to Flanders. Things forgotten.

 Then he flashed Mr
 Then he flashed Mr. "Well." A voice from the other side of him responded." he said. de Carabas." he exclaimed. I think I'd feel better if you were both standing back over there. He jumped. Then he stuck his hand out and realized that he had just spat on it. . like the maddened growling of a thousand enraged beasts. and it had once sat on the top of Richard's computer screen." Richard put down the phone. It took a long time to purge the water from his body. He walked out onto the roof. squee_ and pulled to the left. that elegant multicoloured topographical display of underground railway lines and stations. searching for the exact simile. then wiped the fragments of damp plaster from his knife-blade. just a rustle of dark velvet. proudly. "On Friday. so the middle one does it too."  Richard wondered vaguely if this was one of Gary's jokes. The little glassy beast was head-down in a puddle of dark water. "I'm fine. being played a dozen different ways on a score of different instruments.

 "You'll need the spear. "Richard. " She reached out a grubby hand._  It sits there in her hand. "He's in trouble.  "Even if I were . was wound round and about with ropes. Then he raised his hand and snapped it. His coat was gone: instead. Door walked into the next hall."  He wiped away the sleep from his eyes and took stock of himself."  "You just have to let them know who's boss. to the edge of the platform. 5 looks like. The doors hissed open. The jester stood beside him. Thick as custard. and a lecture on inflicting pain. The Fop writhed and spat blood onto the sawdust on the floor of Harrods' Fish and Meat Hall. looking at Richard disdainfully." The fool blinked. this occurred when she was a tiny child." said Hunter. who would have looked. . My Latin's a bit patchy. "A table for three.

" said Richard. and she is dropping her throwing stick and taking its paw.  "Your hero is unable to hold his wine. "it was fun. Let them end it all for him; he'd had enough.  "Hang on. But do not ask me to follow you to London Above.  "I think so. although the blade of it was buried deep within the body of the immobile Beast. Well. The door was opening." said the abbot. Excuse me. Croup sighed. walked behind her at a respectful distance. Hunter's voice said. She was very pale."  "We told you.  During the evening rush hour.  Right. and he fell forward. Vandemar's voice was a night wind blowing over a desert of bones. Richard noticed Old Bailey. " She pulled air into her lungs with an effort. much worse. Until now he had thought that that was simply a figure of speech. then walked back down the platform and retrieved his briefcase.

 Dick? You all right?"  Richard looked up. No matter how many times he did it. Croup.  Mr. to Berwick Street." said Mr. and passed it to the marquis. "Jesus!" said Richard. "Do you think he can really do it? Get me my life back?"  "I've never heard of such a thing. and it grew. You do look a mess."  The abbot sighed." she admitted. "Mind the Gap." said Door. Monday's fine. _how did she end up with me?_ And when they made love--which they did at Jessica's apartment in fashionable Kensington. It seemed such a stupid thing to say. There was real pity in the smile." corrected the camel-hair coat. People scurried from fire to fire." They stepped out of the darkness into a lighted corridor. for tonight. suddenly; her face seemed to be illuminated. into the side of a brick wall. pulling it out from under Door's layers of silk and cotton and lace. He reached out his good arm and cradled her head.

 She's the one us who knows what she's doing. Do you know where I'd find them?" People shook their heads. then curled up on his shoulder and went to sleep." stammered Richard."  Mr. sometimes to one side of them or to the other. even as he said it.  The marquis raised an eyebrow._  Door looked up at the earl. Hunter stood there. and that furthermore. . spraying her with water. "Next time . . They were frozen. ."  "You could call me a wolf. "She's really sweet. and the spear; instead he looked like a recently retired minor official who had. "The part I'm scared of is where you finish falling. Perhaps in the world outside. It had no wings; but still. Soon he saw Door's lamp-light above him.  "Still alive then?" said Hunter. Paul's. eyes huge and white in his dark face.

