The weather, whilst for the most part extremely pleasant, was prone to occasional unexpected extremes of heat or cold or sleet or wind. The response of the denizens had been to build the entire thing indoors. There were courtyards and cloisters open to the air scattered liberally throughout the city, with grass and trees and pools and fountains, but everything else was indoors: streets and alleys and town squares and footpaths, all under the one stretching, arching, undulating roof.

Kat lay on her back amongst the stacks, watching the rain spatter in small drops against the large skylights. When the drops got large enough they would cascade down the gentle curve, pulling others in as they went sliding down into the catchments and away out of sight. Whenever it rained she tried to find somewhere to watch; if she didn’t think she’d be missed, sometimes she even headed for the nearest courtyard and just stood there as the sky emptied over her.

The city stretched for miles and miles in every direction, and Kat had lived inside its walls and under its roof her entire life, never once venturing outside its confines. At times like this, though, she fantasized about scrambling up and out onto the wide open expanse of the rooftop and running free.