We moved into Haligon Street, the tall tenements and town houses rising on either side like purple canyons. Most of the windows were still dark, or curtained, but a few lights were on as people rose for the day and were drawn by the raised voices coming from the Ness household. The street was still quiet, though. I had counted on abandoning Morcenx and quickly losing myself in the flow of pedestrians and vehicles, but no one else was moving on Haligon.

‘You are despicable. You have behaved with abominable cruelty. To abandon your father in such a wanton, callous manner . . .’

‘You don’t know cruelty from kindness, Doctor. And I’d stop waffling if you don’t want a jab from this.’

‘Where are you taking me?’

‘Somewhere nice. A treat for you, because you’ve been so good.’

We turned right and followed Haligon around a sharp bend to the junction with the larger Jauncery Road. Jauncery was one of the main thoroughfares cutting through Hadramaw, and even at this early hour it was busy enough for my purposes, with vehicles of all sorts moving in both directions. A tram was winding its way towards us, coming around the curve in the road where it came out of Mavarasp Park. A flash of electricity sparked from its roof and caught the edges of the rails and cobbles on Jauncery Road, and I thought of all the times Adrana and I had taken the tram to the park, for ices and skating and dancing at the bandstand.

This one was going in the opposite direction, though. In yellow letters it said INCER STATION above the tram’s front.

I raised a hand and the tram began to slow.

‘You get on quietly,’ I whispered, moving the syringe from Morcenx’s neck to the small of his back. ‘I’ll be right behind you.’

‘I can’t see.’

‘No one’s asking you to. Just find an empty bench at the back of the tram.’

The tram stopped for us. Morcenx got on, fumbling his hand around until it found the safety rail, and then at an encouraging jab from me he began to work his way down the length of the compartment. I slid a one-bar quoin through the slot by the driver.

‘That’ll cover the three of us to Incer Station. Me, my uncle, and the robot.’

‘That’ll cover you for a return,’ the driver grunted. ‘But the robot stays at the front.’

‘Fine.’ I shrugged. ‘Stay here, Paladin, by the door.’