was in the Dark Ages. It's going to be a bastard winter.

 She could go no farther
 She could go no farther. that the man could see them--and also that he was doing his best to pretend that he couldn't. His wallet. he realized. We can nip through London Above for a bit."  "Leave him. there was one of your rat-speaker people. Come in. She did not go to that place in her head. "Hang on--I knows you. "Don't think of us as murderers and cutthroats.  Through the underpass. "We're not going to get the key back by lollygagging around here. I hope it's not going to be bad luck for you or anything. "You're dead.  "Are they really your brothers?" he asked. he was rather relieved to see through the kitchen windows. "Hammersmith!"  The bearded mountain-man looked up. He walked through the square. He wants to know if he's met you afore. "So you've got three answers. There was a scratch._ Her father's hair is brown and thick."  "Do all the machines just give you things like that?" asked Richard.  "Twit. and swallowed." she said. and she dropped to the floor.

 roughly a thousand years later. each advertising "Angels over England--A Traveling Exhibition. "Do you think he can really do it? Get me my life back?"  "I've never heard of such a thing.  As it passes her. There was no one there.  "Here's your tea and your ??clair. And then the footsteps came closer. and quickly established that a) he.  "If I might have your attention." said Richard. Taking care of you. "We're in luck. that was the restaurant. He asked the driver to take him to his office. Behind her was a thin woman with a severe face and long dark hair. "My father had one of these. can you just give me a sec? I'll be fine. Carefully. she does strike me as someone who would indeed act to end the pain and suffering of a friend.  "You can't make me. Weathered gargoyles. It washed itself. Honest. . Crisp. What barony do you give fealty to? What's your name?"  Richard pulled himself into a sitting position. and Jessica came in.  Richard froze.

 Croup hit Richard in the stomach. He hurt all over; in some places--the little finger on his left hand. It tipped its head on one side. Vandemar. I . like talk to her. Allow me to make introductions. There was a long plank stretched between the ledge on which they stood and the top of the rocky path. you're right. Hunter." said Richard. This is your home. it never got any easier.  Serpentine sniffed. or a day later. put it into her right hand. inlaid with ivory and mother-of-pearl."  As the Beast came toward her." gasped Lear. . and she began to back away. He wore a huge dandyish black coat that was not quite a frock coat nor exactly a trench coat.  Richard reached a hand out: his hand pushed into Gary's face. " it paused." There was a flutter of wings. on the side of a storm drain. Vandemar fashioned the rings he wears on his right hand out of the skulls of four ravens." said Mr.

 Streetlights and the fronts of closed stores illuminated their path. and pure black. as if none of the events around them had occurred." said Mr. to Richard. bright red mailboxes and green grassy parks and cemeteries. Then. whatever that meant. "I don't know what you think you're doing. and to shout. odd scientific instruments; there were maps on the walls. a lavish. and crushed its head in his teeth. "  She looked disappointed. consists chiefly of waiting. more uneasy.  "It's him.  She inspected the drinks table. and painted with red and white and gold leaf. For a moment. And. I want the girl called Door kept safe on her journey back to me. and tossed her hair. They mopped up the last of their egg yolks with the toast. It was diaphanous. before you commence the next stage of your travels. or the Restoration sewers. " .

 Mr. assisted in hanging and exhibiting the collection. . and.  "I know."  "I thought that they hadn't spoken to each other for. Then. he felt increasingly guilty about not unpacking them. As far and hard away as I could. ." said Mr. "He's not dead. so instead he pushed. reasonably. reluctantly. The bodyguard was awake when I went to sleep. "Did you bring back her body?"  The abbot shook his head. assisted in hanging and exhibiting the collection. "He could have left me on the sidewalk." said Door. . "Circumlocution.  He smiled. Old Bailey slowly lowered the baby carriage wheels to the ground below them. red blood in enormous quantities." said Mr. "Well. .

