City of Time (18 page)

189

course. It was full daylight before they reached the deserted underground station once more.

The Dogs flung themselves down in whatever space they could find, some of them with their tongues hanging out, panting. Clancy curled up on a shelf of the old ticket kiosk, where he could keep a wary eye on the platform.

The black Dog with the torn ear walked up to the spot where Cati had settled. "I'm sleeping there," he growled, and pushed Cati roughly.

Cati leapt up with her fists clenched, but Mo grabbed her arm and pulled her away. "You don't want to mess with Patchie," she whispered. "Thinks he should be leader. He's pretty tough."

"So am I," Cati growled. But she was tired and Patchie did look pretty tough, so she found another spot and curled up. Within minutes she was asleep.

190

Chapter 21

Rosie was woken by Owen shaking her arm. "What is it?" she said sleepily. "It's still dark."

"We're starting early. You have to find Cati!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she yawned.

Rosie followed Owen downstairs. The room was full of early-rising workers drinking coffee and eating big breakfasts. A fire blazed in the hearth and when Rosie and Owen squeezed onto a bench, a red-faced Mrs. Newell put plates of bacon and egg and sausage in front of them. The workers talked loudly among themselves and nobody paid any attention to the strangers. By the time Dr. Diamond came down, Rosie was gone.

"I'll find her," she'd promised Owen, "if she's out there to be found. You help the doc."

191

"Black mentioned a place we must investigate," Dr. Diamond said, between forkfuls of food.

"The Bourse?" Owen asked.

"Indeed. It's the place where time was bought and sold. A visit there may prove useful."

Brushing crumbs from their clothes, they put on their coats and hats and went outside. It was a bright, cold morning and the street outside Cyanite Place was already busy.

Owen was quiet. He knew he must concentrate on what he had to do that day, but he was so worried about Cati. Trying to force his thoughts away from her, he fingered the jagged outline of the glass in his pocket. They walked uphill toward the Terminus, Dr. Diamond reading from the guidebook as they went. The potholed streets gave way to limestone paving and cobblestones. The buildings changed too. The houses here had tall turrets at the corners and the shops had big shining windows displaying only one or two items in each--an expensive-looking dress or a pair of shoes. The people seemed taller and better dressed. There was the smell of good cologne and perfume in the air and the cafes that they passed were full of people with exquisite manners drinking rare coffees. In contrast, on many street corners stood sandbagged gun emplacements, behind which were the distinctive tall hats of the Specials.

Owen was surprised when passersby tipped their hats to Dr. Diamond, addressing him as "Il Professore."

192

"The scientists around here must all look like you," Owen said, although secretly he doubted it.

As they climbed, the air became misty, a dense, icy fog that reminded Owen of the Harsh. Even with the guidebook Dr. Diamond seemed unsure of the way. After walking for almost an hour they finally emerged into a great, foggy square of gray stone surrounded by monumental buildings.

"Bourse Square," Dr. Diamond read. "A bustling center of the commercial district surrounded by financial houses and dominated by the Bourse itself."

"I think your guidebook is a bit out of date," Owen said.

"I'm afraid so," Dr. Diamond said. The square was far from bustling. In fact, there wasn't a soul to be seen.

"Let's have a look at this Bourse, then," Owen said.

"It's on the north side." As they crossed the square a patrol of Specials appeared, marching in formation. These Specials seemed much more disciplined than the ones they'd seen the night before, with pressed uniforms and steel-gray hair. One flashed a stern look at Owen and Dr. Diamond.

The entrance to the Bourse was a huge stone doorway, reaching perhaps eighty meters into the air, framing ornate brassbound doors. The stone stairs were worn by the passage of many thousands of pairs of feet. As they neared, the doors swung open without being touched and from within a gong sounded a deep note that hung in the air.

193

"Looks like the day's business has just begun," Dr. Diamond said. Side by side they walked into the Bourse.

