Together with the monster hunters, he arrived at the western gate tower, the Porta Principalis Sinistra. Secretly he sometimes called it the lucky gate, or the golden gate. Here the Limes was situated. The gate tower was around 20 metres tall and allowed for two carriages to pass through. It was massive and guarded against any intruders.
He wondered where it had gone. A bridge stood in its place, looking fairly new, in an architectural style he didn’t recognise. There were two staircases, one on each side of the bridge, that led downstairs to the Tiefer Graben. The bridge was embroidered in gold in different places and had golden ornaments underneath. Depictions of another long lost age? 1782 he read. Flashes of a different bridge flickered across his mind. A chapel sitting in the middle of the bridge. Two watchers on either side. He saw a shadow. Figures dark, but enveloped in a golden shimmer. A dark fog seemed to prevent a clearer picture.
He realised what they were guarding against. They were securing the bridge, protecting against flooding and keeping safe any confessions that were made here, as was their calling by their patron Saint Nepomuk.
Before, in Vindobona, the gate had protected against intruders, then against flooding and now? What did it protect against now?
Something was lost, yet something also stayed. There was no need to protect against flooding anymore. But what stayed was a feeling of not wanting outsiders coming in. A most destructive of feelings. Where did it come from? Was it fear? Was it the unknown? Again, he couldn’t quite put his finger on it… But he noticed something else. As soon as the monster hunters had looked around them. Explored the area with their curiosity, the feeling lifted. The Grant fled, pushed back by open minds and curiosity. There was no room for exclusion. No need for protection. The protection lay in the curiosity and non-jugdemental nature of the monster hunters. The shadow lifted and the watchers of the bridge felt a weight being raised high above their heads. They didn’t need to protect against intruders – they had to simply say welcome!
With this feeling in mind, he touched the bridge for good luck and set off, together with the monster hunters, towards the next monster signal.
