AN: For anyone who guessed the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, good job. Got some awesome character introducing to do, bye!
Chapter 3
They found themselves in a wide circle of somewhat tall buildings. The ground was made mostly of huge stone slabs, held together with black paste. There were various gaps in the buildings, presumably paths leading to other parts of the city. In the middle of the circle, there was a rather interestingly shaped fountain: A large bowl made of marble formed the bottom half of a sphere, while a wall of water coming from a tube in the middle formed the top half.
The air was warm and very humid. They were definitely near water.
"Well, oh Chrestomanci sir," said Millie, sarcastic again, "where do you suggest we go from here?"
"Er…" Christopher had to confess to himself he didn't know a thing about the geography of this world.
"I won't be any help, unfortunately," Mordecai said. "I've told you my spirit can't see things clearly."
"Let's ask someone where the nearest path to the ocean is?" Christopher said uncertainly. "If I did this right, the leak should be somewhere close by."
"Who? There's no one outside, and there are no signs on the buildings," Millie noticed. Christopher looked around again. It was true. It must have been a heavy work day, because there were no people about. All the buildings looked similar. The only differences were the colored swirls that decorated the otherwise bland facades and, sometimes, the number of stories. He couldn't even tell which buildings were private houses and which were public services – if any.
"Let's just try a door," guessed Christopher. He strode across the jagged pavement to a door with orange swirls and an engraving that looked like a rounded bench. He tried the knob. It turned.
"Looks like you found a public building," said Mordecai. They all went through the door into a room with couches, a desk, two other doors, and a fountain, much smaller than the one outside, but the same shape. Christopher and Millie started relaxing on the couches, while Mordecai approached the desk and started talking to the tan-skinned, balding man working at it.
"Welcome to King's Inn. My name is Thompson. Will it be a room for three?" the man said distractedly.
"Not now, please, we're on a tight schedule. I have a couple of questions," Mordecai replied. "First, could you please tell me where we are exactly?"
"I just told you, King's Inn," was the response.
"Could I know a little more?" Mordecai asked patiently.
"King's Inn, Zephyr Circle, Zephyrton, Eastern Province, Galsha, the Abeitic Sea, the World. That good enough for you?" said Thompson.
"Very nicely put, thank you, Mr. Thompson," Mordecai said. Thompson grunted. "My next question," Mordecai continued, "is: What is the shortest route to the ocean from here?"
Thompson pulled out a map and drew on it with his pen. "That should get you there in ten minutes. Anything else?"
"Thank you, and yes, one more thing," said Mordecai, glancing over his shoulder at Millie and Christopher. "Who is Aquamarina Varuna?"
For once, Thompson seemed to stop what he was working on and smile up at Mordecai.
"She sings at the adjoining restaurant," he said. "And she's the best singer anyone has ever heard. She might be just as big an attraction in Zephyrton as the fountain count."
Millie turned to Christopher and muttered, "Aquamarina Varuna. What kind of name is that?" Christopher didn't answer. He turned around on the couch and saw, next to the door to the outside, a poster propped up against the wall. The poster had a number of colored lines and curves, artfully positioned to resemble a girl's face. Next to the picture were the words:
King's Restaurant
Every night at 2030
Hear the magnificent Aquamarina Varuna
There were also three of what seemed like the reviews from local newspapers and magazines:
"Marina must be heard to be believed." –Galshan Messenger
"The best floorshow in the world." –Time of Day
"Imagine the most perfect performance of your favorite song ever, and Marina sings it better." –Toast of Zephyrton
A hand appeared in front of Christopher's face, waving wildly. "Hey!" Millie said from next to him. "In case you forgot, we came to fix a giant hole in the ground."
Christopher blinked. "Oh. Yeah." He pushed Millie's hand away. "I'm fine. So… where did he say we should go?"
"In some sort of… curving zigzag," said Mordecai, showing them the map.
"First right, first left, first right, first left…" Christopher said as his eyes followed the path that Thompson drew. "That looks easy enough!"
"Slow down, Christopher! What exactly are we doing?" Millie asked.
"We're going to plug the leak!" Christopher answered her.
"What? We can't just go in like that! We need to–"
"Have you got a better idea?"
Millie said nothing.
"Then let's get on with it!" said Christopher excitedly. He ran out the door and down the first street on the way to the ocean.
