The evening bell starts its tolling. Six slow beats. And the city’s lights are lit. Bright, then brighter, and brighter still. They say a cloud of bats leaves the city when that door opens, comes back when it closes. I race to the balcony and watch, and sure enough there’s the dark spiralling out into the night beyond. All those shrieks and hisses fading skyward; it’s a frenzied, beautiful thing, and it makes my hairs stand on end. When I go in, Dain is up. A swift waking. His eyes are huge. ‘No sleep like that under the mountain. Are you rested, boy?’ I give him a nod. Not really, but I’ve been up for hours, reading and waiting. I’ve a city pulling me to wakefulness. I want it all. ‘Good, we’ll be busy this night. We’ve the tower of the Law to visit, first step in seeing the Council. There’s always hoops to jump.’ Madigan’s waiting at our door. ‘That chat,’ he says. ‘Will have to wait.
