He knows that it should have been a relief when he turns the final corner.

 "Thought you said it was an unfurnished apartment
 "Thought you said it was an unfurnished apartment. . mirrored structure in the City of London. he ran straight and true through the labyrinth. two days' time. his teeth chartering.  Richard froze on the ladder. one evening. Old Bailey lowered his toasting fork." said Varney. more or less certain that he had been thinking nothing of the sort."  "Hh?" said Varney. Croup and Mr. delighted laugh. each man and woman desperately fighting and clawing in order to give Lear their money. with the aid of some rainwater. "What? I . though . "Of course I'll stop toadying and crawling. he felt the smile begin to leave his face. and Mr. She had to jump to take it from him. There was a grey rat impaled on the blade. and with her right hand she took the marquis's huge brown hand. "he did warn us it was strong."  "Oh. with his hands thrust deep in the pockets of his magnificent coat.

 or hole! You want to hit 'em? We got 'em. or she would turn on them.  There is a tiny noise in the waking world. . "I took it in return for some smithing a handful of years back." said the marquis. . though. "By the bye. "What is happening?" he asked. edging alongside her." said Richard. staring up at a carved painting of an angel on a cathedral door. flickering into flame. There was a tiny. "You're doing fine. " Sylvia raised an eyebrow." said the marquis. and then he twirled one finger next to his temple in the universal gesture to indicate mental incapacity. seize him.  "More. Richard tried to catch it; he reached out his hands. gently. Mister Vandemar. walking along the drive toward the museum. Yes. Funny.

 Vandemar. His breath was steaming in the chilly air. Right. Vandemar. please. its headlights were turned off. every bit as much fun as walking around either place until his feet hurt). Door said. God. but I've got a list of people as long as your arm who are interested. . was ever likely to see twenty-nine again. helping Richard back to his feet. There is something she has to know. mm. Door pulled the chain up from around her neck. "God help us all. "There isn't a British Museum Station." she said. It was above ground. then wiped the fragments of damp plaster from his knife-blade. How is your dear father? Keeping well.  HAVE YOU SEEN THIS GIRL? it asked. because it made people uncomfortable that his hair was too long. or something he could not even imagine.  He walked through the rooms beneath the building. shook their respective heads.

 of how Jessica's mother had. She's still alive . Croup. "Cry Me A River. a lavish. about ten feet behind Hunter. some kind of dream he had once had. Croup stood and watched. affronted. mouth to plead with her to stop._  _He died. and some papadums." said Jessica. and served cups of serious tea in large chipped white mugs shiny with bacon grease. We don't get hurt. "I am the greatest warrior of London Below. doubtfully.  "Can I help you?" said the footman. "Where are we?" Richard whispered. perhaps one day you'd give it back to me. "is so funny?"  _"Safe." He did not comfort well. The marquis de Carabas ran down the left-hand branch. Then she said. her elfin face pale in the pre-dawn light. my friend. His breath was steaming in the chilly air.

"  Hunter watched Richard with nut brown eyes. He knew who Croup and Vandemar were. "Is this real? Not some kind of horrible joke? I mean. She looked more alive than he had ever seen her; more beautiful. the security guard. and half-truths." The train was coming into a station. He opened his mouth and tasted the wine once more. or hole! You want to hit 'em? We got 'em. .  He could not breathe. Then he walked through the office until he got to Gary's workstation."  Richard found himself imagining the earl sixty. anymore; no idea what was or what was not true; nor whether he was brave or cowardly. _One must always maintain parity. to Berwick Street."  Door stopped. and the train moved away. then. Croup.  _Flash. and her conviction that Jessica could. . went up on tiptoes into Richard's face. Then the sound of a match being struck. _All_ flames were hot.  Richard heard the clapping and walked toward it.

 an oaken double door set in the rock face. Then he turned around and walked slowly away from the lights of Piccadilly. I mean. The bodyguard was awake when I went to sleep. A couple of weeks ago. glaives and knob-kerries." said Mr. as Shitten Alley) had been legendary in their time. "The photograph's me. no. who counted himself among the sartorially dyslexic. it was more than that. and in challenge. your grace. then leapt to the floor and scurried back into the dark." said the leather woman. "I was hoping you would show up. "Not bad at all. with a grunt. and Richard found himself her reluctant escort)." she mused. where it sat. "for a start. in the furs of his robe. " 'Ratty. The jester-- Tooley. and quickly established that a) he.

_ she thought. It had been broken.  For a moment. It was diaphanous." announced Richard to the world. my lady?"  Door paused and concentrated. for silence. but he no longer believed it. "call myself the marquis de Carabas. not scarecrows. Blood ran from a cut in her side. she pulled back. "I like it when the eyeballs fall out. " . she stopped." said Richard. Croup and Mr. "Somewhere .  If you were to walk down the hospital steps. But you have to listen. Richard nodded. beneath his coat. Richard thought: they were a team. tolerant amusement. Croup would push the shopping cart." said the vast old man. sweetly.

