"Banish!"

Suddenly Marcia is alone in the chimney of Dungeon Number One. Her nightmare has come true. "Alther!" she screams. "Alther, where are you?"

There is no reply. Alther is Banished.

1.

THE V VISIT.

Lucy Gringe found the last s.p.a.ce on the dawn Port barge. She squeezed in between a young man clutching an aggressive chicken and a thin, weary-looking woman wrapped in a woolen cloak. The woman-who had uncomfortably piercing green eyes-quickly glanced at Lucy, then looked away. Lucy dumped her bag down by her feet to claim her s.p.a.ce; there was no way she was going to be standing up for the entire journey to the Castle. The green-eyed woman would have to get used to being squashed. Lucy swiveled around and looked back up at the quay. She saw the damp, lonely-looking figure of Simon Heap standing on the edge, and she gave him a brief smile. s.p.a.ce on the dawn Port barge. She squeezed in between a young man clutching an aggressive chicken and a thin, weary-looking woman wrapped in a woolen cloak. The woman-who had uncomfortably piercing green eyes-quickly glanced at Lucy, then looked away. Lucy dumped her bag down by her feet to claim her s.p.a.ce; there was no way she was going to be standing up for the entire journey to the Castle. The green-eyed woman would have to get used to being squashed. Lucy swiveled around and looked back up at the quay. She saw the damp, lonely-looking figure of Simon Heap standing on the edge, and she gave him a brief smile.

It was a bleak, cold morning, with a threat of snow in the sky. Simon shivered and attempted a smile in return. He raised his voice against the bangs and thuds that accompanied the barge's sail being readied. "Take care, Lu!"

"And you!" Lucy replied, elbowing the chicken out of the way. "I'll be back the day after Longest Night. Promise!"

Simon nodded. "You got my letters?" he called out.

"'Course I have," returned Lucy. "How much?" This was addressed to the barge boy who was collecting the fares. much?" This was addressed to the barge boy who was collecting the fares.

"Six pence, darlin'."

"Don't call me darlin'!" Lucy flared. She fished around in her purse and dumped a large collection of bra.s.s coins into the boy's outstretched hand. "Could buy my own boat for that," she said. call me darlin'!" Lucy flared. She fished around in her purse and dumped a large collection of bra.s.s coins into the boy's outstretched hand. "Could buy my own boat for that," she said.

The boy shrugged. He handed her a ticket and moved along to a travel-stained woman next to her, who was, Lucy thought, a stranger who had just arrived at the Port. The woman gave the barge boy a large silver coin-a half crown-and waited patiently while the boy made a fuss with the change. When she politely thanked him, Lucy noticed that she had a strange accent, which reminded her of someone, although she couldn't think who. Lucy was too cold to think right then-and too anxious. She hadn't been back home for a long time, and now that she was sitting in the boat bound for the Castle, the thought scared her a little. She wasn't sure what kind of reception she would get. And she didn't like leaving Simon, either.

The Port barge was beginning to move. Two dockhands were pushing the long, narrow boat away from the sh.o.r.e, and the barge boy was raising the worn red sail. Lucy gave Simon a forlorn wave, and the barge drew away from the quay and moved toward the fast incoming tide running up the middle of the river. Every now and then Lucy glanced back to see Simon's solitary figure still standing on the quay, his long, fair hair blowing in the breeze, his pale wool cloak fluttering behind him like moth wings.

Simon watched the Port barge until it disappeared into the low mist that hung over the river toward the Marram Marshes. As the last vestige of the barge vanished, he stamped his feet to get some warmth into them, then headed off into the warren of streets that would take him back to his room in the attic of the Customs House.

