A Visitor
The next morning all that Jenna could see of the Vengeance was the top of the tallest mast sticking out of the marsh like a lone flagpole, from which fluttered the remnants of the tops'l. The remains of the Vengeance was not something Jenna wanted to look at, but like everyone in the cottage who woke up after her, she had to see with her own eyes what had happened to the Darke ship. Jenna closed the shutter and turned away. There was another boat that she would much rather see.
The Dragon Boat.
Jenna stepped out of the cottage into the early morning spring sunshine. The Dragon Boat lay majestically in the Mott, floating high in the water, her neck stretched out and her golden head held aloft to catch the warmth of the first sunlight to fall upon her for hundreds of years. The shimmer of the green scales on the dragon's neck and tail and the glint of the gold on her hull made Jenna screw her eyes up against the glare. The dragon had her eyes half closed too. At first Jenna thought the dragon was still asleep, but then she realized that she was also shielding her eyes against the brightness of the light. Ever since Hotep-Ra had left her entombed under the earth, the only light the Dragon Boat had seen had been a dull glow from a lantern.
Jenna walked down the slope to the landing stage. The boat was big, much bigger than she remembered from the night before, and was wedged tightly into the Mott now that the floodwater had left the marshes. Jenna hoped the dragon did not feel trapped. She reached up on tiptoes to put her hand on the dragon's neck.
Good morning, my lady, the dragon's voice came to her.
"Good morning, Dragon," Jenna whispered. "I hope you're comfortable in the Mott."
There is water beneath me, and the air smells of salt and sunshine. What more could I wish for? asked the dragon.
"Nothing. Nothing at all," agreed Jenna. She sat down on the landing stage and watched the curls of the early morning mist disappear in the warmth of the sun. Then she leaned back contentedly against the Dragon Boat and listened to the dabblings and splashings of the various creatures in the Mott. Jenna had become used to all the underwater inhabitants by now. She no longer shuddered at the eels who made their way out along the Mott on their long journey to the Sargasso Sea. She didn't mind the Water Nixies too much, although she no longer paddled with bare feet in the mud, after one had stuck itself onto her big toe and Aunt Zelda had had to threaten it with the toasting fork to get it to drop off. Jenna even quite liked the Marsh Python, but that was probably because it had not returned since the Big Thaw. She knew the noises and splashes that each creature made, but as she sat in the sun, dreamily listening to the splish of a water rat and the gloop of a mudfish, she heard something she did not recognize.
The creature, whatever it was, moaned and groaned pathetically. Then it puffed, splashed and groaned some more. Jenna had never heard anything like it before. It also sounded rather large. Taking care to keep out of sight, Jenna crept behind the thick green tail of the Dragon Boat, which was curled up and resting on the landing stage; then she peered over to see what creature could possibly be making so much fuss.
It was the Apprentice.
He lay facedown on a tarry plank of wood that looked as though it had come from the Vengeance and was paddling it along the Mott using just his hands. He looked exhausted. His grubby green robes clung to him and steamed in the early morning warmth, and his lanky dark hair was straggling over his eyes. He seemed hardly to have the energy to raise his head and look where he was going.
"Oi!" yelled Jenna. "Go away." She picked up a rock to throw at him.
"No. Please don't," pleaded the boy.
Nicko appeared. "What's up, Jen?" He followed Jenna's gaze. "Hey, shove off, you!" he yelled.
The Apprentice took no notice. He paddled his plank up to the landing stage and then just lay there, exhausted.
"What do you want?" asked Jenna.
"I ... the ship ... it's gone down. I escaped."
"Scum always floats to the surface," Nicko observed.
"We were covered in creatures. Brown, slimy ... things." The boy shivered. "They pulled us down into the marsh. I couldn't breathe. Everyone's gone. Please help me."
Jenna stared at him, wavering. She had woken up early because she had been having nightmares full of screaming Brownies pulling her down into the marsh. Jenna shuddered. She didn't want to think about it. If she couldn't bear to even think about it, how much worse must it be for a boy who had actually been there?
The Apprentice could see that Jenna was hesitating. He tried again. "I - I'm sorry for what I did to that animal of yours."
"The Boggart is not an animal," said Jenna indignantly. "And he is not ours. He is a creature of the marsh. He belongs to no one."
"Oh." The Apprentice could see he had made a mistake. He changed back to what had worked before. "I'm sorry. I - I just ... feel so scared."
Jenna relented. "We can't just leave him lying on a plank," she said to Nicko.
"I don't see why not," said Nicko, "except I suppose he's polluting the Mott."
"We'd better take him inside," said Jenna. "Come on, give us a hand."
They helped the Apprentice off his plank and half carried, half led him up the path and into the cottage.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in," was Aunt Zelda's comment as Nicko and Jenna dumped the boy down in front of the fire, waking up a bleary-eyed Boy 412. Boy 412 got up and moved away. He had seen a flicker of Darke Magyk as the Apprentice came in.
The Apprentice sat pale and shivering beside the fire. He looked ill.
"Don't let him out of your sight, Nicko," said Aunt Zelda. "I'll go and get him a hot drink."