of the Great Chamber of Alchemie and Physik. She was closely followed by Marcellus Pye, who did not trust his mother to be alone in the Chamber for even a second. Marcellus looked tired and disheveled after a long night searching the Palace for his Apprentice and the girl his mother insisted was Princess Esmeralda. He was still wearing his formal Master of Alchemie robes that he had put on for the banquet - which were, to his dismay, now liberally splattered with orange sauce. Around his neck, as ever, hung his Keye to the Doors of Time.
Queen Etheldredda marched in, head held high, followed by her Aie-Aie, which clattered behind her, running on its long fingernails. She looked around with her usual expression of disgust. "Forsooth, Marcellus, thou dost a tawdry Chamber keep. So much gold that I hardly know where to rest mine eyes. 'Tis like unto a tinker's bazaar, which is where I trow thou dost buy thy gold trifles and trinkets with which thee doth rattle like a broken cart."
Marcellus Pye looked hurt at his mother's insults.
Queen Etheldredda sniffed disdainfully. "Thou'rt a tender Plant, Marcellus. I shall have my Potion now before thee doth expire from a Fitte of the Vapors."
"No, Mama," came Marcellus's determined voice, "thou shall not have it."
"Indeed, I shall have it, Marcellus. Do I not see it in its glass cabinet a-waiting me?"
"That is not yours, Mama!"
"Methinks thou art a Laggard with the Truth, Marcellus. Thou wert always a deceitful child. Indeed, I shall have it, and I shall have it now." Etheldredda's voice rose to a particularly unpleasant note. The Aie-Aie opened its mouth, showing its sharp, long fang, and screeched in sympathy.
Inside the fume cupboard, Ullr whined - the Aie-Aie's screech made his sensitive ears hurt horribly.
"And thou shalt not mock me," Etheldredda told Marcellus sharply.
"I mock thee not, Mama."
"Thou doth whine like a baby."
"Indeed, Mama, I do not," said Marcellus sulkily.
"Thou dost whine and I will not allow it." Etheldredda's voice reached a new pitch and set the Aie-Aie off again. This time the creature did not stop.
Marcellus put his fingers in his ears and yelled, "For pity's sake, Mama, make that creature cease its screaming 'ere my ears do burst!"
Etheldredda had no intention of making the Aie-Aie stop. It was upsetting Marcellus and that was fine by her. On and on it yowled like a cat caught in a trap. If the noise was painful for Marcellus, it was unbearable for Ullr. He let out a howl of pain and wrenched himself from Snorri's grasp. The next yell from Etheldredda was one of sheer terror as the fume cupboard door burst open and a panther - hackles raised, claws extended, teeth bared - hurtled out.
Unfortunately for Ullr, he found that instead of escaping the noise, he had run straight into the middle of it, for at the sight of the panther, the Aie-Aie ran up Etheldredda's skirts and continued screeching at panther ear level. The big cat's ears felt as though someone was boring into them. Desperate to get away from the noise, he ran across the chamber and disappeared into the Labyrinth.
"Ullr!" yelled Snorri, bursting out of the cupboard in pursuit of her beloved cat. She raced across the room, unhindered by a shocked Marcellus and a terrified Etheldredda, and disappeared into the Labyrinth, hot on the heels of Ullr.
Septimus felt Nicko's muscles tense, and he knew that his brother wanted to chase after Snorri. He grabbed hold of Nicko before he could move. Inside the fume cupboard there was a terrible hush as the door slowly swung fully open, and the three remaining occupants came face-to-face with Marcellus and Etheldredda.
"Forsooth, thou hast some strange creatures in thy cupboard, Marcellus," said Etheldredda somewhat hoarsely after her long screech. "But methinks the Princess Esmeralda has played her little game of hide-and-seek once too often. Fetch the child out, Marcellus. She shall vex thee no more."
"She vexes me not, Mama. And if thee didst but know your daughter as a mother should, thou wouldst know that the child is not Esmeralda." Marcellus glowered at his mother.
"Thou'rt a Fool," retorted Etheldredda. "Who but Esmeralda could she be?"
"She will answer for herself, Mama." Marcellus gave Septimus a wry smile. "I trust they paid thee well for thy services at the Palace?"
Sheepishly, Septimus shook his head.
Marcellus ushered them out, saying, "Come thee away now, for the black snake sleepeth there and thou dost discomfit it. Remember, we shall be taking the venom