Delivery to the Lost City

by P. G. Bell

  “I’m sorry to ask,” said Suzy’s dad, “but how exactly can Maxwell help us?”

  “If I’m right,” said Frederick, “Maxwell should be able to do the same job as the bifurcator. He’ll sort the fuel molecules for the H.E.C.’s engine.”

  Suzy’s mom raised an eyebrow. “If you’re right?”

  Frederick gave a nervous laugh. “I’m pretty sure he can do it,” he said. “Can’t you, Maxwell?”

  “How should I know?” Maxwell replied. Frederick felt his spirits sink.

  Fletch returned from the counter, rubbing his hands together. “Some poor soul in the Postal Service accounts department is going to get a shock when they see the bill,” he said. “So I hope this idea of yours works, lad.”

  “So do we,” said Suzy’s mom darkly.

  “You people aren’t making any sense at all,” said Maxwell. “The Professor’s lack of brains must be catching.”

  “Does he come with a silencing spell or something?” asked Frederick.

  “I’ll buy you earplugs,” said Fletch. He took the cage from Frederick and grinned at the little demon. “Welcome to the crew, Maxwell. It’s time to go and rescue our friends.”

  23

  A NIGHT ON THE TILES

  Suzy and Ina fled across the uneven landscape of the city’s rooftops using every means at their disposal. Ina led the way up old fire escapes, along crumbling balustrades, through derelict attics, and across swaying washing lines high above the streets. It’s like some bizarre form of mountaineering, Suzy thought, made even more treacherous by the heavy downpour. Every peak they crested was a triumph, although her body was soon aching with the effort.

  The sounds of the Watch Frogs’ pursuit had faded, though, and when she paused to look downhill, she saw just how far they had come—Ina’s building wasn’t even visible anymore.

  “You’ve done this before,” Suzy said.

  “Every night,” Ina confirmed. “It’s how I deliver the Scuttle. I can’t exactly go door to door with it, so I drop it down people’s chimneys.”

  Suzy looked ahead of them, up the city’s narrowing curve. “Can we make it all the way to the tower like this?”

  “Probably,” said Ina. “I just don’t know what we’ll do when we get there.”

  Another ominous roll of thunder sounded overhead, making them both flinch.

  “The city’s never made noises like that before,” said Ina. “Whatever it is, it’s getting worse. I don’t like it.”

  She wasn’t the only one. Doors and windows flew open along the street as scores of Hydroboreans poked their heads outside, searching anxiously for the source of the noise.

  As Suzy looked up at the pearlescent roof of the city, she wondered if the cracks seemed to be spreading … She didn’t get much chance to dwell on the question before the rising wail of the Watch Frogs’ siren drew her attention to the street below. She joined Ina in the shadow of an ornate chimney and watched a fleet of S-Cargo Units roar past. Each drew a train of detention trailers behind it, loaded with Hydroborean citizens, and there were so many vehicles that it took almost two minutes for the last of them to pass by. Suzy saw Amlod in one of the trailers, trussed up beside the newspaper seller, who was struggling feebly against the kraken’s tentacles.

  “It looks like they arrested the whole street!” said Ina in disbelief. “Why would they do that?”

  “Frogmaggog must have sent them to find us,” said Suzy. “He wanted to stop me telling you about the book, and stop you trying to reach it.”

  “But those people don’t have anything to do with that,” said Ina. “What’s he going to do with them all?” A look of horror passed over her face. “You don’t think…?”

  Suzy nodded somberly.

  “Amlod!” Ina whispered.

  “If we hurry, we might be able to find a way to save him,” said Suzy. “How far left to go?”

  Ina fought back her distress and looked around. “Too far.” She pointed uphill to a large powder-blue building that made Suzy think of a temple or church. Its gilded dome rose a full story above the buildings surrounding it, supported by rows of graceful columns. “That’s the Baleen Ballroom. It means we’re only halfway there.”

  “Then let’s be quick,” said Suzy.

  * * *

  It took Suzy and Ina only a few minutes to reach the building adjacent to the ballroom, and a running jump carried them both across a narrow side street onto a stone balcony that ran around the base of the dome.

  “There should be an old fire escape on the other side,” said Ina, setting off along the balcony. “We can use it to jump to the next building, but I haven’t been much farther than that before. We’ll have to make it up as we go along.”

  Suzy opened her mouth to tell Ina that this was what she had been doing all day anyway, but was drowned out by an almighty clap of thunder that sounded terrifyingly close. She covered her ears with her hands and squinted up into the rain.

  “What was that?” said Ina, skidding to a halt.

  “I think the city’s roof is unstable,” Suzy replied.

  “Not the noise, I mean that thing, up there.” Ina pointed into the gloom overhead. “Something moved, I’m sure it did.”

  Suzy shielded her eyes with her hands. She could barely see anything through the downpour, but after a few seconds’ concentration, she caught a quick, darting movement high above them. It slipped out of sight, only to reappear directly overhead. She got a vague impression of wide-spread wings, and relaxed. “It’s just some sort of bird,” she said.

  She made to move on, but Ina’s look of confusion made her stop.

  “What’s a bird?” asked Ina.

  Suzy looked up again, straight into a pair of fiery yellow eyes.

  “Look out!” she shouted, screwing her own eyes shut and pushing Ina aside. She threw herself in the opposite direction with barely a second to spare, as Tenebrae arrowed down out of the sky and struck the spot where they had been standing.

  “Postie,” he snarled, getting heavily to his feet. “At last.”

  Suzy opened her eyes but kept them on the sharp curve of his talons. “What are you doing here, Tenebrae?”

  “Surviving,” he said. “Frogmaggog wants you gone and so do I.” He advanced on her and she retreated, trying to lead him away from Ina.

  “Another outworlder!” Ina exclaimed, too fascinated to be scared. “Wow, you guys are everywhere today.”

  “Don’t look him in the eyes,” Suzy warned. “He’ll put you in a trance. That’s how he attacks his victims.”

  “Cool!” said Ina.

  “I say, that does sound interesting,” said the Chief, emerging from Suzy’s satchel. “Sorry, I’d have popped out to say hello sooner, but I got a bit lost in my own thoughts.”

  Tenebrae didn’t register any surprise at the Chief’s sudden appearance, but his pace faltered when the metal collar around his neck gave a crackle of magical energy. Suzy didn’t recognize the collar, but just for an instant, she thought Tenebrae looked scared. She took the opportunity to put a little more distance between them.

  “So you work for Frogmaggog now?” she said, still falling back. “He hates people like us. Outworlders.”

  “And I hate him,” said Tenebrae, shaking off his hesitation and stalking after her. “But it’s your life or mine.”

  He lunged at her suddenly, beating his wings for an extra burst of speed. Suzy tried to jump clear, but he was too fast for her and knocked her onto her back.

  “Steady on, you ruffian!” said the Chief, raising his fists. Tenebrae simply stepped through him and reached for Suzy’s throat. But before he could close his talons around it, Ina cannoned into him from behind.

  “Get off my friend!” she shouted. Her blow caught him off guard and he stumbled forward, tripping over Suzy and sprawling on the ground.

  Suzy jumped to her feet and joined hands with Ina, and together they fled, hand in hand, around the base of the dome. “Friend of yours?” s
aid Ina.

  “I’ll explain later,” said Suzy. “We’re easy targets for him out here. We need to get indoors.”

  “I know a way,” Ina replied, and pointed to a pair of double doors leading into the dome. They swerved toward them and were only a few steps away when Tenebrae landed in front of them.

  “That’s far enough,” he snarled.

  He crouched, ready to spring, but before he got the chance, there was a blast of thunder so deafening it drove all three of them to their knees, their hands clamped over their ears. The whole city seemed to shake with it. Cracks ran up the ballroom’s golden dome. Windows shattered.

  Suzy raised her head as the noise faded to a deep-throated roar that rolled across the rooftops like a breaking wave, dislodging loose tiles and knocking chimneys askew. “What was that?” she said.

