The Purple Emperor

CHAPTER EIGHTY NINE

Harsh light flared, reducing Nymph's glowglobe to sudden insignificance. Henry started and both Pyrgus and Nymph raised their weapons in alarm, but Comma only crowed, 'I told you so!'

They were in a control room – no doubt about it. The machinery was like nothing Henry had ever seen in his life, but it was definitely machinery. Much of it comprised tangles of transparent piping carrying different-coloured fluids and mists, but there were gleaming metal cabinets as well, some with switches and levers, and a massive semi-circular desk supporting banks of flashing lights. Above the desk was an illuminated plan of the maze flanked by screens showing segments of the structure itself. Henry noticed at once that one of them displayed the open staircase through which they'd fallen when he fiddled with the wall torch.

'You're right,' Pyrgus said to Comma. 'This has to be a service area.'

'A control room,' Blue said, half to herself. 'We could sabotage Hairstreak's whole set-up.'

'Inadvisable,' Nymph said shortly.

Blue rounded on her furiously. 'Why is it every time I say something you contradict me?'

Nymph shrugged. 'I'm not sure I do, but in this instance I don't think your plan is advisable.' She met Blue's glare steadily.

'I think there's something in that corner,' Henry whispered.

There was a movement in the shadows between two cabinets. A hideous thought occurred to him. Supposing, despite all appearances, this wasn't a service area? Suppose it was still part of the maze, a cunning, subtle secret level designed to throw people off their guard? The control panel could be booby-trapped. All sorts of monsters could be hiding in the cupboards. More than anything, anything at all, Henry wished he knew how to use the sword they'd given him.

They turned to stare. For the barest embarrassing moment, Henry wondered if he might have imagined it – his nerves were strung out, after all – but then the movement came again.

'There is something there!' Blue hissed.

'Yes,' Nymph agreed, stepping a pace to the right so that she was between the dark corner and Pyrgus. Pyrgus quietly moved around her.

'What is it?' Comma asked. He didn't seem the least frightened, but then he'd treated the entire maze as if it were an entertainment.

'It's probably a giant spider,' Henry muttered sourly. It would be just his luck to meet another one.

But the thing that hurled itself from the gloom was not a giant spider.