Dot scowled, and Theodora let out another hiss of laughter. She patted Dot on the arm.
‘Wise girl,’ said the amorphous spirit.
‘Indeed, she is, Marcidus,’ said Theodora. ‘Now, apologies to all of you, but up you get, Mr Delané. We have a daemon to speak with.’
Casimir took a long drag of his cigarette and stubbed it in the glass ashtray.
‘Fine,’ he said, breathing out the smoke. ‘I’ll take you to Salamander.’
Casimir led them to the back of the bistro, through a hidden door next to the kitchen and down several hallways. He stopped before a door made of thick metal and wrenched it open to reveal an elevator. Theodora stepped inside and, after a flicker of hesitation, Dot followed. The first elevator had been delicate and crafted of glass; this, however, was submarine heavy as if ready to plunge deeper than the giant squids of the South Sea. Casimir pulled the lever and down they descended.
After an impossibly long time, the elevator drew to a clunking stop, and Casimir wrenched the door open. Theodora lit a plume of fire to illuminate the way as they descended the dark corridors of wet concrete. Dot waggled her jaw and tried to unblock her ears, lagging behind. The space stank of mould and pondweed, so she breathed through her mouth.
Theodora and Casimir chatted as they walked. Their conversation was a hush of inside jokes and sarcastic remarks and Dot remembered that this was the man Theodora had met at the markets – he seemed to know her name wasn’t Kaeïs. Dot would have dwelled further on this but she noticed that the hallway sloped downward, dragging them deeper beneath Alliaster, and her heart quickened.
At length, they came to a final door with a metal handwheel at its centre.
‘One moment,’ said Casimir and he eyed Dot again. She was taller than him, yet he tipped back his head and surveyed her in an arrogant sort of way that made her feel as if she were no larger than a goldfish. She grimaced and he chuckled and took both sides of the handwheel and, with some exertion, twisted it. A dullthunksounded, and Casimir heaved open the door. With a flourish of his hand, he waved them inside.
Within was total darkness as Dot had never seen it. Theodora extinguished the ball of firelight. When Dot did not move, the witch took her arm, her hand still warm from the flame. Somewhere behind them, Casimir shut the door. There was a hitch to the witch’s breathing, Dot realised. Theodora was frightened.
‘Kaeïs?’ came a voice from the darkness.
‘It is indeed,’ called Theodora, her voice sounding calm and firm enough. A set of lamps flicked on and the space was illuminated in low, green light. They stood in a large room constructed of wet, dark bricks on every side. Dot spotted a drain in the centre of the floor and, at the far back, a water tank so large it might fit a blue whale. Instead, it held the daemon.
This time, Dot saw Salamander with unpanicked clarity. He had wide, amphibian eyes and chalky, grey skin that seemed in places almost translucent. His body was long and, if he had a heart, theycould have surely watched it beat. He swam up over the edge of the tank and dropped onto the concrete before them with a wet slap. He drew toward them, towering over each of the women.
‘Knox, was it?’ hissed the daemon at Dot.
‘A false name, of course,’ said Theodora. ‘This is Jane Spectre.’
‘Jane, a pleasure,’ said Salamander, inclining his head. Dot looked into those knowing eyes, and she suspected that the daemon knew very well her name wasn’t Jane. He turned to Theodora. ‘Have you my money, Kaeïs?’
Theodora stiffened. Dot glanced sideways at her.Money?
‘The payment is scheduled,’ said Theodora, ‘as always, for the last day of the month.’
‘Of course.’ Salamander walked wetly on two legs to the table on the far side of the room. It was cast in shadow, but Dot spotted a smaller tank there and, within, a human arm floating. Carved into the flesh were intricate runes. ‘How ridiculous of me to forget,’ said the daemon in a way that told Dot he never forgot a thing. ‘I have been quite consumed of late, what with all of my lobbying. What brings you to me, Kaeïs?’
‘My apprentice,’ said Theodora, nodding at Dot. ‘I know you have an interest in strange magics. Can you tell us anything about her affliction?’
‘This is not the first time you have requested my help,’ said Salamander. ‘I am surprised you wish to again.’ He glanced back at her. ‘You went by a different name all those years ago. What was it?’
The witch and the daemon eyed each other.
‘Edwina,’ said Theodora.
Dot’s attention was drawn back to the floating arm in the tank.
‘Not to worry, Miss Spectre. Just a bit of science.’ Salamander tapped at the glass. ‘I am about to do some more.’
And he smiled again, in such an uncanny fashion that Dot took half a step back. She looked at the witch, and saw Theodoranarrow her eyes. Dot was missing some vital piece of information here. Whatever did these glances between the daemon and the witch mean?
‘For a fee,’ said Salamander. His head inclined.
Theodora stared for a long moment at Salamander, as if trying to decide something that Dot could not discern.
The daemon nodded. Theodora was still.
