The Purple Emperor

CHAPTER SEVENTY TWO

They stepped into a roofless corridor. High walls and floor seemed to be made from obsidian blocks, but beyond where the ceiling might have been there was a vast open space, then, in the gloom, a vaulting dome of rock, as if the corridor had been constructed on the floor of a gigantic cavern.

'I don't like the look of this,' Pyrgus said at once.

The others said nothing. They stood without moving, looking around to get their bearings. The corridor ran straight in both directions, turned right at one end, turned left at the other. Floating high above them was some sort of platform, walled with opaque black glass.

'I don't have much sense of direction,' Henry said. And what little he did have had been completely confused by the passage downwards through apparently solid rock. But at least he didn't want to throw up.

'That's north,' said Ziczac confidently, pointing.

'Is that a suspensor spell?' Pyrgus asked, his eyes on the floating platform.

Ziczac glanced up. 'Yes.'

There was a light source, although it wasn't obvious. They could see each other quite plainly, yet there were no glow globes, no ornamental torches on the walls.

Blue said, 'I agree with Pyrgus – this place is creepy.'

She half turned. 'You can let go now, Henry.'

Henry released her arm sheepishly. To cover his embarrassment, he said, 'Can you hear something?'

They all stopped for a moment, listening.

'Like running water?'

Henry nodded. 'Yes. There may be an underground stream.'

Nymph said to Ziczac, 'Where are we? Do you know?'

'Under the mansion,' Ziczac said. 'We were right about the cavern.'

'Why are we walled in? I mean, why would Hairstreak build an open corridor on the floor of the cavern?'

'Maybe it's not finished,' Blue suggested, frowning.

'Looks finished to me,' Pyrgus said. He hesitated. 'There's something not right here. Can you take us through these walls, Ziczac?'

'Not sure,' Ziczac said. 'Depends on their thickness.'

'So we're trapped here?'

'Oh, no, Princess Blue,' Ziczac said. 'I can always take us down again and across. But I'd prefer a more direct route.'

'Through the walls?'

'Yes. I think I might try to find out how thick they are.'

'Nymph's right,' Blue said. 'I'd like to know why Hairstreak built this sort of structure on the floor of a cavern. And why use volcanic glass?'

'There's something about volcanic glass…' Pyrgus murmured. He looked at Ziczac. 'I think I'd better try to find out the thickness of the walls.' He drew his Halek blade.

'Can you do a mystical triangulation?' Ziczac asked.

Pyrgus shook his head. 'I don't know what that is.'

'Then I'd better do it,' Ziczac said. 'The best place would be at the corner. I think perhaps the rest of you had better stay put.' He began to walk briskly north, but halted abruptly after just four steps. 'There's some sort of force field here.' He reached out cautiously with both hands and patted the air in front of him.

I can't see anything,' Henry said foolishly.

'Neither can I,' Ziczac said, 'but I can feel it.'

'Come away, Ziczac,' Nymph said anxiously.

'It's all right – it's just a barrier. I can get us through it if I have to.' The wizard backed off and turned. 'Let's see if we're trapped the other way.' He walked past them, headed for the southern corner of the corridor.

'The rest of you -' Pyrgus began.

There was a yelp and a peculiar squelching noise. Henry spun round. 'Where's Ziczac?' There was no way he could have reached the corner already.

'Stay back!' Pyrgus snapped. He began to run in the direction Ziczac had taken.

Both Nymph, Comma and Blue all ignored him and started running at the same time. They arrived together at the edge of a narrow pit that had opened in the floor of the corridor. Pyrgus looked down.

Ziczac's body was impaled on seven vicious metal spikes set into the floor of the pit. His eyes were open, but he was clearly dead.