SandRider (7 page)

“I need not state the obvious here,” Septimus said—although, looking at the blank early-morning faces of the assembled Wizards, he thought that he probably did, “but it is over twelve weeks since the sorcerer Oraton-Marr stole the Orm Egg. However, all is not lost. I believe that it will have taken some time for the sorcerer to journey to a place where hatching will be possible. I feel we still have a good chance of being able to find the Egg before it hatches, but we must set about this at once. We must do all we can to prevent this evil sorcerer from
Imprinting
the Orm and thus acquiring the means to create an endless source of lapis lazuli. As you all know,” Septimus said, flattering his audience (for he was none too sure they did know), “much of the
Magykal
power of the Wizard Tower stems from the fact it stands upon an enormous block of lapis, as indeed does much of the Castle. Possession of lapis lazuli enhances even a small amount of
Magyk
. Possession of an unlimited amount will render this highly capable sorcerer invincible.”

Septimus paused to emphasize his point. “It is imperative that we find the Egg
as soon as possible
.”

A rumble of concerned comments broke out and a shout came from the back of the Great Hall. “'S'cuse me!”

Septimus recognized the voice of one of his older brothers, identical twins Edd and Erik, who were both Senior Apprentices. Now that Erik had cut his hair very short it was easy to tell them apart, but their voices were still identical. Septimus took a chance. “Yes, Edd?” he said, squinting into the brightness.

“It's
Erik
.” The reply was accompanied by some amused chuckles.

“Erik. What is it?”

“Isn't this all rather theoretical? I mean, we have no idea where in the world the Egg is, do we? And knowing how it hatches isn't going to help us find
that
out.”

“On the contrary,” Septimus said, trying not to show his annoyance with Erik. “Knowing the conditions the Egg needs to hatch allows us to narrow down the places it is likely to be.”

“So where
is
it likely to be?” Erik shot back.

“Somewhere hot, where the Egg can be buried in sand, seems likely to me,” Septimus replied. “I can't see Oraton-Marr risking living on the edge of a volcano. So we are looking for a desert.”

“Any particular desert?” Erik asked with the trace of a sneer.

“We have narrowed it down to the three hottest at this time of year,” Septimus said. “And we intend to explore each and every one until we find the Egg.”

“How?” Erik interrupted.

“If you'd allow me to finish, Erik, you'd find out.”

Erik leaned back against the wall and folded his arms. Septimus knew Erik was finding it hard to have his youngest brother in a position of power, but it did not excuse his rudeness.

“I propose to send my jinnee, Jim Knee, to all three deserts in quick succession to search for the Egg. As a
Magykal
being, Jim Knee will be able to travel faster than any human and will be protected from many dangers. I have given him permission to
Transform
into any creature he wishes, whenever he wishes. My Apprentice—who, as you all know, is a skilled PathFinder and understands the Ancient Ways—will show Jim Knee how to navigate them. We still have some final planning to do, but we hope to send the jinnee through today—there is not a moment to lose.”

A murmur of agreement came from the Moot. “Now,” Septimus said, “if anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask.”

As if in reply, a loud snore came from the visitors' bench. It was followed by an outbreak of laughter from the Moot.

“I've got a question!” a shout came from the back of the crowd.

“Yes?”

“How do you plan to wake him up?”

“Oh, I'll wake him up all right,” Septimus said. “Don't you worry.”

Septimus and Tod retreated to the Pyramid Library to work out the best routes for Jim Knee to take. As PathFinder, Tod—accompanied by Edd and Erik Heap as bodyguards—was to show the jinnee how to navigate the first route, then she and the twins would return. After that Jim Knee was on his own. It was not until late in the afternoon that Septimus and Tod had three long lists of numbers, one list for each desert and a number for every arch that Jim Knee must walk through.

Septimus sent a message to the Manuscriptorium to say
they were ready, and they met Beetle in the Great Hall. Jim Knee respected Beetle—and Septimus knew he was going to need all the respect he could get. Beetle and Septimus looked down at the sleeping jinnee, who still lay dozing on the visitors' bench beneath his quilts. “Right,” said Septimus. “Time to wake him.”

