Chapter 5 Summary

Khan sits high in his palace visualizing the growth of his empire. He sees the conquered territories spreading further and further into different regions. Khan thinks to himself that the empire has grown too far outward and must grow within itself. He dreams of his lands filled with promise and rich growth. The empire does grow and become vast and heavy with products and cities. Now, Khan worries that the empire will be crushed under its own weight. He begins to dream of cities that are light as feathers and transparent. He tells Polo that he has dreamed of a city bathed in the light of the moon. The city seems to play with the moon on clear nights. Polo tells him that the city he dreamed of is called Lalage. He says that the people built their city as invitation for the...