"When you were here on a night exercise, what did they teach you? I mean, what did you have to do?" whispered Nicko.
"Well, er, once in the unarmed animal-combat exercise we had to dig a wolverine pit and spend the night waiting for a wolverine to drop in. It didn't thoughnot into our pit anyway. But we lost three boys in the pit near us. They put up a good fight but the wolverine won. It was an awful noise. Then sometimes on compass-reading exercises they tied a boy to a tree and we had to try and find him before he got eaten. Didn't always get there in time"
"Ah," said Nicko with a shudder. "Shouldn't have asked. Thought they might have taught you some survival skills."
"They did," said Septimus. "Keep out of the way of anything that runs faster than you and has more teeth than you. Watch out for the carnivorous trees 'cause you can never tell which ones they are until it's too late. Oh, yesand the most important thing of all"
"Yes?"
"Don't stay out in the Forest after dark."
"Very funny," mumbled Nicko.
"I think," Septimus whispered, "that we should try and tind somewhere safe to spend the night. Up a tree would be best"
"Up a carnivorous tree, you mean?"
"Nicko, just be quiet, will you?"
"Sorry, Sep."
"Like I said, we should climb up a treeand it's just luck whether it's carnivorous or not."
"What, you can't tell?"
"Not at night. You just take your chance. That's what the Night Forest is all about, Nik. Anyway, like I said, if we can jet up a tree we should be safe from wolverines, though of course we'll have to keep watch for bloodsucking tree rats."
"Great."
"And some of the older trees are infested with leaf leeches. I spent a night in a tree once with the Leader Cadet, and when I woke up in the morning I thought he'd hidden himself with camouflage. But he was covered from head to foot with leaf leeches." Septimus gave a chuckle. "Served him right."
"Stop!" hissed Nicko. "Just stop. I don't want to hear any moreokay? Let's just find a tree and cross our fingers."
Septimus hauled his heavy bag onto his shoulders and they set off; this time Nicko followed Septimus. Septimus's Dragon Ring was shining brightly in the dark, and he pushed his hand into his pocket to douse the glow. He knew that a light would draw every creature to them for miles around and would particularly attract Forest Wraiths. Septimus trod slowly and silently through the trees, and Nicko followed him as carefully and quietly as he could. But Nicko was less agile than Septimus, and, try as he might, every now and then his foot snapped a twig or rustled a leaf. Septimus knew that sooner or later a creature or a Thing would hear them. They needed to get up into the safety of a tree fast. Desperately he scanned every tree they passed to see if there were any low branches that might give them a handhold. But there were none. They were in the middle of the ancient part of the Forest, where all the trees grew tall and kept their branches high above the ground.
Suddenly Septimus felt a pincerlike grip on his arm. "Ouch!"
"Shh!"
Septimus spun around to see Nicko still clutching his arm and staring wide-eyed into the darkness.
"Sep, what's thatover thereI saw something yellow and shining."
Septimus scanned the darkness using the Army trick of glancing sideways to see in the dark. It was the sight he had been dreadingthey were surrounded by a sea of yellow eyes. "Rats," muttered Septimus.
"Rats?" whispered Nicko. "Oh, that's a relief. For a moment I thought it was wolverines."
"It is wolverines. Loads of them."
"But you said it was rats." Nicko sounded aggrieved.
"Shut up, Nicko. I'm trying to think. Can you get my Fast Freeze Charm out of my bag?" Septimus gulped. "Quickly..."
"Can't you do a Fast Freeze without a Charm yet?"
"No. Hurry up!"
Nicko tried to open Septimus's backpack but his hands were shaking so much he couldn't even find the buckle in the dark. Septimus was annoyed with himself. He knew he should have taken the Charm out of the bag so it would be ready when he needed it.
But he hated the Night Forest as much as Nicko did, and somehow his brain seemed to have stopped working.
"I can't undo your stupid bag," hissed Nicko with panic rising in his voice. "Can't you Transfix them like you did that horse?"
