to the silver swirls on her skin—and the mark disappeared.
“All right,” the guard said. “But next time—”
Night vanished before the guard could finish—just kind of disappeared like Batman—which Viv found almost as annoying as the fact that he’d dragged her down a well. He didn’tthink he had to explain himself? Horsemen were as bad as fairies.
“There won’t be a next time,” Viv said. Going to a nightclub was not worth almost drowning. She hugged herself and shivered. Her pajamas were sopping wet and it was cool in the underworld. Like an early spring night when the earth was just crawling out of winter.
Silver branches stretched above them, all around the lake, glinting in the lantern light. There was no breeze, but the leaves made a tinkling sound like wind chimes. It was beautiful, still—and a little eerie. Like walking through a dream.
There was a path that looped through the forest behind them where a line of guests in silver party garb waited to show their marked arms to the guards at the checkpoint. They shimmered between the trees like figures made of mercury.
Viv looked down at herself: at the water dribbling down her legs, the wet pajama shorts sagging from her hips.
“I can’t go to the club like this,” she told the guard. “How do I get home?”
“Traffic’s flowing one way right now. Into the underworld, not out. If you want to go to the club, you get in one of those boats.” He pointed to a row of gondolas at the shore. “Other than that, you’re on your own.”
Viv stood and stared at him as he turned his back on her. “So I’m stuck here?”
The guard didn’t bother to answer.
Sighing, Viv wandered down to the boathouse. The boatmen wore silver double-breasted jackets like the guards, but they looked like they wore them under duress. They stood together, all slouching in a deliberate way, eyes half-lidded andbored. Half of them were smoking. God—they reminded her of Henley’s friends.
One stepped out of the group and sauntered down to the shore like he was doing her a favor. He outpaced her, then stopped and turned back. “You’re really going to wear that?” The other boatmen laughed.
“I’m not going to take it off,” she said acidly.
He shrugged and steadied the gondola while she boarded. “You must be new. Otherwise you’d have heard about the dress code.”
“Silver?” She really wished he would stop talking.
“Silver for us every night. But yeah, silver’s tonight’s theme for the guests. They like themes. Helps to identify the outsiders.”
He grinned at her as he started to row, and Viv turned her face away so he wouldn’t see the burn in her cheeks.
Outsider
—she’d never been an outsider. Not in any way that mattered. And she didn’t like being made to feel like one now.
The silver forest bordered the lake on three sides. Globe-shaped lanterns hung from the trees and cast a golden glow on the water’s slowly rippling surface.
The underworld was all shining and dark, bright metal and heavy shadow. On the far shore, hills of black rock repeated into the distance. There was no horizon, just a point at which everything turned to darkness, like the world around them had been rubbed out.
The palace stood on a rocky crag overlooking the lake. Below it, nearer to the lake, was the nightclub. There were no windows and, like the best nightclubs, no sign telling youwhat it was—but Viv’s heart beat faster when she saw it. The gleaming black walls reflected the lake and the forest like mirrors made of obsidian.
When the boat bumped to a stop, the boatman held it steady so Viv could climb out. Her bare feet met rough stone and she winced, taking slow, careful steps as she made her way up the hill to the club. There had to be a smoother path—a ways off, other guests were approaching the club with far less difficulty—but the boatman had let her off
here
and she figured it would be just as much work to cut across the rocky hill as
“All right,” the guard said. “But next time—”
Night vanished before the guard could finish—just kind of disappeared like Batman—which Viv found almost as annoying as the fact that he’d dragged her down a well. He didn’tthink he had to explain himself? Horsemen were as bad as fairies.
“There won’t be a next time,” Viv said. Going to a nightclub was not worth almost drowning. She hugged herself and shivered. Her pajamas were sopping wet and it was cool in the underworld. Like an early spring night when the earth was just crawling out of winter.
Silver branches stretched above them, all around the lake, glinting in the lantern light. There was no breeze, but the leaves made a tinkling sound like wind chimes. It was beautiful, still—and a little eerie. Like walking through a dream.
There was a path that looped through the forest behind them where a line of guests in silver party garb waited to show their marked arms to the guards at the checkpoint. They shimmered between the trees like figures made of mercury.
Viv looked down at herself: at the water dribbling down her legs, the wet pajama shorts sagging from her hips.
“I can’t go to the club like this,” she told the guard. “How do I get home?”
“Traffic’s flowing one way right now. Into the underworld, not out. If you want to go to the club, you get in one of those boats.” He pointed to a row of gondolas at the shore. “Other than that, you’re on your own.”
Viv stood and stared at him as he turned his back on her. “So I’m stuck here?”
The guard didn’t bother to answer.
Sighing, Viv wandered down to the boathouse. The boatmen wore silver double-breasted jackets like the guards, but they looked like they wore them under duress. They stood together, all slouching in a deliberate way, eyes half-lidded andbored. Half of them were smoking. God—they reminded her of Henley’s friends.
One stepped out of the group and sauntered down to the shore like he was doing her a favor. He outpaced her, then stopped and turned back. “You’re really going to wear that?” The other boatmen laughed.
“I’m not going to take it off,” she said acidly.
He shrugged and steadied the gondola while she boarded. “You must be new. Otherwise you’d have heard about the dress code.”
“Silver?” She really wished he would stop talking.
“Silver for us every night. But yeah, silver’s tonight’s theme for the guests. They like themes. Helps to identify the outsiders.”
He grinned at her as he started to row, and Viv turned her face away so he wouldn’t see the burn in her cheeks.
Outsider
—she’d never been an outsider. Not in any way that mattered. And she didn’t like being made to feel like one now.
The silver forest bordered the lake on three sides. Globe-shaped lanterns hung from the trees and cast a golden glow on the water’s slowly rippling surface.
The underworld was all shining and dark, bright metal and heavy shadow. On the far shore, hills of black rock repeated into the distance. There was no horizon, just a point at which everything turned to darkness, like the world around them had been rubbed out.
The palace stood on a rocky crag overlooking the lake. Below it, nearer to the lake, was the nightclub. There were no windows and, like the best nightclubs, no sign telling youwhat it was—but Viv’s heart beat faster when she saw it. The gleaming black walls reflected the lake and the forest like mirrors made of obsidian.
When the boat bumped to a stop, the boatman held it steady so Viv could climb out. Her bare feet met rough stone and she winced, taking slow, careful steps as she made her way up the hill to the club. There had to be a smoother path—a ways off, other guests were approaching the club with far less difficulty—but the boatman had let her off
here
and she figured it would be just as much work to cut across the rocky hill as
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