At the top of the Customs House stairs Simon pushed open the battered door to his room and stepped across the threshold. A deep chill hit him so hard that it took his breath away. At once he knew that something was wrong-his attic room was cold, but it was never this this cold. This was a Darke cold. Behind him the door slammed shut and, as if from the end of a long, deep tunnel, Simon heard the bolt shoot across the door, making him a prisoner in his own room. Heart pounding, Simon forced himself to look up. He was determined not to use any of his old Darke skills but some, once learned, kicked in automatically-and one of these was the ability to See in the Darke. And so, unlike most people who, if they have the misfortune to look at a Thing, see only shifting shadows and glimpses of decay, Simon saw the Thing in all its glorious detail, sitting on his narrow bed, Watching him with its hooded eyes. It made him feel sick. cold. This was a Darke cold. Behind him the door slammed shut and, as if from the end of a long, deep tunnel, Simon heard the bolt shoot across the door, making him a prisoner in his own room. Heart pounding, Simon forced himself to look up. He was determined not to use any of his old Darke skills but some, once learned, kicked in automatically-and one of these was the ability to See in the Darke. And so, unlike most people who, if they have the misfortune to look at a Thing, see only shifting shadows and glimpses of decay, Simon saw the Thing in all its glorious detail, sitting on his narrow bed, Watching him with its hooded eyes. It made him feel sick.

"Welcome." The Thing's deep, menacing voice filled the room and sent a stream of goose b.u.mps down Simon's spine.

"G-Ger . . ." stuttered Simon.

Satisfied, the Thing noted the terrified expression in Simon's dark green eyes. It crossed its long, spindly legs and began to chew one of its peeling fingers while regarding Simon with a baleful stare.

Not so very ago, the Thing's stare would have meant nothing to Simon; one of his pastimes during his residency at the Observatory in the Badlands had been staring down the Things that he occasionally Summoned. But now Simon could hardly bear to look in the direction of the decaying bundle of rags and bones that sat on his bed, let alone meet its gaze.

The Thing duly noted Simon's reluctance and spat a blackened nail onto the floor. A brief thought of what Lucy would say if she found that that on the floor ran through Simon's mind, and the thought of Lucy made him just about brave enough to speak. on the floor ran through Simon's mind, and the thought of Lucy made him just about brave enough to speak.

"Wher-what do you want?" he whispered.

"You," came the hollow voice of the Thing. came the hollow voice of the Thing.

"M-me?"

The Thing regarded Simon with disdain. "Y-you," it sneered.

"Why?"

"I have come to Fetch you. As per your contract."

"Contract . . . what contract contract?"

"The one you made with our late Master. You are still Bound."

"What? But . . . but he's dead. DomDaniel is dead." But . . . but he's dead. DomDaniel is dead."

"The Possessor of the Two-Faced Ring is not dead," intoned the Thing.

Simon, a.s.suming-as the Thing intended-that the Possessor of the Two-Faced Ring could only be DomDaniel, was horrified. "DomDaniel's not not dead?" dead?"

The Thing did not answer Simon's question; it merely repeated its instruction. "The Possessor of the Two-Faced Ring requires your presence. You will attend immediately."

Simon was too shocked to move. All his attempts to put the Darke behind him and make a new life with Lucy suddenly seemed futile. He put his head in his hands, wondering how he could have been so foolish as to think that he could escape the Darke. A creak in a floorboard made him look up. Simon saw the Thing advancing toward him, its bony hands outstretched.

Simon leaped to his feet. He didn't care what happened but he was not going back to the Darke. He raced to the door and pulled at the bolt but it would not shift. The Thing was close behind him now, so close that Simon could smell the decay and taste the bitterness of it on his tongue. He glanced at the window. It was a long way down.

His mind racing, Simon backed away, toward the window. Maybe if he jumped he would land on the balcony two floors down. Maybe he could grab the drainpipe. Or haul himself up onto the roof.

The Thing regarded him with displeasure. "Apprentice, you will come with me. Or do I have to Fetch you?" Its voice filled the low-ceilinged room with threat.

