30. The Badger Again

Night falls as Severian, Jolenta, and Dorcas arrive among the vacant buildings of the stone town.  Severian contemplates the mountains in the distance and his objectives among their peaks.  Jolenta pauses to drink stagnant water and is sick.  Dorcas spies a campfire atop a ruined structure.  

Severian calls up to three figures around the fire, and they invite him to join them.  Carrying Jolenta, Severian mounts a makeshift stairway to the roof.  A young woman and an old woman, the Cumaean, greet him. Severian believes he may have met the pair while delivering a message to the witches’ tower during his service as an apprentice.