The blocks were darker than dark, blacker than night’s usual fall, because it fell on Seattle, where the air was thickly curdled and surrounded by the wall and its omnipresent shadow, resisting any interference from the moon and candles alike.
Upon reaching an unmarked corner, Rector asked, “Are we going the right way?”
Zeke checked the compass Houjin had given him. “Yep. ”
“I never thought I’d say this, but I kind of wish Huey was here. ”
“We’d be better off with Angeline. Not saying he’s useless or anything, ’cause he sure as hell ain’t. But this has never been his part of town. She knows her way around better. ”
“I wonder where she went. ”
“So do I,” Zeke admitted. “Heck, she might be waiting for us. Or listening. You never know, with her. That woman’s got ears all over the place, and it’s a good thing, too. ”
“Sure is. ”
“We should probably be quiet. ”
“Probably,” Rector agreed.
And they were quiet, for about thirty seconds. Then Rector said, “But it’s god-awful dark. And so quiet that I can’t hear a damn thing. Does that make sense?”
“No, but I know what you mean. Hey—what’s…?”
Zeke stopped abruptly, and Rector stopped in time to keep from running into him. “What is it?”
“It’s the wall. ”
“It’s the wall, or it’s a wall?”
“Can’t tell. ” Zeke patted at the stones, running his candlelight up and down it. “I think it’s the wall. ”
“Did we really come that far? I thought we were supposed to turn up toward the park before we hit it. ”
“We were. But we didn’t. ”
“You’re shit for a navigator, Zeke. ”
“That’s what the captain says. And Kirby Troost. And Fang. ”
“I thought Fang don’t talk. ”
“He writes things down just fine, and he signs with his hands. I don’t read it too good yet, but I’m learning. Anyway, I’m pretty sure this is the wall. We overshot our turnoff. ”
“I think maybe you could be forgiven. It’s goddamn dark out here. ”
“We should really be quiet. ”
“I know, I know. ” Rector swallowed hard, and dragged his hand along the wall. “I just wish we were using lanterns. Or we could break out these stupid spotlights. They’re heavy, I swear to God. ”
“If we had lanterns, we’d be real easy targets. ”
“I know,” he said again. “But how far off course do you think we went?”
“Can’t be that far. ” Zeke stepped around him and put his free hand on the wall. “The wall runs in one big circle, so it’s not like we’ll get lost now. If we follow it north and east, we’ll run right into the park. ”
“That’s not the world’s most comforting thought in the world. ”
“At least we’ll know where we are. ”