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He was interrupted by another fall of Nithlings Three things that looked like a cross between a lizard and a aping hole

To noise and i them into harmless puffs of dark vapour Arthur and Suzy clenched their teeth, but the effect of the harpoon wasn’t so severe when it struck at a distance

‘The appropriate rank and power,’ continued theWill crossly ‘One of the other Days would be suitable if it were not for the fact –’

‘They’re a bunch of traitors,’ whispered Suzy

‘Hurry up!’ Arthur and Grilared at each other as they spoke Arthur did not drop his eyes, though it took all his willpower to ry stare

‘Quiet!’ bellowed theWill ‘To cut straight to the heart of the ed by the Mariner Who wants to go first?’

‘I will go first,’ declared Griht to the Key’s powers’

‘For three minutes,’ the Will conceded ‘No more Captain, stand ready for any trickery’

Arthur was not even e pocket watch out of its nonexistent waistcoat The Will fiddled with one of the several knobs on the watch, then raised one hairy paw and waved at Griin!’

Grim Tuesday smiled and raised his hands Arthur and Suzy flinched, but To under his breath Arthur tried to hear what he said, in case it was souessed, loves that Tuesday wore Or loves, in the same way that the First Key had been a ether as a sword

A gobbet of Nothing cah the hole in the pyraht it easily and held it in both hands, in front of his face He directed his gaze upon it, and the Nothing lost its darkness and began to shine Gri ball, still hter as the Gri under his breath, but Arthur couldn’t hear him Even with his star-hood still on, he couldn’t look directly at whatever Tuesday was doing to the gobbet

TheWill’s watch chirizzly

Gri object he’d ht slowly faded to reveal a fourteen-inch-high tree made of precious old, and its thousand leaves were beaten gold, veined with silver The leaves caught the breeze coh the hole in the pyramid and made a sound like a ept xylophone

It was the most beautiful object Arthur had ever seen But only a fleeting smile of satisfaction passed over Gri on ’is head,’ said Suzy, but her heart wasn’t in it

‘Give Arthur the Second Key,’ instructed theWill

Griauntlets When they were off, he held the theauntlets, two yellow envelopes materialised in the air above therunted as he read the address on the first one and threw it at Arthur’s feet The second one he ripped open and read quickly Then he turned to theWill

‘Yan warns that the whole eastern buttress of the lower Pit is leaking Nothing,’ Grim Tuesday reported ‘It will fail within the hour if I am not there to repair it! End this ridiculous contest now and return the Key to auntlets under his arram, which was addressed to him asMaster of the Lower House He opened it and read:

ARTHUR SHOW WILL ATLAS HELP

COMING HOLD ON BE BRAVE DAME

PRIMUS

‘The co as Arthur read the telegrain iraauntlets While they appeared to be old, they didn’t feel cold or metallic In fact, they were soft and war straighter once they were on, and he felt more confident

I bet the Second Key works just like the First Key or the Atlas, he thought I just have to think what I want them to do and say it aloud That’s why Griobbet of Nothing!’ called out Arthur as he raised his hands and looked up to the broken pane of the pyraobbet!’ he hastily added as he saw several huge gobbets head towards hiobbet of Nothing cah the hole Arthur raised his hands to catch it, fighting down his apprehension and all thoughts of what ht happen if he fumbled and it landed on his unprotected face

He didn’t furasp, he went to work He’d already thought of what he would make, ironically inspired by the sound of Grim Tuesday’s precious- Gri or anything like that But what he intended to do ht not work either It all depended on what criteria To the results on

‘My xylophone,’ he muttered to hiave me for my sixth birthday, that Dad borrowed all the time With wooden bars on a metal fraobbet with his gauntlets as he focused histhe xylophone It was hard to tell if it orking, but the gobbet was shining, though not as much as it had for Grim Tuesday Or perhaps it was, Arthur saw, as he took a swift look at everyone else shielding their eyes

But I can only spend a ht desperately How do I knohen it’s ready?

His fingers twitched without Arthur n fro the second twitch as a definite sign, Arthur gently put the glowing forlow faded, and there on the grass was Arthur’s xylophone, with its two mallets

‘Is that it?’ asked Suzy

In answer, Arthur clumsily knelt down and picked up thehe wasn’t able to do the last time he played, and im, fro, coratitude for theot happy and loud

He didn’t think it was the greatest song in the world, but he’d co of what he felt when he learned he was adopted, how he’d corateful he was to be in a family that loved him and accepted his

He finished just as theWill called, ‘Tied with the watch’s third chiave a scornful laugh and held out his hand for the gauntlets But the Will stepped between him and Arthur

‘We must await the adjudication,’ it said sniffily ‘Captain?’