1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,680 Good morrow to the all, and welcome. 2 00:00:03,680 --> 00:00:08,120 History is often regarded as a realm of dusty sepulchres and weathered scrolls. 3 00:00:08,120 --> 00:00:11,720 This thought is mostly shared by those who couldn't even bother themselves to reach 4 00:00:11,720 --> 00:00:17,360 tenure at the University of Altdorf, and while we can safely disregard the thoughts of the 5 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:23,840 uneducated rabble, it is true that history, and indeed the retelling and performance history, 6 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:28,080 need not be simply an endless litany of chronological events. 7 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:33,000 In rare instances it can transform into a captivating tale. 8 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:36,760 On this occasion we shall regale thee with a narrative that has been bestowed upon me 9 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:42,000 by a trustworthy informant, from the word of one Robert Earl, hailing from the obscure 10 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:47,840 and misty shores of Albion, but now keeping home Altdorf. 11 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:52,280 To ensure its proper rendition, we have enlisted the aid of the indolent Ruffians from the 12 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:58,520 Altdorfian Thespian Union, a troupe of players or the like, who did not even attend Altdorf 13 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:05,160 University, I might add, to aid me in the retelling of this chronicle. 14 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:10,400 It was market day, and Altdorf's rat-run of streets was swarming with people. 15 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:16,880 Kerr, his body wedged in against the beam of an inn, watched them as they bustled past. 16 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:22,400 Not many of them watched him back, not many of them even noticed him, which was just how 17 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:25,240 he liked it. 18 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:30,120 Over the years he had made an art of appearing insignificant, so that now everything from 19 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:35,400 his stance to his clothing helped him to merge into the background. 20 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:38,880 Nor was this his only talent. 21 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:43,360 Although barely fifteen, Kerr studied the stream of passing humanity with a seasoned 22 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:48,720 professionalism, a hard-eyed calculation that belied his tender years. 23 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:51,760 Some of the crowd he dismissed as soon as he saw them. 24 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:56,560 These were the tradesmen and merchants, men whose characters had been shaped to fit into 25 00:01:56,560 --> 00:01:59,240 the crooked byways of the city. 26 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:04,440 Some of them may have been old or lame, but they were no fools. 27 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:08,480 Kerr knew that they would offer steel before they would lose coin, and he respected them 28 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:09,480 for it. 29 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:13,600 Then there were others who he marked for later. 30 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:18,960 These were the thugs who swaggered about the town in search of women and drink. 31 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:23,840 Whether they called themselves men-at-arms or house-calls or just plain mercenaries, 32 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:28,440 Kerr knew them for what they were, which was killers. 33 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:31,400 Not that that was necessarily a problem. 34 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:36,160 Later some of them would be too drunk to kill anybody or even to defend themselves. 35 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:40,480 On occasion Kerr had been lucky enough to have found such victims alone, and to have 36 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:42,920 found them before anybody else had. 37 00:02:42,920 --> 00:02:47,120 On another day he might have decided to follow one of them, much as a hungry fox will follow 38 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:48,840 a dying wolf. 39 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:52,040 But today there was no need for such patience. 40 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:55,560 Today the streets were full of easier, plumper prey. 41 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:59,600 Kerr did everything but lick his lips as he watched them. 42 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:01,600 These were the farmers. 43 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:06,760 Yeoman, who knew everything about the hardness of the land but nothing of the cruelties of 44 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:07,760 the city. 45 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:14,040 Kerr could tell them by their wooden clogs, their healthy faces, their slow pace and wide 46 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:16,000 opened eyes. 47 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:19,720 Then he saw one who wore his purse outside of his tunic. 48 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:23,760 Scarcely believing his luck, Kerr pushed himself off of the wall and slipped into the flow 49 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:26,520 of bodies that was carrying the fool along. 50 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:31,240 He gained on him gradually, being careful to not to catch anybody's eye as he did so. 51 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:35,400 Ahead an alleyway branched off from the main thoroughfare. 52 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:40,720 Kerr planned to cut his victims purse-free when they reached it. 53 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:45,560 The alleyway was an escape route he'd used before, an almost invisible path that led 54 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:49,920 into a perfect confusion of hovels and shanties. 55 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:53,960 His heart started to patter as he drew nearer to his prey. 56 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:59,000 The man was almost twice as big as him, his muscles hardened into oaken lumps by a lifetime 57 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:00,880 of toil. 58 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:03,680 And so he moved slowly. 59 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:07,920 Kerr watched a messenger bump into him and apologize as he slipped past, eager to be 60 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:09,960 about his business. 61 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:12,520 The farmer didn't even notice. 62 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:17,480 He was too busy gawping up at the gables which overhung the street and the brightly-coloured 63 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:20,520 shingles that swung beneath them. 64 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:25,440 Kerr smiled as he felt for the razor he'd used to cut the purse-free. 65 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:29,680 He could almost taste the stew that he'd buy afterwards. 66 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:34,080 At the tingle of adrenaline his mouth watered at the thought. 67 00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:39,600 It had been days since he'd last eaten, and that had only been half a loaf of bread. 68 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:45,480 A moment later and his anticipation had turned to irritation, the flow of people was slowing 69 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:48,800 down as some obstruction ahead blocked their progress. 70 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:53,920 Soon the crowded street hardly seemed to be moving at all, and the stink of the bodies 71 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:57,320 grew riper as they were pushed together. 72 00:04:57,320 --> 00:04:59,640 Kerr looked around impatiently. 73 00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:05,640 He was seized with a sudden suicidal impulse to take the man's purse here and now. 74 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:10,640 In the crush of bodies it would be easy enough to do so without him noticing, but on the 75 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:17,920 other hand, if anybody did see him, then escape would be impossible. 76 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:22,440 Contemplating the maiming that that would be the punishment for his crime, he forced 77 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:24,840 himself to be patient. 78 00:05:24,840 --> 00:05:30,200 He let others do the pushing, allowing them to steer him ever closer to his victim. 79 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:35,360 Eventually the crowd started to move again, and the farmer was seized with a sudden sense 80 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:37,280 of direction. 81 00:05:37,280 --> 00:05:42,120 He elbowed his way through the melee so that he could stand and gawk at what had caused 82 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:43,640 the blockage. 83 00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:49,680 Kerr, sidling up beside him, saw that it was a conjurer's street show. 84 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:53,480 The performer was dressed in a billowing cape. 85 00:05:53,480 --> 00:05:58,680 It was as bright as it was shapeless, a great rainbow patchwork of rags that flapped and 86 00:05:58,680 --> 00:06:02,440 billowed as he gesticulated toward his audience. 