DomDaniel saw Marcia coming and scuttled into the shadows of a nearby doorway. Invisible or not, he was taking no chances. Invisibility is not a reliable state, particularly between Wizards—and even more so between ExtraOrdinary Wizards. And Selective Invisibility is even more unreliable.
Marcia was not fooled. She saw the dim shape in the doorway with its familiar stovepipe hat, she saw the glint of the Two-Faced Ring—which she knew was almost impossible to make Invisible—and the Darke Toad sitting fat and gulping on the doorstep and she knew for sure that Alice was right. DomDaniel was here. But Marcia paid him no attention; the only thing that mattered to her right then was her promise to Septimus. She had to rescue the kidnapped boy—and fast. She had a feeling that Septimus was not going to wait around the corner for long.
Marcia’s mission was made easier by the fact that the four witches did not notice her approach—they were still immersed in their silent argument. This had begun when they had emerged from the Dripping Duck, and Linda had laid claim to Jakey as her personal servant to do with what she wanted. The Witch Mother had disagreed, saying he was for the use of the Coven, but Linda was having none of it—she had gotten the boy first, and the boy was hers. So there. The argument had escalated along The Shambles, and as they had rounded the corner into Fore Street it had become a full-blown fight. Veronica had taken Linda’s side because she was too scared to do otherwise. Daphne, who now regarded Linda as a mass murderer of woodworms, took the Witch Mother’s side. Linda had Thrown the first Silent Spell at the Witch Mother, who retaliated fast. This was followed by Daphne and Veronica throwing a Silent at each other at exactly the same time. Now all four witches were Silent.
It did not take Marcia long to realize what had happened. A nickname for the Silent spell is the “Goldfish,” due to the way those under the spell try to shout ever louder and, goldfish like, open and close their mouths with no sound emerging. And right then the four witches—plus the unfortunate Jakey Fry, who had had a Silent put on him the moment Simon had handed him over—looked like an unhappy fish family recently thrown out of their bowl.
At Marcia’s appearance a brief glimmer of hope flashed across Jakey’s face. Linda leaped into action. Yelling foul Silent words, she lunged at Marcia, dragging with her Jakey, who was still in her Grasp.
Marcia easily sidestepped the attack. “Now, now, Linda, there is no need to swear,” she said. (Like all Wizards, Marcia could lip-read). “If you behave nicely and take your Grasp off this boy I might, possibly, Reverse the Silent for you.”
We don’t need your help, you stupid cow! Linda’s mouth opened and closed Silently. We’ve got a much more powerful Wizard than you.
So there with knobs on! Veronica yelled Silently.
“That would be the powerful Wizard who is hiding in the doorway, too scared to show himself, would it?” Marcia asked coolly.
DomDaniel decided to leave before things got worse. He slunk out of the doorway and headed along Fore Street to look for Simon, who he had sent on ahead to find “a decent horse, Heap, to get us home.”
Marcia watched the departing Darke shape with a feeling of relief—Septimus was safe. She turned to Linda and told her, “I’ll give you three seconds to take your Grasp off the boy. If you do not, I shall Remove it. The Wizard code requires me to warn you that a forced Remove may lead to some personal damage.”
You pigging purple cow! Linda yelled Silently.
“One second, two seconds, three se—”
Linda dropped her Grasp.
Jakey Fry gaped at Marcia in astonishment—the Wizard woman had rescued him. Tears of gratitude pricked the inside of his eyelids. Thank you, he mouthed, forgetting he was Silent.
“You are very welcome,” said Marcia.
Linda gave Marcia a sharp nudge in the ribs. What about your promise, then? she asked, pointing to her mouth.
“I promised nothing,” said Marcia.
Yes, you did, you lying old bat! yelled Linda.
Marcia turned her back on the witch and said to Jakey Fry, “Let’s get you talking again, shall we?”
Linda positioned herself very close to Marcia, waiting for her to work her way through the Silent Reverse.
Marcia finished with, “What’s done is done, by all or one, I now set you free.” She threw a small ball of light in the air, it whizzed around Jakey’s head, touched him on the mouth and Jakey laughed out loud—it tickled. Quick as a flash, Linda’s hand snatched the ball out of the air and touched her own mouth with it. “Got it!” she crowed. “Not as clever as you thought, are you?”
Marcia said nothing. The Witch Mother grabbed the ball from Linda; a fight to be next erupted between Daphne and Veronica, and Marcia hurried Jakey away. As they disappeared around the corner, a barrage of swearing erupted behind them.
Septimus was waiting anxiously. At the sight of Marcia with Jakey he broke into a broad grin. “Hey, are you okay?” he asked Jakey.
“Yeah,” Jakey muttered. And then, in case the Wizard woman decided to take him prisoner for herself, he took off along The Shambles at top speed.
Marcia and Septimus watched the spindly figure of Jakey Fry hurtle away from them. They saw him skid to a halt outside one of the more decrepit lodging houses, throw himself against the front door and disappear inside.
Jakey raced up to the room he called home to find—to his relief—that his father was not there. From the window he watched his purple rescuer and the boy who had asked if he was okay coming along the street. As they passed under his window the Wizard woman looked up and smiled at him—and suddenly Jakey realized who she was. A smile spread over his face. He couldn’t be as rubbish as his father kept telling him he was. He must be worth something if the ExtraOrdinary Wizard from the Castle had bothered to set him—Jakey Fry, lowly ship’s rat—free.