After they got food and some nice clean clothes they got on the Muriel and set off. They decided to go to the Marram Marshes Silas's Aunt Zelda lived. The cottage was enchanted so they guessed they would be safe for there for a moment.

A few miles downriver the sailboat Muriel was running with the wind, and Nicko was in his element. He stood at the helm of the small crowded boat and guided her skillfully alonng the channel that wound down the middle of the river, where the water flowed swift and deep.

The spring tide was ebbing fast and taking them with it, while the windhad risin enough to make the water choppy and send Muriel bouncing through the waves. "I hope Sally will be all right." she said. Silas looked down at her, "So do I." he says.

"She'll be all right. I gave her my Keepsafe." Marcia says. "You gave her one of your belt charms." Silas, amazed. "Your Keepsafe? Wasn't that a bit risky? You might need it." he says. "The Keepsafe is there to be used when the need is great enough, and plus she will join up with Sarah. Now be quiet I think i'm going to be sick."

They all fell quiet, except Nicko telling Boy 412 what to do, but he was already doing the right things. "Muriel's doing nicely, Nicko. Yor'ru a good sailor." said Silas some time later. "Wll Boy 412 heled." Nicko said. "Is that the Marram Marshes, Dad?" asked Nicko after a while, pointing to the disstant riverbank on his left.

In the distance you could see a vast strecth of flat low-laying land, dusted with snow. "Perhaps yo should sail that way a bit, Nicko," suggested Silas, waving his arm in the direction where Nicko was pointing. "Then we cankeep an eye out for the Deeper Ditch, That's the one we need."

Boy 412 wraps his arms around Jenna, she smiles as she rests her head, on my shoulder. 'Looks like Jenna and Boy 412 are getting along, pretty well.' she thought, smiling at young love. Silas hoped he could remember the way to Deeper Ditch, whicj was the channel that led to Keeper's Cottage, where Aunt Zelda lived.

It had been a long time since her had been to see Aunt Zelda, and the marshland all looked much the same to Silas. Nicko had just changed course and was heading in the direction of Silas's waving arm when a beam of light cut through the darkness behind them. The Hunter and his gang had caught up to them.

"It's the Hunter, isn't it?" Jenna asked. Everybody knew she was right. "Yesit's the Hunter. I n a fast-pursuit bullet boat." Boy 412 said, making them all look at him. "I know about the Hunter, he wont give up." Marcia didn't reliaze it but she didn't feel sick.

Becasue the boat had stoped bouncing. I n fact it had stoped doing anything at all, execpt driwft. Marica looked accusingly at Nicko. "Get a move on, Nicko. What have you slowed down for?" "There's nothing I can do. There's know wind," he muttered.

"Well, we can't just sit here," said Marcia, anixiously watching the searchlight coming rapidly closer. "The bullet boat's going to be here in a few mintues." "Can't you rustle up some wind for us?" Silas asked Marica, agitated. "I thought you did Element Control on the Advanced Course. Or make us invisble. Come on, Marica. Do something."

"I can't just rustle up some wind, as you put it. There's nowhere near enough time. And you know Invisibilitly is a personal spell. I can't do it for anyone else." "Will have to use the paddles."said Nicko. They all grabed a paddle and started paddiling as fast as they could, slolwy, far to slowly, Muriel crept toward the safetly of the Marram Marshes.

While the bullet boat's searchlight swung back and forward across the water, mercilseesly seeking out its prey. When Jenna saw the bullet boat, and the shape of the Hunter in the prow, she felt brave enough to talk. "Marica," said Jenna, "We're not going to reach the marshes in time. You must do something. Now!"

Although, she looked surprised at being spoked to so directly, she approved. Spoken like a true Princess, she thought. 'I could use a fog.' "Okay stop paddling," she instructed, "Keep stll. And be quiet. Very quiet." they did as they were told.

Marica gingerly stood up, wishing the floor wouldnt move. She took a deep breath and threw her arms wide, her cloak flying out like a pair of purple wings. "Murken Wake!" the ExtraOrdinary Wizard whispered as loud as she dared. "Murken Wake and Refuge Make!" They all watched as thick white clouds gathered themsleves togther in the bright moonlit sky, quickly obscuring the moon and bringing down a deep chill into the night air.

In the darkness everything beca,e deathly still as the first delicate tendrils of mist started rising from the black water. Faster and faster the tendrils grew, gathering togther and growing in to thick swathes of Fog, as the mist from the marshes rolled ovver the ater to join them. Soon Muriel was covered by a deep white thickness that stuck a damp chill into their bones.

"Stop!" Hunter's voice boomed through the Fog. The splash of the oraes ceased and the buttle boat drifted to a halt. Thye all held their breath. "We have them!" the Hunter said. "This is a Hexed Fog if I ever saw one. And what do you always find in the midle of a Hexed Fog? One hexing Wizard. And her accomlices." his low-safteiesed chuckle drifted through the Fog and made Jenna shiver.

Jenna hated the hunter's oily voice. She wanted to sout at him that she was in charge. "Marica cant you do a Begird and Preserve or a Projection." Boy 412 asked her. "The Projection could work but not the other." When she heard the metallic click of the silver bullet. She closed her yes and Projected. She Projected an image of the Muriel and all it's occupants sailing out of the Fog at full speed.

Like all Projections it was a mirror image, but she hoped that in the darkness, and with leirum already sailing away fast, the hunter would not notice. "Sir!" came the shout of an orsman. "They're trying to outrun us, sir!" The sounds of the pistol being primed ceased. The hunter swore.

"Follow them, you idiots!" he screamed at them. Slowly the bullet boat pulled away from the Fog. "Faster!" yelled the Hunter angrily, unable to bear the sight of his prey escaping him for the third time that night.

Marcia was very snappy. Keeping two spells on the go was a tough one. Especially since one of them, being a Projection, was a Reverse form of Magyk and , unlie most spells that Marica used, still had links to the Darke side-the Other side. As she like to call it. It took a brave and skillful Wizard to use Reverse Magyk without inviting the Other in.

Althher had taught Marica well, for many of the spells he had learned from DomDaniel did indeed bring Darke Magyk, and Alther had become adept at blocking it out. She was all to aware that all the time she was using the Projection, the Other hovered above them, waiting to break the spell.

"For goodness sake, get this boat moviing Nicko," she snapped. Nicko looked hurt. "Somenones got to paddle it, then," he muttered. "And it could help to see where I'm going." Withsome effort, and a consequent increase in snappinesis, she cleard a tunnel through the Fog.

Septimus knew how hard it was having to use a huge amount of Magyk energy and skill, and he flet a grudging respect for her. They silently paddle through the Fog, while Nicko steered the boat. Nicko soon felt the boat scraping along the sand. They reached the safetly of the Marram Marshes. Marica breathed a igh of relief and let the Fog disperse. Everyone relaxed, as they made it.

As Jenna and Nicko got out of the boat, they sat down to rest. When Septimus looked up he could see powerful Magyk. He could see the haze of Magyk energy that surrounded her. It glowed a shimmering pruple, flickering across the surface off her ExtraOrdinary Wizard cloak. Giving her dark curly hair a deep purple shine.

Marcia's brillant green eyes glittered as she gazed into infinity, observing a silent film that only she could see.