Beetle grinned. “Good luck,” he said.

“Jim Knee, wake up!” Septimus said in a commanding voice.

There was no response. The jinnee's eyes remained closed, his long, elegant hands folded peacefully over the top of the feather quilts. With the gaze of Edd and Erik upon him, Septimus was not going to let his jinnee get away with such disrespect. He took a small spiky red ball from his pocket and
Activated
it. The
Alarm
emitted a loud screech and began to jump up and down on Jim Knee's long, elegant nose. In a moment the jinnee was sitting up, an expression of outrage upon his face.

Septimus got in first. “Jim Knee, I Command you to find the Egg of the Orm.”

“What,
now
?” asked Jim Knee.

“Now,” said Septimus. “And I give you an overriding
Command: keep my Apprentice safe.”

“Will do,” Jim Knee replied laconically. “And just to check. I do have free will to
Transform
?”

“Free will,” Septimus agreed. “But only in pursuit of my Commands. Understand?”

Jim Knee thought that gave him plenty of scope. “Okeydokey,” he replied.

Tod led the way. She murmured the password in the offhand manner that all Apprentices soon acquired, then the tall silver doors to the Wizard Tower slowly opened and Tod stepped out into a beautiful winter scene. A hazy sun was already low over the rooftops of Wizard Way, sending rosy sparkles of light dancing on the frosty snow that lay on the courtyard before her. The Big Freeze had been long, cold and deep that year but Tod had loved every minute of it. The snow made her feel happy and optimistic, and as she walked slowly down the white marble steps, Tod felt sure they would soon track down the Egg of the Orm.

Behind Tod came the disparate trio of Septimus, Beetle and Jim Knee. The Chief Hermetic Scribe had a firm grasp on Jim Knee's right elbow, while Septimus had an equally firm grip on the left. Close behind them came Edd and Erik Heap in
their green robes with purple Senior Apprentice ribbons on the cuffs of their sleeves. They were reassuringly broad and had a slightly wild look to them.

“I really can't see why you don't use our new Way in the Manuscriptorium,” Beetle was saying. “It would be so much easier than going through Marcia's Hub. And you know what she thinks about Jim Knee.”

“For security reasons we have agreed to keep that Way closed, Beetle,
as you know
,” Septimus said. “I still wish you would let me put a
Seal
on it, just to be sure.”

Beetle had been able to use the Manuscriptorium Way only once—when he and his deputy, Foxy, had nervously ventured to the other side of the world with a stack of leaflets advertising their services—before Septimus had insisted on it being closed. It was an open secret that the Chief Hermetic Scribe felt frustrated by Septimus's veto over what he saw as his own jurisdiction. Beetle had even joked among his scribes about declaring independence. “We are perfectly capable of policing our Way, thank you,” Beetle said stiffly.

“Of course you are,” Septimus said, trying to mollify his friend. “But you see, Marcia's Hub gives us much more choice. Eleven choices compared to one.”

Beetle sighed. “I know. Just thought I'd mention it, that's all.”

At the foot of the Wizard Tower steps they turned sharp left and headed for the
Hidden
arch, which Tod—unlike Septimus or Beetle—could see fitting snugly beneath the steps like a cupboard under the stairs. Jim Knee could also see the arch, but he was not going to give anyone the satisfaction of knowing it. The jinnee knew the Ancient Ways pretty well, having once routinely traveled them as part of his job as a runner for a wealthy merchant. But Jim Knee was still annoyed at having been dragged from his winter sleep and, while he would
eventually
obey his master as he was bound to do, he did not intend to make anything easy for Septimus.

The group gathered in front of a faint line of purple chalk tracing the outline of the arch that would take them to a Hub some fifty miles away deep in the bowels of the keep of an old castle. The Hub was familiar territory to them all, for it belonged to the previous ExtraOrdinary Wizard, Septimus's old tutor, Marcia Overstrand. Septimus was looking forward to seeing Marcia and talking his plan through with her. “Okay, Tod,” he said. “Take us in, please.”

