Here's the prologue:

Prologue

It was somewhat dark. Which was natural and fully to be expected, seeing as how the sun was sinking beneath the horizon, and anyway I was underground, but it still created an eerie sort of atmosphere in the small, circular and bare room that I stood in. I drummed absentmindedly on the wall, wishing I had a windowsill instead; windowsills are infinitely preferable for drumming or tapping, but, as this was a basement, there was an entirely sensible lack of windows.

The door opened with a long and rather dramatic creak of rusty hinges. “Always one for dramatic entrances, eh, Fate?” I asked, smirking towards the wall.

“Always one to see the worst in people.”

“It’s what I do, mate.”

“Of course, I’d entirely forgotten in your absence.”
“Well, happy to remind you.”

“Thanks. I needed that.” The sneer in his voice was all to evident by now.

“Oh, that hurt.”

“No, it didn’t, so why lie?”

“Because I can.”

“Stunning logic, absolutely stunning.”

“Because it annoys you. Fate.”

“Better.”

“What do you want?”

“What, no ‘hello’?”

“We’re already well passed that point. May as well get on with it, no?”

“This is my city. We follow my rules.”

“Whatever you say.”
“Really?”

“No, of course not.”

“Didn’t think so.”

“What do you want?”

“I’ve a proposition.”

“Oh? Will I be interested?”

“I think so.”

“Your judgement has never been proven to be particularly accurate, though.”

He paused, considering, before continuing. “It involves the human realm…”

“Nope, see, I was right, not interested.”

“I haven’t even asked yet!”

“‘Humans’. That’s good - or bad - enough for me.”

“Ok, look, you are a Principle. You have a duty, a calling-”

“Oh, don’t start that rot with me, you know I don’t buy into it.”

“A bet then.”
“A bet?”

“You go for a year, down there-” he gestured, I could hear his sleeves slice the air - “and I will make amends to the Undesirables.”

“And if I get bored and leave?”

“You go a month without breaking any laws of nature.”

I sighed. “Deal.”

“Good.” He turned around, sharply, in that annoying and crisp way he had. “Your year starts tomorrow.” I listened to his heels click as he marched smartly out of the room; the door slammed with another creaking protest.

“Well, I think that went rather well.”

“No, it didn’t, why did you agree?”

“A whole year down in that slush bucket-”

“Won’t be so bad, they do stupid things to-”

“We’ll have to stir things up a bit though, else we might well expire of boredom-”
“Think that would give Fate an excuse to void the deal-”

“Nah, likes to think of hisself as an honorable bloke, he won’t-”

“Stupid prat-”

“SHUT UP!” I cried, clapping my palm to my forehead in exasperation. “Can’t hear meself thing with you lot nattering on and on in there.”

“Sorry.”

“Whoops.”

“Couldn’t contain myself-”

“Won’t happen again.”

“Sorry! Sorry…”

“Dreadful sorry.”

“You’re doing it again. Shut up, all of you, let me think.”

“About what? You’re already committed to staying down there.”

“Unless you want a month of not breaking any of nature’s silly little-”

“Don’t start arguing. Just be quiet!”

“Ok.”

“Right, sure.”

I shook my head. Having voices was so confusing, especially if those voices had a tendency towards chattiness. “Right, so, through the Chaos Storms?”

“If you want us to be quiet, why do you go asking us questions?”

“I was being rhetoric.”

“Oh…”

“You’ll have to be quiet, all of you, once we get down there, you realize that? Wouldn’t do to have seven different voices vocalizing themselves in a realm where everybody’s got just one…”

“Right.”

“We’ll remember.”

“Silent as mice!”

“Only not so squeaky.”

“Ok, Ok, I get it! We’re going now, it’s quiet time!”