All Denizens of the Middle House are to cooperate with the officers, troops, and auxiliaries of the Upper House. Some auxiliaries may appear to be Nithlings. They are not Nithlings as such, but auxiliaries in the service of the Upper House.
All Denizens of the Middle House must immediately report to the nearest officer from the Upper House if they should observe, notice, hear, or become cognisant of any information concerning the whereabouts or intentions of the dangerous outlaw Arthur Penhaligon, self-styled Rightful Heir to something or other.
All Denizens of the Middle House must immediately report to the nearest officer from the Upper House if they should observe, notice, hear, or become cognisant of any information concerning the whereabouts or intentions of the rebel known as the Piper, or the malcontent known as the Mariner (aka ‘the Captain’).
All Piper’s children in the Middle House are, as of now, outlawed and must be destroyed. Loyal Denizens of the Middle House are called upon to attack Piper’s children whenever and wherever they are seen. Evidence in the form of their detached heads should be retained in suitable sacks for presentation to officers of the Upper House.
All creatures known as Raised Rats are, as of now, outlawed and must be destroyed. Loyal Denizens of the Middle House are called upon to attack Raised Rats whenever and wherever they are seen. Evidence in the form of their detached tails should be retained in suitable sacks for presentation to officers of the Upper House.
All and any possessions of any captured Raised Rat or Piper’s Child must also be retained in separate labelled stacks. Should any Raised Rat or Piper’s Child be found to be in possession of a letter or any document, said document must be delivered with utmost haste to any officer of the Upper House.
By order of Lady Saturday, Superior Sorcerer of the Upper House, with tacit approval of Lord Sunday
Arthur frowned. The letter had the seal of Lady Saturday, a gold disc attached by rainbow-hued wax that constantly changed colour … but it did not have Sunday’s seal. And what did ‘tacit’ mean?
I’ve got to find out more about Lord Sunday, thought Arthur. He’d been thinking this for some time. All the things that are done against me seem to be organised by Saturday, and Sunday is just in the background … or is he?
He dismissed the thought for the moment. He had to concentrate on what was in front of him right now.
‘Have you read all of this second letter?’ Arthur asked Pirkin cautiously. His hand fell to the Fourth Key at his side. He hadn’t put his belt back on, but he’d made sure it was never out of reach.
‘I read ’em both,’ said Pirkin. ‘But like Oddkin said, it’s just a load of old jetsam. Kill Piper’s children? Kill Raised Rats? That’s not something the association would stand for, I tell you. That Saturday ain’t got no rights here. She can do whatever she wants in the Upper House, I suppose, but no one here is going to do stupid stuff just because she says so.’
He paused to take another sip of his hot water, then added, ‘Or almost nobody. I s’pose those toffee-noses up on the Top Shelf might want to look good. They’re always going on about how close they are to the Upper House anyhow. “Top of the Middle just means bottom of the Upper” they like to say. Most of ’em failed school there, I reckon. They should stick to fixing up records like they’re supposed to.’
I hope you’re right,’ said Arthur. He started to lift his cup but had to grab it with both hands as the raft suddenly lurched and the floor tilted sharply, making his chair slide back to the wall. ‘What’s happening?!’
‘Started up the rise, haven’t we,’ said Pirkin. He put down his cup and moved to the door. ‘Not before time too. About ten hours’ climb to the Skylock and then we should see some sunshine in the Middle. Their weather isn’t broken. I’d best see we’re in the fastest current.’
As Pirkin left the hut, Arthur settled back in his chair. The floor of the raft was now tilted up at about twenty degrees, which both looked and felt quite strange, but Pirkin had not been concerned so Arthur figured he would try not to be as well.
He had just taken his long-delayed sip when the door opened and Suzy and Fred burst in, accompanied by a cold gust of wind and some flying snow. They advanced cautiously to the stove, the canted floor giving them some trouble, and sat down with their backs to the stove, facing Arthur.
‘No sign of the pig thing,’ said Suzy. ‘But Uggie’s keeping watch.’
‘Never thought I’d go for a ride on a Paper Pusher’s raft,’ said Fred. ‘Particularly not when I was up for another ninety-nine years of service in the Army before I could even get back to Letterer’s Lark.’