A hundred meters away, a pair of shrewd and interested eyes were following their every movement. Headley, the chief corsair, had received a call that morning from a museum owner named Black. Hoping to curry favor with the Terminus, no doubt, the man had described visitors he had received the previous night. Black had described Dr. Diamond as a hopeless rebel he'd known at college, and the children struck him as no better. He added that Diamond seemed interested in the Bourse and might be found there.

As the pair disappeared through the doors, Headley stroked his narrow jaw. There was something familiar about that boy. Should he arrest the pair? But recently he had sent so many prisoners to the jail that it was bursting, so he thought he'd let them go for the moment. The City was troublesome and there was always something to do. Then he realized there was an advantage to be had. The sellers who ran the Bourse had always thought themselves a cut above everyone else and did not welcome Terminus interference. But if they were found to be harboring rebels ... Headley's eyes brightened and he hurried off to find a troop of Specials.

Owen and Dr. Diamond walked down a long marble corridor. The passageway might have been magnificent once, but now it was gloomy and cobwebs hung from the ceiling. They came to another set of doors and

194

Owen pushed them open. Then they found themselves in the biggest room that Owen had ever seen.

The great vaulted ceiling stretched on forever, supported by vast carved pillars. The massive stone floor was surrounded by raised stone platforms and on each was a high, old-fashioned desk. At each desk sat a man. These men were immensely tall and thin. They wore pinstriped trousers and old-fashioned shirts and ties with stiff collars. Their faces were narrow and mournful, and they wore celluloid eyeshades above which were extraordinarily long, fine eyebrows that stuck out at each side like wings. There were great ledgers open in front of them and each held a long slender pen.

They were all facing the same direction and when Owen turned to look he saw a vast display of numbers covering one wall. Each number was in its own little window on the display board, but some of the windows were blank, others broken, with springs and bits of mechanical innards protruding. Then he saw a tiny movement in one of the numbers. All the men craned forward, but it seemed to be just some mechanical shift and the number did not change. The men sat back again.

Owen heard footsteps approaching. Turning, he saw a man who looked like the others but was a little more stooped, whose great winglike eyebrows were silvery gray. The hall was so vast that it took him more than a minute to cross it, and when he arrived he was out of breath, but he still managed to stretch out his hand in greeting.

195

196

"Welcome to the Bourse! My name is Magnier. I am the chairman and Chief Seller," he wheezed in a high-pitched voice. "What are you here to trade today? A load of magno, perhaps? Don't tell me you've turned up a tempod or two!"

"I'm sorry," Dr. Diamond said, "we aren't prospectors. I'm Dr. Diamond of ... of Leipzig University, and this is my friend Owen."

"Not prospectors," the old man said, unable to hide his disappointment.

"I'm sorry," Owen said.

"Not to worry," the man said, brightening with an effort. "You didn't really look like prospectors. Or smell like them. They tend to be a bit ripe after a few months out in the wilds. In that case you must be here for the tour ..." The man shot a quick puzzled look at Owen. "Once upon a time this was the biggest exchange you could find. Time was traded here, magno, anything. The floor was full of dealers shouting and waving. It was impossible to keep up with the board."

"Things seem a little ... slack now," the doctor said.

"Yes, the Terminus has ... well ... not served as it should. It's hard to know who is in ch--"

Magnier broke off and turned toward the door, frowning. Owen could now hear tramping feet and loud voices, and above it all the sound of whistles.

The doors burst open and a party of Specials marched in. Not the boorish men they had met in the district, but the disciplined, hard-faced men of the

197

Terminus. And at their head marched the cold-faced Headley.

"This is an outrage, Headley!" Magnier said, his face turning red. "You have no right to be here."

"Do I not?" Headley said with a thin smile.

"This place has always been off-limits to the Specials," Magnier said.

"Times have changed, Magnier," Headley said, "and so have the standards of the Bourse. Since when have you harbored rebels?"

"Rebels ...?" Magnier was confused and now he couldn't tear his eyes away from Owen.

"Ask for their papers," Headley ordered his troops.

