‘What if it’s really deep on the other side?’ asked Leaf. ‘Will we get the bends going up? Can you get the bends in the House?’
‘I don’t know!’ snapped Arthur. ‘We haven’t got a choice, have we? Go through as soon as the paper’s off.’
‘What about you?’ asked Suzy.
‘I’ve got to make sure everyone gets out,’ said Arthur. ‘You guys go or you’ll get trampled.’
As the paper was almost all off, he took the Carp’s jar from Jebenezer and stepped back out of the wardrobe, hitting a solid wall of waiting Denizens, who were barely kept in check by the combined efforts of the Mates, some of the Carp’s Followers, and the more dependable crew.
Arthur managed to squeeze through back to the blanket box. He stepped up on that, ignoring the fact that it was vibrating, along with the floor, like a badly tuned car.
‘Okay, Carp, maximum volume,’ said Arthur. ‘Repeat what I say.’
‘I shall do so,’ replied the Carp.
‘Quiet down!’
‘Quiet down!’
‘Don’t push and wait your turn!’
‘Don’t push and wait your turn!’
‘Everyone will get out!’
‘Everyone will get out!’
‘Listen carefully but don’t move till I tell you to.’
‘Listen carefully but don’t move till I tell you to.’
‘There are two walls of mirrors to go through.’
‘There are two walls of mirrors to go through.’
‘Walk slowly and carefully through the wardrobe mirrors and keep going through the next set of mirrors. You will come out underwater. Swim up and try to help anyone who needs it.’
‘Walk slowly and carefully through the wardrobe mirrors and keep going through the next set of mirrors. You will come out underwater. Swim up and try to help anyone who needs it.’
‘Everyone at the back stay still. If you’re in front of the wardrobe, start walking slowly forward!’
‘Everyone at the back stay still. If you’re in front of the wardrobe, start walking slowly forward!’
‘As space opens in front of you, walk slowly forward! Steady! Everyone will get through!’
‘As space opens in front of you, walk slowly forward! Steady! Everyone will get through!’
Arthur kept giving instructions as the Denizens shuffled forward into the mirrored doors of the wardrobe. Every now and then one would panic and Arthur would stop breathing as it looked like the fear would spread, only for everything to come back under control as calmer Denizens wrestled the panicked one back into line.
But it’s all taking too long, Arthur thought as he was forced to step down from the blanket box, which was shaking itself to pieces. The floor under his feet was starting to glow a nasty, dull red — if it wasn’t for his Immaterial Boots, Arthur was sure he would feel the heat.
‘Let’s move a bit faster!’ he called out, the Carp repeating his words. Perhaps half the Denizens had gone through, so there was more room and less likelihood of a terrible crush.
Five minutes later, the walls started to weep black, tarlike tears the size of Arthur’s head, and the floor was twisting and tilting by as much as six inches up and down.
‘Come on, faster now!’ called Arthur. ‘Jogging on the spot and then forward when space opens up!’
He demonstrated jogging as best he could with his crab-armoured leg on a moving surface. Perhaps two hundred Denizens remained, but the room was clearly under enormous stress, and that meant that the Moth and the worldlet outside must be close to final destruction.
‘Can you tell what’s happening outside?’ whispered Arthur to the Carp as he moved to the back, smiling and waving on jogging Denizens. ‘I mean the Moth side, Feverfew’s worldlet.’
‘It’s still there because we’re still here,’ said the Carp. ‘Hold on a moment. I’ll check.’
It whizzed around its jar several times, then stopped.
‘The underlying structure is holding, though the cosmetic features, like the hills and so forth have all gone. Remarkable, really. Grim Tuesday lacked true flair, but his work was always very solid.’
‘How long have we got?’
‘Minutes, not hours,’ said the Carp. ‘I can’t say closer than that.’
‘Right,’ said Arthur grimly. There was some sort of holdup near the rear ranks of Denizens. He threaded his way over to it, to find Sunscorch, Pannikin, and Captain Swell trying to pry Captain Catapillow from a display cabinet. Arthur was only mildly surprised not to see Concort, who must have already fled through the wardrobe.
‘I can’t go without at least the heart of my collection,’ sobbed Catapillow. ‘Just one cabinet. You can help me carry it! If it can’t go, I won’t go!’