Disclaimer: I do not own the Keys to the Kingdom. Garth Nix does
Arthur sighed heavily of relief. He had just gotten the First Key. He hadn't believed that he would but he did. He would never forget this battle. He had gotten his lung pierced and then healed. His eyes began to close, even as he struggled to keep them open. He really needed some rest. But, he also needed to get home. What was he going to do?
"What is the time ratio between the Earth and the House?" he asked.
"Uh...I'm not sure" the Will answered.
Arthur opened the Compleat Atlas of the House, and asked the question. Writing began to appear on its page, as soon as he asked.
One hour on planet Earth corresponds to 342.8571429 hours in the House, which is approximately fourteen days, six hours, fifty-one minutes and twenty-five seconds. One minute on Earth corresponds to 5.714285715 hours in the House, which is approximately 5 hours, forty-two minutes, and fifty-one seconds.
'Wow! I have a lot of time here' thought Arthur. That settled it. He was definitely resting first. "All right, everyone. I'm going to sleep here for a while. Don't bother me until I wake up". Ignoring all the protests, Arthur went to Monday's Dayroom and dropped down on a soft bed.
After a good and refreshing nap, Arthur woke up. He didn't know how much time had passed. He got off the bed and stretched himself. He walked out of the Dayroom. Suzy, Dawn, Noon, Dusk, the Will and the former Monday (whose name was actually Bill) were seated in chairs around a wooden table decorated with numerous patterns.
"Greetings, Lord Arthur", intoned the Will. Suzy's greeting was just raising the cup of tea that she was drinking to head level. "Now, is there anything I need to do, immediately before going back to Earth?" he asked. Dawn and Dusk looked at each other, their eyes meeting, and then turned away immediately.
"Yes, sir" replied Noon. "We have a problem".
"Lord Tuesday has laid claim to the Lesser Key of the Lower House as payment of goods delivered to Mister Monday, over the last two-hundred years.
"What?!" Arthur sat upright with alarm. The First Key had been so difficult to win in the first place. Like hell, he would part with half of it. "What goods?"
"Metal commissionaires, elevator parts, teapots, printing presses, etc" replied the Will.
"Why don't we pay him with money? You have money, don't you?"
"Normal payment would be done in the coin of the House of which there are seven currencies, each of which has three dominations. The currency of the Lower is the gold roundel, the intermediate coins being the silver demi-crown and the copper neel."
"Well then, why don't you pay him with it?" asked Arthur reasonably.
"Mister Monday, due to his Sloth had neglected proper maintenance of the Lower House and its finances. Yet, not all is lost. We aren't completely broke as I had expected, due to Dawn's wisdom and Dusk's steadfastness, yet we are very much short of the money to be paid. The amount due is about thirteen million roundels. As of now the amount we have that can be spent is nine million roundels. We are four million short" explained the Will.
"What do you mean 'amount that can be spent'?" asked Arthur.
"We do have another six million separately, but that money is needed for the basic functioning of the Lower House. If we spend it, the services done on the Lower House, and services offered by it will be drastically affected" said Dawn.
"Can't you delay matters for some time?" asked Arthur wearily.
"I did petition the Court of Days for more time. But, I was only granted five months. Lord Tuesday is well within his rights to demand the Lesser Key as payment if we can't pay the money" said the Will.
Arthur frowned. "Five months? The timing sounds somewhat strange" The Will and Dusk looked puzzled. Arthur summoned the Atlas which came out of nowhere. After five months of House time, what day will it be on planet Earth at my home ?
Tuesday, said the Atlas.
"After five months, it will be Tuesday in my home. Is this important?" asked Arthur.
Dawn had an air of understanding on his face. "He plans to claim your properties on Earth if you refuse to hand over the Minute Key. Maybe even hold your family as hostage. He has dominion on any realm during Tuesday at that realm."
Arthur said firmly that this wasn't acceptable. "It seems I won't be staying on Earth until this situation is resolved. But I can't leave my family there. I'm bringing them to the Lower House to protect them"
The Will did not like the idea of bringing mortals into the House. "Arthur, mortals are not to be brought to the House! It's against the Original Law"
"Screw the original law. I don't give a damn about it. If you want me to help fulfill the Architect's Will, you forget about the original law. Do we have a deal?"
"Alright, Arthur" was the grumpy reply.
