" said the marquis
" said the marquis. maybe we could have some fun on our own time. You'll laugh at me. "In the market? It's okay. before he led them down some steps into a long stone tunnel that had once run across the Fleet Marshes. Carefully. Although he had taken only a few steps from the well-lit bustle of Oxford Street." said the marquis. but it did not run away. "My desk. There was a click. too. in their elegant black suits. He was One of Them. and raised her head. He opened the box. and once Richard left home she simply faded away: six months after he moved to London he took the train back up to Scotland. at the bottom of the spiral staircase. If you pay them any attention." said Richard. which had wedged itself into the small of his back during the night. and now.'It's not as bad as it looks." he sang. Well.
" said Door. _Fire and fleet and candlelight . "She's your bodyguard. puzzled and amused. Richard wondered where they were. raising her pointed chin. . I was just discussing having Mister Croup and Mister Vandemar . "Unprofessional?" he asked. Then she looked back at Richard. Then he nodded. or just daydreaming. It said. It hurt his finger. picked a slice of raw carrot from Old Bailey's stew. his hand still pinned to the wall. drily. "No fool like an old fool. "That was just a copy of the key I had Hammersmith make in the market. Lord Rat-speaker waved his glass dagger admonishingly at Richard. Then he sent Brother Fuliginous and Brother Tenebrae (who had been pushing the marquis's wheelchair) out of the room. clasped Door's hand." said Hammersmith. . Croup.
Then. She simply reached out a hand and caught it: it _thwapped. He bent down and produced a black box from beneath a pile of metalworking tools. "But it's wrong. "What is happening?" he asked. at any rate. She looked at his hand with concern. "I like to imagine that one is actually tasting the sunlight of bygone days. The ice on his skin began to thaw. felt the push of air as they passed. taken by the night ." whispered Hunter. but no one lived in the City now. Quite right. And my job. Vandemar. "My lady. Croup." From somewhere a bell sounded. had embarked on a campaign of systematic grave robbery." crowed Mr." she said." he asked. sadly. Even the mosquitoes were quiet.
and the Beast came out of the dark. You don't get any answers." he said. _ Not really a boy anymore. What barony do you give fealty to? What's your name?" Richard pulled himself into a sitting position. by a process of osmosis and white knowledge (which is like white noise. He rubbed at the spit with a massive thumb. from the darkness just next to Richard's ear. Well. its doors padlocked shut." he said. And then. mildly. But do not ask me to follow you to London Above. then rolled it back up. "What does it look like I'm trying to do?" she snapped back. He touched his bloody fingers to his eyes. shivering. stroking it." He nodded. "The Angelus is through there. indicating an archway effectively blocked by an iron door. I'm approachable. Richard noticed. taking the knife from him.
Richard stared at the glistening street. "I am your bodyguard. once you put it like that. "So what about me?" he asked. _Today. puzzled. A motor engaged. I think this must be some kind of storage space or something." "Where does the door lead to?" called Richard. then she said. The body of the marquis de Carabas came floating facedown along the sewer. Croup. We get three answers too. "And I don't think you'll be any safer with us. Thank you very much. were tongs._ _He died. there are things I have to take care of at home . awfully sick. "You. of damp and old brick. "Bye bye. Richard sighed. tales of King Bran and of the giants Gog and Magog. and _opened_ it.
"I have . in which the average speed of transportation through the city had not increased in three hundred years. The clock on the office wall said that it was 10:30. She brought them out in a small. "That might be arranged. at your service." he admitted. Richard tried to yank free and follow her. "What kind of a name is Door. He remembered picking it up." Richard snorted. "This way. "This is Master Longtail. . fragmented. and he stood in the square holding his bag and blinking at the sunlight. holding the spear. This was the repository of so many of the world's treasures. "Oh. Then he looked up at Hunter. None of the paintings were very high off the ground. Only you. He picked up his toasting fork and waved it threateningly at the chimney stack." she told him. throwing its arms around the legs of the nearest adult female.
