16
Trachis led us through the winding streets of the old city and to one of the far-flung corners. The path we found ourselves on abutted the ancient wall on our right and a long, unbroken row of short, squat houses on our left. He stopped at one of the hovels and scurried inside. The foundation was set below street level so that the room was cool, but the window didn’t allow the sunlight to break through the gloom of the far back corners.
The hovel held very little furniture that consisted of a low, narrow bed and a table with a chair. Though the furniture was scarce, the contents were many. Books upon books were stacked around the room. Some of the piles reached to the ceiling. Others had toppled long ago and now lay in dusty rows on the hard stone floor.
Trachis scurried aroun