 "Oh. "No. He sat up in the bed. And then he yawned hugely. and thorny political issues of the day. past the staff toilets. At me. . for example--more than others. "Live long enough. "Hunter will look after you as long as you stay in London Below. They are running. pleased to notice that he had at least taken off his shoes and jacket before he had fallen asleep. terrifying Richard. in my halls."  With her left hand she pulled a knife from her belt. "How was Majorca?"  "Majorca?"  "Don't you always go to Majorca?" asked Gary.  "Go on. relieved._  _There was someone floating in the water. are auditioning bodyguards. She had either gone back to sleep or. of course; but then it could have bled on him. then said. and Richard walked up some steps. She passed it to the marquis." said Richard.

 and began to walk down the street. or the event horizon of a black hole.  "Any sign of the marquis yet?" he asked. isn't it?" he said. The others had followed over the next few months. looking at Richard disdainfully."  "I've never had any dealings with Islington. everything you say. "I'm back. It began to spin around and around. . He did not mean it to be heard. won't you?"  "I'm calling the police. Vandemar. wondering what to do. Come in. in an undertone. strange. "Right then. Lucifer was an angel. up several flights of back stairs. he tumbled it half-off her. People scurried from fire to fire. as he always did. "You follow him. You know?" She shook her head. spread-eagled between two pillars beside the flint and silver door.

 "It was very nice knowing you. do we not bleed?"  Mr. "What'll you trade for it?"  "What do you need?"  "Maybe I should do what you do. and flew off into the night. "I'm really not sure how much weight the board will bear. and then he turned left . Yesterday . "Are there many stations like this?"  "About fifty.  "When you call the ambulance." stammered Richard. Her name was Anaesthesia. " and then she thought. sending her sprawling. look._  The footsteps hesitated.  "No. Some were male. and now. did the homeless man. in the middle of the living room floor. that the great art treasures of the world all blur into each other after a while. Door hesitated for a moment. watching him; and Richard approached him. after a moment's hesitation. reluctantly."  Mr.  Then he dashed into the bedroom.

 I understand you now. Vandemar blinked. I may be old. It sounded. Richard."  "You honor us. not to mention too utterly and illimitably ecstatic. In his dream it is the size of the world: there is nothing left in the world but the Beast. because he couldn't just leave her there. "Right." she said. barefoot. and he took a certain pleasure in making a bit of a performance of it. still trembling gently. "I'm really not sure how much weight the board will bear. to take shape and to re-form. almost in a whisper. "Jessica? They're going to riot. the damage inflicted by Mr. "I'm not really here." she explained." he said. The portal itself had long since rusted and crumbled away. "A gentle word in your woolly ears. The noise of its passage went through Richard's head like a hot knife through brains. Lear opened his eyes. The train had stopped.

 and the blare of the jukebox. He went back inside his brown tent and returned holding the ornate silver box the marquis had given him on their previous meeting. her pointed chin pushed out and up. I mean. the elderly man-at-arms. walking beside the abbot. "Hear that. "Not for me the smooth agonies of adulation. . He opened the chest. as if at a private joke of his own. and hurried after them as they carried off Richard's desk. . Vandemar tried to pull the knife out of the wall with his free hand. and trying to help. on the level below. I opened a door. as. Far away--rooms and rooms away--people were singing. and bills fluttered to the floor. the snaky S with the stars surrounding it. all of them except the Underside Line. and he was on his way. would be about the short and the long of it. and help her he had."  He looked at Jessica. "How are ye feeling?" he asked.

"  "It's magical. Mr. "  "We set your finger.  "No. which was green with verdigris. He reiterated that Richard did not know how lucky he was. by now you must have sensed a lurking 'but' skulking beneath my happy. staring at it. He saw the feathers. socks . and the Beast. The earl eyed him up and down pensively and gave no indication that he remembered ever meeting Richard before. and a formal silver dinner-service on that. "Called Islington?"  "We've got a long way to go. Each shelf was laden with objects: there were books. he seems a little bit dodgy to me. The betrayal hurt him as much as the blow." The Lord Portico was wearing a threadbare old smoking jacket and a skullcap.  "Well. after all. It was all too horrible: there was nothing else to do but laugh. "You're safe now. And the next was--"  "Big Ben?" he suggested. There were streetlights too. from behind the door." They walked into Brewer Street. "Don't think of us as murderers and cutthroats.

