"Really?" said Aunt Zelda. "You don"t look a bit like I expected."
"I"ll take that as a compliment," said Alther graciously. "Excuse my rudeness in not alighting from my boat to greet you, but I have to stay in my dear old boat Molly Molly, otherwise I will be Returned Returned. But it is a pleasure to meet you, Madam. I take it you are Zelda Heap."
"Zelda!" Silas called out from the cottage.
Aunt Zelda looked up at the cottage, puzzled. All the lanterns and candles were blazing, and it seemed to be full of people.
"Silas?" she yelled. "What are you you doing here?" doing here?"
"Stay there," he shouted. "Don"t come in. We"ll be out in a minute!" He disappeared into the cottage, and Aunt Zelda heard him say, "No, Marcia, I"ve told her to stay outside. Anyway, I"m sure Zelda wouldn"t dream dream of interfering. No, I of interfering. No, I don"t don"t know if there are any more cabbages. Why do you want know if there are any more cabbages. Why do you want ten ten cabbages anyway?" cabbages anyway?"
Aunt Zelda turned to Alther, who was lounging comfortably in the prow of the fishing boat. "Why can"t I go in?" she demanded. "What"s going on? How did Silas get here?" can"t I go in?" she demanded. "What"s going on? How did Silas get here?"
"It"s a long story, Zelda," said the ghost.
"You may as well tell me," said Aunt Zelda, "as I don"t suppose anyone else will bother to. They seem too busy raiding my entire stock of cabbages."
"Well," said Alther, "I was in DomDaniel"s rooms one day attending to some, er, business, when the Hunter came and told him he had found out where you all were. I knew you were safe while the Big Freeze lasted, but when the Big Thaw arrived I thought you would be in trouble. I was right. As soon as the thaw came, DomDaniel shot off to Bleak Creek and picked up that ghastly ship of his, ready to bring the Hunter down here. I arranged for my dear friend Alice at the Port to have a ship ready and waiting to take you all somewhere safe. Silas insisted that all all the Heaps had to go, so I offered him the Heaps had to go, so I offered him Molly Molly to travel in down to the Port. Jannit Maarten had her laid up at the boatyard, but Silas got her in the water. Jannit wasn"t very happy about the state to travel in down to the Port. Jannit Maarten had her laid up at the boatyard, but Silas got her in the water. Jannit wasn"t very happy about the state Molly Molly was in, but we couldn"t wait around for any repairs. We stopped off at the Forest and picked up Sarah; she was very upset because none of the boys would come. We set off without them, and we were making good time until we had a small technical problem-a large technical problem, actually. Silas put his foot through the bottom of the boat. While we were repairing it we got overtaken by the was in, but we couldn"t wait around for any repairs. We stopped off at the Forest and picked up Sarah; she was very upset because none of the boys would come. We set off without them, and we were making good time until we had a small technical problem-a large technical problem, actually. Silas put his foot through the bottom of the boat. While we were repairing it we got overtaken by the Vengeance. Vengeance. Lucky not to be spotted, really. Sarah was in a terrible state about that-she thought all was lost. And then, to crown it all, we got caught up in the Lucky not to be spotted, really. Sarah was in a terrible state about that-she thought all was lost. And then, to crown it all, we got caught up in the Storm Storm and swept onto the marshes. Not one of my most enjoyable trips in and swept onto the marshes. Not one of my most enjoyable trips in Molly Molly. But here we are, and while we were just messing about in a boat, you seem to have dealt with everything most satisfactorily yourselves."
"Apart from the mud," muttered Aunt Zelda.
"Indeed," agreed Alther. "But in my experience Darke Magyk Darke Magyk always leaves some kind of dirt behind. It could be worse." always leaves some kind of dirt behind. It could be worse."
Aunt Zelda did not reply. She was somewhat distracted by the din coming from the cottage. Suddenly there was a loud crash followed by raised voices.
"Alther, what is is going on in there?" demanded Aunt Zelda. "I"m only gone for a few hours, then I come back to find some kind of party going on and I"m not even allowed back into my own home. Marcia has gone too far this time if you ask me." going on in there?" demanded Aunt Zelda. "I"m only gone for a few hours, then I come back to find some kind of party going on and I"m not even allowed back into my own home. Marcia has gone too far this time if you ask me."
