When I read a book

When I read a book I seem to read it with my eyes only, but now and then I come across a passage, perhaps only a phrase, which has a meaning for me, and it becomes part of me.

~William Somerset Maugham

The mighty spires of a medieval city rise up on all sides, reaching for the sky. The citizens go about their day doing their usual jobs- farming, fishing, forging, weaving. I stand in front of a mighty stone edifice. Perched on a hill, high above the rest of the city is a castle.

The drawbridge is slowly lowered. I step on it with some trepidation. It is not often that an outsider is granted audience with the King. The entrance is flanked on either side by a guard holding a steel halberd. There is a chamberlain to receive me and escort me to the King's chamber.

I pass hallways lit with torches on both sides. Their flames flicker, causing pulsating shadows on either wall. The grim faced chamberlain leads me through a veritable maze of stony corridors. We reach a flight of stairs.

There is an imposing figure of a royal guard on every second step as I slowly walk up. I can feel my pulse palpably racing as I ascend the stairs, leading to an ornate wooden door opening into the royal chamber. Finally, I am in front of the door. It creaks at the hinges as two guards slowly open it.

Eventually, I muster up the courage to step inside the room. It is richly decorated with a detailed embroidered tapestry running across the walls, culminating in velvet curtains with satin edged finishes. The king was facing the window, his back turned to me.

I wait for the door to close behind me and slowly unsheath my dagger. This is the moment I have been trained for, sent for. I shall end this tyrant's rule with one swift strike of my glittering steel. I lunge towards him....

“Lunch is ready.”

The assassination would have to wait. My mother has cooked her usual sumptuous lunch for me. Bookmarking the page in my book, I get up. The Malazan series by Steven Eriksson truly takes you inside the pages of it, into his world.