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Chapter 1

RESURRECTION AND DEATH

It is possible I already had soate that stood before us, isps of river fog threading its spikes like the mountain paths, remains in un this account of it with the aftermath of our swim, in which I, the torturer’s apprentice Severian, had so nearly drowned

"The guard has gone" Thus my friend Roche spoke to Drotte, who had already seen it for hiested that we go around A lift of his thin, freckled ar across the sluh curtain wall of the Citadel It was a walk I would take, h the barbican without a safe-conduct? They’d send to Master Gurloes"

"But ould the guard leave?"

"It doesn’t ate "Eata, see if you can slip between the bars"

Drotte was our captain, and Eata put an ars, but it was i his body to follow

"So," Roche whispered Drotte jerked Eata out I looked down the street Lanterns swung there a-muffled sounds of feet and voices I would have hidden, but Roche held , "Wait, I see pikes"

"Do you think it’s the guard returning?"

He shook his head "Too many"

"A dozen men at least," Drotte said

Still wet from Gyoll aited In the recesses ofthere even now Just as all that appears imperishable tends toward its own destruction, thoserecreate the loses nothing) but in the throbbing ofthemselves new just as our Co in the shrill tones of its own clarions

The ht of the lanterns; but they had pikes, as Drotte had said, and staves and hatchets Their leader wore a long, double-edged knife in his belt What interested me more was the massive key threaded on a cord around his neck; it looked as if it eted with nervousness, and the leader saw us and lifted his lantern over his head "We’re waiting to get in, goodman," Drotte called He was the taller, but he made his dark face humble and respectful

"Not until dawn," the leader said gruffly "You young fellows had better get houard was supposed to let us in, but he’s not here"

"You won’t be getting in tonight" The leader put his hand on the hilt of his knife before taking a step closer For a moment I was afraid he knee were

Drotte moved away, and the rest of us stayed behind hioodman? You’re not soldiers"

"We’re the volunteers," one of the others said "We come to protect our own dead"

"Then you can let us in"

The leader had turned away "We let no one inside but ourselves" His key squealed in the lock, and the gate creaked back

Before anyone could stop hih Someone cursed, and the leader and two others sprinted after Eata, but he was too fleet for the the sunken graves of paupers, then disappear in the thicket of statuary higher up Drotte tried to pursue hirabbed his arms

"We have to find him We won’t rob you of your dead"

"Why do you want to go in, then?" one volunteer asked

"To gather herbs," Drotte told hiallipots Don’t you want the sick healed?"

The volunteer stared at him The man with the key had dropped his lantern when he ran after Eata, and there were only two left In their diht the volunteer looked stupid and innocent; I suppose he was a laborer of some kind Drotte continued, "You hest virtues they ht It will frost soon and kill everything, but our masters require supplies for the winter The three of theht, and I borrowed that lad from his father to helpto put simples in"

I still admire Drotte for what he did next He said, "We are to bind them in sheaves to dry," and without the least hesitation drew a length of co from his pocket

"I see," the volunteer said It was plain he did not Roche and I edged nearer the gate

Drotte actually stepped back froather the herbs, we’d better go I don’t think we could ever find that boy in there now"

"No you don’t We have to get hiht," Drotte said reluctantly, and we stepped through, the volunteers following Certain mysteries aver that the real world has been constructed by the huories into which we place essentially undifferentiated things, things weaker than our words for theht as I heard the last volunteer swing the gate closed behind us

Ato watch over my mother We’ve wasted too ue off by now" Several of the others an to scatter, one lantern ht We went up the center path (the one ays took in returning to the fallen section of the Citadel wall) with the re volunteers