Page 333 - The Grotesque Children's Book
P. 333
Zaccario held up a hand. “I don't have much faith in it, to be very frank with you. A
charlatan bought it from a shaman. And here I am a disreputable alchemist. Behind this vial of
astragalus, that's at least three men whom you shouldn't trust.”
“I want it. Do I drink it? What do I do?”
“A single drop in your daily wine or tea. No more.”
“And it will keep me young forever!?”
“I think it won't actually do the least little thing, and it might be, for all I know, nothing
but vinegar, worth only a single denari. But the man who sold it to me said he had to pay more
than 600 soldi for it.
“I'll give you eight hundred!”
“Very generous, my Lady, and I accept. So long as you acknowledge I do not stand
behind this possibility.”
“The eight hundred soldi are yours. But what do you mean. Is there another possibility?”
“There is a stone which goes into an amulet.”
“Yes. Tell me more. Go on!”
“The stone has an Arabic name: Bunduqiatqasara. It means 'The Dragon.'“
“The Dragon!”
“Bunduqiatqasara is red, it looks like a ruby. But it’s not found in the earth, naturally; it
must be made by alchemists, combining many elements. Its formula is secret even among
alchemists. Very few are privileged to know how to make it.”
“But you know!”
“Up until recently, no, I did not. It has been passed down orally for hundreds of years,
and only occasionally will someone defy the alchemist's creed and write it down.”
“You've found it in a secret manuscript guarded with men's lives!”
“I have. Only, it's not written in straightforward steps. It's all in symbols, and veiled, in
language of analogy and obscure metaphors. Essentially you need to know what it means
already in order to be able to read it. It's a reminder to those who know, rather than an
instruction to those who don't.”
“I want to see it!” Bianca's eyes were as round as florins.
“As I said, there is a creed among alchemists to protect this secret. It is, after all, the
secret of ever-lasting life, or at least very much prolonged life. So I will not show it to you, even
upon pain of torture.”
“You're no fun.”
“Not in this arena, no.”
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