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I never thought a city could be this quiet. The streets are completely deserted, not a single person at large. We move along swiftly, nervously. Inez said it was unlikely that Orlan and Argate would come here to hunt for us, as we could leave Diamond through any of its zones, but we can’t be a hundred percent certain. Now that they’ve linked her to the realm, there’s a chance they might target its capital, hoping for a stroke of luck.
I keep glancing at the buildings as we pass, intrigued despite my worries about the killers. The blocks are a dirty brown colour in most cases. Hardly any of them have been plastered over or painted, and the binding cement is a greenish paste.
“They didn’t get a chance to work on the facades,” Inez says, noting my interest and filling me in on a little of the city’s history as we hurry along. “The rush was to raise the buildings. The finer details would have been applied later.”
She hesitates, then says a minute or two probably won’t make a difference, and pushes open the door of a building that’s seven or eight storeys high. The lobby is a classy affair, slabs of marble lining the floor and walls. The windows are stained glass, and a large chandelier hangs from the ceiling. It’s studded with candles.
“Don’t you have electricity in the Merge?” I ask.
“No,” Inez says, “but we do enjoy some advanced features.”
Inez claps and the candles flicker into life, lighting up the room.
“No way,” I gasp. “How can they do that without electricity?”
“Sound-activated gleam,” she says.
“Can I try?” I ask.
“Go ahead,” Inez says.
I clap my hands and the candles quench.
“Cool,” I purr.
“I’m glad you’re impressed,” Inez says drily.
“There are lights like that in the Born,” I tell her.
“They borrowed the idea from us,” she says. “We’ve been doing this for thousands of years.”
“How would someone in the Born know that?” I frown.
“It was probably a king or queen,” she says. “Family members tend to maintain homes in the Born. They can move freely between spheres, and even though most of them spend more time here than there, they all like to pop back every now and then, even if only to enjoy some home comforts and a holiday from the Merge. Sometimes they take the knowledge of things they’ve seen in our sphere and find a way to mimic them over there.”
We quickly explore a few of the other rooms. No televisions, computers, vacuum cleaners or microwave ovens. Basic kitchens. No toilets. Hardly any baths or showers. Beds are often just uncovered planks.
“Seen enough?” Inez asks.
I nod and she ushers me back out onto the street. We continue until we’re almost at the centre of the city, where we start down a long avenue towards a skyscraper. The avenue has been designed to highlight the building — as we march along, it gets bigger and bigger, until it fills the entire horizon.
There are stone gargoyles set on pedestals on either side of the avenue, a pair facing one another every four or five metres, though some are missing. I’ve seen gargoyles set into the walls of buildings here too, lower down than they’d normally be in the Born. They seem at odds with the rest of the architecture. Maybe they’re a throwback to the way this place looked before the king decided to change it.
We’re nearing the end of the avenue when a woman comes out of the skyscraper and storms towards us. She’s dressed in a dark top and trousers, and her hair is pinned up. She’s scowling and muttering. At first I think she’s come to challenge us, but when she looks up and spots us, she jumps with fright.
“Who are you?” the woman snaps. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m Inez,” Inez says, making the greet. “This is Archie. We’re hoping to see King Lloyd.”
That’s the first time she’s mentioned meeting the king, and I’m startled.
The woman squints at us suspiciously but returns the greet. I wonder if I should make the gesture as well, but Inez doesn’t say anything, so I guess only one of us needs to do it.
“What makes you think you can wander in off the street and announce yourself to a king?” the woman asks.
“I did some work for him in the past,” Inez says.
“What sort of work?”
“I’m a camel,” Inez says, and the woman relaxes.
“Do you have something for the king?”
“No,” Inez says, “but I’d like to offer him my regards.”
The woman sighs. “I doubt he’ll remember you. His mind these days... Still, it isn’t my place to decide who gets presented to him — the ones who made those decisions fled a long time ago.” Her face darkens and she starts muttering again.
“A lot of his servants have deserted him?” Inez asks.
“Almost all of them,” the woman growls.
“But not you,” Inez notes.
“I’d never abandon King Lloyd.” The woman forces a tired smile. “I’m Nora. I’ll take you to see him if you’ll grant me a few minutes of your time.”
“Happily,” Inez says. “What can we do for you?”
Nora heads down the avenue. She stops at one of the pedestals with a gargoyle and nods at the ugly statue. “Can you help me carry it?”
“What for?” I ask.
Inez digs an elbow into my ribs. “We’d be delighted to help,” she says.
Nora spreads her legs, grasps the gargoyle and picks it up. I see her muscles strain and her mouth twist with the effort, but then she stands straight and breathes out. “These things never get any lighter.” She jerks her chin at me. “Let’s see if you can take the load.”
I step forward nervously, worried that it will fall on my toes and break them.
“Don’t panic,” Nora says. “It’s not that heavy.”
“But what do you need it for?” I ask again, this time making sure I’m clear of Inez’s elbows.
“You’ll find out when we get inside,” Nora says, then cocks an eyebrow at me. “If you’re going to take it, take it. If you’re not, stop wasting my time.”
I flush, then stick out my arms. Nora eases the gargoyle into them, waits until I have a firm grip, then lets go.
“Whoa!” I gasp, feeling my arms plummet. I readjust and lean back, pulling the statue tighter into my chest.
“Are you alright?” Inez asks.
“Fine,” I wheeze.
“Will you be able to walk with it?” Nora enquires.
I take a few staggering steps before answering weakly, “Sure. No problem.”
“It’s good to have a big, strong man around,” Nora says to Inez, and I’m sure I’d catch them smiling if I could see over the top of the gargoyle’s head.
With Nora leading and Inez hovering close by in case I stumble, I drag my way towards the skyscraper, gargoyle clutched in my arms, and moments later we step off the avenue and into the gloom of the towering building.