Necropolis

and they weren't going to let you go. From that moment on, they never let you out of their sight."
    Scarlett thought back. She had felt all along that she had been under surveillance, but it was only now that she realized how true that had been. Every movement she had made had been watched. She had been pushed around like a piece on a board game — and the last roll of the dice had brought her here.
    "They used my dad to bring me to Hong Kong," she said, and felt a sudden ache of sadness. Where was he?
    "We never wanted you to come to this city," Lohan said. "Once you were here, you would be utterly in their power, and you have no idea to what extent that has been true. All day, every day, you have been surrounded by them. Nobody has been allowed to come anywhere near you. Haven't you noticed? Since you have been here, nobody has approached you. Nobody has come near."
    "There was a man with a letter…" Scarlett began. "On Queen Street."

    Lohan shook his head. "We didn't send him. We knew that it would never have worked." He paused.
    "The Old Ones control the police, the government, and the civil service. They have made deals with the Chinese authorities — and they have killed anyone who has stood in their way. The hospitals, the fire service, the newspapers, and the television and radio stations all serve them now. They keep constant watch on us through the surveillance cameras in the streets and know what we buy every time we use a credit card. They have taken over the mobile phone network and the Internet. Every call is monitored, every one of the millions of e-mails that are sent every day is read by their spyware. Criticize the government — you die. Even try to tell people what you know — you die. We're back where we started, Scarlett. How many thousands of people can you kill in a city like this without anyone noticing? Only the Old Ones know the answer.
    "And they are everywhere. The woman and the driver who pretended to work for your father were both shape-changers. We don't know where they came from or what exactly they are. Many of the crowds that surrounded you were the same. Why do you think Wisdom Court is empty? They wanted to keep you in isolation, and every man, woman, or child who might come into contact with you was either taken away, killed, or replaced."
    "Replaced with what?" Scarlett asked.
    "With creatures that belong to the Old Ones." Lohan filled the bowl a second time and drank it. The alcohol had no effect on him at all. "The whole city is against you, Scarlett. If you stepped outside now, you would be seen and identified in seconds. That was why you couldn't travel here sitting in a car. It was also why we had to be so careful reaching you. One of my people added the guidebook to your luggage at the airport. Then we bribed the supervisor of an office building and transmitted a message on the screen. The fortune-teller is part of our organization, and she sent you to The Peak. Four different approaches, and each time we had to be certain that you alone knew our intentions."
    "So what am I going to do?" Scarlett couldn't keep the helplessness out of her voice. This is what it came down to. She was stuck in a room in a dirty block of apartment buildings. And outside, a whole city was searching for her. She remembered how the day had begun — even the flies were on their side.
    'You must not be weak!" For a moment, Lohan didn't even try to hide his contempt. He spat out the words and his mouth, cut in half by the scar, was twisted into a sneer. "It will not be easy," he said. "The Old Ones chose this city very carefully. You are on an island with only four possible ways out. First, of course, there is the airport, where you arrived. But that is out of the question. Every flight will be watched, and even if we disguise you and give you a false passport, the danger is too great.
    "The second possibility would be to travel by Jetfoil to the island of Macao, which is only an hour away.
    From there you would be able to fly to Singapore or Taiwan. But again there is too much risk. I don't think that you would even get on board before you were spotted. There is a passport control at the terminal, and remember — every single official will be looking for you."

    "Can't I go into China?" Scarlett asked.
    "It is possible to cross into China at Shenzhen. Many tourists go there to shop because the prices are cheap. But there are police everywhere. The border is well patrolled. And once the Old