" said the abbot to himself. "Oh.  "You've found everything all right. gently. finally. They watched him with hungry eyes. impishly. and forgot all about them. too.  Old Bailey remembered when people had actually _lived_ here in the City." said Door.  Richard had watched the whole routine with some amazement. and saddened. "What's so clever about that. a flurry of yellow and ochre and brown. Then he found his voice."  "I've got Door. he's probably dead by now. His face was pushed into a slurry of coins. whitely: a gleaming grin. then. Richard walked over to the window and looked out. Priorities: Richard had no priorities. "I thought my version would get you here a little faster. There was straw scattered on the floor. "Have you always lived down there?"  "Nah. Vandemar.

 Then he walked down the alley to the end. and the world. The Angel Islington." said the marquis. The angel looked at the marquis. and thumbed his change into the slot. patiently. attracting a small flock of hungry late-night pigeons. honestly. "Door? Are you all right?"  "More or less.  There was a string quartet playing. They stood for some moments. Maybe it'll go away. Messire Marquis."  Richard turned to Hunter. He wished he could be of more use. and to the rush of the water running past on its way to the pumping stations of East London.  She hopped off the head into the filthy water and swam industriously to the side." The angel gestured." she said. Do you know where I'd find them?" People shook their heads. "Oh." she hesitated. it opened. and sat down beside him. if the bull were to be shaved. There they would sit.

 eh?" said Richard. waggling the orange troll. But that's London for you. but the light was odd. and Richard lay on the rock floor and writhed and tried. He rubbed his eyes with his hands.  There was a man sitting on a wooden bench. and the other Post-it note he had placed on the photograph of Jessica on his desk. and he had nowhere to go." said an elegant voice." said Anaesthesia. I don't have anywhere else to be right now. "  "Can you speed it up?" asked the marquis. "There's a first. to snatch a kiss. His heart was pounding and shuddering in his chest. . Richard picked it up. pulling it out from under Door's layers of silk and cotton and lace. Gerald. for the first time since he had lived there. and the two men walked into the shrine. having it around. in a near-whisper. quietly; she held her breath. if you can get to it. Arnold Stockton entered the hall.

 alone in the throng. heading for the light. he hauled it up the hill past the Tower of London. stabbed the button of the ticket machine for a single ticket to Charing Cross. comics. Richard jumped out of the cab. who was clinging. Dead autumn leaves blew across an open court. the noise and the mess and the stinks and the songs from the alley across the way (then known. . moving humanity. one by one. . burning.  "Bad dream?" asked the girl. . let alone an island twice the size of Greece._ It was roughly eight inches high: a piece of glazed pottery that had been shaped and painted and fired while Europe was in the Dark Ages. No more questions.  They walked along a corridor that was too thin to allow more than one of them to pass at a time.  _Slowly. And then they talk around you." he said. Richard ignored it. you've certainly got one now. sir. There was a crunching noise.

 yes. he realized why the crowd had parted." It was. but there never _was_ a British Museum Station. yes. or green. Croup. for one. he remembered the marquis saying something about that." said Mr. The face swam in and out of focus. Mr. then. "All in here. What are you planning now? To kidnap Islington? Sell both of us to the highest bidder?"  "Quiet. Then she said." he told her.  "Excuse me?" said Brother Fuliginous. on the ground. he thought he heard the rat-girl say. " He ghosted. Richard looked back. low and dirtily. "T'ang dynasty indeed.  "Safety in numbers. something happened to her. .

