(i will be switching between first and third person from now on)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~CHAPTER 9~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Sierra," sang a beautiful voice. "Wake up." I had a horrible feeling that I was on the Isles of Syren and what was singing was the Syren. But that couldn't be, because as I looked around, I saw a rectangular stone room. Septimus had been all over the Isles of Syren and told me every little detail about it, so I could not be there. But where was I? I got up to walk around but fell back down. There were chains around my wrists connected to the floor. They had a purple mist about them that looked like Magyk. But then I realized it was my Magyk. I groaned and slumped over. How could I let her get me? How did she find me even? Suppose she got Marcellus? Was there even a Marcellus anymore? That Una was really something. There was more to her wiry frame than I thought. Una was thoughtful enough to leave me enough Magyk to See what was happening at the Wizard Tower, as I figured I wouldn't be much use, and I definitely couldn't escape. There was a shaft of light from a badly placed brick, and I figured it had to be morning. Just to be sure, I stretched my arm (which could thankfully go that far) and scratched ticks in the floor, as I was taught to do at the Wizard Tower. I placed my little finger in the middle of the shaft and it cast a shadow on one of the ticks. 10:00 AM. I must be facing east if the sun was rising. The Wizard Tower was in the east too. But where was I? I tried to see through the hole where the brick was misplaced, but all I saw was trees. Trees! That must be the Forest, meaning I must be in the Castle walls! Which means that the Wizard Tower is in the west. I turned to my left and put my left hand in front of my eyes, which wasn't easy to do. I touched the tip of my index and thumb to make the typical Seeing sign. I also knew, thanks to my knowledge of PathFinders, this was the PathFinder sign for "okay". It might have been natural for me to make the sign, since I did, after all, have a sort of distant PathFinder heritage. I focused my thoughts back to Seeing. I saw a clear image of Marcia's rooms in the Wizard Tower.
(okay, this is where it begins to be third person omniscient, when Sierra is seeing everything)
Septimus was the first to wake up. He looked around him, trying to figure out what had happened that turned his bones to jelly. And then it struck him. He remembered Una hovering outside the window, Entrancing Sierra. And nothing more. But then, as he focused his eyes, he realized Sierra was simply not there. Panic welled up inside him. Una had got her. Beetle woke up after a few minutes, rubbing his eyes. "Wassamatter Sep?" he asked, blearily. Septimus shook his head in despair. Sierra was gone, and it had to be his fault. "Sep, seriously, what happened?" Beetle asked again, feeling more awake. "Sierra is gone. Una got her. I hate that woman!" he slammed his fist on the floor. Jenna sat up with a start. Rose got up too, the faint memories of a warm breeze fading. "Where is she?" Jenna asked, getting worried. Everyone knew who "she" was. Rose spoke up, with a guilty look in her eyes. "It was my fault," she whispered. "She was Entranced and then I grabbed her and my stupid self collapsed. I can't believe it. I should have shaken her enough but I didn't, and now she's gone. Because of me." A tear slid down her cheek.
I myself was silently crying. They truly did care. It wasn't just for show. I went back to Seeing.
"It's not your fault," Jenna said soothingly while stroking Rose's arm. "It's none of our faults. Simply Una's. And we can't just stay here like sitting ducks while Sierra could possibly be dying. We have to go and save her. Who knows what's happening to her right now?" Beetle stood up. "She's right. What if we wait a few more minutes and we find her lifeless? Just her body and ghost left?" Septimus got up and took Rose's arm. "Come with me. I'm going to have to tell the Charm Wizard what happened and inform her about you. And as her Apprentice, you're going to have to confront her too." Rose smiled gratefully and they walked out the door speedily, leaving Beetle and Jenna alone. "Jenna," Beetle said, a bit scared of what might happen. "Sierra and the others wanted me to tell you something." Jenna took her eyes off the doors through which Septimus and Rose went through to look at Beetle. She blinked and felt something on her cheek. She looked at Beetle questioningly. "Was that you?" she hesitated. Beetle nodded. "That's what I needed to tell you."
"For how long?" she questioned.
"Ever since we put together DomDaniel's bones. But then I was positively sure when we went with Sep on the Queste."
"Ah."
"I get it. I just needed to tell you."
"That's not what I meant," she quavered. "I wondered if you knew about me." Beetle looked at his friend, shocked. "You're the same?" she nodded. He felt joy welling in his heart. "Close your eyes. I have a surprise for you," she tentatively said. He obeyed the Queen and felt something on his cheek. It was only for a second, but it was enough to make his heart burst.
So it finally happened, I thought.
Jenna and Beetle walked out hand in hand, meeting Septimus and Rose in the Great Hall. The clouded expression on Septimus's face turned into a grin as he looked at Beetle and Jenna. He shook Rose and pointed to them. She beamed. "It's about time!" she exclaimed. Beetle turned away and Jenna went red. "You both knew?" she asked. "We all did. Only about Beetle though. Not about you, Juliet," she said, making kissing noises. "Aye, stop that!" Jenna laughed as she shoved her hand over Rose's mouth. She turned towards Septimus. "What did the Charm Wizard say?"
"Rose has her consent."
"Well, let's go looking for her!"
Septimus nodded. Rose and Beetle followed his example. Jenna muttered the password and the silver doors to the Wizard Tower slowly opened. They squeezed through once the gap was big enough for a human being and raced off into the courtyard, looking for anything that might lead them to their friend.
I was rattled when I heard something slam. What I Saw evaporated, and became a distant memory. Una's slim figure appeared, holding a crust of bread. I glowered. "What do you want?" I snapped. "Oi! Be grateful, runt. I got you some food," she snarled. "Why did you leave me with some Magyk?" I asked her, eyeing the crust of bread warily. "Your insanity wouldn't let me take anymore, punk. Anyway, save your energy. Don't bother trying to See anything. Once your Magyk builds up, I'll be able to take more. Anyways, I've got something equally fine so you can see what your friends are doing. And what I'll do to them." She chuckled and brought Simon's Camera Obscura. I thought that was lost, but apparently not. She caught my gaze upon it and smiled. "Recognize this? That Simon was always resourceful. Pity he's gone away from the Darke, don't know what got into him. I'll seek him out and bring him back."
"Where am I?"
"Thought you might figure out, since you are so very intelligent and my brain's the size of a grasshopper. You're in the Castle walls." I was so relieved but didn't show it. That meant Alther could come up here. "How high up?" I asked. "About sixty-seven feet in the air. Don't bother trying to escape. If you try to get out, you'll fall to death." I slumped over, but in truth, I was bursting in cheers. It would be easy to escape this place. In case Una was doing a MindScreen, I did a fake thought of me rotting away in this cramped place, which had to be what Una wanted me to think. It was. "Don't worry sweetie, you won't rot away here. When you can't build up Magyk I'm just going to finish you off with this," she said in a sickeningly sweet voice. She held up a knife with a lapis lazuli encrusted hilt. "It's got a Darke-tipped point, so even if my stab doesn't kill you, the poison of the Darke will spread through your body and slowly eat away at you. You'll be dead over a course of a few weeks." She cackled, which needed some work. It sounded somewhat like a pig giving birth and dying at the same time. She disappeared in a flash, and I was working up energy to Summon Alther.