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The city really comes alive in the dark. Bonfires are lit in public squares, fireworks are sent streaking across the sky, there are parades. I even spot some SubMerged taking part. They’re disappointed by the way the vote went, but don’t want to miss out on the fun. The Merged accept them without complaint. This is a time for sharing the joy, even with the enemies who would have crushed this realm.
It’s nice to catch up with the thesps. They’re relieved to see us — in some of the stories doing the rounds, the camel exploded when the princess emerged, while her assistant wasn’t mentioned at all, making them wonder if the pair of us had fallen in pursuit of our goal.
Oleg pulls me aside and pumps me for details of our quest. He plans to write a play about it, and wants the inside scoop to help it stand out from the dozens of other plays that will no doubt be hastily produced over the coming days and weeks.
Baba Jen is the only one who’s in a grumpy mood. “If I’d known I wasn’t going to be needed, I wouldn’t have bothered studying you,” she says to Inez. “It’s been a waste of a journey as far as I’m concerned.”
“Sorry,” Inez grins. “I’ll try to arrange another risky venture and make sure you don’t get squeezed out of the action next time.”
Late in the night, we head back to Lot 173T, where the actors put on an impromptu show. It’s a raucous skit, led by Baba Jen, which pokes fun at the SubMerged who were present when the princess turned up. The thesps pretend to be Duke Edward, Queen Pitina and the others. They feign shock and outrage, giving the characters long, bumbling speeches. It’s very funny, and even the SubMerged in the audience laugh.
When the thesps tire, Dermot invites Cal on stage to recount the game of grop that took place before we set off for the palace. That’s already passed into lore — I’ve heard several accounts of how he stood his ground against Orlan and Argate.
Cal normally wouldn’t go anywhere near a stage – he’s not someone who wants to be in the public eye – but he’s giddy from all the acclaim (and loss of blood) and allows himself to be dragged up. As he tells his story, some of the thesps act out the various roles, and the audience is quickly guffawing and clapping.
I wander away before Cal gets to the part where Inez and I are added to the team, and stroll out to the road to enjoy a spot of quiet. As I’m taking a break from the celebrations, a small mushroom drops on my head. Looking up, I spot Pol, Guido and Lena clinging to a vine.
“You made it to the top,” Pol notes.
“We sure did,” I grin.
“I wanted to climb the cliff too,” Guido sulks.
“You wouldn’t have felt that way if you’d seen the drop,” Pol grunts, shivering at the memory. Then he scowls at me. “I’d have come if I’d been needed – I wasn’t that scared – but I couldn’t have done anything up there.”
“That’s right,” I tell him, hiding a smile.
Pol nods, content that nobody’s going to call him a coward. “Did you know she was carrying the princess?”
“No.”
“When I found out, I half-wished I hadn’t helped you,” Pol says.
“Why not?” I frown. “You can’t have wanted Queen Pitina to triumph.”
“Of course not,” Pol says, “but now people will want to track me down and reward me.”
“Us too,” Guido points out.
“What’s wrong with that?” I ask.
“We don’t like people looking for us,” Pol says.
“They might try to put us in proper homes,” Guido agrees.
“And we don’t like being given stuff,” Pol adds.
“We prefer to take it,” Guido says proudly.
As I’m gawping at them, they shoot off, scurving away into the night without a hint of a farewell.
Lena hovers a moment and smiles at me shyly. “I’m glad you beat the bad guys,” she says. “You’d make a good mouse, Archie. You could even become a rat if you trained very hard.”
“Maybe one day,” I laugh, “but I have to go home. There are people who’ll be missing me.”
“You’re lucky,” Lena sighs. “Nobody ever misses a rat.”
With that she takes off, and even though I know she can’t hear me, I whisper after her as she’s swiftly lost to sight, “Don’t be too sure about that.”