The shadows over the lawns were lengthening, and still Jenna slept on, curled up under her blankets. From a distance Alther and Alice, who had searched the Palace for Silas and Sarah Heap and found neither, sat together on the lawn, watching the river from afar and chatting quietly. On the other side of the Palace, walking briskly up the drive, were Marcia and Septimus, closely followed by Spit Fyre. Septimus was bringing Spit Fyre to see Jenna so that she could UnDo the Seek. Spit Fyre was dogging his every step and it was beginning to get extremely irritating.
"What I don't understand, Septimus," Marcia was saying, "is how a ghost of some kind of rat thingy - "
"It's an Aie-Aie," Septimus corrected. "Spit Fyre, please don't breathe down my neck like that."
"Aie-Aie, rat, elephant, whatever it is doesn't matter - the point is that it is still a ghost. And ghosts don't bite. Granted they can sometimes Cause a window to blow open or a door to slam shut, but they don't bite. Mind my cloak, you idiot dragon."
"Ouch. That was my heel, Spit Fyre. I know, but this isn't just a ghost, it's a Substantial Spirit."
"Those don't exist, Septimus," said Marcia. "You've been reading the Witches' Apparition Almanac again, haven't you you?"
"No, I haven't. I know it's a Substantial Spirit because Marcellus said - "
"I am getting just a little tired of hearing what Marcellus said," snapped Marcia.
"But you see, the Aie-Aie drank the same thing that Etheldredda drank. It was the Tincture that Marcellus made - "
Marcia heaved a loud sigh at Marcellus's name but said nothing.
Septimus continued. "He was going to drink it himself but it wasn't ready and then Etheldredda snatched it and drank it. Marcellus was really upset. And then Etheldredda grabbed Jen and took her to the river but it was icy and she - Etheldredda - fell in and drowned, which served her right, so then Marcellus said he was going to Entrance her ghost into her official portrait and Seal it into a room, as he knew that she would become a Substantial Spirit and that soon it would be just the same as if she were alive anyway except that she would be able to live forever, which is what she wanted in the first place and - "
"Stop!" said Marcia. "I can feel another headache coming on."
"So the Aie-Aie is a Substantial Spirit too and that's why it's biting people," Septimus finished in a rush before Marcia could stop him.
By now they had reached the little wooden bridge that spanned the Palace Moat. Marcia stopped for a moment to collect her thoughts. She had, despite appearances to the contrary, listened to every word that Septimus had said. "So who knows what the Substantial Spirit of Etheldredda is capable of by now?" she muttered. "We've got to get her Sealed fast, Septimus."
The wooden bridge over the Palace Moat sagged alarmingly under Spit Fyre's weight as they approached the Palace doors. Hildegarde, the sub-Wizard on door duty, looked worried.
"Silas Heap, please, Hildegarde," snapped Marcia. "At once.
"I believe he is in the attic, Madam Marcia," said Hildegarde, eyeing Spit Fyre warily. Hildegarde did not like reptiles very much and the Palace already had far too many for her liking, what with the snapping turtles in the Moat and Billy Pot's multitude of Lawn Lizards.
"Good," said Marcia. "Maybe he's doing something right for once, though somehow I doubt it." To Hildegarde's relief she turned to Septimus and said, "Septimus, do not bring that dragon in here. Take it around to the back. I'm sure Mr. Pot would be grateful for some more contributions." With that, Marcia rushed off into the shadows of the Long Walk, where there was a loud crash as she collided with the Palace cleaner and knocked over his bucket.
Leaving Marcia to tell the unfortunate cleaner where to put his bucket in the future, Septimus took the path around to the back of the Palace while Spit Fyre trotted after him, as if attached by a very short piece of invisible string. After getting lost several times, Marcia finally made it up to the attic. She arrived to the sounds of an argument.
"Look, Gringe. I cannot be held responsible if you are unable to control your Counters. My Kicker would never have Kicked everything off the board."
"It was your Kicker," muttered Gringe. "Mine was just goin' about 'is business and then he gets sent flyin' across the room. Dunno where he's gone."
"Don't know where any of them have gone," said Silas grumpily, getting down on his hands and knees and peering between the floorboards. "Probably never see them again. Huh."
"Silas Heap, what are you doing?" Marcia's voice rang out as she strode down the long, empty attic toward the Counter-Feet players at the far end. Guiltily Silas jumped up and hit his head on a low rafter.
"Ouch!"
At the sight of the ExtraOrdinary Wizard approaching, cloak flying, eyes flashing and a look of fury on her face, Gringe went pale. "We were just about to put the painting back," he said. "Honest."
"Honest is not a word I automatically associate with you, Gringe," snapped Marcia, a trifle unfairly.
"Keep your hair on, Marcia," said Silas. "We're doing it. I don't see what the fuss is all about anyway."
"That, Silas Heap, is why you are only an Ordinary Wizard. This room was Sealed for a reason: to keep the ghost of Queen Etheldredda Sealed inside - and her disgusting pet whatever-it-is, which has been running around the Castle biting people and spreading the Sickenesse."
"Oh, come off it, Marcia," Silas objected. "You can't blame me for the Sickenesse too."
"You let it out, Silas. No one else did. Ever since you stupidly UnSealed that portrait it is no coincidence that we have had the Sickenesse, and even worse, we've had Queen Etheldredda let loose."
"She's only a ghost, Marcia," Silas protested. "There's no need to get so worked up about it. There are loads of ghosts around here, and some of them are a real pain - much worse than her. I mean, there's that one with the irritating whistle and then there's - "
"Be quiet, Silas. Etheldredda is no ordinary ghost. She is dangerous, Silas. She was Sealed in by her son - her own son, no less - who knew what she was capable of."
"What do you mean, capable of?" asked Silas, beginning to get a bad feeling about the whole business.
"Murdering her children. Princesses. Rightful heirs to the Castle. And now she is let loose here, in our Time, and she is intent on doing the same."