"Come on." "Come on, come on, boys." "Hey, Captain, why the haste?" "The city will not vanish." "It's not the city of Charak he wishes to see, but someone who dwells within." "After a long voyage, it is good to stretch one's legs." "The only good thing about this port is the Inn of Abu Jamil the Squint... who, for six months, I have been dreaming of his roasted sheep's eyes." " And I the eyes of his daughter." " You dreamt of more than her eyes." " Oh, Captain, my mouth is dry." " And mine." " Let's sample the wines of Charak." " My thirst is that of a thousand men." "Stop and drink, and I promise you will go no further." "Remember the last time?" "You were stripped of all your possessions." "Because of that, I added four more eunuchs to the population." "Allah be with you." "All the paradise I seek is here." "Who wants anything more?" "I shall stay behind." "All silent... no sound, no lights." "A city of ghosts." " Why is the gate closed?" " Curfew is not until midnight." "No sentries about." "Ho, there, captain of the watch." "Open the gate." " Captain!" " Wake, wake, wake, wake." "It's Sinbad, friend of the caliph Kassim." "And a better friend to Princess Farah." "Captain Sinbad." " You know me?" " I am a merchant." "I hope to purchase some of the cargo you will unload tomorrow." "No one is to be admitted to Charak after sunset." " But why?" " The plague." "Many have died." "Every time we reach this port, some misfortune strikes us." "The plague." "The caliph Kassim and his sister, Princess Farah?" "They are well, but Kassim is not the caliph... not as yet." "I was told in Jerash that the caliph Kassim's father died three months ago." "True, but Kassim has not yet been crowned." "Captain, we'd better return to the ship." "Yes, best to leave and sell our cargo elsewhere." "I'm not leaving Charak until I see Princess Farah and Kassim." " But, Captain, it is the plague." " Is there another way into the town?" "No, but if you wish to take the risk... you may enter at daybreak when the curfew is lifted." "Until then, I can only offer to relieve your disappointment." "My tent has wine, food and music." "My people are your servants." "Please, be welcome." "Come." "Hassan, don't drink." "The wine is poisoned." "Help Aboo-Seer." "Who are you?" "And why have you tried to poison us?" "From the depths of the earth, I command you arise." "Destroy them." "Kill Sinbad!" "Rafi!" "Come, Rafi!" "Everyone, back to the ship." "Captain Sinbad." "Wait." "Princess Farah." "Quickly." " How did you get here?" " Praise to Allah I found you." " I must talk to you." " Not here, not now." "And no going back that way." "Come with me." "Keep rowing back to the ship." "Keep rowing, keep rowing." "Mohammed, Musah, Naveen!" " Easy, easy." " Make for the open sea." " Hoist the mainsail." "Do it." " Aye, Captain." " But the shoals, Captain." " We will risk them." "There's a full moon." "We'll lie offshore the rest of the night and not return until daybreak." " Return?" "You will go back?" " At dawn." "Warm yourself." "Here, take this." "Drink this." " You were searching for me." "Why?" " I was told of your return." "I need help desperately." "My brother is in great danger." "Prince Kassim?" "I owe him my life." "A spell has been cast upon him." "My uncle Balsora will tell you." "Why not you?" "Please, I beg of you, do not leave Charak." "Trust me." " For my brother's sake." " For him, I would risk my life." "For you, I would give it." " I was told there was plague." " Not true." "Balsora rules the city by day... but by night, fear rules Charak." "People whisper of witchcraft." "How can I help?" " You will find a way." " Come, lie down." "I prayed every day for your return." "It's been almost a year." "Then, I was not willing to give up the sea." "Nor I my life at court." " Now I've decided to live on land." " And I to live at sea." "I have returned to Charak to ask Kassim for your hand." "Will you consent?" "Willingly." "But only when my brother is able to stand before you and give his consent." "When he is himself again." "Himself?" "After my father's