Meanwhile...the Caliph stay agitated despite he had sent the merchant to prison. He sits down to eat but among the three hundred meals placed on the table before him, he could barely eat no more than thirty-two. It was a diet that he wasn’t really accustomed to and enough to prevent him from sleeping well. What kind of anxiety is it that affects his spirit? At the first glimpse of dawn, he goes to the prison again to importune the intractable stranger. Vathek burst in anger beyond limit upon finding the prison empty with the gates burst asunder and his guards lying lifeless around him. He falls on the poor carcasses full of fury and kicks them until evening without a break. His courtiers and viziers tried to soothe his overwhelming fury but found the effort ineffective. All of them shouted loudly in one voice: “The Caliph has gone mad! The Caliph is out of his senses!”.
The outcry soon spread through the streets of Samarah and Alice and Vine heard of the outcry. The outcry reaches the ears of Carathis, his mother, and flew with consternation to try her ascendency on her son’s mind. Alice and Vine follow Carathis with invisibility under the effect of Alice’s magic. Her tears and caresses brought his attention and he was prevailed by her entreaty to be brought back to the palace.
Carathis, apprehensive of leaving Vathek by himself made him be put on the bed. She sits by his side and Vathek was endeavored by her conversation to heal and calm him. No one could attempt to calm him successfully since the Caliph not only love her as a mother but also respect her as a person of superior genius. It was Carathis who had induced him as a Greek to adopt all sciences and systems of her country much to Alice’s amazement from afar. Judicial astrology was one of those systems which Carathis was a perfect adept. She reminds her son of the promise which the stars had made him and an intention to consult them again.
As soon as he could speak, the Caliph sighed ”Alas!” much to Alice and Vine’s shock. “What a fool have I been...Not for the kicks bestowed on my guard who submitted to death but for never considering that this extraordinary man was the same man as the planets had foretold whom, instead of ill-treating, should have to conciliate with all the arts of persuasion”. Alice and Vine keep observing them silently.
“The past cannot be recalled but it made us think of the future. Perhaps you may see the object again that you regret so much. It is possible that the inscriptions on the sabers will afford information. Eat and take thy repose, my dear son. We will consider tomorrow in what manner to act,” Carathis said. As soon as Carathis leave, Alice and Vine search for the saber and Alice puts her hand on it. Alice gains the ability of clairvoyant and much to her terror, she saw a vision of Vathek’s evil deed committed even more on his journey. “What do you see, Alice?” Vine asked. “It’s terrible....Vathek is going to the kingdom of Darkness just for the sake of the treasure it offers. This is bad, there will be nothing but despair punishment for him in Hell,” Alice said. “What do we do?” Vine asked. “We will have to save his soul in case we failed to save him. Oh boy...let’s hope that we won’t fail to save him but first, we have to find a place to hide from everyone. My Invisibility magic starts wearing off,” Alice said. Alice escapes from the room and Vine stumbles on his feet in front of the door. Alice bites her fingertips and pulls Vine up. Alice notices that the two are busy with their consultation and Alice uses the chance to open the door. When Alice opened the door, the door made a creaking sound that attract the attention of the two as they thought the door open on its own. “Quick, get out of the room,” Alice panicked. She pulls Vine out of the room leaving the door open wide. Carathis looks at the door and turns her attention back at Vathek.
Vathek yields to his mother’s counsel as well as he could and rise in the morning with an eased mind. Alice and Vine wake up earlier in the morning. Alice casts Invisibility on both of them and they sat on the floor in Vathek’s room to watch over him. He commanded his guard to instantly bring the sabers to him and read them through a green glass so that their glittering might not dazzle his eyes. He sets himself in earnest to decipher the inscriptions but his attempts were all in vain. He beats his head and bites his nails but not a single letter he could ascertain. So unlucky that a disappointment would have undone him again if Carathis had not entered the apartment by good fortune much to Alice’s disappointment of this Caliph’s behavior.
“Have patience, son!” Carathis said. “You certainly possess every important science but the knowledge of languages is a trifle at best and the accomplishment of none but a pedant. Issue forth a proclamation that you will confer such rewards become your greatness upon anyone that shall interpret what you do not understand and what is beneath you to learn, you will soon find your curiosity gratified,” Carathis said.
“That may be but in the meantime, I shall be horribly disgusted by a crowd of smatterers who will come to the trial as much for the pleasure of retailing their jargon from the hope of gaining the reward. To avoid this evil, it will be proper to add that I will put every candidate who fails to give satisfaction to death for thank Heaven! I have enough skill to distinguish between one who translates and one who invents,” the Caliph said. Alice and Vine look at each other with a surprised looks on their faces. “Did you hear what he said?” Alice asked. “He’s going to give death punishment for anyone who fails to satisfy the Caliph in translating the inscription,” Vine stated clearly. “This man is dangerous. We will need to keep an eye on him and follow him from the distance,” Alice said.
“Of that, I have no doubt but to put the ignorant to death is somewhat severe and may be productive of dangerous effects. Content yourself by commanding their beard to be burnt as beards in a state are not quite so essential as men,” Carathis replied. Alice gapes in surprise at Carathis’ s decision while Vine gave a painful look on his face imagining his beard burned with fire. “Even the mother is as evil as her son. In fact, she is the evilest. The Greece mother of witchcraft and more sinister sins than what her son did,” Alice said. “I feel hurt just imagining having my beard burned with fire. Lucky that I don’t have a beard so I feel my chin burned instead,” Vine said. Alice and Vine’s voice couldn’t be heard by Carathis and Vathek as their magic is more powerful than Carathis herself. Alice’s Invisibility magic also turns both of them into spirits that cannot be heard by Carathis’s ears when they speak.
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