"Whatget them to form an orderly line so that I can do them one at a time you mean?"
"Can't you do 'em all at once?"
"No."
Septimus scanned the waiting pairs of yellow eyes. They were getting nearer and spreading out. He knew the wolverines were beginning their practiced routine of encircling their prey. If he and Nicko waited any longer they would be trapped in the middle of the circle.
"Run!" hissed Septimus. "Now!"
Nicko did not need telling twice. Septimus took off through the trees and Nicko was right behind him, ducking and ping around the massive tree trunks, leaping over fallen branches and skidding on the slippery leaves whenever Septimus took a tight zigzag turn. But every time Nicko glanced back he saw the yellow eyes easily keeping pace, as the wolverine pack got into its nightly routine of chasing its prey and working up a good appetite for supper.
Suddenly Septimus caught his foot in a rat hole and crashed to the ground.
"Get up, Sep," gasped Nicko, dragging him to his feet.
"Aah! My ankle..." Septimus moaned.
Nicko was unsympathetic. "Come on, Sep. Get going. There's a pack of wolverines behind us in case you'd forgotten."
Septimus hobbled on but, try as he might, he could no longer run; his ankle kept giving way beneath him. He stopped beside a tree and took off his backpack.
"What are you doing?" gasped Nicko, horrified.
"It's no good, Nik," said Septimus. "I can't run. You make a break for it. I'll try and find the Fast Freeze Charm before they close in on me."
"Don't be stupid," snapped Nicko. "I'm not leaving you here."
"Yes, you are. I'll see you later."
"No, you won't. They'll eat you, you idiot."
"Just go, Nicko."
"No!"
As Nicko spoke, the last wolverine in the pack closed the circle. They were surrounded. Trapped. Nicko and Septimus backed up against the thick rough trunk of a tree as, slowly and stealthily, the ghastly ring of yellow lights tightened around them. They stared at the sight, unable to believe that it was really happening. Like everyone else in the Castle, they had had nightmares about this very moment, but the reality was much stranger than it ever had been in their dreams. It was almost beautiful, in a hypnotizing kind of way. An expectant silence fell as though all the night creatures had stopped what they were doing and were watching the performance, which tonight, for one night only, had come to their part of the Forest.
Nicko broke the spell. He kicked the backpack over. The buckle came undone and the contents tumbled out onto the Forest floor. Both he and Septimus fell to the ground, scrabbling through the contents, frantically looking for the Fast Freeze Charm.
"There's so much rubbish in here!" hissed Nicko. "What's it look like?"
"Not rubbish. Glass icicle."
"But where? Where, where, wbere?"
"Uh-oh. I can smell them."
The foul smell of wolverine breatha mixture of rotting meat and gum disease, for the Forest wolverines had chronic teeth problemsfilled the air. With a feeling of dread, Nicko and Septimus slowly looked up and found themselves staring straight into the eyes of the lead wolverine. The lead wolverine who would give the signal for the pack to pounce.
A long, low snarl began somewhere deep in the stomach of the lead wolverine. The signal had begun. The surrounding yellow eyes brightened, muscles tensed and saliva began to flow. Toothaches forgotten for the moment, the wolverine pack flicked their tongues over their muzzles and bared their long yellow and black teeth.
The snarl grew louder and louder until suddenly, the lead wolverine threw his head back and gave a bone-chilling howl.
The pack pounced.
The tree pounced.
The tree got there first.
Chapter 14 The Tree
Septimus and Nicko shot into the air. Two long, sinuous branches, which had been hovering above their heads waiting for the right moment, had seized them. At the end of each branch were five smaller, more dextrous branches, like the fingers on a hand. Each hand was wrapped tightly around the boys like a well-fitting wooden cage and held them in what felt like a grip of iron. After grabbing Septimus and Nicko with surprising speed, the tree slowed down as it took them higher and higher, pulling them up through its leaves and branches, taking them into the very center of the tree.