87 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:07,720 He also wore a pointed hat, which added almost a foot to his height, and a smear of makeup 88 00:06:07,720 --> 00:06:11,680 that made his eyes seem even wilder than they were. 89 00:06:11,680 --> 00:06:16,080 Despite the crush, he had managed to carve out a little semicircle of space around him 90 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:19,700 which he filled with a constant swirl of movement. 91 00:06:19,700 --> 00:06:23,000 And as he moved, so he spoke. 92 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:27,960 Or at least so he babbled, screeching and gibbering in a tongue of his own devising. 93 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:32,280 There was no way of knowing if his words contained an ounce of sense, but that hardly mattered 94 00:06:32,280 --> 00:06:34,600 to the onlooking crowd. 95 00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:39,280 It was the tone of the old charlatan's voice which fascinated them, the terrible cadences 96 00:06:39,280 --> 00:06:43,240 of a man who supposedly consorted with demons. 97 00:06:43,240 --> 00:06:47,640 Kerr thanked the shades of his long-departed parents for the distraction. 98 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:52,920 Not only had the ranting performer caught the fat-pursed farmer in his spell, but the 99 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:57,480 space he'd cleared was right in front of the alley that Kerr would use for his escape. 100 00:06:57,480 --> 00:06:59,840 A cut and a rush, he decided. 101 00:06:59,840 --> 00:07:03,520 I'll be down it as safely as a rat down a drainpipe. 102 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:08,120 He swallowed and wiped his palms on the worn cloth of his britches. 103 00:07:08,120 --> 00:07:12,480 Then he edged a little closer to his target, his fingers closing around the handle of his 104 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:13,480 razor. 105 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:15,920 There would only be one chance, he knew. 106 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:17,020 One cut. 107 00:07:17,020 --> 00:07:20,400 After that, successful or not, he'd have to start running. 108 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:26,680 But even as he lifted the purse, oh so gently away from his victim's belt, he paused. 109 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:29,400 Something else had caught his eye. 110 00:07:29,400 --> 00:07:33,400 Something a lot more valuable than a few copper pennies. 111 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:37,600 The hat lay on the floor beneath the conjurer's swishing cape. 112 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:43,320 It was a battered old leather thing, the upturned brim of it frayed with use, and inside, winking 113 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:48,560 at Kerr as invitingly as a tavern girl at a merchant, it was a spill of coins. 114 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:51,000 Some of them even seemed to be silver. 115 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:54,880 Kerr released the yokel's purse and licked his lips nervously. 116 00:07:54,880 --> 00:07:58,960 It scarcely seemed possible that the conjurer would leave his collection right there on 117 00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:02,960 the street, with only himself to guard it. 118 00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:07,440 Usually even the meanest performer would have an assistant to sit beside his meagre tribute 119 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:09,680 club in hand. 120 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:14,080 Winking his teeth together with indecision, Kerr scanned the crowd. 121 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:15,800 Almost all of them were farmers. 122 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:21,760 Their eyes were wide as they watched the performance with the rapt attention of cows in a field. 123 00:08:21,760 --> 00:08:25,440 And then he saw them, the conjurer's lads. 124 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:29,720 They were scarcely older than he was himself, but they were no less capable. 125 00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:35,480 They were almost invisible as they drifted through the spectators that stood opposite. 126 00:08:35,480 --> 00:08:41,640 Kerr watched as practice maneuver by practice maneuver, they singled out their prey. 127 00:08:41,640 --> 00:08:46,720 The smallest lifted a purse as neatly as Kerr would have done himself, and his companions 128 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:49,600 stood by to help. 129 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:53,960 They seemed to have forgotten about their master's collection in their eagerness to make their 130 00:08:53,960 --> 00:08:54,960 own. 131 00:08:54,960 --> 00:09:01,160 Kerr saw the lick of a blade as it cut into the leather of a bystander's purse. 132 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:07,120 He saw the coins that waited in the hat on the floor, and inspiration struck. 133 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:13,480 Thief! he cried, pushing past the farmer he had meant to rob himself, and gesturing towards 134 00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:16,760 the lad with the purse in his hand. 135 00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:17,760 Stop! 136 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:23,040 Thief! he pointed an accusing finger as the youngster dropped the purse and flitted away 137 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:25,760 into the crowd. 138 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:31,760 Then, as all eyes turned to the confusion there, Kerr darted forward, grabbed the hatful of 139 00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:40,000 coins, and bolted past the conjurer and into the alleyway. 140 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:43,920 Too late the performer saw what was happening. 141 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:50,080 In his excitement he forgot to speak gibberish and swore as only an altdorfian knows how. 142 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:54,720 He snatched at Kerr as he sped past, but as he did so he tripped over his own robes and 143 00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:56,600 fell into a heap. 144 00:09:56,600 --> 00:09:59,200 The crowd roared with laughter. 145 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:02,760 They laughed even more when the conjurers, two assistants, trampled over their master's 146 00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:05,880 prone form, eager in their pursuit. 147 00:10:05,880 --> 00:10:08,040 Kerr didn't share their good humour. 148 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:12,520 He had expected the crowd to turn on the two cut purses, not share them on. 149 00:10:12,520 --> 00:10:16,840 As he skittered down the alleyway he could hear the patter of their footsteps scampering 150 00:10:16,840 --> 00:10:18,680 along behind him. 151 00:10:18,680 --> 00:10:21,720 He risked a quick glance over his shoulder. 152 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:27,640 The ragged shape of the conjurer, unmistakable in his scarecrow robes, was framed by the 153 00:10:27,640 --> 00:10:30,200 crooked angles of the alleyway. 154 00:10:30,200 --> 00:10:36,560 But what worried Kerr wasn't the old charlatan but his two apprentices. 155 00:10:36,560 --> 00:10:42,680 They raced through the gloom with the lethal speed of whippets after a hair, and a jolt 156 00:10:42,680 --> 00:10:48,880 of terror exploded within Kerr's slender chest as he saw the steel in their hands. 157 00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:52,560 He put on a burst of speed as he reached the end of the alleyway and skittered around the 158 00:10:52,560 --> 00:10:57,120 corner, ahead of him the road weaved back and forth, little more than a track between 159 00:10:57,120 --> 00:10:59,600 the hovels that infested this quarter. 160 00:10:59,600 --> 00:11:04,520 He sprinted along it, comforted by the feel of the familiar cobbles beneath his worn soles 161 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:06,640 and looked for the opening. 162 00:11:06,640 --> 00:11:07,800 And there it was. 163 00:11:07,800 --> 00:11:12,640 There was a turn in the road, and there sandwiched between two doorb-covered huts was the splintered 164 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:15,080 wooden fence of a pigsty. 165 00:11:15,080 --> 00:11:18,860 Kerr grabbed hold of it and vaulted into the filth beyond. 166 00:11:18,860 --> 00:11:23,480 The old sow within grunted with surprise as he splashed uninvited through her domain and 167 00:11:23,480 --> 00:11:27,360 grunted again as he dragged himself over the fence on the other side. 168 00:11:27,360 --> 00:11:31,840 An old woman sat in the dirt of the little courtyard that Kerr landed in. 169 00:11:31,840 --> 00:11:36,560 In both looks and temperament she could have been a sister to the animal behind him. 170 00:11:36,560 --> 00:11:38,760 She was hardworking, though. 171 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:42,000 Even as she watched Kerr she continued with her work. 172 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:46,360 Arthritic fingers busily unstitching what he supposed was a stolen coat. 173 00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:52,320 "'You have not seen me,' he told her, and tossed her a couple of coppers from the stolen 174 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:53,600 hat. 175 00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:58,280 The crone caught them with a surprising agility and looked away as he slipped through her 176 00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:01,360 hovel and into the street beyond. 