Each blade stuck into the wall.

  "Do we have to go across it?" he asked
  "Do we have to go across it?" he asked. She simply reached out a hand and caught it: it _thwapped. readily identifiable by the shapes of their trunks. Door sighed.  Dagvard walked over to a vending machine on the side of the platform. up a vertiginous series of ladders and steps." said the man." Richard fumbled under the Beast's body. Then she began to unwrap the scarf._ There. but it fell through them as if they were not there. Richard prayed that his chains and manacles would hold: he could feel himself being sucked toward the opening. "We're in luck. The color had been sucked from his jeans wherever the thing had touched him. put their heads on one side. there was another click. The buzzer sounded. she can no longer make out what he is saying. slowly. my partner and I become restive and. Vandemar.

 He swallowed. he remained invisible to his colleagues?  Mr. and felt the solid structure beneath him. "kill them all. it became more real. Even the mosquitoes were quiet. . "A little farther won't hurt. The people here were no less strange than at the last Floating Market."  He inclined his head. Go down there. a few days after his encounter with Jessica."  "Thanks. scanning the faces in the crowd as they walked. . "Come on. and Door reached out her right hand and picked it up." he whispered. Every wall was covered with pictures. Messire Marquis. He was talking urgently.

 shouted and waved. "Thank you. and the skin is in the center. and into a room marked Early English. too. Richard was still holding Hunter's knife--his knife-- and now he gripped the hilt more tightly." She folded her arms beneath her breasts. No one's going to touch me here. blinked.  Lear's coat. _"You. "Let me go! She stole my paintbrush.  "This way. when the door of the dark car was pushed open from the inside. it would. which illuminated the stone walls and the mud." said Mr. Delighted to." he explained. and--excuse me."  "No.

 "They listen to the earl. It's one or the other. Its feet were bare on the cold rock floor of the Great Hall. "We should get a move on. Her wasp-waisted majordomo.  One of the Golden crawled out of the mammoth skull. little ladybird.  The Lord Rat-speaker stood up. and Richard suddenly realized that he had never been so scared of another human being in his life. there was one of your rat-speaker people.  After some time. . and they waited. They all had a Knack of one kind or another. as if he'd just been hit in the face. They climbed the rungs. whose name seemed to be Tooley.  "Attagirl. and it also smells. The friars stood on the bridge until they were out of sight." said Door.

 she would hold him very tightly. A train disgorged hundreds of people onto the platform. Richard shut his eyes. gasping and gulping and shaking with relief. in bodyguards. He handed it to Dunnikin. Not indoor fireworks. . the clink of silver jewelery." said Richard. with his back to Richard. The woman smiled the chilliest smile Richard had ever seen cross a human face. "Last one of these events we found someone had puked in a sarcophagus. It was _younger. and the elevator doors opened. There was hysteria in there. truly. "I've heard of the Black Friars. "Time to go back. bubbling and roiling like a vat of boiling quicksilver. scornfully.

"  "I've . . powders. these days?" He shook his head. wiped the sweat from his face with his handkerchief. at the same time. "Richard? We're waiting for you.  "Good-bye. gray and white. and her layers of clothes looked like she had at least made an effort to get the worst of the filth and the blood off them.  He clapped his hands. A wide. curiously.  Varney made his home in the deepest of the deep tunnels. There must be the three. He pointed to Richard. organized the restoration of the prime exhibit. and shook her head." he said. and was putting his stew on to cook when he became aware that someone was watching him from the shadows by a chimney stack. "On the shoes.

 . _Me?_ La. each time. ." said the man to the woman. Her hair was piled on her head. they'll walk all over you. all right.  "Miss Whiskers?"  Door shrugged. Her father had found it when he was younger.  "And meat hooks. "Let me hear the reel first. Nothing at all. Mr. Jessica. sagely. and she refocused on the exhibition. and stopped. and she looked at Richard as she said it. half-remembered tales of long-dead kings of mythical London churning in his head. "Most of the blood was someone else's.

 and then the black dot. and she broke the connection."  Hunter bit her lower lip. or even on. crushed his sword. His guide shushed him to silence. . He was damned if he was going to start now. at length. A hundred eyes were fixed on him. "Did she say she was Portico's oldest girl?" he asked the jester. Someone picked Richard up with a hand the size of a sheep's head. Old Bailey pocketed it. curiously. and Mr. in the third century A. walking through the double doors facing them. unmistakably."  "How do we get to the Angel Islington?" said Door. I'm sorry. I like you an awful lot.

 Croup. "We like you like that. After four days of flight. and he heard Mr. put their heads on one side." she said to him. He had found." announced Door. It was made of dark wood."  The marquis had managed to cover the whole room in a series of impatient strides._ thought Richard. "We'd better get a move on. hyperventilating. Mister Vandemar? It's grief for our dear sweet sibling. A small cut opened on Varney's forehead. Nothing happened. gently. maybe. but it was also covered with shoes--kicking the coins. walking along the drive toward the museum. and.

 inclining his head. a plastic nodding-head Alsatian. chomping and chewing wildly. lit by a sputtering gas-jet. you are. spackled white with bird shit. so could he. that the man could see them--and also that he was doing his best to pretend that he couldn't._ And then he began to wonder whether there was a baron in Barons Court Tube station. "I was lucky. repeated."  Richard knocked back the green liquid."  "Thanks. he looked back.  Door and Richard sat around an age-blackened wooden table." said Door. You won't believe this. He held it tightly. Their feet pattered away down the platform." he said. "What do you do?" he asked.

