Septimus Heap: Darke Part 35

"It says . . ." Romilly squinted hard. "Oh! I see. It says Beetle!"

A loud cheer broke out from all the scribes.

Foxy had a tiny room in a grubby part of the Ramblings and he'd invited Beetle, summarily evicted from his room in Larry's Dead Languages, to sleep on his floor until he found somewhere to live.

When Foxy burst in, red-faced from running all the way from the Ma.n.u.scriptorium, Beetle was busy sc.r.a.ping some burned soup off the bottom of the pan. He hadn't known it was possible to burn soup-there was more to cooking than he had realized.

"Wotcha, Foxo," he said, a little preoccupied. "So who's the next boss, then?"

"You!" yelled Foxy.

"Barnaby Ewe? Oh well, could be worse. I think I've killed your saucepan. Really sorry."

Foxy rushed over to the tiny sink and grabbed the pan out of Beetle's hands. "No, you dingbat-it's you. You! Beetle, you are Chief Hermetic Scribe!"

"Foxy, don't kid around," Beetle said, irritated. "Give me that pan. I was cleaning it."

"Bother the stupid pan. Beetle it is you. Your pen was Picked. It was, Beetle. I swear it."

Beetle stared at Foxy, pan scourer dripping in his hand. "But it can't have been. How could it get into the Pot?"

"I put it in. Remember when you got fired and you wouldn't take your pen? Well, I kept it. And that's why I kept it. There are no rules to say you have to be a serving scribe to go into the Pot. I looked it up specially. All that matters is your pen goes in. So that's what I did. I put it in."

Beetle was dumbfounded. "But why?"

"Because you deserve to be Chief Hermetic Scribe. Because, Beet, you are the best. And because you saved the Ma.n.u.scriptorium. You risked your life to do that. Who else could be Chief now? No one, Beet, that's who. No one but you."

Beetle shook his head. Things like this did not happen.

"Come on, Beet. Marcia's sent me to fetch you for your Induction. She's got the Cryptic Codex ready. And the Seals of Office. Everyone's waiting for you. Come on."

"Ah . . ." Slowly Beetle was beginning to believe Foxy. He was aware that he had just crossed over one of those rare watersheds. His life a few minutes ago bore no resemblance to his life now. It was a total turnaround. He felt stunned.

"Beetle . . . are you all right?" Foxy was beginning to be concerned.

Beetle nodded and a wave of happiness suddenly washed over him. "Yeah, Foxo," he said. "I am. I am very all right."

The Big Freeze came in fast. It was rare for it to begin on the MidWinter Feast Day but everyone in the Castle welcomed the blanket of white, covering all traces of the Darke Domaine, turning the Castle into a Magykal place once more. Even those who had lost family and friends-and there were more than a few-welcomed it; the silence of the snow felt right.

Walking to the Palace that evening, Septimus met Simon going the same way.

"Hi," Septimus said, a little awkwardly. "No Lucy?"

Simon smiled tentatively. "She'll be along later. Gone to collect her Mum and Dad. They're okay, but her Mum's making a fuss."

"Ah."

They walked through the Palace Gate and headed for the Palace. Breaking the rather uncomfortable silence, Septimus said, "I wanted to say thank you."

Simon looked at his brother. "What for?" he asked, puzzled.

"For saving me. In the river."

"Oh. Oh well. I owed you."

"Yeah. Well. And I'm sorry I didn't listen about the Paired Code."

Simon shrugged. "Why should you? Stuff's happened. And I'm sorry too."

"Yeah. I know."

Simon turned to Septimus. "Quits?" he asked, smiling.

"Quits," Septimus smiled back.

Simon put his arm around his brother's shoulders-noticing that he was very nearly the same height-and together they made their way up to the Palace, leaving behind them a trail of two pairs of footprints breaking through the frosty covering that coated the blanket of snow.

That night the Palace Ballroom was ablaze with light and-for the first time for many, many years-full of people. Even Milo, Jenna's father, was there, having arrived back from a voyage a little late for her birthday, as ever. At either end of the table, at Jenna's insistence, sat Sarah and Silas. When they had first moved into the Palace, Sarah and Silas had sometimes taken those seats as a joke, with Jenna perched uncomfortably somewhere in between, but now the long table between them was full of people, laughter and conversation.