death..." "Allah protect his soul... the astrologers had decided that the first full moon... would be auspicious for the coronation of my brother Kassim." "On the day of the ceremony, the procession began... but even as the crown was being placed upon his head..." "Lie back." "Lie back." "It was the last time I saw him as the Kassim I've known all my life." "Young, handsome... a true prince." "You talked of a spell." "Or has he fallen victim to the plague?" "Worse than a thousand plagues." "Do not talk of it now." "Hassan, where's the captain?" " What is it, Maroof?" " His Excellency is here." "The vizier Balsora." "Hassan, ask the princess to come on deck." "Aye, aye." " Excellency." " Captain, welcome again to Charak." "Ah, there she is." "May Allah's name be exulted." "I prayed that Princess Farah might reach you safely last night." " Has she told you?" " Yes, this morning." "But is it true, Excellency?" "Let us go on board." "Oh, my beloved child." "Praise be to Allah you are safe." "Hassan, Boucheri, food and drink for our guests." "The rest of you, work." "So, you have told the captain of our misfortune." "But is it true, Excellency?" "Tragically, horribly." "We have consulted all the wisest men and doctors from here to Alexandria." " They can do nothing." " Come, sit down." "Sinbad, you have traveled to many foreign lands." "Help us." " Perhaps there is someone somewhere." " Truly, my lord..." "I will do all in my power to help... but what has happened to Kassim requires skills far greater than mine." "It needs an understanding of the black arts... a great alchemist, a magician." "Wait." "Yes, I have heard of such a man if he still lives." " Who?" " Where can he be found?" "A Greek." "Some say the wisest man in the world." "His name is..." "Hassan, you remember." "Melanthius." "That's it, the hermit of..." " Maroof." " Casgar." "Yes, a remote haunted island off the coast of Phyrgia." " Have you been there?" " No." "Nor have I met anyone who has." "His deeds are legendary, but he may not even exist." "The island is ringed with deadly reefs." " You must take us to him." " It would be a dangerous voyage." " I will risk it." " No, my child, I cannot allow you to go." "Unless Prince Kassim is crowned before the passing of seven moons... he will lose forever his right to be caliph." " Melanthius is our only hope." " Some say he's mad." "And that the island savages eat human flesh and worship him as a god." "I will send treasure." "Gold and precious jewels for you, your crew and Melanthius... if only he can restore my nephew." "Should I undertake this voyage, it would not be for gold or jewels... but for a treasure far more precious." "Oh, my beloved son." "May Allah preserve you." "Keep those horses steady." " Who is that?" " Zenobia, my stepmother." "She hates me." "She was not at court." "My mother died when I was born." "It is said Zenobia is a witch and willed her death." "Allah protect us." "Why is she here?" "Be on your guard, Sinbad." "She's more dangerous than a scorpion." "O Queen, may Allah's blessings be on thee." "We meet at last, Captain." "What brings you back to our shores?" "To deliver my cargo and visit my friend, Kassim." "And his sister?" "I am bound by love to them both." "I intend to ask the caliph Kassim for the hand of Princess Farah in marriage." "There is no caliph to consent to your marriage." "Kassim has not yet been crowned, nor is he likely to be." "I have been told of the events at the coronation." "I shall help... if I can." "Kassim is beyond help." "Do not be blinded by love, Sinbad." "Balsora must be made to understand once and for all no one can help him." " I shall tell him." " Do not provoke her." "Foolish old man, why do you interfere?" "You can do nothing for Kassim." " Captain Sinbad can help us." " I implore you, be silent." "What can you do... when they've consulted all the wise men, doctors, priests and astrologers?" "There may be another." "No one." "Abandon this false hope." "Kassim is doomed forever." "You lie." "You want him doomed." "Within the passing of seven moons, if