The Purple Emperor

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE

The woman was slim and very dark, and Henry could see she was quite good-looking, except for her eyes which had very funny pupils. She was seated in a chair to one side of the door and there was a patient stillness about her that was positively creepy. She must have been sitting there the whole time, watching him while he was unconscious, watching him as he came to, watching him as he stood up and swayed and tried to keep his balance. She was watching him now, her eyes like sloes, and he was irresistibly reminded of a snake watching a bird.

Then she smiled and the whole sinister quality disappeared. Her face lit up with a delight he could almost taste. 'You must be one of Blue's young friends,' she said.

'Is she all right?' Henry asked at once.

'She should be safe in Haleklind by now,' the woman told him dreamily. 'You must be a very close friend for me to find you in her room.'

Henry flushed crimson. 'I'm really a friend of Pyrgus,' he said quickly. Which was true. He wondered if he should try to explain about the portal and the missing filter and the spider, but decided against it. Better to keep things simple. 'I, ah, I wanted to go to his room and I got… lost.' Which was nearly true and sort of true and not actually a lie.

'Why don't I take you to Pyrgus's room?' the woman said. 'It's just a little way away, not far. Not far at all.' She stood and waited, watching him.

'Yes. Thank you. Yes, that would be… good.' He was trying to figure out who the woman was. She might be a maid or a Lady-in-Waiting – Blue had lots of servants, he knew – but the way she was dressed she didn't look much like a maid, or a Lady-in-Waiting for that matter. Her gown looked like silk, probably awfully expensive, and it was purple coloured. He wasn't absolutely sure, but he thought purple was reserved for members of the royal family. On inspiration he said, 'I don't think we've met. I'm Henry Atherton.' He stuck out his hand and waited.

'I am Quercusia,' the woman said. She took him by the hand and began to lead him gently from the room. 'Queen of the Faerie.'

Henry hadn't known there was a Queen of the Faerie. And even now he couldn't make her fit. Pyrgus and Blue's mother was dead, he knew that, so she couldn't be the wife of the old Emperor, and she certainly wasn't old enough to be his mother. So where did this woman fit in? Perhaps she was an aunt, who ruled over some part of the kingdom. Or perhaps it was some sort of honorary title that had nothing to do with anything very much.

He felt silly being led by the hand.

Quercusia's own hand was small and slim and very, very cool. In fact it was quite cold, as if she'd come in from a snowstorm. They passed beneath an archway where two glum guards snapped smartly to attention and saluted Quercusia. Wherever the title came from, she was familiar in the palace. Henry glanced back at the guards and caught a strange expression on their faces. If he hadn't known better, he'd have sworn it was fear.

Pyrgus now used the quarters that had been occupied by his father before the murder. They were guarded as well, but while the men on duty saluted just as smartly, their faces were expressionless. Quercusia pushed through the door and led him inside. Henry looked around for Pyrgus, but there was no sign of him.

Henry extracted his hand and walked over to the mantle where he pretended to examine the ornaments. There was a small, framed miniature of a bee, so cleverly done he could have sworn it was tattooed on human skin. He was glad to have moved away from Quercusia. For some reason she made him feel uneasy.

He looked around and found her smiling benignly at him.

'Do you think he'll be long?' Henry asked.

'Who?'

'Pyrgus.'

'Pyrgus isn't here.'

'He isn't?'

'Of course not.'

Henry blinked. 'Then why did you bring me here?'

Quercusia looked up and studied a corner of the chamber near the ceiling. 'You said you wanted to go to his room.'

Henry's unease increased. He frowned, then gave a small nervous smile. 'Actually, what I meant was I wanted to see Pyrgus. I'm sorry.'

The sloe-black eyes were back en him again. 'You can't do that. Pyrgus is in exile.' A look of pride crossed her features. 'My son is the Emperor now.' She blinked several times like someone waking from a deep sleep. Her face was suddenly very sober. 'I think I'll have you put in jail. You're such a horrid boy.'

Henry felt a sudden chill. He swallowed and began to edge towards the door. 'Your Majesty -' he said to humour her.

She rang no bell nor made no sign he was aware of, yet suddenly the room was full of burly men.

'Lock him in the dungeons!' Quercusia screamed. Her eyes were wide and flecks of spittle rimmed her lips. 'Lock him in the dungeons and throw away the key!