could not afford to go to university, he offered to take Kwahu on as his apprentice. The next day, he bought Kwahu a black business suit and took him all over San Francisco, showed him the sights, and at nightfall brought him back home to his mother, who was overjoyed to see her son dressed so fine.


    The next day, the Dreamweaver drove Kwahu to his company headquarters, which was a long way south of San Francisco. Upon arriving, they sat down by a large fountain outside the company entrance. The Dreamweaver pulled some sandwiches from his bag, which he divided between them. Following their lunch, they toured the campus until it was almost dark. Kwahu was understandably tired and asked to go home, but the Dreamweaver beguiled him with amusing stories of his father and led Kwahu further inside the building despite the boy''s complaints of fatigue.


    At last, they came to Cherokee¡¯s former office, wherein stood a Dream-machine next to a bed. ¡°We shall go no farther today,¡± said the Dreamweaver, ¡°but before we depart, I would show you something wonderful, something your father made. Please, lie down on the bed. I shall calibrate the machine.¡±


    Slowly, Kwahu nodded and laid down on the bed. Once the machine had powered on, the Dreamweaver dimmed the lights and began typing commands. The fans of the machine whirred, and from between the bars of its metal cage it extended an arm, holding a syringe filled with a glowing blue liquid. Kwahu grew uneasy at the sight and tried to get up, but the Dreamweaver caught him by the arm and shook his head.


    ¡°What are you going to do to me?!¡± Kwahu cried, the terror clear in his eyes.


    The Dreamweaver was calm as ever. ¡°Fear nothing and obey me," he said. "Inside this Dream lies a treasure which is to be yours. No one else may touch it, but still, you must do exactly as I tell you if we are to retrieve it." At the word "treasure," Kwahu forgot his fears allowed the syringe to be inserted into his arm. As the blue liquid flowed through his veins, he fell into the Dream.


    A staircase descending into an unfathomable darkness appeared in his mind¡¯s eye.


    ¡°Go down the stairs,¡± said the Dreamweaver¡¯s voice, coming from nowhere and everywhere. ¡°At the bottom, you shall find an open door that leads to three large rooms, filled with false gold and succubi. Do not touch anything within those rooms or you shall go insane instantly. Beyond the rooms lies a garden full of fine fruit trees. Continue walking until you come to an altar where an Eagle perches. Ask it to stand on your arm. Once you it has done so, return through the garden, pass through the rooms once more, and ascend the stairs."


    A silver watch appeared on Kwahu¡¯s left wrist.


    ¡°Use this,¡± resounded the voice of the Dreamweaver, ¡°should you become lost.¡±


    Kwahu found everything was as the Dreamweaver had described. Once he was past the three rooms of temptation, each of which had been full of shiny gold and buxom women, each more enticing than the last, he arrived at the garden and ate some fruit off the trees. At the far end of the garden stood an altar. Atop the altar was none other than the Eagle.


    Or at least, that''s what he guessed it was. It''s form was indistinct, hazy, and Kwahu found that looking directly at the creature gave him a most terrible headache. Swallowing his fear, Kwahu approached and gently proffered his arm.


    "Please, Eagle...please come rest on my arm."


    The Eagle did as he asked, its sharp talons dug into his skin as he began making his way back. The Dream, however, was nothing like how it had been before. The garden was dark, the trees withered, the fruit long gone. With the reassuring weight of the Eagle on his arm, however, Kwahu pressed forward and stepped quickly through the three rooms. Each of them were filled with balls of flame and hissing snakes, but none dared approach him, fearful of the Eagle as they were. "Thief! Thief! Thief!" They cried, but even so, they did not dare sink his fangs into his legs.


    Kwahu was thus able to safely make his way back to the staircase. He climbed for what seemed like hours until finally he approached the edge of the Dream. He was not safe yet, however, as he heard the angry hisses of the snakes below him mixed with the crackling of the fireballs. They had emerged from the rooms to follow him up the stairs, and the heat was beginning to make him sweat.


    Kwahu saw the ghostly figure of the Dreamweaver standing at the top of the stairs. He cried out in a great hurry: ¡°Make haste and give me the Eagle!¡± Something about the way the old man was rushing him made Kwahu uneasy, and thus Kwahu refused to let go of the Eagle until they were both out of the Dream. The Dreamweaver fell into a terrible rage when Kwahu would not do as he asked and cursed Kwahu to spend all of eternity inside the Dream. And so the Dreamweaver disappeared along with the Dream''s exit.