 very quietly." said the marquis de Carabas." He did not comfort well. He shrugged. . He ran." said Mr. Bruce Lee.  Mr. its mouth opening and closing impotently as the life fled. Other than that. animal carcasses.  Again he asked her. Vandemar had found half a shrimp and lettuce sandwich in a garbage can. with no artificial assistance. and the sewage was swept off into the North Sea. sucking the air into her shattered rib cage. "Hmm. Old Bailey seized it and waved it above his head. Croup to Mr. ." said Door. that it was morning. and the card slid out again. Hunter reached out her hand and pushed the end of the crossbow back down toward the floor. "Off. Vandemar seemed genuinely pleased by this. wouldn't it?_ "Well.

 loudly. abandoned his clothes on the bed. ?"  "No." explained her mother. People stared at the stage in puzzlement and horror. . I'm afraid there's nothing we can do about it.  "Maybe. almost imperceptibly." He was too weary to pursue it. "Hold on--I'll see if anyone in here does. Was it expensive?"  "I swapped some stuff for it. and there were some things I was probably better off not knowing. with dignity." he asked. That's a good lad. "In the first aid kit. Richard knew the new face: he had shaved it most weekday mornings since he had left school; he had brushed its teeth. you know. Come on darling. Do you know her?"  "The Lady Door. Vandemar is always hungry. fast asleep in a shop doorway. Clarence winked at her.  "Did I say newspaper?" said Jessica." She placed the spear on the floor. cheerfully. then tried to apologize in French for having to apologize in English.

 down an old iron staircase. an unfamiliar edge to her voice.  "Not even close. And then it leaps at her. The Fop writhed and spat blood onto the sawdust on the floor of Harrods' Fish and Meat Hall. breathe. "Great. and he ran and splashed down the tunnel until he caught up with them. and the elevator stopped. "Enough. He opened the box." said the woman in the hallway. Mr. She wore dappled leather clothes. We'll try to get you some help.  _Dear Diary. and it chittered at him. looking at none of them."  Door reached out a hand. She says she can take us anywhere in the Underside. girl. and pulled out a silver key. it was. His center of balance had moved lower. Of course. you are both very drunk. He let go of it. link by link.

 The honeysuckle and the lily of the valley wrapped around him." whispered Hunter.' we want you to get yourself to the market tonight. now that he thought about it. thumbed it open." she said. "Sorry about that. into each other's arms. empty and lonely and dark. under her breath." she said. which one the live rail was; and decided. "Um. "Lucifer?" it said. Said I was lying. Mister Croup. without humor."  They pushed past Richard on their way to the front door. and she dropped to the floor. He ran his hands over the surface of the marsh. a hungry panther sighting a lost peasant child. "For you. knowing there was nothing he could do to save himself. Door flicked a lever on the side. by the third rail: a small splash of purple." said the vast old man. Croup and Mr. His face was powdered to white.

" whispered the Angel Islington. "Come on. Remember them? On your desk. You never knew what would turn up." repeated Richard. and was putting his stew on to cook when he became aware that someone was watching him from the shadows by a chimney stack. made the kind of "hmmm" noise that means. The pub. It had left Jessica's mother quite disgruntled."  The man without the camel-hair coat looked as if the spider was beginning to crawl back up his throat. her elfin face pale in the pre-dawn light. Then she parted her lips to begin shouting once more. Richard. Miles away. . Hunter is in the undercity beneath Bangkok. "I really don't want anything. The room was dark. Mister Vandemar.  "So. and the two men-at-arms. . "Just. There are others who want the situation to worsen. and she just never made it across. down to the sodium-lit pavement below. "I'm a little scared." he said.

 and she stopped again. "Great. "They seek an audience. It'll get you through the labyrinth. Vandemar. His eyes were gray as well. as you will. and was putting his stew on to cook when he became aware that someone was watching him from the shadows by a chimney stack. "Are we in the British Museum?" he asked. quite wonderful.  "Ordeal?" asked Jessica. We were crossing this bridge in the dark. "Food!" She descended on the canapes like a small."  The angel nodded. Vandemar told Richard." said Gary. she had noticed Door. recollecting the cooling lump of metal on his anvil. . Her cheeks were glistening. toward a door."  "Doing a bloody good job of it. slower. and smiled gloriously."  They began to amble off."  Lear's eyes narrowed. Richard wrote a diary entry in his head. Not for enthusiastic amateurs.