At Sarah's end of the table sat Milo, his red and gold silk robes shimmering in the candlelight while he regaled her with the details of his latest voyage. Opposite Milo was the ExtraOrdinary Wizard, who was, naturally, seated next to the Chief Hermetic Scribe. Sarah had insisted that Jenna sit next to her father, but she made a point of talking mainly to Septimus, who was placed next to her, just across the table from Beetle. Septimus looked over at his friend, resplendent in his new robes, and saw how well they suited him. Already Beetle seemed at ease in the heavy dark blue silk with the sleeves hemmed with gold, the colors echoing his Admiral's jacket which, Septimus noticed, he still wore underneath. Beetle had a glow of happiness about him that Septimus had never noticed before-it was good to see.

A burst of raucous laughter came from Silas's end of the table, where Nicko was sitting with Rupert, Maggie and Foxy. Nicko was making seagull noises. Toward the middle of the table Snorri and her mother sat quietly talking, while Ullr lay on guard beside them. Every now and then Snorri glanced disapprovingly at Nicko. Nicko did not seem to notice.

Next to Septimus was Simon. Simon's attention was mainly taken up by Lucy, Gringe and Mrs. Gringe, who were talking about the wedding-or rather listening to Lucy talking about it. Occasionally Simon glanced down to a small wooden box sitting on his lap and smiled, his green eyes-unclouded for the first time in four years-gleaming in the candlelight. Written on the box was the word "Sleuth." It was a thank-you present from Marcia and it meant more to Simon than any present he had ever received.

Igor, with Matt and Marcus and his new employee, Marissa, were in deep conversation with Wolf Boy and Aunt Zelda.

Jenna, who was sitting on the other side of Septimus, nudged him. "Look at Wolf Boy. Without his long hair, don't you think he'd look just like Matt and Marcus?"

"Matt and Marcus?"

"From Gothyk Grotto. Look."

"Almost identical. That is so weird."

"They sound the same too, you know. Do you know anything about Wolf Boy's family, Sep? Does Wolf Boy know anything?"

"Never said anything to me. It was the Young Army way, Jen. I never knew I had a family until I b.u.mped into the bunch of you." Septimus grinned.

"Bit of a shock, I bet." Jenna smiled back.

"Yeah . . ." Septimus did not often think about how he might never have known who he truly was but right then, among his friends and family, a feeling akin to terror pa.s.sed over him as he thought how different life might have been if Marcia had not rescued him from the snow only four years ago. He looked at Wolf Boy and realized that he had never found his family-surely he must have one?

"Tomorrow I shall go and ask to look at the Young Army records. There might be something in there about 409. You never know."

Jenna smiled-she'd just remembered something. She took a small present out from her pocket. "Happy birthday, Sep. It's a little late but we've been a bit busy recently."

"Hey, thanks, Jen. I got you something too. Happy birthday."

"Oh, Sep, thank you, that's lovely."

"You haven't seen it yet."

Jenna ripped open her present to reveal a very small and very pink crown encrusted with gla.s.s beads, sporting trailing ribbons and a pink fur trim. She burst out laughing. "That is so silly, Sep." She put the crown on and tied its pink ribbons under her chin. "There, that makes me Queen now. Open yours."

Septimus ripped open the red paper and extracted the set of Gragull teeth.

"Brilliant, Jen!" He put them in and the two yellowing canines slipped neatly over his lower lip. In the light of the candles Septimus looked so realistic that when Marcia finally finished her conversation with Beetle and turned to Septimus to ask him something, she screamed.

Queen and Gragull spent the rest of the evening fooling around opposite the two great dignitaries of the Castle-the ExtraOrdinary Wizard and the Chief Hermetic Scribe. Jenna felt indescribably happy. She had her old Septimus back and-as another burst of laughter and seagull noises erupted-her old Nicko too.

In the shadows two ghosts looked on contentedly.

"Thank you, Septimus," Alther had said, when asked to join the party at the table, "but I'd just like to sit quietly and be with my Alice. You Living, you're a noisy bunch."

And they were. All night long.

As the sun rose the windows to the ballroom were flung open. The party climbed out into the snow and made their way down to the Palace Landing Stage. A lone ghost saw their approach and slipped away onto the trading barge that was moored at the Landing Stage, ready to leave before the Big Freeze began to ice up the river. The ghost of Olaf Snorrelssen wafted down into the cherry-wood cabin that, long ago, he had made for his wife, Alfrun. He sat waiting for his wife and daughter to arrive, as he knew they surely would, and smiled. He was home at last.

But the party had not come to say good-bye to Snorri and her mother, who were not leaving until the next day. They had come to bid a final farewell to Jillie Djinn, who lay silent and snow-clad in her Leaving Boat, ready to be cast adrift to float down to the sea on the outgoing tide.

