Septimus Heap, Book One_ Magyk - Angie Sage [122]
“Go on, boy,” prompted DomDaniel impatiently.
“I—the Hunter and me, we captured the cottage and, um, also the White Witch, Zelda Zanuba Heap, and the Wizard boy, Nickolas Benjamin Heap, and the Young Army deserter, Expendable Boy 412. And I did capture the Princess—the Queenling.”
The Apprentice paused. A look of panic had appeared in his eyes. What was he going to say? How was he going to explain away the lack of the Princess and the disappearance of the Hunter?
“You did capture the Queenling?” asked DomDaniel suspiciously.
“Yes, sir. I did. But…”
“But what?”
“But. Well, sir, after the Hunter was overpowered by the White Witch and left to become a buffoon—”
“A buffoon? Are you trying to be funny with me, boy? If you are, I would not advise it.”
“No, sir. I am not trying to be funny at all, sir.” The Apprentice had never felt less like being funny in his entire life. “After the Hunter left, sir, I managed to capture the Queenling single-handed, and I nearly got away but—”
“Nearly? You nearly got away?”
“Yes, sir. It was very close. I was attacked with a knife by the mad Wizard boy Nickolas Heap. He is very dangerous, sir. And the Queenling escaped.”
“Escaped?!” roared DomDaniel, towering over the trembling Apprentice. “You come back and you call your mission a success? Some success. First you tell me that the wretched Hunter has become a buffoon, then you tell me that you were thwarted by a pathetic White Witch and some pesky runaway kids. And now you tell me that the Queenling has escaped. The whole point of the mission, the whole point, was to capture the upstart Queenling. So what part of it exactly do you call a success?”
“Well, we know where she is now,” the Apprentice mumbled.
“We knew where she was before, boy. That was why you went there in the first place.”
DomDaniel raised his eyes to heaven. What was wrong with his cabbagehead Apprentice? Surely the seventh son of a seventh son should have some Magyk about him by now? Surely he should have been strong enough to triumph over a ragtag group of hopeless Wizards holed up in the middle of nowhere? A feeling of rage bubbled up through DomDaniel.
“Why?” he screamed. “Why am I surrounded by fools?” Spitting with anger now, DomDaniel caught sight of Marcia’s expression of contempt mixed with relief at the news she had just heard.
“Take the prisoner away!” he yelled. “Lock her up and throw away the key. She’s finished.”
“Not yet,” Marcia replied quietly, deliberately turning her back on DomDaniel.
Suddenly, to Jenna’s horror, Boy 412 stepped out from the shelter of the barrel and moved silently toward Marcia. Carefully, he slipped between the Thing and the deckhands who were pushing Marcia roughly back toward the hatch. The contemptuous expression in Marcia’s eyes changed to astonishment, then rapidly to a studied blankness, and Boy 412 knew that she had seen him. Quickly, he took his dragon ring from his finger and pressed it into Marcia’s hand. Marcia’s green eyes met his as, unseen by the guards, she slipped the ring into her tunic pocket. Boy 412 did not linger. He turned away, and in his haste to get back to Jenna, he brushed against a deckhand.
“Halt!” shouted the man. “Who goes there?”
Everyone on the deck froze. Except for Boy 412, who darted away and grabbed hold of Jenna. It was time to go.
“Interlopers!” screamed DomDaniel. “I can see shadows! Get them!!”
In a panic the crew of the Vengeance looked around. They could see nothing. Had their Master finally gone mad? They had been expecting it long enough.
In the confusion, Jenna and Boy 412 made it back to the rope ladder and down to the canoes faster than they would have thought possible. Nicko had seen them coming. They were just in time—the Unseen was wearing off.
Above them the commotion on the ship raged as torches were lit and all possible hiding places were searched. Someone cut the rope ladder and, as the Muriel Two and the Hunter’s canoe paddled