Septimus Heap, Book Six_ Darke - Angie Sage [39]
“Leaving?” Beetle was shocked.
“Yeah.” Foxy grinned. “D’you think Larry might want three more assistants?”
“I wish,” said Beetle.
Neither said anything for a moment, and then Foxy spoke. “So, ah, what were you doing, Beet—I mean, why did you need a SafeCharm? And why did it bring you back? Things must have been really scary.”
“They were. You know that Merrin Meredith kid who’s been hanging around here?”
“Him!” spat Foxy.
“Well, he did a BeGone.”
“On you?”
“Yeah.”
“No wonder you look so rough,” said Foxy.
“Yeah. But that’s not the worst of it. He’s holed up in the Palace attic—”
“You’re kidding!”
“—and I think he’s started a Darke Domaine.”
Foxy stared at Beetle in disbelief. “No! No. How?”
“You know that ring he wears—that nasty Two-Faced thing? Well, I always thought it was a fake from Gothyk Grotto, but now I’m not so sure. I think it might be the real thing.”
Foxy sat down on the chair beside Beetle. He looked worried. “It could be. It kind of makes sense if it is,” he said in a low voice. “He’s got some hold over Miss Djinn. She lets him do exactly what he likes—I think she’s scared of him. The weird thing is, I know for a fact she’s fired him at least three times, but he comes back just like nothing happened—and she never remembers. And recently she’s started going really strange when he’s here, kind of vacant, like she’s not there anymore. It’s scary.”
“I’ll bet,” said Beetle.
“Yeah.” Foxy looked down at his feet, and Beetle knew he was about to say something that he’d had to really think about. There was a silence while Beetle waited and Foxy got his words together. “The thing is, Beet,” said Foxy eventually, “this has happened here before. Remember all the stuff with my dad?”
Beetle nodded. Foxy’s father had been the Chief Hermetic Scribe before Jillie Djinn. He had left in disgrace after becoming involved in a plot with Simon Heap—in his Darke days—to kill Marcia Overstrand.
“I know no one will ever believe it,” said Foxy, “but my dad never wanted to do all that bones stuff for Simon Heap. He had no idea what it was for—he really didn’t. But he said the Darke just pulled him in. And once you’re in, it ties you up in knots and you can’t escape—however much you try.”
Beetle nodded.
“I went to see my dad last week,” Foxy said tentatively.
Beetle was amazed. “You went to see him? But I thought Marcia banished him to the Far Countries.”
Foxy looked awkward. “Yes, she did. But he got so homesick. He came back secretly. He’s changed his name and he lives down in the Port now. It’s not in a very nice part of the Port, but he doesn’t mind. You won’t tell anyone, will you?”
“Of course I won’t.”
“Thanks. I don’t go and see him much, just in case anyone notices, but recently I’ve been really worried about stuff here and I wanted to talk to him about it. He says it sounds bad. That Meredith kid—he’s got Jillie Djinn right there.” Foxy pressed his thumb into his opposite palm. “Under his thumb. Just like Simon Heap had my dad.”
“He’s been trouble right from the start,” agreed Beetle. “I remember the first day he turned up, he was wearing that ring.”
Foxy glanced at the door. “You know, I don’t think it’s fake either,” he muttered.
“But how did he get it, Foxy? The real one belonged to DomDaniel.”
“Well, he’s dead.”
“But you know the ring will only come off the Other way? He can’t have chopped DomDaniel’s thumb off.”
“Nothing would surprise me about that little tick,” said Foxy.
“I reckon I should go to Gothyk Grotto and see if they do copies,” said Beetle. “If they don’t I’ll go and ask Marcia what she thinks.”
“Well, don’t be surprised if a couple of Wizards randomly turn up at the Grot and ask you why you want one,” warned Foxy. “I asked for a copy of a Darke Charm once—just to play a joke on old Partridge—and they got quite funny about it.”
A quiet ratta-tippy-tap sounded on the door. Beetle jumped.
“’S okay,” said Foxy. “Scribe code. All clear. Time to go.”
A minute later Beetle had been bundled out of the Manuscriptorium