Publication History |
Petr stopped short, gripping Racu by the arm. The city guards' breath formed
puffs that reflected the moonlight drenching the streets.
"Well, that's it then. I'm not going in there," he said flatly.
The city of Ulum-ka nestled among seven hills bordered by the ocean. For the
most part, its cobblestone streets were laid in a grid. Among these sat five
largely ignored circles with a windowless edifice in the center of each. City
folklore speculated that the unlikely buildings had been pieced together by a
heavenly alchemist and then tossed from the workshop to the streets below.
Chimney stacks peppered the structures, wafting a constant stream of scented
smoke. The only entrances were single, stout doors. This one clicked shut even
as the guards entered Spider Circle.
Racu, full of youthful bravado, paused only a moment in his step. "We can't go
back and tell the captain that a runaway's escaped us! He'll have us whipped for
incompetence and cowardice."
"Well, we can't go in there," Petr repeated, shoving his hands into his lined
pockets. "I'd sooner run swine through the Temple of Hassett."
Racu spun back to face Petr. "Bah! Of all the superstitious—"
"Look here, goat herder. You're in the big city now. If you don't know this
already, you'd better learn." Petr leaned in and poked a calloused finger hard
into the younger guard's chest. "Out on the steppe, any hag with a card trick is a
witch, any geezer whose bum knee predicts a storm is a magician. Here we got
the real thing. Nobody crosses the Five Mothers. Nobody gives them trouble.
And if you're not buying something or paying your respects, you'd better not
knock on their doors at all."
"You're scared of old ladies! Old ladies and their shop clerks!" Racu slapped a
hand on his sword's hilt. "These give us the right to thump on any door in Ulum-
ka!"
"Let's go," Petr warned, grabbing him by the elbow.
As they argued, the door swung open. From the shadowed depths of the tower
appeared a bent woman. Her robe was formed from lengths of blood red silk,
with layers of like-colored sashes binding her waist. The starched sleeves
disappeared into the skirts so that any opening for her hands was lost entirely.
Tiny red slippers poked from beneath the hem. Her face was painted white with
a thick cream from crushed pearls, illuminating her gnarled face like the moon.
Her head bowed under the weight of a wig crafted of black hair lacquered over
a gold frame. From the wig dangled a huge gold spider rendered with such skill
that it seemed alive, even from yards away.
Paling, Racu retreated until he bumped into a shop behind him...
puffs that reflected the moonlight drenching the streets.
"Well, that's it then. I'm not going in there," he said flatly.
The city of Ulum-ka nestled among seven hills bordered by the ocean. For the
most part, its cobblestone streets were laid in a grid. Among these sat five
largely ignored circles with a windowless edifice in the center of each. City
folklore speculated that the unlikely buildings had been pieced together by a
heavenly alchemist and then tossed from the workshop to the streets below.
Chimney stacks peppered the structures, wafting a constant stream of scented
smoke. The only entrances were single, stout doors. This one clicked shut even
as the guards entered Spider Circle.
Racu, full of youthful bravado, paused only a moment in his step. "We can't go
back and tell the captain that a runaway's escaped us! He'll have us whipped for
incompetence and cowardice."
"Well, we can't go in there," Petr repeated, shoving his hands into his lined
pockets. "I'd sooner run swine through the Temple of Hassett."
Racu spun back to face Petr. "Bah! Of all the superstitious—"
"Look here, goat herder. You're in the big city now. If you don't know this
already, you'd better learn." Petr leaned in and poked a calloused finger hard
into the younger guard's chest. "Out on the steppe, any hag with a card trick is a
witch, any geezer whose bum knee predicts a storm is a magician. Here we got
the real thing. Nobody crosses the Five Mothers. Nobody gives them trouble.
And if you're not buying something or paying your respects, you'd better not
knock on their doors at all."
"You're scared of old ladies! Old ladies and their shop clerks!" Racu slapped a
hand on his sword's hilt. "These give us the right to thump on any door in Ulum-
ka!"
"Let's go," Petr warned, grabbing him by the elbow.
As they argued, the door swung open. From the shadowed depths of the tower
appeared a bent woman. Her robe was formed from lengths of blood red silk,
with layers of like-colored sashes binding her waist. The starched sleeves
disappeared into the skirts so that any opening for her hands was lost entirely.
Tiny red slippers poked from beneath the hem. Her face was painted white with
a thick cream from crushed pearls, illuminating her gnarled face like the moon.
Her head bowed under the weight of a wig crafted of black hair lacquered over
a gold frame. From the wig dangled a huge gold spider rendered with such skill
that it seemed alive, even from yards away.
Paling, Racu retreated until he bumped into a shop behind him...
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| A Long Night with Five Mothers By SC Bryce |
First Printing:
Black Gate (forthcoming)
Black Gate (forthcoming)
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