“You had it all worked out, didn’t you?” said Jester appreciatively. “That place looked like a fortress.”

“Yeah, we made it safe,” said Arran. “And once we were there, well, where else could we go? We’ve been living on what we could find in the houses around here, but it was getting harder and harder. We’d have starved soon enough if you hadn’t shown up.”

“You’re going to make a real difference,” said Jester. “We can properly start getting ourselves sorted out at the palace.”

“It’s in Babylon,” said Arran.

“What is?” said Jester. “What do you mean?”

Arran laughed. “Sorry. I was thinking about something else. The words just came out.”

“You sure you’re feeling okay?” said Jester. “You look kind of hot and sweaty.”

“It’s nothing,” Arran lied. “I’m just reacting to this bite. It’s not serious.”

“We got medical books at the palace,” said Jester, “and lots of drugs. A girl called Rose looks after us. She knows her stuff. We’ll fix you up. We’ve even got antibiotics.”

“I think that’s what I need.”

“Yeah.”

Arran took some more water, felt it trickling down his throat. He pictured it like a stream of mercury. It hit his stomach, and another wave of sickness came over him. The sun seemed very bright all of a sudden, sparking off the cars and breaking up into fierce colored shards. He closed his eyes and instantly snapped them back open.

That face. Every time. His mother’s face. He couldn’t get rid of it.

“Don’t go to sleep,” said Jester.

“What? No . . .”

“Not while you’re walking. Do you want to stop for a rest?”

“No way,” Arran protested. “We’ve got to keep moving.”

Achilleus ran up with Big Mick, Blue’s best fighter. They’d been scouting ahead.

“It’s all clear as far as the tube station,” said Achilleus.

“Far as we can see, there’s no one around.”

“Did you look inside the cupboards?” said Arran.

“Inside what cupboards?”

“Ignore him,” said Jester, comically twirling a finger around his temple. “He’s rambling.”

Arran tried to laugh it off again. “Sorry,” he said. “I’m just tired. Didn’t sleep last night. You know what it’s like when you think you’re only thinking something and you say it out loud.”

“Yeah,” said Achilleus, but he didn’t look convinced. He let Arran walk on a bit and went over to find Maxie on the left flank.

She was walking along, grim-faced and alert. She nodded when she saw Achilleus.

“I’m worried about Arran, man,” he said.

Maxie looked concerned. “What’s the matter with him?”

“He don’t look well. He’s saying odd things.”

Maxie sighed. “Can you take over here? I’ll go and talk to him.”

“Sure.”

Maxie jogged to the front of the group and found Arran. He looked pale and red-eyed. Her heart started beating faster. He had to be well. He had to be. They couldn’t do this without him.

She slipped her arm through his, and he turned slowly. For a second he looked vague and tense, as if he didn’t recognize her, and then his face relaxed.