Queste

S eptimus heard nothing of Jenna's shouts and thumps through the thick purple door. Angrily, he instructed the door to UnBar.

The girl laughed. "You will not succeed, Septimus Heap. Though 'tis true, the door is a Twin, but all identical twins have some differences. You have just discovered one of them." The Apprentice appraised Septimus with a disappointed air. "I have spent a long time waiting for a Questor to arrive.

I had hoped for someone more...mature to pass some days with. Do you play cards?"

"Cards?"

"I could teach you a few games. I expect you could manage Snap."

"Snap?"

The girl sighed. "Possibly not," she said.

Septimus said nothing. The girl reminded him of Lucy Gringe - although she was much more irritating.

He gave up any hope of a reasonable conversation and turned his attention to his new surroundings.

He was in a huge octagonal chamber. Above him was a beautiful glass dome through which he could see the darkening sky suffused with the last pinkish rays of the sunset. He was, he guessed, at the very top of the House of Foryx. Watched by the eagle eyes of the ancient Apprentice, Septimus wandered around the chamber. It was a vast place, and the furnishings - the rugs, the lapis chests, the rich tapestries - reminded him of Marcia's rooms. But that, thought Septimus, did not completely explain the oddly familiar feeling. There was something else...something more essential - the smell of Magyk .

"What is this place?" Septimus asked the grumpy Apprentice.

"The House of Foryx," came the reply.

"I know that," Septimus replied, trying not to betray his impatience. "But this place. This room - what is it?"

"You will find out soon enough."

Septimus sighed. He tried one last question. "Who are you?"

To his surprise the girl actually answered his question. "I am Talmar," she said.

Talmar. The name was familiar. Septimus tried to remember why - and then it came to him. Suddenly, he felt very odd indeed. "Not...Talmar Ray Bell?" he asked.

A look of amazement appeared on the girl's face. "How do you know?" she asked.

Septimus grinned, pleased with the effect of his question.

Somewhere in the distance came the silvery sound of a bell. Talmar assumed her air of superiority once more and pronounced, "My Master is ready. Follow me, Septimus Heap."

With the setting of the sun, the glass dome had darkened. As Septimus followed Talmar through the chamber, candles sprang into flame one by one to light their path. At the far end of the chamber, Talmar drew back some heavy curtains to reveal a figure sitting by a fire on a low, comfortable chair not unlike the one that sat close to the fire in Marcia's rooms - the one she always insisted was hers.

Talmar beckoned Septimus inside. He stepped through the curtains and the figure - a frail, elderly man with long, wavy white hair held back with an ExtraOrdinary Wizard headband - looked up. The light of the candle flames shone in his brilliant green eyes, making them seem almost on fire.

"This is our Questor, Septimus Heap," said Talmar.

"Welcome, Questor," the old man said with a smile. He started to get up and Talmar rushed to his side to help him. As he stood, a little bent and unsteady on his feet, Septimus saw that he was dressed in an archaic set of ExtraOrdinary Wizard robes - from the ancient days when they were embroidered with hieroglyphs in gold thread. Leaning on Talmar's arm, the old man walked slowly toward Septimus.

"From the Old to the New," he murmured in an accent Septimus had not heard before. "Greetings."

"Greetings," Septimus replied, taking the thin old hand.

The old man looked down at Septimus's right hand. Septimus followed his gaze and saw the Dragon Ring, which was shining brighter than he had ever seen it do before - like a tiny lamp on his right index finger. "You have my ring," murmured the ancient ExtraOrdinary Wizard.

"Your ring?" said Septimus. "But I thought it had only ever belonged to...Oh. Oh, of course."

"Ah. You know who I am?" asked the old man.

Septimus nodded. Now he understood. "You're Hotep-Ra," he said.

As the stars shimmered through the dome and the full moon traveled across the sky, Septimus, Talmar Ray Bell and Hotep-Ra sat picking at a feast of delicacies, which had appeared on the long, low table that Talmar had set in front of the fire. Talmar poured mint tea into three small colored glasses.

