Commandment by Daryl Chestney

Author:Daryl Chestney
Language: de
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Daryl Chestney
Published: 2012-04-11T03:28:47.883000+00:00

XXIII

The Reconnoiter

THE TRIO COMMANDEERED A SECLUDED BALCONY OVERLOOKING A DUSTY avenue. Nearby, a gruesome statue loomed. The giant gargoyle was perched as if scrutinizing the traffic below. Such statues were omnipresent in the Gray District. Muscled wings framed a granite trunk, giving the impression of a shrouded throne. A leering mouth registered unmitigated revulsion with the pedestrians below. Lakif shivered before its warped face, which looked remarkably Human.

“There.” Bael pointed down. From their position they had, quite literally, a bird’s-eye view of a bridge spanning a wing of the Fornix.

The thoroughfare was deeply set, and Lakif couldn’t decide if it was indeed an element of the Old City. She now accepted that she had always embraced a superficial view of Grimpkin. She tended to view any element of the district that was exposed to the sun as Grimpkin, as this was where the citizenry at large lived and worked. On the other hand, anything buried in the darkness beneath was relegated to the Old City. This proved to be a gross simplification. Often, the two faces blurred together.

The Acaanan was astounded to see a horse-drawn carriage rattling across the windswept bridge. A driver, bundled up against the toothy chill, egged the beasts on. His coarse cries sounded like distant chirps from this height. The frantic patter of hooves rang out over the creaking of the carriage’s wheels. As they watched, the carriage passed into a lantern-flanked tunnel on the opposite bank and disappeared from sight.

“Was that a horse?” Torkoth asked. Lakif cracked a smile at the infantile remark. Torkoth was certainly without guile; he displayed his ignorance of the beasts quite candidly. But in all honesty, Lakif had to admit to herself that had she not seen horses illustrated in manuals, she would have been as clueless. Not that this was unusual. Horses were so rare that few citizens ever saw one. In fact, they had achieved the status of urban myths in many areas. Any storyteller worth his salt carefully wove a steed into his yarn to spice it up with a fantastic quality. Only special circles harnessed the remarkable power of horses, circles that the Acaanan wasn’t privileged to tread.

“Is that some wealthy manor?” Lakif gestured to the entrance where the carriage had rattled. The edifice’s bland facade in no way deserved such a reference, but Lakif was at a loss as to why such a vehicle would have rumbled in.

Bael shook his head. “That’s the Arachna.”

Lakif had heard the word before, for it had come up in conversations in the past, although at the moment, she couldn’t place in what context. Torkoth looked equally baffled, so Bael explained.

“The Arachna is a system for transport. This station is connected to other such centers around the district by a network of specialized routes mining the Old City. They utilize horses for swift travel. Lakif, remember I mentioned that I came up from the coast? I actually rode in. This was my port of debarkation.”

In light of the Kulthean’s description, Lakif found the word Arachna apropos for the network.

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