Septimus Heap, Book Six_ Darke - Angie Sage [147]
Simon ran up the Stopped stairs. Up through the darkened floors he occasionally heard a weary murmuring of a Magykal chant, but mostly he found nothing but silence. Outside he could see the red light fading fast and he knew that once it had gone, the Darke Domaine would enter the Wizard Tower. Simon did not know how long that would take but he guessed it was minutes rather than hours.
On the twentieth floor he jumped off the stairs, ran along the broad corridor that led to the ExtraOrdinary Wizard’s purple door and threw himself against it.
Inside the study Marcia was dictating the symbols that the lines on the Manuscriptorium Code had picked out. She had decided that the only thing to do was to begin with each one in turn. There were forty-nine matches. This meant there were forty-nine words in The Great UnDoing—and forty-nine possible beginnings, of which there was no way of telling which was the right one. As The Great UnDoing was an ancient incantation, Marcia knew that it would not necessarily make any sense, so there would be no clue as to what might be the first word. It was a huge risk, but she had no alternative. It was just possible they might find the correct order right away. It was the only chance they had and Marcia knew she had to take it.
And so she was rapidly dictating. “Zero, star, three, Magyk, labyrinth, gold, Ankh, square, duck—yes, I did say duck—two, twin, seven, bridge—oh!” Marcia looked up suddenly.
“My door . . . it’s let someone in,” she whispered. “There’s Darke on them. From outside.”
There was a sharp intake of breath. “I’ll go and check it out,” said Silas, heading for the study door.
“Silas, wait.” Alther got up from his perch. “I’ll go. Bar the door when I’ve gone.”
“Thank you, Alther,” said Marcia as the ghost quickly DisComposed himself and walked through the door. “Now, where were we? Oh, drat, I don’t know. Septimus, I’ll start again. Zero, star, three, Magyk, labyrinth, gold, Ankh, square, duck, two, twin, seven, bridge, spiral, four, ellipse, plus, tower—Alther, is that you?”
“Yes. UnBar the door please, Marcia. Quickly. I have someone to see you.”
Everyone exchanged questioning glances. Who could it be?
Alther ushered in Simon to a stunned silence. “Before you say anything, Marcia, this young man has some important information. He knows where to begin.”
“He does?” Marcia frowned. “Alther, there are other Invocations on this Code—and some are downright dangerous. How can I be sure he will tell me where to begin the correct one?”
Septimus, Nicko and Jenna looked at each other. Other invocations? So Marcia was gambling that they would reach the right one first. Things were even worse than they had thought.
“I’ve known him since he was born,” said Alther. “I believe you can trust him.”
“You can trust me. I promise,” said Simon quietly.
Marcia looked at Simon. He was soaking wet, trembling with cold, and there was desperation in his eyes—a desperation that mirrored exactly what she was feeling that very moment. She made her decision.
“Very well, Simon,” she said. “Would you show us where The Great UnDoing begins?”
And so Simon found himself somewhere he had never thought possible. At the top of the Wizard Tower, sitting at the desk of the ExtraOrdinary Wizard, surrounded by fabled Magykal books and objects—including, he noticed, his very own Sleuth. And now, watched by his father and his youngest brother, he was about to tell the ExtraOrdinary Wizard something that would save the Castle.
“The starting point is given in the index of The Darke Index,” he said.
With trembling hands Simon picked up the book. For a moment it felt like an old friend, until he remembered that, in truth, it was an old enemy. The countless cold, lonely, and sometimes terrifying nights he had spent reading it came back to him and he remembered the last time he had held it when,