"Oh, Sep," said Jenna.
"I'd really like you to go back to Milo and Nik. You'll be safer there."
"Back to Milo?"
"And Nik."
Jenna sighed. "All right, Sep. I'm not going to argue." She got to her feet and hugged Septimus hard. "Be careful. I'll see you soon. Okay?"
"Okay, Jen."
"Bye, Beetle."
Suddenly Beetle wanted to give Jenna something - something to remember him by, just in case. He took off his precious Admiral's jacket and gave it to her. "For you."
"Beetle, I can't. You love this jacket."
"Please."
"Oh, Beetle. I'll take care of it until you come back."
"Yeah."
Jenna hugged Beetle too - much to his amazement - then she put the jacket on, scrambled up the rocks and set off toward the rocky spit at the end of the island. She did not look back.
Beetle watched her go.
"Beetle," said Septimus, breaking into his thoughts.
"Er, yes?"
"You do remember your UnSeen?"
Beetle looked uncertain. "I think so."
"Good. I'll do the same one, so we can see each other. We'll do it now, okay?
One...two...three."
Together Septimus and Beetle - with a little prompting - whispered the UnSeen chant and, after a few false starts, the telltale signs of fuzziness began to appear around Beetle as he slowly - very slowly - disappeared. They set off along the open ground above the sand dunes, heading for the hill that would take them up to the Peepe. As they jogged along they heard Tertius Fume bark, "Forward!"
From within their UnSeens, Septimus and Beetle looked at each other.
"We're going to have to move fast," said Septimus.
"Yep."
They ran, leaping over the rocky ground. Suddenly, no more than a hundred feet in front of them, Tertius Fume came striding out of one of the many paths that led up from the beach. Septimus and Beetle stopped dead. Behind the ghost came the first warrior jinnee, with silver wings shining on its black helmet, the ancient armor dark against the green grass, and - this sent a shiver down Septimus's spine - was a sharp, stubby sword replacing its right hand, a shield replacing the left. Behind the warrior came another, then another and another. Twelve swordsmen followed by twelve axmen, followed by twelve bowmen, all marching with a mechanical precision in time with Tertius Fume, following the ghost as he progressed across the grass with the strange motion that ghosts have, his feet not always connecting with the ground.
To avoid the jinn Septimus decided to head for the side of the hill near the sea, on the far side of the island. It was tough going - a steep climb with loose shale and no pathway. They climbed fast and drew ahead of Tertius Fume and the jinn, who were winding their way up Syrah's snaking path. At the top of the hill, at the edge of the trees, Septimus and Beetle stopped a moment to catch their breath.
"Ouch," puffed Beetle, who had a stitch. "Better not stop...gotta get there...before they do."
Septimus shook his head and handed Beetle his water bottle. "Safer to go in...with'em," he said.
"With them?" Beetle passed the bottle back.
Septimus took a long gulp of water. "That way the Syren probably won't notice us."
Beetle raised his eyebrows. He hoped Septimus knew what he was doing. "Look at them, Sep. What a sight."
The jinn were pouring down the side of the Cerys and disappearing below the sparkling green water. In a river of glittering wavelets, they emerged from the sea and joined the line, moving through the sand dunes, across the rocky spit, and up the hill like a silver snake.
"Yep. They'd be quite something to have on your side," said Septimus.
"Creepy though," said Beetle, "the way they have no hands."
To the sound of the first warrior jinn crashing through branches, Septimus and Beetle set off. They skirted the edge of the copse, which was thinner on this side of the hill, and, as they reached the open cliff top, they saw Tertius Fume and the first warriors emerge from the trees and head toward the Peepe, their marching feet sending vibrations through the hollow ground.
"Hurry," said Septimus. "We must be at the front."
They hurtled across the grass, Septimus praying that if the Syren was looking out of the Peepe, she would be too busy watching the oncoming jinn to notice the disturbance caused by two UnSeens, one of which was not as UnSeen as it could be. The enormity of what they had to do only hit Septimus as they came close to the warrior jinn. They were huge and frighteningly mechanical. Their blank stares were inhuman and their arms - a mixture of swords, spears, maces, daggers and bows - deadly. The thought of the Castle being overrun with them made Septimus shudder.
He caught Beetle's eye and saw his thoughts echoed in Beetle's expression. With a double thumbs-up, they slipped inside the Peepe just ahead of Tertius Fume. Syrah was waiting. Her milk-white eyes briefly looked through Septimus until Syrah - with some force - twisted her head away and moved forward to greet Tertius Fume. Septimus grabbed hold of Beetle's hand and together they ran to the brightly lit hole in the middle of the floor - and jumped.
They landed in the feathers, waded across to the archway and hauled themselves out. As they hurtled along the white passageway past the Lookout, from the stairs deep within the cliff they heard the rhythmic tread of boots on rock.
The warrior jinn were on their way.
Chapter 47 To the Castle?
As though he had done it a hundred times before, Septimus opened the door to the moving chamber and touched the orange arrow. As the chamber began to move, Septimus allowed himself a smile at Beetle's dumbstruck expression. Neither said a word - Beetle was speechless, and Septimus was calculating whether they would have time to get back to the chamber before Tertius Fume and the jinn emerged from the stairs. It was going to be close. Nervously he fingered the Alchemie Keye, which he had taken off in readiness.
The arrow crept downward. Septimus spoke. "Beetle, are you sure you want to come the rest of the way? Because if you don't...well, you know I don't mind, I really don't. You can wait here. I can show you how to take this thing back up - just in case."
"Don't be silly, Sep."
The moving chamber suddenly slowed, and Beetle's stomach shot up to his ears.
"Hey, Sep - where have you gone?" he said.
The chamber settled to a halt.
"Can't you see me?" asked Septimus, concerned - his hand hovering by the door panel.
"Nope. You've disappeared."
"It's your UnSeen that's disappeared."
"Oh, gosh, I'm really sorry," said Beetle. "I dunno what happened."
Septimus let go of his UnSeen.
"Oh, there you are, Sep. That's better."
"We'll try them again - together, okay?" said Septimus. "One, two, three..."
"You've gone again!" said Beetle.
Septimus reappeared. "One more time - okay?"
"Yep. Here goes."
"You count this time, Beetle. Do it when you're ready. Sometimes that helps."
"Okey-dokey," said Beetle, sounding more confident than he felt. It didn't work.
Septimus was aware that time was ticking away. With every second the warrior jinn were getting closer - and every second passed was one less second they had to get back to the moving chamber. He made a decision. "We'll do without. Who needs UnSeens anyway?" He swiped the door open, and Beetle followed him into the wide, brick passageway with the hissing lamps. They raced through the cold air, clattered down the flight of steps and skidded to a halt in front of the shiny black dead-end wall. Septimus ran his hand across the worn patch on the wall, and the door slid open. They stepped inside the ice chamber. With a soft swish and a click the door closed and the blue light came on. Wide-eyed, Beetle stared at the massive Ice Tunnel hatch swimming with water, shining with ancient gold.
"That is some hatch," he gasped.
Septimus was already on his knees, looking for the Sealing Plate.
"Hey, look at all the scribing in the gold," said Beetle, completely forgetting about the oncoming jinn in his excitement. "This hatch is incredibly old. One day we're going to have to come back. I could bring some translations with me. Just think, if we could read what it says - "
Septimus placed the Keye into the Sealing Plate.
Suddenly the rhythmic thud of marching feet on stone came through the walls of the chamber - the jinn had reached the corridor. Beetle came back to reality. He and Septimus looked at each other, translucently pale, as though they were drowning in the thin blue light.