“ | Even rot is a kind of life. There is no life here. | ” |
— Bayaz
|
Jewel of Cities is the thirty-fifth chapter in Before They Are Hanged.
Chapter Summary[]
The splints on Jezal's leg and arm have finally been removed, and he's astride a horse. He's still sore, but small things make him happy these days. He contemplates whether a simple life would really be so bad; no fame, no power, no wealth, just to marry Ardee and live safe and happy. They ride in sombre silence brought on by the desolation around them; dead tree stumps jut from the earth along the roadside. Bayaz explains that Juvens planted them himself, but when Glustrod seized the city, he felled them all to feed his furnaces. They haven’t rotted these thousand years because even rot is a kind of life, and there is no life here.
Soon they arrive at the gates of Aulcus, Jewel of Cities. Aulcus seems a city made for giants; great walls, colossal buildings, and towering columns.1 Regardless, it is a city where nothing lives, no birds, no dogs, and no people; a crumbling dark place, like looking into your own grave. Before continuing, Bayaz tells them of a hill with a temple on the summit to the south of the city; the Saturline Rock. If they are separated, they will rendezvous there. Logen doesn’t much care for that forewarning and asks Ferro to watch his back. Surprisingly, she agrees to do it if she can.
As they pass through the ruined city, Ferro begins to hear things and see movement out of the corner of her eye. However, Bayaz mockingly tells her it’s just the wind. Soon, they come to massive sinkholes in their route, causing delays as they move around them. Eventually, they reach the Maker’s bridge. Where all other things in Aulcus have crumbled, Kanedias’ work stands undiminished. However, Ferro balks at crossing the bridge and demands specific answers from Bayaz about the Seed, and why Bayaz needs her. Barely hiding his annoyance, Bayaz names the Seed the thing that Glustrod dug from the earth, material from the Other Side, left behind from when Euz cast the Demons from the world. It is the weapon he turned on his brothers and did all this to Aulcus. Only Ferro can carry the Seed because she is a Devil-Blood, distantly descended from Demons. Ferro smiles as she contemplates turning Gurkhul into a wasteland like Aulcus.
Characters[]
Introduced | Appeared | Mentioned |
---|---|---|
Jezal dan Luthar | Juvens | |
Ferro Maljinn | Glustrod | |
Malacus Quai | Kanedias | |
Bayaz | Euz | |
Ferro Maljinn | Ardee West | |
Brother Longfoot |
Locations and Terms[]
Aulcus | The Old Empire | The Seed | The Other Side | Demons | Devil-Blood |
References[]
- Although it's not totally spelled out, it seems that the Old Empire was almost more advanced than the Union or even the Gurkish Empire.