Chapter 9: Mutually Assured Deception



The light of the newborn sun rose that instant far enough above the
horizon to shine directly into the tower's upper dome-like room, and I
was awe struck by the texture that the lights created on the glass of
the walls, for when it shone through at just the right height, a
previously invisible picture came to view. It was of a towering clipper
ship with sails that stretched across their masts like skin over the
bones of a pleasantly plump fellow, the wind billowing them about at a
leisurely rate. Waves broke gently upon the ship's side as the crew
rested peacefully on the various cables and nets, all except for the
one-legged captain who was busy looking at the map and accompanying
charts. It was a quaint and beautiful scene, though it soon passed away
as the sun moved upwards in the sky, and I wouldn't have mentioned it,
except that as it disappeared, I found myself looking at where it had
been, but instead of the ship, I saw directly through the glass the
inhabitants of Nunami arising and beginning their daily business, a
scene which I might have missed since I was previously wholly absorbed
by the picturesqueness of the sky.

Usually the Zards would arise before dawn and be about their business,
but because of the great flames of the night before, they had no doubt
had trouble sleeping, and therefore slept later than usual when they
finally did fall into the lands beyond consciousness. They hustled and
bustled about the streets of Nunami, each doing their own business, and
there was much business to be done in a city in which all provisions are