Shelyid’s eyes widened. Seeing the expression of shock and surprise in his ward’s face, the wizard nodded sagely. “Indeed so, dwarf. A most superstitious and barbarous lot, our ancestors. ‘Twas even the custom for the Emperor’s chariot to be drawn over the prostrate bodies of his subjects, the which laid themselves upon every inch of every road whence his frequent journeys took him.”
Zulkeh’s brows lowered as he weighed the various aspects of the question in his mind. “From a mathematic viewpoint, of course, the policy was ill-advised. As the Emperor’s chariot was an immense vehicle carved from a single block of jade, resting upon two great iron wheels inlaid with gold and gems, and drawn by four buffalo, the practice weighed heavily upon the populace. Hence, according to Herodotus, the derivation of the Emperor’s cognomen. Hence also, according to Herodotus, the rapid decline of his empire.”
Here, glowering fiercely, Zulkeh’s eyes ranged across the dilapidated slums through whose narrow and crooked streets the hansom was passing. “Since that time—as even you can no doubt deduce from our miserable surroundings—the history of Goimr can most politely be described as undistinguished.”
“Everybody says it’s a dump, master,” agreed the apprentice cheerfully. “Most wretched place in Grotum, they say.”
“Nonsense!” exclaimed the mage. “Squalid though it be, Goimr is a veritable paradise compared to Kankr.” His brow furrowed. “Nor do I recall giving you leave to insult what is, when all is said and done, my chosen place of study and cogitation.”
The dwarf’s head lowered, acknowledging the deserved reproof. Zulkeh continued:
“The official historical account, perpetuated by the royal family at great expense, has it that Goimr was once the seat of a great empire ruling all of Grotum, which was brought to an end by the unfortunate pile-up of silt at the mouth of the Moyle. This interpretation leans heavily on the aforementioned legend of the Emperor of the Grinding Hegemony, and is considered utterly preposterous by the entire population. But we must leave off this fascinating but perhaps not pressing matter. For I see we have arrived at the ferry which will convey us to King Roy’s island.”
* * *
Eventually, Zulkeh and Shelyid arrived at the palace door, upon which the wizard rapped imperiously with his staff.
“Who’s there?” queried a voice within.
“It is the wizard Zulkeh, come in response to King Roy’s summons.”
Moments later the door creaked open. A slovenly individual in the livery of the Royal Guard peered forth, then stood aside.
“You may enter. Go that way,” he muttered, pointing down a long corridor to their right with one hand as he scratched his stomach with the other. Zulkeh attempted to solicit more precise directions, but the guard ignored him and slouched into a rickety chair.
Grumbling at the discourtesy, Zulkeh strode forth down the hallway. Ere long, however, his humor improved as he regarded the multitude of portraits which hung along both sides of the hall, the which depicted the long line of the royalty of Goimr.
“Respect for one’s ancestors, Shelyid, is a sure sign of good breeding,” spoke the wizard as he inspected the portraits. “Pity ’tis in this regard that you have no known ancestry to respect.” The dwarf hung his head in shame. “On the other hand, given your malformities, ’tis perhaps as well that your provenance remains unknown.”
At the end of the hall stood two guards before another door. These wights were as unprepossessing as the first. Informing them of his name and the nature of his visit, Zulkeh and Shelyid obtained admittance to the room beyond. In this antechamber, bare of all furnishings, they were joined shortly by a man of easy grace, yclept Gerard, who pronounced himself Chief Counselor to the Throne.
“Ah, Zulkeh,” said this latter. He regarded the wizard and his apprentice for some long moments, not, or so it seemed, with any great pleasure. “You are here at the behest of King Roy, who bade me search the city for a sorcerer to aid him in his current melancholia. You were the only one I could find. I will tell you straight out, sirrah, that I view the King’s hope in your assistance with considerable skepticism.”