Hotep-Ra raised his glass and said, "Let us celebrate the end of your Queste." He downed the tea in one gulp. Septimus and Talmar followed suit.

"There is but one thing left for you to do before your Queste is ended."

"Oh?" Septimus feared the worst.

"You must give me the Questing Stone."

Septimus smiled - there was nothing he would like better. He took the fiery red stone from his pocket.

Relieved to be rid of the Stone, Septimus put it in the outstretched hand. Hotep-Ra placed his other hand over the Stone and Septimus saw the bright light shine through, showing the bones of the hand beneath the skin like dark red shadows. And then the light began to fade and Hotep-Ra's hands became opaque once more. He uncupped his hands and the Questing Stone was now an inky black.

"You have completed the Queste." Hotep-Ra smiled at Septimus. "Now for the reason I have brought you all this way: come sit beside me and tell me all that has happened at the Castle in my absence."

"All?" asked Septimus, wondering how he was supposed to know.

"As Apprentice you will know such things. Now, before you begin I shall place my sign on the back of this stone and return it to you as a memento of your journey."

Septimus was not sure that he actually wanted a memento of the journey but he said nothing.

Hotep-Ra turned the stone over and his expression clouded.

"What is it, Master?" asked Talmar.

"I do not understand. I numbered these Stones with a Hidden tally. As each one was Drawn the number would show itself. This is number twenty-one. This is the last Stone," muttered Hotep-Ra.

"I thought something was wrong," said Talmar, glaring at Septimus. "He is far too young. He has not even finished his Apprenticeship."

"Has he not?" asked the Wizard, puzzled. "But this is an honor reserved for the last day of the Apprenticeship."

"Exactly. He must have stolen it. He is no more than a common thief."

Septimus had had enough of Talmar's rudeness. He exploded with indignation. "How dare you call me a thief! Anyway, what would anyone want to steal that for?" he asked. "It has been nothing but trouble. And I can tell you that I am the last Questor - it was the last Stone in the Pot. And I can tell you something else - all the others who went on the Queste never returned. It is not an honor - it is a curse. Every Apprentice dreads their last day because of it. And Tertius Fume is - "

"Tertius Fume?" Hotep-Ra gasped. "Has that lying, underhanded, double-crossing streak of Wurm Slime returned?"

"Well, his ghost has," said Septimus.

"His ghost? Ha! At least he is no longer Living. But what effrontery - I Banish him and he sneaks back as soon as I am gone. When did this happen?"

"A long time ago. He's ancient."

"How ancient?"

"I - I don't really know. He's one of the oldest in the Castle."

"One of the oldest..." Hotep-Ra fell silent for some minutes. Neither Talmar nor Septimus dared speak. Finally the ancient ExtraOrdinary Wizard said very quietly, as if expecting bad news, "Tell me, Apprentice - how many ExtraOrdinary Wizards have there been since Talmar and I left the Castle?"

"Seven hundred and seventy-six," Septimus said.

"You jest!" exclaimed Hotep-Ra.

"No. I had to learn it when I first became an Apprentice. My ExtraOrdinary Wizard made me write it out and stick it on the wall. Anyway I counted them all last week."

Hotep-Ra swallowed hard. "I thought it was maybe five or six at the most," he said quietly. "Things are not as they should be."

"How - how should they be?" asked Septimus.

Hotep-Ra sighed. "Eat, fellow Dragon Master," he said. "Tell me about your Queste and I will tell you about mine."

And so Septimus sat under the moonlit dome and told Hotep-Ra how he had come to the House of Foryx. And then, while he hungrily ate from the dishes of fragrant fruits, spicy meats and fish and drank mint tea, he listened to the soft, melodious frail voice of the Castle's very first ExtraOrdinary Wizard.

