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Septi Darke crackled in the air and made the hairs on the back of his neck bristle He sat up with a sudden jolt

"What&039;s the rian to throb

"Lookover there" Septimus pointed to the sky "I-I don&039;t like the look of it It&039;s too big for a bird"

Jenna rubbed her ar the direction of Septih above the Marraht be a Marsh Kite" she said uncertainly

Septi his eyes against the glare of the bright light He looked pale and serious

"Wassup?" asked Nicko, blearily opening his eyes Wordlessly, Jenna pointed toward the approaching shape

Wolf Boy stopped his pacing and looked "Weird" he muttered under his breath

"What can you see?" asked Nicko, worried He knew that Wolf Boy&039;s sight was as keen as a hawk&039;s

"Looks like a osh, it&039;s going fastit&039;sno, that&039;s not possible"

"What?" asked Septiily "What&039;s not possible?"

"So"

"You sure, 409?"

"Yep, 412"

"But that is impossibleno one can fly like thatIof dread

"They did once So it&039;s been said" Septimus whistled under his breath

The black speck wasthe shape of a flyingover the Marshes, zigzagging back and forth so in fast on the Tag that Sleuth had provided

"It is Si

"We need to hide," said Septimus "Come on, Jen, the reed bedsquick!"

"Well, I don&039;t see what you&039;re all so bothered about," declared Nicko, staring up at the approaching figure "There&039;s four of us here and it&039;s only Si brother Simon Okay, so he&039;s learned to fly, but so what? I bet Sep can do that too Can&039;t you, Sep?"

"No, Nik Not like that That&039;s the real thingthat&039;s Flyte"

"But you can go up and down, can&039;t you, Sep? That&039;s flight"

"Only a few feet off the ground, Nik I couldn&039;t fly like that in a million years I didn&039;t think anyone could"

Jenna had taken refuge next to Thunder and was holding on tightly to his reins Somehow she felt safer beside the solid, unflustered aniure in the sky Septimus stood beside her, determined to protect Jenna this time From a secret pocket in his Apprentice belt he took his s that Marcia had given him when she had first asked his sat in Septilittered in the sun Across the shining silver, four words ritten in letters of pure gold: Fly Free With Me

Septi with Marcia beside the Boggart patchwhich seeo nohen he had first held the Charh him He reined that he really was flying That was all Surely there was more to it than that?

"SeeI knew you&039;d be able to do it, Sep," said Nicko adround

Septimus looked down and landed with a thump

Jenna, ure in the sky He was close enough now for her to see his long straw-colored hair strea in on the Tag At the lastinto the Causeway, Simon swooped up and skidded to a halt with a look of extreme concentration on his face This was Simon&039;s first attempt at Flyte He had crashed three times on takeoff from the top of the Observatory roof and had narrowly avoided s into one of the marsh islands which had been overrun with chickens It was nothing like as easy as Hugh Fox had told him it would be

Simon hovered noith some difficulty, as if buffeted by the wind, and stared in surprise at the group below He had seen so he thought had been eaten by the massive Land Wurive birth to ten little Land Wurry)