177 00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:05,960 He paused there, gasping for breath and listening for any sound of pursuit. 178 00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:08,160 It wasn't long in coming. 179 00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:13,800 This time the sow, roused by his own intrusion, was ready to deal with the trespassers. 180 00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:19,160 She squealed her outrage as they splashed through the mud, and Kerr heard one of his pursuers 181 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:22,040 squeal back as she snapped at him. 182 00:12:22,040 --> 00:12:25,920 He allowed himself a last quick glance through the hovel and was just in time to hear the 183 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:27,720 crone speak. 184 00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:33,360 "'He's through there,' she said, pointing directly at him. 185 00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:35,640 He swore and took to his heels. 186 00:12:35,640 --> 00:12:39,720 Although this street was as crooked as a broken back he knew that there were no bolt holes 187 00:12:39,720 --> 00:12:43,000 along it and he cursed himself for pausing. 188 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:47,840 He could already hear the cries of his pursuers as they gained on him, their longer legs 189 00:12:47,840 --> 00:12:52,440 more than compensating for the adrenaline which fizzed through his veins. 190 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:56,800 For one wild moment Kerr considered dropping to his prize, anything to avoid the knives 191 00:12:56,800 --> 00:13:00,080 which even now sliced through the air behind him. 192 00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:04,280 But then the last kink in the road jerked him around into the wider thoroughfare of 193 00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:05,800 the Prince's Avenue. 194 00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:09,600 He darted between a couple of porters and almost ran into the carriage that was clattering 195 00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:11,240 towards him. 196 00:13:11,240 --> 00:13:16,800 Kerr was drawn by four broad-chested horses, and the thing itself was a carpenter's dream 197 00:13:16,800 --> 00:13:20,120 of smoothly fitted joints and oiled hinges. 198 00:13:20,120 --> 00:13:24,360 It bounced along on sprung suspension and perfectly turning wheels. 199 00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:29,200 Kerr panicked, blossoming as he heard the cries of his pursuers staggered to a halt 200 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:31,400 as the carriage rattled past. 201 00:13:31,400 --> 00:13:36,160 His mind raced faster than the great-spoked wheels as he tried to think of an escape route, 202 00:13:36,160 --> 00:13:40,120 somewhere he'd be able to reach before his pursuers reached him. 203 00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:41,640 There wasn't one. 204 00:13:41,640 --> 00:13:46,280 But then, as though sketched by the snap of the driver's whip, he could see the perfect 205 00:13:46,280 --> 00:13:47,960 way out. 206 00:13:47,960 --> 00:13:52,640 He dropped onto all fours and raced after the retreating carriage, catching up with 207 00:13:52,640 --> 00:13:56,240 it as it was slowed by a knot of drunken porters. 208 00:13:56,240 --> 00:14:01,600 He ducked beneath the great trunk that was strapped to the back, slid beneath the bottom 209 00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:04,880 of the carriage itself and looked up. 210 00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:10,840 And there, the carpentry as perfect as if he had designed it himself, was the chassis. 211 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:16,560 Two long sections of timber, the holes in them a perfect fit for his trembling hands, ran 212 00:14:16,560 --> 00:14:19,480 between the two sets of wheels. 213 00:14:19,480 --> 00:14:24,320 Stumbling along beneath the suddenly accelerating carriage, Kerr shoved the hat full of coins 214 00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:26,880 down the front of his tunic. 215 00:14:26,880 --> 00:14:31,920 When it was secure, he snatched upwards, seizing two handholds and pressing his chest against 216 00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:34,160 the underside of the vehicle. 217 00:14:34,160 --> 00:14:38,200 For a moment his heels dragged painfully along the cracked stone. 218 00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:43,720 But with a grunt of exertion, he lifted them into the gaps between the running boards. 219 00:14:43,720 --> 00:14:48,000 Trying not to think about the cobbles that blurred beneath his head, he concentrated 220 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:53,840 on his hold, tightening his grip, even as the driver used his whip on horses and pedestrians 221 00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:55,440 both. 222 00:14:55,440 --> 00:15:01,080 And there, hanging beneath the rattling carriage, Kerr started to laugh with relief. 223 00:15:01,080 --> 00:15:04,640 His arms started to hurt after the first minute. 224 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:09,760 And after that, as the jolting of the carriage twisted his muscles like fraying rope, they 225 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:14,640 had started to burn with a slow, constant agony. 226 00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:18,880 The vehicle rattled on, and Kerr's sense of triumph melted in the furnace of pain that 227 00:15:18,880 --> 00:15:20,640 wracked his body. 228 00:15:20,640 --> 00:15:24,640 It took every ounce of his will to keep his fingers and heels locked tight as he swung 229 00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:29,400 back and forth from his precarious perch, and soon his whole world had shrunk to a little 230 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:32,800 hell of burning muscles and rattling timber. 231 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:37,560 It took perhaps half an hour for the carriage to reach its destination. 232 00:15:37,560 --> 00:15:43,200 Through the fog of his pain Kerr felt it slow, then saw the sudden patch of shadow as it 233 00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:46,720 passed through an archway. 234 00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:51,480 The sound of the wheels squeaking to a halt was one of the most beautiful he had ever 235 00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:53,080 heard. 236 00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:59,600 He dropped onto the flagstones like an overripe apple, his body bruising just as easily. 237 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:03,440 He was beyond noticing such petty discomforts, though. 238 00:16:03,440 --> 00:16:08,920 Instead he lay on the cold stone in an ecstasy of vanishing pain, tears of relief dampening 239 00:16:08,920 --> 00:16:10,600 his eyes. 240 00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:14,520 When the feeling returned to his fingers he crawled back to his feet, scrabbled out from 241 00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:17,480 beneath the carriage, and looked around him. 242 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:20,600 The courtyard they were in was a cavernous place. 243 00:16:20,600 --> 00:16:24,640 No sunshine reached the depths of its floor, although it did warm the top of the stone 244 00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:27,560 walls that rose up on every side. 245 00:16:27,560 --> 00:16:32,400 Kerr gawked up at a row of gargoyles who basked in it, their carved features alive with the 246 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:34,280 interplay of light and shadow. 247 00:16:34,280 --> 00:16:38,600 There was a thump from behind him, and he turned to see that the driver had dropped his passenger's 248 00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:41,200 trunk off of the carriage. 249 00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:46,520 Kerr, stung back into action by the sudden awareness that he was a trespasser here, grabbed 250 00:16:46,520 --> 00:16:49,640 it, and hoisted it up onto his back. 251 00:16:49,640 --> 00:16:52,200 It was a disguise he'd used before. 252 00:16:52,200 --> 00:16:56,160 Nobody ever questioned porters, and the case itself was big enough to hide most of his 253 00:16:56,160 --> 00:16:59,440 body as well as his downcast face. 254 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:04,400 Nor was it as a disguise he had adopted a moment too soon. 255 00:17:04,400 --> 00:17:08,320 Even as he staggered beneath the weight of the trunk, trying to balance its weight on 256 00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:15,440 his scrawny back, the driver clunked a stool down beside the carriage and opened the door. 257 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:20,720 Here we are, manier." He told his passenger with a brief bow, 258 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:24,000 �Ah, we've arrived already, have we? 259 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:27,560 Good.� Kerr looked up from beneath the trunk like 260 00:17:27,560 --> 00:17:30,440 a crab from beneath its shell. 261 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:35,320 The man who stepped down from inside the carriage, a great leather-bound book grasped in one 262 00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:38,440 hand, wasn't just fat. 263 00:17:38,440 --> 00:17:40,520 He was enormous. 264 00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:44,440 Rolls of blubber supported his neck like a collar, and the thrust of his belly was big 265 00:17:44,440 --> 00:17:47,240 enough to have contained Kerr himself. 266 00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:51,200 His dress exaggerated his size even further. 