The Big Thaw
The day after the Message Rat left, the Big Thaw set in. It happened first in the Marram Marshes, which were always a little warmer than anywhere else, and then it spread up the river, through the Forest and into the Castle. It was a great relief to everyone in the Castle, as they had been running out of food supplies due to the Custodian Army having looted many of the winter storerooms to provide DomDaniel with the ingredients for his frequent banquets.
The Big Thaw also came as a relief to a certain Message Rat who was shivering glumly in a rat trap underneath the floor of the Ladies' Washroom. Stanley had been left there on account of his refusal to divulge the whereabouts of Aunt Zelda's cottage. He was not to know that the Hunter had already successfully worked it out from what Simon Heap had told the Supreme Custodian, neither was he to know that no one had any intention of setting him free, although Stanley had been around long enough to guess as much. The Message Rat kept himself going as best he could: he ate what he could catch, mainly spiders and cockroaches; he licked the drips from the thawing drain; and he found himself thinking almost fondly about Mad Jack. Dawnie, meanwhile, had given up on him and gone to live with her sister.
The Marram Marshes were now awash with water from the rapidly thawing snow. Soon the green of the grass began to show through, and the ground became heavy and wet. The ice in the Mott and the ditches was the last to thaw, but as the Marsh Python began to feel the temperature rise, he started to move about, flicking his tail impatiently and flexing his hundreds of stiffened ribs. Everyone at the cottage was waiting with bated breath for the giant snake to break free. They were not sure how hungry he might be, or how cross. To make sure that Maxie stayed inside, Nicko had tied the wolfhound to the table leg with a thick piece of rope. He was pretty sure that fresh wolfhound would be top of the menu for the Marsh Python once he was released from his icy prison.
It happened the third afternoon of the Big Thaw. Suddenly there was a loud crack! and the ice above the Marsh Python's powerful head shattered and sprayed up into the air. The snake reared up, and Jenna, who was the only one around, took refuge behind the chicken boat. The Marsh Python cast a glance in her direction but did not fancy chewing its way through her heavy boots, so it set off rather painfully and slowly around the Mott until it found the way out. It was then that it ran into a spot of bother: the giant snake had seized up. It was stuck in a circle. When it tried to bend in the other direction nothing seemed to work. All it could do was swim around and around the Mott. Every time it tried to turn off into the ditch that would lead it out into the marsh, its muscles refused to work.
For days the snake was forced to lie in the Mott, snapping at fish and glaring angrily at anyone who came near. Which no one did after it had flicked its long forked tongue out at Boy 412 and sent him flying. At last, one morning the early spring sun came out and warmed the snake up just enough for its stiffened muscles to relax. Creaking like a rusty gate, it swam off painfully in search of a few goats, and slowly over the next few days it almost straightened out. But not completely. To the end of its days, the Marsh Python had a tendency to swim to the right.
When the Big Thaw reached the Castle, DomDaniel took his two Magogs upriver to Bleak Creek where, in the dead of night, the three beings crossed a narrow mildewed gangplank and boarded his Darke ship, The Vengeance. There they waited some days until the high spring tide that DomDaniel needed to get his ship out of the creek floated them free.
The morning of the Big Thaw, the Supreme Custodian called a meeting of the Council of the Custodians, unaware that the day before he had forgotten to lock the door to the Ladies' Washroom. Simon was no longer chained to a pipe, for the Supreme Custodian had begun to see him more as a companion than a hostage, and Simon sat and waited patiently for his usual midmorning visit from him. Simon liked hearing the gossip about DomDaniel's unreasonable demands and temper tantrums and felt disappointed when the Supreme Custodian did not return at the normal time. He was not to know that the Supreme Custodian, who recently had become somewhat bored with Simon Heap's company, was at that moment gleefully plotting what DomDaniel called "Operation Compost Heap," which included the disposal of not only Jenna but the entire Heap family, including Simon.
After a while, more out of boredom than a desire to escape, Simon tried the door. To his amazement it opened, and he found himself staring into an empty corridor. Simon leaped back inside the washroom and slammed the door shut in a panic. What should he do? Should he escape? Did he want to escape?