 only a few days old: Door moved through the House Without Doors calling "I'm home. from behind him. to the Arch. He had the strange feeling that if he looked down at his fingers he would be able to see the wine glowing through them. Croup clambered down from his plinth. He felt odd: detached. Richard had noticed that events were cowards: they didn't occur singly." she said. "Thirty pieces of silver?" She pulled it. We'll keep her safe. and the marquis's corpse tumbled out and splashed into the brown water below them. in affluent Knightsbridge. "It was a welcome gift. _Perhaps he'll go away. The boy glared at her. I think I'm going mad or something. in silence. and painted with red and white and gold leaf. nor real."  "Actually." said Old Bailey to himself.  "Look. I can't run yet .  "Hello." said Jessica. Mr. "Something wrong?" asked Anaesthesia.  He knew what he had to do.

 improbable. "Are you with the police?" The second of the visitors. did not turn his head. You're fucking dead. Then he lunged toward the brick wall. Richard Mayhew?" asked the leather woman. she squealed. unshaven. television station. I thought you understood. disdainfully. Sometimes she had known him; at other times she had called him by his father's name. and he was on his way. Richard followed her. out the door and down the corridor. too. Other men ran to him. and beamed. Richard peered out at the platform. as more and more of London's waterways were forced into pipes and covered passages. "Islington. He.  Watching their dreams. blinked. and gripped it as tightly as he could. locking a door and then walking toward the Tube. at the bottom of the spiral staircase. "It can't be.

 His hair was soaked. Richard wondered whether the man was quite sane. It tipped its head on one side and stared back at her with bead-black eyes.  The marquis de Carabas went down on one knee to the girl and lowered his head."  Richard shook his head. God. Their footprints left a dark green trail in the grass behind them. which illuminated the stone walls and the mud._ "This way. and her nose was red. The surface of the mirror clouded at his touch. "I've never crossed the bridge before. pulled out a much-folded scrap of paper. when he had caught up. "You said. Vandemar. Vandemar.  "Lovely fresh dreams. now that some of the dirt and blood had been removed. damp strips. The sewer divided into two branches. "I would like to propose a toast to our guests. "Give him back his life. as a training ground. Vandemar. to the woman at the curry stall.  There was a man sitting on a wooden bench. "The main gate.

 Nothing happens. maddening whine of mosquitoes. now only ten feet away."  Richard.  "No.  Mr. It was cold." she said. It was cold. clearly. where do all you taxi drivers live anyway? And why don't any of you live near me? The trick is to get in first.  "See?" said Door. but it fell through them as if they were not there. You don't get any answers._ The whole thing was going to be a disaster. at village cricket matches. "I thought my version would get you here a little faster." she said.  "Who are we looking for again. He called to them. almost imperceptibly. "We fixed it." he said.  Richard crouched down. grinning like a Cheshire cat. spittle flying.  "Are you all right?" asked Richard.  It had not been a good day.

 He pursed his lips and fluttered his eyelashes. It was cold. "Richard thought you were a--"  Hunter never found out what Richard thought she was."  Richard. He stared at it for some moments. each time.  "If only you had a Swiss army knife. This didn't seem to be a sewer." said Richard. Every coin he put in went straight through the guts of the machine and clattered into the tray at the bottom. decisively.  Mr. He didn't. "What can I do for you?"  "Couple of things. was standing next to Lamia. of anguish. nodding brusquely to various acquaintances as he did so. lay on its back. He flicked the keyboard. Vandemar. Croup lowered his head. but he kept banging and flailing at the brickwork. yes. racking coughs that interrupted them. Sylvia. Her short red hair shone in the dawn like burnished copper._ and he sniffed. something whispered and shivered and changed .

 looking at Richard disdainfully. down the one road with no streetlights. and he threw. Richard noticed Old Bailey. and helped Door up." said Richard. But that's not why we're here right now. "He wants to know who you all are. and waggled his fingers at him. Croup has no obvious jewellery; fourth. was standing next to Lamia. to climb down the side of the wall. She's of the House of the Arch. isn't there somewhere you could go? Someone that we could call?"  She took the dead receiver from his hand. "The earl's agreed to help us. . that the man could see them--and also that he was doing his best to pretend that he couldn't. I blew it.  "What. Now. I . but not matted. "How did they know?"  "Someone told them. "Well." asked a dry voice from the doorway. with Door between them. encountering the woman at a party. The marquis stepped onto the platform.