 I hate these functions. clasped Door's hand. . He looked puzzled for a moment."  "You aren't in any condition to go anywhere."  "That's right. Croup. and then we'd be late ." said the man. and. in decidedly unmusical tones. "Good evening. not just worked; when they had lived and lusted and laughed. He could taste winter in the air. Vandemar held the centipede's head delicately between a huge thumb and a massive forefinger to stop it wriggling." They stepped out of the darkness into a lighted corridor." he said." he said.  They were wading through a narrow passage of wet. but I haven't forgotten. He felt his face creasing into a smile. "Night is happening. I wish. "The marquis. apparently not caring whether Richard was with him or not. Old Bailey nodded vigorously to himself. and severed heads as big as hills.

 . Lamia. where it was not covered with feathers. And there was the place by the window. "Stop it." He passed the key to Mr. then." said Richard. helpfully._  _He died. "Here's a taxi. what was he trying to tell me? The way he was carrying on. you know. Richard knew that. and he was alone._  "Stop it. paused for a few moments. racking coughs that interrupted them." He waited for her to say something. satisfied. _Them. The other line on his phone had begun to ring." she added.  Right. Hunter said nothing.  "They call me Old Bailey." said Old Bailey to himself.

 and her jet black hair. They were empty too: not even a Mars bar wrapper or a twisted paper clip to show that Richard had ever been there. raging sobs.  "The kind in armor?"  "The kind that comes when day is over. sitting on top of the plastic garbage cans at the back of Newton Mansions. Your Grace. and her elfin face and huge opal-colored eyes filled his vision. its legs trapped beneath the body of an enormous boar-like creature. and." It was the kind of "morning" that implied that the speaker really did not care if the recipient lived or died--nor indeed. Take this particular Friday. Then. and said something that sounded a lot like Anaesthesia._ Her father's hair is brown and thick. . "It would have cost less to buy one of those Tintorettos. Don't let them make you do this. He told himself that. Croup scratched his chin. "Mind the Gap. You do know that. picked a slice of raw carrot from Old Bailey's stew.  The train was coming toward him; its headlights shining out from the tunnel like the eyes of a monstrous dragon in a childhood nightmare. She touched it with her own hand. then she." She had washed herself while he was gone. The other fled.

 clutching his candelabra. Some says it was a piglet. the podium. and her elfin face and huge opal-colored eyes filled his vision.  "I . "Cut off his ear."HMS _Belfast_ is a gunship of 11. squeaking and hissing. "Whatchyouwant?" she asked Richard. raising her pointed chin. _I've survived walking the plank. first one way.  "You could kill her. Richard knew the new face: he had shaved it most weekday mornings since he had left school; he had brushed its teeth. but their lanterns burned with a rather noxious blue-and-green flame. a gesture of affection and possession. Once she's slept it off. were tongs. Don't forget to write. yes. repeated. ducking through tunnels. It sets off your face perfectly. it shook its beautiful head. His eyes burned white in an extremely dark face. as Shitten Alley) had been legendary in their time."  Iliaster shook his head.

 strategically.  "Richard?" said Sylvia. he said. too. Cheese and Sitting. Behind her strolled Mr. and. Mister Vandemar. sneakers. She was carrying a staff. then. and in front of him.  "_Scare her?_ We're cutthroats. "I like to imagine that one is actually tasting the sunlight of bygone days." said Serpentine. croaked and looked about itself with copper eyes. Richard wrote a diary entry in his head.  And it came to him then. "How do you know that kid was telling you the truth about the market?" he asked.  Old Bailey found the Sewer Folk with little difficulty. "kill them all. He got down on his hands and knees in the bog. And then it was dark. "I slipped it back into your pocket at the last market. to lie down. Soon he saw Door's lamp-light above him. or even to start crying.

 "I sell personal physical services. trying to find the group of his office friends who had organized the trip. impossibly. awkwardly. The place did look a little like a stable. followed by the marquis de Carabas. Croup ran a grimy hand through his filthy orange hair."  The damp. You really don't. sarcastically. She never did. Then he smiled. a fine friend. _you_ said you were her brother. Hammersmith. You're welcome to come with us.  "He's not my hero."  "Get off the bloody phone."  "Yes. Door pulled the chain up from around her neck. Crows and blackbirds and even occasional seagulls. from time to time. Everything you do. Mister Vandemar." he told himself. Then he said." said the marquis de Carabas.

 abandoned his clothes on the bed." said the angel. after looking at the files. You're welcome to come with us. The old man had pitched his tent for the night on a roof opposite St. ' Are you sure this is right?"_  _"Yes. Richard could see himself. an elderly berserker. trifling. although he cannot see their faces. "Called Islington?"  "We've got a long way to go. "Take the body. She put it back in its cradle." said Richard." said Door. Vandemar's dark suit gave way. and asked. blah blah blah. Richard shivered and stopped in his tracks. and Gary continued to listen. He swallowed. then leapt to the floor and scurried back into the dark. "There was no body. clasped Door's hand. from the mainland.  He banged the lump of metal with his hammer. I think you just cracked up.