 By the wall. "Right. counted out pound coins." said Jessica." said Door. and then. "Of the Seven Sisters. Another crate." said the earl. his blind eyes pearlescent in the darkness beneath his cowl. She was wearing a green silk dress." it told her. and tell Richard to be quiet. Mr. and a world in which no one fought like this--no one needed to fight like this--a world of safety and of sanity and. and huge mushrooms.  "Oh. and vanished through the door. Behind the huge man were a dozen others. let the water out of the sink. knotted finger." She stopped. her face contorted and unattractive. And there's only me to do it."  And Jessica nodded."  "It was closed down in about 1933."  Door came back down the carriage toward them.

 reasonably. yes. "I'm back. I cannot. vaulted room. stabbed the button of the ticket machine for a single ticket to Charing Cross. hesitantly." His hands were sweating. There was no longer a feather by the curb. "I. muttering and complaining. "I want my life back. the last smoking a cigar). Door stood on Richard's bed to reach it. in response to your pleadings. he ran straight and true through the labyrinth. "that you could enter Serpentine's house without Serpentine knowing." More gray pigeons strutted over to peck at the fragments of bread and shrimp. past the staff toilets. A rook cawed maliciously. Really. He looked at Jessica's photograph for inspiration and found all the inspiration he could have needed in the shape of a yellow Post-it note stuck to her forehead. Something is bothering her. and Richard walked with them. Richard wondered if the bottle was made of glass; it refracted and reflected the candlelight so strangely. and bills fluttered to the floor.  A cab stopped for him--it stopped!--for him!--and he climbed in.

 "Can you hear me?"  Her eyes opened. bring the stuff in. people were throwing themselves to the ground. Honestly. She was worried. there _is_ a counter-charm. waggled his fingers.  "Not even close. I'll take the next one. Richard had had nightmares in which he simply wasn't there." said the marquis. A late-night couple. . which went down and down around a central well. a sodden packet of cigarettes. sleepily. I wish. upon waking. the one dressed in utter black. and a wide-mouthed glass lemonade bottle.  Rats on a high brick ledge."  He shut the door of the bathroom behind him and walked down the hall. along the bottom of the brick tunnel. I thought that. and was putting his stew on to cook when he became aware that someone was watching him from the shadows by a chimney stack. They were on the roof of an old building. He put his dagger away.

  "And meat hooks. "Come on. "I'll open your door. "Emergency services. who had cut Richard's phone line at the first mention of calling the police. and he noticed that. he said. once you put it like that. which looked like earthbound stars. and that made him bold. There are no such things as angels. slowly. Mrs. He peeled off her leather jacket. So imaginative." Richard took an involuntary step backwards. creep by crawl." whispered the woman. Varney?" asked Mr. How are you?"  She smiled.  "Richard?" said Sylvia. Are you coining?"  He looked at her then: a small creature with huge eyes staring at him urgently from a heart-shaped. And then they stepped out into the night." He was pointing towards Harrods' extensive network of Food Halls. truer to his nature. He ran into his tent and returned with weapons--his toasting fork and a coal shovel. "  It was at that moment that the fabric of Mr.

 ."  "He's not using it anymore." said Richard. which was worse.  It had been agreed well over a century before that the Sewer Folk could only set up a stall at those markets held in the open air. shyly. and it isn't a good life. "We can't do this. howsoever. stared back down at him. pulling her out from under it. Two legs.  "I'm called Hunter. "He could have left me on the sidewalk. do you?"  Mr. Because I needed the spear." she explained. "We know who did this.  Too late. He had the bizarre and momentary impression that it _winked_ one of its little black oildrop eyes at him. and a tusk sharper than the sharpest razor blade opened her side. It didn't take a sign to tell you that; Richard. In front of them was a deep channel of brown water.""Do you drink wine?" it asked." And then Door woke up completely. Richard found himself remembering a theatrical performance of _Robinson Crusoe_ he had been taken to as a child: this was what Robinson Crusoe might have looked like. In the most conversational tones he could muster.

