Upon them, broad, round towers of pale grey stone rose at regular, imposing intervals, their crenellated battlements already strategically primed for legions of archers to command every lethal angle of approach.
Beyond the outer defenses, the sprawling rooftops of the city within gleamed a brilliant, almost blinding white beneath the midday sun, a sea of terracotta tiles laid so perfectly they appeared like a vast bed of polished marbles.
The buildings themselves were not hovels but substantial structures, their walls sturdy and well-drafted, punctuated by the dark, empty sockets of proper windows and the sturdy, promising stacks of chimneys.
It didn't take long for the river of people to flood through the gates and into the pristine avenues, their voices rising in a wave of awed and joyous noise, while Kaelor, broke from the current and went straight to the citadel.
