Inside the Palace, unaware of the events silently unfolding around her, Sarah Heap was perched precariously at the top of a stepladder in the Palace entrance hall. By the light of a beautiful chandelier (it had taken Billy Pot ten whole minutes to light all of its candles) Sarah was busy nailing up a banner that read HAPPY 14TH BIRTHDAY JENNA AND SEPTIMUS above the archway that led into the Long Walk. She was not pleased to hear the sound of approaching footsteps outside.
"Botheration," Sarah muttered under her breath. She knew that one set of footsteps belonged to Marcia Overstrand - somehow Marcia always managed to walk everywhere as though she owned the place. Sarah struggled irritably with the unwieldy banner above her head. Trust Marcia to arrive early, she thought. Well, she would have to make herself useful until the party started. Goodness knows there was plenty to do. Oops. She could hold the stepladder steady for a start.
The sound of the footsteps changed from cinder scrunches on the path to purposeful tippy-taps of purple python on wood as they crossed the bridge over the ornamental moat. They were followed by equally purposeful - but less proprietary - thuds of the footsteps of Marcia's companions.
The Palace doors were pushed open and the tippy-taps strode across the stone floor of the entrance hall. They halted below Sarah's ladder.
"Sarah Heap," Marcia announced.
Why, Sarah wondered crossly, did Marcia have to sound so officious? She turned around, hammer raised, the last two nails held between her lips.
"Mrgh?" said Sarah, finally deigning to look down at her visitors. "Ah, hrr Brrr n Hrrrr," she said, actually pleased to see two of Marcia's companions, Beetle and Hildegarde, although less pleased to see the young witch they had with them. She took the nails out of her mouth. "You're early," she said. "But I could do with some help. There's always more to do than you think to get a party ready."
"Mum," said the young witch.
Sarah nearly dropped her hammer. "Goodness, Jenna. It's you. I didn't know this was going to be a fancy dress party."
"Mum, it's not, but - " Jenna began, wanting to explain before Marcia jumped in with both feet.
Sarah looked disapproving. "Well, I don't know why you are walking around in that witch stuff," she said. "You really shouldn't. It's not nice."
"Sorry. It's been a bit of a rush. But - "
"You're telling me. We're not nearly ready for the party, and now - "
"Mum, listen - "
"The party's cancelled," said Marcia.
Sarah dropped the hammer, narrowly missing Marcia's right foot. "What?" she said angrily.
"Canceled. You and everyone inside the Palace have five minutes to leave."
Sarah was down the ladder in a flash. "Marcia Overstrand, how dare you?"
"Mum," said Jenna. "Please listen, it's important, something has - "
"Thank you, Jenna, I'll handle this," said Marcia. "Sarah, it is my job to ensure the safety of the Palace. There's a Cordon encircling the building and I am now putting it in Quarantine."
Sarah looked exasperated. "Look here, Marcia, there is no need to go to such extremes. I don't know what Septimus or Jenna have been telling you about the party, but you really mustn't take any notice. Their father and I will be here and we have no intention of letting things get out of hand."
"It seems they already have got out of hand, Sarah," said Marcia. She put her hand up to stop Sarah's protests. "Sarah, listen to me, I am not talking about the party. And may I say, the fact that you and Silas have been here appears to have been no safeguard against anything whatsoever. Indeed, I am surprised - and not a little disappointed - that Silas has allowed this to happen."
"It's only a little birthday party, Marcia," Sarah said snappily. "Of course we've allowed it to happen."
"Sarah, for goodness' sake, listen to what I am saying. I am not talking about the birthday party," Marcia replied, equally snappily. "And you can stop waving that hammer around too."
Sarah looked at the hammer in her hand as though she was surprised to find it there. She shrugged and placed it on the stepladder.
"Thank you," said Marcia.
"So what are you talking about?" Sarah demanded.
"I am talking about your lodger in the attic."
"What lodger? We don't have lodgers," Sarah said indignantly. "Things may be a bit tough sometimes but we haven't had to rent the Palace out as a guesthouse quite yet. And even if we did, I hardly think we need your permission, thank you very much." Sarah folded up the stepladder with an angry bang and began to heave it into the Long Walk. Beetle stepped forward and took it from her.
"Thank you, Beetle," said Sarah, "that's very sweet of you. Excuse me, Marcia, I have things to do." With that she began gathering up the remains of streamers that were scattered across the floor.
"Mum," said Jenna, handing her some fallen streamers. "Mum, please. There's something horrible here. We have to - "
But Sarah was not in a mood to listen. "And you can take that witch cloak off right now, Jenna. It smells awful - just like the real thing."
Marcia raised her voice. "This is my final warning. I am about to Quarantine this building." She got out her timepiece and laid it on her palm. "You have five minutes from now to vacate the premises."
This was too much for Sarah. She stood up and, hands on hips, hair angrily awry, she raised her voice even louder. "Now look here, Marcia Overstrand, I have had quite enough of you barging in on my daughter's birthday - and my son's too, as it happens - and tearing everything apart. I will thank you to go away and leave us in peace."
Hildegarde had been watching Marcia's handling of the proceedings with dismay. Before her promotion to the Wizard Tower, Hildegarde had been on door duty at the Palace. She knew Sarah Heap well and she liked her a lot. Hildegarde stepped forward and laid her hand on Sarah's arm.
"Sarah, I'm very sorry, but this is extremely serious," she said. "There really is someone in your attic and he has, so it seems, set up a Darke Domaine in there. Madam Marcia has placed a protective Cordon around the Palace to prevent the Domaine escaping and now, for the safety of all of us in the Castle, she needs to place the Palace in Quarantine. I'm so sorry this had to happen today of all days, but we dare not leave it a moment longer. You do understand, don't you?"
Sarah stared at Hildegarde in disbelief. She wiped a hand across her forehead and sank into a battered old armchair. A faint groan came from the chair, and Sarah sprang to her feet. "Oh, sorry, Godric," she said, apologizing to the very faded ghost who had fallen asleep in the chair some years ago. The ghost slept on.
"Is this true?" Sarah asked Marcia.
"That's what I've been trying to tell you, if only you'd listen."
"You haven't been trying to tell me anything," Sarah pointed out. "You have been issuing instructions. As usual." She looked around, worried. "Where's Silas?"
Her question was answered by the sound of running footsteps above. Silas Heap, blue Ordinary Wizard robes flying as, two at a time, he raced down the sweeping stairs that led down to the entrance hall was yelling, "Everyone - get out, get out!"
Silas skidded to a halt at the foot of the stairs and, for the first time in his life, he looked pleased to see Marcia. "Marcia," he puffed. "Oh, thank goodness you're here. My SafetyGate has been broken. It's got out of the attic. It's upstairs now and it's filling the place up - fast. We've got to get a Quarantine put on. Marcia, you need to do a Call Out, get a Cordon around if we've got time - "