The Purple Emperor

'How strange?'

Peach Blossom frowned. 'Fusion silk is multicoloured. You can never tell the exact hue or pattern until the process is finished. We'd have to wrap his entire torso. Thank heavens his face hasn't been burned, but if he ever takes his shirt off his chest will be like a rainbow tattoo. And look at his hands. We'll have to make him fusion gloves. The silk becomes his new skin. He'll have hands that reflect the sun like oil. They won't be covered. Everyone will see them.'

'Oh, for God's sake!' Blue snapped testily. 'If you don't do it, he's going to die’

'If he isn't dead already,' Nymph murmured, staring at the body.

Blue rounded on her in a fury. 'Another word and you'll be dead! It was your wizard who did this – don't think I'm going to forget that. Now shut your mouth and see if you can help.'

Nymph said nothing. When Blue turned back, two Sisters of the Silk Guild were bending over Henry unwrapping a bolt of silk so fine it floated towards him like thistledown.

CHAPTER SIXTY FIVE

'These people are dangerous,' Fogarty murmured quietly.

'Why do you say that?' asked Madame Cardui.

They were back in the forest, seated together on a mossy bank beneath the bole of a great tree. Beyond them, in a clearing, Forest Faerie were dancing by a curious bonfire to the hauntingly hypnotic music of drum and pipes.

'I don't like their spell technology,' Fogarty said soberly. 'Portals to other planets… weapons that can pierce any armour… ability to pass through solid walls… Put those together and nothing in the Realm can stand against them.'

'They are our friends,' said Madame Cardui mildly. 'They have proven themselves to be our friends.'

'They are now,' Fogarty sniffed. 'But can you guarantee they'll stay that way?'

Madame Cardui said nothing.

'And just look at that bonfire,' Fogarty said. 'Heat to keep them warm, but black flames. Can you believe that – black flames!? Hardly any light emission so their enemies won't find them, won't even suspect they're here. We could never duplicate that sort of magic'

'It won't burn greenwood,' said Madame Cardui.

'What?'

'The bonfire, my deeah – the black flames aren't so you can't see them, they're so the bonfire won't burn greenwood. So it can't set fire to the trees.'

'Bully for them,' said Fogarty, frowning. 'But what's that got to do with anything?'

Madame Cardui shrugged. 'They love their forest.'

After a moment Fogarty said, 'Ah, I see what you're getting at. You think they have no interest in moving against us.'

'Alan,' Madame Cardui said, 'I've known these people for years. They have no interest in moving against anybody. All they want is to be left alone. The only reason they're helping us attack Lord Hairstreak is because his stupid demon pits have threatened their forest. If we leave them alone, they'll leave us alone.'

Fogarty looked unconvinced. 'Maybe.' After a moment he said, 'I wonder how they're getting on?'

'Blue and Pyrgus? You wish you were with them, don't you?'

'Of course I do. Growing old's no fun.'

They sat in silence for a while, listening to the plaintive music.

Madame Cardui said, 'Tell me how you got here -what… fate… led you to the Realm?'

'Thought you'd know that already, Cynthia. From your sources.'

Madame Cardui smiled slightly. 'I'd like to hear it in your own words.'

Fogarty stared into the middle distance and smiled a little too. 'Damnedst thing,' he said. 'Once I passed eighty, I started to let things go: well, you do, don't you? House turned into a tip. So I thought I'd better get a housekeeper before the Health Authorities had me condemned. Except I didn't want some old char three times a week poking about in my stuff…' He shrugged. 'Anyway, I met this kid. Henry, his name was – Henry Atherton. Looking for his sister in the mall. Got sidetracked at one of those computer shops: I found him looking at some sort of music machine. Attention span of a gnat – you know what teenagers are like – but something about him… sort of likeable. And he looked sturdy, hard work wouldn't kill him. Struck me he was exactly what I needed. Kids that age only ever think about two things – sex and pop music. He'd never have any interest in what I was doing. So I offered him a job.'

'And what happened?'

'Took it, of course. He was saving up for something called an MP3 Player – some sort of game thing I think -so he needed the money. I put him on trial and he was perfect. Arrived on time, did his work, shut his mouth and never tried to jerk me around. Then one day, damn me if he didn't walk in with a fairy in a jam jar.'

Madame Cardui smiled broadly. 'Pyrgus, of course.'

Fogarty grinned. 'Oh, yes. Didn't know it at the time, but that's where it all started. Funny old life.'

'He came over to the Realm as well, didn't he?'

'Who?'

'Henry. I believe Pyrgus made him Knight Commander of the Grey Dagger.'

'Not sure that was legal,' Fogarty said thoughtfully. 'Pyrgus was only Emperor Elect at the time. But he was grateful to Henry. Henry got him out of Hell. I suppose he thought he'd confirm the appointment after his Coronation. Didn't expect the present trouble. None of us did.' He stared out towards the black flames of the bonfire. 'I hope he's all right. Henry's a decent kid – he doesn't deserve to have anything bad happen to him.'

CHAPTER SIXTY SIX

Henry swam up slowly from the warm, dark depths. His chest no longer pained him quite so much, but it felt tight so that he had difficulty breathing. He could see light, then shapes, but his eyes would not focus properly so he couldn't tell what they were.

'I think he's opening his eyes again.'

'Are you sure?'

'No. I thought I saw -'

'Try for a pulse again, Prince Pyrgus.'

Pyrgus was here! This was great. Pyrgus was here. Henry tried to say Hello, Pyrgus, but could not take enough breath in to form the words. He felt something brush against his neck, like the touch of a butterfly's wing.

'No – nothing.' Was that Pyrgus's voice? It didn't sound like Pyrgus's voice, but then everything was echoey and boomy.

'Is the silk working?'

'The fusion's taken, Serenity, but that doesn't necessarily mean

…'

Serenity? Did that mean Blue was here? Henry made a massive effort and opened his eyes. The light blinded him.

'We're fitting the gloves now. His hands are in a much worse state than his chest. He must have tried to protect himself.'

'Fusion is automatic – it's a property of the silk. It doesn't mean there's healing.'

'Healing is a property of the body.'

'Although a silk fusion will promote healing in some circumstances.'

'Providing the body can support it.'

'If the body can support it, healing can be quite rapid.'

It wasn't Blue. There was a woman bending over him, but it wasn't Blue. It occurred to Henry he was ill. He couldn't see properly, he couldn't hear properly, he couldn't breathe properly, his skin felt tight and there were stabbing pains in his hands and chest. That couldn't be right. He wondered if he was coming down with flu.

To one side of the woman he saw Pyrgus and tried to smile at him. But his face wouldn't work either.

A soft female voice said, 'His eyes are open, Highness.'

That was quite true – his eyes were open. Things were coming slowly into focus as well.

Pyrgus reached out to touch him on the neck. 'Henry,' he said. 'Can you hear me?'

I can hear you, Pyrgus, Henry thought. I just can't tell you I can hear you.

'There's a pulse,' Pyrgus said. 'Quite strong too.'

'That cinnamon scent means -'

Someone pushed Pyrgus and the woman rudely aside and bent over Henry. His eyes grew misty. It was Blue. It was definitely Blue.