‘Big enough for what?’ asked Suzy, who was crouched down with Alyse, both of them apparently intent on the latticed floor.
‘I’ll tell you on the way.’ Arthur checked the handbook again, closed it, and was about to put it in his pocket when it shook in his hand and made a rattling noise.
‘What’s that mean?’
‘Change of orders,’ said Alyse. ‘Please, can I check it?’
Arthur hesitated. At that moment, he heard a sudden hiss and rattle erupt from everywhere around, followed a second later by the pop of capsules ejecting from the pneumatic message tubes and clattering onto every Denizen’s desk within sight.
Arthur opened the handbook, which went straight to a page that said in large, red type:
GENERAL MOBILISATION!
The tower has reached the target point underside of the Incomparable Gardens. All engineering gangs are to report immediately to Ground Floor Exterior Platform Lift One under the command of Saturday’s Noon to secure and lift the assault ram.
Arthur looked around. Every single Denizen was standing up, and they were all removing and furling their umbrellas. Those who already had their umbrellas in hand were stepping out to form up in long files, facing deeper into the tower, ready to march.
‘Are the normal elevators that way?’ Arthur asked Alyse.
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘What are the orders? We must obey!’
Arthur gave her the handbook. As Alyse read, he looked around. The leader of the Sorcerous Supernumeraries was reading a similar book to Alyse’s. The Supernumerary looked up and her sad gaze met Arthur’s. He quickly looked down, just in case she was powerful enough to recognise who – or what – he was.
‘We have to get going!’ repeated Alyse. ‘This is it, the big one. We’ll get to ride the cage all the way to the top!’
‘What’s this assault ram?’ asked Arthur.
Alyse shrugged. ‘Something big enough that it needs to go up on the outside cargo elevator. It’s amazing – three hundred feet a side and no chain. It’s self-propelling, driven by ten score senior sorcerers—’
‘Can we ride up on that too?’ asked Suzy, fired by Alyse’s enthusiasm.
‘No,’ Arthur said decisively. ‘Alyse, I’ll let you and the gang go, but you have to promise that you won’t tell and won’t betray us.’
‘Sure! Fine!’ said Alyse, a little too quickly.
Arthur looked around. The closer sorcerers were marching away. Only the Sorcerous Supernumeraries were still close, and they were watching the grease monkeys, who were mostly only pretending to inspect chains while they looked at Alyse and waited for her to tell them what was going on.
‘Give me your hand,’ he said quickly and quietly. ‘And promise me, Lord Arthur, Rightful Heir of the Architect, that you will not betray us.’
Alyse took Arthur’s hand.
‘I promise you, Lord Arthur, that I won’t betray you.’
A faint glow left Arthur’s fingers and moved into Alyse’s hand. She cried out, but Arthur didn’t let her go until the faint light had disappeared.
‘What occurs?’ asked a slow, deep voice.
Arthur looked around. One of the Sorcerous Supernumeraries had sidled closer and was sniffing the air.
‘Something shiny fell down from above and went across the floor somewhere,’ Arthur said hastily. ‘But I guess there’s no time to look for it, what with this general mobilisation and all, right, boss?’
‘Yes,’ said Alyse slowly. She shook her head vigourously, sending a spray of water across Arthur’s and Suzy’s faces. ‘No time to waste . . .’
‘Something from above? Something shiny?’ asked the Supernumerary. He immediately knelt down and started sniffing the floor. Arthur and the others moved away.
‘No time to waste!’ shouted Alyse. ‘Form up, gang! We’re going down to the floor to work on Outside Elevator Number One!’
‘Number One?’ came a shouted question from the tilted office below. ‘Outside Elevator Number One?’
‘Yes!’ yelled Alyse. ‘Come on! Back to the Big Chain!’
The Supernumerary started to sniff toward Arthur’s feet. More of the funereal Denizens were coming over, intent on what their sniffing companion was doing.
‘We’ll take the up chain when the first two take the down chain,’ said Arthur as he and Suzy hurried after Alyse. All the offices were empty now, the Denizens and their umbrellas gone. ‘Get to this water store, get Part Six of the Will, and get out of here.’
‘What about this ’ere ram thing and old Saturday gettin’ into the Gardens and everything?’ asked Suzy.