Simon decided to go for the drainpipe. He threw open the window, half clambered out and seized the thick black pipe that ran down the rear wall of the Customs House. A howl of anger came after him and, as Simon tried to swing his feet off the window ledge, he felt an irresistible force dragging him back into the room-the Thing had put a Fetch on him.

Even though Simon knew that there was no resisting a Fetch, he clung desperately onto the pipe while his feet were being pulled so hard that he felt like the rope in a tug-of-war. Suddenly the rusty metal lurking below the drainpipe's thick black paint came away in his hands, and Simon shot back into the room, pipe and all. He slammed into the bony-yet disgustingly soft-body of the Thing and fell to the floor. Unable to move, Simon lay looking up.

The Thing smirked down at him. "You will follow me," it intoned.

Like a broken puppet, Simon was dragged to his feet. He staggered out of his room and lurched like an automaton down the long, narrow stairs. In front of him glided the Thing. As they emerged onto the quayside, the Thing became no more than an indistinct shadow, so that when Maureen from the Harbor and Dock Pie Shop glanced up from opening the shutters, all she saw was Simon walking stiffly across the quay, heading toward the shadows of Fore Street. Maureen wiped her hand across her eyes. Some dust must have got in them, she thought-everything around Simon looked strangely fuzzy. Maureen waved cheerily but Simon did not respond. She smiled and fastened open the last shutter. He was an odd one, that Simon. Always had his head in some Magyk book or chanting a spell.

"Pies ready in ten minutes. I'll save you a veg and bacon one!" she called out, but Simon had vanished into the side streets, and Maureen could once more see clearly across the empty quayside.

When a person is Fetched, there is no stopping, no rest, no respite, until the person has reached the place to which he is Fetched. For a whole day and half a night Simon waded through marshes, scrambled through hedges and stumbled along stony paths. Rain soaked him, winds buffeted him, snow flurries froze him, but he could stop for nothing. Relentlessly on he went until finally, in the cold, gray light of the next day's dawn, he swum an ice-cold river, hauled himself out, staggered across the early morning dew and climbed up a crumbling wall of ivy. At the very top he was dragged through an attic window and frogmarched to a windowless room. When the door was barred behind him and he was left alone, sprawled on the bare floor, Simon no longer knew or cared where-or who-he was.

2.

VISITORS.

Night and a cold drizzle were falling fast when the Port barge drew up at the New Quay, a recently built stone jetty just below Sally Mullin's Tea and Ale House. Accompanied by a.s.sorted children, chickens and bundles, the frazzled pa.s.sengers rose stiffly from their seats and stumbled down the gangway. Many of them made their way unsteadily along the well-trodden path to the Tea and Ale House to warm themselves by the stove and fill up with Sally's winter specials: mulled Springo Ale and warm spiced barley cake. Others, longing to get home to a warm fireside, set off on the long trudge up the hill, past the Castle amenity rubbish dump, to the South Gate, which would remain open until midnight. were falling fast when the Port barge drew up at the New Quay, a recently built stone jetty just below Sally Mullin's Tea and Ale House. Accompanied by a.s.sorted children, chickens and bundles, the frazzled pa.s.sengers rose stiffly from their seats and stumbled down the gangway. Many of them made their way unsteadily along the well-trodden path to the Tea and Ale House to warm themselves by the stove and fill up with Sally's winter specials: mulled Springo Ale and warm spiced barley cake. Others, longing to get home to a warm fireside, set off on the long trudge up the hill, past the Castle amenity rubbish dump, to the South Gate, which would remain open until midnight.

Lucy Gringe did not relish the thought of the walk up the hill one little bit, especially when she knew that the Port barge was probably pa.s.sing by where she was headed. She glanced at the woman sitting beside her. Lucy had spent the first half of the journey trying to avoid her oddly unsettling gaze but, after her neighbor had ventured a tentative question about directions to the Palace-which was where Lucy's first errand was taking her-they had spent the second half of the journey in animated conversation. The woman now rose wearily to follow the other pa.s.sengers.