  As if in answer, the city’s roof split open above them, and a foaming, freezing wall of seawater spewed in. It struck the ballroom’s dome and cascaded down its sides, flowing over the balcony like a tidal wave. It swept the three of them off their feet and hurled them into the balustrade. Suzy clung to the wet marble as the torrent tried to pry her off and throw her over the edge into the street.

  Then, with a rending crash, the dome surrendered and fell inward. The umbrella of water followed it, and in a moment there was nothing left but a gaping hole in the center of the ballroom, surrounded by the balcony.

  Shaken, bruised, and spitting seawater, Suzy and Ina got to their feet. Tenebrae lay beside them, grasping at his head and groaning.

  “Are we all still breathing?” said the Chief, poking his head out of Suzy’s satchel. “That sounded like a close one.”

  “Too close,” said Suzy. The waterfall was already filling up the ballroom like a leaky bucket. Below the balcony, she heard its many windows and doors bursting outward under the pressure.

  “It’s a shell breach,” said Ina, looking out across the city in dismay. “It’s finally happened. Hydroborea’s magic has failed us.”

  Across the Midtwist district, the web of cracks in the city’s roof opened wide and the sea rushed in, turning the streets into churning rapids of whitewater. Waves battered the housefronts, smashing open doors and windows, and raising a chorus of panic from every building.

  “Get to high ground!” someone shouted.

  “Only the Master of Magic can save us!” cried another.

  Within moments hundreds of Hydroboreans emerged from their homes into the flood, holding children and possessions aloft as they struggled uphill, one painful step at a time. It was terrible to look upon, but neither Suzy nor Ina could tear their gaze away.

  “This is the end,” said Ina.

  “Not if we can unlock the book,” said Suzy. “It’s our only hope now.”

  “But how are we going to get there through all this?” said Ina as a jagged section of the city’s roof fell in and reduced a nearby building to rubble.

  “I hate to sound fatalistic, but Ina’s got a point,” said the Chief.

  Suzy shut her eyes against the chaos and tried to think. Between the floodwaters and the crowds, the streets would be impassible, and crossing the rooftops would be slow and dangerous. And she still had no idea how to get into the Gilded Tower when they reached it. Unless …

  She crouched down beside Tenebrae, careful to keep out of striking range. “Tell me what you’re doing in Hydroborea,” she said. “Because I know you didn’t come here for me.”

  Tenebrae sat up. He did his best to look defiant but mostly looked dazed and bedraggled. “It was Aybek’s idea,” he said, slurring his words slightly. “We were on the run back home in the Union, but Lady Crepuscula was closing in, and we were running out of options.” He swiped at her, but it was a clumsy effort, and she easily darted clear. He hissed in annoyance but made no further move to pursue her.

  “Aybek said we should come here instead,” he continued. “The lost city. It was supposed to be the perfect hiding place, but everything went wrong as soon as we arrived.”

  Suzy bit her lip. She knew exactly how that felt.

  “Now I have to follow Frogmaggog’s orders,” said Tenebrae. “Or he’ll change me.” He tugged at his collar, which gave another snap of magical sparks.

  Suzy sat back and thought. She had already formulated an idea—it was clear and urgent, but she didn’t like it one bit.

  “I think we can help you,” she said. “But you have to help us first.”

  “Suzy, come on!” said Ina. “I thought you said he was dangerous.”

  “He is,” said Suzy. “But he’s not stupid. I’m offering to save his life if he spares ours.”

  Tenebrae snorted. “Why should I trust you?”

  “Look around you,” said Suzy. “The whole city is dying, and if we keep fighting, we’re going to die with it. But if you help us, we might be able to save it.”

  Tenebrae frowned. “I’m listening.”

  “Frogmaggog has a book full of ancient magic, more powerful than anything we’ve ever seen,” said Suzy. “If we can reach it, we could use it to stop the flooding, and maybe even repair the city.”

  “I know the one you mean,” said Tenebrae. “I heard your little troll friend’s speech just before Frogmaggog ate him.” He scoffed at her look of revulsion. “So you want me to get you back into the tower?”

  Suzy balled her fists and fought down her anger. “Yes,” she said stiffly.

  “What’s in it for me?” he said.

