Free Fade to Black by Francis Knight Page B

of children wove their way through the giants above them. The only places children ran Upside were in the parts so bad that they ran with a gang and a lot of knives.
    The cage ran down another shaft and into a heavily armoured compound. Two of the guards followed us and Kerd smiled at the look on my face as he let me out of the cage. “I’m sure you’ll have time to sample all the delights the ’Pitcan offer. Now, first, have that pin off, but be ready to show it when asked.”
    He led me through a small maze of buildings to a solid-iron gate five yards tall. Half a dozen sharp-looking guards stood with new guns ready as he opened the small doorway set into the gates and took me through. “Have to keep the port safe, we don’t want any of these going Up, and you need to be careful where you go too, as a Ministry man. Too many places down here aren’t very welcoming. Not surprising, all things considered, but best to be wary. If you leave the hotel at all – and I don’t recommend it without guards – then keep to the main streets, and keep your wits about you. You aren’t Upside any more.”
    Then I was in it, inside the animal of the crowd, and I was almost swept away before he took hold of my arm.
    “This way, sir.” He led me down a short alley lit with a kind of soft yellow light I’d never seen before that made all the shadows seem friendlier in the damp. Another cage, this time with a dark-haired boy in there, no older than ten. He gave us a sharp little nod and his hand flew round on a series of ratchets, and then we were up again, this time rattling along three yards above the ground. For once I wasn’t bothered about the drop – I was too busy gawking.
    Around us, hundreds of cages jerked their way in a complicated dance through alleys, across streets, around the ancient, giant towers that supported the upper reaches of Mahala, over smaller, cobbled-together buildings. Above us aweb of cables strung themselves between turning discs. We hurtled towards one and I didn’t even have time to wonder what the hell was going to happen before the mechanism that attached us to our wire swung around the disc, and with a flick of his wrist the boy sent us hurtling at right-angles to the way we had come.
    Misty rain tingled against my face as we swooped through this garish, noisy, people-ridden, beautiful city. Boundary as it should have been. It was the most exhilarating ride I’d ever had, and I was sorry when we reached our destination. We were in a quieter area, but there was still a bustle on the streets, a never-ending choke of people. Kerd led me past more security, into a building that looked in good repair, and when we walked in and I saw the blue and gold of a vaulted roof, the thick carpets and the quiet, luxurious splendour, I silently thanked Tam once again.
    With a quick salute and a knowing smile, Kerd and the guards left me to the devices of the hotel. A young boy, dressed in impeccable white and gold, led me away and handed me a numbered key. The lift was smooth-riding and bizarrely sumptuous, all brass icons of the Goddess, saints and martyrs, etched mirrors, thick carpet and soft scents. More like an old-fashioned temple than a lift, so it quite took my mind away from the drop under me.
    When I tried the key in the properly numbered door, I found a huge room with carpets you could swim in and a bed almost the size of my room at home. A bath big enough forfour dominated the next room, and when I tried the taps, hot water came in a torrent. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d used a bath and not a shower. Maybe never. I had to shake myself.
    I couldn’t stay here. This was a hotel used by the Ministry, and whilst I had the pin, I’d be found out if I stayed too long. Still, maybe for tonight… No, this wasn’t what I’d come for. I gave myself a mental slap. I’d order some food because it was way past my breakfast time and I was famished, find out how to get where I was going, and