Kassim is not crowned caliph... he will lose his right forever, and that is the law." "You bewitched him." "You want your son Rafi to be caliph." "Let me cut the smile from her face!" "Let me go, let me go!" "You will bring an eternal curse on all our heads... if you draw one drop of blood from any member of the royal family." "It's only for that she hasn't murdered Kassim." "As cunning as a snake, as malicious as a shark." " But Rafi will never be caliph." " There is no one to prevent it." "Melanthius will prevent it." "Melanthius is a myth, and his powers are a legend." "He does not exist." "We shall soon discover if the myth and the legend exist." "We sail tonight." "My beloved, may your days always be blessed." "Sail for Rhodes or Tripoli, Captain." "You'll find richer cargo there." "Set sail in search of Melanthius, and you'll set a course for damnation." "Aboo-seer, Hassan, Bahadin, prepare the ship for sea." "Aye, aye, Captain." "Order your men to bring treasure for Melanthius." "We sail for Casgar." "One thing I advise..." "set a careful watch on Zenobia." "I will have my men watch her castle by day and by night." "Zabid there will be in command." "He's the best soldier I have." "My son, Sinbad has agreed to help them." " We must act quickly." " But how?" "He has taken them to the Isle of Casgar to consult the great sage, Melanthius." " Is the heart ready?" " Yes." "You said no one can help Kassim." "Exquisite, my son." "If Melanthius truly lives, he is the one person who could." "You promised me, I am to be caliph." "You swore that Kassim would never inherit Charak." " I shall prevent it." " How?" "Sinbad has a ship, a crew." " Balsora has the palace guards." " We shall have forces at our command." "More powerful than a palace guard and a lovesick sea caption and his crew." "That... will be our army." "Quickly as you can." "We must be away before nightfall." "Take that box in my cabin." " Carefully, I implore you." " Careful." "Come look." "Look." "It's a baboon." "What a beautiful specimen." "Back to work, or I'll make baboon's of the lot of you." "Does he do any tricks, Princess?" "There, there, they mean no harm." "O brave and proud bull... whose mighty heart my son has fashioned of purest gold... beat with the power... as only I command you." "I made it perfect in every detail." "O mighty Abu Salem... you who rule over a thousand devils... by all the fires of hell and darkness... give strength and life to this, your creature." "Minaton." "Perfect." "A colossus of bronze... and mine to command." " Hear anything?" " Nothing." "Keep awake." "Orders are to keep a watch on Zenobia's castle... or I'll slit your throat." "The wind is dying." "A baboon that can play chess?" "Go away." " He's frightened of you." " I'm frightened of him." "He attacked me." "Baboons can turn savage, you know." "He's not savage." "I command you to go away." "Is he a gift for the wise man of Casgar, Melanthius, to play chess with?" "Go away." " Hassan, get back to your work." " But, Captain, the beast was playing..." "Chess." "I know." "He has beaten me twice." "He is not really a baboon." "Not a..." "He was transformed by the black arts of Queen Zenobia's witchcraft." "He is Prince Kassim." "Can you be certain that it is not the princess... who has been bewitched to believe that this ugly animal is a prince?" "He is my brother." "Look." ""I am Kassim."" "Now do you believe?" "What is it?" "What can it be?" "A ship that moves without sails." "He seems to be rowing for six men." "Come on, let's try to get aboard." "Hurry, it's moving out to sea." "A fishing boat." "Spies of Balsora." "We'll head into them." "It's Zenobia." "For the love of Allah, row." "Row, will you?" "Row, you thick heads, row." "Row." "Oh." "Oh, it's witchcraft." " Save yourselves!" " Ram them!" "I said, ram them!" "Mercy!" "Save me!" "Save me!" "Quick!" "Quick!" "I await!" "And now for Casgar." "North by northeast." " On your mark." " I see nothing." "Breaker ahead." "There it is." "The rocks and the reefs will be invisible." "It'll be impossible to land." "I have