Arthur was about to say something, then suddenly stopped. A worrisome thought crossed his mind. "I made a mistake, when I was in the Coal Cellar. I gave Pravuil a blessing with the First Key-"
The teacup fell from Dawn's hands and shattered.
"Arthur! Do you have any idea what you've-"
"Alright, I made a mistake. I didn't know he was a spy at that time."
Arthur's principal servants stood, and Noon said "Pravuil may be anywhere in the Lower House, now. The Key's discharge of power and authority will allow him to enter even the heavily protected locations in the Lower House, as his authority in the Lower House is now equal to Dawn or Dusk or myself. We might have to continuously scan the entire Lower House, to be alerted if he sets foot here."
Arthur frowned. "Can't I just use the Key to remove the power that I gave him?"
"You have done a very foolish thing, Arthur. You can retract the Key's discharge only if you come in direct contact with him, as you did when you blessed him. Until, then we cannot use the Key to set an intruder alarm. It will not work against someone it has given power to. Since you can't use the Key, we'll have to do it manually. We will have to pull most of our Commissionaire Sergeants from their posts and post them at key locations in the Lower House, and give them orders to arrest Pravuil if he surfaces. The Metal Commissionaires won't do well against powerful Denizens. And Pravuil seems quite powerful."
"We will have to offer the Commissionaire Sergeants extra pay for this assignment, when we are already short on money. The Finance Department will protest if we touch the safety net amount" said Dawn.
"Wait a minute", Suzy interjected. "Yer didn' have the Hour Key when ya' blessed him, did ya'?"
"No I didn't"
The Will let out a heavy sigh of relief. "Then, you can use the Hour key to do something. We need not bother more than a few Commisionaires. Use it to set the intruder alarm. But you won't be able to go out of the Lower House when the Key is continuously sweeping for intruders. And the Key cannot be used actively for another purpose; it will take almost the entire power of the Key. You have not seen the entire Lower House,Arthur. It equals the size of an entire planet, bigger than Earth. Searching such a huge volume will require the Hour Key's full power."
Arthur turned to the Will. "I'll make you the bearer of the Hour Key for now. Once I get back here with my family, I'll have it back." The Will agreed.
Arthur, having learnt a lot of ways to use the First Key from the Atlas ,split the clock-hand sword into the Minute and the Hour hands, and used the Hour Hand alone, pushed his will into the Greater Key and solidified his will with words, used the image of Pravuil from his memory, and connected the Key to an alarm clock in the table gripping it. The Greater Key which had emitted a pale blue light, now shone with a blinding blue light, as heavy power discharge was required"
Arthur retained the Minute Hand for himself and designated Dame Primus as the bearer of the Greater Key, but also included a Clause forbidding her from punishing or executing anyone. (i.e.) Bill, the former Monday. He was too useful to be executed. He had firsthand practical knowledge of the Lower House and its operations.
"I will be going with Dusk and two of his midnight servants, since it is evening on Earth. This time I shall go through the Seven Dials, and come back through my Postern. I'm not using the Front Door, as I don't want anyone outside this demesne to know that I'm bringing my family here."
Arthur said "We shall not take more than thirty seconds on Earth, which translates to two hours, fifty-one minutes in House Time. And we won't take more than thirty seconds to fly back here from the Postern, I think. I'll deal with the money problem after I come back "
"If we're gone for more than two hours and fifty-two minutes, I authorize you to check the Seven Dials and come looking for us with reinforcements" said Dusk to his Lieutenant of the Midnight Servants, who nodded and bowed.
The day of every Secondary Realm was divided into two three equal time slots. During the first time slot, the denizen named Dawn would be allowed to enter into the Secondary Realm upon the permission of the corresponding Day. During the second, Noon would be allowed entry, and Dusk during the third.
Arthur set the Seven Dials himself, by setting House Time, Earth Time(at his home), latitude, longitude, and the maximum permissible time lapse for the journey. the sixth and seventh dial clocks were left at 12:00 default. They were only used while searching the Secondary Realms for someone or something. Thus, Arthur and Dusk and two of Dusk's servants stepped in the centre of the circular arrangement. When all the clocks struck as one, they disappeared from the House.
AN: I calculated the time ratio from Mister Monday, and not any other book in the series. I have made a few other changes too. Nithlings etc. are not inimical to mortal life. The Plague never happened.
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