Septimus Heap, Book One_ Magyk - Angie Sage [94]
“Well, he was a lot thinner,” Nicko pointed out.
“Hmm,” murmured Aunt Zelda. “Something’s up. I can feel it.”
Stanley had a good trip back to the Castle. It wasn’t until he reached the Rat Office that things started to go wrong. He scampered up the recently defrosted drainpipe and knocked on the Rat Office door.
“Come in!” barked the black rat, only just back on duty after a belated rescue from the frozen Rat Office.
Stanley sidled in, well aware that he was going to have some explaining to do.
“You!” thundered the black rat. “At last. How dare you make a fool of me. Are you aware how long you have been away?”
“Er…two months,” muttered Stanley. He was only too well aware how long he had been away and was beginning to wonder what Dawnie would have to say about it.
“Er…two months, sir!” yelled the black rat, thumping his tail on the desk in anger. “Are you aware just how stupid you have made me look?”
Stanley said nothing, thinking that at least some good had come out of his ghastly trip.
“You will pay for this,” bellowed the black rat. “I will personally see that you never get another job as long as I am in charge here.”
“But—”
“But, sir!” the black rat screamed. “What did I tell you? Call me sir!”
Stanley was silent. There were many things he could think of calling the black rat, but “sir” was not one of them. Suddenly Stanley was aware of something behind him. He wheeled around to find himself staring at the largest pair of muscle-bound rats he had ever seen. They stood threateningly in the Rat Office doorway, cutting out the light and also any chance that Stanley might have had of making a run for it, which he suddenly felt an overpowering urge to do.
The black rat, however, looked pleased to see them.
“Ah, good. The boys have arrived. Take him away, boys.”
“Where?” squeaked Stanley. “Where are you taking me?”
“Where…are…you…taking…me…sir,” said the black rat through gritted teeth. “To the proxy who sent this message in the first place. He wishes to know where exactly you found the recipient. And as you are no longer a Confidential, you will of course have to tell him.
“Take him to the Supreme Custodian.”
32
THE BIG THAW
The day after the Message Rat left, the Big Thaw set in. It happened first in the Marram Marshes, which were always a little warmer than anywhere else, and then it spread up the river, through the Forest and into the Castle. It was a great relief to everyone in the Castle, as they had been running out of food supplies due to the Custodian Army having looted many of the winter storerooms to provide DomDaniel with the ingredients for his frequent banquets.
The Big Thaw also came as a relief to a certain Message Rat who was shivering glumly in a rat trap underneath the floor of the Ladies’ Washroom. Stanley had been left there on account of his refusal to divulge the whereabouts of Aunt Zelda’s cottage. He was not to know that the Hunter had already successfully worked it out from what Simon Heap had told the Supreme Custodian, neither was he to know that no one had any intention of setting him free, although Stanley had been around long enough to guess as much. The Message Rat kept himself going as best he could: he ate what he could catch, mainly spiders and cockroaches; he licked the drips from the thawing drain; and he found himself thinking almost fondly about Mad Jack. Dawnie, meanwhile, had given up on him and gone to live with her sister.
The Marram Marshes were now awash with water from the rapidly thawing snow. Soon the green of the grass began to show through, and the ground became heavy and wet. The ice in the Mott and the ditches was the last to thaw, but as the Marsh Python began to feel the temperature rise, he started to move about, flicking his tail impatiently and flexing his hundreds of stiffened ribs. Everyone at the cottage was waiting with bated breath for the giant snake to break free. They were not sure how hungry he might be, or how cross. To make sure that Maxie stayed inside, Nicko had tied the wolfhound to the table leg with a