As they watched the Leaving Boat drift down the river, a rich blue silk banner fluttering from its flagstaff, Jenna turned to Beetle.

"I bet you hope she doesn't come back and haunt the Ma.n.u.scriptorium," she said.

The Chief Hermetic Scribe grinned. "I've got a bit of peace and quiet first," he replied. "You know where she'll be for the next year and a day."

Jenna giggled. "Oh! Of course-the place where she entered Ghosthood. Marcia's so going to love that!"

What Happened in the Darke Domaine- and Afterward

VICTIMS OF THE Darke Domaine Marcia's Great UnDoing came just in time-three days and three nights is the longest most people can survive in a Darke Trance. Most of the Castle children woke up feeling fine, but the majority of the adults did not feel so good. They woke with a thumping headache, a raging thirst and ached from head to toe. Many a.s.sumed they had been to an extremely lively party the night before and could remember nothing about it. There were, however, some who never woke from the Castle's worst party ever.

Those who fell into the Darke Trance while in the open air fared the worst. Many succ.u.mbed to the cold and it was feared-from bloodstains found on the more exposed areas of the Castle-that the Darke dragon had taken those who were missing. Some people had been overtaken by the Darke Domaine at a dangerous moment-one died when climbing a ladder, two while trying to escape from a high window and five people fell into a fire they were tending. Three could not be woken and were taken to the Wizard Tower sick bay for DisEnchanting.

Two names on the commemorative plaques placed around the Castle will be familiar: Bertie Bott. Ordinary Wizard. Missing, presumed eaten.

Una Brakket. Housekeeper. Found frozen in Little Creep Cut.

MAIZIE SMALLS & BINKIE.

Maizie Smalls was overtaken by the Darke Domaine in her mother's house just off Wizard Way. They were sitting down to their traditional Longest Night supper prior to going out to see the lights when their front door blew open and the Darke Fog came tumbling in. They both survived, although Maizie's mother was ill for some time afterward.

The first thing Maizie did on waking up-once she knew her mother had survived-was to rush to the Palace to try and find her cat, Binkie. Although Binkie was apparently fine, it did not take Maizie long to realize that there was something odd about the cat.

Binkie, like all the Castle cats, had been greatly affected by the Darke. The cats had acted like sponges, soaking up the stubborn pockets of Darke that lingered in dark corners and hidden places where cats liked to go. Binkie was no longer a house cat. He snarled, he spat and he scratched Maizie when she tried to stroke him. He would no longer eat the cat food that Maizie lovingly brought him-Binkie wanted blood: birds, baby rats and mice. And what Binkie wanted, Binkie got.

Five days after The Great UnDoing, Binkie left the Palace with Maizie as she set out to light the Wizard Way torches. Maizie was much encouraged by her cat's sudden desire for companionship as he followed her down the drive-but she never saw him again. Binkie stalked up Wizard Way, padded across the Castle drawbridge just before it was raised for the night and went to join the growing band of newly Darke Castle cats in the Forest. Within a few weeks there were-much to Stanley's delight-no cats at all left in the Castle.

STANLEY AND THE RATLETS.

Stanley and his ratlets spent the rest of the Darke Domaine on the Outside Path. While Stanley fretted about Jenna, Flo, Mo, Bo and Jo had a great time racing up and down the path, playing Silly Statues. When the Darke dragon roared, the one who struck the silliest pose-and kept it for the duration of the roar-won.

Once the Darke Domaine ended, Stanley and the ratlets cleaned up the Rat Office-or rather, Stanley cleaned up while the ratlets had a broom fight and then went off to hang out with their friends. Stanley did not object; he was just pleased to have everything back to normal once more and his ratlets safe.

Stanley soon found that his worries about staffing the Message Rat Service were unfounded. As word got around the Port rat community that the Castle was a cat-free zone, Stanley found he had the pick of "quality staff," as he called them. The Message Rat Service began to thrive once more-and it even acquired new drains.

EPHANIAH GREBE.

Ephaniah Grebe, Conservation, Preservation and Protection Scribe at the Ma.n.u.scriptorium, very nearly did not survive the Darke Domaine. He locked himself in his Fume Cupboard but the Darke Fog seeped in and overpowered him. Ephaniah was weakened by his two previous encounters with the Darke: the permanent rat hex when he was fourteen and, more recently, being InHabited by a Thing.

