'I don't know what I'd do without you.

'You're welcome, she said spryly.

He glanced up at the strangely twisted spires that jutted out of the ground like gigantic stalagmites. Even the smallest was higher than the Blue Tower. There were no windows or balconies, just a single entrance at ground level leading to a central spiral stair. Right at the tip, they flared out into broad platforms that looked terribly unstable, as if they would snap off at any second.

After the madcap bustle of the other districts they'd experienced, Eyrie was almost deserted by comparison. With night falling, the devout were making their way to the central church of the Empyrean Lady for the evening service of prayer and thanksgiving. Light was beginning to shine out of crevices in the crinkled towers around them, washing the hard ground in a pale tangerine illumination. Edeard regarded it curiously, realizing it was the same glow that had lit his way up the stairs of the Blue Tower, somehow the city material emitted it without heat.

'Where will you go tonight? she asked.

'I don't know. Find a cheap tavern with a room, I suppose.

'Oh Edeard, you'll be so lonely there. Why don't you go back to the caravan? Anyone there will be happy to lend you a cot.

'No, he said firmly. 'I won't go back.

She pressed her teeth together in dismay. 'Your pride will be the end of you.

He smiled. 'Probably.

The Lady's central church was impressive. A large cloud-white dome with the top third made of the same crystal as the city wall. Three wings radiated out from the middle, lined with balconies.

'I'm here, Salrana said in wonder. Tears glinted in her eyes and her mind shone with happiness. 'The Lady herself lived the last years of her life here. Can you feel how sacrosanct this ground is? It's all real, Edeard. The Lady's message to the word is real.

'I know, he said.

The main door to the church was wide open, shining a broad fan of rose-gold light across the broad plaza outside. Several Mothers dressed in splendid white and silver robes stood on the threshold to give a personal welcome to their congregation. Salrana straightened her shoulders and walked up to the first. There followed a long conversation which Edeard did his best not to eavesdrop on. It culminated with the Mother embracing Salrana. Another two Mothers hurried over at her longtalk call. They all began chattering excitedly around the suddenly overwhelmed girl.

Salrana turned, holding an arm out to Edeard. 'They'll take me in, she said, her face suffused with delight.

'That's good, he said softly.

'Come, child, said the first Mother, and put her arm protectively around Salrana. 'Young man.

'Yes, Mother.

'We commend you for aiding our lost soul. May the Lady bless you for what you have done.

He didn't know what to say, so he just ducked his head gracelessly.

'Will you stay for the service?

'I, er, have to get to my lodgings, thank you. He backed away and turned, walking quickly across the plaza.

'Don't forget, Salrana's longtalk voice chided him. 'Talk to me first thing tomorrow. I want to know that you're all right.

'I will.

Even with the cold orange light shining down from the twisted towers, he was unnerved walking through the empty district. The dark upper sections of the towers formed black silhouettes against the glowing night sky. His mind kept firmly focused on the warm aura of human minds on the other side of the Grove Canal. Before he reached any bridge he came to a decision. His farsight strained to reach the Blue Tower. The sparks of minds were very hard to distinguish through its walls, but he persevered and eventually found one he recognized.

'Excuse me, sir? he longtalked to Topar.

There was a small burst of surprise from the man, quickly smothered. 'Where are you, Edeard?

'In Eyrie, sir.

'And you farsighted me through the walls of the Blue Tower from there?

'Er, yes, sir.

'Of course you did. So what can I do for you?

'I know this probably seems sudden to you, sir, but I have thought over what the Grand Master said to me. I'd like to join the constables. There's nothing else for me here.

'Yes, we did make that promise to you, didn't we. Very well. Report to the main constable station in the jeavons district. By the time you get there they will be expecting you. Your letter of sponsorship will be with the captain in the morning.

'Yes, sir. Please thank the Grand Master for me, sir. I'll not let him down.

'Somehow Edeard, I don't think you will. One word of advice from a lifelong citizen of Makkathran.

'Sir?

'Don't let your fellow constables realize how strong you are, not at first. It may attract the wrong kind of interest. Politics, remember?

'I remember, sir.

'Get up you little turds!

Edeard groaned, immensely tired, blinking against the orange light flooding down into the dormitory. His thoughts were a confused whirl as reality intruded into the shrinking dream.

'Come on. Up! I haven't got the time to nurse you pathetic tits. If you can't even get up in the morning what use are you? None. Which doesn't surprise me in any respect. I want every one of you dressed and in the small hall in five minutes. Anyone who doesn't make it before I close the doors can piss off right back home to your mummy again. Now move it.

'Whaa—? Edeard managed. Someone walked past the end of his bed and whacked his feet with a truncheon. 'Ouch!

'If you think that hurt, wait till I get to work on your feelings, farm boy.

Edeard hurriedly pushed the blanket down and rolled out. There were six bed alcoves in the dorm room, only two were empty. He'd met the other constable recruits last night, a quick session before Chae, their squad's training sergeant, marched in and barked at them to shut up and get some sleep. 'Because you've got an early start in the morning.

As he struggled into his shirt, Edeard suspected it was Chae who'd just woken them. The voice was familiar.

'He's got to be kidding, said Boyd, a tall lad with lank blond hair and large ears. The fourth son of a baker in the Jeavons district not far from the station, he was in his early twenties and as he saw his elder brother take on more and more of the bakehouse he finally acknowledged he wasn't going to inherit any part of the family business. His sisters were married off, and his other brothers had all left the district to forge their own way forward. He lacked their entrepreneurial streak, so decided the only way out was the Guilds or signing up with either the militia or the constables. He didn't have the money to buy into the militia; and his psychic talents were limited.

'Oh no he's not, Macsen said as he hurriedly pulled up his own trousers. His story was similar to Boyd's. He was the unrecognized son of a mistress to a grand family's patriarch. Usually such a father would quietly buy such an offspring a minor commission in the militia or smooth the way for entry to a professional Guild such as the lawyers or clerks. Unfortunately, this patriarch chose to travel on one of his trading ships voyaging south along the coast when one of the Lyot Sea's rare storms blew up. The wife and eldest son threw Macsen and his mother out of their estate cottage on the Iguru even before the memorial service had been held.

Edeard shoved his bare feet into his boots. 'We'd better do as he says, at least until we figure out how serious the officers are, he said. He looked at the locker beside the cot where his shoulder bag was resting, and briefly wondered if it would be safe. Not that there was much of value inside. And anyway, this is a constable station.

'Chae's serious all right, Dinlay said. Their final room mate was also a youngest son, but his father was a constable. As such, Dinlay was the only one to already have a uniform. He was doing up the silver buttons on the front of his dark-blue tunic. The little metal circles had been polished to a sheen, as had his black ankle-high boots. The trousers were pressed, showing a sharp crease down the front. It wasn't a new uniform, but you had to look carefully to see any wear. Dinlay had told them last night it used to belong to his father when he was a probationary constable. Out of the four of them, he seemed to be the only one enthusiastic about their new profession. He used a longtalk whisper to tell them, 'Father said sergeant Chae is a heavy drinker. He was sent to this station because he's screwed up everywhere else in the city.