He leaned against the door and thought things over. The only reason for staying was the Supreme Custodian's vague offer of becoming DomDaniel's Apprentice. But it had not been repeated. And Simon Heap had learned a lot from the Supreme Custodian in those six weeks he had spent in the Ladies' Washroom. At the top of the list was not to trust anything the Supreme Custodian said. Next on the list was to look after Number One. And, from now on, Number One in Simon Heap's life was definitely Simon Heap.
Simon opened the door again. The corridor was still deserted. He made his decision and strode out of the washroom.
Silas was wandering mournfully along Wizard Way, gazing up into the grubby windows above the shops and offices that lined the Way, wondering if Simon might be held prisoner somewhere in the dark recesses behind them. A platoon of Guards marched briskly past, and Silas shrank back into a doorway, clutching Marcia's KeepSafe, hoping it still worked.
"Psst," hissed Alther.
"What?" Silas jumped in surprise. He hadn't seen much of Alther recently, as the ghost was spending most of his time with Marcia in Dungeon Number One. "How's Marcia today?" Silas whispered.
"She's been better," said Alther grimly.
"I really think we should let Zelda know," said Silas.
"Take my advice, Silas, and don't go near that Rat Office. It's been taken over by DomDaniel's rats from the Badlands. Vicious bunch of thugs. Don't worry now, I'll think of something," said Alther. "There must be a way to get her out."
Silas looked dejected. He missed Marcia more than he liked to admit.
"Cheer up, Silas," said Alther. "I've got someone waiting for you in the tavern. Found him wandering around the Courthouse on my way back from Marcia. Smuggled him out through the tunnel. Better hurry up before he changes his mind and goes off again. He's a tricky one, your Simon."
"Simon!" Silas broke into a broad smile. "Alther, why didn't you say? Is he all right?"
"Looks all right," said Alther tersely.
Simon had spent nearly two weeks back with his family when, on the day before the full moon, Aunt Zelda stood on the cottage doorstep Listening to something far away. "Boys, boys, not now," she said to Nicko and Boy 412, who were having a duel with some spare broom handles. "I need to concentrate."
Nicko and Boy 412 suspended their fight while Aunt Zelda became very still and her eyes took on a faraway look. "Someone's coming," she said after a while. "I'm sending Boggart out."
"At last!" said Jenna. "I wonder if it's Dad or Marcia. Maybe Simon's with them? Or Mum? Maybe it's everyone!"
Maxie jumped up and bounded over to Jenna, his tail wagging madly. Sometimes Maxie seemed to understand exactly what Jenna was saying. Except when it was something like ''Bath time, Maxie!" or "No more biscuits, Maxie!"
"Calm down, Maxie," said Aunt Zelda, rubbing the wolfhound's silky ears. "The trouble is it doesn't feel like anyone I know."
"Oh," said Jenna, "but who else knows we're here?"
"I don't know," replied Aunt Zelda. "But whoever it is, they're in the marshes now. Just arrived. I can feel it. Go and lie down, Maxie. Good boy. Now, where's that Boggart?"
Aunt Zelda gave a piercing whistle. The squat brown figure climbed out of the Mott and waddled up the path to the cottage.
"Not so loud," he complained, rubbing his small round ears. "Goes right through me that does." He nodded to Jenna. "Evenin, miss."
"Hello, Boggart." Jenna smiled. The Boggart always made her smile.
"Boggart," said Aunt Zelda, "there's someone coming through the marshes. More than one perhaps. I'm not sure. "Can you just nip off and find out who it is?"
"No trouble. Could do with a swim. Won't be long," said the Boggart. Jenna watched him waddle off down to the Mott and disappear into the water with a quiet splash.
"While we're waiting for Boggart we should get the Preserve Pots ready," said Aunt Zelda. "Just in case."
"But Dad said you made the cottage Enchanted after the Brownie raid," said Jenna. "Doesn't that mean we're safe?"
"Only against Brownies," said Aunt Zelda, "and even that's wearing off by now. Anyway, whoever is coming across the marsh feels a lot bigger than a Brownie to me."
Aunt Zelda went to find the Shield Bug Preserves spell book.
Jenna looked at the Preserve Pots, which were still lined up on the windowsills. Inside the thick green gloop the Shield Bugs were waiting. Most were sleeping, but some were slowly moving about as if they knew they might be needed. For who? wondered Jenna. Or what?