 touched her cheek and told her that she was in danger. There were steps in front of him; Richard began to ascend. "Very well. for that matter. "Last one of these events we found someone had puked in a sarcophagus. His old."  The woman looked at the marquis. and circled it before putting a number of exclamation marks next to it in his mental margin. Then Richard said. Clarence. defining the darkness.  Old Bailey reached into his pocket and pulled out the black rat. and gentle; and.  "Bad dream?" asked the girl. and occasional fragments of toilet paper. standing alone in his darkened flat. no--_now_ she was in danger. "Wait. three times." he said."  "But _I_ saw you. I had a friend lost a head to one of them. the sweetness of that smile. yes.  Serpentine looked at the-wasp-waisted woman in the doorway." He jigged around his stall.  "It's been better.  The place that Richard got off was not an Underground station.

 dressed in improvised rubber and leather clothes that looked like they had been cut out of the inside of cars. I'll be fine. This pile of bones had once belonged to a woolly mammoth. The people in the dinner jackets they had lined up with. Old Bailey nodded vigorously to himself.  He went back to writing his mental diary. Vandemar shot a look at Mr. mildly. "I will walk by your side when you are in London Below. "Come on. I get safe conduct out of here. went off into the distant dark. It had been a glimpse into a world of adventure and imagination."  "Not bad. Her arm's still a bit--"  "Her recovery time will undoubtedly astonish us all. Instead he feels only dread. Richard knew that. It stung. "You did these?" she asked. "Hello?" said Richard. She put it down on Richard's desk. . thin. from the corner of his eye. He wondered if the wine was still affecting him. and he had nothing at all to say to her. "What?" he said. And then.

 but it was an emergency." whispered the Angel Islington. Behind her was a thin woman with a severe face and long dark hair. which led out onto the pavement." said Door. the metallic slam of the elevator door. "They listen to the earl. But there was no sky above it. "Come on. running through him. She picked up a glass of champagne from the table. wistfully. comfortably.  But now. See?" said Door. delighted laugh. Then once more water dripped. turned and waved with an elaborate flourish. too.  Door stood before a high cabinet. dented and scraped. For a moment. unlit underpass. They walked off the ship. Richard got out of the bed.  Richard heard the clapping and walked toward it. Now."  "Oh.

 "All right. But whoever you are. "I'll need to get her to the market. his very own desk. . books.  "I rent my body. hard."  "Thank you. . _Chink." said the angel. Mr. You really could get lost in your own backyard." She pressed herself up against the wall and peered out of the window. while her ice-cold spittle ran down the marquis's cheek. Vandemar was standing beside Mr. more rubbish."  "How did that kid know where it was?"  "Someone told him. year after year. and she had a knife at her belt and an electric flashlight strapped to her wrist. my friend. "There.'I'm a frayed knot. as the mad old roof-man had put it. Richard would trail behind Jessica as she went shopping. "Best way to scare crows. and it hurt Richard more than hatred or enmity could ever have done.

 whatever the opposite of a bodyguard is. The acoustics had altered as well: they were in a bigger room." said Richard. If the police see you they'll run you in for offensive weapons. .  The Lord Rat-speaker reached inside his fur-trimmed rags and pulled out a wicked-looking sliver of glass. who walked on with a smile on their faces and a spring in their step. Her eyes opened. . And then he said. had caught hold of Mr. and. His face was powdered to white. back in the cold times when the great hairy beasts walked across the snowy tundra of the south of England as if. "You will tell us if you see her. while she attached a message to its leg. scare her. "So. "But we don't have any other vacant apartments like yours in the building. Lady Door. obviously. then curled up on his shoulder and went to sleep." said the earl. every alley and lane and runnel of it." he told the rat. however. "Should have followed my idea. know a few rats.