"When I was a young man," said Hotep-Ra, "and I was a young man once, it was forbidden to dabble with Time. But, like many young men, I did not always obey the rules. And when I discovered the secret of suspending Time I knew I had to find a place where I could keep my secret and make it work. I traveled far and wide until I came across a beautiful forest in the center of which was an abyss. From the middle of this chasm rose a tall rock and when I saw it I knew I had found the perfect place to build my secret House of Time.

"And so I set to work. First, I Caused a bridge to be made - it is a beautiful bridge is it not?"

Septimus nodded. Hotep-Ra spoke the truth: the bridge was beautiful.

Hotep-Ra smiled. "Beautiful but terrifying. Now, among the more Magykal Wizards, there is an unfortunate tendency to be afraid of heights. I have to admit, I wished to keep my fellow Wizards away from my House of Time - I wanted no interference and no scheming. Wizards can be jealous of true talent, Apprentice. They are not above sabotaging projects of the more gifted. Remember that.

And so, to make doubly sure of being left in peace, I enticed the Foryx, which many now think are mythical beasts, for they are no longer seen - except here. I Caused them to forever run around the precipice path to guard my House of Time. I soon noticed that those who came began to call this place the House of Foryx and I was pleased, as it gave no clue that this was a place where All Times Do Meet.

"When I became old I left the Castle, the dear Queen and my poor Dragon Boat, and I came to my House of Foryx. I wish now that I had come earlier, when I still had my strength, but I wanted to see my Dragon Boat restored. Never get a boat repaired by the Port men, Apprentice - they are laggards and thieves. As I made my way to the House of Foryx, I comforted myself that although I would miss the Castle terribly, I would still know what was going on, because I had set up the Queste.

"The Queste was to be a great honor. I had toyed with the idea of having only the most talented Apprentices go on my Queste, but then I realized that this would be unfair, so I devised a lottery. I filled a huge urn with hundreds of lapis stones, of which twenty-one were inscribed with a golden Q, and which each Apprentice had a fair chance of drawing. I thought it would be a wonderful culmination to seven years' hard study to be picked to go on the Queste - to visit the founder of the Wizard Tower, to bring him the news of the Castle and to return with new knowledge and understanding. In order to make it safe - for I did not want to risk the lives of anyone - I Engendered a boat to take the chosen Apprentice safely across the sea and up the great river right to the edge of what was a beautiful forest. I also Engendered seven Questing Guards to escort them on their journey, to guide them past the Foryx and across the bridge. Their most important job was, of course, to wait outside my House so that the Questor would Go Out into his or her own Time. I made sure the Stone would also guide them here for safety, should the Guards fail. That was my plan. But that is not, so it seems, how it is?"

"No," said Septimus sadly.

"There have been twenty Questors before you, you say?" said Hotep-Ra.

Septimus nodded.

"All perished?"

"Well, no one came back. And they would have if they could, wouldn't they?"

Hotep-Ra nodded slowly and lapsed into thought. "It is Fume," he said. "He has Darkened this Queste. All you tell me: the frozen forest, the silence, the foul and moaning fog, the murderous Questing Guards - do not look so shocked, Apprentice, how else could he make sure that no one reached me? It is him. I know it."

Septimus knew it too.

"He was my closest friend," said Hotep-Ra sadly. "Once I trusted him completely. I loved him like a brother. But one time while I was away on the marshes attending to my dear Dragon Boat, he took over the Tower and sent his guards out to kill me." Hotep-Ra shook his head in disbelief. "He had been planning that for years - and all the while showing me nothing but friendship. Think how you would feel, Apprentice, if your closest friend did this to you."

Septimus nodded in sympathy. He couldn't even imagine Beetle ever doing anything like that.

"Tertius only had the Tower for seven days, but it took seven years to repair the Darke damage he did. I Banished him, of course." Hotep-Ra sighed. "And I have to admit that I missed him, even after he had betrayed me. As he left, he said that I might think I would control the Tower forever, but it would not be so. He swore he would return and that I would be sorry. I remember I told him there was nothing he could do that would make me sorrier than I was then, but now I think that is not true, for twenty young lives have been lost, and I never knew. And all those years I have been alone, waiting..." Hotep-Ra's voice trailed off sadly into the night.