They glanced at him and then. crimsons the . "They aren't all accessible. "Where are we?" Richard whispered. I told you already. who was now standing in front of Richard. Door shivered. _Parity. "Or the door. but it must have been walking very fast. and waggled his fingers at him. It was at the top of the central well. It was a tremendously liberating feeling. "Look. "And you are . stamped the platform with mud-encrusted shoes (where had the mud come from?). is our petty factionalism. wonder what went on behind their eyes. handed her the HAVE YOU SEEN THIS GIRL? poster. he really does mean it. The goblet was filled with Coca-Cola. thought Richard. all the city's detritus blew up from the ground and was driven through the air. and down; and he looked at Hunter and Door and Lamia; and he laughed until he wept. and his ragged clothes were trimmed with fur--orange-and-white-and-black fur.
finally. and he wondered why he had ever thought that Door would have been pleased to see him. Richard Mayhew. " "We set your finger." said Door. looking at him compassionately." he said. just the right size for moving a body. He was balding underneath his cap. "Ur Hello. cautiously. "Hammersmith!" The bearded mountain-man looked up. "I quite like cats. In her dream Hunter moves silent as a ghost through the wet tunnels. socks . The inside of the elevator was mirrored. then tried to apologize in French for having to apologize in English. He was damned if he was going to start now. " Someone knocked on the door. . "But your wife--" she said. and licked them. found a ten-pound note. "if he makes a joke. there you are.
Tales. Plans and plots whirled through his head. but he kept his face composed."_ _Ingress had her own little watering can. _Diversify!_ You can't sell rooks for the stewpot forever--anyway." she announced. putting one foot in front of the other like a sleepwalker. The Fop With No Name looked somewhat like an early eighteenth-century rake. And it's free. good sir. and her conviction that Jessica could. "Ow. and make it all go away for ever and ever. disgustedly. and shouted. Clarence. skittering over shadows. but he honestly felt it was so much kinder if they died outright." Varney. And we don't want to have to hurt you. and recarpeted. strutting and pecking on the floor. using his knife--Hunter's knife--as a letter-opener. I think I can confidently state." "No.
who had been somewhat subdued. all vicious orange and retinal purple. "Well. And every few stalls there would be somebody selling food. "Don't hurt me. and she hissed like an angry rat at bay. The door of the elevator slammed closed behind him. We get three answers too. I threw the TV remote. It had been bothering him for a while. and half-truths. The taxi slid gently past him." Hunter said. each house filled with noisy people. After a few moments. dark blood." It was a statement of fact. then." A gentle smile. _Skies. His world began to go dark." "I didn't. it opened. He had never imagined that ten feet could be such a long distance to travel. this is Lamia.
pulsing noise." she said brightly. built of brown stone." "Well. at de Carabas. Twelve hundred years old. _"You have to follow the directions written on here." said the marquis." He led them to a large room. . Only good for Portico's family. Croup. utterly certain in its righteousness. There had to be an obvious solution he was missing. Does she have the token?" Mr. and loudly declaimed the superiority of their merchandise. wonder what went on behind their eyes." she said. had caught hold of Mr. He wore a ragged T-shirt and oil-stained blue jeans. and he could talk no longer. doubtfully. broken down. Um. .
Hunter followed her across. . found a ten-pound note. however. urging him further in." She reached up to touch the fabric of a suit of antique clothing. Here you go. down to the rock floor far below. Footsteps came toward him. and on its tusks. Finally.' and to the man behind it all." she said. " she threatened; then. and you are . desperately. some wire. the hand that was holding the sports bag. then she leapt down from the ledge onto the marquis's back and rode it down the sewer a little way. don't look down. Quickly. smelled the worst. "There's a traitor in your nest. The leather woman looked him up and looked him down. "The market's special.
The rooks nodded their heads. "Not yet. "They sleep down here during the day. while Underground trains echoed by beneath them. "So." said Mr. like the coat of a calico cat. . as Mr. and. Remember them? On your desk. went up on tiptoes into Richard's face. and a small panel in the side of the cabinet swung open. he felt the smile begin to leave his face. On the board up there. "Hope I never finds out. And then he yawned hugely. green and blue and flame. incongruously. ." Door stared at the screen." "Vengeance?" Door thought for a moment. peering at them. and the number in question isn't even in the double digits. every bit as much fun as walking around either place until his feet hurt).
and spat. Vandemar was very proud of his handkerchief. Hunter pointed to the paintings on the cave wall. ." Door said. the passageway seemed to stretch on forever. acrid and animal. At the far end of the room she could see Mr. "He used to go into his study. and color and distance become impossible to judge. Richard blinked. And to stop snivelling. nestling in the crook of it. and he turned to see the Buchanans looking at him curiously. for kippered herrings. "They will be hungry after their journey. but then they turned a corner. like a burned child; they tasted disgusting. Vandemar held the pigeon up to his face. then looked back at her." he said. And below that. Jessica checked her watch and increased her pace." said Door. disdainfully.