an excellent idea." "Yes?" "Let's turn back." " Lower the rowing boat." " Aye, aye, Captain." "Hassan, keep up, keep up." "Stay close together." "Move, move." "Rest." "How can you be sure where to find Melanthius?" "This is a path." "There are tracks... signs." "Forward, men." "There." "A great pillar." " Must be a holy place." " Built by a people of great skill." "What can it be?" "A temple, perhaps." "It seems to be carved out of solid rock." " Could be there is treasure in it." " Could be the castle of Melanthius." "Melanthius!" "I will see if anyone is there." "Seek cover!" " They're going to kill us." " Run for the wall." "Stop!" "Stop!" "They will not harm you now." " Have you been shipwrecked?" " No, my ship is anchored safely." "I am Captain Sinbad." "Only those who were wrecked have landed here before... but the Casgar people always found them first." "We seek the wise man known as Melanthius." "Does he truly exist?" " Does he live on this island?" " Why do you seek him?" "It is a matter of great urgency and importance." "Go!" "Go, I say." "This is Princess Farah from the distant city of Charak." "I am Dione." " Come." " But Melanthius, does he exist?" "Follow me." "Truly incredible..." "a magnificent city." "But completely deserted." "Who built it all?" "The ancestors of the natives." "What happened to them?" "They became too civilized and destroyed each other." "Is that where the savages live?" "Those are the tombs of their forefathers." "And those buildings to the right?" " Tombs of kings." " There is someone there." "Is that the great Melanthius?" "Yes, Father, I will." "Melanthius will see you." " But how did you..." " My father taught me." "He calls it telepathia, a Greek word for the communication of the mind." "Come, follow me." " Master Melanthius." " You're a brave man, Captain Sinbad." "And a remarkable navigator to have landed on Casgar safely." "It's only for that I've agreed to see you." "Well, thank you, but I still don't understand how you know who I am." "The mind is an extraordinary thing, Sinbad." "Thought is transferrable." "It can travel through space, even to the stars." "But the method needs time, patience and a skillful daughter." "What have you got in there?" "Tell me." " It's a cage holding a..." " Wait, don't tell me." "It's an arboreal anthropoid of the genus papio." " No, it's a baboon." " That's what I said... a baboon." " What a dear little fellow." " Careful." "He can be savage with everyone but the princess." "Yes, I see." "As a species, they are aggressive and of low intelligence." " He trusts only me." " He looks so unhappy, poor creature." " Dione." " Careful." " It is the baboon about whom..." " You wish to see me." "Yes, yes, I know." "Well, I suggest we continue below in my laboratory, out of the sun." "Come, Dione." "You claim it can write and play chess?" "It, my brother... was a brilliant chess player from the age of seven." "Dione, fetch me a mirror." "As a scientist and alchemist, I know that metals can be transformed... but as a philosopher..." "Easy, fellow, easy." "I can also believe in the possibility of... a metaphysical change." "Thank you, Dione." "Let him see his face." "Go on." "He's weeping." "By all the gods." "A true baboon would have attacked its reflection thinking it an enemy." "It would not have recognized itself... and been moved to grief." "I am very happy to meet you, Prince Kassim." "The oars." "Rafi, what has happened?" "The oars are smashed." "It will take hours to repair." "Quickly." "Sinbad found a way through." "Whatever drug or elixir it was that this woman..." " Zenobia." " Zenobia." "Whatever it was she used is the most powerful black magic... and is beyond my knowledge." "You see, unfortunately, time is on her side." "Perhaps the prince would like some of these." " Here." " How kind of you." "Kassim." "Apes are mostly vegetarian, you know." "Can never resist fruit." "He does." "He likes them." "Yes, I thought he would." "Dione, where's the mint tea?" "Coming, Father." " I brought him something." " Bananas." "He likes those." "I'll serve