The Purple Emperor

CHAPTER SEVENTY SIX

'We can't go north,' Nymph said. 'Don't you remember Ziczac said there was a forcefield?'

'North's blocked, Blue,' Comma said helpfully. If he was worried about their situation, it didn't show.

'Humour me,' Blue grunted shortly. She led them back along the corridor and they passed without difficulty beyond the point where Ziczac was stopped. Blue turned to face the others. 'The forcefield was just a device to send us south, so someone would trigger the spiked pit. Once the trap was triggered, the forcefield switched off automatically. It's standard game protocol. If you don't know about it, you assume you can't get north, jump the open trap and head south – where there are even more dangerous traps waiting.'

'So north will be easier?'

'Not much,' Blue admitted, 'but according to the rules of the game we're supposed to have some chance of surviving this way. South we'd have had no chance at all.'

'How do we know your Lord Hairstreak kept to the rules when he designed the maze?' Nymph asked.

Blue glared. 'We don't. But do you have a better way to play it?'

If this kept going they'd come to blows soon, Pyrgus thought. He moved to defuse the tension by stepping forward with a smile he didn't feel. 'Look,' he said, 'we're all in this together. We've lost a good man because we didn't know right away what was happening. But we know we're in an obsidian maze now and that gives us a chance. The other thing is that we're a team. These mazes are designed for just one victim. If we pull together and stick together, we can beat this thing.' He looked directly at the two forest soldiers with Nymph and realised he didn't even know their names. 'I'm sorry,' he said. 'I don't know what to call you.'

'Ochlodes,' one told him.

'Palaemon,' said the other.

'Ochlodes, Palaemon,' Pyrgus said, 'you have already proved yourselves fine fighters on this mission. We may well be called on to fight again before we get out of this maze, but it's even more important to use your head and take care – most of the dangers here are from traps.' He looked at Nymph, Blue and Comma. 'That goes for you three as well – think before you do anything, take it slow and never assume anything is what it seems.'

After a moment, Blue said, 'I'd suggest we spread out. Spread out, but keep an eye on each other. That way if one of us does get caught in a trap, the others aren't likely to get caught as well, so we can help one another.'

'That's good strategic thinking, Princess Royal,' Nymph said with sincerity. Blue favoured her with a frosty little smile.

They separated out as far as space would allow, then cautiously began to move north up the corridor. They had gone no more than fifty yards before a swiftly spinning blade emerged from a side wall to slice the lobe from Palaemon's ear.

If he hadn't had the preternatural reflexes of a Forest Faerie, it would have cut his throat.