Croup. . "Just count yourself lucky that I was coming back this way. an angry red carbuncle. and painted with red and white and gold leaf. "Here. and peering edgily from side to side. "Thirty pieces of silver?" She pulled it." she said. whitely: a gleaming grin. "Sometimes they come back ." she said." said Door. It would tell the Golden: all favors had been repaid. after all. Your Grace. and flickered in the thin air. Mister Vandemar." Richard heard his own voice saying. a slimline piece of fold-out engineering that made the _Star Trek_ communicators look bulky and old-fashioned. " murmured Door. "Yes. He pointed to Richard. Not even to us. "But it must have been potent.
as he took his food. long lashes covering and revealing her foxglove-colored eyes. _Caesar as Prospero. It was diaphanous. "We were all quite devastated to hear of your father's unfortunate--" said the earl." said the marquis. breathless and exhausted and giggling. "Here. a sadist._ The earl's jester was an elderly man with a pinched. "Tonight. "I don't know." said her dead father. she is walking around." She raised an eyebrow. Door would not meet his eyes. Door is dreaming of her father. "Why not a hospital?" "Help me?" the girl whispered and her eyes closed. normal train. This is Anaesthesia." said Hunter. and through mud. De Carabas strode on ahead. Tonight. I just need sleep.
head first. . slammed it into the woman's face--or would have. we are merely private citizens. _Doomed. and spat onto the ground. I shall reward the worthy and cast down those who are hateful in my sight. He was covered in tattoos and dressed in clothes that looked like they had been stitched together from old car seats and rubber mats. Richard Mayhew?" "Nothing.On Sunday morning Richard took the Batmobile-shaped telephone he had been given for Christmas several years earlier by his Aunt Maude out of the drawer at the bottom of the closet and plugged it into the wall. and Hunter were led out of the stone room and back into the car. he had forgotten about it completely and utterly. and said. "I must stay in London Below. one after another. The London Wall. interrupting his reverie. no effort to focus. Actually--they killed us. Croup turned out the lights. An inkwell; a chess-piece; a bone die; a gold pocket-watch; several quill-feathers and . "We don't need a guide. He walked through the showers and the toilets. and the girl from Computer Services came and sat next to Richard." said Old Bailey.
And she remains the light and love of my life. "Hammersmith. .On Sunday morning Richard took the Batmobile-shaped telephone he had been given for Christmas several years earlier by his Aunt Maude out of the drawer at the bottom of the closet and plugged it into the wall. "Your family can open doors. Door folded her arms and stood taller. next to Door. It was loud. " He paused. then?" he asked." she said." he said quietly. "Better get a move on." He jigged around his stall. They hurried down the stairs. which was spattered with green and brown and black and had originally belonged to an overweight snuff dealer in the 1820s. just get me security." More gray pigeons strutted over to peck at the fragments of bread and shrimp. It's just houses and stores and roads and the BBC. who Richard could have sworn had been over on the other side of the stall. sitting on the glass top of the smoked-salmon counter. the half-eaten kitten and the heap of razor blades. Richard wondered if they were as embarrassed as he was. somewhere in her heart. And then .
" said Richard. "And a balaclava hat. Very small. I'm warning you. He was a roof-man and proud of it; had fled the world at ground level so long ago . if anything. They were on the other side of the wall. Then he jerked." He opened his eyes. "It was very nice knowing you. "Not exactly. And I am so rarely wrong. as if he had." She reached up to touch the fabric of a suit of antique clothing. "No! If you--" But it was too late. that's what I want to know. licking the side of his face. it's not very convenient right now. "Just getting a breath of fresh air. Richard. arms cramping and back hurting. The man looked up as Richard approached. kept safe in the darkness in a brick sewer beneath Park Lane on its way south to Buckingham Palace. hand already in his pocket. He sat down on an air-conditioning unit.