    The Dreamweaver had trapped Kwahu, which plainly showed he was no friend but a cunning thief. He had stolen Cherokee¡¯s research notes and read about a wonderful Eagle, which would make him the most powerful man in the world¡ªbut only if he received it from the hand of Cherokee¡¯s son. He had sought out Kwahu for this purpose, intending to steal the Eagle and kill Kwahu afterwards.


    For three days Kwahu remained in the Dream, surrounded by the hiss of snakes, the crackling of flames, and the deep silences of nameless shadows flickering on distant walls. Never once did he remove the Eagle that slept on his arm. On his left arm, however, he still wore the Watch the Dreamweaver had given him. Disgusted by the reminder of that trickster, he unclasped the Watch from his left wrist and tossed it into the flames far below the top of the stairs.


    "Damn you, old man! I don''t need your stupid watch, or anything else."


    Breaking the Watch, however, unleashed the ghost within. From its shards, an enormous, glowing Cobra materialized before Kwahu, hissing: ¡°What would you have of me, master? For I am the Ghost of the Cobra, and I will obey you in everything.¡±


    At this point, Kwahu would fear no serpent, no matter how large or blue. ¡°Deliver me from this place!¡± he yelled.


    And so the Cobra bit his neck...and he found himself awake. On his left wrist, he was still wearing a silver watch bearing an insignia in the shape of a Cobra, and on his right arm rested a weathered clockwork automaton in the shape of an Eagle. Not a soul saw him return to life; none had ventured into this office since the death of his father.


    As soon as his limbs could bear his weight, he went home. Without a vehicle, money, or friends, he was forced to walk two dozen miles home. Once he crossed the threshold of his mother''s house, he fainted with exhaustion. When he came to, he told his mother what had happened and showed her the golden Eagle automaton, as well as the silver watch. Upon hearing his stories, his mother despaired that her son had lost his mind, but kept such sentiments to herself as she knelt at his bedside,


    He then asked for some food. ¡°Alas, My child,¡± she said, ¡°there is no food in this house, nor have I the money to buy any. I do, however, have some old kimonos that I may sell; allow me to take them to market and we shall then have money enough to buy many meals for us to eat.¡±


    Kwahu bade her to keep her kimonos, for he would sell the Eagle automaton instead. As it was scarred and discolored, he sat up in bed and began to polish it, that it might fetch a higher price. The instant his mother left the room, the Eagle awoke and asked what he willed of it. Kwahu, who was still very tired from his three day ordeal, figured there was no harm in chatting with a talking Eagle. ¡°Get me something to eat!¡± he said, bold as brass.


    The doorbell soon rang and a man appeared, carrying boxes Chinese takeout. They were full of orange chicken, lo-mein, and crab rangoon, and were accompanied by six bottles of the finest craft beer.


    Kwahu¡¯s mother cried in surprise and said: ¡°Where did this splendid feast come from? We can¡¯t afford this!¡±


    Kwahu rose from his bed and took the food inside, calming his mother with his words and a joyful smile. ¡°It cost us nothing. Ask not, but eat,¡± he said. So they sat at supper until it was dark, and Kwahu told his mother about the Eagle automaton and its power. She begged him to sell it and to have nothing to do with "demons."


    ¡°No,¡± said Kwahu, ¡°since chance has made us aware of its virtues, we will use it, and the watch likewise, which I shall always wear on my wrist.¡±


    When they had eaten all the Eagle had delievered, Kwahu commanded it again, and again, and again. Through its wizardry, they acquired a house, endless food, and even a job for his mother. They lived in comfort for many years.


    And so Kwahu grew up, a child trapped in Dreams no longer.


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    Kwahu Steals the Hand of the Princess


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    Kwahu grew restless after years of such luxury. In time, he applied to Stanford University and began studying, seeking to understand how his father had fashioned such an Eagle.


    During his first year, however, he noticed a young woman on campus who went to and from her botany classes wearing large sunglasses, a hat, and a thick scarf. Kwahu found himself seized with a secret desire to see her true face. Doing so would doubtless be very difficult, for she was always so disguised whenever he spotted her.


    "Eagle," he asked it one day, "show me her face."


    "As you command, Master," it said, "but first you must venture inside her classroom."


