by Angie Sage
Chapter 25 The Causeway
Jenna, Septimus, Nicko, Wolf Boy and Stanley took the Causeway out of the Port toward the Marram Marshes. Jenna led the way and behind her trotted Thunder, shaking his head and snorting in the cool morning air, glad to be out of the smelly stable he had spent the night in at the rear of the Doll House.
Jenna had insisted on going back for Thunder. She was afraid that if they left the horse behind, Nurse Meredith might have been tempted to sell him to the meat pie shop down by the harbor. So, when they had rounded the end of The Rope Walk and still no witches had come out of the house, Jenna had crept down the dirt track that ran behind the houses and led Thunder away.
The Causeway ran along the high ridge that skirted the fields at the edge of the Port. As they walked in the early-morning haze, Jenna could see the faded circus tent and smell the well-trodden grass from the crowds the night before. It was a quiet and peaceful scene, but Jenna was on edgethe burn on her arm from Sleuth stung and was a constant reminder that Simon now had a Tag on herand any sudden movement or sound made her jump. So when, out of the corner of her eye, Jenna saw a small dark shape making a strange clattering noise and heading toward her, she panicked and grabbed hold of Septimus.
"Ouch!" gasped Septimus. "What's up, Jenwhat is it?" Jenna ducked behind him. Something was heading straight for her.
"Eurgheurgh gettitoff! Gettitoffme!" Jenna yelled, frantically brushing a large spiky insect off her shoulder.
The boys knelt down and peered at the bug, which lay on its back in the fine dust of the Causeway, legs slowly waving in the air and making a faint buzzing noise.
"But I thought it was dead," said Septimus, poking at the bug with his finger.
"How did it get here?" asked Nicko, shaking his head.
Wolf Boy stared at the bug. It didn't look very edible to him. Far too crunchy, he reckoned, and spiky too. He would not be surprised if it had a nasty sting.
Jenna peered over their shoulders. "What is it?" she asked.
"It's your Shield Bug," Septimus said.
"No!" Jenna dropped to her knees and very gently picked up the bug and laid it in the palm of her hand. She brushed as much dust off it as she could, and after a few moments, watched by a fascinated audience, the bug stood up and shakily began cleaning its wings, buzzing and fussing as it tried to get everything back into working order. And then, suddenly, with a triumphant clatter of wings against its green armor-plated shell, the bug rose into the air and took its rightful place on Jenna's shoulderjust as it had done more than a year ago when it had first been created at Aunt Zelda's cottage. Jenna's spirits lifted; now she had something to defend herself with ifor was it when?Simon came looking for her.
The large horse with a rat perched upon his saddle and four figures walking beside him made slow but steady progress along the Causeway. They had passed the fields that surrounded the Port and had now reached the reed beds, which provided thatch, baskets, flooring and all manner of bits and pieces for the inhabitants of the Port. As the morning sun rose higher it burned off the few remaining tendrils of mist that hung over the reed beds, which stretched almost as far as the eye could see. Beyond the reed beds lay the Marram Marshes, still shrouded in thick marsh mist.
Stanley was keeping what he called a low profile. He was not a happy rat that morning, for he had just recognized the turn-off to Mad Jack's hovel where, the previous year, he had spent the six most miserable weeks of his life being imprisoned in a rat cage; he had only managed to escape after starving himself until he was thin enough to squeeze through the bars.
It was midmorning by the time Stanley saw that the reed beds were growing sparser and he smelled the dank smell of the Marram Marshes drifting in, and he at last relaxednow that they were well away from Mad Jack. Soon the Causeway petered out into a boggy track and the group came to a halt.
Jenna shielded her eyes against the glare of the sun and squinted into the Marsh. Her heart sankshe had no idea where the track to Aunt Zelda's cottage was. The last time she had been here with Nicko it had been covered in ice and snow during the Big Freeze and had looked nothing like it did now.
Septimus stood next to her. "I thought the Boggart would be waiting for us," he said, puzzled. "I'm sure Aunt Zelda must know we're here. "
"Um, no, I don't think she does, Sep," said Jenna. "Her hearing's not so good now and she finds it hard to Listen. I'm going to send Stanley out to tell her where we are. "
"Excuse me? Did I hear you correctly?" the rat asked incredulously.
"Yes, Stanley, you did hear me correctly," replied Jenna. "I want you to go to Keeper's Cottage and tell Aunt Zelda we're here. "
"Sorry, Your Maj, but as I said earlier, I don't do marshes"
"If I ask you to do marshes, Stanley, you do them. Understand?"
"Er. . . " Stanley looked somewhat taken aback.
"And if you don't do what I ask, I'll have you dismissed from the Secret Rat Service. "
"But"
"Is that clear?"
Stanley could not believe his ears. Neither could Septimus or Nicko; they had never heard Jenna sound so determined.
"Is that clear, Stanley?"
"As crystal. Absolutely. " Stanley looked miserably toward the Marram Marshes. Jenna was, he thought with grudging admiration, going to be a much tougher cookie as Queen than her mother had been.
"Well off you go then," said Jenna. "Make sure you tell Aunt Zelda to send the Boggart out to the Port side with the canoe.
And be as quick as you can. Simon put a Tag on me, remember?"
They all watched the rat as he ran off along the boggy track, took a flying leap into the rough sedge grass that grew on the outer marshes and disappeared from view.
"I hope he'll be all right," said Jenna, shading her eyes and gazing in the direction Stanley had gone. She had not liked threatening Stanley but she had felt there was no other choice. Since Sleuth had Tagged her she knew it was only a matter of time before Simon found herand she longed to get to the safety of Keeper's Cottage.
"He's a good rat," said Septimus. "He'll be back with the Boggart soon, just you see. "
They sat down on the side of the Causeway. Thunder nibbled contentedly at the grass and Jenna passed around the water bottle she had filled up at the Port spring on the way out. Nicko lay down and gazed at the sky, happy to spend a morning doing nothing much. Wolf Boy was restless; his hands hurt him and after a while he got to his feet and paced up and down the track to take his mind off the pain.
Jenna and Septimus were on edge and watchful, scanning the Marsh and the reed beds for any unusual movement. Every now and then an eddy of wind rustled across the reeds, a water vole ped into the water with a muffled splash or a bird suddenly called out to its mate with a mournful marsh cryand Jenna and Septimus jumped. But as midday approached and the air became warm and sultry, the wind dropped and the sounds of the animals and birds quieted. Jenna and Septimus began to feel drowsy and their eyes slowly closed. Nicko fell asleep. Even Wolf Boy stopped his pacing, lay down and rested his burning hands on the cool grass.
Above them the hot sun glowed white in the cloudless skyand far away, beyond the Marram Marshes, a dark speck appeared on the horizon.