Dragon Slayer Page #9

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VALERIAN:

I don't blame you. I was stupid.

Careless. A silly woman!

GALEN:

(feeble bluff)

Take it easy. I knew the moment I

saw you. I've known the whole time.

VALERIAN:

You never knew a thing. No one knew.

Not since I was born. Go on, run off

and tell them. It'll make a great

story.

GALEN:

Don't worry. No one's going to find

out. Just tell me: why?

VALERIAN:

Ask my father.

They finish dressing in silence. Finally:

GALEN:

The lottery! Daughters are chosen,

but sons are not!

VALERIAN:

That's right. Unless you have plenty

of gold or property.

GALEN:

What do you mean?

VALERIAN:

If you're rich enough, your name

never goes in.

(bitter)

My father is poor. So are a lot of

fathers.

He studies her. She jams a hat down over her head and, once

more the young man, stalks off.

THE VISION:

Galen walks down to the edge of the pool to retrieve his

pack. As he leans over he catches sight of what appears to

be a reflection in the water: Tyrian on horseback. He whips

around, but no one is behind him. Riveted by the vision, he

hurries along the bank to follow it. After a few paces the

blurry figure dismounts, unslings a longbow, nocks an arrow

and draws the string taut.

GALEN:

(horrified)

No!

FOREST:

Galen sprints through the trees. Up ahead is Valerian, walking

resolutely.

GALEN:

No!

She glances back at him and grimly keeps on walking. Galen

shoots past her and on into the forest.

GALEN:

Hodge!

TRAVELERS:

Galen races up the trail rounds a bend and sees the Urlanders

coming toward him. Hodge precedes the group with an unsteady

gait. He sees Galen, raises up his arms and flops face down

on the trail. A long arrow protrudes from his back. Galen

kneels beside him. The uneasy company keeps its distance.

Hodge struggles to speak.

HODGE:

Galen? Can you hear me?

GALEN:

I hear you.

HODGE:

You know, somebody shot me, but I

can still talk. There's something

that has to be done.

GALEN:

I know.

HODGE:

Not that cockatrice. Ulrich's ashes.

Here.

Hodge's hand comes out from under his coat gripping the

leather pouch. Galen tugs at it, but Hodge can't let go.

HODGE:

Take it. Sorry, you'll have to peel

it loose.

Galen pries the sack out of Hodge's clenched fingers. Suddenly

the hand comes up, grabs Galen by the hair, and pulls him

near.

HODGE:

(a croak)

...burning water... find the lake,

throw it in...

GALEN:

(holding up the pouch)

What are you doing with this, Hodge?

HODGE:

...burning water...

He dies. Galen frees himself from his grasp.

GALEN:

Hodge, don't die. Listen to me. You're

not going to die.

Galen is frantic. He pulls out the amulet and wraps his hand

around it.

GALEN:

Excede, mortem! Revoca, vitam!

(he shakes the body)

Excede, mortem! Revoca, vitam!

But Hodge has passed on, and Galen's magic has no way to

reach him. Suddenly the youth cries out in pain. He drops

the amulet and looks at his palm. The device has burned his

flesh. Now he becomes aware of troubled Urlanders looking

over his shoulder, witness to his failure.

CUT TO:

LAKE - DAY

Wind whips the leaden wave tops on a vast rainy lake. The

travelers are rowing across in an open longboat, aided by a

tattered lateen sail. Valerian mans the steering oar at the

stern while Galen broods in the bow. He feels like an imposter

in their eyes.

FJORD:

The boat pulls into a long narrow waterway with granite cliffs

on either side. Moving through swirls of fog, they beach the

boat and step out onto a craggy shore. Greil leans over and

kisses a rock.

GREIL:

Urland!

CUT TO:

DRAGON COUNTRY - DAY

The travelers descend a mountain pass and emerge through a

wrack of cloud into a gray and cheerless region. Fire-

blackened trees dot the barren landscape. As they reach the

flatlands, the Urlanders instinctively pick up the pace.

Galen slows to inspect the weird surroundings. Valerian trots

past him.

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