them.
Blue said, 'Would you pay a visit on my uncle?'
'Lord Hairstreak?'
'That uncle,' Blue said sourly. 'I want you to get close enough to use your truth-sense.'
'He won't like that,' Flapwazzle said.
Which was the understatement of the century. Blue had started to feel guilty - this really was a dangerous assignment - but the more she talked, the more her idea felt like a solution to all her problems. And Flapwazzle could do it. In fact, Flapwazzle was the only endolg she could trust with the job. He'd already proven himself several times over.
She took a deep breath and told him everything.
'You want me to find out if it's a genuine offer?' Flapwazzle asked.
Blue nodded. 'Can you?'
'If I can get close enough. I might have problems sneaking past his guards.'
'I can get you into his mansion,' Blue said, thinking furiously. She could make a State visit, except the formalities would put Hairstreak on his guard. If she turned up with her bodyguards, that might encourage him to increase his security precautions. But if she just turned up ...
Blue liked the idea of just turning up. It was the sort of wild thing she used to do before becoming Queen. She'd have to put precautions in place, of course, do it by the book. She'd order a Countdown, the way the old Emperors did when there was a risk of war. And she'd carry her stimlus. Actually, no, she wouldn't carry her stimlus - her uncle's security spells would detect the weapon at once. Best to appear innocent and empty-handed. The Countdown would be all the security she'd need. But she had to find some way of hiding Flapwazzle.
'He mustn't know you're with me. It's important he doesn't realise we're checking him out.'
'Besides which, he might kill me,' Flapwazzle said.
Blue nodded. 'Yes, he might.' It was impossible to keep anything from an endolg.
But clearly this endolg was prepared to take the risk. 'Whatever,' he shrugged cheerfully. 'When do we go?'
Now would be good, thought Blue. Once she instigated the Countdown and figured out a way of smuggling Flapwazzle.
As they walked together through the passage, Flapwazzle remarked conversationally, 'You know when I was asleep back there? Before I fell off the rock?'
'Yes,' Blue nodded.
'I was dreaming about Henry,' Flapwazzle said. 'He was in a lot of trouble.'
'I do that sometimes,' Blue told him.
Twenty-four
Henry was in a lot of trouble.
He seemed to be hallucinating. There was a figure bending over him. After a moment he recognised it as Mr Fogarty.
'I thought you were in New Zealand,' Henry said dreamily.
'Don't be stupid,' said Mr Fogarty.
'What's the matter with him?' The voice, from somewhere to the left, was Pyrgus's.
'Bit disoriented, that's all. He'll be fine in a minute.'
'I want to talk to him. About Blue.'
'In a minute. He's had his atoms ripped apart and reassembled. You can't expect him to come out fighting.'
Henry tried to stand up and fell down. The ceiling looked very nice. It was vaulted like a church, only lower. The wood floor smelt of vanilla. His body ached a bit. Or quite a lot, actually.
'Perhaps I could be of assistance, sir ...?'
A woman's voice said, 'He's really quite good at first aid, deeah.'
'Be my guest,' said Mr Fogarty.
An orange thumb dug into Henry's sternum. There was a sudden racking pain and everything snapped into focus. He jack-knifed into a sitting position, clutching his chest. The grinning face of Madame Cardui's dwarf was beaming at him.
'There, that's better, isn't it?' said Kitterick.
Twenty-five
Henry felt as if he'd been run through a mincer. Everything ached, including, he noticed curiously, his hair. But worse than the ache was the confusion. He'd been in his bedroom a second ago.
He looked around. He was now in Mr Fogarty's shed. Or a Paramount Pictures version of Mr Fogarty's shed. It was huge and filled with really creepy stuff. There was a workbench scattered with equipment. There was a smallish portal
Blue said, 'Would you pay a visit on my uncle?'
'Lord Hairstreak?'
'That uncle,' Blue said sourly. 'I want you to get close enough to use your truth-sense.'
'He won't like that,' Flapwazzle said.
Which was the understatement of the century. Blue had started to feel guilty - this really was a dangerous assignment - but the more she talked, the more her idea felt like a solution to all her problems. And Flapwazzle could do it. In fact, Flapwazzle was the only endolg she could trust with the job. He'd already proven himself several times over.
She took a deep breath and told him everything.
'You want me to find out if it's a genuine offer?' Flapwazzle asked.
Blue nodded. 'Can you?'
'If I can get close enough. I might have problems sneaking past his guards.'
'I can get you into his mansion,' Blue said, thinking furiously. She could make a State visit, except the formalities would put Hairstreak on his guard. If she turned up with her bodyguards, that might encourage him to increase his security precautions. But if she just turned up ...
Blue liked the idea of just turning up. It was the sort of wild thing she used to do before becoming Queen. She'd have to put precautions in place, of course, do it by the book. She'd order a Countdown, the way the old Emperors did when there was a risk of war. And she'd carry her stimlus. Actually, no, she wouldn't carry her stimlus - her uncle's security spells would detect the weapon at once. Best to appear innocent and empty-handed. The Countdown would be all the security she'd need. But she had to find some way of hiding Flapwazzle.
'He mustn't know you're with me. It's important he doesn't realise we're checking him out.'
'Besides which, he might kill me,' Flapwazzle said.
Blue nodded. 'Yes, he might.' It was impossible to keep anything from an endolg.
But clearly this endolg was prepared to take the risk. 'Whatever,' he shrugged cheerfully. 'When do we go?'
Now would be good, thought Blue. Once she instigated the Countdown and figured out a way of smuggling Flapwazzle.
As they walked together through the passage, Flapwazzle remarked conversationally, 'You know when I was asleep back there? Before I fell off the rock?'
'Yes,' Blue nodded.
'I was dreaming about Henry,' Flapwazzle said. 'He was in a lot of trouble.'
'I do that sometimes,' Blue told him.
Twenty-four
Henry was in a lot of trouble.
He seemed to be hallucinating. There was a figure bending over him. After a moment he recognised it as Mr Fogarty.
'I thought you were in New Zealand,' Henry said dreamily.
'Don't be stupid,' said Mr Fogarty.
'What's the matter with him?' The voice, from somewhere to the left, was Pyrgus's.
'Bit disoriented, that's all. He'll be fine in a minute.'
'I want to talk to him. About Blue.'
'In a minute. He's had his atoms ripped apart and reassembled. You can't expect him to come out fighting.'
Henry tried to stand up and fell down. The ceiling looked very nice. It was vaulted like a church, only lower. The wood floor smelt of vanilla. His body ached a bit. Or quite a lot, actually.
'Perhaps I could be of assistance, sir ...?'
A woman's voice said, 'He's really quite good at first aid, deeah.'
'Be my guest,' said Mr Fogarty.
An orange thumb dug into Henry's sternum. There was a sudden racking pain and everything snapped into focus. He jack-knifed into a sitting position, clutching his chest. The grinning face of Madame Cardui's dwarf was beaming at him.
'There, that's better, isn't it?' said Kitterick.
Twenty-five
Henry felt as if he'd been run through a mincer. Everything ached, including, he noticed curiously, his hair. But worse than the ache was the confusion. He'd been in his bedroom a second ago.
He looked around. He was now in Mr Fogarty's shed. Or a Paramount Pictures version of Mr Fogarty's shed. It was huge and filled with really creepy stuff. There was a workbench scattered with equipment. There was a smallish portal
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