the tea." "What did you mean when you said that time was on the side of Queen Zenobia?" "Well, you see, the longer the transformation is delayed... the more likely is Kassim to lose those human qualities... that still remain to him." "Then there is no hope for my brother?" "Now wait." "There was a time when men knew how to combat this form of black witchcraft." "A nation with an intelligence far superior to anything we know today." "They knew the secret of transforming matter." "Help me find the Arimaspi Scrolls, will you?" " The Arimaspi?" " Yes." "Archimedes of Syracuse..." "a very dear friend of mine." "He based many of his inventions on principles... originally developed by Arimaspi mathematicians." "Here they are!" "Manuscripts beyond value." "I wonder where I left them." "I found them." "Yes, these are the ones." "Clear the table." "These scrolls are more than 2,000 years old." " There we are." " What do they say?" "Well, this first one... will be of special interest to you, Captain." " Oh?" " It's sailing directions." "The first written authority." "The only way to restore Kassim is to undertake a journey to their country?" "Ajourney to Hyperborea, the land of the Arimaspi... is the only possible way of restoring Prince Kassim." "These other scrolls confirm the legend." "It tells of a warm and green valley... at the northern most point of the world, surrounded by wide seas of ice." "There in the valley of Hyperborea... the Arimaspi built a shrine, the shrine of the four elements:" "Earth, fire, air and water." "Within that shrine is the source of all their extraordinary power." "This power enabled them to preserve their valley against the glacier... and to change or transform the nature of matter." "I have been experimenting with a similar power." " Is there truly such a valley?" " Oh, beyond a doubt." "Then how soon can you be ready to sail?" "The journey would be impossible." "You would be traveling in the coldest regions in the world." "Cold?" "Certainly." "Difficult and dangerous?" "Perhaps." "But not impossible." "And we shall have you to interpret the scrolls." "I'm too old." " Besides, there's so little time." " Come with us, Melanthius." "It can't be that this noble prince shall spend the rest of his days in a cage." " Dione, light the candles." " The shrine is his one chance... and you're the only one who can lead us there." "Please say you will." " Where did you find that?" " With the scrolls." "The key." "The only means of opening the door to the shrine." "Hyperborea." "To visit the shrine, examine the very source of life." "Archimedes would split himself with envy." "Now, everyone, stand well back." "There." "There!" "Imagine that power a million times greater... used not for evil, but for good." "That is what the Arimaspi have left us." "Yes!" " Yes, I will go with you." " Thank you." " Thank you." " Yes, by all the gods, I will." "No way of reading the sun." "Cloud and fog." "Hurry!" "Hurry!" "Listen." "They are leaving!" "Hurry!" "We must follow them." "With a following wind to drive us, we should be many leagues into the..." "And into the western ocean... before the next full moon." " Why not sooner?" " Not possible." "Time is our enemy on all counts." "At the moment, Kassim is still in possession of certain human qualities." "But the longer the transformation is delayed... the more he'll revert to a baboon's natural behavior." "More aggressive, savage, dangerous." "He may never be Kassim again." "We are under full sail." "I can do no more." "It is believed that there is a swift ocean current due north... across the Casgars." "North." "They're moving north towards the Celtic Isles, but why?" "We should be close to Sinbad's ship." "Keep a lookout." "I must know what advice the Greek gave them." "I must know what they mean to do." "I can't." "It was powerful enough to transform Kassim." "I must know." "Now... by Hecate... and all the secrets of darkness... and forces of hell... come." "Captain Sinbad!" "Is there no way of increasing our speed?" "A ship can only sail as fast as the wind allows." "I'll