The full moon hung motionless above the forest to the south, brushing every treetop with white in the night. Beyond, the streets of the forgotten village shone like silver streams. A chaos lamp glowed orange in the window of one of the buildings. Inside, something had awoken. The creature’s body felt strong – formidable. It listened to its orders and felt anger and purpose surging through it.

It was here to kill.

Chapter 17: The Inventors Parade

THE INVENTORS PARADE

The rest of the week was busy with more muscle wiring and a new class that Prue found even more trying than design – administration lessons. They were being taught by Craftsman Ashby, who was about ninety years old and spoke in a single tone of voice that made Prue want to fall asleep within three minutes of being in the room. He told them that administration was of the utmost importance with the imminent hundred. Parts of it might have been interesting, had the delivery been a little more exciting, but words like “quota”, “regulations”, “accountable” and “non-expendable” trolled through Prue’s brain. She was saved when she worked out it was possible to position her textbook upright on the table to look as though she was reading along, but was really making notes and plans for her memory machine. She decided her best shot would be to try and adapt a GODAR machine, which wouldn’t be easy to get hold of – she’d been through all the boxes in her memory lab, so she knew there wasn’t one there, but perhaps she could find an older model in one of the other storage rooms.

Cora was pulled away to assist Sollentude every day, so it was easy for Prue, Edwin and Agapantha to check the trap regularly before they made their way back from the factorium. Prue wondered if they should take it down, as they had only caught the one deer and the likelihood was the fox or wolf was long gone, but she liked the way it was a secret between the three of them; it somehow made it easier that she was keeping a bigger secret from them.

Soon it was the weekend again and the Inventors Parade. By the time they had left the Guild house, the streets of Medlock were already rapidly filling with people and personifates. They headed for the main square, which Agapantha had told them was the focal point; her parents had brought her every year since she was born. Prue noticed that often the people and personifates tended to stay in their respective company, but she also saw many first-lifers walking along together with personifates. An elderly lady in a feathered hat walked happily chatting and laughing with a sapphire-blue bird personifate on her shoulder. A little further ahead, two gentlemen held hands with a young girl and swung her in the air, while a large rainbow-coloured cat danced loops around them, singing a nursery rhyme with the girl.