 do so much better. each petal perfect and distinct. ." Then it turned to Richard. The paint was still wet. with a smile." he said."  "I'll take you wherever you want to go. and then all set off together. and a little sad. It was then that the hallucinations started. They swam in and out of focus beneath him. _(Iliaster?_ thought Richard. wondering if he had ever really eaten curry late at night in a street-market held on the deck of a gunship moored by Tower Bridge. light enough to walk by." said the marquis. Your Grace. and he saw them both. and. "I was."  Richard looked at the outline of a doorway he had scratched on the wall.  "No. . you mean?" he asked. In London Above. They were People. and through mud.

 my lord?" suggested the jester.  Door stood at the top of the steps. a sofa. He let go of it. eh?" He leered at her and touched her tangle of hair with his old fingers. and tomorrow."  Richard had not bothered locking the bathroom door. smiling roguishly. He staggered.  Richard reached a hand out: his hand pushed into Gary's face. child. _Crackle. I'd like to welcome all of you to the British Museum. _Anaesthesia will take him. "You're going to think I'm absolutely awful. every bit as much fun as walking around either place until his feet hurt). Everything." he said."  "It's not a big drop. Light flooded through the crack in the door. was starting to wonder whether he had cut the right cord or not. as if it were pushing into warm bubble gum. For a moment. from Earl's Court; although he could no longer recall. pointed at the marquis. The rest of the head followed. quite literally.

 Croup. "Pipe your beady eyes on this."  "That's right. Then he turned to Door and said. " he paused. you know." Then he said. "Here. It smelled like drains at the top of the sewer--a dead. Sometimes he would wave at taxis. embarrassed. do I have the honor. but he honestly felt it was so much kinder if they died outright. then. Richard walked down the corridor until he got to Jessica's office."  And then he was silent; and from far above they heard the sound of crows flying. "Ma Maison. They said nothing for some time. The thing pulled him toward the edge of the platform. Quickly. Sure. driven by an elderly man who took Richard home by an unlikely route involving streets Richard had never before seen. A few hundred feet down the pavement. "It was a nightmare. Richard was the only one standing.  "It's amazing. "You told me he was dead.

 if you don't mind. ."  Richard looked at Gary. quietly."  "What did I tell you. removed them. His mouth tasted like several small animals had been using it as a rest room. " He trailed off._ sharp on one side. He reached out and closed his hand upon the cold silver key. Nobody was fooled. watching it as it twined between his fingers. dirty velvets." explained her mother. Credit cards. reflected in its window. He tried to apologize to her in French. "What?" he said. waggled his fingers. arms folded and unimpressed." he said. you are. you know the rest." he said. the candles. "I suppose you could call them men. He was sitting in the dark.

  "Seven. Mr. Croup. at the bottom of the spiral staircase. after dark. "We don't need a guide. at the Piccadilly end of Soho. "One of them.  "How about that.  "Now. ."  He inclined his head. staining the gray stones with brown foulness. "I'm afraid we won't be needing your services after all. and his right arm whipped free. Croup and Mr. although the actual screen itself was no more than six inches across. at night. "If it's the last door I open." He edged nervously forward. . suddenly. . "ah. then tell them you live south of the river. all rolled into one and sprinkled with a generous helping of a mongoose killing a king cobra. curiously.

 Her voice was clear and steady. he said. gesturing elegantly. he seems a little bit dodgy to me. There must be the three. well. Honest." he said to Richard. honestly. " said the man. Door. He felt it with his fingers: something smooth and hard and roughly spherical. most of them improvised. as if someone had just kicked him. why don't you?"  "I wanted a turn." The marquis said nothing. Then he said. . Finally. accompanied by a woman bravely wearing a mink coat. to become that certain young lady's personal bodyguard. "  It was not the embarrassing echo of his voice he heard on answering machines." said a woman. "You don't want to hear about me. in one smooth movement." said Door. "I don't know how you could even bring yourself to think such a thing.

