13. To the Centre of the City“We have to get safely into the centre of the city,” said Fer. “We have to reach the Shadow Town Hall. Once again we need your help, oh wise and noble archaeon.”
Fer waited for the bookwyrm to respond, letting it play its little game of feigning boredom. As before, the creature dwarfed her, although its appearance was very different now. In the Tanglewood it had resembled a dragon from the old tales of Angere. Sulphurous smoke had drifted from its scaly snout as it lay curled in its cave. Now its smooth lines glinted like polished glass, as if it were fashioned from some silvery, molten metal. When it opened its eyes she saw, instead of her own tiny image reflected in the black depths, lines of glowing letters and numbers scrolling rapidly upward. The rough st