have to consult the chart again." "Maroof." "Now the moon is on the wane." "Dear, oh, dear." "No, no, no, no!" "If you study my design... you'll see there's more curve in the runners." " The snow will be deep." " But I have never seen snow, master." "Here, let me try it." "I shall join you in a few minutes." "Maroof, the chart." "Here, sharpen this." "Bahadin, more rope ties for the sledges." "The cargo nets will need to be prepared." "Everything as strong, but as light as possible." "Hassan, I told you to get that knife sharpened." "No, you must try." "You can do better." "You know you can." "No, Kassim, not like that." "The other way around." "Like that." "Very well, Kassim, as you're so bad-tempered, no more writing today." "Baboon." "Kassim, be quiet." "Your friend is very disobedient today." "Please, Kassim, I'm trying to work." "Will you be still." "Father, why is he behaving like that?" " Stop." " No, Kassim." " Careful." "Be careful." " In the cage, in it." "Well, well, well." "And what by Zeus and all the gods have we got here?" "And who?" " Zenobia." " Ah, I thought as much." " But how?" " Never mind how." "Be careful." "Remember:" "She's a witch and dangerous." "Put me down!" "Let me go!" "Don't hold me!" " Don't hold me!" "How dare you?" " Captain." " I said, put me down." " Captain, the glass jar, on the shelf." "It's like trying to hold on to a scorpion." "Dione, clear the table." "Captain, put the jar down over there." "Make a space." " Put me down." " No wonder Kassim was so violent." "You should have left her to him." "No, no, no, Princess, no." "I want to interrogate her." "I suggest that whatever she has used to transport herself here... and change her size... is similar in power and property to that which transformed Kassim." "But what is it and where is it?" "You may leave her in my charge." "I will try to extract it from her." "You must take every care." "Yes, a confrontation with evil could be dangerous." "Captain, take the princess and Dione up on deck." "Come with me." "Now, then, mistress... what powers have you used to shrink yourself, hmm?" " I will never tell you!" " Oh, dear." "I despise brutality... but at this present moment, I am prepared to reject compassion." "The sting of this insect can be fatal to the strongest... but to someone of your size..." "Then answer my questions and quickly." "What are you searching for here on this ship?" "These, perhaps?" "Or this?" "How could you know of their existence?" "You tell me." "When will you decide to return to your proper shape and size?" "And how?" "Something of unique power." "Power that might be used to return Prince Kassim to his human form... and make our journey to the shrine of the Arimaspi unnecessary." "The Arimaspi!" "Where is it?" "And in what form?" "A liquid?" "A powder?" "My locket... gone!" "You've dropped it, haven't you?" "Now where would it be?" "Kassim, have you seen it?" "Here it is." "It's mine, it's mine." "It belongs to me." "Yes." "It's smashed." "The liquid's evaporating." "There's not much left." " Take care." "The liquid is precious." " Evidently." "I believe it's the very stuff you used to transform Kassim into an animal." "Perhaps there's not enough to retransform him." "I must test it." "Yes, on our friend here." "No, no, that's mine." "I need it." "Now then." " Will he be tempted?" " Don't, don't!" "Ah, yes, there's a good fellow." "Lap it up, that's the way." " No!" "No, there's not enough!" " Be silent." "By all the gods." "Kill!" "Kill the Greek!" "No!" "Get away from me!" "Get away!" "Help me!" "Transformed!" "The locket!" "Captain!" "Get back!" "It's a mad bee!" "Where, where, where?" "What is it?" "It's not a bee." "It's a mosquito!" "What a mosquito!" "The bird is getting away!" "Kill the bird first!" "We need the locket!" "Praise be to Allah that you are unhurt." "Alas, I underestimated the power of Zenobia." "And I fear I've thrown away a chance for Kassim." "I am profoundly sorry." "You were right, Princess." "We should have left her to Kassim." "Try to calm him." "He's becoming more savage." "Best to