"Just remind me how it goes, Alther, then I can do it. I'm sure I can."

Silas's Remove Remove worked well. The books lined up neatly, the trapdoor flew open, and book by book they flew up through it and stacked up in Silas and Sarah's old bedroom. One or two of the more contrary books headed out the door and were halfway down the corridor before Silas managed to worked well. The books lined up neatly, the trapdoor flew open, and book by book they flew up through it and stacked up in Silas and Sarah's old bedroom. One or two of the more contrary books headed out the door and were halfway down the corridor before Silas managed to Call Call them back, but by the end of the spell all the them back, but by the end of the spell all the Magyk Magyk books were safely in the roof and Silas had even books were safely in the roof and Silas had even Disguised Disguised the trapdoor. Now no one could possibly guess what was there. the trapdoor. Now no one could possibly guess what was there.

And so Silas walked out of his empty, echoing room for the last time and took off down Corridor 223. Alther floated along with him.

"Come and sit with us for a while," Alther offered, "down at the Hole in the Wall."

"Where?"

"I only recently discovered it myself. One of the Ancients showed me. It's an old tavern inside the Castle walls. Got bricked up years ago by one of the Queens who disapproved of beer. Seems as long as you've walked the Castle walls-and who hasn't?-a ghost can get in, so it's packed. It's got a great atmosphere-might cheer you up."

"I don't know if I really fancy it, thanks all the same, Alther. Isn't that the one where they bricked up the nun?"

"Oh, she's great fun, is Sister Bernadette. Loves a pint of beer. Life and soul of the party. So to speak. Anyway, I've got some news of Simon that I think you should hear."

"Simon! Is he all right? Where is is he?" asked Silas. he?" asked Silas.

"He's here, Silas. In the Castle. Come along to the Hole in the Wall. There's someone you need to talk to."

The Hole in the Wall Tavern was buzzing.

Alther had led Silas to a tumbledown pile of stones heaped up against the Castle wall just along from the North Gate. He had shown him a small gap in the wall hidden behind the pile of rubble, and Silas had barely managed to squeeze through. Once through he had found himself in another world.

The Hole in the Wall was an ancient tavern built inside the wide Castle wall. When Marcia had taken her shortcut to the North Side those few days ago, part of her journey had taken her over the roof of the tavern, but she had been unaware of the motley collection of ghosts talking the long years away right beneath her feet.

It took Silas a few minutes for his eyes to adjust from the brightness of the snow to the dull glow of the lamps that flickered along the walls. But as they did he became aware of a most amazing collection of ghosts. They were gathered around long trestle tables, standing together in small groups beside the ghostly fire or just sitting in solitary contemplation in a quiet corner. There was a large contingent of ExtraOrdinary Wizards, their purple cloaks and robes spanning the different styles fashionable through the centuries. There were knights in full armor, pages in extravagant liveries, women with wimples, young Queens with rich silk dresses and older Queens in black, all enjoying one another's company.

Alther led Silas through the crowd. Silas did his best not to walk through any of them, but once or twice he felt a cold breeze as he pa.s.sed through a ghost. No one seemed to mind-some nodded to him in a friendly manner and others were too intent on their endless conversation to notice him-and Silas got the impression that any friend of Alther's was a welcome guest in The Hole in the Wall.

The ghostly landlord of the tavern had long ago given up hovering by the beer barrels, for the ghosts all nursed the same tankard of beer that they had been given when they first arrived, and some tankards had lasted for many hundreds of years. Alther bade a cheery h.e.l.lo to the landlord, who was deep in conversation with three ExtraOrdinary Wizards and an old tramp who had long ago fallen asleep under one of the tables and never woken up again. Then he steered Silas over to a quiet corner where a plump figure in a nun's habit was sitting waiting for them.

"May I introduce Sister Bernadette," said Alther. "Sister Bernadette, this is Silas Heap-the one I was telling you about. He is the boy's father."

Despite Sister Bernadette's bright smile Silas felt a sense of foreboding.

The round-faced nun turned her twinkling eyes to Silas and said in a soft lilting voice, "He's quite a lad, your boy, isn't he? He knows what he wants, and isn't afraid of going out to get it."

