Perilous and Fair was a city like no other, a many-walled, many-towered glory on the Umber River, with the distant blue mountains acting as a magnificent backdrop. Its crowning glory was the Caisah's Citadel, which stood at the center of the city. He knew it to be a labyrinth of white stone with a thousand rooms surrounded by the music of water. The waterfalls had been pleasing to the original owners—the Vaerli; ironically it appeared their destroyer enjoyed the very same thing. The city was the jewel in the Caisah's empire, so it was not idly named. The attachment of Perilous to Fair, however, only served to draw more people to it. Danger always added spice to beauty—the storyteller knew that very well. Finn paused for a moment among the throngs of other people right before the Phoenix Gate. Craning his head back, he saw the two magical birds, both carved into the gates of lapis lazuli and taller than five men on each other's shoulders.
