The Purple Emperor

CHAPTER FIFTY FOUR

Waiting in the Great Hall, Fogarty wondered what had happened to Henry. Wasn't like the boy not to tip up when he said. Especially when he was so obviously sweet on Blue.

He pushed himself out of his chair and walked stiffly to stand beside Gonepterix at the window. After a silent moment he suddenly realised that the view through the window was no illusion spell. He really was looking at a rocky shoreline and an angry sea.

'Where the hell are we?' he asked.

'Off world,' Gonepterix said. He looked a little startled.

'Off world?'

'For security,' Gonepterix explained.

These faeries could move you off planet? Fogarty frowned. It had to be portal technology of some sort. Except he'd seen no portal. But however they did it, the logistics were mind-boggling. You had to find the right sort of planet for a start – somewhere you could breathe where the sun didn't fry you and the gravity didn't crush you. Then you had to target its coordinates. Then you had to open up a space-time doorway, something like a wormhole, only bigger. Then -

It was slipping away from him. The whole thing was incredible, yet they'd done it so casually. Thank God all they wanted was to be left alone. With technologies like this, they could take over the entire Realm in a fortnight, then swallow up Hael and the Analogue World for dessert.

'How far are we from the forest?' he asked Gonepterix.

To his astonishment Gonepterix didn't hesitate. 'Thirty-eight thousand light years.'

Fogarty blinked. Maybe it wasn't just the pretty face that made him Consort. Fogarty was about to push things further when Blue and Pyrgus walked back into the Hall.

Fogarty caught Pyrgus's expression at once. The boy looked almost ill, and it was Blue who turned to Queen Cleopatra and said decisively, 'Your Majesty, my brother and I want to thank you for your offer of help and accept it gratefully.' She looked from one face to the other as if challenging anyone to disagree. 'Now perhaps we can discuss our plans.'