keep him locked in his cage from now on." "Safe." "You are safe." "Is there enough?" "Yes, by all the gods of the underworld, there must be!" "Not enough!" "If only I had seen more." "Memorized more, recorded it into my brain." "A valley." "At the end of the world." "And here, the Shrine of the Legends." "The healing shrine." "We must let Sinbad show us the way." "And then I shall find the means to prevent Melanthius from interfering." "Come." "Help me." "Ahoy!" "Ice!" "Ice ahead!" "Where away?" "Dead ahead!" "Icebergs!" "At last!" "Will it be soon now?" "We must try to sail north for at least four more days." "The less distance to cover on foot, the better." "Anything to gain time." "The fourth full moon." "Two degrees port!" "Easy!" "Look at it." "One column of that on top of us and we'd sink like a ship of lead." "The entrance to the tunnel is somewhere there." "If we could enter safely, our journey will be all but over." "Sinbad, there!" "Exactly as described in the scrolls." " Hassan, fetch me the chart." " The tunnel?" " That leads directly to the shrine." " The mouth is too narrow." "It will crack the boat like a walnut!" "We must take the longer route." "There's less than three moons left." "If only we could've entered the tunnel." "We'll never make headway against this." "It's getting thicker every hour." "The hull must split if we go further!" "Maroof, load up the sledge." "Throw up the ropes." "Quickly." "Keep moving." "Don't stop." "Pull!" "Keep pulling!" "It's easier to abandon it!" "Keep moving." "The ice is no match for a boat of bronze." " And Sinbad?" " Perhaps smashed, drowned or frozen." "What could it be?" "What is it?" "Look!" "It's beginning to crack!" "I'll get the others!" "On your feet!" "Seize anything you can!" "Spears, axes, anything!" " What is it?" " Protect Dione and the princess!" "A giant walrus!" "We must stop it before it reaches the camp!" "Come on!" "Come on!" "Attack it in the eye!" "The eye!" " Watch for the tusks." " Attack its eyes!" "Watch out!" "Watch out!" "There's no way through the hide!" "Bahadin, no!" "Attack!" "Get the cargo net!" "Careful, Maroof." "Protect the supplies!" "Get the cargo net!" " Unravel it!" " This way!" "Open it!" "Spread it out!" "Spread it out!" "Spread it out!" "Push!" "Go on, push!" "Pull!" "Pull it!" "He's pulling us!" "Pull away!" "Pull away from him!" "Away!" "Away!" "He's pulling us!" "That's it!" "Hold it steady!" "Help me!" "Cut me loose!" "My foot!" "Cut me loose!" "Hassan, your knife!" "Cut me loose." "Cut me loose!" "Too bad you couldn't hold him." "I should liked to have examined him." "Walrus Giganticus." "Prehistoric!" "My profound apologies." "Next time, I shall try harder." " Maroof, are you hurt?" " It is said a man has only one life." "Now, I have two." "I owe them both to Captain Sinbad." "I've never seen a black man turn white before." "No sign of a tunnel between the cliffs." "The chart in the scrolls is precise!" "There is an entrance, and I mean to find it!" "Minaton, sail on!" "We found it!" "We found it!" "We found it!" "Look, it's the Aurora, see?" "Hyperborea, just beyond the hills." "And that strange glittering curtain of light?" "The Arimaspi call it the Gift of the Winter Apollo." "We call it Aurora Borealis." "And there, directly below the Aurora, the Valley of the Shrine." "He's turning carnivorous." "I hope it is not too late for Kassim." "He no longer seems to respond to human speech or contact." "Except for Dione." "Take them, Maroof." "Protect the women!" "Stand still, all of you!" "Don't make any sudden moves." "He's as frightened of us as we are of him." " I'm more frightened." " I'm twice more frightened." "Sinbad, lower your sword... and step back slowly." "Do it!" "What sort of evil monster is it?" "He's not a monster." "He's one of man's ancestors." "They're not evil." "They're called troglodytes." "I've got the skull of one of them in my laboratory." "He's coming closer!" "Dione, speak to him." "Gently." "They have no idea of language, but these primates were known... for their gentleness with the female of