    Following the advice of the Eagle, he did so, and discovered to his delight that she wore neither her sunglasses, her hat, nor her scarf when indoors. She was so beautiful that Kwahu immediately became infatuated with her. In time, he courted her, convinced her to open up to him, and discovered that not only was she beautiful in appearance, but possessed of a spiritual beauty that he failed to comprehend to completely. After four years together at university, he proposed to her, and gladly she accepted.


    And so it was that they secretly became engaged to be married.


    The day he proposed, he returned home so changed that his mother was frightened by the sudden shift in his character. He told her he had proposed marriage to the love of his life, and that she had accepted his proposal. He told her that he loved the girl so deeply he could not live without her. Upon hearing this, his mother understood why her son might act so oddly, and asked to see her picture. Once she saw it, however, she burst out laughing.


    ¡°Why, that is the Princess,¡± she said. ¡°Your father worked for her father, and he is the King of Silicon Valley. They are wealthy beyond imagining! He will not consent to her marrying you.¡±


    And yet Kwahu prevailed upon her to go before the King and have her ask for his blessing upon their marriage, as was the custom expected by those people in those times. Kwahu had considered using the Eagle for this task, but he could not bring himself to wish for a marriage like he had wished for a meal to eat.


    His mother, however, had a mind to fill two needs with one deed; for not only was Kwahu not yet married, he had also not yet found a place of employment. She fetched a bag and laid within it tiny pentahedral automatons called adama, which had been made by Kwhau during his time in university. When possessed of spirit, they whirled in the air and shone like the brightest ice in a winter¡¯s storm, crystallizing into whatever form the user desired. She took these with her to please the King and set out, trusting in their power to win his heart.


    The King had just gone into his office as she entered his Castle. She asked his secretary for an appointment and upon being refused one, waited in the lobby, hoping to catch the eye of the King when he emerged from his office. When he did so, however, he took no notice of her. Even so, she went to his Castle every day for a week and sat in the same place, in front of the metal doors that lifted people up into the clouds. When a meeting with his clients broke up on the sixth day, the King said to his secretary: ¡°I see a certain woman in the waiting room every day carrying something in a bag. Call her in next time so that I may find out what she wants.¡±


    The next day, the secretary summoned her. "You are persistent," she sneered, "but your persistence has paid off. Enter through those doors, as you please." And so Kwahu''s mother entered the office where the King and his Advisor were conversing. She remained standing until the King said to her, ¡°be seated, good woman, and tell me what your heart desires.¡±


    She hesitated to speak of young love and magic crystals in front of any but the King, and yet the King bade her to ignore his Advisor and speak freely, promising to forgive her beforehand for anything improper she might say. Slowly, she told him of her son¡¯s fierce love for the Princess.


    ¡°I prayed for him to forget her,¡± she said, ¡°but in vain; he threated to do some desperate deed if I refused to go and ask Your Majesty for his blessing to marry the Princess.¡±


    The King, however, had noticed something unusual about the bag she carried. He asked her kindly what was stored within, whereupon she took out a small package and unwrapped the tiny automatons. At a word from Kwahu''s mother, they swirled into a solid likeness of the King, sparkling and magnificent. He was thunderstruck, and, turning to his Advisor, said: ¡°What do you think? Should I not give Gaea my blessing to marry one who has the skill to create such marvels?¡±


    The Advisor, however, was a sneaky man, and had done his research on Kwahu''s mother. He knew of the family''s previous poverty, suspicious sudden wealth, and lack of prospects for her son. "My King," he suggested, smiling all the while, "let us first hear more about this groom before we agree to let him take your daughter as his bride. Fair lady," he addressed Kwahu''s mother, "what might be the profession of your son?"


    Little did he know, however, that his line of questioning was all according to the designs of Kwahu''s mother.


    "He has just graduated from University, like the Princess," she said, all smiles, "and he has yet to secure satisfactory employment. My boy has high ambitions, you know," she hid her smile with her hands, faking a humility she neither felt nor believed she should feel.


    "Oh dear," the Advisor cried, in mock dismay, "an unemployed young fellow for the Princess? I think not." He suggested the King postpone his blessing for three months, until Kwahu had found suitable employment. Secretly, the Advisor wanted the Princess for himself, and in the course of three months planned to present himself as the more desirable prospect.