"Well, I suppose so. He certainly wants to be a Wizard, I know that. He wants an Apprenticeship, but of course with the ways things are now..."

"Ah, to be sure it's not a good time to be a young and hopeful Wizard," agreed the nun, "but that's not why he came back to the Castle, you know."

"So he has has come back. Oh, that's a relief. I thought he had been captured. Or-or come back. Oh, that's a relief. I thought he had been captured. Or-or killed killed."

Alther put his hand on Silas's shoulder. "Unfortunately Silas, he was captured yesterday. Sister Bernadette was there. She will tell you."

Silas put his head in his hands and groaned.

"How?" he asked. "What happened?"

"Well, now," said the nun, "it would seem that young Simon had a girlfriend."

"Did he?"

"Yes indeed. Lucy Gringe is her name."

"Not Gringe the Gatekeeper's daughter? Oh, no no."

"I'm sure she's a nice la.s.s, Silas," remonstrated Sister Bernadette.

"Well, I hope she's nothing like her father, that's all I can say. Lucy Gringe. Lucy Gringe. Oh, goodness." Oh, goodness."

"Well now, Silas, it seems Simon took himself back to the Castle for a pressing reason. He and Lucy had a secret appointment at the chapel. To be married. So romantic." The nun smiled dreamily.

"Married? I don't I don't believe believe it. I'm related to the ghastly Gringe." Silas looked whiter than some of the occupants of the tavern. it. I'm related to the ghastly Gringe." Silas looked whiter than some of the occupants of the tavern.

"No, Silas, you are not," said Sister Bernadette disapprovingly. "Because unfortunately young Simon and Lucy did not actually get married."

"Unfortunately?"

"Gringe found out and tipped off the Custodian Guards. He no more wanted his daughter to marry a Heap than you wanted Simon to marry a Gringe. The Guards stormed the chapel, sent the distraught la.s.s home and took Simon away." The nun sighed. "So cruel, so cruel."

"Where have they taken him?" Silas asked quietly.

"Well, now, Silas," said Sister Bernadette in her soft voice, "I was in the chapel myself for the wedding. I love a wedding. And the Guard that had hold of Simon walked right through me, and so I knew what he was thinking just at that moment. He was thinking that he was to take your boy to the Courthouse. To the Supreme Custodian no less. I am so sorry to be telling you this, Silas." The nun put her ghostly hand on Silas's arm. It was a warm touch but held little comfort for Silas.

This was the news Silas had been dreading. Simon was in the hands of the Supreme Custodian-how was he to break the terrible news to Sarah? Silas spent the rest of the day in The Hole in the Wall waiting, while Alther sent out as many ghosts as he could to the Courthouse to search for Simon and find out what was happening to him.

None of them had any luck. It was as if Simon had vanished.

27.

STANLEY'S J JOURNEY On MidWinter Feast Day, Stanley was woken by his wife. He had an urgent message from the Rat Office. was woken by his wife. He had an urgent message from the Rat Office.

"I don't know why they can't at least let you have today today off," his wife complained. "It's work, work, work with you, Stanley. We need a holiday." off," his wife complained. "It's work, work, work with you, Stanley. We need a holiday."

"Dawnie dear," said Stanley patiently. "If I don't do the work, we don't get the holiday. It's as simple as that. Did they say what they wanted me for?"

"Didn't ask." Dawnie shrugged grumpily. "I expect it's those no-good Wizards again."

"They're not so bad. Even the ExtraOrdinary Wiz-oops."

"Oh, is that that where you've been?" where you've been?"

"No."

"Yes, it is. You can't hide anything from me, even if you are a Confidential. Well, let me give you one piece of advice, Stanley."

"Only one?"

"Don't get involved with Wizards, Stanley. They are trouble. trouble. Trust me, I know. The last one, that Marcia woman, you know what she did? She stole some poor Wizard family's only daughter and ran off with her. No one knows why. And now the rest of the family-what was their name? Oh that's it, Heap-well, they've all upped and gone looking for her. Of course the one good thing is we've got a nice new ExtraOrdinary out of it, but goodness knows he's got enough on his plate sorting out the mess the last one left, so we won't be seeing Trust me, I know. The last one, that Marcia woman, you know what she did? She stole some poor Wizard family's only daughter and ran off with her. No one knows why. And now the rest of the family-what was their name? Oh that's it, Heap-well, they've all upped and gone looking for her. Of course the one good thing is we've got a nice new ExtraOrdinary out of it, but goodness knows he's got enough on his plate sorting out the mess the last one left, so we won't be seeing him him for a while. And isn't it awful about all those poor homeless rats?" for a while. And isn't it awful about all those poor homeless rats?"