"Wait a minute!" said Lucy to her. "I've got an idea . . . 'Scuse me? 'Scuse me?" she shouted at the barge boy.

The barge boy swung around. "Yeah, darlin'?"

With some effort, Lucy ignored the "darlin'." "Where are you docking tonight?" she asked.

"With this North wind blowin' up, it'll be Jannit Maarten's," he replied. "Why?"

"Well, I just wondered . . ." Lucy gave the barge boy her best smile. "I just wondered wondered if you could if you could possibly possibly let us off at a landing stage on your way there. It's let us off at a landing stage on your way there. It's so so cold tonight. And dark too." Lucy shivered expressively and looked mournfully up at the barge boy with her big brown eyes. He was lost. cold tonight. And dark too." Lucy shivered expressively and looked mournfully up at the barge boy with her big brown eyes. He was lost.

"'Course we could, darlin'. I'll tell Skip. Where d'you want to get off?"

"The Palace Landing Stage, please."

The barge boy blinked in surprise. "The Palace? You sure, darlin'?"

Lucy fought down an urge to yell "Don't call me darlin', creep boy!" "Yes, please," she said. "If it's not too much trouble."

"Nothin's too much trouble for you you, darlin'," said creep boy, "though I wouldn't have put you down for the Palace meself."

"Oh?" Lucy was not sure how to take this.

"Yeah. You know that landing stage is haunted, don't you?"

Lucy shrugged. "Doesn't worry me," she said. "I never see ghosts."

The Port barge cast off from the New Quay. It made a U-turn in the wide part of the river, rocking scarily as it cut across the current and the chop of the waves whisked up by the wind. But as soon as the barge faced downstream all became quiet once more and, about ten minutes later, it was gliding to a halt beside the Palace Landing Stage.

"Here y'are, darlin'," said the barge boy, throwing a rope around one of the mooring posts. "Have fun." He winked at Lucy.

"Thank you," said Lucy rather primly. She got up and held out her hand to her neighbor. "We're here," she said. The woman gave Lucy a grateful smile. She got stiffly to her feet and followed Lucy off the barge.

The Port barge drew away from the landing stage. "See ya!" yelled the barge boy.

"Not if I see you first," Lucy muttered. She turned to her companion, who was gazing at the Palace in amazement. It was indeed a beautiful sight-a long, low building of ancient mellow stone with tall, elegant windows looking out over the well-tended lawns that swept down to the river. From every window, a welcoming candle flickered, making the whole building glimmer magically in the deepening twilight.

"She lives here here?" the woman murmured in a singsong accent.

Lucy nodded shortly. Anxious to get going, she started purposefully up the wide path that led to the Palace. But her companion was not following. The woman was still on the landing stage, talking to what appeared to be an empty s.p.a.ce. Lucy sighed-why did she always pick the weird ones? Reluctant to interrupt the woman's one-sided conversation- which seemed to be a serious one, for she was now nodding sadly-Lucy carried on, heading toward the lights of the Palace.

Lucy did not feel good. She was tired and cold and, above all, she was beginning to be anxious about the kind of welcome she would receive at the Palace. She put her hand in her pocket and found Simon's letters. She drew them out and squinted at the names written in Simon's large, loopy handwriting: Sarah Heap Sarah Heap. Jenna Heap Jenna Heap. Septimus Heap Septimus Heap. She placed the one addressed to Septimus back in her pocket and kept hold of the ones addressed to Jenna and Sarah. Lucy sighed. All she wanted to do was to run home and know that it was "all right, Lucy-Lu." But Simon had asked her to deliver the letters to his mother and sister, and-whatever Sarah Heap thought of her-deliver them she would.

Lucy's companion was now hurrying after her.

"Lucy, I am sorry," she said. "I have just heard such a sad story from a ghost. It is sad, so very sad. The love of her life- and of her death-has been Banished. By mistake mistake. How can any Wizard make such a mistake? Oh, it is a terrible thing." The woman shook her head. "Truly terrible."

