Septimus Heap, Book Six_ Darke - Angie Sage [43]
Still feeling as though they had done something wrong, Beetle and Jenna followed Marcus—or was it Matt?—back through the labyrinth in silence. As they passed a large jar of Gragull teeth, Jenna stopped and took a set.
“How much are these?” she asked.
“Free to you,” grinned Matt—or was it Marcus?
“Oh, thank you,” said Jenna with a smile.
The boy led them out of the maze and opened the door for them.
“Excuse me,” said Jenna, intrigued, “but is your name Marcus or Matt?”
The boy grinned. “Matt.”
“So why did Igor call you Marcus?”
“Marcus is my brother. We’re identical. Igor thinks we play tricks on him and pretend we’re each other, but we don’t—that is just so lame. But Igor thinks he’s being clever and when we tell him who we are, he always calls us by the other name.” Matt shrugged. “It’s like that in here. Weird.”
“Weird,” agreed Jenna.
Accompanied by the roar of the door monster, Jenna and Beetle stepped out into the wind funnelling down Little Creep Cut. Beetle turned to her, his hair blowing into his eyes, the sharp drops of sleety rain making him blink. “So Foxy was right,” he said. “Merrin’s got the real thing. This is serious—we need to tell Marcia right away.”
Jenna wound her cloak around her, pulling the fur edging tight under her chin to keep out the rain. “I know,” she said miserably. “Mum is going to be so upset. She’s been looking forward to tonight for ages. It’s the first time she’s had me and Sep together for our birthdays—ever.”
Beetle and Jenna walked in silence back along Little Creep Cut, heading toward a large signpost that read TO THE WIZARD TOWER. Above them flew the little UnSeen lovebird, buffeted by the wind, stung by the rain, but now with a ray of hope that it might soon see its own true love once again.
“Beetle,” said Jenna.
“Mmm?”
“I never mentioned this to anyone before because I thought they’d think I was weird or something, but I think Merrin’s been living in the Palace for a long time.”
“What?” Beetle looked astonished.
“Well . . . every now and then I’ve thought I’ve seen him kind of disappearing around the corner, although I was never totally sure. I even mentioned it to Mum once, but she thought it was just a ghost. But you remember what Barney Pot told Aunt Zelda—that Merrin had ambushed him in the Long Walk? I know no one else believed him, but Barney doesn’t tell fibs. And if that is true, then Merrin’s been hanging around for at least eighteen months. Which is really creepy.” Jenna shivered.
“That’s horrible,” said Beetle. “The thought of him just lurking up there. Watching you. Wandering around at night—”
“Oh stop it, Beetle!” Jenna protested. “I don’t even want to think about it.”
They had reached the TO THE WIZARD TOWER signpost, which was illuminated by a small torch burning brightly in a holder on the top. The sign pointed down a well-lit lane known locally as Wiz Way. They turned down it and walked briskly between the neat houses, all with their Longest Night candles burning in their windows. As they progressed, Beetle noticed Jenna was becoming increasingly uneasy.
“Is this the right way?” she asked Beetle after a while.
“Of course it is.” Beetle cast Jenna a wondering glance. He knew that she knew the lanes around the Ramblings backwards.
“But . . . it doesn’t feel like it.”
“Well, it is. You know it is. It’s Wiz Way.” Beetle was flummoxed.
Jenna had stopped and was looking around, as though seeing the alleyway for the first time. Above her the UnSeen lovebird fluttered hopefully. It was nearly home.
“What’s wrong?” asked Beetle. He glanced up. It felt as if something was hovering above Jenna’s head, just outside his field of vision.
Jenna rounded on him angrily. “Nothing’s wrong. Stop nagging me, Beetle. I’m just not going your stupid way, that’s all!” And with that she turned and ran back along Wiz Way, then suddenly scooted to the left and disappeared into a tiny, dark alleyway—the notorious Dagger Dan’s Dive.
Chapter 14
Dagger Dan’s Dive
Beetle tore