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We trailed down the narrow steps once ave us into the care of a velvet-clad page boy, and we finally eate tunnel and went on into the Tall Castle

You could tell at once that the keep was Builder-work; it was ugly, angular, and resilient The Thousand Suns had scorched the earth all across the Broken Empire In many places the soil had burned to the bedrock and the bedrock had lass But the Tall Castle had survived The fact that the Ancraths made their home here said a lot about their character and intentions

The curtain wall set about the cos—barracks, a smithy, stables, and the like—were all three or four centuries old, but the keep, that was stone poured a thousand years ago I recall fros long They threw them up, then tore thes not intended to last they did a daood job of it

The page boy led us on towards the keep under the watchful eyes of various guards at station, hts It was Snorri who drew their attention, of course: not the blasted prince of Red March deigning to grace their e Norse about the braids in his hair, or the arctic flash of his eyes, or perhaps the bloody great axe across his back, is apt to make any castle dweller think for a moment that their defences have been breached

The keep stood in clear ground with courtyardscontrast with the palace at Vermillion, and I suspect Grandmother would have swapped in a heartbeat This was a place built for war, not built to look like it A castle that had withstood sieges, and fallen to at least one of them, for if Snorri’s tales were to be believed, the Ancraths weren’t the first to reclaim the place after the tribes of men spread back into the poisoned lands

“Nice castle” Snorri gazed up at the Tall Castle while aited for the great door of iron-banded oak before us to be opened

The castle was tall I couldn’t coh it looked unfinished ordidn’t taper or show any concession to height at all as a tower ht up at the heavens and gave the impression that before the Thousand Suns had cut short its a the clouds would stop it

“I’ve seen better,” I lied

The door swung open and one of Olidan’s table-knights, in glea half-plate, offered me a bow

“Prince Jalan, an honour to htened I took a half step back They’d obviously noted Snorri’s stature and decided to put forwards their biggest man to receive us Sir Gerrant stood near as tall and broad with it, a handsoly scar He spread his ar us in The sh “I’ll show you to your rooe “Prince Jalan will need someone to fetch and carry for him”

Sir Gerrant led us up a wide flight of steps and along several corridors The architecture had an alien quality to it, as if those who made it a thousand years before were not ns of more recent work, of efforts made to construct a more human habitation Floors had been rehtened, curves introduced with carved ti the Builders made needed any reinforcement

“I had the honour ofhis mission the summer before last” Sir Gerrant opened another set of doors and held them for us “Your family resemblance is remarkable”

I bit back a sharp reply and gri of old in our hair at least—the height fro a short and unprepossessing felloould look as suited to being an office clerk as he does to wearing the cardinal’s hat Martus, though, was shaped with a blunt hand Darin a touch better The artist had perfected the design by the tiot to me

We passed through one hall where ladies watched us froallery I rather suspected Sir Gerrant had been induced to parade us for their inspection I played the game and affected not to notice Snorri, of course, stared up openly, grinning I heard giggles and one of their nuabond prince?”

My room, where we finally arrived, ell appointed and, whilst not quite as grand as a visiting prince ht expect, a hundred times better than any acco Lisa DeVeer’s bedroom what seemed like a lifetime before