Guildmaster Baker was pleased that he had seen Henry Willow. Such men needed reminding of the promises that they had made. Baker would make a point of letting Guildmaster Gumptor know of their encounter also. The meeting had to be arranged. With four young boys to bring up, Baker had more interest in the long-term future of the guilds than most, but all that was for another day. He had come to the Old Quarter with a purpose.
In the heart of the Old Quarter, close to the Stone Guild, an Olith Gate formed an imposing stone archway that stood ten metres above the ground. Steps led down to a dimly lit cave underneath. The cave wasn't very deep. It had been examined many times before. As the Master of the Stone Guild, Baker was more interested in the Olith Gate than most. He stood in front of the gate with his four sons, and they all gazed up at the stonework with admiration.
'What is it?' Kiko said. At eight years old, he was the youngest of the boys, and brimming with enthusiasm if not knowledge. His sandy blonde hair always seemed to lift up in the slightest of breezes.
'You know what it is,' Malnor said. At nine, he was a whole year older than Kiko, and he often made a point of declaring his superior status, even though Baker had reminded him that they were all equal in his eyes.
Baker towered above the children, smiling at their rivalry as he leant down and squeezed their shoulders in turn.
'Wisdom arrives through the eyes and ears, boys, seldom through your own mouth.'
Kiko looked excited. Malnor swapped his superior expression for one of glumness.
Dhavid stood to one side, pointing up at a symbol carved into one of the old sand coloured stones at the top of the Olith Gate. At fourteen, his voice was deeper than the others and he spoke with quiet, considered words.
'Father, that symbol has changed again,' he said.
The top of Dhavid's head reached almost to his father's shoulders, but his muscles had a lot of catching up to do. His father's body looked like it had been carved out of solid rock while Dhavid's thin frame looked more like a temporary structure that was still awaiting completion.
Baker followed his eldest son's gaze and saw that the symbol had indeed changed.
'Last time we came, that symbol was three vertical lines,' Dhavid said.
Baker nodded. 'I remember it well.'
Kiko pushed in front of his brother to take a closer look. He had to squint to see so high. 'What is it now?' he said.
Dhavid stared up at the arch, using his hand to shield his eyes from the sun. 'Now it's one vertical line and two short horizontal lines.'
Kiko frowned, and stuck out his lip. 'How do you remember?' he said.
Dhavid shrugged. 'What does it mean father?'
Baker stared at the symbols, his face flat and expressionless. Stillness surrounded him, even in the noisy streets of the Old Quarter. 'We don't know what it means, Dhavid. The symbols of the Olith Gates have been studied by many guildsmen over the years. For over a century there were no changes in the symbols at all, and then for three years they changed almost every day. More recently the changes have been intermittent, happening only every few months. Nobody has been able to predict the pattern. Some say that when the symbols change, it is a symptom of something else, some underlying forces that we cannot see.'
'What do you think, father?' Dhavid's brown eyes studied his father's face intently, as though he hoped to find the solution in the tanned skin and wrinkles that covered his father's face.
'What do I think?' Baker said. 'I think that the sun rises and sets once each day. Birds only approach people when their bellies are empty. Things happen for a reason rather than through random chance. We may not understand why the symbols change, but the reasons still exist. These gates have been here for many centuries before any of us were born. If we are to understand such ancient stones, we need to look to the past rather than the present.'
'It looks the same to me,' Kiko said.
'What do you think, Thomas?' Baker said.
At thirteen years old, Thomas was only a year younger than Dhavid, but he seldom spoke unless prompted. He stood behind the others, making no attempt to compete against their voices. His dark hair was thick, short and brushed flat across the top of his head. When he spoke it was in a quiet voice, not shy but lacking the need for any attention.
'I don't know, father,' he said.
'Do you think there's a reason that the symbols change?'
The other boys turned to face Thomas, waiting for his words with interest.
'I'm sure there is,' Thomas said. 'I'm sure the lords know all about it too. Whatever it is, obviously they don't want us to know about it.'
Dhavid looked pale.
Kiko stepped closer to his father. 'Don't say that Thomas. You're scaring me.'
Malnor put his hands on his hips. 'Then they should tell us,' he said. 'Why won't they tell us? We're guildsmen, every one of us.'
Kiko nodded.
Thomas gazed at them all with flat blue eyes that were almost a reflection of his father's. 'The lords don't want us to know.'