Septimus Heap, Book Six_ Darke - Angie Sage [123]
Beside the Underflow the stranded group heard shouts from the river and saw a light suddenly appear from the darkness. In the wildly swaying beam of light they saw Sarah being pulled from the water and then Simon’s head bobbing at the foot of the ladder. A curse traveled across the water, followed by a voice saying, “It’s your dingbat brother.”
“Which one?” came the reply that they all recognized as belonging to Nicko.
“What does he mean, which one?” muttered Septimus.
It took a few trips in Annie’s coracle to pick up Jenna, Septimus, Lucy and Marcellus. But eventually everyone was on board, a little wetter than they would have liked, but not—as Jenna pointed out—as wet as they would have been if Nicko hadn’t shown up.
Nicko could not stop grinning as he hugged his brother—not the dingbat one—and his sister.
“Did Stanley tell you where we were?” asked Jenna, gratefully wrapping herself in one of the many blankets that Sally Mullin had provided.
“Eventually,” said Nicko. “That rat does go on. Anyway, we decided we’d sail around and wait below. I figured sooner or later you’d look out and see us, Jen.” He smiled. “Seem to remember you were always gazing out of the window when you were little.”
“Good old Stanley,” said Jenna. “I do hope his ratlets are okay.”
“His what?”
Jenna’s answer was cut short by another bleak roar echoing across the water.
“His—oh Nicko, Sep, oh—look at that . . . what is it?”
Illuminated by the glow from the Wizard Tower SafeShield, a monstrous shape could be seen inside the Darke Fog.
“It’s massive . . .” Jenna breathed.
The creature opened its great mouth and sent another bellow across the river.
“It’s . . . a dragon,” gasped Nicko.
“About ten times bigger than Spit Fyre,” said Septimus, who was feeling extremely worried about his dragon.
“It would eat Spit Fyre for breakfast,” said Nicko.
“Nicko, don’t!” protested Jenna.
But Nicko had voiced the very thing that was worrying Septimus.
They stared across the water, watching the monster. It appeared to be trying out its wings—of which it had six. It rose a little into the air and then fell back with what sounded like a roar of frustration.
“Six wings. A Darke dragon,” muttered Septimus.
“That’s not good,” said Nicko, shaking his head.
Marcellus joined them. “Things are worse than we feared. No one is safe in the Castle with that thing on the loose. How fast can this boat go, Nicko?”
Nicko shrugged. “Depends on the wind. But it’s blowing up a bit. We can get to the Port not long after dawn if we’re lucky.”
“The Port?” asked Marcellus, puzzled. He glanced at Septimus. “You have not told him, Apprentice?”
“Told him what?” asked Nicko suspiciously.
“That we’re going to Bleak Creek,” said Septimus.
“Bleak Creek?”
“Yes. Sorry, Nik. We have to get there. Fast.”
“Jeez, Sep. Isn’t it bad enough for you here? You want more Darke stuff?”
Septimus shook his head. “We have to go. It’s the only hope we have to stop what’s happening here.”
“Well, you’re not taking Mum,” said Nicko.
Sarah’s bat ears were working well. Her head appeared in the lighted hatch. “Not taking Mum where?”
“Bleak Creek,” said Nicko.
“If that’s where Septimus needs to go, then that’s where I’ll go too,” Sarah said. “I don’t want you wasting any time on me, Nicko. Just do what Septimus asks you—and Marcellus too.”
Nicko looked surprised. “Okay, Mum. Whatever you say.”
They sailed past the reassuringly normal lights of the Grateful Turbot Tavern and then Annie’s mast scraped under the One Way Bridge, setting Nicko’s teeth on edge. As they began to round the first bend, everyone gathered on deck to catch a last glimpse of the Castle. The only sound was the creaking of Annie’s ropes and the swash of the water as she sailed briskly along. Her passengers were grimly silent. They looked back at the dark shape of the Castle that had been their home and thought about all the people left behind. Lucy wondered if her mother and father were still alive—How long could you survive in a Darke trance? Simon had told her he’d once been