“I need entrance,” he repeated. “To the market.”
“Ya have to be careful around ‘ere mate, especially in dis area,” the voice continued. “Ya don’t know what you’ll find.” The air rippled before a man stood only a foot away, his figure slowly solidifying as he gained attention. “Ya don’t ‘ave a coin. No coin. No entrance.”
The ghost was dressed in a double breasted suit with a chain pinned across the lapels. A newsboy peaked cap topped his head, the colours dark, opaque as the cemetery appeared through his flickering body.
“What do we ‘ave ‘ere then?” The Gatekeeper tipped his head to Lennon, who kept his gaze pointedly to the earth.
Axel stepped closer, blocking the ghost’s view. “I’ll pay for a coin. Name it.”
“Ya think you ‘ave the bees?”
Axel frowned, trying to calm his temper. “Look, how much for a coin?”
“Settle down, ya ain’t answered the bleedin’ riddles yet.”
“Riddles?” Axel growled. “Look, I haven’t got the ti –”
He held up three ghostly fingers. “Answer three riddles, pay the charge an’ I’ll open da door, easy peasy.”
Axel dragged a hand down his face. “Fine.”
The Gatekeeper grinned, tugging at his lapels before clearing his throat.“If you have me, you will want to share me. If you share me, you will no longer have me. What am I?” he said in a clear accent void of the earlier cockney twang.
Axel took a second to think, his voice edged with irritation when he finally answered. “A secret.”
“What goes all around the world, but stays in a corner?”
“A… stamp.”
The Gatekeeper clapped excitedly. “Last one,” he began once again without his accent. “What has a head, a tail, is brown but no legs?”
Axel stilled, mind racing through possibilities.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Why did it have to be riddles?
A sharp whistle, and Axel turned to find Lennon with two blades of grass between his lips. He pointed to the earth, where he had spelled out the answer.
“A penny!”
The Gatekeeper pouted, widening his stance to place his hands on his hips. “’here’s no coins left.”
“What?” Axel almost burst from his skin. “Then why the fucking riddles?”
The Gatekeeper shrugged, a smile cracking his lips. “See you la’er.”
“No,” Axel barked as the Gatekeeper flickered, “I’ll pay in Ravyns.”
The Gatekeeper reappeared, head cocked as Axel waited with little patience. “Cost a dragon.”
“A dragon?” Axel repeated, his voice loud enough to echo against the tombstones. “You’ve got to be shitting me?” He knew it would be expensive, but not that expensive.
“No coin. No entrance,” the Gatekeeper said with a grin, rocking back on his heels. “A single dragon gets ya lifetime access. I shouldn’t even be doing this deal.” He held out his ghostly hand.
Ravyns were the currency used in the Undercity, including the market. They were small polished onyx coins, each with their own image depicting their worth. An imp was one-hundred, a sphinx one-hundred-thousand while a dragon was around one million. Axel had no idea how much money he had left from his inheritance, but he would use every last penny if he had to.
“Deal.” Axel clutched the Gatekeeper’s hand, ignoring the pins and needles that rattled down his arm. A small burn started from the centre of his palm, and when he pulled it back there was a black mark.
With a chuckle the Gatekeeper disappeared, and the door to the mausoleum opened silently. Wiping his palm against his jeans, Axel gestured for Lennon to follow him as he stepped forward, noticing the pale, shimmery veil that covered the double doors. Once you owned a token it would forever follow you, appearing only hours after leaving the market. Convenient really, as long as Axel remembered to make the payment.