"What poor homeless rats?" said Stanley wearily, itching to get off to the Rat Office and see what his next job was.

"All the ones from Sally Mullin's Tea and Ale House. You know the night we got the new ExtraOrdinary? Well, Sally Mullin left some of that ghastly barley cake in the oven for too long and burned the whole place down. There're thirty thirty rat families homeless now. Terrible thing in this weather." rat families homeless now. Terrible thing in this weather."

"Yes, terrible. Well, I'll be off now, dear. I'll see you when I get back." Stanley hurried off to the Rat Office.

The Rat Office was at the top of the East Gate Lookout Tower. Stanley took the quick route, running along the top of the Castle wall, over The Hole in the Wall Tavern, which even Stanley did not know existed. The rat quickly reached the Lookout Tower and scurried into a large drainpipe that ran up the side. Soon he emerged at the top, jumped onto the parapet and knocked on the door of a small hut bearing the words:

OFFICIAL RAT OFFICE.

MESSAGE RATS ONLY.

CUSTOMER OFFICE ON GROUND FLOOR.

BY RUBBISH BINS.

"Enter!" called a voice that Stanley did not recognize. Stanley tiptoed in. He didn't like the sound of the voice at all.

Stanley didn't care much for the look of the rat who owned the voice either. An unfamiliar large black rat sat behind the message desk. His long pink tail was looped over the desk and flicked impatiently as Stanley took in his new boss.

"You the Confidential I sent for?" barked the black rat.

"That's right," said Stanley, a little uncertainly.

"That's right, sir sir, to you," the black rat told him.

"Oh," said Stanley, taken aback.

"Oh, sir sir," corrected the black rat. "Right, Rat 101-"

"Rat 101?"

"Rat 101, sir sir. I demand some respect around here, Rat 101, and I intend to get it. We start with numbers. Each Message Rat is to be known by number only. A numbered rat is an efficient rat where I come from."

"Where do do you come from?" ventured Stanley. you come from?" ventured Stanley.

"Sir. Never you mind," barked the black rat. "Now, I have a job for you, 101." The black rat fished out a piece of paper from the basket that he had winched up from the Customer Office below. It was a message order, and Stanley noticed that it was written on headed note paper from the Palace of the Custodians. And it was signed by the Supreme Custodian no less.

But for some reason that Stanley did not understand, the actual message he was to deliver was not from the Supreme Custodian, but from Silas Heap. And it was to be delivered to Marcia Overstrand.

"Oh, bother," said Stanley, his heart sinking. Another trip across the Marram Marshes dodging that Marsh Python was not what he had hoped for.

"Oh, bother, sir sir," corrected the black rat. "The acceptance of this job is not optional," he barked. "And one last thing, Rat 101. Confidential status withdrawn."

"What? You can't do that!" You can't do that!"

"Sir. You can't do that, sir sir. Can do it. Have, in fact, done done it." The black rat allowed a smug smile to drift past his whiskers. it." The black rat allowed a smug smile to drift past his whiskers.

"But I've got all my exams, and I've only just done my Higher Confidentials. And And I came top-" I came top-"

"And I came top, sir. Too bad. Confidential status revoked. End of story. Dismissed."

"But-but-" spluttered Stanley.

"Now push off push off," snapped the black rat, his tail flicking angrily.

Stanley pushed off.

Downstairs, Stanley dropped the paperwork off at the Customer Office as usual. The Office Rat scrutinized the message sheet and poked a stubby paw at Marcia's name.

"Know where to find her, do you?" he inquired.

"Of course," said Stanley.

"Good. That's what we like to hear," said the rat.

"Weird," muttered Stanley to himself. He didn't much like the new staff at the Rat Office, and he wondered what had happened to the nice old rats who used to run it.