A sudden wail came from Jim Knee.
“Aieeeeee!”
With
consummate drama, the jinnee slipped from their grasp like a wet fish and fell to the ground, apparently unconscious.

Septimus was not pleased. “Jim Knee, get up! At once!”

But the jinnee lay still, a streak of white upon the snow.

“I think he's too cold,” said Beetle. “He's only wearing a thin silk robe and open sandals.”

“Because that is all he
would
wear,” Septimus said, staring down at his jinnee in exasperation.

“Not even
underpants
?” asked Beetle.

“Don't even go there, Beetle,” Septimus said. “I do not want to think about Jim Knee's underpants, thank you.”

Beetle smiled ruefully. “Underpants or no, it really is very silly of him. Jinn are notoriously sensitive to temperature changes.”

Septimus had forgotten that. “Bother,” he said. “He did it deliberately. Just to make things difficult.”

“So what's new?” Beetle grinned. “When did Jim Knee ever make things easy?”

Septimus sighed. Despite his optimism in public, privately he knew the chances of Jim Knee finding the Orm Egg were not good—and if his jinnee was set on being so contrary right from the start, things were looking very bad indeed. “We'd
better take him back inside and get him warm,” Septimus said. He raised his voice in Jim Knee's direction. “But he needn't think he's getting away with this kind of behavior. Any more trouble and he'll be hibernating in the
Sealed Cell
.”

Jim Knee's eyes flickered. The jinnee had once spent some time in the
Sealed
Cell
and he had hated it. It was horribly cramped and had reminded him of the inside of his last bottle. He decided to warm up in the Wizard Tower and accept Septimus's earlier offer of a fur coat. Then he'd get on with the job he had to do.

Septimus, Beetle, Edd and Erik lifted Jim Knee to his feet. The jinnee swayed and gave a weak groan. “He's putting it on,” Septimus said.

“Very possibly,” Beetle agreed, “but you can't be sure. Jinn are delicate creatures and with each new life they become more so. And if you believe half of Jim Knee's stories, he's had an awful lot of those.”

“I suppose,” said Septimus. He turned to Tod. “Would you mind going to warn Marcia we are coming? She's not a big fan of Jim Knee and it might be polite to let her know. Come straight back, okay?”

“Okay.” Tod smiled. She loved traveling the Ways on her
own and she loved the fact that Septimus trusted her to go alone. Septimus watched his Apprentice place her hand onto the hard white marble below the steps, then he saw the shimmering shape of an archway begin to appear and the surface of the marble soften. Septimus was impressed by his Apprentice's skill. She was a good choice—unlike his jinnee.

In Marcia's Hub three Drummins were perusing the shimmering purple skin of a
Magykal Seal
. Drummins were very short, stocky, human-like creatures accustomed to living belowground. They had been caretakers of the Hub for three years now and they knew it better than they knew the suckers on the ends of their broad, flat fingers.

Using their preferred language of signing, Fabius Drummin signed,
There's something behind the
Seal
on Way One
.

Claudius replied,
Three humans,
I think
.

And a creature
, added Lucius.

We should tell the boss
, signed Claudius.

Claudius and Lucius both looked pointedly at Fabius, who
was on upstairs duties that day.
All right, all right, I'll go
, he signed grumpily.

Fabius hurried off, his bouncing strides taking him across the white stone floor of the immaculately clean Hub and up the winding stairs that led out of it. The remaining two Drummins stared at the
Seal
, watching for any sign of failure. They were looking so intently that they did not see the arch behind them—the only one
UnSealed
—light up with a golden glow and a slight figure in a green tunic and leggings come striding out. Tod stopped. She saw the Drummins were busy and, not wanting to interrupt, she tiptoed over to them. “Hey,” she whispered.

“Argh!” The Drummins spun around. “Don't
do
that, Alice,” Lucius hissed, and using the Drummin sign for being quiet—one that everyone understood—he put his index finger to his lips.

Tod knew the Drummins were annoyed with her: they had called her Alice. “Sorry,” she whispered. “I didn't mean to startle you. What's going on?”