"Oh, dear," Dr. Diamond said, feeling his pockets, "we seem to have left them at our lodgings. ..."

"Dr. Diamond is a visiting professor," Magnier said. "And this is his friend Owen."

He was still staring, but Owen didn't notice. The minute Owen had seen Headley and the Specials, a plan had started to form in his head--a plan that he hoped would take him exactly where he wanted to go. Now it was time to act.

"No, I'm not his friend," he said suddenly. "I've never seen this man before. My name isn't Owen and I was just tagging along to see what I could get out of him."

"Indeed," Headley said, smiling unpleasantly. "And if your name is not Owen, then what is it?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out," Owen said.

198

"Finding out can be arranged," Headley said.

"Stop it, Owen," Dr. Diamond hissed, bemused by the boy's behavior.

"Shut up!" Owen shouted, and Dr. Diamond stared.

Owen darted forward. Before anyone could stop him he had kicked Headley swiftly on the shins. The chief corsair gasped in pain.

"Take him!" he said to his men.

Dr. Diamond stepped forward to protest, but Magnier grabbed him with a surprisingly strong grip. Two of the Specials caught Owen by the arms. Owen struggled and kicked out, then allowed himself to be captured, a sullen look on his face.

"It was wise not to intervene, Doctor," Headley said. "Although I'm sure we could find room for you in the jail as well."

"I'll be speaking to the Terminus about this," Magnier said.

"Do so," Headley sneered. "You think that what the Bourse says carries any weight around here anymore?"

"It carries more than you think," Magnier said, but his boast seemed hollow in the echoing chamber.

"Where are you taking him?" Dr. Diamond said.

"To the jail."

"You just worry about yourself, Il Professore," Owen said as scathingly as he could.

"Come on!" ordered Headley. He spun on his heel and walked toward the door, followed by the rest of the

199

Specials and the two men dragging Owen. The doctor watched them go with despair.

At the door Headley paused and took Owen by the hair, bending his head back painfully. "Now, young lad, let's go and find out who you are."

"I think I might already know the answer to that," Magnier murmured to himself. Dr. Diamond made as if to follow them, but Magnier restrained him again. "We have to talk."

"I'm going to follow them."

"Later. Right now you should come with me."

Reluctantly Dr. Diamond followed Magnier to a desk, larger than the others, that stood on a dais overlooking the entire floor. Magnier opened the desk and unlocked a drawer at the back. He reached in and took out a large copper coin, which he handed to Dr. Diamond. "Look."

The coin was old. It had a crown on one side, and on the other, worn though it was, a face. The features were unmistakably Owen's.

"That's the second time that I've seen an image like that in twenty-four hours," Dr. Diamond said. "Please explain."

"This is the face of the Navigator," Magnier said.

"Yes," Dr. Diamond said.

"And you know who the Navigator was ... is?"

The doctor hesitated. "I have an understanding of the term, yes."

200

"But not perhaps the full understanding." Magnier nodded. "The Navigator was the mapper of time. He traveled and charted all the routes between this world and others--all the pathways in time, in fact. No one really knows how he did it or how he traveled. And now the maps are all lost or destroyed, as indeed was the Navigator himself. Until now."

"But this can't be Owen," Dr. Diamond said.

"No, of course not. But Owen may well be the original Navigator's grandson. But tell me, why did he attack Headley and pretend not to know you?"

"The boy is capable of thinking for himself," Dr. Diamond said. "I think he wants to find the Prisoner that Black talked about. Being arrested is one way of getting into the jail."

The Specials dragged Owen up the hill. If he stumbled, he was grabbed by the hair and hauled along until he found his feet again. He was beginning to wonder if this had been such a good idea after all. Every so often one of the Specials would bash him with a baton. "Soften him up a bit," they laughed.

It took fifteen minutes to reach the Terminus, although he couldn't see it properly.

The next few hours were a nightmare. He was thrown fully clothed into a cold shower that smelled of chemicals, for delousing. He was photographed and had his teeth inspected, then made to run in place for