The Groundling Cage

The Perch clings to the ledges and rock spires of a sheer cliff above a shadowed gorge, and the Aerynthians who live there come and go on their own wings. Visitors without wings come up in the Groundling Cage. It is two open cages of lashed timber hung from the ends of one long rope, which runs over a great wheel on a platform at the top of the cliff. When one cage goes up, the other comes down, and the bird folk load the lower cage with stones until the weights are near enough even.

The ride from the gorge floor to the lowest ledges of the Perch takes a few minutes of creaking and swaying, and the wind tries to spin the cage the whole way. The keeper on the platform names the price, weighs the passenger by eye and adds a little for every bag. A visitor who argues may be told, quite politely, that the stairs are free. There are no stairs.