267 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:56,000 The fashionably padded shoulders of his velvet tunic made a rectangle out of the vast pair 268 00:17:56,000 --> 00:18:01,680 of his body, and the salt and pepper beard that framed his wobbling jowls lent them a 269 00:18:01,680 --> 00:18:08,040 width that reminded Kerr of the orc mastiffs that fought in Altdorf's bear pits. 270 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:13,760 And yet, despite the pampered softness of his body, there was a hardness about his 271 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:17,520 face that Kerr immediately respected. 272 00:18:17,520 --> 00:18:21,760 It was something about the way that his dark eyes glittered like onyx buttons above the 273 00:18:21,760 --> 00:18:27,280 fat of his cheeks, and the way that his back remained poker straight despite the pillows 274 00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:29,560 of padding that sagged from it. 275 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:32,200 Kerr dropped his eyes as the man looked at him. 276 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:34,800 �A servant, eh? 277 00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:38,680 That was very thoughtful of you, Sir Achal. 278 00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:42,280 Your comfort is our only concern, menier.� 279 00:18:42,280 --> 00:18:45,640 The driver weedled, his hand half outstretched for a tip. 280 00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:46,640 �Hm. 281 00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:49,800 That is nice to know.� 282 00:18:49,800 --> 00:18:53,600 The fat man said, and, seeming not to notice the driver's anticipation, he stretched his 283 00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:56,000 back and waddled off. 284 00:18:56,000 --> 00:19:00,920 Kerr, without needing to be told, staggered along behind him. 285 00:19:00,920 --> 00:19:05,080 The fat man led the way up a set of wide granite steps. 286 00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:08,840 Puffing under his own weight almost as much as Kerr was beneath the weight of the trunk, 287 00:19:08,840 --> 00:19:12,720 he strode imperiously through the wide doorway at the top. 288 00:19:12,720 --> 00:19:16,040 He paused there for a moment, wheezing heavily. 289 00:19:16,040 --> 00:19:19,200 Then he led the way into the lantern-lit hall beyond. 290 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:23,680 His footsteps echoed against the vaults of the masonry, and so did the voice that rang 291 00:19:23,680 --> 00:19:25,400 out at their approach. 292 00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:32,040 �Men here, brah!� it said, the tone so nervous that at first Kerr mistook it for 293 00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:33,040 outrage. 294 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:38,760 �Sir Achal?� the fat man acknowledged his name. 295 00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:41,960 �Thank you for your consideration.� 296 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:45,360 He waved a podgy hand back towards Kerr. 297 00:19:45,360 --> 00:19:51,160 The Seneshal, a grey-haired man with a worried expression, looked past him in confusion. 298 00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:53,440 Then he shrugged and turned back to Braha. 299 00:19:53,440 --> 00:19:57,440 �Your chambers have been ready for your presence, Men here.� 300 00:19:57,440 --> 00:20:01,400 He said, rubbing his hands together and falling into step behind the fat man as he waddled 301 00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:02,400 away. 302 00:20:02,400 --> 00:20:06,200 �If you have need of anything, just send your servant to me.� 303 00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:13,160 �Thank you, Seneshal.� Braha replied, not daining to turn back to look at him. 304 00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:14,160 �Good-bye.� 305 00:20:14,160 --> 00:20:18,920 �Good-bye, Men here.� Kerr was impressed. 306 00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:23,280 Whoever this Braha was, he knew how to make his flunkies jump. 307 00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:28,160 They followed their echoing footsteps down the hall and turned off into an arched corridor. 308 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:32,280 It ended in another flight of steps, and Kerr fought the urge to curse as he was led up 309 00:20:32,280 --> 00:20:34,840 first one flight, then another. 310 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:40,160 By the time they reached Braha's chambers, both of them were dripping with sweat. 311 00:20:40,160 --> 00:20:44,640 Kerr followed the fat man into what appeared to be a study, and gratefully slid the trunk 312 00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:46,640 onto the floor. 313 00:20:46,640 --> 00:20:53,960 �You did well to carry that.� Braha flushed himself after his own exertions 314 00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:56,200 gestured towards the chest. 315 00:20:56,200 --> 00:20:59,200 �Thank you, Men here.� 316 00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:05,360 �I must say, it makes a pleasant change to have found such a conscientious servant, 317 00:21:05,360 --> 00:21:08,680 especially� He continued as he eased himself down into 318 00:21:08,680 --> 00:21:12,000 a wooden chair that sat before the empty fireplace. 319 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:18,680 �For a man in my profession, people talk a lot of nonsense, but then I suppose you 320 00:21:18,680 --> 00:21:21,400 college porters have more sense, eh? 321 00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:26,240 �Oh, yes, Men here.� Kerr said. 322 00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:31,520 He nodded his head emphatically, even though he had no idea what Braha was talking about. 323 00:21:31,520 --> 00:21:33,400 �Good, good. 324 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:37,640 Tell me, do you have any other duties to perform whilst I'm here?� 325 00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:41,960 A dozen lies suggested themselves, but Kerr decided on the easiest. 326 00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:43,440 �No, Men here. 327 00:21:43,440 --> 00:21:49,600 I'm here to look after your... your requirements.� He smiled to himself, pleased to have remembered 328 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:51,600 the word. 329 00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:56,000 �Well, then� Braha said, getting back to his feet. 330 00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:59,920 �Get this fire going, and then you can go down to the kitchen and tell the chef to 331 00:21:59,920 --> 00:22:01,920 send me a paplata. 332 00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:06,160 I'm going to have a quick nap, but you can wake me when it arrives.� 333 00:22:06,160 --> 00:22:09,600 �Yes, Men here.� 334 00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:12,360 Kerr said, scarcely believing his luck. 335 00:22:12,360 --> 00:22:17,760 �Him, a servant.� He'd often dreamed of such an easy life. 336 00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:21,920 He could hardly bring himself to believe that it had come true. 337 00:22:21,920 --> 00:22:25,920 But then he'd always counted himself as lucky. 338 00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:30,880 As Braha lumbered into the next room he slid the stolen coins into his purse, then busied 339 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:35,680 himself with the fire, thrusting the conjurer's hat in deep into the kindling. 340 00:22:35,680 --> 00:22:36,680 �Men here. 341 00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:38,600 Men here, Braha. 342 00:22:38,600 --> 00:22:40,560 Your snack has arrived.� 343 00:22:40,560 --> 00:22:45,080 Kerr pushed open the door of his master's sleeping chamber in time to see him struggling 344 00:22:45,080 --> 00:22:47,520 up into a sitting position. 345 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:52,840 The solid oak of the bed beneath him squeaked as he moved, and the thick mattress curled 346 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:54,320 up at the edges. 347 00:22:54,320 --> 00:22:55,320 �Good. 348 00:22:55,320 --> 00:23:00,320 Put it down over there.� he said, rubbing his eyes. 349 00:23:00,320 --> 00:23:06,720 Kerr carried the silver platter obediently over to a table and set it down. 350 00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:11,240 The cold meats and candied fruits that were piled onto it would have fed a family for a 351 00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:15,160 week, even though Kerr had already exacted his tribute. 352 00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:18,520 �There's also somebody to see you men here, a messenger.� 353 00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:25,880 �Send him in, then.� Braha grumbled, easing himself off the bed and lumbering over to 354 00:23:25,880 --> 00:23:28,680 the tray of food. 355 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:33,440 Kerr bowed in what he hoped was a courtly manner and went back out to where the messenger 356 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:34,440 was waiting. 357 00:23:34,440 --> 00:23:35,720 �Come on, then.� 358 00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:39,520 �He'll see you now.� 359 00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:43,280 The servant, who was little older than Kerr himself, nodded unhappily and followed him 360 00:23:43,280 --> 00:23:45,280 back into the bedroom. 361 00:23:45,280 --> 00:23:49,600 The sight of Braha eating seemed to make him even more nervous, and he rung his velvet 362 00:23:49,600 --> 00:23:51,720 cap between his hands. 363 00:23:51,720 --> 00:23:53,920 Kerr winked at him reassuringly. 364 00:23:53,920 --> 00:23:57,320 He couldn't see why everybody was so afraid of his new master. 365 00:23:57,320 --> 00:24:01,280 He seemed pleasant enough, and even if he did turn out to have a nasty temper, he'd 366 00:24:01,280 --> 00:24:03,480 be easy enough to outrun. 