 There were four million people in Atlantis. without much conviction. with blood coming from his ears. of an unlikely orange colour. and show him back to his bed." said the marquis. "All right. The marquis righted himself and pointed the crossbow at Hunter's back. that was the start of it all. door to door." he said. His mouth opened. He tried to send her mental messages. which she remembers but which time had diminished as the years went on. She gave him the handle of her little lamp to hold." it said. Stockton cleared his throat. Just--humour me on this. "  And then Gary smiled and said. Vandemar pushed the shopping cart into the sewer as well. "Shouldn't you have the same name?"  "I am impressed. I done security for the May Fair for a bit. Then he moved his right leg up one rung. simply." he told the rat. and Richard found himself realizing how long it had been since he had shared a joke with a woman. Mister Vandemar. or desperate enough to dare.

"  The earl called down the carriage. and her long dress was jet black velvet. royal blue. actually. Please?" It was little more than a whisper."  It removed its hand from the water. and turned his head away from the glare. "  "Do it. He looks _dangerous_. She held it up. "I've already had to stop a couple of idiots in suits from carving their initials on the Rosetta stone." She folded her arms beneath her breasts. "I don't understand. He stopped at the top of the spiral staircase and drew a deep breath. . nor how it worked; he passed a stall selling glittering gold and silver jewelry. In response. "Going back to the market." But he knew he was lying to himself. "Hunter. yes. There was a small portrait of Door's family on the desk. Richard was certain of that. Some of them had food cooking over open fires: curries. and lifted her down. "Hmm. cheerfully. sick.

 Why. No one. he'll send me home again . And then. But whoever you are. then made a face. She rested a hand on it. rods and nets and improvised hooks beside them. I mean. dramatically. . and Richard could no longer remember how to talk. pushed at it. fumbling for the troll. as sedate. He had long hair. almost imperceptibly. The honeysuckle and the lily of the valley wrapped around him. combined with the near loss of his life to Lamia. Yes. mud and foul water splashing up from its hooves as it ran.  "I am called Hunter. looked into it warily. leaden color. . then he stabbed the nine key three times: Fire." she said. and even reds and yellows that vanished and glinted as she moved.

" said the marquis de Carabas."  Gary was sitting on the bench. involuntarily. aren't I?"  "Yes. When he tried to talk to Anaesthesia about the movements. weakly but graciously. no--_now_ she was in danger. It _was_ a girl." she warned. "Richard? This is Jessica. "What.  He floundered toward it through the mud. do you not? A source of amusement. while she attached a message to its leg."  "Not bad. convex and concave mirrors.  The marquis swept up the coins and the bones. White seagulls wheeled and called in the sky above them." said Richard. he seems a little bit dodgy to me."  Richard put his hand down to the spear." She pressed her fingers against a seriously locked glass door." corrected Mr. They waited. though. agreed. the prime minister." said Varney.

" said the leather woman. The doors began to close. "Bank Station.  A patrician face appeared on the small screen. And they walked away together. "Oh. several floors below. been abandoned. "The earl's agreed to help us. whoever that was." she said. no time. He was dragged off into the corner by some friends. went on to state that there were no such things as angels. "What?"  Richard had not noticed the marquis approach. following the winding stone road downwards. . Her hands are the size and shape of her hands today. And Jessica saw in Richard an enormous amount of potential.  He clapped his hands. in a mousy. and then he said. somewhat unshaven gate-crasher. and he had woven it into the fabric of the House Without Doors. and she looked up into a blank.  "This way. helpfully. Croup spat on the ground.

  A light was kindled and flickered. and Richard walked with them. Croup pulled Richard's head close to his. "call myself the marquis de Carabas. She was so proud of it. his coat was ripped. He walked nervously.  "Look. to his surprise. felt there was something odd about the cut of the coats. " _chink_ " .  Door is dreaming of her father. And when the cab driver pointed out that it would almost be quicker to walk. while holding forth. If my desk is there. had the apartment furnished with a bed. "You ought to put that thing away. Richard. _"Somebody.  As a child."  She glared at him."  "If you are crossing the bridge. little baby. .  There was a flurry of movement on the far side of the bridge. too._ 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. It's going to be a bastard winter.