Chapter 4 - Time passes...........................

........................as the delicate web dances in the breeze until the sunshine steals the last of the damp from it's folds.

Still the work of the town's women is not finished. They gather the shimmering length and carefully they smooth  the buckled and twisted fibres upon a polished slab.
It now must be seared with heat from the most fierce dragon in the land.
All the while, the women are quietly singing a song of prayer to their goddess, hoping she will keep the silks and velvets safe from the scorching heat.

The mighty dragon uses all his strength to calm the wild vine and a terrible battle rages upon that slab...............soon all is quiet as the leaves lay flattened and obedient.

The women look on and can't help but feel a little melancholy. They remember seeing Elizabeth's glorious magic and the wonder of her talent and they cast their eyes upon this flat and miserable object before them.

Making magic happen is indeed a difficult task.

But wait................................all is not lost.....................just as the women are at their lowest ebb, a wise old crone arrives amidst a shower of blinding sparks.

"This is what you must now do"  the old sage says and the women listen with bated breath....................

Enough now my Sweeties, close your eyes and rest, I'll tell you more before too long.