 "So now you can add the Underside Line to the list of those things. "Now. in bodyguards.  "The last time you were here. a bridge hung with thousands of tiny white lights." And then she laughed. The whole mechanism looked rather like a combined television and video player might look. several floors below." he said. "It wasn't the real key. "They aren't all accessible." he said. and munched it. and they would have two children. assorted pairs of dentures. Then they entered what seemed like an endless network of underground vaults that smelled of damp and decay. in silence. raggedy clothes. Then. "Look. this desirable little piece is certainly up for grabs." he said. He could hear trains echoing through tunnels nearby. who had been somewhat subdued. The man in front. Safety in numbers.  The labyrinth itself was a place of pure madness.

 Richard looked around. or one huge diamond. He felt it with his fingers: something smooth and hard and roughly spherical. .  "Compact. "A traitor?"  "They were just winding us up. "Hello. casting slightly less light than the match had. de Carabas. It came to a full stop: all the carriages were dark. and they were welcome to search me . like something that had been gutted. breathing. eyes that had seen galaxies congeal from stardust ten million.  "Of course I like you. and over rotting wooden boards. The dwarf was preternaturally fast: he rolled. resonant and real. "_Me?_ Um. The marquis honored them with an enormous smile. She always waited for him there. "  "Door. bending his wrist behind his back. looking at Richard disdainfully." Hunter told him. Croup. "For you.

 Nothing happened. in front of the door. he was. Mr."  Richard turned to Hunter." said Door. Her cheek was grazed. Hunter. down the spiral staircase. never quite having lived down the evening when an entire floor's worth of computer equipment upped and left. no other word for it. We do stuff for them. "It's very good of you. "Many times. "As far away as I could send him. The angel took a step forward. "Dial 999 and call an ambulance then. hadn't we?" He strode off across the roof. They began to walk together over the long grass. sire. bowed perfunctorily." said the marquis. however.  Under that it said:    ANSWERS TO THE NAME OF DOREEN.They walked for hours in silence.  Jessica was deeply puzzled. And he said.

 Dick. . an unfamiliar edge to her voice." said the old man."  Mr. "I must stay in London Below. pretended that he had been hailing a cab. into the public-address system."  Suddenly the girl's eyes opened. our Talent. . Got it?"  Varney ran his tongue over the wreck of his teeth. five hundred years ago: a mighty warrior." he called out to the night and the City. _We. constructed of marble and of cast iron. and was covered in tufty ginger-colored hair. . Only the Beast. some carrots and potatoes." Richard said. one huge beringed hand resting on her shoulder. the hunter and the hunted. on my quest. "No. picking his nails with a knife. but I.

" she repeated. he just kept walking. and the card slid out again. Wouldn't like another telling-off. "It adds a little wonder and beauty to the world."  "We'll just be a few more minutes. Vandemar was saying. "Quite remarkable. the kiss of death. ." she told him. in a rhythmic alliterative boom. without any question at all. I can't spare a soul. imperiously."  "I thought that they hadn't spoken to each other for. in the stomach. to the woman at the curry stall. "Now ." muttered Mr. Hunter was pleased. she went back to Richard. Jessica. seven feet above the deck."  "I've got a question.  "She was going to kill me. "You can't go back to London Above.

 Then he turned away. Vandemar. "I haven't seen her." said Jessica. The day's catch so far consisted of two odd gloves. She reached out a white finger and gently stroked Hunter's brown cheek with it. . framed by the pillars. I realize that. "Why are you even talking to her? Why is she still with us? She was a traitor--she tried to make us think that you were the traitor. He blinked at the darkness. You've owed me a favour for twenty years." she said to Richard. how pleasant it was and how cold. and Mr." said Mr. or if she simply didn't get out much. . ornamented around the rim with what appeared to Richard to be sapphires. His father had died quite suddenly when Richard was still a small boy. a little more fiercely than Richard felt the question had actually warranted. Get it?"  Mr.  "I'm sorry I'm late. Why.  They reached a gate in the railings. Might I with due respect remind you that Mister Vandemar and myself burned down the City of Troy? We brought the Black Plague to Flanders. Things forgotten.