‘As sure as I can be.’
‘Tell me something only Dalip would know.’
‘I…’
‘Well, go on, man,’ urged Simeon.
‘Boots. You wanted me to take someone’s boots, but only if they were dead.’
‘Did you?’
He looked down at the Wolfman’s boots. ‘Yes. Yes I did.’
The lock turned with a heavy click, and the door creaked open a sliver.
‘Come where I can see you.’
He stepped to one side, and he could see Mary’s dark eye flicker in the darkness. She looked him up and down, and after a moment, emerged blinking into the light. She had a slim dagger in her hand.
‘Did I do that to you?’ she asked.
‘This?’ He held up his hand. ‘Yes.’
‘Sorry.’ She shook her head. ‘What the fuck are you even doing here?’
‘I could ask you the same thing, but with less swearing. You went after Crows. You didn’t come back.’ He felt himself grow short of breath. ‘We thought you were dead.’
‘I had to stay with the maps,’ she said. ‘I couldn’t come back without them.’
Simeon stepped between them. ‘As touching as this unexpected reunion might be, I hear the call of treasure. Madam, does Crows still have the maps?’
‘Who the fuck is this clown?’
‘This is the pirate captain who took us on board, looked after us, sailed us across the sea and just chased those robed weirdos away.’ Dalip went to wipe the sweat away from his face with his hand, and winced as he inadvertently smeared himself with blood. ‘What happened to you?’
‘The maps?’ repeated Simeon. ‘We have an aversion to the land, and wish to be about our business. That business being, stealing the maps, spitting Crows like a spatchcocked hen, thumbing my nose at the Lords of the White City, and valiantly running away.’
‘You want the maps?’
‘Indeed. No greater prize exists in all of Down. Again, I ask you: does Crows still have them?’ The captain fixed her with a hard stare.
‘If you want Crows, then you’ll have to dig him out. He’s somewhere down there.’ She pointed over the top of the scree slope at the compounds. ‘These places are built like castles. You’ll have your work cut out for you.’
‘Indeed we will. We are, however, dread pirates, and shirking is not in our vocabulary.’ He bowed low, sweeping his hat off for the grand gesture. ‘Your appearance is most timely, and we are, as ever, pleased to serve the cause of freedom in this captive land. Dawson? Rally the troops. We have work to do.’
The horn brought the raiding party to order, and they moved as a mass, heading across the rocky slope towards the road. Mary called out to Elena as she passed by, but the blank stare that met her shout confused her.
‘I thought… what’s with her? Isn’t she, you know, glad I’m not dead?’
‘It’s complicated. She thinks you conspired with Crows to steal the maps from us, and get Luiza killed.’
‘But I didn’t.’
‘She’s not really worried about the truth. Promise me you’ll stay away from her until we can sort this out. She’s grieving, and Down knows it.’ Dalip looked at his palm, which had almost stopped bleeding, and was beginning to really hurt. ‘I should go with them. I’m part of the crew now.’
‘Where’s Mama?’
‘Back at the boat. She’s not exactly a fighter.’
‘And you are?’
‘For the right cause.’
She looked behind her at the stone shelter, then back again at Dalip. ‘I’ve got the maps here, in this shelter.’
‘You’ve what?’
‘Shut up. Not so loud. I went through some seriously fucked-up shit to get them, and I’m not going to hand them to Captain whatever-his-face-is, am I?’
‘God give me strength,’ he groaned. ‘I’ve got to tell them.’
She grabbed hold of his arm. ‘You do not. We need to get these maps out of here, back into Down proper, and work out what the fuck is going on. The ones wearing the long dresses◦– I don’t think they’re even human.’
Dalip pointed his machete at the backs of the ship’s crew disappearing over the rise. ‘They saved us◦– me, Mama, Elena◦– after you vanished. I◦– we◦– owe them.’
‘You might, but I don’t. Listen to me. Crows told us a whole load of bullshit: if there are any answers here, we’ll never find them. He brought the maps to the White City to give them to the Lords and Ladies, and in return, he thinks he’s going to rule Down. We need to find out how that happens, and we’re not going to if I hand everything over to your captain. Come with me, now, while they’re busy looking for Crows.’
Now he was breathless for an entirely different reason. ‘Is this worth people dying for? Because that’s what’s going to happen.’ He shook his head. ‘No. It’s not worth it.’
He tore himself free and ran after Simeon, the loose rock slipping and sliding beneath his feet.
21
As Mary watched him go, she remembered what Dalip had said, what seemed like an eternity ago. Whoever controlled the portals, controlled not just Down, but all of the Londons over all time. That was what Crows really wanted. And if the maps really did allow that, then whoever caught her first would win. Who would she rather see in controclass="underline" a bunch of faceless monsters that Crows seemed happy to deal with, or a shipload of pirates that now inexplicably included Dalip, Mama and Elena?
There was really only one person she trusted, and that was always and only ever going to be herself. And even then, she wasn’t so sure.
Perhaps she could have gone after Dalip. She could have tried to bring him down and stop him, but he wasn’t the timid, skinny little thing he’d been before. She wanted him to come with her, and the maps, but it looked like that wasn’t going to happen.
‘Fuck,’ she said, and retrieved the bag, holding it by its gathered neck. She stood at the entrance to the shelter and looked hurriedly around. Where could she go?
There were two ways out of the valley. Behind her, through the gorge, and ahead of her, across the river. The stepping stones and the path up the cliff were totally exposed. And the way through the narrow gorge was blocked, not just by the ferryman at the other end, but by a couple of lairy-looking pirates on guard at this.
There was nowhere in the valley she could hide, was there? All of the compounds were out: apparently that was where the Lords and Ladies lived, when they weren’t ripping their fake faces off. The shelters were, as she’d already proved, nothing but traps.
There was one building left that might offer her sanctuary: the dome-roofed circular structure. If it was some sort of church, then at least no one would attack her there, surely? It might be better than that, too. She could make a break for it, come nightfall. Even without magic to disguise her, she was good at sneaking.
The pirates would have to leave empty-handed once they’d flushed Crows out, and by the time the White City had reorganised itself, she’d be long gone, back into a place where magic worked. No Dalip, no Mama with her, but finding a place where a castle might grow wasn’t going to be difficult, not with all those maps. Down would provide. Wouldn’t it? The Red Queen would start on her own, but she wouldn’t stay that way for long.
She spent a second relocking the door behind her, and flinging the key wide and high so that no one would find it amongst the stones, then set off as fast as she could, arms windmilling to try and keep her balance, ignoring the taluses clawing at the soles of her feet.
She knew she was clutching at straws: here, where there was no magic, no sudden unexpected luck would fall in her favour. Despite that, she was still the sort of girl who’d leave herself open to one last let-down, just so she could tease herself with the thought that she was a worthless fuck-up who destroyed everything good in her life.