Exiting the fearful room, Illiiya found herself in another claustrophobic stone chamber – the other three were waiting for her there, seemingly the only contents of the whole room.
(...After any conversation)
After a minute or so, another liveried servant appeared, leading them down a long stone passageway and back up a different flight of stairs. They found themselves being politely but swiftly guided out of the castle, stepping out of the gatehouse to a view of Delberz stretched beneath them – the weary sun had driven away the early-morning rain, breaking through the thin clouds in a few places to illuminate the sprawl of the town beneath them in a strongly slanting light. The long shadow of the cathedral tower stretched out like a sundial, slicing slivers of time as it crawled round over the rooftops of the houses below.
When they reached the bottom of the road that led up from the base of the castle mound, they made out a small figure scampering towards them – dodging between the awakening traffic of the city, the boy practically skidded to a halt at their feet. A street child of the kind they had seen all too often around the Neumarket and the Fields, he looked singularly out of place among the rich buildings that clustered at the base of the castle mound.
He looked up at them and triumphantly stretched out a hand holding a crumpled scrap of paper.
“You the mutant-hunters?” he said. “The man said you’d give me sixpence if I gave you this.” He paused. “I ran all the way here!” he added, holding out an open palm.
Any literate person who takes the note: