When Arthur arrived he first had a brief but very welcome reunion with Sunscorch, who was overseeing the resupply of the Moth. But long explanations had to wait, so after a little back-slapping that left his shoulders sore, Arthur had the Carp use its ability to make its voice heard everywhere around the harbour, to tell the former slaves that the worldlet was doomed and that if they wanted to live and return to the House, they must gather aboard the Moth, bringing only one small item of salvage each.
Naturally this caused a panic, only quelled by the Carp using its voice more forcefully, and Jebenezer, Sunscorch, Pannikin, and various others using their voices and belaying pins to bring order to the mass of Denizens that was trying to get on any of the four small boats that could take them from the harbour wall to the Moth.
Leaf also had an important role to play, convincing Captain Swell that he must abandon the Flying Mantis, and that even such a practised Navigator-Sorcerer as he would not be able to find a way to sail it out. As he had already tried every augury puzzle he could find, the logic of it was clear, but it was still very hard for him to leave a ship he had commanded for nigh on ten thousand years.
Captain Catapillow presented a different problem, for he did not want to let anyone into his quarters, for fear that they would destroy his stamp collection. But when Arthur lost his temper and spoke sharply to him, he caved in and withdrew to his bed, Ichabod calmly drawing the curtains after him.
Arthur had been worried about how many Denizens would fit in the strange chamber within the Moth, particularly since he had promised the Followers of the Carp that he would try to save them, and as they would be last to arrive, they would be the most likely to be left behind. But the chamber was even larger than he remembered, and Ichabod moved the display cases around to create even more space, while telling him that his coat needed to be cleaned, his boots washed, and that the creation of vastly more space within a room was merely a matter of correctly arranging the furniture.
At last, five hours after they'd begun, the room was entirely packed with at least three thousand Denizens, Arthur, Suzy, and Leaf. There was no room to move at all for most of the Denizens, with everyone pressed together like standing sardines.
As far as anyone could tell, no one had been left behind.
Outside, the cracks in the sky almost stretched from the sun to the ground, and the Carp now predicted a catastrophic implosion, with the worldlet suddenly collapsing and being sucked into the Void of Nothing.
"Then, if this worldlet has been properly constructed, the breach in the Void will seal over and cause no more trouble," the Carp pronounced. "Or if shoddily made, it will spread Nothing everywhere around it and cause many more problems to the locality."
"You mean Wednesday's stomach," said Arthur.
"Yes," said the Carp. "Now, as to the matter of our survival — I do not think this room would survive such a catastrophe, as it is linked to the ship that will be sucked into the maelstrom of Nothing."
"I know we have to get out of here too," said Arthur. "But as this room is actually somewhere else within the House, all we have to do is find a way from inside here to outside there. As I asked you to look into several hours ago."
"Indeed," said the Carp. "Unfortunately while I have found out where this room actually is, I can't find a way to get out. And even if I could, I'm not sure how much use it would be."
"Great," said Leaf. "Excellent work, Arthur."
Twenty–nine
"WHY WON"T IT HELP to get out of the room?" Arthur asked the Carp. "We have to!"
"This room is still where it was," said the Carp. "In the old Port Wednesday. Underwater. I don't know how far. Besides, I can find no way from here to the outside of the room."
"Because there isn't one, or because of something else?" asked Arthur.
"There may be an exit," said the Carp. "But this room is strangely twisted and I simply have not had time to work out its exact place within the fabric of the House. I doubt anybody could, save the Architect herself."
"The Atlas!" cried Arthur. He reached down into his boot and pulled out the green book. "Can you use the Compleat Atlas of the House?"
"No," said the Carp.
As it spoke, there was a commotion near the door out to the Moth. Arthur jumped up onto Catapillow's blanket box to see over the heads of the Denizens. Sunscorch, who had been handling the last few stragglers, was just inside the door.
"A piece of the sky's fallen in!" he roared over the hubbub. "And the sea is starting to turn like water going down a plughole!"
"There has to be a way out!" said Arthur. He held the Atlas and focused all his attention on it.
"Arthur —" said the Carp.
"Not now!" hissed Arthur. His knuckles were stark and white against the green book, he was gripping it so hard. "I'm concentrating!"
"Arthur —"
Arthur ignored the Carp and concentrated on his question.
Where is the way out of this room back into the House?
The Atlas stubbornly failed to open. Without a Key, it just would not respond.
"Arthur!" roared the Carp, so loud that Arthur's ears rang. "I cannot use the Atlas, but I can help you use it! Place your right hand against the glass of my jar!"
Jebenezer held up the jar and Arthur slapped his palm against the glass. The Carp came right up against it, puckered up, and kissed the side of the jar against Arthur's fingers three times. Each time it did, it shone more brightly, some of the light travelling through to bathe Arthur's fingers.
"Ask your question!"
Arthur took his hand away and gripped the Atlas again, repeating his question, willing the book to open with a determination that shut out everything else around him.
Nothing happened for three seconds, just long enough for the Carp to start to say, "We must have —"
Then the Atlas exploded open. Arthur fell off the blanket box, but was so hemmed in by Jebenezer, Suzy, Leaf, and other Denizens that his feet didn't even touch the floor.
Arthur didn't notice. He was watching the perfect, though rapid, penmanship of the invisible writer in the Atlas. Words spread across the page, Arthur shrieking them aloud as he read.
"The chief clerk's office of the Blue Moon Company's Second Counting House has been twisted seven turns sideways and inclined twelve degrees to the impossible, due to incompetent renovation. There are three means of egress from within the office. One is to the ship Moth, through the former front door. The second opens on the Void of Nothing, and has been sealed under the floor ten paces to the left of the front door. The third opens in the ship telegraph turret of the Blue Moon Company in old Port Wednesday, and is located through the mirrored back of the former records safe, now in use as a wardrobe —"
"No!" yelped Ichabod, but his voice was drowned out by the surge of Denizens towards the wardrobe.
"Hold!" roared the Carp. "Followers, link arms!"
"Moths, stand still!" roared Sunscorch.
"Mantises, hold yer ground!" shouted Pannikin.
"And may be activated by peeling off the wallpaper backing," finished Arthur. He slapped the Atlas shut, jumped down, and wormed his way between the Denizens to the wardrobe. It was a huge oak-panelled affair, easily ten feet high and fifteen feet wide.
"Ichabod!" called Arthur. "Is there any trick to going in?"
"No, sir," said Ichabod stiffly. He had managed to appear at Arthur's elbow, unruffled and calm once more. "Simply walk through. But if I may remove the Captain's clothes before they are trampled —
" He was interrupted by a very loud cracking sound, and the floor shivered under Arthur's feet. He didn't wait to hear any more from Ichabod, but strode straight at the mirror.