The Purple Emperor

CHAPTER SIXTY TWO

Henry's head hurt, but not half as much as his hands and chest. He had trouble focusing his eyes, but even so he could see his upturned palms had turned to raw meat. He tried to move and his body protested with a howl of agony.

Henry groaned but no sound came.

There were people around him, but he couldn't remember who they were. They swam into his field of vision, then out again, their voices rising and falling, approaching and fading. One of them looked like Blue. He hoped it was Blue because that would mean she wasn't dead in the forest. He couldn't see whether she was cross with him for being late.

'He's still alive. I think he's still alive.'

'Can you see breathing?'

'No.'

T thought I saw him open his eyes.'

'Reflex. You often get that with a fireball.'

'The body reacts for hours after the heart stops. Energies keep working on the nerves.'

T saw one walk five paces once, dead as a coffin nail'

'He's alive, you stupid cow!' This from Blue. He was sure he recognised her voice.

Henry tried to say 'Hello, Blue', but no sound came. His eyes were closing again, all of their own accord, so that he lay in the red, pain-filled darkness. It occurred to him that he was dying and he didn't care.

'He's alive!' Blue said again. 'He's breathing!'

'I can't see him breathing.'

Somebody was taking his shirt off, the one the Silk Mistresses had given him. He heard a gasp of shock.

'It always does that,' said a cool female voice. 'If he hadn't been wearing spinner silk it would have burned through to remove his heart.'

'It's bubbling… Yuk, it's oozing blood.'

'Blisters. The skin is just blistering.'

'It's bubbling!'

'I don't like the look of this.'

Henry felt something inside him relax. The pain seemed far away as he sank softly into darkness.

'Do something!' Blue hissed fiercely. She felt a terror welling up inside her. Her father had died like this. One day he was healthy and hearty, the next he was dead; and now it was happening again with Henry.

Nymph frowned. 'He needs new skin. It's the only thing, really.'

'Then get it for him!' Pyrgus ordered.

'We don't have it. We're not equipped.'

Blue rounded on Ziczac. 'You did this!' she shouted. 'Can't you fix it?'

The little wizard looked genuinely desolate. He started to shake his head.

'Blue…' Pyrgus said.

'You threw the damn thing! You must be able to do something. Reverse the spell. Heal -'

'Blue…'

'I'm not a healer,' Ziczac said. 'I don't even know much about military spells.'

'Blue,' Pyrgus said gently. 'I think he's gone.'