“Behold the glorious suns which I have created, to give light and life to all creatures, that they may praise me and give glory for that which I have done.”
Then he who sat on the head of the Dragon, clothed in splendor, rose and smote the ugly beast, whose death-agony dashed into pieces the beautiful planet circling between Mars and Jupiter, thus forever destroying the equilibrium between War and Justice. The souls thereon were drawn into the vortex of the earth. With his two tails he laid hold of Mars and Venus, seeking to destroy them also; but Hirach raised the great two-edged sword in his hands and cleft asunder the tails of the Dragon. He cut the body into five pieces, which fell to the earth, and the Dragon was no more.
“Such,” said Imos, “is the account of the Red Dragon. It is said that the chain of hills which encircle Tlamco are the remains of his body. Yonder hill to the east, is his skull, and is called Calvu. It is furthermore stated that Hirach shall at the end of the cycle come from a cavern beneath it. Akaza—curses be his portion! says that the Blessed Story is an allegory. He, a viler apostate than his pupil, claimed that he would come again, as Hirach incarnate, to break the power of the black brotherhood.”
“Rather let us exterminate the last remnant of them, and give their bodies to the fishes!” was his companion’s intemperate rejoinder.
“Face thy duty resolutely, and may victory be on thy side!” said Imos, piously, as Setos hurried out of the house.
“He who holds our destiny, plans all things well. May thy hopes find fruition also!”
Setos knew that his seditious work among the warriors was ready to bear fruit, but he was gratified that Rahula had provoked the outburst. She had been in a frenzy of rage since her defeat in the judgment hall, and this was her revenge. Setos was determined to take advantage of it and be made Grand Servitor of the Azes.
The theater stood on a sloping hill southeast of Lone Mountain. It faced the south, shielding the spectators from the north wind. They had a commanding view of the bay and islands in the foreground and the tawny leonine hills in the distance.
The edifice was a semi-circle, provided with tiers of seats, and would accommodate many thousand people. It was an earth embankment fitted with stone seats and a sanded floor, with an open roof, supported by stout poles. An arch under the right wing marked the entrance to the stage, and led to subterranean dressing-rooms. There was small provision for artificial setting, the beauty of natural scenery being deemed sufficient.