With the mountain witch Abilene vanquished, Esmiralda invokes her traveling stone to return her and her companions to civilization--in this case, Veral Ski, one of the largest cities in the world of Korin. Here, she means to inform the Ministry of Human Preservation of the loss of their colleague, Merrick, who served the ministry under the direction of Queen Phedera. First, she intends to find a hot bath, warm food and a soft bed.
We found ourselves on a wooded hill not far from the great city's southern gate. Veral Ski! It grew from the valley floor like a flower, with jagged walls and towers that stretched straight and sure toward the clouds.
Nestled on the banks of the Deep River, Veral Ski had grown from the river like a patch of lichen gradually spreading west. The buildings grew taller, the further they were from the vital waterway, although in recent history attempts had been made to reclaim the ramshackle docks and inner city from centuries of poor use and bad traffic. The grimy alleys and dubious structures of the north docks were being replaced with wider streets and some degree of law and order--although they were nowhere near as fashionable as the SouthShore section of the city.
"I never thought I would see her again," I breathed, once I had my bearings. I stepped back into the cover of the trees, suddenly aware of my appearance and stench. Seymuhr, Broo Fang Tane and I were all more than a little disheveled. Our clothes were torn and covered in gore. Seymuhr and Tane wore a patchwork of scratches and cuts, too, that had barely started to scab over. I was luckier than they in that regard, but my long hair was a tangle that would take time, patience and concentration to straighten out. We all smelled as if we had crawled through a fresh crypt on our bellies--which, I guessed, we nearly had.
"And who is that, then?"
"I meant the city," I answered Seymuhr.
"Never stop...believing," Tane said, his face bright with optimism once more. "I have nev....er...walked the stree.......ts of...Ve...ral Ski be....fore. Is there a Tem...ple of the....Sun with...in its...."
"Yes, there is a Temple of the Sun within the city," I grew impatient with his slow, lilting speech and finished his question for him. "There is room for everything within the great city--even optimists. I'm sure your order is well-represented."
"It may even be tolerated," Seymuhr suggested. "I've heard that city folk embrace hope on occasion."
"The rich ones do, at any rate," I said. "I suggest we attend to our appearance before we try to conduct any business. I am confident that we can arrange an audience with the queen if we do not look--or smell--like we just crawled from the depths of Ewl's domain," I added, giving Seymuhr a lingering and, I hoped, meaningful look.
"The riv...er is beautif...ul. What is its......name?"
"It's just named the Deep River."
"That is...all?"
I shrugged. "Mubbe the Wanderer, the explorer who discovered and, consequently, named much of the part of Korin, was not very creative. Besides, it's enough."
"It must...be...pret...ty deep, then."
"Depends on how tall you are, I guess."
There were a scattering of buildings outside the city walls, of course, and I assumed that some of them would be taverns or inns where travelers like ourselves could scrape the dust of their travels from their clothes and bodies prior to entering the city. One of them had a large enclosure where several horses ambled and snacked on tufts of long grass and a long, low building that looked to be some sort of stable. Smoke trailed up from its chimney. It looked peaceful enough. I pointed at it and headed that way. Seymuhr fell in beside me and Tane, after a somewhat reluctant grunt, followed.
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