    The King agreed to this postponement, and told Kwahu¡¯s mother that, though he had conditionally consented to the match, she must not appear before him again until the end of the three months, so that they might avoid untoward rumors and gossip.


    With the help of the Eagle, Kwahu found a good job at the King¡¯s company. While because both of them had found new jobs and were settling in, they spent their days apart, but the Princess wrote to Kwahu often, assuring him of their marriage-to-be. Yet just before the three months were over, however, his mother went into town to buy mochi and found everyone rejoicing and gossipping in the streets. When she asked what was going on, they replied: ¡°Did you not know? The Royal Advisor is to marry the King¡¯s daughter tonight!¡±


    Breathless, she ran home and told Kwahu, who was overwhelmed with rage at first, but soon thought of the Eagle. He turned it on, and the Eagle awoke, saying: ¡°What is thy will, Master?¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Kwahu replied: ¡°The King, as you know, has betrayed my faith in him. He must have coerced his daughter into marrying his Advisor instead of me. My command to you is that tonight, this night, you will take the bridegroom from his bed, fly him over the sea, and drop him in the water. Do not kill him, but do make him rue this fraudulent marriage. At daybreak, return him to his bed.¡±


    ¡°Master, I obey,¡± said the Eagle. With the aid of the adama, the Eagle grew in size and power. It flew to the Princess¡¯s house and stole the Advisor out of his wedding bed, leaving his bride alone in the dark. The Princess, too anxious to sleep, laid awake in fear of the terrible Eagle, while Kwahu slept soundly, knowing the Advisor was that night being dashed into the waters, screaming for his life.


    The Advisor cried out ¡°Why? Why?¡± during the night as he swam for his life, to which the Eagle overhead replied, ¡°Thief, thief!¡± At dawn, the Eagle fetched the shivering, soaked bridegroom from the sea, laid him back down in his bed, and returned to Kwahu.


    Presently, the King called his daughter to wish her and her new husband a good morning. The Princess answered his call, yet the unhappy Advisor leapt out of bed at the mere sound of the telephone and made himself unavailable to speak, so as to avoid any questions about the previous night. When the King inquired after her new husband, the Princess would not answer, and became very sorrowful and silent. The King thus sent her mother to her, who asked: ¡°How has this come about child, that you will not speak to your father? What has happened?¡±


    The Princess sighed deeply, and at last told her mother how, during the night, her husband had left the bed for some hours and returned cold and wet, with no explanation for what had happened to him. Her mother did not believe her story in the least, but bade her rise from her bed and consider her explanation an idle dream.


    On the following two nights, exactly the same thing happened, and on the third morning when the Princess refused to speak of her husband yet again, the King threated to cut off her access to his money. She then confessed all about the nightly disappearances to her father, bidding him ask his Advisor if it were not so. The King spoke with his Advisor, who owned up to the truth, adding that, dearly as he loved the Princess, he would rather die than go through another such fearful night, and wished to be separated from her. The King, believing his Advisor to have lost his mind, granted the wish and there was an end to the festivities.


    Three months to the day his mother visited the King in his Castle, Kwahu went before the King himself to remind him of his promise. He sat in the same place as his mother had before, and the King, who had forgotten Kwahu, at once remembered his promise and invited him into his office.


    Upon seeing his simple clothes and hearing his accent the King felt less inclined to keep his word, and asked his Patron¡¯s advice. The Patron disliked the idea of royal blood mixing with that of a commoner, and thus counselled him to demand a dowry so large that no poor man could ever come up with it.


    The King turned to Kwahu. ¡°Good man," he said, "a King must remember his promises, and I will remember mine, but first you must persuade me with forty barrels of your adama, carried by forty limousines, and led by as many horse automatons, each splendidly adorned with emeralds, sapphires, and rubies. I await your answer on the morrow.¡±


    Kwahu bowed low and went home. When Kwahu gave his mother the message, she despaired and said: ¡°Not in one thousand years could we amass such wealth!¡±


    ¡°It will not be as difficult as you think, mother,¡± her son replied. ¡°I would do a great deal more than that for the Princess.¡± He turned on the Eagle, and in a few hours they had made forty barrels of his adama, filling up the small house and garage. With the technical wizardry of the Eagle, Kwahu also managed to acquire forty limousines and forty jeweled horse automatons. He sent them all out to the Castle, led on by his mother, who was dressed as a queen. The parade of wealth was so richly brilliant that everyone crowded in the streets to see it and the open barrels of gleaming adama being carried in the cars.