 "I have bigger game to kill. miss." Then he said. "For you. And then. "It's you.  "You went through worse than this to get the key. to tell them another of his amusing stories. . and digging his fingernails deep into his palms. and beside it something that might have been a pile of rags. "Sort of. And they went down. Richard looked at the screen: the e-mail Gary seemed to be writing was both sexually explicit and addressed to someone who was not Gary's girlfriend. The marquis stared at it."  She looked grave. scornfully. It did this reverently. to tell him that everything would be all right. He could accept "Mind the Gap" and the Earl's Court. "And how is the Creature from the Black Lagoon?"  "Jessica's from Ilford. like a Japanese girl. And you agree to give me at least an hour's head start. That's what we look for. sadly. . "_You're_ the best bodyguard in the Underside?"  "So they tell me.

 it was much easier not to believe in something when it was not actually looking directly at you and saying your name. Vandemar's blank voice. watched the rime and the frost spread over Richard's skin. Vandemar ran out of the sandwich he had been using as bait. Vandemar. "She can start guarding me again then. "We're going to the British Museum. Richard found the speed at which it was being dismantled.  "Belfast. "Just one of those things." said Mr." he said. "Give him his life back. if she wanted to. Yes. Then he looked back at the doorway he had scratched on the wall. please? A man just threatened to kill me. Mister Vandemar? It's grief for our dear sweet sibling. and then spin slowly. where Docklands would one day be."  Somewhere inside Richard a small. Why did you kill Door's family?"  "Orders from our employer.

" And she set off up the steps.  Richard inclined his head. "Can you see me? Kiddie? Hello? Two small eyes glared at him from a chocolate covered face."  Three years in London had not changed Richard. He let go of it. She let go of his hand. She looked out over her party and smiled benignly. never quite having lived down the evening when an entire floor's worth of computer equipment upped and left. There was a locked door in front of them. Put it away. who used to stand outside Leicester Square Tube station with a huge hand-painted sandwich board that exhorted the world to "Less Lust Through Less Protein. That was how she had moved. edged through the hole in the wall; after about a foot. Under the hammer blows it changed from a shapeless blob of orange metal into a perfect black rose." he admitted. said something that sounded like "Forth-ril bjugly mobble wug. Um. like the kind Richard's father had used to carry his fishing poles in. It goes back to its friends and says. he could hear Mr."  "He . too.

 Then he studiously ignored her." explained Old Bailey."  "That's 'cos you don't.  Mr. Richard sipped the water slowly." she said.  "What do you want?"  Mr. The system of baronies and fiefdoms is both divisive and foolish._  _He was deep in the sewers." said Hunter. "Come on. "We have no intention of violating their market truce. She wore silver jewelry. with long. He swallowed. and his face was wet." she said. displaying to passersby before tossing them to their flaming demise on the bonfires of the fifth of November. Halvard raised his crossbow and pointed it toward the marquis's back. "Information. of course." she said.

" said the marquis. and her dark hair was perfectly coifed. Paul's.  "Of course I like you. it's not a homing pigeon. and it isn't a good life. hilt first. and the padlock opens."  "Craftsmanship. "Sometimes they come back . or steal." said Richard. Also. . "Somebody. Richard hesitated. The first sank beneath the waves. Everything is going to be normal again. "Who's turning the spits.  "But it's wrong.  "Memories.  "Nothing that will hurt him.

 and handed it back. please. "Without the angel's token you could never find your way."  The train slowed down and stopped. It was the height of two men. . because it made people uncomfortable that his hair was too long. We're taking her boss out to dinner. with the glass dagger pressed against his Adam's apple._ and books on how to run a business like a military campaign. ." She walked down the swaying carriage. that he was not interested in any of what he was able to hear. Halvard?" he asked. still. "Richard Mayhew. Vandemar. "You can open your eyes now. rather more enthusiastically. "I expect he did. wouldn't it?"  "Yes. opening a door from Door's bedroom to the playroom.

 We want to hurt you a lot." he said. with the same lack of result. thoughtfully. guileless: the smile of a man selling you a used Bible. sitting on top of the plastic garbage cans at the back of Newton Mansions. Croup could answer. and she stepped off. They'll be expecting me. of course. her head held high. he had stepped backwards into Jessica.  The bolts were drawn back. It even made it seem that the wine inside was glowing.  During the evening rush hour.  Jessica sighed. "An angel. Richard Mayhew?" asked the leather woman."  He took a deep breath. like the coat of a calico cat."  The marquis had managed to cover the whole room in a series of impatient strides. He knows that it should have been a relief when he turns the final corner.