The robot whirred forward, or tried to. Mr Quindar – if that was his name – blocked its approach with a boot, jamming it against one of the leading wheels, and carried on smashing the casing. Paladin tried to defend itself with its arms, but its deep programming stopped it doing anything that might hurt Mr Quindar back.

‘Go on,’ Adrana said, encouraging the assault. ‘Hit the dome. Smash the stupid thing to bits!’

‘No,’ I said, struck by some lingering affection for the machine. ‘It’s just doing its job.’

‘Just get on there, Fura,’ Adrana snapped back. ‘I’ve got the talent, the aptitude. I found out weeks ago. Don’t you want to know if you’ve got it as well?’

I hesitated, caught between curiosity and a sick horror at what was happening to the robot. But curiosity was the stronger of those two. I climbed on, thinking I’d regret whatever I was about to get myself into, and going ahead anyway, the way you do sometimes.

‘What do you mean, weeks?’

‘I sneaked out here on my own. That time I was supposed to go and get fitted for new boots. Well, I did that as well, but there was time to dodge down Neural Alley and I had to know. I’ve had an inkling, you see . . .’

There was a plate at the bottom of the throne where I placed my boots, padded rests at the side where I settled my arms, and the plump embrace of the headrest. The more I relaxed into it, the more it seemed to enclose my skull.

‘What inkling?’

‘That I might be able to read the bones.’

Madame Granity went to another device, some sort of apparatus hanging over the chair. It was like a lampshade, with a flexible neck. She stooped to touch some switches and the thing gave off a smell like burning toast.

Lights glimmered around the base of the shade and the object leaned in over me.

‘I have been charged with locating Arafura and Adrana Ness,’ Paladin’s voice boomed out. ‘If you have knowledge of their whereabouts, please inform me.’

‘The only thing I’m informin’ you,’ Mister Quindar said, ‘is that you’re getting’ your tin head stoved in if you come any further into this shop.’

‘Make him stop!’ I called.

‘Stay still,’ Adrana said. ‘It’s mapping your brain. Working out how likely you are to be able to mesh with a bone.’