367 00:24:03,480 --> 00:24:07,960 �Men here, Braha.� 368 00:24:07,960 --> 00:24:11,520 The messenger bellowed, nerves lending his voice the volume of a sergeant on a parade 369 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:13,520 ground. 370 00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:18,960 �My master, the Signor Baladitio, requests that you come to the Eastern Library at your 371 00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:19,960 earliest convenience.� 372 00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:25,640 �Baladitio, eh?� 373 00:24:25,640 --> 00:24:29,560 Braha said, tearing the meat from a chicken leg in a single bite. 374 00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:33,520 He tossed the bone back over his shoulder and belched. 375 00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:36,880 What does he mean by earliest convenience? 376 00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:41,240 �I think he means now, Men here.� 377 00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:44,640 The messenger said, his voice now tightening into a squeak. 378 00:24:44,640 --> 00:24:47,160 �Bloody cheek.� 379 00:24:47,160 --> 00:24:51,280 Braha mumbled, and started to smear marmalade onto a slice of ham. 380 00:24:51,280 --> 00:24:55,400 The messenger paled, and for a moment Kerr thought that he was about to make a run for 381 00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:56,400 it. 382 00:24:56,400 --> 00:25:02,160 But with an obvious effort, he pulled himself together, cleared his throat, and waited. 383 00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:05,840 Braha finished his morsel, and then with a last regretful glance towards his snack, 384 00:25:05,840 --> 00:25:07,640 hoisted himself to his feet. 385 00:25:07,640 --> 00:25:12,000 �Very well, tell Baladitio I'll be down directly. 386 00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:13,000 I assume that all is ready.� 387 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:17,760 �I don't know, Men here.� 388 00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:19,200 The messenger admitted. 389 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:22,200 �You don't know?� 390 00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:24,600 Braha repeated. 391 00:25:24,600 --> 00:25:27,400 �A typical Baladitio. 392 00:25:27,400 --> 00:25:31,600 Well you just go tell him that I'll be along, at my earliest convenience.� 393 00:25:31,600 --> 00:25:35,640 �Yes, Men here.� 394 00:25:35,640 --> 00:25:39,000 The messenger said, and Albert bolted from the room. 395 00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:42,400 Kerr followed to see him out of his master's chambers. 396 00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:46,360 When he returned, Braha was just finishing off another slice of ham. 397 00:25:46,360 --> 00:25:50,440 The great leather book he had brought with him now clasped under his arm. 398 00:25:50,440 --> 00:25:53,920 �Ah, there you are, boy.� 399 00:25:53,920 --> 00:25:56,000 He said when Kerr returned. 400 00:25:56,000 --> 00:25:58,520 �Get my trunk and follow me. 401 00:25:58,520 --> 00:26:03,160 I'm surprised you didn't tell Baladitio's idiot servant to stay and help you. 402 00:26:03,160 --> 00:26:05,760 Follow the man to hire such a damn fool.� 403 00:26:05,760 --> 00:26:11,080 Kerr said with an enthusiasm he hardly felt. 404 00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:13,600 �I can manage.� 405 00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:18,320 So saying he returned to the trunk and, giving it a look that a pit-fighter might have given 406 00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:24,040 an old adversary, he fell upon it and started wrestling it up onto his back. 407 00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:28,200 Braha wandered past him and back out into the corridor where he headed straight for 408 00:26:28,200 --> 00:26:31,960 the first flight of stairs. 409 00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:36,640 Kerr cursed to himself as he staggered along behind, and for the first time he started 410 00:26:36,640 --> 00:26:41,240 to wonder if being a servant was such an easy life after all. 411 00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:46,800 By the time they finally reached their destination he knew that it wasn't. 412 00:26:46,800 --> 00:26:51,800 His tunic was soaked with sweat, and his muscles, already tender after his carriage journey, 413 00:26:51,800 --> 00:26:53,640 were screaming with pain. 414 00:26:53,640 --> 00:26:59,160 Braha, waddling ahead into a vast chamber, seemed to remember him for the first time. 415 00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:02,960 �Just put it down there on that table.� 416 00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:07,440 He said, pointing to a massive lump of oak that rested on a dozen solid legs. 417 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:11,360 Then he turned and opened his arms in greeting to the man who was approaching him. 418 00:27:11,360 --> 00:27:17,040 �Baladitio, my old friend, what a pleasure it is to meet you again.� 419 00:27:17,040 --> 00:27:21,320 Kerr squatted down and let the trunk slide off of his back. 420 00:27:21,320 --> 00:27:26,280 Resisting the temptation to sit on it he staggered over to lean against the nearest pillar instead. 421 00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:32,040 As he got his breath back he gawped up at the heights of this great hall. 422 00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:37,720 The vaulted ceiling was almost lost in the gloom above, and the light that came in from 423 00:27:37,720 --> 00:27:42,520 the line of small windows that ran along the top of the walls cut through the darkness 424 00:27:42,520 --> 00:27:44,880 like so many bars. 425 00:27:44,880 --> 00:27:48,560 The only other light came from a cavernous fireplace that yawned at the other end of 426 00:27:48,560 --> 00:27:50,080 the hall. 427 00:27:50,080 --> 00:27:54,720 Its flame sent shadows dancing across the flags of the floor, and the burning wood lent a 428 00:27:54,720 --> 00:27:57,480 sweetness to the stale air. 429 00:27:57,480 --> 00:28:02,640 But what really impressed Kerr were the book-shelves which climbed the walls. 430 00:28:02,640 --> 00:28:07,120 In the twilight gloom of this echoing space the ancient tomes and stained timber looked 431 00:28:07,120 --> 00:28:14,200 like some strange fungus, an organic growth that had covered the granite with an ivy embrace. 432 00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:19,480 Here and there Mason's ladders rested against the shelves, and Kerr watched a servant clinging 433 00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:23,680 to the top of one as he struggled to free a book from its neighbours. 434 00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:27,560 Really wondering how much one of these books might be worth, Kerr turned his attention 435 00:28:27,560 --> 00:28:30,280 to the other inhabitants of the library. 436 00:28:30,280 --> 00:28:34,840 There was his master, of course, the fat man boomed with laughter as he embraced the dark-skinned 437 00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:37,560 man called Baledecchio. 438 00:28:37,560 --> 00:28:43,760 And behind him, lost in their own conversations, half a dozen more of his colleagues were gathered. 439 00:28:43,760 --> 00:28:47,760 Each of them differed in complexion, in dress, in build. 440 00:28:47,760 --> 00:28:52,720 They spoke with varying accents and affected different mannerisms, and yet despite this, 441 00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:56,440 Kerr recognized the one thing that they did have in common. 442 00:28:56,440 --> 00:29:00,720 It was their arrogance. 443 00:29:00,720 --> 00:29:06,920 This was something that Kerr usually associated with Eltdorf's merchant princes, and for 444 00:29:06,920 --> 00:29:11,760 a moment he wondered if Braham might indeed be one of these rare creatures. 445 00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:15,120 But somehow he doubted it. 446 00:29:15,120 --> 00:29:20,760 The man seemed as unconcerned about gold as he was about his waistline. 447 00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:25,240 He also seemed quite happy to move around without the usual gang of bodyguards who accompanied 448 00:29:25,240 --> 00:29:28,040 even moderately successful merchants. 449 00:29:28,040 --> 00:29:32,960 Kerr watched his master waddle around, shaking hands and clasping shoulders, and began to 450 00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:35,360 wonder exactly who he was. 451 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:39,720 There was something of the aristocrat about him, although that wasn't it, either. 452 00:29:39,720 --> 00:29:45,000 For one thing he had no title, and for another he spoke without the tortured vowels that 453 00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:47,720 the imperial elite effected. 454 00:29:47,720 --> 00:29:52,200 Then suddenly, with the shocking speed of a breaking limb, Kerr realized exactly what 455 00:29:52,200 --> 00:29:54,000 his master was. 456 00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:59,640 He staggered back towards the wall, clinging to it with dampening palms. 457 00:29:59,640 --> 00:30:04,840 Terror beat within his bony chest as if seeking release, and he felt his throat tightening 458 00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:06,840 into a scream. 459 00:30:06,840 --> 00:30:10,120 But no, no, he wouldn't scream, he wouldn't do anything. 460 00:30:10,120 --> 00:30:14,880 Kerr took a deep breath, and with a self-control honed by a lifetime on the streets, he made 461 00:30:14,880 --> 00:30:18,280 himself relax, made himself think. 462 00:30:18,280 --> 00:30:22,400 So old Braha was a sorcerer. 463 00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:28,280 It was obvious enough, really, the fear that he inspired amongst others, this strange palace 464 00:30:28,280 --> 00:30:34,000 of books and bare walls, the massive tome that he kept gripped in his hand. 465 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:37,760 Kerr felt his panic starting to return and fought it back. 466 00:30:37,760 --> 00:30:39,560 So Braha was a sorcerer. 