“Will it, now?”
“You can start cars with it too. Do you have your learner’s permit?”
Arawn walks to a pile of rubble and swings the blade. Cuts a section of concrete taller than he is cleanly in half. He goes to the wall and slices a piece out of an I-beam. He holds up the blade to check it and nods at what he sees.
He comes back over and sits next to me on the blanket.
“Yes. This will do nicely.”
“We’re square, then?”
“This little blade for your life? What do you think?”
“I see your point. The offer still stands. Once I find what I’m after, I can take you home.”
“When we’re ready we’ll find you.”
“If you’re looking to make your fortune, make it quick. The world might be ending soon.”
He stands and picks up his folding knife and the remains of the Power Bar.
“The world is always ending. A fiefdom rises. A fiefdom falls. It’s the way of things.”
“This time is different. If it happens, all the fiefdoms that ever were or will ever be are right down the toilet.”
He cocks his head.
“Well, that’s different.”
“A little bit.”
“Thanks for the warning. We’ll see about making our way in the world a wee bit faster.”
He starts away and I call after him, “Have you heard of a ghost people call the old Roman?”
Arawn stops.
“Remember when you asked if we dislike vampires?”
“Yes.”
“We like ghosts even less.”
His men get up and stand around him.
“Do you know how to get there?”
“Not a clue. Thanks again for the knife. Ta.”
He starts up the stairs and his men follow. The Grays don’t make a sound as they go. They march into the dark and in a few seconds it’s like they were never there.
“I think I found something,” says Delon.
He’s squatting, leaning against the wall and drinking water from a bottle that’s three quarters empty. How long have we been in Kill City? It seems like a couple of days, but it can’t be more than a few hours.
“We turn right at the end of the hall, past a collapsed ceiling, and there’s a door that leads down.”
Vidocq stands and hefts his pack onto his shoulder.