Septimus Heap, Book One_ Magyk - Angie Sage [69]
“Well, we all know that the Young Army is the last place you’d come up against any Magyk. And yet somehow you have your own Magykal energy. It gave me quite a shock when you handed me the Charm last night.”
Marcia took something small and shiny from a pocket in her belt and placed it in Boy 412’s hand. Boy 412 looked down and saw a tiny pair of silver wings nestling in his grubby palm. The wings shimmered in the light and looked to Boy 412 as though they might fly away at any moment. He peered closer and saw some minute letters set into each wing in a fine gold inlay. Boy 412 knew what that meant. He was holding a Charm, but this time it wasn’t just a piece of wood—it was a beautiful jewel.
“Some Charms for higher Magyk can be very beautiful,” said Marcia. “They’re not all pieces of soggy toast. I remember when Alther first showed this one to me. I thought it was one of the most simple and beautiful Charms I had ever seen. And I still do.”
Boy 412 gazed at the wings. On one beautiful silver wing were the words FLY FREE, and on the other wing were the words WITH ME.
Fly Free With Me, Boy 412 said to himself, loving how the words sounded inside his head. And then…
He couldn’t help it.
He didn’t really know he was doing it.
He just said the words to himself, his flying dream came into his head and…
“I knew you would do it!” exclaimed Marcia excitedly. “I just knew it!”
Boy 412 wondered what she meant. Until he realized that he seemed to be the same height as Marcia. Or even taller—in fact, he was floating above her. Boy 412 looked down in surprise, expecting Marcia to tell him off like she had done the evening before, to tell him to stop fooling around and come back down this minute, but to his relief she had a huge smile on her face and her green eyes flashed with excitement.
“It’s amazing!” Marcia shielded her eyes against the morning sun as she squinted up to look at Boy 412 floating over the Boggart patch. “This is advanced Magyk. This is stuff you don’t do for years. I just don’t believe it.”
Which was probably the wrong thing to say, because Boy 412 didn’t believe it either. Not really.
There was a huge splash as he landed in the middle of the Boggart patch.
“Oi! Can’t a poor Boggart have no peace?” An indignant pair of black-button eyes blinked reproachfully out of the mud.
“Aaah…” gasped Boy 412, struggling to the surface and grabbing hold of the Boggart.
“I bin awake all yesterday,” the Boggart complained as he pulled the spluttering boy toward the edge of the mud patch. “Went all the way ter the river, sun in me eyes, rat yammering in me ear”—the Boggart pushed Boy 412 up onto the bank beside the mud patch—“an all I hope fer is a bit a sleep the next day. Don’t want no visitors. Just want ter sleep. Got it? You all right, lad?”
Boy 412 nodded, still spluttering.
Marcia had knelt down and was wiping Boy 412’s face with a rather fine purple silk handkerchief. The short-sighted Boggart looked taken aback.
“Oh, mornin’, Yer Majesty,” said the Boggart respectfully. “Didunt see you there.”
“Good Morning, Boggart. I’m so sorry we disturbed you. Thank you very much for your help. We’ll be off now and leave you in peace.”
“Think nothin’ of it. Bin a pleasure.”
With that the Boggart sank to the bottom of the mud patch, leaving nothing more than a few bubbles on the surface.
Marcia and Boy 412 slowly made their way back to the cottage. Marcia decided to ignore the fact that Boy 412 was covered from head to toe in mud. There was something she wanted to ask him. She had made up her mind, and she didn’t want to wait.
“I wonder,” she said, “if you would consider being my Apprentice?”
Boy 412 stopped in his tracks and stared at Marcia, the whites of his eyes shining out from his mud-covered face. What had she said?
“You would be my first one. I have never found anyone suitable before.”
Boy 412 just stared at Marcia in disbelief.
“What I mean is,” said Marcia, trying to explain, “that I have never found anyone with any Magykal spark before now, but you have it. I don’t know why you have