Montbron is a village and threshold in Antiterra. On the ordinary French map it is a town of the Charente on the river La Tardoire; in Antiterra it is displaced, and what flows under its bridge is not water but a border, crossed only with the Ferryman.
| Type | Place |
| Spanish entry | Montbron |
Description
The Ferryman, a local Charon, stands hooded in his boat, one hand on the pole, the other palm up. Any coin will do, if the traveler’s own hand gives it. Those who haggle do not cross; those who pay without understanding cross but lose half of what they carry, not knowing which half. In mist, his voice always speaks the same phrase and never charges for it twice.
The plate’s Italian inscriptions give the rules: “Offri una moneta. Non importa il valore, ma deve essere data volontariamente” (“Offer a coin. Its value does not matter, but it must be given willingly”); the river is “a border, a passage”; and the voice in the mist says “Una moneta per il viaggio. Una scelta per l’anima” (“A coin for the journey. A choice for the soul”).
History
The band of Les Libertateurs came to Montbron on business the archive does not fix under one name; the Tower of Heva lay beyond. The crossing was troubled: some paid too much, others too little, and according to Arkos only one paid exactly. Crossing, returning and having been there cost three different sums; Montbron gives no change.
The Ferryman behaved like the hunter Gracchus (“who is to blame? The ferryman”), fought in the pond, walked on the water and withdrew. The way to the Tower lies on the far side.