Septimus Heap, Book Six_ Darke - Angie Sage [115]
By the nightfall both Septimus and Marcellus Pye had learned a lot from Simon: How Simon had last seen the Two-Faced Ring on the slimy bones of his old Master, DomDaniel, as they were about to strangle him. How he had trapped the bones into a sack and thrown them into the Endless Cupboard in the Observatory. How Merrin must have somehow retrieved the ring from the slimy thumb bone of DomDaniel—the thought of which made them all shudder.
Septimus thought that if they got hold of Merrin and took the ring off him the Darke Domaine would disappear, but Simon had explained that once the Darke Domaine was in place it would take more than that to get rid of it—it would take the most powerful Magyk possible. When he mentioned the Paired Codes, Marcellus reluctantly recounted what had happened and a gloom fell.
“There is another way,” said Simon after a while. “Apprentices to the same ExtraOrdinary Wizard share a Magykal link. Alther and Merrin were both Apprenticed to DomDaniel. And Alther is the most senior. There is a slim chance that he could UnDo the Darke Domaine, as it is the work of a more junior Apprentice. But . . .”
Septimus was listening with interest. “But what?” he asked. It was the first question he had asked Simon that was not an accusation too.
“But I am not sure if it works for ghosts,” said Simon.
“It might though?”
“It might. It might not.”
Septimus made up his mind. He would go to the Darke Halls and find Alther. It didn’t matter whether Alther had the power Simon thought he had or not. Alther would know what to do, he was sure of that. He was their only hope.
“Marcellus,” Septimus said. “You know how you said there were other Portals into the Darke Halls?”
“Yeess?” Marcellus knew what was coming.
“I want to find the most effective one. I shall go and bring Alther back.”
Simon was horrified. “You can’t go to the Darke Halls!”
“Yes, I can. I was going there anyway before all this happened.”
Simon looked very concerned. “Septimus, be careful. That’s why I wrote to you—apart from saying sorry for, um . . . trying to kill you. Which I am. I really am. You know that, don’t you?”
“Yes, I think I do,” said Septimus. “Thanks.”
“Well, the last thing I want is for my little brother to get enmeshed with the Darke. It pulls you in. It changes you. It’s a terrible thing. And the Darke Halls are the Darkest place of all.”
“Simon, I don’t want to go, but that’s where Alther is,” said Septimus. “And if there’s a chance he can help then I want to take it. Anyway, I promised Alice I’d bring him back. And a promise is a promise.”
Simon threw in his last card. “But what would Mum say?”
“Say about what?” Sarah—who had ears like a bat when it came to her children discussing her—called out from the other side of the room.
“Nothing, Mum,” Simon and Septimus chorused in reply.
In the shadows of the bookshelves, Marcellus produced his pocket version of the almanac section of his book, I, Marcellus, and turned to the chapter headed Portal Calculations: Coordinates and Compass Points.
Night fell. Septimus Called yet again for Spit Fyre, although he now no longer expected his dragon to answer. The empty silence that followed his Call upset Septimus, but he tried not to let it show.
Sarah cooked up another stew, helped by Lucy, who wanted to know how to make a stew that was actually edible. After dinner Septimus, Simon and Marcellus returned to the bookshelves and, fortified by Sarah’s stew, finished the first set of calculations, which showed where the Portal to the Darke Halls was—give or take half a mile. No one was very surprised at the result.
The evening drew on and a northeast wind began to blow up. It shook the windowpane and sent icy drafts into the room. The occupants wrapped themselves in blankets and settled down for the night. Soon the room behind