Angie Sage - Septimus Heap 3 by Physik

Author:Physik [Physik]
Language: nld
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

27

Hugo Tenderfoot

As Septimus walked along Wizard Way, his feet did not tread on the pale

limestone that he had been used to in his own Time, but on snow-covered

earth. The silver torchposts that Septimus had so often watched being lit

from his bedroom window at the top of the Wizard Tower were still in the

process of being erected in honor of the Queen's Silver Jubilee. The low,

yellow stone buildings on either side of the broad avenue, although

already old, had a less weathered appearance and showed fine details that

Septimus had never seen before.

As he passed the Manuscriptorium at Number Thirteen Wizard Way,

Septimus glanced at the window–which looked odd to him, for it was

almost empty and very clean–and a wave of longing to see Beetle swept

over him. What would Beetle say now? Septimus wondered. Beetle usually

had something to say about everything but he thought even Beetle would

be lost for words.

Septimus shook away the memories of the fun he and Beetle had had and

turned his thoughts to his destination. A network of tunnels, which

Septimus knew from his own Time as the Ice Tunnels, linked all the old

buildings of the Castle. In this Time the tunnels were still free of ice and

were used by the Alchemists and Wizards to move around the Castle on

their business, unseen and unremarked upon. Septimus traveled through

one every day to get from Marcellus's house to his workplace at the Great

Chamber. Recently he had been sent to the Palace to deliver some

solid-gold bowls as a gift to the Queen–an apology for something that

Marcellus had done wrong. It was this trip that had given Septimus the

beginnings of his plan and it was to the Palace tunnels that he was

heading now, except this time he was going aboveground, for he had no

wish to bump into any nosy Alchemie scribes or Marcellus himself.

The last Winter Faire was in full swing at the end of the Way, just in front

of the Palace Gate. Great streams of smoke rose from dozens of braziers

cooking chestnuts, corn on the cob, thick winter soup, sausages and

potatoes. Septimus pushed his way through the strange-smelling crowds,

refusing offers of "best crunchy pig's ear, Apprentice," or "tasty hoof pie,

who will buy my tasty hoof pie?" Trying to ignore the strains of the

hurdy-gurdy playing what he supposed was festive music, Septimus

wrenched himself free from a particularly insistent fortuneteller who

offered to "reveal thy true Destiny for one groat, young Master–for who

knoweth what Life doth have in store for us?" Who knoweth indeed?

thought Septimus grimly, as he shrugged away the clutching hand.

Septimus sidestepped a pair of identical twin stilt-walkers, ducked under a

tightrope and narrowly avoided being hit by a large piece of wood from an

overenthusiastic participant in a Whack-the-Rat stall. One final squeeze

past two fat ladies throwing crayfish and rice into a large vat of boiling

water and Septimus was out of the crowds. Quickly he turned off down The

Twitten, an alleyway that led to Snake Slipway. Soon he was ringing the

doorbell of the house that he still thought of as Weasal Van Klampff's.

As Septimus waited to be

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.