The new Chief Hermetic Scribe found his missing Con-servation Scribe squashed into the Fume Cupboard, his little rat mouth open and his tongue lolling out. Beetle thought he was dead, but a sudden twitch of Ephaniah's rat tail told him otherwise. Ephaniah joined Syrah and three other victims of the Darke Domaine in the DisEnchanting Chamber.

Marcia hopes that careful reading of The Darke Index may find a way of speeding up the process of DisEnchantment-the DisEnchanting Chamber is getting a little crowded.

SYRAH SYARA.

Syrah survived, but only just. The DisEnchanting Chamber was a closed environment and, like a freezer when the power goes off, it would have been fine for a few hours, providing no one opened the door. But it had a narrow escape. A Thing had just pushed open the first door of the antechamber when Marcia spoke the last words of The Great UnDoing. At once the Magyk rea.s.serted itself and the Thing was hurled across the sick bay and smashed against the wall. The sick bay duty Wizard had to sc.r.a.pe it up and take it out in a wheelbarrow. Rose was excused from helping.

Septimus came to visit Syrah later that day, after he had got his Darke Week a.s.sessment from Marcia. The sick bay was busy preparing the new occupants for the DisEnchanting Chamber. Septimus squeezed in past Syrah's first new roommate-a young boy who had not yet come out of the Trance-and, remembering the last time he had visited her, suddenly felt amazingly happy and relieved that his Darke Week was over and everything was as it should be. When he told her he was safely back-with Alther-he thought he saw her eyelids flicker, just for a fraction of a second. Septimus was soon shooed out by Rose and the duty Wizards, who were bringing in another occupant. He didn't mind. Everything was all right. He walked out of the DisEnchanting Chamber with a spring in his step and went to see if anyone wanted a s...o...b..ll fight.

SOPHIE BARLEY.

On the opening day of the Traders' Market, Sophie Barley had just set up her stall when she found herself surrounded by five very odd customers swathed in black. One of them picked up a beautiful pendant-a winged heart with a seahorse hanging from it. She dangled it in front of Sophie's eyes and swung it back and forth . . . back and forth . . . back and forth. That was the last thing Sophie remembered.

Sophie awoke in the attic of Doom Dump, bound hand and foot, and there she languished while the witches took over her stall, waiting for their Princess to come along like a hunter waits beside his bait. Dorinda, who every evening fed Sophie her supper of stewed mice or coddled c.o.c.kroaches, took a liking to her prisoner and began to creep away to talk to her. Sophie had just managed to get Dorinda to untie her when the Darke Domaine arrived. Unlike the witches, who reveled in the Darke, Sophie fell into a Darke Trance. She survived, and when she awoke she found Doom Dump empty. She took her chance and fled. After a reviving Springo Special Ale and a very large slab of Barley Cake at Sally Mullin's, Sophie caught the first Port barge and swore never to return to the Castle.

Jenna was worried about what had happened to Sophie. As soon as she could she went to the Port and found Sophie safe in her workshop beside the fishermen's quay. Jenna bought a beautiful pair of earrings for Sarah's birthday-and a seahorse pendant for herself.

MARISSA LANE.

Marissa-along with Igor, Matt and Marcus-was trapped in Gothyk Grotto by the Darke Domaine. They retreated to Igor's own extremely secret-and embarra.s.singly small-SafeChamber. It was a horrible time for them all, but it did give Marissa a chance to reflect on her life. Talking to Igor made her realize what a dangerous and unpleasant path she was treading with the Port Witch Coven and she decided to Unravel her witch vows as soon as she could. After she had made her decision, Igor offered her a job as a.s.sistant in Gothyk Grotto-much to Matt and Marcus's delight. They both liked Marissa very much indeed. Igor, however, was unaware that he was storing up trouble . . .

YOUNG ARMY RECORDS.

Because Septimus had already been reunited with his family he was refused access to the Young Army registers. But Beetle stepped in to help. Making use of his Access-All-Areas status in the Castle, Beetle went to the Young Army Records Office, which was housed in a small building near Terry Tarsal's shoe shop. Most of the records were available for anyone to see, but those relating to families were considered private and could be seen only by those still searching for their family-or those with AAA status.

Beetle asked for the Register of Expendable Boy Soldiers. Under the watchful eye of the records clerk (who considered him far too young to be Chief Hermetic Scribe), Beetle turned to the page headed Numbers 400 to 499 Inclusive. He ran his finger down the page until he came to these listings: 409 Mandy Marwick. Status: Forced Conscription. Traitor Family.

410 Marcus Marwick. Status: Forced Conscription. Traitor Family.