mixture of horror and disgust. Martin glared at Phillip. Phillip beamed back at him.
Most of the balance of the trip to their quarters passed in silence. Ampyx watched Martin’s every move. Martin tried not to show how profoundly uncomfortable Ampyx was making him. Phillip tried not to laugh out loud. The platform arrived at a station about two-thirds of the way up the side of the bowl. Ampyx led them off of the platform and down a broad, grassy footpath. They passed shops selling food, clothing, and hard goods, all of them small and tasteful, and all of them staffed by good-looking men. Ampyx asked Martin several questions, but Martin resisted answering, or even speaking to him. The only question that got any traction was when he asked Martin what he did. Martin tersely replied that he was a wizard and was met with a blank stare.
“You know, a wizard,” Martin said. “I do magic.”
Martin had expected that this would at least impress Ampyx. Martin was wrong.
“Why?” Ampyx asked.
“Why what? Why do I do magic?”
“Yes, why do you do magic?” Ampyx asked, as if it were the most obvious question in the world.
Martin looked at Phillip, who shrugged. Finally, Martin answered, “Why wouldn’t I do magic? Wouldn’t you do magic if you could?”
“Never,” Ampyx said.
“Well, why not?”
Ampyx scrunched his face and said, “Magic . . . it is . . . woman’s work.”
Martin just stared at him. Phillip piped up, “You do understand that this entire city was built with magic.”
“Yes,” Ampyx said. “By a woman, and it’s very impressive, in its way. I mean no disrespect to women. Someone has to do the magic, and they are very good at it, but it’s not fit work for a real man.”
“And what work is fit for a real man?” Phillip asked.
“Look around you, and see for yourself,” Ampyx said. “Guarding things, tending to the flowers, selling clothing, serving food. Some of us cut hair.”
“Manly work,” Phillip said.
“Yes.”
Now Martin had to make sure he was hearing things properly . “And what about building things, inventing, and running the government?”
Ampyx said, “The women seem to enjoy doing those things, and they’re good at it, so we leave them to it while we tend to what’s important.”
Finally, they reached what Martin and Phillip instantly recognized as a hotel. Inside, the thin, handsome young man behind the counter told them they were expected. He checked with the manager, who was not a sorceress, but she was a woman, and got their room number. They boarded an elevator that had no noticeable workings, but which still transported them between floors. Ampyx took his leave of them, and they entered their room. They were so dumbstruck by what they found inside that they forgot for a moment to put their suitcases down.
The room was two stories tall, with a staircase and a loft forming the second floor. There was a bed and a bathroom and a kitchenette on the ground floor, and a second bed and bath on the second. The second-floor loft was slightly less deep than the first floor, giving the impression of a grand balcony. Both floors had an unobstructed view of the room’s back wall, which was also the city’s outer wall. Essentially, one entire wall of their room was a massive, curved window out into the ocean. The clarity of the ocean in this area and time meant that they could see light filtering down from the surface, itself an endless, undulating, silvery plane, extending off into infinity. Schools of fish swam past as they watched. Looking below them, they saw no bottom to the sea, just a hazy gradient shifting from light blue to dark blue, then to black.
“Wow,” Martin said. “I did not expect that.”
Phillip snapped himself out of his amazed stupor and said, “I didn’t expect the guard’s name to be Ampyx.”
Martin rounded on Phillip and said, “Yeah, and I certainly didn’t expect you to help him try to cozy up to Gwen.”
“Oh, calm
Most of the balance of the trip to their quarters passed in silence. Ampyx watched Martin’s every move. Martin tried not to show how profoundly uncomfortable Ampyx was making him. Phillip tried not to laugh out loud. The platform arrived at a station about two-thirds of the way up the side of the bowl. Ampyx led them off of the platform and down a broad, grassy footpath. They passed shops selling food, clothing, and hard goods, all of them small and tasteful, and all of them staffed by good-looking men. Ampyx asked Martin several questions, but Martin resisted answering, or even speaking to him. The only question that got any traction was when he asked Martin what he did. Martin tersely replied that he was a wizard and was met with a blank stare.
“You know, a wizard,” Martin said. “I do magic.”
Martin had expected that this would at least impress Ampyx. Martin was wrong.
“Why?” Ampyx asked.
“Why what? Why do I do magic?”
“Yes, why do you do magic?” Ampyx asked, as if it were the most obvious question in the world.
Martin looked at Phillip, who shrugged. Finally, Martin answered, “Why wouldn’t I do magic? Wouldn’t you do magic if you could?”
“Never,” Ampyx said.
“Well, why not?”
Ampyx scrunched his face and said, “Magic . . . it is . . . woman’s work.”
Martin just stared at him. Phillip piped up, “You do understand that this entire city was built with magic.”
“Yes,” Ampyx said. “By a woman, and it’s very impressive, in its way. I mean no disrespect to women. Someone has to do the magic, and they are very good at it, but it’s not fit work for a real man.”
“And what work is fit for a real man?” Phillip asked.
“Look around you, and see for yourself,” Ampyx said. “Guarding things, tending to the flowers, selling clothing, serving food. Some of us cut hair.”
“Manly work,” Phillip said.
“Yes.”
Now Martin had to make sure he was hearing things properly . “And what about building things, inventing, and running the government?”
Ampyx said, “The women seem to enjoy doing those things, and they’re good at it, so we leave them to it while we tend to what’s important.”
Finally, they reached what Martin and Phillip instantly recognized as a hotel. Inside, the thin, handsome young man behind the counter told them they were expected. He checked with the manager, who was not a sorceress, but she was a woman, and got their room number. They boarded an elevator that had no noticeable workings, but which still transported them between floors. Ampyx took his leave of them, and they entered their room. They were so dumbstruck by what they found inside that they forgot for a moment to put their suitcases down.
The room was two stories tall, with a staircase and a loft forming the second floor. There was a bed and a bathroom and a kitchenette on the ground floor, and a second bed and bath on the second. The second-floor loft was slightly less deep than the first floor, giving the impression of a grand balcony. Both floors had an unobstructed view of the room’s back wall, which was also the city’s outer wall. Essentially, one entire wall of their room was a massive, curved window out into the ocean. The clarity of the ocean in this area and time meant that they could see light filtering down from the surface, itself an endless, undulating, silvery plane, extending off into infinity. Schools of fish swam past as they watched. Looking below them, they saw no bottom to the sea, just a hazy gradient shifting from light blue to dark blue, then to black.
“Wow,” Martin said. “I did not expect that.”
Phillip snapped himself out of his amazed stupor and said, “I didn’t expect the guard’s name to be Ampyx.”
Martin rounded on Phillip and said, “Yeah, and I certainly didn’t expect you to help him try to cozy up to Gwen.”
“Oh, calm
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