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Septimus stepped onto the silver spiral stairs at the top of the Tower "Hall, please," he said As the stairs began to iant corkscrew, Septimus held up the spider jar He squinted at the occupants, which now numbered only five, and wondered if he had seen the hairy spider before The hairy spider looked back at Septimus with a baleful stare It had certainly seen hiht crossly; four times it had been picked up, stuffed into a jar and dumped outside The boy was lucky it hadn&039;t bitten him before Still, at least there was so spiders had gone down very nicely,even though it had had to chase them around the jar for a while The hairy spider settled down and resigned itself to the journey Again

The silver spiral stairs turned slowly, and, as they took Septiot some cheery waves from the Ordinary Wizards who lived on the floors below and were beginning to go about their business for the day

There had been much excitement when Septimus had first arrived at the Wizard Tower Not only was Marcia Overstrand returning in triu the Wizard Tower, not to mention the entire Castle, of a Darke Necro with her an Apprentice Marcia had spent ten years as ExtraOrdinary Wizard without taking on an Apprentice After a while some of the Ordinary Wizards had been known to ood "What did Madaoodness&039; sakethe seventh son of a seventh son? Ha!" But that was exactly what Madam Marcia Overstrand had found She had found Septimus Heap, seventh son of Silas Heap, as a poor and untalented Ordinary Wizard and himself the seventh son of Benjamin Heap, an equally poor, but considerably more talented, Shape-Shifter

As the silver spiral stairs slowed to a sround floor of the Wizard Tower, Septi fro colors that played across the soft sandlike floor The floor had seen hi and the words GOOD MORNING, APPRENTICE ran across the shifting patterns and flitted in front of him as he uarded the entrance to the Tower Septi open before hiht into the Hall, which drowned out all the Magykal colors

Septi So for him

"Marcia&039;s let you out early today," said Jenna Heap She was sitting on the lowest of the huge marble steps that led up into the Wizard Tower, carelessly swinging her feet against the warold and tied with a gold sash, and a sturdy pair of sandals on her dusty feet Her long dark hair was held in place by a sliold circlet that she wore around her head like a crown Her dark eyes had a teasing glint in thearded her adoptive brother He looked as scruffy as usual His curly straw-colored hair was uncoreen Apprentice robes were covered in dust froon Ring shone as brightly as ever

Jenna was pleased to see hireen eyes blinking in the bright sunlight He waved his jar of spiders at her

Jenna leaped up from the step, her eyes fixed on the jar "Just don&039;t let those spiders out anywhere near me," she warned hi the jar at her as he went past He went over to the Well on the edge of the courtyard, and very carefully, he tipped the spiders out of the jar They all landed in the bucket The hairy spider had another quick snack and started cli spiders watched the hairy one leave and decided to stay in the bucket

"Sometimes, Jen," said Septimus as he joined Jenna by the steps,"I think those spiders just go straight back up to the Library again I recognized one of them today"

"Don&039;t be silly, Sep How can you recognize a spider?"

"Well, I was pretty sure it recognized me," said Septimus "I think that&039;s why it bit me"

"It bit you? That&039;s horrible Where?"

"In the Library"

"No, where did it bite you?"

"Oh Look, here" Septimus waved his thu," she said dismissively

"That&039;s because Marcia put some venom on it"

"Veno we Wizards do," said Septietting up and pulling at Septireen tunic "You Wizards are all crazy And, speaking of crazy, how is Marcia?"

Septi over to Jenna "She&039;s not crazy, Jen," he said loyally, "but that Shadow follows her everywhere And it&039;s getting worse, because I&039;h, creepy" Jenna kicked the pebble back to Septimus, and the pair played pebble football across the courtyard and into the cool shade of a tall silver archway lined with deep-blue lapis lazuli This was the Great Arch that led out of the Wizard Tower courtyard and into the broad avenue known as Wizard Way, which ran straight to the Palace