"Suzy?" I called. After the attack on the Piper and his New Nithlings, I couldn't tell if she'd run off with the troops against her will or if she was somewhere around tile five-hundred/five-hundred.
"Suzy!" I called again.
"It is pointless calling Suzanna now." Dame Primus, now the first four parts of the Will of the Architect, had practically materialized behind me.
"But I need to know if she's okay."
Dame gave me her look, practically saying "you really don't understand".
"Arthur, you will have to wait until later. We will have Lady Friday to deal with soon enough and you need to be ready. Plus, things may be easier if you get to trying Sir Thu-"
"What is it with you and trying Sir Thursday, anyhow?!" I was on only a thread of my own sanity and was about to blow. I took a deep breath, something I'd gotten used to being able to do once more, and stared at Dame Primus. As much as I hate making eye contact with her, it's pretty impossible to ignore those power-radiating eyes.
"It is only just and happens to be straight out of the rules of the Army of the Architect. You will first need to-"
"I want to go home first," I interrupted her again.
"Arthur, you cannot go back to your home just now. You will need to take care of more…important business here first." Dame Primus was becoming more and more impatient it seemed.
I glared at her.
"All I need to do is make sure that all is well. I do not want to leave my home in shambles, if that happens to be the case."
Dame rolled her eyes and sighed.
"I will allow you only a small amount of time to go and come back. But you must make your visit as brief as possible."
"Thank you." I relaxed a bit. "All I really need is a little bit of time. How should I go, though?"
"First," Dame Primus started pacing back and forth in front of me, "you will need to hand the fourth key over to me. You don't want to run a risk in the case that you take too long in the Secondary Realms."
"I'll be very brief. Don't worry. I will be back shortly. Besides, who knows what is out there; I may need some sort of protection from the Morrow Days."
"There is never any sense in reasoning with you, is there?" Dame stopped pacing and stared at me.
"You should take the Seven Dials. Taking the front door may be too risky." When she said that, I remembered Suzy mentioning that she had run into Saturday's Dusk in the Front Door to the House before the Lieutenant Keeper of the Door arrived to save the day.
"All right," I said, "let's get the elevator to the Lower House."
I had Thursday's Dawn call the elevator and Sneezer, Dame Primus, and I rode to the Lower House and made our way to the Seven Dials. Sneezer set the Dials and I stepped in.
"Now, hurry back once you're done, Arthur." Dame Primus called as my view of the Lower House disappeared in a flash of light.
When everything came back into perspective, however, I was definitely not back home.
In fact, I wasn't sure where I was at all.