467 00:30:39,560 --> 00:30:41,400 So what? 468 00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:45,680 One has to make a living, with a last deep, shuddering breath. 469 00:30:45,680 --> 00:30:50,280 He flexed his neck and wiped his palms on the cloth of his britches. 470 00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:55,600 Then he slipped unobtrusively into the shadows, the better to remain unnoticed, while he watched 471 00:30:55,600 --> 00:30:59,040 exactly what it was that sorcerers did. 472 00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:04,960 There was no way, he decided, that it could be as bad as the stories made it out to be. 473 00:31:04,960 --> 00:31:09,000 No way at all, he'd just wait and see. 474 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:13,080 Then and only then would he decide what to do next. 475 00:31:13,080 --> 00:31:14,760 He didn't have to wait long. 476 00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:18,680 The sorcerers' greetings turned out to be as brief as they were, effusive, and they were 477 00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:25,160 soon gathered around the mighty oak table beside which Kerr had dropped Braha's chest. 478 00:31:25,160 --> 00:31:29,920 As Kerr watched, the sorcerer placed his book on the table and opened it. 479 00:31:29,920 --> 00:31:35,720 His movements were as slow and his face as solemn as that of a priest revealing some 480 00:31:35,720 --> 00:31:37,040 relic. 481 00:31:37,040 --> 00:31:43,800 And his back straightened in unconscious pride as he leafed through the vellum pages. 482 00:31:43,800 --> 00:31:47,080 His colleagues made no attempt to reflect this dignity. 483 00:31:47,080 --> 00:31:52,840 Instead, they crowded around him, hunching over the book with the tense enthusiasm of gamblers 484 00:31:52,840 --> 00:31:54,960 over a dice-table. 485 00:31:54,960 --> 00:31:59,440 When they finally began to speak again, their words remained polite, but their voices were 486 00:31:59,440 --> 00:32:01,920 strained with nervous excitement. 487 00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:09,320 Kerr, torn between curiosity and the urge to remain inconspicuous, edged a little closer 488 00:32:09,320 --> 00:32:11,520 so that he could hear what they were saying. 489 00:32:11,520 --> 00:32:16,800 And you are sure that the College of Magic won't mind us casting this? 490 00:32:16,800 --> 00:32:18,600 The one called Baladesho asked. 491 00:32:18,600 --> 00:32:22,200 The whine in his voice almost hidden beneath his forced hardiness. 492 00:32:22,200 --> 00:32:26,600 Oh, who cares what those idiots mined? 493 00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:30,600 If they were capable of properly studying their own medium, then they would have discovered 494 00:32:30,600 --> 00:32:32,040 this centuries ago. 495 00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:38,600 No, it is our duty as the Grey Order to set an example for the lesser orders. 496 00:32:38,600 --> 00:32:42,560 Here, here! 497 00:32:42,560 --> 00:32:46,840 A chorus of agreement rippled around the table, but the doubter was not so easily swayed. 498 00:32:46,840 --> 00:32:50,280 All right, but what about our own rules? 499 00:32:50,280 --> 00:32:51,280 Our own masters? 500 00:32:51,280 --> 00:32:54,640 Maybe we should consult with them first. 501 00:32:54,640 --> 00:32:55,800 What do you mean? 502 00:32:55,800 --> 00:32:59,000 For the first time, Braha let his annoyance show. 503 00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:02,080 We have no masters in the Grey Order, only Brethren. 504 00:33:02,080 --> 00:33:05,720 Brethren who outrank us? 505 00:33:05,720 --> 00:33:11,320 Baladesho pointed out, but Braha wasn't impressed. 506 00:33:11,320 --> 00:33:15,240 Why bother them with every little experiment we undertake? 507 00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:20,360 When I formulated Braha's conjuration of the Chequenaires, I didn't tell anybody until 508 00:33:20,360 --> 00:33:21,720 it was perfected. 509 00:33:21,720 --> 00:33:24,720 The idea came to me when I… 510 00:33:24,720 --> 00:33:27,800 Yes, yes, yes. 511 00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:32,840 Another man who'd obviously heard this story before interrupted. 512 00:33:32,840 --> 00:33:37,280 I don't really think we need to waste any more time talking about this. 513 00:33:37,280 --> 00:33:40,760 We all agreed to participate in today's experiment. 514 00:33:40,760 --> 00:33:45,600 Now, if everyone has brought their contributions, I suggest we make a start before somebody 515 00:33:45,600 --> 00:33:47,600 else comes along. 516 00:33:47,600 --> 00:33:51,400 But why should that matter? 517 00:33:51,400 --> 00:33:54,320 Baladesho asked sarcastically. 518 00:33:54,320 --> 00:33:59,000 After all, we've already agreed that nobody could possibly mind our operating in another 519 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:01,200 courageous territory. 520 00:34:01,200 --> 00:34:04,240 But his colleagues weren't to be distracted. 521 00:34:04,240 --> 00:34:08,320 With a shout, one of them sent the apprentices who had been lurking behind him off to fetch 522 00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:11,240 something that waited in another corner. 523 00:34:11,240 --> 00:34:16,560 Although they ran on their way over to it, they staggered on their way back, and no wonder. 524 00:34:16,560 --> 00:34:20,880 The bronze cauldron was huge, big enough to cook a man in, and it took all four of the 525 00:34:20,880 --> 00:34:24,640 lads to manhandle it to the spot the sorcerer indicated. 526 00:34:24,640 --> 00:34:31,640 "'Rat, then!' said Braha, rubbing his hands so enthusiastically that the empty cauldron 527 00:34:31,640 --> 00:34:33,920 might have been full of honeyed pork. 528 00:34:33,920 --> 00:34:35,880 "'Let's get started. 529 00:34:35,880 --> 00:34:37,560 We should begin with the sulfur. 530 00:34:37,560 --> 00:34:41,600 I've a ram's hoard measured out already.' 531 00:34:41,600 --> 00:34:46,400 So saying, he waddled over to his trunk, unlocked the lid, and retrieved a stoppered horn from 532 00:34:46,400 --> 00:34:47,880 the depths within. 533 00:34:47,880 --> 00:34:51,720 He opened it and upended it over the pot with a flourish. 534 00:34:51,720 --> 00:34:57,080 There was a stream of yellow powder, a stink that reminded Kerr of an exploded corpse, and 535 00:34:57,080 --> 00:35:01,600 a grunt of approval from one of Braha's colleagues. 536 00:35:01,600 --> 00:35:09,400 "'Smells nicely refined,' he offered, and Braha nodded at the compliment. 537 00:35:09,400 --> 00:35:16,040 "'Only the best, and I'm sure that your quicksilver is also well purified here, Grutus.' 538 00:35:16,040 --> 00:35:23,280 "'Of course!' the man nodded, and taking his cue added his own contribution to the 539 00:35:23,280 --> 00:35:24,280 cauldron. 540 00:35:24,280 --> 00:35:28,360 For the next few moments Kerr watched as one by one each of the assembled sorcerers took 541 00:35:28,360 --> 00:35:32,320 it by turns to add to the mixture. 542 00:35:32,320 --> 00:35:38,120 There were powders and liquids, nuggets of what might have been coal, and the reptilian 543 00:35:38,120 --> 00:35:42,120 pelt of a creature whose name he had never heard before. 544 00:35:42,120 --> 00:35:46,680 It was only when Baladecia was asked to make the final addition that the spirit of cooperation 545 00:35:46,680 --> 00:35:47,680 waned. 546 00:35:47,680 --> 00:35:55,040 "'I'm really not sure about this,' he said, weighing something in his hand. 547 00:35:55,040 --> 00:35:57,880 A murmur of disapproval ran through his colleagues. 548 00:35:57,880 --> 00:35:59,800 "'What do you mean?' 549 00:35:59,800 --> 00:36:01,920 Braha asked, giving it voice. 550 00:36:01,920 --> 00:36:04,440 "'What aren't you sure of?' 551 00:36:04,440 --> 00:36:09,120 "'I mean, why come your own triangles in particular?' 552 00:36:09,120 --> 00:36:13,280 The fragment you recovered mentions them, but maybe it refers to any coin that wears 553 00:36:13,280 --> 00:36:15,280 the same as they do.' 554 00:36:15,280 --> 00:36:19,400 "'No,' Braha said and pointed to his book. 555 00:36:19,400 --> 00:36:25,840 "'Look, it definitely says here three golden triangles from the fallen cities of the south.' 556 00:36:25,840 --> 00:36:30,680 "'So not necessarily come here after all, eh?' 557 00:36:30,680 --> 00:36:34,000 "'What else could it mean?' 558 00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:36,000 Baladecia shrugged. 559 00:36:36,000 --> 00:36:39,280 "'Somewhere in Lostria.' 560 00:36:39,280 --> 00:36:43,080 "'Or the jungles below Arabia are here there full of treasure.' 561 00:36:43,080 --> 00:36:48,800 "'Ah, let's vote on it,' Braha snapped, his forced good-humour crumbling. 562 00:36:48,800 --> 00:36:55,280 "'All those in favour of our colleague making the contribution he agreed upon. 563 00:36:55,280 --> 00:36:56,960 And all against?' 564 00:36:56,960 --> 00:37:01,280 Seeing that he was defeated, Baladecia stalked over to the cauldron. 565 00:37:01,280 --> 00:37:05,280 Kerr watched as he opened his hand and dropped three pieces of metal into the mixture. 566 00:37:05,280 --> 00:37:12,280 They flashed through the gloom like tiny comets, and instead of silver they were bright gold. 567 00:37:12,280 --> 00:37:17,600 The coins in Kerr's purse suddenly seemed as worthless as cobbles in comparison. 568 00:37:17,600 --> 00:37:21,600 He licked his lips and shifted uneasily. 569 00:37:21,600 --> 00:37:26,560 With a last regretful look into the cauldron, Baladecia turned back to table and joined 570 00:37:26,560 --> 00:37:30,880 his colleagues as they once more gathered around the book. 571 00:37:30,880 --> 00:37:35,840 Soon they had fallen to bickering again, but this time Kerr didn't hear a word they said. 572 00:37:35,840 --> 00:37:40,600 All of his senses had narrowed to the invitingly open mouth of the cauldron and the ingredients 573 00:37:40,600 --> 00:37:42,440 which lay within. 574 00:37:42,440 --> 00:37:45,600 His fingers started to tingle as he sidled forward. 