The Purple Emperor

'You'll pay for this, Comma!' Blue hissed. Pyrgus said nothing.

'Escort them off the island!' Comma called grandly. 'Then have them transported to the Haleklind border. When they leave the Realm they must not return except on my invitation.' He tilted his head back and struck a pose, then added, 'In writing. And stamped with the Imperial Seal.'

'Where's Lord Hairstreak, Comma?' Mr Fogarty asked in a conversational tone. He managed to sound as if he was going for an afternoon's stroll.

'It's Prince Comma, Gatekeeper,' Comma told him crossly. 'And you aren't Gatekeeper any more. I've fired you. I'm going to appoint another Gatekeeper, a Faerie of the Night. Lord Hairstreak says that's more ecumenical.'

'I'm sorry, Prince Comma,' Mr Fogarty said mildly. 'I was just wondering where Lord Hairstreak was. After all, he's Regent now.'

'You'd best be glad Lord Hairstreak isn't here,' Comma said, 'otherwise you'd be in jail instead of leaving for a nice comfortable exile. But he's coming soon, once he finishes off some business or something. He'll be living in the palace from now on. With Father.'

'That's what I thought,' said Mr Fogarty.

'Well, you'd better hurry and get out before he does come, and get away while you still can.' Comma moved to one side and the escort fell in behind Pyrgus and his little party.

As Pyrgus stepped through the gate, he allowed himself a backward glance. He wasn't certain, but he thought he saw his father standing at an upper window of the palace.

'I'm going to kill him!' Blue hissed the moment they were all alone.

'He's only a child,' Mr Fogarty said unexpectedly. 'He thinks being Emperor will make him something special.'

'I'm worried Lord Hairstreak may kill him when he comes of age,' Pyrgus said, echoing an earlier thought. 'Hairstreak will never give up power once he becomes Regent.'

'He's already become Regent,' Blue said sourly. 'He's already put everything in place ready for the official announcement.'

Pyrgus shrugged. 'You know what I mean.'

They were seated together in one of the palace ouklos, an enormous golden carriage with plush purple seating. It floated at a stately pace that ate up miles with a deceptive speed. Through the window they could see the uniformed outriders on their individual floater pods – fiercely helmeted and armed men whose duty it was to ensure they left the Realm.

'This Haleklind,' Fogarty said. 'Have either of you ever been there?'

Pyrgus was staring out the window. 'I have. I lived there for a bit.'

'What's it like?'

'Hilly. Rocky. Barren. Quite primitive, really. There are parts of it where people still live in caves. But our father had excellent relations with the ruling House, so we should be given somewhere comfortable to stay.'

'We're not staying,' Blue said.

'No,' Pyrgus said. 'No, of course not.' His mind seemed on other things.

'Who is the ruling House?' Fogarty asked.

'Of the Halek? House Halek. There is only one House, really.'

'Would they help us take back the Realm?'

'I doubt it,' Pyrgus said. 'But even if they did, they'd be no match for the Imperial Army.'

'It's a backwater,' Blue put in. 'That's why Daddy never bothered bringing it into the Realm – not worth the trouble.'

'Why did you live there, Pyrgus?' Mr Fogarty asked.

'I wanted to get a Halek blade,' Pyrgus said a little sheepishly.

'It's a knife that always kills,' Blue explained to Mr Fogarty, with an expression on her face that suggested she had no time for knives that always killed.

'Couldn't you just buy one?'

Pyrgus said, 'Didn't have enough money. Besides, a Halek blade takes time to make. And you're dealing with Halek wizards. They're the best in the world, but they're tricky and they won't hurry for anybody.'

Mr Fogarty glanced at Blue. 'Could they help with our predicament?'

'The wizards?' Blue said. 'They might. Pyrgus is right – they have extremely powerful magical techniques. But we'd have to come up with a plan.'

Fogarty nodded, then sank back in his seat and closed his eyes.

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

'Gone?' roared Lord Hairstreak. He was dressed head to toe in black velvet and looked like an apoplectic imp. Comma had insisted on their meeting in the throne room, apparently because he wanted to sit on the throne.

'Into exile,' Comma said, emphasising the second word slightly, as if to stress its importance, or possibly just to show he knew what it meant. He had changed into State robes, several sizes too large for him, in imperial purple. From his high vantage point on the Peacock Throne he chose to study the backs of his hands casually.

'I told you to have them imprisoned,' Hairstreak snapped. 'Actually I told you to have them executed!'

'I decided to send them into exile instead,' Comma said, then added petulantly, 'Nobody tells the Purple Emperor what to do.'

The child was a nightmare and always had been, just like his mother. Hairstreak said bluntly, 'You're not Purple Emperor yet. And until you are, you'll do well to remember that your Regent holds the reins.'

Comma glared at him sulkily. 'Well, it's done now.'

'Where have you sent them?'

For a second Comma looked as if he wasn't going to tell, then he muttered, 'Haleklind.'

Hairstreak swore under his breath. It was one of the few countries that had resisted infiltration by his agents. Particularly galling in such an ignorant backwater. Most of the inhabitants were scarcely down from the trees. But their wizards were something else. Would it be possible to mount a raid? The price was bound to be enormous – Halek magic was weapons magic and the wizards could decimate an army if they dug in… one reason why their country had been left so long alone. Better to try to stop Pyrgus and his sister before they reached the border. Or arrange an assassination if that didn't work.

'When did they leave?' he asked sharply.

'A little while before you came,' Comma told him vaguely.

'How are they travelling?'

'By ouklo. By imperial ouklo – they're still members of the royal family, you know,' Comma said.

It could have been worse. Ouklos were not exactly fast and it was probably a day's, two days' journey to Haleklind under the best conditions. There was still time to do something. 'Which route did they take?'

'I'm sure I don't know,' Comma said airily. 'I leave those sort of arrangements to my minions.''

Hairstreak fought hard to replace his fury with an icy calm. It would be simple enough to find out what route had been taken. Even Comma wasn't stupid enough to send them off without an escort. Once he knew the road, he could dispatch a party of his best men. The guards would not be expecting an attack – why should they? Pyrgus would be dead before they had time to react. So would anybody else travelling with him. Hairstreak narrowed his eyes. 'It is foolish for your future to allow your half-brother and half-sister to live,' he said firmly. 'But you may safely leave that to me. Meanwhile, Comma, let me tell you this. If you ever, ever, countermand an order of mine again, I shall see that you regret it deeply. You seem to forget I have the full authority of your sainted father.'

The change in Comma was astonishing, but not the change Hairstreak had expected. The boy swung round, eyes blazing. 'That thing you call my father is an empty shell that only walks because of your black magic! You think I'm a fool? Better think again, dear uncle!

Hairstreak turned and stamped out of the throne room. There was no time to lose in mounting the pursuit of Pyrgus and Blue.