Septimus Heap, Book Six_ Darke - Angie Sage [124]
As they drew farther away, the Wizard Tower became visible—but only just. The Darke Domaine was rising higher and only the top two floors of Marcia’s rooms and the Golden Pyramid were now clear of the Fog. The indigo and purple SafeShield still shone brightly, but every now and then there was a new color visible—a faint flash of orange.
Sarah and Jenna took comfort from the lights. They thought of Silas somewhere in the Tower, adding his—admittedly small and somewhat unreliable—share of Magyk to the Wizard Tower’s defenses. Septimus and Marcellus, however, took no comfort at all.
Marcellus drew Septimus away from the others. “I assume you know what that orange flash means, Apprentice?” he asked.
“The SafeShield is in distress,” Septimus said. He shook his head in disbelief. “That’s not good.”
“No, it’s not,” said Marcellus.
“How long do you think we’ve got until it . . . fails?” asked Septimus.
Marcellus shook his head. “I don’t know. All we can do is make haste to Bleak Creek. I suggest you get some rest.”
“No. I’ll stay up. We still have to figure out exactly where in Bleak Creek the Portal is,” said Septimus.
“Apprentice, you must sleep. You have a task ahead of you for which you will need all your powers. Simon and I will do the final calculations—no protests, please. He is proving a most able mathematician.”
Septimus hated the thought of sleeping while Simon took his place at Marcellus’s side. “But—”
“Septimus, this is for the good of the Castle, for the survival of the Wizard Tower. We must all do what we can—and what you can do now is sleep. Come away from the Tower, it does no good.” Marcellus put his arm around Septimus’s shoulders and tried to steer him toward the cabin.
Septimus resisted. “In a minute. I’ll come in a minute.”
“Very well, Apprentice. Do not be long.” Marcellus left Septimus alone and went below.
Septimus longed for a glimpse of Marcia. He wanted to see her face at the window, to know that she was all right. “Nicko, do you have a telescope?” he asked.
Nicko did have a telescope. “Tower looks good, doesn’t it?” he said, handing it to him. “I like the orange.”
Septimus made no reply. He focused the telescope on the Wizard Tower and silently added his own Magnification. The top of the Tower that was peeping up over the Fog sprung into sharp focus. Septimus gasped. It seemed so close that he felt he could reach out and touch it. Eagerly he searched out Marcia’s study window, which he thought should just be visible. It was. And not only was the study window visible but so was the unmistakable shape of Marcia’s head and shoulders, silhouetted against the lighted window. It looked as though she was staring out the window straight at him. Feeling a little silly Septimus waved, but almost immediately Marcia turned away, and Septimus knew that she had not seen him at all. Feeling suddenly lonely, Septimus longed to talk to Marcia. He longed to tell her that there was still hope, to say “hold on as long as you can. Don’t give up. Please don’t give up.”
Jenna’s voice broke into his thoughts. “Let me have a look, Sep. Please. I want to see . . . well, I want to see if I can spot Dad anywhere.”
Reluctant to let go of what felt like a link to the Wizard Tower, Septimus swung the telescope upward for a quick last glance at the Golden Pyramid. He gasped in surprise. Sitting on the flattened square at the very top of the pyramid was the unmistakable shape of Spit Fyre.
“What is it, Sep?” asked Jenna, worried.
Septimus handed her the telescope with a broad smile. “Spit Fyre. So that’s why he never came. Somehow he’s got inside the SafeShield. He’s sitting on top of the Golden Pyramid.”
“Wow. So he