".Marcas descended a steep set of stairs leading down from the Lianti Bridge. It brought them onto a footpath running along the Culn, past the gardens and riverside abodes of some very fortunate families. As they walked north-east they passed other strolling couples enjoying the early evening light. Willows drooped into the river, rushes lined the banks and the sun glittered off surprisingly clear waters. Unlike the Brulos, which has to endure the workshops and latrines of Forgar before reaching Jalkin, the Culn has only the silt of the Central Plains to begrime it. When the two rivers meet at Suln Tres the Culn supposedly purifies its larger cousin; in fact it is swallowed up, a virgin defiled by a lecherous old man. Meanwhile its unsullied stretch holds some of Jalkin's most prized real estate and provides an oasis of rural tranquillity.
Close to the north wall, an underground stream merges with the river and widens it into a small lake. Benches follow the curve of the path and a statue to Ella stands on a tiny artificial island in the lake. Herons are alleged to nest in the rushes and the lake once hosted an apocryphal manifestation of the Goddess. Marcas sat them on a bench, explaining that it had been a good long year since herons were last seen in Dorlaf. (Their beaks are said to be magical, so like the unfortunate dragons they have been hunted to extinction.) Branwen also knew that Ella rarely deigned to visit the heretical Cities."
(from The Innocents)