"It"s an Apprentice Supper," said Alther. "For the Young Army lad. He"s just become Marcia"s Apprentice."
"Really? That"s wonderful wonderful news," said Aunt Zelda, brightening. "Perfect news in fact. But you know, I always hoped he would." news," said Aunt Zelda, brightening. "Perfect news in fact. But you know, I always hoped he would."
"Did you?" said Alther, beginning to warm to Aunt Zelda. "I always did too."
"Still," sighed Aunt Zelda, "I could have done without this supper lark. I had a nice quiet bean and eel stew planned for tonight."
"Got to have the Apprentice Supper tonight, Zelda," Alther said. "It must be held on the day the Apprentice accepts a Wizard"s offer. Otherwise the contract between the Wizard and the Apprentice is void. And you can"t make the contract again-you only get one chance. No supper, no contract, no Apprentice."
"Oh, I know," said Aunt Zelda airily.
"When Marcia was Apprenticed to me," said Alther nostalgically, "I remember we had quite a night. We had all the Wizards there, and there were a lot more in those days too. That supper was something we talked about for years afterward. We had it in the Hall of the Wizard Tower-you ever been there, Zelda?"
Aunt Zelda shook her head. The Wizard Tower was somewhere she would have liked to have visited, but when Silas was briefly Alther"s Apprentice she had been too busy taking over as Keeper of the Dragon Boat from the previous White Witch, Betty Crackle, who had let things go somewhat.
"Ah, well, let"s hope you get to see it one day. It is a wonderful place," he said, remembering the luxury and Magyk Magyk that had surrounded them all then. A little different, thought Alther, from a makeshift party beside a fishing boat. that had surrounded them all then. A little different, thought Alther, from a makeshift party beside a fishing boat.
"Well, I have every hope that Marcia will be going back very soon," said Aunt Zelda. "Now that we seem to have got rid of that awful DomDaniel man."
"I was Apprenticed to that awful DomDaniel man, you know," Alther continued, "and all I got for my Apprentice Supper was a cheese sandwich. I can tell you, Zelda, I regretted eating that cheese sandwich more than anything else I had ever done in my life. It bound me to that man for years and years."
"Until you pushed him off the Wizard Tower." Aunt Zelda chuckled.
"I didn"t push him. He jumped jumped," protested Alther. Yet again again. And not, he suspected, for the last time.
"Well, good for you, whatever happened," said Aunt Zelda, distracted by the babble of excited voices coming from the open doors and windows of the cottage. Above the hubbub came Marcia"s unmistakable bossy tones: "No, let Sarah Sarah take that one, Silas. You"ll only drop it." take that one, Silas. You"ll only drop it."
"Well, put it down, then, if it"s that that hot." hot."
"Mind my shoes, will you? And get that dog off for goodness" sake."
"Wretched duck. Always under my feet. Eurgh, is that duck poo I"ve just trodden on?"
And finally: "And now I"d like my Apprentice to lead the way, please."
Boy 412 came out the door, holding a lantern. He was followed by Silas and Simon, who were carrying the table and chairs, then Sarah and Jenna with an a.s.sortment of plates, gla.s.ses, bottles, and Nicko who had a basket piled high with ten cabbages. He had no idea why he had a basket of cabbages, and he was not going to ask either. He had already trodden on Marcia"s brand-new purple python shoes (there was no way she would be wearing galoshes galoshes to her Apprentice"s Supper), and was keeping out of her way. to her Apprentice"s Supper), and was keeping out of her way.
Marcia followed, carefully stepping over the mud, carrying the blue leather Apprentice Diary she had Made Made for Boy 412. for Boy 412.
As the party emerged from the cottage, the last of the clouds cleared away and the moon rode high in the sky, casting a silver light over the procession as it made its way to the landing stage. Silas and Simon set the table down next to Alther"s boat, Molly Molly, and put a large white cloth over it, then Marcia directed how everything should be set out. Nicko had to put the basket of cabbages in the middle of the table just where Marcia told him to.
Marcia clapped her hands for silence.
"This is," she said, "an important evening for all of us, and I would like to welcome my Apprentice."
Everyone clapped politely.
"I"m not one for long speeches," Marcia continued.
"That"s not how I remember it," Alther whispered to Aunt Zelda, who was sitting next to him in the boat so that he did not feel left out of the party. She nudged him companionably, forgetting for a moment that he was a ghost, and her arm went right through him and her elbow hit Molly Molly"s mast.
