The Soul Bottles

As their family had nourished layered ambitions, Tomb had never been boxed in his youth and so had become the giant his brother might have been. Dwarves are the secret aristocracy of the City Imperishable, but for the provinces and distant foreigners full-grown men are the best agents. Once he became confident that I knew my letters and numbers as well as any box-raised dwarf and could keep careful track of the right people to bribe -- all skills learned in the early days of my youth -- Tomb was delighted to leave the ongoing details of business in my care.

In my fourth year of service, Tomb relocated to Port