As Talmar busied herself with rugs and blankets for the nighttime chill, Septimus sat quietly, watching his Questing Stone shimmer a deep iridescent blue in the light of the full moon, which shone through the dome above. He had done it, he told himself in amazement. He had completed the Queste . But then a feeling of sadness came over him - twenty others had not. Septimus thought about what they had missed. Not only the rest of their lives, but also a Magykal night talking to the first-ever ExtraOrdinary Wizard. Septimus shivered. He smelled the Magyk in the air and, for the first time since he had started reading the works of Marcellus Pye, he felt content. This was good. And Marcia - Marcia would be proud. If he ever saw her again.

Early the next morning, his head spinning, Septimus bade farewell to Hotep-Ra and walked out of the octagonal chamber. The Twin of Marcia's door closed gently behind him. With a candle in his hand, provided by a marginally more friendly Talmar Ray Bell, he wandered down the steep narrow marble passage and emerged onto the smoky balustrade landing.

Septimus knew it was morning - he had seen the sun rise through the glass dome - but there was no way of knowing that inside the blind House of Foryx. Wearily, he sat on one of the benches - avoiding the horse-faced Guardian, who still sat and waited - and like her, he too waited. All who inhabit the House of Foryx will pass by the landing if you wait long enough, Hotep-Ra had advised. Septimus was prepared to wait for as long as it took for Jenna and Beetle to pass by. But the combination of the warmth of the muggy atmosphere and his restless night soon began to have an effect, and it was not long before Septimus had lain down on his bench and fallen asleep.

He dreamed the strangest dreams: Hotep-Ra and Tertius Fume dancing down Wizard Way, Marcia flying Spit Fyre through a thunderstorm, Talmar playing cards with a crocodile and Nicko shaking him, saying, "Wake up, you lazy lummox!"

The shaking continued past the dream and blearily Septimus opened one eye to find himself face to face with - Nicko. In a split second Septimus was wide-awake. "Nik!" He threw his arms around his brother. "Hey, you're real."

"And so are you." Nicko laughed.

"Sep - oh, Sep, you've escaped!" Jenna cried happily.

"Well, it wasn't really like that but - "

The tall, horse-faced woman pushed between them and clamped a heavy hand on Jenna's shoulder.

"When you have finished your touching reunion, I will have the key. Now please."

Beetle sprang forward and pulled the hand away. "Leave her alone," he said.

But in the absence of a panther, the Guardian was not to be deterred. She grabbed Jenna's arm. Jenna yelped in pain. "Give me the key. If I have to take it I shall use it to lock you away. For Eternity."

Nicko loathed the Guardian. She had once called Snorri a witch and Hidden her in another turret for - how long? Nicko did not know. Days, weeks, centuries - he had no idea. Now it was payback time. Using more force than he knew was necessary, Nicko grabbed the Guardian's wrist and angrily wrenched her arm away. Suddenly there was a loud scream and the Guardian was cradling her wrist, her hand hanging limp.

"Nik!" gasped Jenna. "You've broken her arm."

"Desperate times, desperate measures," said Nicko, heading for the stairs down the hall. "Let's get out of here. Who is waiting outside? I bet it's Sam, isn't it?"

Jenna ran to keep up with him. "No."

"Or Dad. Must be Dad. I can't wait to see him. And Mum."

Jenna couldn't bear it. "No! Oh, Nik, I didn't tell you. There's no one outside."

Nicko stopped dead. "No one?"

"No."

Beetle stared at his feet and wished he could disappear forever - until it occurred to him that that was exactly what he was going to do. He felt terrible.

"Then we're all stuck," said Nicko angrily. "Just like me and Snorri. We'll never go home. Ever."

"Not necessarily," said Septimus. "I have an idea."