"Here we are," said Aunt Zelda as she appeared with the spell book and thumped it down on the table. She opened it at the first page and took out a small silver hammer, which she handed to Jenna.
"Right, here's the Activate," she said to her. "If you could just go round and tap each Pot with this, then they'll be Ready."
Jenna took the silver hammer and walked along the lines of Pots, tapping on every lid. As she did so, each Pot's inhabitant woke up and snapped to attention. Before long there was an army of fifty-six Shield Bugs waiting to be released. Jenna reached the last Pot, which contained the ex-millipede. She tapped the lid with the silver hammer. To her surprise, the lid flew off, and the Shield Bug shot out in a shower of green goo. It landed on Jenna's arm.
Jenna screamed.
The released Shield Bug crouched, sword at the ready, on Jenna's forearm. She stood frozen to the spot, waiting for the bug to turn and attack her, forgetting that the bug's only mission was to defend its Releaser from her enemies. Which it was busy looking for.
The Shield's green armored scales moved fluidly as it shifted about, sizing up the room. Its thick right arm held a razor-sharp sword that glinted in the candlelight and its short powerful legs moved restlessly as the bug shifted its weight from one large foot to the other while it sized up the potential enemies.
But the potential enemies were a disappointing lot.
There was a large patchwork tent with bright blue eyes staring at it.
"Just put your hand over the bug," the tent whispered to the Releaser. "It will curl up into a ball. Then we'll try and get it back into the Pot."
The Releaser looked at the sharp little sword the bug was waving around, and she hesitated.
"I'll do it if you like," said the tent and moved toward the bug. The bug swung around menacingly, and the tent stopped in her tracks, wondering what was wrong. They had Imprinted all the bugs, hadn't they? It should realize that none of them was the enemy. But this bug realized no such thing. It crouched on Jenna's arm, continuing its search.
Now it saw what it was looking for. Two young warriors carrying pikestaffs, poised to attack. And one of them was wearing a red hat. From a dim and distant previous life the Shield Bug remembered that red hat. It had done him wrong. The bug didn't know exactly what the wrong was, but that made no difference. It had sighted the enemy.
With a fearsome screech, the bug leaped off Jenna's arm, flapping its heavy wings, and set off through the air with a metallic clattering noise. The bug was heading straight for Boy 412 like a tiny guided missile, its sword held high above its head. It was squealing loudly, its wide-open mouth showing rows of little pointed green teeth.
"Hit it!" yelled Aunt Zelda. "Quick, bop it on the head!"
Boy 412 gave a wild swipe with his broom handle at the advancing bug but missed. Nicko aimed a blow, but the bug swerved at the last moment, shrieking and waving its sword at Boy 412. Boy 412 stared in disbelief at the bug, terribly aware of the bug's pointy sword.
"Keep still!" said Aunt Zelda in a hoarse whisper. "Whatever you do, don't move."
Boy 412 watched, horrified, as the bug landed on his shoulder and advanced purposefully toward his neck, raising its sword like a dagger.
Jenna sprang forward. "No!" she yelled. The bug turned toward its Releaser. It didn't understand what Jenna said, but as she clamped her hand over it, the bug sheathed its sword and curled itself obediently into a ball. Boy 412 sat down on the floor with a bump.
Aunt Zelda was ready with the empty Pot, and Jenna tried to stuff the curled-up Shield Bug into it. It wouldn't go in. First one arm stayed out, then another. Jenna folded both arms in, only to find that a big green foot had kicked its way out of the jar. Jenna pushed and squeezed, but the Shield Bug struggled and fought against going back into the Pot with all its might.
Jenna was afraid it might suddenly turn nasty and use its sword, but desperate as the bug was to stay out of the Pot, it never unsheathed its sword. The safety of its Releaser was its prime concern. And how could the Releaser be safe if its protector was back in its Pot?
"You'll have to let it stay out," sighed Aunt Zelda. "I've never known anyone able to put one back. I sometimes think they are more trouble than they're worth. Still, Marcia was very insistent. As always."
"But what about Boy 412?" asked Jenna. "If it stays out, won't it just keep attacking him?"
"Not now that you've taken it off him. It should be all right."
Boy 412 looked unimpressed. "Should" was not quite what he wanted to hear. "Definitely" was more what he had in mind.