    They entered the palace grounds, and after parking before the King, the adama of all forty barrels whirled into the shape of forty eagles with their wings flared, while Kwahu¡¯s mother presented them to the King.


    "Your Majesty," she spoke, bowed as ever. "My son gifts all this to you, that you may grant his heart''s most sincere desire."


    The King could hesitate no longer. ¡°Good woman," he said, "return home and tell your son that I shall wait for him with open arms.¡±


    She lost no time in telling Kwahu, bidding him make haste to the Castle. But before he even thought of leaving the house, Kwahu turned on the Eagle. ¡°I want the finest cologne, a perfectly tailored Armani suit, a car surpassing the King¡¯s, and twenty Knight androids to attend me. Besides this, six Lady androids, beautifully designed to wait on my mother, and lastly, ten million dollars in ten purses.¡±


    The Eagle had grown more powerful over the years, thanks to both Kwahu''s engineered enhancements and the Eagle''s own developments of its skills; no sooner had Kwahu said this was it done. Kwahu stepped into his convertible and drove it through the streets, the Knight androids strewing bills in the air as they ran beside him. Those in the neighborhood who had played with him in his childhood knew him not he had grown so handsome and wealthy.


    When the King saw Kwahu he came out of his Castle, embraced him, and led him into a room where a feast was spread and an altar prepared. The King apparently intended to have Kwahu marry his daughter that very day. But Kwahu, full of pride at all that he had achieved, refused to marry the Princess in the Castle of the King. ¡°First I must make a Castle fit for a Princess to dwell in,¡± he said, "a Castle of my own." And so he took his leave.


    Once home, he spoke to the Eagle: ¡°build me a Castle of the finest adamantine, set with sapphire windows, gilded elevators, and every kind of extravagance. At the top you shall build me a large hall with a dome, made of flawless jeweled glass. There must be attendants and automatons and all manners of android servants inside the Castle. See to it!¡±


    "Your wish may be granted, Master," the Eagle said cautiously, "but there a terrible cost shall accompany such a grand, hasty creation."


    "I don''t care! I must have it all, for my Princess!"


    The Castle was finished the next day. The Eagle carried him there and showed him that all his orders had been faithfully carried out. Kwahu¡¯s mother then dressed herself carefully and rode on horseback to the King¡¯s palace with her Lady androids, while Kwahu waited high up in the tallest tower of his Castle.


    The King sent out a parade of trumpeteers and drummers out to meet her, so that the air resounded with music and cheers. Kwahu¡¯s mother was taken before the Princess, who greeted her and treated her with great honor. At sunset the Princess bid farewell to her father and set out for Kwahu¡¯s Castle, his mother at her side, followed by one hundred Knight androids Kwahu had sent to escort her.


    The Princess was charmed at the sight of Kwahu, who came down from his Castle to greet her. ¡°Princess,¡± he said, ¡°blame your beauty, intelligence, and spirit for my boldness if I have displeased you for wanting to wed you in this place.¡± He waved to the Castle and its great Tower that pierced the sky. She told him that, having loved him during their time in university and having seen his Tower, she willingly came before him to marry him in this matter. After the wedding had taken place in the Castle courtyard, Kwahu led her up into the highest room of the tallest tower, into his jewlled glass dome, wherein a feast was spread. She ate with him, spoke merrily of their future together, and then they danced with all their dear guests till midnight.


    The next day, Kwahu invited the King and his Patron to see his tower. Upon entering the dome and beholding its endless sapphire window, the King was dumbstruck. ¡°Why, this is a wonder of the world!¡± The King embraced him, but the Patron was not so easily enchanted by the magnificence of Kwahu''s new Castle. Quietly, he suggested to the King that all of Kwahu''s newfound wealth must surely be the work of a criminal syndicate.


    In the three years that followed, Kwahu and the Princess won the hearts of the people through their generosity, becoming supporters of the arts and the renowned scholars in their fields. Kwahu and the Princess were made Captains of the King¡¯s Research Team, and won several prizes for him, but they remained modest and courteous as they had been as children, and thus they lived in peace and content for several years.


