Ruler of the Realm

Three

The Spicemaster’s labyrinth was laid out on the floor of a cellar underneath the shop. Blue was surprised by its size. She’d imagined something larger. But she supposed he knew what he was doing. Madame Cardui said he’d been practising – largely in secret – for two generations.

Blue looked around the chamber. The labyrinth spiral was picked out in small rock-crystal chunks. At the entrance there was a brass incense burner on a tripod. Beside it was a low table with a burnished copper bowl and two glass vials, one containing spice, the other a clear liquid. Near the table was one of those old-fashioned backless chairs with a leather seat. To one side there was a cupboard or possibly a wardrobe: it was difficult to tell. That was all, except for the glowglobes fixed to the rafters in the ceiling. They looked fly-blown and dim.

‘What do you want me to do?’ she asked.

Memnon was in the process of locking the door. He seemed even more upset now. ‘Majesty, are you sure you wish no one else present? Perhaps a trusted guard…?’

‘No one,’ Blue said firmly. It wasn’t so much the fact she was here – what she planned wasn’t illegal – as the possibility that her questions, and their answers, should reach the ears of… well… anybody. She would make State secrets in this chamber. As he turned away from the door, she asked, ‘What danger is there? To me, I mean.’

Spicemaster Memnon looked positively distraught. ‘I may try to kill you, Majesty.’

Blue glanced at the little old man and suppressed a smile. He hardly looked strong enough to swat a fly, let alone do her harm. But she appreciated both his concern and his loyalty, so she said soberly, ‘Spicemaster, I take full responsibility for anything that happens. If you try to harm me, you will be absolved from criminal proceedings, charges of treason, anything of that sort.’ The look on his face told her he was far from reassured, so she added kindly, ‘Why don’t you tell me exactly what takes place, so I can be prepared.’ She smiled. ‘Defend myself. If the need arises.’

Memnon sighed. ‘The ceremony is very simple, Majesty. When I am cloaked, I swallow the spice and enter the labyrinth. By the time I reach the centre, the spice will have begun to take effect. When the god manifests, you may enter the labyrinth yourself to ask your questions.’

‘And when am I likely to be in danger?’

‘When the god manifests.’

Well, that was straightforward enough. But the god would manifest in the Spicemaster, using his body, so it wouldn’t exactly be an attack by a raging bull. If it happened at all.

To distract him, she asked, ‘How do you want me to help you in the ceremony?’

‘Majesty, I shall need your assistance to cloak. Beyond that, I would require you to play a drumbeat as I enter the labyrinth.’

And that seemed straightforward as well. She held his coat for him and played a drum. Not that you’d think he needed assistance for any of that, but even simple ceremonies had their formalities.

A thought struck her and she said, ‘I’ve never played a drum.’

‘It’s no more than a heartbeat,’ said the Spicemaster obscurely. He looked distracted. ‘Majesty, are you certain -?’

Blue said yes and watched his resolve finally collapse. He didn’t want to, but he was going to do it.

He said quietly, ‘Take this, Majesty.’

For an instant she didn’t realise what was happening, then saw he was holding out a small transparent packet of orange-yellow spice, little larger than a coin.

‘What’s this?’ she asked as her hand closed around it.

‘Mutated spikenard – it may offer you some protection.’ He lowered his eyes. ‘Shall we begin, Majesty?’

The cupboard turned out to be a wardrobe, and the cloak hanging in it was magnificent. It was a full, floor-length garment, made from the feathers of some exotic bird that would have put a peacock to shame. Even under the dim glowglobes, the colours danced and shimmered. A cloak worthy of a god, she thought, and wondered how the twisted old Spicemaster would look wearing it.

But it was a small, rather battered, wooden hand-drum he took from the wardrobe. ‘Dragonskin,’ he murmured as he passed it to her.

Blue glanced down at the worn green surface. ‘Did you say dragon skin?’

‘A small piece only, Majesty. The beast was in no way harmed when it was taken.’

Blue continued to stare at the drum. She couldn’t imagine how you extracted a piece of skin from a dragon without harming it… or getting yourself devoured, come to that. Perhaps he was lying. Dragons had been protected for years and the penalties for killing one were severe. But she had other things on her mind at the moment. She looked up at the Spicemaster.

‘What do I do with this?’

‘If Your Majesty would care to sit on the chair and -’ he managed to look concerned, nervous and embarrassed all at the same time, ‘place the drum between Your Majesty’s knees…’ Blue did so without fuss, pushing down her skirt to make a lap. ‘Now, Your Majesty, tap the drum gently: one-two.’

Blue tapped the drum with the tips of her fingers. For such a small instrument, it made an astonishingly loud, resonant note. She looked up at the Spicemaster.

‘ Gently, Majesty,’ he emphasised. ‘Let the dragon-skin do the work.’

She tapped it again, more gently this time. The note still sounded loudly, but the Spicemaster appeared satisfied.

‘Now,’ he said, ‘one-two, like the beat of a human heart.’

Blue reached out to stroke the dragonskin. It looked smooth, but there was a coating of very fine green hair beneath her fingers. Tap-boom. She looked up at the Spicemaster. Tap-boom.

‘Perfect!’ he said. ‘Like that. Exactly like that and at that speed until I reach the centre of the spiral. Then slower and more softly. Do you understand?’ He blinked and added, ‘Majesty.’

Blue nodded.

‘Now, Majesty,’ said the Spicemaster, ‘if you will leave the drum on your chair for a moment and help me with the cloak…’

She was completely unprepared for the cloak. Although bulky, it was made from feathers so she expected it to be light, but the moment she tried to take it from the hanger, it writhed and twisted like a live thing and proved so heavy she needed all her strength to hold it. Glory only knows how the Spicemaster was going to manage.

‘Fight it!’ he commanded urgently. ‘There’s no real danger, but it will try to strangle you!’

How could there be no real danger if something was trying to strangle you? And why hadn’t this silly little man mentioned the damn cloak if he was so concerned with her safety? But she fought the struggling garment gamely.

‘My shoulders!’ shouted the Spicemaster. ‘Put it on my shoulders! It will quiet down once it gets hold of me!’

If I put it on his shoulders it will crush him to the ground, Blue thought. The thing felt as if it weighed a ton. But he was wriggling into position and the cloak was now so violent it almost wrenched itself out of her hands. Suddenly it was across his shoulders. The Spicemaster staggered a little, his knees buckled, but he managed to hold himself erect. The cloak, as predicted, settled down at once.

‘Thank you, Majesty,’ he said.

Blue sat on the leather seat, one hand absently caressing the dragonskin. It was almost like stroking a cat. The skin vibrated gently as if purring. But her eyes were on the Spicemaster, now at the entrance of the labyrinth. He looked magnificent in the cloak, far more magnificent than a man of his height deserved. The garment had changed him, lending him huge authority and presence. For the first time she found herself wondering if it might not, after all, have been a good idea to bring a guard with her. But she pushed the thought aside. Whatever the illusion of bulk, he was still the same frail little man underneath. She was perfectly safe.

He poured the contents of the liquid vial – was it water? – into the copper bowl, then unstoppered the second vial. At once a heady scent of nutmeg filled the air. Yet the spice wasn’t nutmeg: she knew that instantly. There were citrus undertones and a heavy hint of musk that carried with it a curious note of corruption. The Spicemaster emptied the vial into the liquid and mixed the two together with a spatula. He glanced back at Blue.

‘Drumbeat, please, Majesty.’

Blue jumped slightly, then tapped the drum. In one quick movement, the Spicemaster drank down the mixture in his bowl and stepped into the labyrinth.