[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.She pushedback the bedclothes and swung her feet on to the floor.'Where are my clothes?''What you were wearing has seen better days, I'm afraid,' Madame Cardui said.'I had themdestroyed.There some fresh things in the wardrobe.' She hesitated, but no more than a fraction ofa second.'You do look much better, deeah, since Danaus unleashed his little helpers.I certainlydon't want you to overdo it, after all you've been through, but there are one or two rather pressingmatters.''In a moment,' Blue said firmly.She had to get her mind clear.She had to call her peopletogether and explain to them about Beleth's plan.'Where's Pyrgus?' she asked.'He's not in the palace just now, deeah.We had to send him -'Blue cut her off.'Where's Henry?''In the dungeons,' said Madame Cardui.'I had him arrested, of course.He's currently awaitingexecution on a charge of treason.'282Seventy'Who the hell are you?' Fogarty asked crossly.He was in the forest, just about to start anotherround of talks with Queen Cleopatra, and resented interruptions.Especially now things weregoing well.She'd already agreed to help in the raid on the time flowers - couldn't leave them inHairstreak's hands, even if Blue was home now.Given a bit more of the Fogarty charm and shemight even agree to a formal alliance.'Nyman, sir,' the intruder told him.'Madame Cardui's new dwarf, sir.'Fogarty frowned.'Where's Kitterick?''Still missing, sir.Whereabouts unknown.Herself promoted me pro tern on account of theEmergency.I was always good at running errands, taking messages, that sort of thing.I expectit's back to the kitchens for me when Kitterick turns up again, but in the meantime it's a hike inpay, a change from peeling spuds and here I am, sir.' He smiled, showing a missing tooth.'And what do you want?' Fogarty asked, still frowning.Nyman glanced around, then jerked his head and scuttled into the shade of a large oak.'Confidential, sir, Herself says,' he remarked when Fogarty caught up with him.He began tomake little jumps up and down.283'What are you doing?' The creature was insane.'Trying to get on a level with your ear, sir, yourself being a fine big tall man and me beingvertically challenged as you might say.''Oh, for God's sake!' Fogarty exploded.He bent down until his ear was at the level of Nyman'shead.'Herself says you're to get back right away, sir,' the dwarf whispered.'Bit of a problem, like.''What sort of a problem?''Ah, Herself would never tell me that, sir.Nothing dangerous or too confidential on accountsome miscreant might squeeze it out of me.I'm not what you'd call stoical under pressure, sir.''You're not a Trinian, are you?' Fogarty said.'Indeed and I am not, sir, as a fine, big, clever man like yourself could probably tell by thecolour.Don't hold with those lads at all, to tell you the truth: far too well organised.I'm what youmight call a Lep.''Ah,' said Fogarty, without the slightest idea what a Lep was.'Well, now, listen, Mr Nyman, Iwant you to get back to Hersel-- to Madame Cardui - and tell her I'm in the middle of some verydelicate negotiations -' He stopped: Nyman was shaking his head solemnly.'What is it?''Herself said you might be a bit troublesome, begging your pardon, sir, and if you was, I was totell you one thing -' He beckoned Fogarty to bend over again and when he did, whispered,'There's big trouble, sir.Regarding Henry.'284Seventy-oneIt was brilliant leading a commando raid.Pyrgus was wearing full camouflage fatigues with ahelmet sporting so much greenery than it looked like a vegetable patch.His face was painted inolive and brown stripes.But that wasn't the really good bit.The really good bit (as he wriggledon his stomach through the undergrowth) was that there were twenty heavily armed men rightbehind him, all tough as nails, all ready to lay down their lives for the mission.And every one of them called him sir.'Freeze!' Pyrgus ordered in a whisper.'Sir!' they snapped in whispered unison; and froze.It was so, so cool.He wished Nymph could see him now.Or maybe not.He raised his head carefully above the level of the grass to discover he was stilllost.The problem was that crawling on your stomach changed your whole perspective.Thingsthat looked one way when you were standing up looked completely different when you werelying down and peering through a shrub.But what was he to do? He couldn't just march his mendown the main avenue of the Ogyris Estate.This was a raid, not a frontal attack.You didn'tmount a frontal attack with twenty men, no285matter how tough they were [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]