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    Kwahu is Stolen From


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    After three years, however, the forgotten Dreamweaver heard rumors of a new King in Silicon Valley. Through his technical wizardry he soon discovered that instead of perishing miserably in the Dream, Kwahu had escaped to marry the Princess, with whom he was living in great luxury and wealth. He knew that the poor facemaker¡¯s son could only have accomplished this by means of the Eagle, and thus he traveled day and night until he reached San Francisco, bent on Kwahu¡¯s ruin.


    As he passed through the city, he heard people everywhere gossiping about a marvelous Castle, with a tall Tower. ¡°Forgive my ignorance,¡± he asked a man, ¡°but what is this Tower people speak of?¡±


    ¡°Have you not heard of Prince Kwahu¡¯s tower,¡± came the man''s reply, ¡°the tallest Tower in the world? I will give you directions if you want to see it.¡±


    The Dreamweaver thanked the man and listened to his guidance. After having gone to the Tower, he beheld its otherworldly beauty and knew at once that it had been raised by the power of the Eagle. He became half-mad with rage at the thought. He resolved to steal the Eagle automaton, the Princess, and the Tower, so that Kwahu might again be cast down to the deepest poverty and humbled before the entire world.


    Kwahu had left town for a week, which gave the Dreamweaver plenty of time to prepare his scheme. He crafted dozens of automatons from worn metals, put them into a bag, and disguised himself as a simple salesman. He went in to the Tower, crying out on all the floors: ¡°New automatons for old! Beautiful clockwork automatons for your office! Free exchange, free exchange! A new automaton for your office!"


    The Princess, working in the windowed dome at the top of the Tower, sent an attendant to discover what what the noise was about. The attendant came back laughing, so much so that the Princess scolded her.


    ¡°Madam,¡± replied the attendant, ¡°who can help but laugh to see an old fool offering to exchange fine new automatons for old ones? For free?"


    Upon hearing this, the Princess laughed as well and said: ¡°Let him have the one over there in the corner.¡±


    Now this was the Eagle automaton. Kwahu had kept secret from his bride its power, so as to hide the source for all his successes and wealth. The Princess had disliked its presence in the dome since it had ever reminded her of that evil monster which had snatched away her first husband for three nights, and thus was eager to be rid of it.


    When the attendant took the Eagle and offered it to the disguised Dreamweaver, he snatched it away and bade the attendant take her choice of a replacement. He left the Tower hawking his wares, and then went out of the city to a lonely place on the beach, where he remained till nightfall.


    When he took out the Eagle, it awoke at his touch. At his command, it carried him back to the Tower and animated the automatons he had brought earlier, charging them with malevolent spirits. All manner of clockwork beasts roamed the hallways, terrorizing the workers out of the Tower and trapping the Princess inside quarters in the tallest Tower, so that she was alone with the Dreamweaver.


    The next morning, the King looked out of his office window towards Kwahu¡¯s tower. He rubbed his eyes in astonishment, for all its windows were dark and hordes of automatons roamed about its base. He sent for his secretary and asked what had occurred at the Tower the night before. She made a few calls and was stunned to discover the Tower had been captured by a mysterious "wizard," and she suggested it was thought to be the work of a criminal. Furthermore, the Princess was trapped within, and a ransom for all the King¡¯s wealth had been demanded by the wizard.


    Immediately, the King thought the worst. He had not forgotten Kwahu¡¯s humble origins, and believed the young man sought yet more from the King¡ªmore than the daughter he had been given, more than his research position at the company, more than all the trade secrets his company had shared. He sent out guards to find Kwahu and bring him before him, that his connection to this wizard might be discovered and then used to the King¡¯s advantage.


    Within hours, Kwahu was brought before the King. Kwahu had flown into the airport that morning, and knew nothing about the theft of his Tower or the Princess by the Wizard. When he claimed ignorance, the King¡¯s guards forced him on his knees and prepared to beat him for information. Kwahu begged again for his freedom, saying he knew nothing.


    ¡°You con man!¡± said the King, ¡°look there.¡± He pointed to where Kwahu¡¯s Tower stood. Kwahu was so amazed at its darkness that he could not say a word.


    ¡°Why is your Tower--my research facility--dark and surrounded by beasts, and why can I not speak to my daughter?¡± demanded the King. ¡°If the Tower you built for me and the daughter I gave to you are not returned to me unharmed, I shall throw you in jail and there you shall rot for all of eternity."


