He couldn’t move. Magnetised by the words, he was also unable to think. The gargoyles and the lapis lazuli snakes seemed to writhe and hiss. The giant dragon seemed to breathe out an invisible devouring fire. Its fabulous wings appeared to stir.
Then, to his horror, the open spaces of the gate, through which he should pass, began to howl.
The wind bristled with enigmas and hints, with warnings whispered round his head. A strange heat blasted his eyes.
The open spaces of the gate were more terrifying than the gate itself. And more terrifying than the space were the undeciphered words.
He knew that if he couldn’t decipher the words he would never be able to enter the city. He knew he would earn the right to pass into that strange domain only if he could also solve the riddle of the gate. And he knew that, like the bridge and the crossing of the abyss, the longer it took him the greater was his peril. Only this time he had no guide to explain to him the full nature of his impending doom.