the species." "There, there." "No harm." "We mean no harm." "Friends." "We are friends." "Be careful!" "Kassim, he means no harm." "Perhaps he might be able to help us." "Persuade Kassim to bring the trog over here." "I've something to show him." "Bring Trog." "Bring him over there." "There, to my father." "I want the troglodyte... to look at this." "The face drawn on the scrolls." "The face that marks the entrance to the valley, the gate to the shrine." "Where?" "Where?" "Hyperborea!" "By all the gods, he's done it!" "Hassan, Maroof, the weapons." "There!" "There it is!" "The entrance to the Tunnel of Ice!" "The way to Hyperborea!" "We shall be there first!" "The tunnel, Minaton!" "I will light the torches." " Are you all right?" " Yes." "There!" "Look over there!" " The last of the Arimaspi?" " Who can say?" "Listen." "The boat is still moving!" "There's some extraordinary force pulling us like a mighty magnet... drawing us to the shrine." "The face from the scrolls." "The gate to the shrine!" "Trog seems frightened of the gate." "Frightened of what lies beyond, perhaps." "Why should he be afraid?" "Like all primitives, he's afraid of the unknown... afraid of what he can't understand." "Help me move the bar." "It's no use." "We cannot move it without blocks and ropes." "Trog will help us." "He must help." "The Shrine of the Four Elements." "See, it exists." "A reality." "Hope for Kassim." "At last." "The arch!" "The boat is stopping!" "Wait." "Go on, up into the sunlight." "There it is." "Come!" "At last, you'll have a use for that precious key of yours... if you can find a lock to fit it." "We'll find it." "The scrolls haven't been wrong yet." "We must look for an opening somewhere there among the rocks." "Come." "We must be close." "Hurry, Rafi!" "Nothing." "Nothing." "I could not find an entrance." "We must make an entrance!" "Stay clear!" "Spirits of the underworld... infuse this potion with your powers!" "What was that?" "It's like an earthquake." "There could only be one possible answer." "The witch." "Zenobia." " He'll never break through." " He must." "He must!" "Minaton, pull!" "He's done it!" "He's done his work." "The wall is breached!" " Look there!" " Zenobia's creation." " A bull's head but a..." " Giant's body." "Almighty God, defend us." "They should never have tried to force an opening!" "Now the power of the shrine is threatened!" "The atmosphere inside is destroyed!" "This key is useless!" "Perhaps there's still time, but we must be swift!" "Drawn down from the crown of Apollo itself." "The guardian of the shrine." " The ice is melting!" " Look out!" "We must act at once!" "The cage, and the chains!" "Just as described in the scrolls." "We must put Kassim in the cage and pass him through... the column of light as soon as possible!" "Sinbad, the chains!" "See if they still operate!" " Thank all the gods." " The gods have abandoned you!" "Too late, Sinbad!" "Kassim will never be caliph!" "Now, Rafi!" "Not that animal!" "Kill Melanthius!" "They are helpless without him!" "Sinbad, bring Kassim!" "May the gods of Arimaspi grant us the time!" "Bring him up!" "O great Apollo... all you gods and forces that work for good against evil... help us now." "O great mystery, come to our mortal aid." "Reveal your secret!" "Lower the cage!" "Your Highness." "Prince Kassim." "This way, Your Highness." "Master Melanthius, he made it all possible." " How shall I ever thank you?" " It's an old debt repaid." "The power of the shrine is failing!" "We must go!" "There's not a moment to lose!" "The temperature's changing violently!" "Be swift, or the shrine will become our tomb!" "She's gone!" "Stand back!" "Get back!" " Come on!" "Let's go!" " Not yet!" "Now!" "Move!" "Take Dione and the princess back to the gate!" " We won't leave." "Give me your dagger!" " Do as I say!" "If I do not join you within an hour, then head for the ship at once." "And then for Charak, before the seventh moon is full." "Maroof is dead." "They're coming!" "Where's Maroof?" "Come on!" "We must not waste a moment!" "Done by (c) dcd / February 2005"