575 00:37:45,600 --> 00:37:49,920 His eyes remained on the sorcerers, but his mind was all on the gold, as transfixed as 576 00:37:49,920 --> 00:37:52,960 a rodent by a cobra's gaze. 577 00:37:52,960 --> 00:37:54,840 "'Right. 578 00:37:54,840 --> 00:37:56,560 That settled then.' 579 00:37:56,560 --> 00:37:59,400 Braha ended the discussion by slamming the book closed. 580 00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:01,960 "'We know the ingredients are right. 581 00:38:01,960 --> 00:38:03,480 We know the invocations are right. 582 00:38:03,480 --> 00:38:08,000 It now only remains for us to prepare the conjuration.' 583 00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:11,600 He looked up in time to see Kerr retreating back into the shadows. 584 00:38:11,600 --> 00:38:14,720 "'Ah, still here, hey boy. 585 00:38:14,720 --> 00:38:16,080 Very conscientious of you. 586 00:38:16,080 --> 00:38:17,400 Better leave us now, though. 587 00:38:17,400 --> 00:38:19,400 Go, wait in the kitchens.' 588 00:38:19,400 --> 00:38:22,280 "'Yes, Menier.' 589 00:38:22,280 --> 00:38:26,960 Kerr said, bowing as he turned to leave the room. 590 00:38:26,960 --> 00:38:32,400 The other servants had gone already, fleeing from the hall like rats from a burning barn, 591 00:38:32,400 --> 00:38:34,800 and he knew that he should follow them. 592 00:38:34,800 --> 00:38:38,680 He knew that it wouldn't do him any good to hang around here whilst his master got up 593 00:38:38,680 --> 00:38:40,880 to the god's new watt. 594 00:38:40,880 --> 00:38:45,360 And he knew that testing Braha's patience could be a dangerous game. 595 00:38:45,360 --> 00:38:50,240 But although he knew all of this, curiosity and the thought that there might be some more 596 00:38:50,240 --> 00:38:54,680 gold going to waste slowed his steps. 597 00:38:54,680 --> 00:39:00,360 There was a tapestry on the wall beside the door, a mildewed old thing with a faded pattern 598 00:39:00,360 --> 00:39:03,240 of crudely stitched figures. 599 00:39:03,240 --> 00:39:07,480 Kerr reached out to brush his fingers along the rich texture of the cloth, then pushed 600 00:39:07,480 --> 00:39:09,080 against it. 601 00:39:09,080 --> 00:39:14,640 Just as he'd hoped, the material swayed back into a gap that lay between it and the wall. 602 00:39:14,640 --> 00:39:19,400 With a last look over his shoulder, Kerr slipped around the edge of the tapestry and wriggled 603 00:39:19,400 --> 00:39:20,520 behind it. 604 00:39:20,520 --> 00:39:25,840 He took a moment to get comfortable within its mouldy embrace, then peered back out from 605 00:39:25,840 --> 00:39:28,000 behind the faded cloth. 606 00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:32,120 For once the sorcerers had fallen silent. 607 00:39:32,120 --> 00:39:36,680 Apart from the distant crackle of the fire, the only sound in the hall was the shuffling 608 00:39:36,680 --> 00:39:41,080 of the old men's feet as they circled the cauldron. 609 00:39:41,080 --> 00:39:45,360 As Kerr watched, even that stopped. 610 00:39:45,360 --> 00:39:49,560 The men froze into position with a sudden precision of halberdears. 611 00:39:49,560 --> 00:39:53,400 If it hadn't been for the continued rise and fall of their breathing, they might have 612 00:39:53,400 --> 00:39:55,840 been petrified. 613 00:39:55,840 --> 00:40:00,800 Turned to stone, perhaps by the very craft they sought to master, they remained that 614 00:40:00,800 --> 00:40:05,280 way for a dozen heartbeats, and it occurred to Kerr that they seemed to be waiting for 615 00:40:05,280 --> 00:40:07,000 something. 616 00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:13,040 He looked around nervously, wondering if there was anybody here who he had missed. 617 00:40:13,040 --> 00:40:16,480 It was then that Braha began to sing. 618 00:40:16,480 --> 00:40:22,680 His voice was a deep, rumbling baritone that would have been the envy of any troubadour, 619 00:40:22,680 --> 00:40:26,640 and the vaults of this great hall gave it an even greater depth. 620 00:40:26,640 --> 00:40:31,120 But the way that he sung would have cleared an inn, not filled it. 621 00:40:31,120 --> 00:40:34,480 There was no emotion in his voice nor any real tune. 622 00:40:34,480 --> 00:40:39,400 He was merely repeating meaningless words, the richness of his baritone wasted on the 623 00:40:39,400 --> 00:40:41,120 charmless dirge. 624 00:40:41,120 --> 00:40:45,360 Soon another voice joined his, and then another. 625 00:40:45,360 --> 00:40:50,320 The sorcerers followed Braha's lead and chanted the same flat dirge, mouthing the words with 626 00:40:50,320 --> 00:40:55,200 a perfectly timed harmony that was completely at odds with their previous bickering. 627 00:40:55,200 --> 00:40:59,240 Kerr didn't know what he had expected, but it wasn't this, the strange monotonous singing 628 00:40:59,240 --> 00:41:03,040 pulsed on as tunelessly as the grind of a mill-wheel. 629 00:41:03,040 --> 00:41:05,600 Soon he began to fidget. 630 00:41:05,600 --> 00:41:08,640 It was getting hot behind the tapestry. 631 00:41:08,640 --> 00:41:13,800 Sweat started to trickle down his back, and the first twinge of a headache started to 632 00:41:13,800 --> 00:41:15,960 throb in his temples. 633 00:41:15,960 --> 00:41:21,000 He shrugged off this discomfort, and tried to concentrate on the sorcerers instead. 634 00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:26,080 Surprisingly, despite the fact that they still remained unmoving, they had grown flushed 635 00:41:26,080 --> 00:41:28,080 as well. 636 00:41:28,080 --> 00:41:32,640 Kerr saw sweat trickling down Braha's brow, beating on his eyebrows and shining on his 637 00:41:32,640 --> 00:41:34,600 chins. 638 00:41:34,600 --> 00:41:36,620 The man beside him was also flustered. 639 00:41:36,620 --> 00:41:41,240 He looked as though he had spent the last minute sprinting, not singing. 640 00:41:41,240 --> 00:41:45,000 Kerr winced as his headache burst into a sudden stab of pain. 641 00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:49,000 Risking the movement, he raised his hands to his head and massaged his temples. 642 00:41:49,000 --> 00:41:54,360 When he looked back to the sorcerers, he saw that one of them was doing more than sweating. 643 00:41:54,360 --> 00:41:56,560 He was crying. 644 00:41:56,560 --> 00:42:01,440 The man's battered face was wrinkled into a grimace of pain, and although tears were 645 00:42:01,440 --> 00:42:06,120 streaming down his cheeks, he continued to chant, his voice never faltering despite 646 00:42:06,120 --> 00:42:08,240 his obvious pain. 647 00:42:08,240 --> 00:42:12,440 Finally Kerr realized how difficult it was to breathe. 648 00:42:12,440 --> 00:42:16,920 As the air had become hotter so it had become thinner as though all the use had been baked 649 00:42:16,920 --> 00:42:23,080 out of it, he began to gasp, and noticed, with something like horror, that the air that 650 00:42:23,080 --> 00:42:28,400 he sucked in now tasted warmer than the inside of his mouth. 651 00:42:28,400 --> 00:42:31,640 He squirmed nervously and cursed himself for a fool. 652 00:42:31,640 --> 00:42:34,760 He should never have stayed here, never have. 653 00:42:34,760 --> 00:42:38,920 Kerr weak-pierced his thoughts, his attention snapped back to the ring of sorcerers, and 654 00:42:38,920 --> 00:42:41,920 he saw immediately that one of them had fallen. 655 00:42:41,920 --> 00:42:47,480 The man was curled up on the floor, writhing around as he slapped himself on the face. 656 00:42:47,480 --> 00:42:52,920 But although he hit himself hard enough to spatter blood from his nose, Kerr doubted 657 00:42:52,920 --> 00:42:57,280 if it was this which had provoked such squeals of pain. 658 00:42:57,280 --> 00:43:02,360 The fallen sorcerer's colleagues hardly seemed to notice his plight. 659 00:43:02,360 --> 00:43:07,880 All they did was to close the circle with their bodies, and to avert their eyes from 660 00:43:07,880 --> 00:43:09,760 the stricken man. 661 00:43:09,760 --> 00:43:14,440 With a frightened curse Kerr decided that being seen escaping was better than not escaping 662 00:43:14,440 --> 00:43:15,560 at all. 663 00:43:15,560 --> 00:43:20,640 He stumbled out from behind the tapestry and lunged towards the iron latch of the door. 664 00:43:20,640 --> 00:43:23,280 It wouldn't lift, it wouldn't even rattle. 665 00:43:23,280 --> 00:43:26,560 Biting back a surge of panic he tried again. 666 00:43:26,560 --> 00:43:31,160 But although his knuckles shone white with the effort, the mechanism remained frozen. 667 00:43:31,160 --> 00:43:35,120 With the latch and the door to which it was bolted might have been carved from a single 668 00:43:35,120 --> 00:43:37,040 block of stone. 669 00:43:37,040 --> 00:43:41,480 With a whimper of pure terror Kerr backed away from the sealed door, his eyes darting 670 00:43:41,480 --> 00:43:44,280 around the hall for another escape route. 671 00:43:44,280 --> 00:43:48,360 Seeing that there was none he scuttled back to his hiding place, there to think of a way 672 00:43:48,360 --> 00:43:49,600 out. 673 00:43:49,600 --> 00:43:53,920 Even as he disappeared behind the cloth another one of the sorcerers reeled away from the 674 00:43:53,920 --> 00:43:59,560 circle, his chanting disintegrating into a jagged peel of hysterical laughter. 675 00:43:59,560 --> 00:44:04,680 And then, as if coalescing from the very heat and madness which greased the air, the emptiness 676 00:44:04,680 --> 00:44:08,240 above the cauldron began to twist itself into a shape. 677 00:44:08,240 --> 00:44:13,640 At first it was a liquid, flowing thing, this shape. 678 00:44:13,640 --> 00:44:18,240 Little more than the heat haze which flowed over Altdorf's tarred rooftops on a high 679 00:44:18,240 --> 00:44:20,680 summer's day. 680 00:44:20,680 --> 00:44:27,360 But soon it had thickened into an opaque mass, a flickering shape which hung in the air like 681 00:44:27,360 --> 00:44:29,720 some melting bauble. 682 00:44:29,720 --> 00:44:34,200 The rolling contours of its surface blurred and flowed, twisting the light into sickly 683 00:44:34,200 --> 00:44:35,840 new colours. 684 00:44:35,840 --> 00:44:41,400 Kerr's eyes started to water as he watched it, and the room began to mist pink until 685 00:44:41,400 --> 00:44:44,120 he blinked his bloody tears away. 686 00:44:44,120 --> 00:44:50,880 On the other side of the hall the hysterical sorcerer's laughter had degenerated into screaming. 