 And then it bellowed. "I suppose you could call them men. Nothing to worry about. wearing a black dress pinched wasp-thin at the waist. She could have balanced a dozen books on her head and never dropped one. "You killed him because he turned you down?"  "I didn't kill him. as if she did not trust herself to say anything else. He was a horse. Mr. where the knife had gone in.  First they saw a film on the huge screen of the Odeon. It came to a full stop: all the carriages were dark."  The marquis nodded. In front of them was a deep channel of brown water." he said.  Then he heard distant voices.  She licked her lips. "Will you let him go in peace. because he was naked. _Fire and fleet and candlelight ." said Jessica.

 "Islington. so that's where that went. The marquis de Carabas was leaning against the wall. and guards." said the marquis. this was. Everyone knows that." she told them. "Some kind of curse or something?" Hunter hesitated. Or Stockton. then he. or a Raven in Ravenscourt or. .  "I'm Door. "You've been a really good friend to me. and they were inside Earl's Court. . however. It had been built in white Portland stone. magnificently slowly. "I should be so lucky.

 "I think we've seen enough."  "Yes. obediently." The rook croaked again. "Any sign of the marquis yet?"  "None. and. Things forgotten." Richard looked down. "Please. just a rustle of dark velvet. all of them except the Underside Line. The door was opened by a sleepy-looking footman. . and rusted knives. but he honestly felt it was so much kinder if they died outright. Now apologize to the gentleman.  "No. as they walked. She touched the painting on the rock wall with her fingertip.  Hunter knelt on the ground and began to undo the straps on the case._ thought Richard.

 but it was locked from the other side. closed his eyes." he said. "Your family can open doors." and then he stepped out through a low door. from time to time. "No. Carefully. helpfully. improbable."  "We've got to do something."  "But I mean. long time ago. . as if she were finding a part of him he had not known existed. "Well. I'm on my way home. and was standing next to her on a claustrophobically small landing. Mister Mayhew. looking behind them._  The words went around and around.

 Croup was standing. "I've just changed. It sounded like grey slime. He gave Richard his knife--Hunter's knife--once more." she hesitated. all this time?"  "Hunting.  The marquis spared him a glance. um. She made a face. "Can they see us?" he asked. when there aren't all these stuffed shirts about. Her eyes were open. to the Arch. Door flicked a lever on the side. covering the drainage system and the newly created District Line of the Underground."  "Good. She was surprisingly light." said Door. The carriage smelled like a morgue might at the end of a long." Finally. he thought.

 . . He tried telephoning Jessica. which swung open at her touch. and the Beast came out of the dark. "Become an incident at Blackfriars Station. laddie. walked straight past the uniformed security guards on duty on the ground floor. followed by hasty dashes toward Richard. like a wet-furred snake. . and wrapped his hand around Hunter's chill fingers.  He walked over to the window and sipped his tea. and more tired than a body could stand.  "Black Friars?" he asked. with one hand. and to concentrate on Hunter. "What are you doing here?" he hissed. before you commence the next stage of your travels. left into Hanway Place. "For both of you.

 and then Door did something with the key. RUN AWAY. Croup. _Chink. a tiny stone burrow. it never got any easier. and kept on dropping. ." he called out to the night and the City. Then I told him the nature of the help I needed. the black animal figure he had taken from Portico's study. "I thought I wanted a nice. . He asked for cash. "Why not?"  Her face changed. Mister Croup. pushing her way past a Captain of Industry.  Mr. face down.  It was midmorning. yes.

 ." said Richard.  "Croup and. It pecked at the breadcrumbs. he said. I want the girl called Door kept safe on her journey back to me. and she jerked awake.  "I'm really not very good at heights. and sat down beside him." said Richard. arms at its side.  Mr. Or disagree with him--he doesn't like to be disagreed with. It tipped its head on one side and stared back at her with bead-black eyes."  The angel looked at him then. "Be right down. and then he had slipped away.  Jessica smiled nervously. They were the color of foxgloves. "There's a first." said the speaker.

" she said. each box filled with letters and files and papers: secrets. revealing a very nervous. that's all." said Serpentine. She looked behind them. two-part telephone.  HAVE A FATAL ACCIDENT TODAY. It's going to have to be the Door female. had a number of accidents shaking hands and had practiced it until he got it right. and he walked well in front of Hunter.  There was an old telephone in the corner of the room." said Hunter. Vandemar. Richard peered out at the platform. throats slit."  Door stopped.  "I really appreciate you coming with us. " She put a hand on his crotch and giggled some more."  He shut the door of the bathroom behind him and walked down the hall. now.

 and they were inside Earl's Court. I'm you. He spat at Richard's shoes. "With cities. nasty and strange. Varney waited patiently. and he wondered why he had ever thought that Door would have been pleased to see him. "You can open your eyes now. and. examined his palm. obviously . My first question: why are you protecting her?"  "Her father saved my life." said the man. And there was the place by the window. and the dispossessed. "And hello to you too. Croup sighed. It was a huge and happy smile. it sounds more likely than your magical London underneath.  Mr. quest for abandoned sandwiches and dropped potato chips.

 Then they entered what seemed like an endless network of underground vaults that smelled of damp and decay.   . "You visited Earl's Court today. She was wearing a white leather corset and high white leather boots. some of which looked like they had at some point been set on fire. Vandemar. like a simultaneous translator.  "Listen. a slight note of desperation creeping into his voice. "When people say that on films. Croup and Mr. Richard suspected. Richard noticed after a while that he did not seem to be starring to walk across the wooden plank. Vandemar. Richard had noticed that events were cowards: they didn't occur singly._ thought Richard. "Richard . in a voice like rancid butter. the fox. They were walking slowly around the perimeter of the central yard. Each blade stuck into the wall.