Septimus Heap, Book Six_ Darke - Angie Sage [101]
Jenna risked an excited whisper to Septimus. “Mum . . . I can hear Mum.”
Septimus was not sure it was Sarah. It sounded more like Lucy Gringe to him, and there was a deeper voice there too.
Thunder’s tunnel was slowly collapsing under encroaching wisps of Darke Fog moving into the space like smoke from a fire burning something foul. The sounds at the end of the tunnel faded into ghostly whispers, but in those faraway echoes, Jenna was absolutely convinced she could hear Sarah’s voice. Suddenly, much to Marcellus’s disapproval, she broke into a run. She could not bear the sound of her mother being obscured by the Darke once more. She had to get to her this time.
Jenna flew along the space, forcing Septimus and Marcellus to follow the departing witch’s cloak, which spread out behind her like a huge black wing. They arrived at a scene of which Septimus, let alone Marcellus, could make no sense at all.
At first all Septimus could see was Thunder, stamping and tossing his head, rolling his eyes from side to side—a terrified horse longing to flee. A man had hold of his mane and was talking to him in a low voice without much effect, it seemed to Septimus. On the other side of the horse, mostly obscured by Thunder’s bulky body and starry horse blanket, he saw the hem of Lucy Gringe’s embroidered robes and chunky boots and then he saw Jenna’s witch’s cloak—with four feet coming from beneath it. And then, as Thunder did a sudden turn, he saw Jenna. She was wrapped in Sarah’s arms and had enfolded her mother in her cloak as if to never let her go. Lucy was also hanging onto someone . . .
“Simon!” gasped Septimus. He turned to Marcellus. “My brother. It had to be. Of course it did. He’s behind all this. So that’s what his creepy letter was about: Beware the Darke. I get it now.”
Simon heard every word. “No!” he protested. “No, it’s not that. It is not. I—”
“Shut up, you toad,” snapped Septimus.
Marcellus did not know what was going on. But what he did know was that the middle of a Darke Domaine was not the place to have a family argument.
“Believe me, this is nothing to do with me,” said Simon, half pleading, half angry at being blamed yet again for something he had not done.
“Liar!” exploded Septimus. “How dare you come here and—”
“Be silent, Apprentice!” snapped Marcellus.
Shocked at being spoken to in that way, for Marcellus was always scrupulously polite, Septimus stopped in mid sentence.
Marcellus took advantage of the surprised silence. “If you value your lives, you will—all of you—do as I say,” he said with great command. “Immediately.”
The peril of their situation hit home. Everyone—even Simon—nodded.
“Very well,” said Marcellus. “Jenna, you know where to go so you will lead the way with the horse. It will help that you will both clear the air a little.” Simon went to protest but Marcellus stopped him. “If you wish to survive you will do as I say. Septimus, your mother is very weak; you will find your Disguise will stretch to two. It will shield her from the worst of it. I will follow with the young lady and with Simon Heap—for I presume you are he?” Simon nodded. “We shall move in this formation: one, two, three. It is the most efficient way to move through viscosity. We will go silently as one. There must be no dissent. None whatsoever. Is that understood?”
Everyone nodded.
And so like winter geese they set off in their V formation, Jenna with Thunder, Septimus and Sarah Heap sharing the Darke Disguise, followed by Marcellus, who had thrown his cloak around Simon on one side and Lucy on the other.
As they set off, Jenna muttered their destination under her breath. She didn’t know why she did, but as soon as she had, Jenna felt sure that she would find the way. She moved quickly out of Wizard Way and into the alleyways that would take her to the nearest entrance to the Ramblings. Deep in the Darke Fog Jenna