As they climbed the path around the tower, Issari got a better look at both the city below and the land beyond. Goshar spread for marks around her, just as large as Eteer, a great labyrinth of stone and dust, a painting all in bronze and copper tones. A few scattered palm trees were all the greenery here, and in the north spread the cracked, rocky desert that had nearly killed her people, a desolate land that separated the mountains from the sea.

South of Goshar, however—past the mountain range where the city nestled—spread a land of plenty. The mountains split the world into separate landscapes as clearly as a coast separates land from sea. As barren as the north was, the south was lush. Three rivers crossed the landscape, flowing down from mountain springs. Farmlands and grasslands spread between these blue threads, undulating in the wind. Birds flew in clouds and herds of deer dotted the land. Issari saw many marks of rye, wheat, barley, and other crops spreading into the distance. Several farms spread outside of Eteer, but much of that city's food had come from the sea; meanwhile, Goshar guarded the road to a cradle of fecundity.

The path kept coiling around the tower, lined with many soldiers and turrets, rising into haze. Finally, when Issari was so winded she could barely breathe, they reached a golden archway between two statues of Mahazar. Several soldiers stood here, clad in ring mail, their beards long and curled into rings that mimicked their armor. Here the gatekeepers entered the tower, leading Issari and Tanin into a wide hall. A mosaic spread across the floor, depicting many serpents coiling together. The columns lining the room were shaped as snakes too, their eyes jeweled, their tongues holding burning incense. Many women lounged here, their faces painted, their bodies nude except for many golden bracelets and necklaces. A few women splashed in a pool of steaming water, while others lay upon cushions, smoking from glass hookahs. A cloud of the green smoke hid the back of the chamber.

The gatekeepers—those soldiers who had led Issari and Tanin here—stood at attention. Their captain knelt and cried out, "Blessed Abina Sin-Naharosh, Prophet of Mahazar! Before you, come to beg your legendary mercy, stands Issari Seran, Princess of Eteer!"

"Queen of Eteer," Issari said, staring forward with narrowed eyes, struggling to see the abina through the smoke.

A voice rose from ahead, high-pitched and slightly slurred. "Issari Seran! Of course. Tales of her beauty have reached even this tower. Let—" Coughs interrupted the words, following by a hawking sound. "Let her step forth. Let us gaze upon the legendary beauty of our enemy's daughter."