"Ouch!" Aunt Zelda yelped. "Oh, sorry, Marcia. Do go on."
"Thank you, Zelda, I will. I just want to say that I have spent ten years looking for an Apprentice, and although I have met many Hopefuls, I have never found what I was looking for, until now."
Marcia turned to Boy 412 and smiled. "So, thank you for agreeing to be my Apprentice for the next seven years and a day. Thank you very much. It"s going to be a wonderful time for us both."
Boy 412, who was sitting next to Marcia, blushed bright red as Marcia handed him his Apprentice Diary. He held the diary tightly with his clammy hands, leaving two slightly grubby handprints on the porous blue leather, which would never come off and would always remind him of the evening that changed his life forever.
"Nicko," said Marcia, "hand the cabbages out, will you?"
Nicko looked at Marcia with the same expression he used for Maxie when he had done something particularly silly. But he said nothing. He picked up the basket of cabbages and walked around the table and started handing them out.
"Er, thank you, Nicko," said Silas as he took the proffered cabbage and held it awkwardly in his hands, wondering quite what to do with it.
"No!" snapped Marcia. "Don"t give give it to them. Put the cabbages on the it to them. Put the cabbages on the plates. plates."
Nicko gave Marcia another Maxie look (this time it was the I-wish-you-hadn"t-pooed-there look), then quickly dumped a cabbage on each plate. look), then quickly dumped a cabbage on each plate.
When everyone, including Maxie, had a cabbage, Marcia raised her hands for silence.
"This is a suit-yourself supper. Each cabbage is Primed Primed to willingly to willingly Transform Transform itself into whatever you would most like to eat. Just place your hand on the cabbage and decide what you would like." itself into whatever you would most like to eat. Just place your hand on the cabbage and decide what you would like."
There was an excited buzz as everyone decided what they were going to have and Transformed Transformed their cabbages. their cabbages.
"It"s a criminal waste of good cabbages," Aunt Zelda whispered to Alther. "I shall just have cabbage ca.s.serole."
"Now that you have all decided," said Marcia loudly over the hubbub, "there is one last thing to be said."
"Get a move on, Marcia!" Silas called out. "My fish pie"s getting cold."
Marcia gave Silas a withering look.
"It is traditional," she continued, "that in return for the seven years and a day of his life that the Apprentice offers the Wizard, the Wizard offers something to the Apprentice." Marcia turned to Boy 412, who was sitting almost hidden behind a huge plate of eel stew and dumplings just like Aunt Zelda always made.
"What would you like from me?" Marcia asked him. "Ask me anything you like. I will do my best to give it to you."
Boy 412 gazed at his plate. Then he looked at all the people gathered around him and thought how different his life had become since he had met them. He felt so happy that there was really nothing else he wanted. Except for one thing. One big, impossible thing that he was almost too scared to think about.
"Anything you like," Marcia said softly. "Anything you want at all."
Boy 412 gulped.
"I want," he said quietly, "to know who I am."
49.
SEPTIMUS H HEAP.
Unnoticed on the chimney pot of Keeper"s Cottage, a storm petrel perched. He had been blown in the night before and had been watching the Apprentice Supper with great interest. And now, he noted with a feeling of fondness, Aunt Zelda was about to do what the petrel had always considered she had a particular gift for. of Keeper"s Cottage, a storm petrel perched. He had been blown in the night before and had been watching the Apprentice Supper with great interest. And now, he noted with a feeling of fondness, Aunt Zelda was about to do what the petrel had always considered she had a particular gift for.
"It"s the perfect night for it," Aunt Zelda was saying as she stood on the bridge over the Mott. "There"s a beautiful full moon, and I"ve never known the Mott to be so still. Can everyone fit on the bridge? Shuffle up a bit, Marcia, and make room for Simon."
Simon didn"t look as if he wanted to be made room for.
"Oh, don"t bother about me," he mumbled. "Why break the habit of a lifetime?"
"What did you say, Simon?" asked Silas. did you say, Simon?" asked Silas.
"Nothing."
"Let him be, Silas," said Sarah. "He"s had a tough time recently."
"We"ve all had a tough time recently, Sarah. But we we don"t go around moaning about it." don"t go around moaning about it."
Aunt Zelda tapped the handrail of the bridge irritably.
