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When there was nowhere left to write, Suzy juhast at the Hour Hand eed under it so it could go in no farther

‘Has it co around him and he knew only the power of the Minute Hand kept hi back and forth, cutting deeper into his body, despite all he could do

‘Yes, yes, it has!’ sobbed Suzy

Arthur sighed and barely ed to whisper, ‘Keyhold the Hour Hand fora o of the Hour Hand, reached behind his own back, and pricked his right thuh it was already slick with his own blood Then he reached around again, held the Minute Key with his right hand, and pricked the thumb of his left hand with the Lesser Key Then he smeared a drop of blood froht thued to hurl hi both Suzy and hundreds of bibliophages flying

Arthur touched the bloodied circle ends of the Keys together and sobbed out, ‘I, Arthur, anointed Heir to the Kingdomclaim this Key and with it the Mastery of the Lower HouseI claim it by blood and bone and contest’

The Hour Key drove in again, at least an inch Arthur screamed and the whole world darkened But he only had a feords left to get out Just a feords He could do it He had to do it

‘Outout of truth, in testament, and’

Twenty-six

AGAINST ALL TROUBLE! ’

The Hour Hand eased itself out of Arthur’s chest and the two hands twisted in his grasp, until the Hour Hand lay across the Minute Hand There was a bright flash, and the Minute Hand grew longer as the Hour Hand shrank Then Arthur was holding not two clock hands, but a sword that had some resemblance to what it had been, in the shape of its circular poold chasing down the silver blade

The wound in Arthur’s chest closed over with a pop, and the pain began to ebb away Arthur stood straighter and took a long, lingering breath Suzy stared back at hiuess,’ Arthur said, raising the sword, ‘I guess we’ve won’

He looked down at the writhing river of bibliophages they were standing in and lowered the sword into the heaving !’ commanded Arthur The sword shone, and delicate rivulets ofuntil a fine network of gold spread all through the ditch As it spread, the bibliophages faded and becaolden threads ith the the bottoround ruan to rise, burying the door Arthur quickly touched it with the sword and commanded it to rise as well In a few seconds, the ditch was no ainst the wall of the villa

‘I feel a bit off,’ said Suzy She looked very pale and was holding her side Pravuil had obviously wounded her, and dragging Arthur out hadn’t helped She started to stagger, then collapsed

Arthur just rass A second later, he touched the sword to her stoht spread from the Key and surrounded Suzy’s body As it spread, her hands and wings stopped their violent shivering Suzy opened her eyes again When the light faded, she slowly got up She felt her side and experiht ere done for,’ she said quietly Then she s a blast of air in Arthur’s face ‘But we done it, Arthur! You finished off Mister Monday!’

Arthur stared at her He knew he should be celebrating but so up and down He wasn’t in pain, but he felt really tired

‘You have the Key, the First of the Seven Keys to the Kingdom! Well done, Arthur! Very well done!’ exclai in excitement ‘Where there’s a Will, there’s a Way, if I do say so estured with the sword at the door

‘Summon him forth,’ instructed the Will ‘Let justice be meted out There is much to do, you know, Arthur’

‘You’d think we could ’ave a cup of tea and a biscuit first,’and scowled at the Will, who ignored her

‘Monday!’ called out Arthur, not very enthusiastically He waved the sword – the First Key – in the air ‘Coure slowly linisably Monday, but only just The bibliophages’ Nothing poison had eaten away part of his face, and there were strange holes all over – and coh – his body His clothes were ripped and shredded, little s that he clutched around himself

‘Execution,’ said the Will with some satisfaction ‘A tap on the shoulder will do, Arthur, and just say, ‘Fro’ That will do the trick’

Monday collapsed on his knees before Arthur and bowed his head Arthur extended the Key and touched it to Monday’s shoulder But he did not say the words the Will had told him He remembered what Dusk had said about Mister Monday as they slowly fell into the Coal Cellar Monday was not always as he is now

‘Be healed,’ said Arthur quietly ‘In body and in mind’

Monday looked up in astonish out sonored He watched the holes in Monday shrink into pinpoints as the flesh regrew Even Monday’s clothes restitched and rewove themselves But they weren’t as fine as the ones he’d worn before, and neither was his face so handsome But Arthur saw that his eyes were also kinder, and there were laughter lines around them He stared up at Arthur and then bowed his head once iveness, Master,’ he said ‘I do not knohy I did what I have done But I thank you for my new life’

‘Charity is a very labour-intensive virtue,’ said the Will crossly ‘And you never knohere it will end But I suppose it ell-enough done’

‘Indeed,’ said someone ‘I’ around just in time to see the door slide shut on a very ser than a phone booth A bell rattled, and the elevator shot up and vanished inside a beaolden net above

‘Pravuil!’ shouted Suzy ‘I thought I finished the little creep off’

‘Unfortunately not, it seems,’ said the Will ‘He must be more than he seems A spy for one of the Morrow Days, curse their treacherous hearts But they cannot do anything here and now They are bound by the compact with the former Master of the Lower House They cannot interfere here, or on any Monday in the Secondary Realms They are your preserves now, Arthur In any case, ill deal with the Morrow Days in due course First wehere Ah, here co for their h, the three principal servants of Mister Monday were codog at his heels Both showed no physical signs of their battle Behind thele of Inspectors, Commissionaires, and other Denizens, all of theht Visitors whotheir whips at the salute Dawn hung close behind

When the croas about twenty feet away and slowing down, fear and apprehension clear on many faces, Arthur raised the Key and they all stopped He lowered it again and looked out on theest that you reappoint Dusk in his position,’ said the Will ‘As for Noon, I think that I had best take that on for the ti on as the Master of the Lower House’

A collective gasp went up fro, his head bent

‘But you have to,’ expostulated the Will ‘You can’t just give it up!’

‘You mean I’m not allowed or is it actually impossible?’ asked Arthur