23. The Cursed Town

Exhausting their provisions, Severian and the boy trudge through the mountains.  Severian reflects on his encounter with the mages and his feigned magical abilities.  He ponders lies and their justifications, thinking of Master Gurloes and his maneuvering to protect the Order of the Seekers of Truth and Penitence.

With the boy on his back, Severian scales a bluff and arrives on a paved roadway traveling upward towards the face of the mountain.  Little Severian points out the hand of the colossus and its ring of gold.