"If everybody has quite finished bickering, I would like to remind you that we are about to try to answer an important question. All right, everybody?" everybody has quite finished bickering, I would like to remind you that we are about to try to answer an important question. All right, everybody?"
Silence descended on the group. Along with Aunt Zelda, Boy 412, Sarah, Silas, Marcia, Jenna, Nicko and Simon were all squashed onto the small bridge that went over the Mott. Behind them was the Dragon Boat, her head raised high and arched over them, her deep green eyes staring intently at the reflection of the moon swimming in the still waters of the Mott.
In front of them, pushed back a little to allow the reflection of the moon to be seen, was Molly Molly with Alther sitting in the prow, observing the scene with interest. with Alther sitting in the prow, observing the scene with interest.
Simon hung back on the edge of the bridge. He didn"t see what the fuss was about. Who cared where some Young Army brat came from? Especially a Young Army brat who had stolen his lifelong dream from him. Boy 412"s parentage was the last thing Simon cared about, or was ever likely to as far as he could imagine. So, as Aunt Zelda started to call upon the moon, Simon deliberately turned his back.
"Sister Moon, Sister Moon," said Aunt Zelda softly, "Show us, if you will, the family of Boy 412 of the Young Army."
Exactly as before in the duck pond, the reflection of the moon began to grow bigger until a huge round white circle filled the Mott. At first, vague shadows began to appear in the circle; slowly they became more defined until everyone watching saw...their own reflections.
There was a murmur of disappointment from everyone except Marcia, who had noticed something no one else had, and from Boy 412, whose voice seemed to have stopped working. His heart was pounding somewhere high in his throat, and his legs felt as though they might turn into parsnip puree at any moment. He wished he had never asked to see who he was. He didn"t think he really wanted to know. Suppose his family was horrible? Suppose they were were the Young Army, like he had been told? Suppose it was DomDaniel himself? Just as he was about to tell Aunt Zelda that he had changed his mind, that he didn"t care who he was anymore, thank you, Aunt Zelda spoke. the Young Army, like he had been told? Suppose it was DomDaniel himself? Just as he was about to tell Aunt Zelda that he had changed his mind, that he didn"t care who he was anymore, thank you, Aunt Zelda spoke.
"Things," Aunt Zelda reminded everyone on the bridge, "are not always as they seem. Remember, the moon always shows us the truth. How we see the truth is up to us, not the moon."
She turned to Boy 412, who stood beside her. "Tell me," she asked him, "what would you really really like to see?" like to see?"
The answer Boy 412 gave was not the one he had expected to give.
"I want to see my mother," he whispered.
"Sister Moon, Sister Moon," said Aunt Zelda softly, "show us, if you will, the mother of Boy 412 of the Young Army."
The white disk of the moon filled the Mott. Once more, vague shadows began to appear until they saw...their own reflections, again again. There was a collective moan of protest, but it was quickly cut short. Something different was happening. One by one, people were disappearing from the reflection.
First Boy 412 himself disappeared. Then Simon, Jenna, Nicko and Silas went. Then Marcia"s reflection faded, followed by Aunt Zelda"s.
Suddenly Sarah Heap found herself looking at her own reflection in the moon, waiting for it to fade like all the others had done. But it did not fade. It grew stronger and more defined, until Sarah Heap was standing alone in the middle of the white disk of the moon. Everyone could see that it was no longer just a reflection. It was the answer.
Boy 412 gazed at the picture of Sarah, transfixed. How could Sarah Heap be his mother? How? How?
Sarah raised her eyes from the Mott and looked at Boy 412.
"Septimus?" she half whispered.
There was something Aunt Zelda wanted to show Sarah.
"Sister Moon, Sister Moon," said Aunt Zelda, "show us, if you will, the seventh son of Sarah and Silas Heap. Show us Septimus Heap. Septimus Heap."
Slowly the image of Sarah Heap faded away and was replaced by- Boy 412.
There was a gasp, even from Marcia, who had guessed who Boy 412 was a few minutes earlier. Only she had noticed that her image had disappeared from the reflection of Boy 412"s family.
"Septimus?" Sarah knelt down beside Boy 412 and looked at him searchingly. Boy 412"s eyes stared into hers, and Sarah said, "You know, I do believe your eyes are beginning to turn green, just like your father"s. And mine. And your brothers"."
"Are they?" asked Boy 412. "Really?"