Superior Saturday(51)

‘I have no idea what they’re doing,’ said Arthur. He frowned and added, ‘I’d hoped all the Denizens would have gone off to the elevators, to head wherever they’re going. Keep an eye out for anything that might look like a water reservoir. We must be getting close.’

They went up past several more floors of sorcerers dancing at their desks, then there were more vacated floors, some with distant views of marching sorcerers heading off further into the interior of the tower.

‘You look that way, I’ll look the other,’ Arthur said. ‘I’ve got confused about which way is north. I really should have kept that guidebook. I don’t know what I was thinking.’

‘That Alyse needed it?’ asked Suzy. ‘Zounds! Is that it?’

Arthur spun around, which was not a good thing to do when travelling quite fast inside the link of a vast, moving chain. He nearly lost his balance, and fell against Suzy, who staggered into the side of the link and almost lost her grip on the ring.

Recovering his stance, Arthur saw a glass wall some distance inside the tower, a glass wall that shimmered blue from the water inside it. The wall and the water continued up as they rose through the next floor, and the next.

‘Do we keep going?’ asked Suzy.

‘To the top of it,’ answered Arthur, who was counting very intently now. ‘Get ready, it’s forty-nine floors high.’

They stepped off at the forty-ninth floor, expecting to see either empty offices or offices with working sorcerers. But the office units here were not furnished with desks. Each ten-by-ten-foot office had a small lounge in it, and a standing lamp. The lounges were covered in different fabrics, ranging from black leather to bright floral patterns, and the standing lamps had matching shades.

‘Artful Lounger territory,’ whispered Suzy.

‘Yep,’ said Arthur. He looked around keenly. ‘But there aren’t any here.’

He started off towards the water tank. Though the rain obscured his view, he could see the clear glass wall of the tank through several floors, and the open top of it up ahead, with its rain-dappled surface of clean blue water. It looked like an enormous aquarium, and Arthur wondered if there were fish in it. Or other things . . .

‘So do yer just stick your hand in, or what?’ asked Suzy as they reached the edge of the huge tank and looked across the expanse of water.

We’re ten thousand feet up a tower, and this water ‘tank’ is about five hundred feet deep, thought Arthur, with a surface area that’s about equal to sixteen Olympic pools. That’s some water storage!

He bent down and dipped his hand in the water. Immediately he felt Part Six of the Will speak directly into his mind.

Arthur! I need your help to gather myself. Come into the water! There is no time to lose!





SEVENTEEN





‘IT WANTS ME to go into the water,’ Arthur told Suzy. He looked at the rain splashes and then back at the empty lounges behind them.

‘So it’s here?’ Suzy asked. She kept looking back too.

‘Yes,’ said Arthur. ‘I suppose I’d better go in. You keep watch.’

Suzy nodded and drew her wrench, slapping the heavy adjustable head against her open hand.

Five hundred feet deep, thought Arthur. That’s waaaay too deep . . . but I have to get the Will.

Steeling himself, Arthur slid off the latticed iron floor and into the water. It was cold, but not as cold as he’d expected. It was definitely not as cold as it should have been that high up, but then neither was the air. Saturday might like the rain, but she clearly didn’t want the cold of an earthly high altitude.

Good! the Will chimed in. Swim to the middle and call me!

Arthur trod water for a few minutes. He’d done lifesaving classes, and had swum in his clothes before, but not with his boots on. He was about to kick them off, but decided not to. He wasn’t having any trouble staying afloat. Possibly because he wasn’t having any trouble breathing, and his strength and endurance were far greater than they’d ever been.

He struck out for the middle, using breaststroke rather than freestyle so he could see where he was going. It was slower, but safer. Halfway there, he rolled over on his back and did some backstroke so he could see Suzy. She waved, and he waved back.

Good work, Arthur! Now, call me with your mind.

Arthur trod water and watched the rain, visualising the tiny fragments of the Will that lay inside each raindrop.

Part Six of the Will of the Architect, attend upon me, Arthur the Rightful Heir, he thought, his brow furrowed in concentration. Join together and come to me!

Long threads of type began to glow and flow through the water, twining together like the tendrils of luminous sea plants. The rain shone with an inner light and began to drive towards Arthur rather than falling straight down through the latticework floors. Up above him, drips and drops that had been caught on the floors sprang into motion, rolling and spreading to the nearest gap to fall again.