23. The Pelagic Argosy Sights Land

Severian wakes to the silent aftermath of the battle.  He is injured and pinned to the ground by the weight of his dead steed.  Night falls and Severian drifts to sleep to the sound of howling wolves.

Hearing heavy footsteps approach and fearing carrion eaters, Severian shouts for help.  A trumpet sound pierces the air and Severian sees the approach of a mammoth.  The creature dislodges Severian from beneath his mount and hoists him into the air with its trunk. 

A man standing atop the mammoth greets Severian.  Severian recognizes the rider as the proprietor of the House Azure, the stranger in the Second House, and the Autarch of the Commonwealth.  Dazed, Severian recites a passphrase in greeting.  The Autarch instructs the mammoth to depart the battlefield.