  “You can’t be serious,” said Ina. “Everyone gets to live. Isn’t that enough?” She did a double take and turned to the Chief. “No offense.”

  “None taken, my dear,” the Chief replied.

  Tenebrae tapped the point of one talon against his collar. “What about this?” he said. “What’s the point in helping you save Hydroborea if I have to live as Frogmaggog’s pet canary? I’d rather take him down with me.”

  “We can use the book’s magic to stop Frogmaggog as well,” said Suzy. “But we’re running out of time, so hurry up and choose. Do we have a deal?”

  Tenebrae climbed unsteadily to his feet. “Fine,” he said. “Hold still.”

  He lashed out and caught them both by the wrist. Then he unfurled his wings and leaped into the air, bearing them both aloft.

  “Whoa!” shouted Suzy as the balcony dropped away beneath her feet.

  “Stop wriggling,” he said. “I won’t lose any sleep if I drop you.”

  Suzy clamped her mouth shut and tried not to think of the dizzying fall beneath her. Their lives were suddenly in Tenebrae’s talons, and he could cast them aside on a whim. She shut her eyes and hoped that she had made the right choice.

  24

  NEOMA CALLS

  The Express settled back onto the rails with scarcely a bump, and the flock of giant mechanical hummingbirds that had carried it down from Propellendorf disengaged their magnetic clamps.

  Frederick stood with Suzy’s parents, Fletch, and Stonker on the Belle’s gangway, from which they had watched the whole procedure from the start.

  “Thank you kindly,” said Stonker, doffing his cap at the pilots sitting on the hummingbirds’ backs. They waved in return and, with a shimmer of iridescent wings, zoomed off toward the retreating bulk of the city as it drifted away over the dunes.

  “I still can’t believe it,” said Suzy’s dad. “We were on a real flying city.”

  “There are other sky cities out there, you know,” said Frederick. “Not to mention walking cities, burrowing cities, and one that only appears by moonlight.”

  Suzy’s dad made a series of appreciative noises as they all made their way back into the cab, where Ursel had already stoked the firebox with bananas. She had also hung Maxwell’s cage from one of the hooks in the ceiling, alongside the pots and pans. The little demon sat inside it, counting a pile of lentils into a dish and buzzing happily to himself, although he looked up as the others entered.

  “I missed you, Professor,” he said. “For a whole five
minutes there, I had no one to feel superior to.”

  Frederick made a point of ignoring him.

  “Frrrurnk,” said Ursel.

  “Yes, let’s not waste another moment,” said Stonker. “Next stop, the void storm.” He released the brake lever, and the Express eased forward, quickly gathering speed. Soon, the dunes of the Tie-Dye Desert were a multicolored blur outside the windows.

  Propellendorf was barely a speck above the horizon, when the cab’s phone rang.

  “Somebody get that, would you?” said Stonker. “I’m busy.”

  “Grulk,” added Ursel, her paws full of bananas.

  “Fine, I’ll do it,” said Frederick. He picked up the receiver from the mantelpiece. “Impossible Postal Express,” he said.

  “Frederick!” Neoma’s voice barked at him down the line, loud enough to make him wince. “I’m calling for an update. I’ve been following the package using that tracking spell the Postmaster put on it, and it’s been sitting in the same spot for ages now. We’ve only got seventy-five minutes left to save the library, and Wilmot isn’t answering his phone. Have you heard from him?”

  “Yes,” said Frederick. “He and Suzy are stuck on Hydroborea’s world, so the crew and I are trying to find a way to get them back.”

  “What are you talking about?” said Neoma. “They’re nowhere near Hydroborea’s world.”

  “Yes, they are.” Frederick blinked. “Aren’t they?”

  “No,” said Neoma. “I’m looking at the location of the package right now, and it’s on some backwater world in the Mundane Places.”

  “It’s not supposed to be,” said Frederick. “Are you sure the tracking spell isn’t faulty?”

  “Positive,” said Neoma. “I’ve had Mr. Trellis monitoring it ever since the Express left Center Point Station. According to the readout, the book is sitting at the bottom of an ocean on this anonymous no-magic planet. If they’ve dropped it overboard, so help me, I’ll…”