Jamie had pointed out that the building must have lesser doors for utilitarianpurposes. He soon found one, bolted for the night and between windows that werehardly more than slits, impossible to crawl through. He could have hewn the woodpanels asunder, but the noise might be heard. Cappen had a better idea. He gothis partner down on hands and knees. Standing on the broad back, he poked hisspear through a window and worked it along the inside of the door. After somefumbling and whispered obscenities, he caught the latch with the head and drewthe bolt.

'Hoosh, you missed your trade, I'm thinking,' said the Northerner as he rose andopened the way.

'No, burglary's too risky for my taste,' Cappen replied in feeble jest. The factwas that he had never stolen or cheated unless somebody deserved such treatment.

'Even burgling the house of a god?' Jamie's grin was wider than necessary.

Cappen shivered. 'Don't remind me.'

They entered a storeroom, shut the door, and groped through murk to the exit.Beyond was a hall. Widely spaced lamps gave bare visibility. Otherwise theintruders saw emptiness and heard silence. The vestibule and nave of the templewere never closed; the guards watched over a priest always prepared toaccept offerings. But elsewhere hierarchy and staff were asleep. Or so the twohoped.

Jamie had known that the holy of holies was in the dome, Ils being a sky god.Now he let Cappen take the lead, as having more familiarity with interiorsand ability to reason out a route. The minstrel used half his mind for thatand scarcely noticed the splendours through which he passed. The second halfwas busy recollecting legends of heroes who incurred the anger of a god,especially a major god, but won to happiness in the end because they had theblessing of another. He decided that future attempts to propitiate Ils wouldonly draw the attention of that august personage; however, Savankala would bepleased, and, yes, as for native deities, he would by all means ferventlycultivate Eshi.

A few times, which felt ghastly long, he took a wrong turning and must retracehis steps after he had discovered that. Presently, though, he found a staircasewhich seemed to zig-zag over the inside of an exterior wall. Landing afterlanding passed by -

The last was enclosed in a very small room, a booth, albeit richly ornamented -

He opened the door and stepped out -

Wind searched between the pillars that upheld the dome, through his clothes andin towards his bones. He saw stars. They were the brightest in heaven, for theentry booth was the pedestal of a gigantic lantern. Across a floor tiled insymbols unknown to him, he observed something large at each cardinal point - analtar, two statues, and the famous Thunderstone, he guessed; they were shroudedin cloth of gold. Before the eastern object was stretched a band, the far sideof which seemed to be aglow.

He gathered his courage and approached. The thing was a parchment, about eightfeet long and four wide, hung by cords from the upper corners to a supportingmember of the dome. The cords appeared to be glued fast, as if to avoid makingholes in the surface. The lower edge of the scroll, two feet above the floor,was likewise secured; but to a pair of anvils surely brought here for thepurpose. Nevertheless the parchment flapped and rattled a bit in the wind. Itwas covered with cabalistic signs.

Cappen stepped around to the other side, and whistled low. That held a picture,within a narrow border. Past the edge of what might be a pergola, the scene wentto a meadowland made stately by oak trees standing at random intervals. About amile away - the perspective was marvellously executed - stood a building ofmanorial size in a style he had never seen before, twistily colon-aded,extravagantly sweeping of roof and eaves, blood-red. A formal garden surroundedit, whose paths and topiaries were of equally alien outline; fountains sprang inintricate patterns. Beyond the house, terrain rolled higher, and snow-peaksthrust above the horizon. The sky was deep blue.

'What the pox!' exploded from Jamie. 'Sunshine's coming out of that painting. Ifeel it.'

Cappen rallied his wits and paid heed. Yes,Warmth as well as light, and ... andodours? And were those fountains not actually at play?

An eerie thrilling took him. 'I ... believe ... we've ... found the gate,' hesaid.

He poked his spear cautiously at the scroll. The point met no resistance; itsimply moved on. Jamie went behind. 'You've not pierced it,' he reported.'Nothing sticks out on this side - which, by the way, is quite solid.'

'No,' Cappen answered faintly, 'the spear-head's in the next world.'

He drew the weapon back. He and Jamie stared at each other.

'Well?' said the Northerner.

'We'll never get a better chance,' Cappen's throat responded for him. 'It'd beblind foolishness to retreat now, unless we decide to give up the wholeventure.'

'We, uh, we could go tell Molin, no, the Prince what we've found.'

'And be cast into a madhouse? If the Prince did send investigators anyway, theplotters need merely take this thing down and hide it till the squad has left.No.' Cappen squared his shoulders. 'Do what you like, Jamie, but I am goingthrough.'

Underneath, he heartily wished he had less self-respect, or at least that heweren't in love with Danlis.

Jamie scowled and sighed. 'Aye, right you are, I suppose. I'd not looked formatters to take so headlong a course. I awaited that we'd simply scout around.Had I foreseen this, I'd have roused the lassies to bid them, well, good night.'He hefted his spear and drew his sword. Abruptly he laughed. 'Whatever comes,'twill not be dull!'

Stepping high over the threshold, Cappen went forward.

It felt like walking through any door, save that he entered a mild summer's day.After Jamie had followed, he saw that the vista in the parchment was that onwhich he had just turned his back: a veiled mass, a pillar, stars above anighted city. He checked the opposite side of the strip, and met the samedesigns as had been painted on its mate.

No, he thought, not its mate. If he had understood Enas Yorl aright, and rightlyremembered what his tutor in mathematics had told him about esoteric geometry,there could be but a single scroll. One side of it gave on this universe, theother side on his, and a spell had twisted dimensions until matter could passstraight between.

Here too the parchment was suspended by cords, though in a pergola of yellowmarble, whose circular stairs led down to the meadow. He imagined a sikkintairwould find the passage tricky, especially if it was burdened with two women inits claws. The monster had probably hugged them close to it, come in at highspeed, folded its wings, and glided between the pillars of the dome and themargins of the gate. On the outbound trip, it must have crawled through intoSanctuary.

All this Cappen did and thought in half a dozen heartbeats. A shout yanked hisattention back. Three men who had been idling on the stairs had noticed theadvent and were on their way up. Large and hard-featured, they bore the shavenvisages, high-crested morions, gilt cuirasses, black tunics and boots, shortswords, and halberds of temple guards. 'Who in the Unholy's name are you?'called the first. 'What're you doing here?'

Jamie's qualms vanished under a tide of boyish glee. 'I doubt they'll believeany words of ours,' he said. 'We'll have to convince them a different way. Ifyou can handle him on our left, I'll take his feres.' Cappen felt lessconfident. But he lacked time to be afraid; shuddering would have to be donein a more convenient hour. Besides, he was quite a good fencer. He dashedacross the floor and down the stair.