We’ve kept them waiting too long, so say rumours from the Council. They may exact revenge on us, as a lesson to others.’
Ursu made to leave. ‘I can’t stay and hear any more of this,’ he said, with an irrational fear that someone might be listening.
‘You really don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,’ said Turthe. ‘If Shecumpeh has directed you to be my replacement, fine. But otherwise, I think you are being less than honest with me.’
Ursu stared at him. ‘I’m sorry, Master Turthe. I have had so much on my mind. The siege and everything.’
‘Will you be leaving the city?’
He knew! He had to. Otherwise, why would he ask such a question?
‘I – am a loyal citizen, Master Turthe.’
‘But not a soldier, eh? Where’s the use in sticking around for a bloodbath? You’re young, so it’s not right for you to burn with the rest when the time of retribution comes. Besides, I suspect Shecumpeh has something special in store for you.’
Ursu kept silent, waiting to see what would emerge next. He felt how his ears had flattened themselves to his head, the unmistakeable indication of being trapped and cornered.
Turthe came towards him. ‘I think I can trust you,’ he said. ‘For there’s something you should see. But first let me tell you this. You have been the first one called by Shecumpeh in some time. And it is now almost a given that the siege will come to a head within the next few days – if not sooner. If decisions are to be made, there is not much time for them to do it. You’ve been sneaking around with your ears all flat ever since he spoke to you, so it doesn’t take a genius to realize that whatever Shecumpeh said to you, it wasn’t easy listening.’
Turthe drew back and went over to where a slightly tattered curtain screened off part of his workshop. He pulled it to one side and secured it to a hook set in the wall. As Turthe beckoned to him, Ursu stepped forward, slipping between the wall and the broad platform supporting the current Great Book of Shecumpeh. He stepped into a deep, low-ceilinged alcove which he had noticed Turthe use for storing materials.
Ursu lit a candle while Turthe kneeled down by the lowest shelf. For the first time, Ursu noticed a small door in the wall below the shelves. He wondered why he’d never noticed it before, then realized that there had always been a pile of rolled-up manuscripts stacked in front of it.
‘It’s small,’ Turthe muttered, bending low to duck under the lintel of the tiny door, ‘but even I can squeeze through it without too much trouble.’
He watched Turthe scrabble through and, after a few moments’ hesitation, he followed.
The walls beyond were cold, slimy, rough-hewn. The flickering candlelight made the space beyond feel primitive and old, as if it hadn’t been visited for a thousand years. Ursu shivered, the fur on the top of his head brushing against the ceiling. By the dim light of Turthe’s candle, he could see that beyond the door was a long, low tunnel.
‘This one runs near to the lower Temple,’ explained Turthe. ‘Look – see there?’ He stopped and raised his candle, so that Ursu could see steps, falling away into darkness just ahead. Ursu turned to look behind him: a faint, distant glow was the only hint that the tiny door leading into Turthe’s workshop still lay open.
‘Turthe, I don’t understand, where exactly are we?’
The Master Turthe raised a long digit to his wide, broad lips. ‘Voices carry farther than you’d think down here. And, in answer to your question, we are on the threshold of the deep catacombs below this part of the city. There are other caves far below here. Come further.’
Ursu gradually became aware of a distant roaring sound that only barely distinguished itself from a vibration. He had always known caves existed below the city – as did all the citizens – but this was the first time he had ever had cause to venture into one.
Ursu noticed he could see
Ursu made to leave. ‘I can’t stay and hear any more of this,’ he said, with an irrational fear that someone might be listening.
‘You really don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,’ said Turthe. ‘If Shecumpeh has directed you to be my replacement, fine. But otherwise, I think you are being less than honest with me.’
Ursu stared at him. ‘I’m sorry, Master Turthe. I have had so much on my mind. The siege and everything.’
‘Will you be leaving the city?’
He knew! He had to. Otherwise, why would he ask such a question?
‘I – am a loyal citizen, Master Turthe.’
‘But not a soldier, eh? Where’s the use in sticking around for a bloodbath? You’re young, so it’s not right for you to burn with the rest when the time of retribution comes. Besides, I suspect Shecumpeh has something special in store for you.’
Ursu kept silent, waiting to see what would emerge next. He felt how his ears had flattened themselves to his head, the unmistakeable indication of being trapped and cornered.
Turthe came towards him. ‘I think I can trust you,’ he said. ‘For there’s something you should see. But first let me tell you this. You have been the first one called by Shecumpeh in some time. And it is now almost a given that the siege will come to a head within the next few days – if not sooner. If decisions are to be made, there is not much time for them to do it. You’ve been sneaking around with your ears all flat ever since he spoke to you, so it doesn’t take a genius to realize that whatever Shecumpeh said to you, it wasn’t easy listening.’
Turthe drew back and went over to where a slightly tattered curtain screened off part of his workshop. He pulled it to one side and secured it to a hook set in the wall. As Turthe beckoned to him, Ursu stepped forward, slipping between the wall and the broad platform supporting the current Great Book of Shecumpeh. He stepped into a deep, low-ceilinged alcove which he had noticed Turthe use for storing materials.
Ursu lit a candle while Turthe kneeled down by the lowest shelf. For the first time, Ursu noticed a small door in the wall below the shelves. He wondered why he’d never noticed it before, then realized that there had always been a pile of rolled-up manuscripts stacked in front of it.
‘It’s small,’ Turthe muttered, bending low to duck under the lintel of the tiny door, ‘but even I can squeeze through it without too much trouble.’
He watched Turthe scrabble through and, after a few moments’ hesitation, he followed.
The walls beyond were cold, slimy, rough-hewn. The flickering candlelight made the space beyond feel primitive and old, as if it hadn’t been visited for a thousand years. Ursu shivered, the fur on the top of his head brushing against the ceiling. By the dim light of Turthe’s candle, he could see that beyond the door was a long, low tunnel.
‘This one runs near to the lower Temple,’ explained Turthe. ‘Look – see there?’ He stopped and raised his candle, so that Ursu could see steps, falling away into darkness just ahead. Ursu turned to look behind him: a faint, distant glow was the only hint that the tiny door leading into Turthe’s workshop still lay open.
‘Turthe, I don’t understand, where exactly are we?’
The Master Turthe raised a long digit to his wide, broad lips. ‘Voices carry farther than you’d think down here. And, in answer to your question, we are on the threshold of the deep catacombs below this part of the city. There are other caves far below here. Come further.’
Ursu gradually became aware of a distant roaring sound that only barely distinguished itself from a vibration. He had always known caves existed below the city – as did all the citizens – but this was the first time he had ever had cause to venture into one.
Ursu noticed he could see
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