    Kwahu knew the King would not believe his claims of innocence, and thus asked for a week in which to enter the tower and recover her, promising that if he failed, he would turn himself in at the King¡¯s command. His request was granted, and for three days he drove about like a madman, searching everywhere and asking everyone for a way into his tower. He found no answers, and the people only shook their heads and pitied him, for the Dreamweaver¡¯s automatons were ferocious and were barring entry to all humans.


    At last, Kwahu came to the end of his hope and drove to the San Francisco Bay Bridge, intending to throw himself in the water and extinguish his shame at losing his tower and the Princess.


    He knelt down to pray to whatever Gods were there to spare the life of the Princess from whom he had not heard. When he heard no reply, he shook his fists at the sky in anger, and in so doing, remembered the watch he still wore.


    In a flash, he took it off, threw it against the ground and smashed it under the heel of his boot. The Ghost of the Cobra that he had seen in the Dream appeared, and again asked his will.


    ¡°Save my Princess, Cobra,¡± said Kwahu, ¡°release her from the tower and its automatons.¡±


    ¡°That is not within my power,¡± said the Cobra. ¡°I am only the Cobra, and cannot undo the work of the Eagle.¡±


    ¡°So even that is stolen from me,¡± despaired Kwahu. ¡°Is there no way for me to regain what is mine from this wizard-thief?¡±


    ¡°I cannot give it to you,¡± said the Cobra, ¡°but you can take it back. For this wizard-thief you speak of is my former master the Dreamweaver, and before him I can bring you, no matter the difficulty.¡±


    Upon hearing this Kwahu became enraged, for first the Dreamweaver had tried to take his life, and now he had taken his Princess, Eagle, and tower. ¡°Take me to my tower,¡± commanded Kwahu, ¡°and let me inside my dear wife¡¯s dome, where the Dreamweaver holds her captive.¡±


    ¡°I obey, master.¡± The shards of the Watch rejoined of their own accord, leapt onto Kwahu¡¯s wrist, and summoned a helicopter armored for combat, so that Kwahu might alight on his tower unharmed.


    In short course he found himself in the tower, under the dome of the Princess, and found her waiting by the windows. She greeted him with a smile, and his heart was lighter. Through the words of the Cobra, he now understood that all his misfortunes were owed to the loss of the Eagle, and thus he endeavored to retake it.


    Kwahu kissed his Princess in greeting, then said: ¡°I beg of you, Princess, before we speak of anything else, tell me what has become of an old automaton I left on the table when I went to the conference.¡±


    ¡°Alas!¡± she said, ¡°I gave it away,¡± and told him of the exchange of the automaton.


    ¡°Now I know,¡± cried Kwahu, ¡°how the Dreamweaver meant to ruin me! Where is the automaton?¡±


    ¡°He carries it about with him,¡± said the Princess. ¡°I know, for he keeps it perched on his arm to show me. He wishes me to divorce you and marry him, saying that you were fired and disowned by my father. He is forever speaking ill of you but I only repay him with my tears. If I persist in resisting him, I have no doubt he will become violent.¡±


    Kwahu put his arm around her shoulders to soothe her worries and thought for a while. After a few moments, he pulled out a canister of his adama and resumed speaking to the Princess.


    ¡°Put on your most beautiful dress, and receive the Dreamweaver with a smile, leading him to believe you have forgotten me. Invite him to dine with you, and say you wish to have some wine. He will go for some and while he is gone, put a few of my adama in your cup.¡±


    She listened carefully to Kwahu and after he hid himself, she arrayed herself beautifully for the first time since she had been trapped in the tower. She put on a dress and tiara of diamonds, and, seeing her reflection, knew she was more beautiful than ever.


    She received the Dreamweaver, saying, to his great amazement: ¡°I have made up my mind. Kwahu is worthless, and all my tears will not redeem him in my eyes. I am resolved to think of him no more, and have therefore invited you to dine with me; but I am tired of the wines of California, and would fain taste those of France.¡±


    The Dreamweaver flew to the tower¡¯s cellar, and the Princess put the adama Kwahu had given her in her cup. When he returned from the cellar, she asked him to drink to her health, handing him her cup in exchange for his, as a sign she was reconciled to him. Before drinking, the Dreamweaver made a speech in praise of her beauty, but the Princess cut him short, saying: ¡°Let us drink first, and say what you will afterward.¡±


    She set her cup to her lips and kept it there, while the Dreamweaver drained his to the dregs and fell back unconscious. The Princess then bade Kwahu reveal himself, and flung her arms around his neck in relief; but Kwahu gently pushed her away, as he still had work to do. He then went to the sleeping Dreamweaver, took the Eagle from his arm, and commanded its Ghost to relight the tower and deactivate the hostile automatons. This was done, and the windows were bright again.