687 00:44:50,880 --> 00:44:56,200 Together with his fallen comrade, the agony of terror in his voice rose ever higher, making 688 00:44:56,200 --> 00:45:00,960 a terrible counterpoint to the steady chanting which still continued. 689 00:45:00,960 --> 00:45:06,680 It was then, with a sound like tearing flesh, that the molten air burst into a ball of flame. 690 00:45:06,680 --> 00:45:10,120 And yet Kerr saw it wasn't flame. 691 00:45:10,120 --> 00:45:15,040 Not really, it was too solid, too alive. 692 00:45:15,040 --> 00:45:21,720 He fell to his knees as the shape of the demon grew, towering above the sorcerers. 693 00:45:21,720 --> 00:45:27,720 Its skin burned like coals, and its eyes were furnaces. 694 00:45:27,720 --> 00:45:32,960 Dragon's wings sprouted from its back, although it scarcely seemed to need them as it floated 695 00:45:32,960 --> 00:45:35,880 effortlessly in the burning air. 696 00:45:35,880 --> 00:45:39,800 Incredibly the sorcerers who ringed it stood fast, even more incredibly they continued 697 00:45:39,800 --> 00:45:41,360 to chant. 698 00:45:41,360 --> 00:45:43,640 All except Braha. 699 00:45:43,640 --> 00:45:47,680 The fat man drew himself up to his full height and spoke, his voice booming through the 700 00:45:47,680 --> 00:45:52,960 bedlam of hysteria and control. 701 00:45:52,960 --> 00:45:57,560 Foul creature! he roared, pointing an accusing finger at the demon. 702 00:45:57,560 --> 00:46:01,800 It is we who have summoned you, and it is we who have bound you. 703 00:46:01,800 --> 00:46:05,880 Take heed of the potion from which we have summoned your infernal substance, and know 704 00:46:05,880 --> 00:46:08,240 that you are bound to our will. 705 00:46:08,240 --> 00:46:12,760 The thing turned effortlessly to look at him, its body seemingly weightless. 706 00:46:12,760 --> 00:46:15,920 For a second to split-second Kerr looked into its face. 707 00:46:15,920 --> 00:46:21,240 It was a mask of shifting features, a nightmare carved of fire. 708 00:46:21,240 --> 00:46:25,880 Kerr felt a patch of wetness spread from his crotch, and realized that he had wet himself. 709 00:46:25,880 --> 00:46:27,360 He didn't care. 710 00:46:27,360 --> 00:46:30,160 Foul creature! 711 00:46:30,160 --> 00:46:35,560 Braha boomed, meeting the furnace pit of the thing's eyes with his own stern gaze. 712 00:46:35,560 --> 00:46:39,640 I command thee to reveal thy name. 713 00:46:39,640 --> 00:46:40,920 Speak! 714 00:46:40,920 --> 00:46:43,160 But the beast didn't speak. 715 00:46:43,160 --> 00:46:47,920 Instead, moving as lightly as a dancing flame, it reached out a black-clawed talon and grabbed 716 00:46:47,920 --> 00:46:50,200 the head of the nearest sorcerer. 717 00:46:50,200 --> 00:46:53,960 The smell of burnt hair and charred pork immediately filled the room. 718 00:46:53,960 --> 00:46:56,840 The man shrieked once and then fell silent. 719 00:46:56,840 --> 00:47:01,440 The demon swung the lifeless corpse from side to side as its claws crushed through skin, 720 00:47:01,440 --> 00:47:03,320 skull, brain. 721 00:47:03,320 --> 00:47:08,040 The man's fellows fell silent, watching his doom with a horrified fascination. 722 00:47:08,040 --> 00:47:11,320 It was Baladeshu who broke their silence. 723 00:47:11,320 --> 00:47:15,320 I told you it was a waste to use my coins. 724 00:47:15,320 --> 00:47:18,400 He said, and suddenly everyone was moving. 725 00:47:18,400 --> 00:47:21,520 Some of the sorcerers bolted, heading for the door. 726 00:47:21,520 --> 00:47:25,800 Others rushed over to look at Braha's book, like cooks who can't quite believe that their 727 00:47:25,800 --> 00:47:27,920 recipe has gone wrong. 728 00:47:27,920 --> 00:47:32,800 And one, his beard jutting out defiantly, produced a talisman from beneath his robes, 729 00:47:32,800 --> 00:47:35,760 the charm flaring with bound lightning. 730 00:47:35,760 --> 00:47:38,360 It was he who the demon took first. 731 00:47:38,360 --> 00:47:42,120 With a hiss of burning air it lunged forward. 732 00:47:42,120 --> 00:47:47,440 A single talon outstretched to unzip the man's belly, he screamed and fell back. 733 00:47:47,440 --> 00:47:51,520 But not before the demon had grabbed a handful of his steaming intestines, it tore them 734 00:47:51,520 --> 00:47:56,040 from its victim as easily as a butcher, gots a rabbit, and left him to die in the stink 735 00:47:56,040 --> 00:47:58,720 of his own boiled blood. 736 00:47:58,720 --> 00:48:03,160 Next it turned its attention to the men huddled around the table, and Kerr was sure that his 737 00:48:03,160 --> 00:48:07,440 master's life was going to end there and then. 738 00:48:07,440 --> 00:48:12,360 But the commotion at the door saved him, perhaps forgetting the petty magics that had half 739 00:48:12,360 --> 00:48:19,600 a dozen sorcerers beat upon the ancient oak, their nerves finally shattering into hysteria. 740 00:48:19,600 --> 00:48:23,800 The demon regarded them balefully, its eyes flaring with white-hot malevolence. 741 00:48:23,800 --> 00:48:25,920 Then it struck. 742 00:48:25,920 --> 00:48:28,880 Wimpering pityably, Kerr hid his face in his hands. 743 00:48:28,880 --> 00:48:33,240 He felt himself sliding to the floor, too weak with horror to stand up any longer, too 744 00:48:33,240 --> 00:48:37,880 weak with horror to do anything but bite the inside of his mouth, holding on to this sting 745 00:48:37,880 --> 00:48:43,120 of pain like a drowning man to a spar, and all around him the crunch and splatter of 746 00:48:43,120 --> 00:48:45,960 the demonic holocaust raged on. 747 00:48:45,960 --> 00:48:49,920 He had no idea how long it took for the noise to stop. 748 00:48:49,920 --> 00:48:54,520 It ended with a smash of splintering wood followed by the echo of distant cries. 749 00:48:54,520 --> 00:49:00,160 Kerr, teeth chattering as though the sweltering heat was the chill of winter, forced himself 750 00:49:00,160 --> 00:49:02,120 to open his eyes. 751 00:49:02,120 --> 00:49:06,200 As soon as he did, he knew that he would have to start moving. 752 00:49:06,200 --> 00:49:11,720 The towering ranks of books were already ablaze, the ancient parchment and desiccated timber 753 00:49:11,720 --> 00:49:16,160 burning merrily away as if in celebration of the slaughter below. 754 00:49:16,160 --> 00:49:21,400 Forcing himself up onto his wobbling legs, Kerr stumbled towards the scorched splinters 755 00:49:21,400 --> 00:49:24,580 that were all that remained of the door. 756 00:49:24,580 --> 00:49:29,320 As he passed through, he accidentally looked at the remains of one of the sorcerers and 757 00:49:29,320 --> 00:49:33,920 struggled against the wave of nausea that washed through him. 758 00:49:33,920 --> 00:49:39,920 Screams and cries of alarm were echoing from the stone halls ahead of him. 759 00:49:39,920 --> 00:49:44,600 Avoiding the passages that they came from, Kerr stumbled along. 760 00:49:44,600 --> 00:49:49,160 Eventually he found himself stepping out of a small door that led to a walkway along one 761 00:49:49,160 --> 00:49:51,440 of the college's walls. 762 00:49:51,440 --> 00:49:56,640 Below him, Altdorf spread away, the chaotic patchwork of streets and workshops and hovels 763 00:49:56,640 --> 00:50:00,600 punctuated here and there by the towers of other colleges. 764 00:50:00,600 --> 00:50:04,880 Kerr shuddered, took a lungful of clean air and looked down. 765 00:50:04,880 --> 00:50:08,640 He was just in time to see the demon as it exploded out from some hidden door and hurled 766 00:50:08,640 --> 00:50:10,720 itself upon the city. 767 00:50:10,720 --> 00:50:15,280 But even from this height Kerr could see that it was weaker than it had been. 768 00:50:15,280 --> 00:50:22,000 The solidity of its form was dissolving, fading into flickering flame and blurred edges. 769 00:50:22,000 --> 00:50:24,800 Only its rage seemed undiminished. 770 00:50:24,800 --> 00:50:29,600 It smashed over a passing cart and lunged at the trapped horses. 771 00:50:29,600 --> 00:50:31,480 Too late, though. 772 00:50:31,480 --> 00:50:38,200 Before it could do more than scorch the hair on their thrashing bodies, its fire died. 773 00:50:38,200 --> 00:50:42,760 For a moment Kerr thought that he could see the heat-haze which had heralded its coming, 774 00:50:42,760 --> 00:50:45,560 but then even that was gone. 775 00:50:45,560 --> 00:50:50,360 He took a deep, shuddering breath and wiped his hands on his britches. 776 00:50:50,360 --> 00:50:54,760 As he did so he felt an unfamiliar shape in his pocket, when he remembered what it was 777 00:50:54,760 --> 00:50:58,800 the first ghost of a smile played across his pallid features. 778 00:50:58,800 --> 00:51:02,120 With a quick glance over his shoulder he took out the golden pyramid, hunching over it so 779 00:51:02,120 --> 00:51:05,120 that he could study it properly. 780 00:51:05,120 --> 00:51:09,520 Strange patterns, faded by time, marked four of the five sides of it, but Kerr was more 781 00:51:09,520 --> 00:51:11,560 interested in the weight of it. 782 00:51:11,560 --> 00:51:14,000 It was gold all right. 783 00:51:14,000 --> 00:51:15,360 Solid gold. 784 00:51:15,360 --> 00:51:19,040 He grinned, as suddenly and brightly as the rising sun. 785 00:51:19,040 --> 00:51:21,520 The day just kept getting better and better. 786 00:51:21,520 --> 00:51:26,680 He took another lungful of fresh air, then braced himself to return to the halls below. 787 00:51:26,680 --> 00:51:34,160 In the cries and the crackle of flames he could hear opportunity calling. 788 00:51:34,160 --> 00:51:36,520 And that's the end. 789 00:51:36,520 --> 00:51:38,000 What did you think? 790 00:51:38,000 --> 00:51:41,240 A cautionary tale or a manual for wrongdoing? 791 00:51:41,240 --> 00:51:45,440 Personally, I think it's scally-waggery as it tends to be with those from the poorer 792 00:51:45,440 --> 00:51:49,080 quarters and with wizards, I might add. 793 00:51:49,080 --> 00:51:51,960 Any magical attendees, please take this as jest. 794 00:51:51,960 --> 00:51:54,240 I have no wish to end up a pair of smoking boots. 795 00:51:54,240 --> 00:51:58,600 A thank you to the Thespians Union and to those who attended this lecture. 796 00:51:58,600 --> 00:52:21,680 Farewell, my Sigmund, I'll walk with you.