The street was full of half-timberedshops. It was cobbled and lit by Victorian street lamps. They followed it for afew minutes, crossing a small square with a dribbling stone fountain, and thenentered Toll Gate, a wider street full of medieval townhouses.
The woman was right behind them,ducking inside doorways so as not to be seen.
They followed the road as it slopedgently down to the south bank of the river Midden. Lamps lined walkways on eachside and reflected soft yellow globes in the dark lilting waters. The roadcontinued over the Ha’penny Bridge, but the Professor stopped and waved to theothers. She was gasping for breath and her white forehead was lined with beadsof sweat. It took her a couple of minutes to regain her composure.
“Do you want to sit down?” saidOphelia.
“We haven’t got time to coddle me!”snapped the Professor. “Before we go over the river let me just give you a wordof warning. There are all sorts of bad people in the part of town we are aboutto enter.” She looked very serious, but then a wry smile played on theProfessor’s lips as she added, “I guess that’s what makes it so exciting.”
Bill was surprised when he heard this.He’d got the impression the Professor was very moral and forthright. Hewondered how she’d become Arddhu. Was she a helpless victim or had she gotinvolved in something a little dangerous?
“Is it safe?” said Arthur. “Shouldn’twe have brought guns and daggers and stuff?”
“Once we get to the place we will beunder his protection. But getting there... I’m already cursed, but you three,you’re young and vulnerable.”
“Let’s just get to wherever we’regoing as quickly as possible,” said Ophelia with an impatient look. “The longerwe wait here the later it gets, and Lilith may wake up.”
“You’re right,” said the Professor,bracing herself for another long walk.
They set off across Ha’penny bridge.The mysterious woman was not far away. She’d been sitting on a bench in the shadows,just along the promenade, watching and listening.
Across the river, the buildings weremore industrial. Large brick warehouses lined the bank along with office blocksand docks. They walked for a while, past gangs of youths on street corners, rundown townhouses, and an old theatre with graffiti lined walls.
Eventually they came out into a hugeopen space, called Old Market Square. One side was dominated by the tall gothicspires of Middenmere Cathedral; the rest was lined with grand old buildings –the town hall, law courts, public library and council offices. There were lotsof people about, coming in and out of the many pubs and restaurants in andaround the square. Bill could see bobbing spots of shimmering light around theheads of a few in the crowd, like hovering fireflies.
A group of five muscular youths walkedclose by, dressed in leather jackets and flared jeans. Bill’s heart missed abeat when one of them gave him a suspicious glare with fiery yellow eyes.
The Professor led them across thesquare and down a dark, dingy side alley called Jacquard Place. There wereshabbily-dressed figures sitting in doorways drinking from bottles and a mangydog was rooting in a rubbish bin. They went through the alley and out into astreet that was a lot more sinister than the square they’d just left. The barshere were run down but busy and buzzing with music and the people hangingaround the street were dressed up and laughing but had a menacing air aboutthem, despite looking pretty ill and run-down. Bill felt his heart race withfear as he realised they were all cursed – he could see spidery veins, hornsand leathery skin wherever he looked. They turned a corner and saw a tall andshabby building with a conical roof at the end of a cul-de-sac.
“We’re here,” said the Professor withan anxious look at the three young people in her care, wondering if she’d donethe right thing by bringing them to such a dreadful place.
They reached the pub and saw a woodensign hanging over the door. It contained a picture of a green-skinned grinningcrone with the words ‘The Witch’s Hat’ scrawled in spidery letters underneath.
“Stay behind me and make yourself asinconspicuous as possible,” said the Professor, pushing open the door and goinginside. The others stuck close to her back, almost clutching each other forprotection.
The woman stood in the shadows at thetop of the cul-de-sac and watched them go inside.
The pub was a large circular room witha low ceiling. The walls were lined with abstract pictures and beams of colouredlight twirled from a disco ball. The air was close and it was very warm. Smokeswirled everywhere and it was noisy with chatter and psychedelic rock music.
The dance floor was packed with peopledressed up for a night out. The men wore flared brown trousers and big heeledshoes, paired with a multitude of paisley shirts, medallions and wait coats.The women wore short skirts and colourful frilly blouses, some with orange kneehigh boots. They looked like a normal group of young people, dressed in thelatest fashions, having a night out – but they were just as run-down as thepeople outside. Their faces were washed-out pale, lined and tired looking, withan occasional missing tooth. They all stooped or limped and a number hadwalking sticks. Hair was so fine that white scalps were clearly visible in theflashing light.
To Bill, the place was alive withshimmering halos, red veined waxy skin and fiery yellow eyes and horns. It wasa dance of the living dead, macabre and ironic with such bright youthful clothing.A pub full of hip and groovy Dark Pagans!
“In here,” said the Professorindicating a small anti-room. They went inside and sat around a stainedcircular table. They noticed the Professor looked in a very bad way, totallyexhausted and with a ghost-white face. She gritted her teeth and said: “I’lljust go and tell the barman we’re here.” She got up very slowly and hobbled offon her stick.
“I don’t know about you two,” saidArthur as soon as the Professor had left,
