In the court of the dragon is the third story in The King In Yellow by Robert W. Chambers. It concerns an unnamed narrator who is out of their head, heart, and mind while trying to run but can't hide from a mysterious organist.
Opening poem[]
The story begins with a short poem that goes:
"Oh, thou who burn'st in heart for those who burn
In Hell, whose fires thyself shall feed in turn;
How long be crying- 'Mercy on them.' God!
Why, who art thou to teach and He to learn!"
This is a line from the introduction to the second edition of The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám.
Plot[]
The tale opens with a narrator describing their experience in The Church of St. Barnabe. They briefly mention a man, oddly referred to as "Monseigneur C------." Afterwards, the organist prepares to play, to which the narrator describes their continued interest in the talent the organist possesses. Then, the organ begins to play, causing the narrator to notice a distinct change in the organ-playing, calling it sinister and harsh. As it goes on, they liken the song to the sound of someone being hunted across the pedals of the organs. However, no one else seems to pay it any mind. Eventually, the preacher made the sign of a cross to bring silence to the church. The narrator is relived, stating that they need the calm, healing aura of the church, since they had recently been disturbed by reading the play known as The King in Yellow.
Monseigneur C------ then goes into a speech describing the immortality of the human soul while the narrator watches the organist leave by passing along the gallery, much to their delight. As the speech goes on, the narrator's eyes wander to the gallery again, where they see the organist passing by in the same direction, as if he teleported back to his previous position and walked back out. The organist then shoots a look of pure hatred at the narrator before walking out, leaving them shocked. The narrator then assumes that they must have misjudged the organists intervals through the gallery, and that the look was purely their imagination. They go on to mock the church, likely to lighten the mood. Then they go outside to a breath of fresh air to clear the hateful mood they're in, only to see the familiar figure of the organist pass by. The narrator then figures that the organist must be on a mission to give them some form of retribution for "Something long forgotten." They then proceed to run across the town, with the organist appearing at every turn with no signs of fatigue. Eventually, the narrator calls a cab to make their way to their home, the Court of the Dragon, where they sees the organist again. This time, the narrator has nowhere to run, and is quickly cornered. They face the organist defiantly before...
Suddenly, the narrator awakes(?) to the scraping of chairs. They suppose that they fell asleep during the sermon, and look to see the organist passing along the gallery in the opposite direction, as per usual. As they walk out of the church, they deduce that their soul was being hunted through the Court of the Dragon by the organist, and feel relieved at their safety.
Then, a blare from the organ and a bright flash of light break out overhead. As the light fades, the narrator raises their head to the sky to see black stars in the sky, feels the sea breeze of the lake Hali, and sees the Moon dripping with spray while the towers of Carcosa rise behind it. Then, an overwhelming presence envelops them like flames, while they hear The King in Yellow himself say, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God!"
Characters[]
- The narrator: The unnamed narrator. Not much is known about them, other than the fact they have read The King in Yellow and believe they are deserving of punishment for some unknown deed.
- Monseigneur C------: A preacher at church. He believes that nothing can truly hurt the human soul. In the narrator's "dream" sequence, he is seen with a black poodle, his wife, and several children.
- The organist: A menacing organist with the power to manipulate other peoples minds. Almost certainly has some connection to and is likely the avatar of The King in Yellow.
- The King in Yellow: The dread entity himself. Only makes a very brief appearance at the end of the story and his motivation for chasing the narrator is unknown.
Trivia[]
- The title is echoed by the Church of the Dragon.
- Considering the similarity in setting, philosophy, and the first letter of their names, it's very likely that Monseigneur C------ and Clifford are the same person.
- This is the only story in the book in which The King in Yellow and Carcosa make a direct appearance.
- The line The King in Yellow says at the end of the story is a quotation of Hebrews 10:31 from the Bible.