The Top Shelf was warmer still, almost tropical. Arthur would have found it unpleasant, save that he had been so cold before, he welcomed any heat. But given that it was still night, he figured it must get very warm during its day, depending on what kind of sun or suns it had.
‘I hope it’s soon,’ shouted Suzy. ‘Can you see anything below?’
Since passing through the second skylock, the Servants had levelled off, lending hope that their destination was close.
‘I espy campfires below,’ called out Ugham. Arthur couldn’t see the Newnith or the Servants who carried him, but he sounded quite close. Craning his neck, Arthur looked around to see if he could pick up the campfires too, though all he’d previously spotted were a few stars high above. He’d watched them for a while to see if they moved, but they hadn’t.
‘I see them!’ shouted Fred. ‘Guess that’s Friday’s Dawn and the Gilded Youths.’
Arthur turned to where he thought Fred was flying and caught sight of a whole bunch of tiny twinkling orange-red lights below them and a mile or more ahead.
‘What do they need campfires for?’ shouted Arthur. ‘It’s hot up here and they don’t need to eat!’
‘Tradition!’ yelled Suzy. ‘Or tea, maybe. What’s a camp without a fire anyhow? Oh, I see other lights.’
Arthur squinted ahead. There were pallid white dots beyond and above the crescent-shape of the campfires.
‘That must be Binding Junction,’ called out Fred. ‘The High Guild’s headquarters.’
A minute later the Servants began to glide down, affirming Fred’s guess. They swooped low enough above the camp to see the actual fires, passing only fifty feet or so above the many Denizens who were sitting or standing around them. Strangely, no alarm was raised or even any notice given to the outsiders’ appearance.
Perhaps they just don’t look up, thought Arthur. I guess they know the Winged Servants control the sky at night …
Binding Junction lay ahead, a dim silhouette. As far as Arthur could tell, it was a fortress with four corner towers and one large central tower, or keep. The Servants were heading for this, and indeed almost before Arthur could prepare himself, he and his friends were being dropped on the battlements of this huge, square tower.
‘Thanks,’ grunted Arthur as he tried to stand upright. Every muscle and joint in his arms and legs ached, and it was very hard to straighten out.
The Servants bowed, and one of them – who might or might not have been One Who Survived the Darkness – rapidly signed at Fred. Then all of them were gone, off into the night, which Arthur now noted was tinged to the east with the first faint colourful hints of a rising sun.
‘They’re in a hurry,’ said Fred. ‘Daylight’s coming.’
Arthur nodded and stretched again, biting back a shriek of pain. Suzy had no such compunction and let out a series of yells as she massaged her own shoulders.
Arthur stopped stretching and looked around to see if the noise had attracted any unwanted attention. The battlements were deserted as far as he could see. There was an open staircase in one corner, pale lamplight spreading from its entrance. Ugham was already there, looking down the steps.
‘Guess we’d better go find a representative of the High Guild of … what was it … Binding and something else?’ Arthur suggested.
‘Restoration,’ said Fred. ‘Remember, they’ve got a reputation for being tricky.’
‘I only need them to supply a sorcerer to do one spell,’ said Arthur. ‘We won’t be staying long.’
‘What do you want the sorcerer to do?’ Suzy asked as they started down the steps, Ugham leading the way with Arthur close behind. There were candles – or candle equivalents, since they looked the part but just glowed without a visible flame – stuck in iron sconces every few yards. There was also a shabby carpet tacked on the stone steps, which made the descent slippery and forced Arthur to concentrate for a few steps before he could answer.
‘I want them to turn the speck of the Architect’s gold foil into a kind of compass,’ he finally said. ‘To point to other bits of the same gold foil, which were used in the Will. Apparently something separated from a larger whole is still sorcerously part of the bigger lot. Scamandros told me about it.’
‘So it will lead us to the Will?’ asked Fred.
‘I hope so.’
‘But you could have done that with the Key,’ said Suzy. ‘You don’t need a—’ She stopped talking suddenly. Arthur didn’t need to turn around to know that Fred had elbowed her in the stomach.