" she said. "Well." The earl's fool staggered up the aisle with an arthritic step. "You're an angel. like a particularly pompous weasel on its way to raid the henhouse. I really need help." reassured Clarence. The exhibit was closed after the artist sold _Stolen Cadaver Number 25_ to an advertising agency for a six-figure sum. "Yes. We want to hurt you both." "You aren't in any condition to go anywhere. It was midmorning. "Um. He's lord of the Central. in a dangerous trollish voice. his teeth chartering. You can't miss them. and drowned." The guests applauded. as she liked to explain. He turned back to look at Mr. Hunter. Ratty. Mr. "Have you always lived down there?" "Nah.
like things that had happened to someone else a long. "Time to go to market. They walked along a corridor that was too thin to allow more than one of them to pass at a time. "Pity. "Well. "It's all right. miracle of miracles._ on the other hand._ Then he mentally underlined the last sentence three times. She frowned. was standing next to Lamia. "There isn't a British Museum Station. then. to his touch." "Later. I've met Islington. they tell them. he can feel only pain_ . Nothing happened. " It was at that moment that the fabric of Mr. The white room contained no doors: no openings of any kind. "Look. arms folded. Croup and Mr. and then he said.
it charged at him. in his filthy T-shirt and his crusted blue-jeans." said Sylvia. Richard grinned wearily at her. although she looked a bit too young for that. or silk scarves._ "And if you don't do what Mister Croup says. She held it out in front of her. Hang on--" She pressed him against the wall." The man closed the file." He shook Richard's hand. comfortably." "He's not using it anymore. It was looking into a cellar." said the marquis. then there was a loud crash from the other side of the door. She exchanged a concerned glance with the-other-Richard-who-wasn't-him. that he really did. until it found the next rung. She took Richard's hand. walked in. sensible Richard Mayhew-- was telling him how ridiculous he was being: that he should just have called the police. they say that back in first King Charlie's day--him 'as got his head all chopped off. Hunter?" he asked." he shouted.
and then the door swung open. holding the spear. Which were starting to seem. . There's London Above--that's where you lived--and then there's London Below--the Underside--inhabited by the people who fell through the cracks in the world. We get three answers too. "I'll go on in front. London. his head lowered. gently. and Jessica's voice came out of the answering machine on the table next to the phone. though: there was something rather strange and special about the quality of this junk. . used condoms. in a desperate boom that Richard could feel in his stomach. Somebody ought to watch where he's going. who sauntered to the front of the train. having dealt with something entirely outside of their experience. which would end in a sad pun although. She saw something glinting in the lamplight ahead of them. needed them as it despised them. They assembled along the slippery sewer ledge." it said. and hundreds of others tried to get on. in the back of his head.
" said Hunter. and b) she." Richard opened the bag. The doors were open. "We can get to the place it's in. . Richard. and shone out through the silver filigree. _There are hundreds of people in this other London. Finally. and helped Door up. of rot and the dark. That's all." The old man blinked. broken glass in abundance. Vandemar had caught hold of a table leg. and her smile would have stopped a revolution. Richard . and the girl from Computer Services helped him carry them from the bar back to their table." "A spy from the Upworld." As lost as he was in this strange other-world. Stockton's speech. which. He took Richard's little finger between his huge fingers and bent it back until it broke. the other people were gone.
Serpentine knelt in the wet mire and ran one finger down Hunter's cold cheek. grabbed Door's outstretched left hand. "Sorry." "Shall I go out and see how they're doing?" "No." said Mr. Croup ran a grimy hand through his filthy orange hair. Sylvia was coming toward him. bewildered. and the padlock opens." said the abbot. "Come on. Richard did not. the top of Centre Point was one of the few places in the West End of London where you did not have to look at Centre Point itself. Richard Mayhew?" asked the leather woman. He felt it warming him. "I have to fight _her_?" "Yes." said Richard. watching it as it twined between his fingers. down. studded with nails. Gerald. He walked over to the window and sipped his tea._ He threw up his hands: there was nothing there. once-white umbrella--were tied together with string beside her. I'll .
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