and its towers and
castles were sung about across the world; for even those who had never been to Ampar , and never would, knew of the Street of Dancers, or
the High Bridge of Socus, suspended in the clouds like a tightrope, as if
placed there by God Himself.
We were weary and with
angry stomachs, after another day of hard walking, and Thomas in particular
looked tired and stiff after carrying Magnus on his back. I reproached my
brother for making him carry him all that way, and he was protesting at me with
defiant words, when Thomas told us to both to be quiet, and crouched low to the
ground, facing back the way we had come.
“Are there others?” asked
Magnus, in his direct way, and I hushed him with a sweep of my hand. But Thomas
answered him just as directly, by nodding, and standing up to face us.
“A day behind us, at least;
maybe more,” he said, “but moving fast.” He squinted slightly against the
sunset, and his face made a grimace. “We can only afford a short rest tonight,
then we must move on. It will take a good two hours at least to walk round the
lip of the Bowl, and then we have to persuade the guards at the South Gate to
let us in to the city.” He scouted briefly about him, then selected a ditch,
away from the Road, which looked a likely hiding place.
“There,” he said. And we
obeyed, clambering quietly in, our bodies too tired to complain. Thomas kept
the watch, and I thought him superhuman to go without sleep in such a way. But
as I gazed southward, I thought I saw strange lights moving with an unnatural
speed against the dying light, and all the time gaining ground as they crept,
steadily, in our direction.
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Thomas woke us early, as he had
said, and seemed full of worry. We felt dirty and sore, but he told us there
were many places in the city where we could bathe - all day, if that was what
we wished - but when I brought up the subject of money he simply waved away the
question, as if it did not matter. Magnus and I shared a look.
The Bowl was quite as wide and
impressive as we had been told, though the water in it looked foetid and black,
and Thomas warned us away from it. We walked listlessly around its edge, Magnus
stumbling once or twice and almost falling in; but already, through a long line
of poplar trees, we could espy the South Gate - and beyond it the towers and
palaces of Ampar , Capital of the Known World.
There seemed some kind of
commotion at the gate, till Thomas explained it was the changing of the guard,
and such fussy ceremonies were common in the city.
“It keeps the emperor happy,”
he explained. And I felt a growing relief as we approached, that here we could
rest, and I might find some of the answers I was seeking. And then I thought of
my parents, and home, and I started to weep, and Magnus also, when he saw my
face; and gripping each other’s hands we marched towards the Capital, Thomas at
our side, and the cold sun at our backs.
The changing of the guard was
complete by the time we arrived, and we stood, the three of us, in the shadow
of the South Gate, its high oaken door ribbed with bolts and hinges in wrought
iron, and much decorative work upon the fabric: snakes, bulls, strange men with
lions’ heads; and in the centre, a carven image of a terrifying face, vast and
forbidding, leering and baring its teeth to us as we stood beneath it.
Thomas told us to wait while he
approached the guards and spoke with them, and, though he tried to hide it, I
could see he was nervous. There were six of them altogether, three on each side
of the gate; four were as still as stone in their sentry boxes, the other two
were manning the gate itself, shifting from foot to foot as they watched Thomas
come towards them. I cast my eyes up, and saw there was a small guard-tower
above, and at least two more guards looking down from it. I supposed there were
many more, also, hidden out of sight behind the high wall of the city. They had
tall plumes in their
castles were sung about across the world; for even those who had never been to Ampar , and never would, knew of the Street of Dancers, or
the High Bridge of Socus, suspended in the clouds like a tightrope, as if
placed there by God Himself.
We were weary and with
angry stomachs, after another day of hard walking, and Thomas in particular
looked tired and stiff after carrying Magnus on his back. I reproached my
brother for making him carry him all that way, and he was protesting at me with
defiant words, when Thomas told us to both to be quiet, and crouched low to the
ground, facing back the way we had come.
“Are there others?” asked
Magnus, in his direct way, and I hushed him with a sweep of my hand. But Thomas
answered him just as directly, by nodding, and standing up to face us.
“A day behind us, at least;
maybe more,” he said, “but moving fast.” He squinted slightly against the
sunset, and his face made a grimace. “We can only afford a short rest tonight,
then we must move on. It will take a good two hours at least to walk round the
lip of the Bowl, and then we have to persuade the guards at the South Gate to
let us in to the city.” He scouted briefly about him, then selected a ditch,
away from the Road, which looked a likely hiding place.
“There,” he said. And we
obeyed, clambering quietly in, our bodies too tired to complain. Thomas kept
the watch, and I thought him superhuman to go without sleep in such a way. But
as I gazed southward, I thought I saw strange lights moving with an unnatural
speed against the dying light, and all the time gaining ground as they crept,
steadily, in our direction.
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Thomas woke us early, as he had
said, and seemed full of worry. We felt dirty and sore, but he told us there
were many places in the city where we could bathe - all day, if that was what
we wished - but when I brought up the subject of money he simply waved away the
question, as if it did not matter. Magnus and I shared a look.
The Bowl was quite as wide and
impressive as we had been told, though the water in it looked foetid and black,
and Thomas warned us away from it. We walked listlessly around its edge, Magnus
stumbling once or twice and almost falling in; but already, through a long line
of poplar trees, we could espy the South Gate - and beyond it the towers and
palaces of Ampar , Capital of the Known World.
There seemed some kind of
commotion at the gate, till Thomas explained it was the changing of the guard,
and such fussy ceremonies were common in the city.
“It keeps the emperor happy,”
he explained. And I felt a growing relief as we approached, that here we could
rest, and I might find some of the answers I was seeking. And then I thought of
my parents, and home, and I started to weep, and Magnus also, when he saw my
face; and gripping each other’s hands we marched towards the Capital, Thomas at
our side, and the cold sun at our backs.
The changing of the guard was
complete by the time we arrived, and we stood, the three of us, in the shadow
of the South Gate, its high oaken door ribbed with bolts and hinges in wrought
iron, and much decorative work upon the fabric: snakes, bulls, strange men with
lions’ heads; and in the centre, a carven image of a terrifying face, vast and
forbidding, leering and baring its teeth to us as we stood beneath it.
Thomas told us to wait while he
approached the guards and spoke with them, and, though he tried to hide it, I
could see he was nervous. There were six of them altogether, three on each side
of the gate; four were as still as stone in their sentry boxes, the other two
were manning the gate itself, shifting from foot to foot as they watched Thomas
come towards them. I cast my eyes up, and saw there was a small guard-tower
above, and at least two more guards looking down from it. I supposed there were
many more, also, hidden out of sight behind the high wall of the city. They had
tall plumes in their
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