    The King, who was sitting in his office, mourning for his captured daughter, happened to look out his window. He was astonished, for there stood the tower, lit up as before! He hastened there, and Kwahu received him in the dome of windows, with the Princess at his side. Kwahu told him what had happened, and showed him the body of the sleeping Dreamweaver, that he might believe his story. A ten day festival was proclaimed, and it seemed as if Kwahu might now live the rest of his life in peace; but it was not to be.


    <hr>


    Revenge of the Dreamweaver


    The Dreamweaver had been imprisoned by the King, and, in a few short months, had become more wicked and cunning than before, if such a thing was possible, and broke out of prison to seek vengeance against Kwahu. He knew, however, he could not come near Kwahu in his current form, given the fact he was a fugitive. Seeking to avoid capture and sneak into the tower unsuspected, the Dreamweaver went to a pious woman called Ava, thinking she might be of use to him.


    He entered her temple and pointed a dagger at her breast, telling her to rise and do his bidding on pain of death. In the span of just three days with what meager tools he could acquire, he altered her mind to make it a machine like his, and then possessed her, murdering her soul that she might not resist his control.


    In her body, he walked towards the tower of Kwahu, and all the people, thinking he was truly the holy woman, gathered round him, kissing his hands and begging his blessing. When he got to the tower, there was such a noise going on round him that the Princess bade her attendant look out of the window and see what was the matter.


    The attendant said it was the holy woman, curing people by touch of their ailments, whereupon the Princess, who had studied the medicinal arts and desired to see Ava for evidence of these miracles, sent for her. On coming before the Princess, the woman, possessed by the Dreamweaver, offered up a prayer for her health and prosperity. The Princess felt better than she had in years, and thus made him sit by her, and begged him to stay at her side, that she might learn the secrets of his miracles. The Dreamweaver wished for naught except to be near the Princess, and thus consented, but spoke few words for fear of discovery. The Princess showed him the dome, and asked him what he thought of it.


    ¡°It is truly beautiful,¡± said the Dreamweaver through Ava. ¡°In my mind, it wants but one thing.¡±


    ¡°And what is that?¡± said the Princess.


    ¡°If only a dragon automaton,¡± replied he, ¡°were hung up from the middle of this dome, it would be the wonder of the world.¡±


    After this the Princess could think of nothing but the dragon automaton, and when Kwahu returned from his travels, he found her in a very ill humor. He begged to know what was amiss, and when she told him that all her pleasure in the hall was spoiled for want of a dragon automaton hanging from the dome, one greater and more beautiful than the Eagle that had once resided there.


    ¡°If that is all,¡± replied Kwahu, ¡°you shall soon be happy.¡±


    He left her and consulted the Eagle, and when its Ghost awoke Kwahu commanded it to make a Dragon, greater and more beautiful than he. The Eagle gave such a loud and terrible shriek that every window in the dome shattered.


    ¡°Wretch!¡± he cried, ¡°is it not enough that I have done everything for you, but you must command me to make one greater and more beautiful than I and hang him up in the midst of this dome? You and your wife and your tower shall be burnt by its fire to ashes, and I cannot save you.¡±


    The Eagle dissolved and a Dragon formed, greater and more terrible than the Eagle, and when the false Ava touched its dangling claw, the Dreamweaver¡¯s soul entered the Dragon and stole the Princess.


    ¡°What have I done?¡± cried Kwahu. ¡°I have lost my Princess forever!¡±


    It was in his moment of despair that the Cobra gave him hope again. ¡°Not so,¡± spoke up the Watch, ¡°but you are doomed to chase the Dragon for eternity, for he shall always desire the Princess,¡± and then told Kwahu how he had been deceived by the Dreamweaver in Ava¡¯s guise.


    After his loss, Kwahu has lived in misery. He has fought and loved beyond his natural death, serving Liberators for many centuries as a daemon, that they might use him to defeat Drako the Dragon and, at last, liberate Gaia the Princess.