"I suppose that must be Alice Nettles," said Lucy. "Simon said he'd heard that something horrible had happened to Alther."

"Yes. Alice and Alther. So very sad . . ."

Lucy did not have much time for ghosts. The way she saw it, ghosts were dead-it was being with the person you wanted to be with while you were alive alive that mattered. Which was, she thought, why she was back at the Castle right now, shivering in the bitter north wind that was blowing in off the river, tired and wishing she was wrapped up warmly in bed. that mattered. Which was, she thought, why she was back at the Castle right now, shivering in the bitter north wind that was blowing in off the river, tired and wishing she was wrapped up warmly in bed.

"Shall we get going?" said Lucy. "I don't know about you, but I'm frozen."

The woman nodded. Tall and thin, her thick woolen cloak wrapped around her against the wind, she stepped carefully, her bright eyes scanning the scene in front of her because, unlike Lucy, she did not see a wide, empty path. For her, the path and the lawns bounding it were full of ghosts: hurrying Palace servants, young princesses playing tag, little page boys, ancient queens wandering through vanished shrubberies, and elderly Palace gardeners wheeling their ghostly wheelbarrows. She went carefully, because the trouble with being a Spirit-Seer was that ghosts did not get out of your way; they saw you as just another ghost-until you Pa.s.sed Through them. And then, of course, they were horribly offended.

Unaware of any ghosts at all, Lucy strode up the path at a fast pace, and the ghosts, some of whom were well acquainted with Lucy and her big boots, got smartly out of her way. Lucy soon reached the top path that encircled the Palace and she turned around to check on her companion, who was lagging behind. The oddest sight met her eyes-the woman was dancing up the path on tiptoe, zigzagging to and fro, as if she was taking part in one of the old-fashioned Castle dances-on her own. Lucy shook her head. This did not bode well.

Eventually the woman-fl.u.s.tered and out of breath- joined her, and Lucy set off without a word. She had decided to take the path that led around the Palace and to head for the main front door rather than risk no one hearing her knock on the mult.i.tude of kitchen and side doors.

The Palace was a long building, and it was a good ten minutes before Lucy and the woman were at last crossing the flat wooden bridge over the decorative Palace moat. As they approached, a small boy pulled open the night door-a little door set into the main double doors.

"Welcome to the Palace," piped Barney Pot, resplendent in a gray Palace tunic and red leggings. "Who do you wish to see?"

Lucy did not have a chance to reply.

"Barney!" came a lilting voice from inside. "There you are. you are.

You must go to bed, you have school tomorrow."

Lucy's companion went pale.

Barney looked back inside. "But I like like doing the door," he protested. "Please, just five more minutes." doing the door," he protested. "Please, just five more minutes."

"No, Barney. Bed Bed."

"Snorri?" The faltering word came from the woman. The faltering word came from the woman.

A tall girl with green eyes and long, white-blonde hair stuck her head out of the night door and peered into the dark. She blinked, stared straight past Lucy and gasped. "Mamma!"

"Snorri . . . oh, Snorri Snorri!" cried Alfrun Snorrelssen.

Snorri Snorrelssen threw herself into the arms of her mother. Lucy smiled wistfully. Maybe, she thought, it was a good omen. Maybe later that night, when she knocked on the door of the North Gate gatehouse, her mother would be just as pleased to see her her. Maybe.

About the Authors

ANGIE SAGE was born in London and grew up in the Thames Valley, London, and Kent. She now lives in Somerset in a very old house that has a secret tunnel below it. The first four books in the Septimus Heap series are international bestsellers. She is also the author of the Araminta Spookie series. was born in London and grew up in the Thames Valley, London, and Kent. She now lives in Somerset in a very old house that has a secret tunnel below it. The first four books in the Septimus Heap series are international bestsellers. She is also the author of the Araminta Spookie series.