Page 33 (1/2)
Septih the sand dunes and up onto the rock-strewn grass He had a heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach, and he knehy It wasn&039;t the fact that he was headed off to an unknown danger - that he could handle What he found harder to deal as the fact that he no longer knehat Tirass, heading toward the steep hill that rose up in the center of the island Septimus had to almost trot to keep up with her At the foot of the hill was a h scattered rocks It ide enough for only one person, and Syrah went ahead, leaping up the path with the practiced ease of a oat Septimus followed more slowly Halfway up the hill, Septi to see Spit Fyre, but the dragon was already hidden by the sand dunes He caught his breath and then continued toward Syrah, as sitting waiting for him, perched on a rock and as still as a rock herself
Septis out - was Syrah in his Time or was he in her Time? He wondered if Syrah was a spirit; but she didn&039;t look much like one - in fact she looked exactly hoould have expected someone who had been stranded on an island to appear - thin and sunburned, her clothes threadbare As Septily brown hair back behind her ears and sirl would At her feet a spring bubbled froot a sudden attack of goose buined as he had flown over the islands Syrah pulled a battered tin cup from between the rocks and allowed the water to trickle into it She offered it to Septimus as he sat down on the rock beside her He drank the water in one gulp It was icy cool and tasted a hundred tihtly metallic stuff from the WaterGnome
After three cups of water Septimus feltright here," he said
Syrah nodded "I was It isI looked up, I saw your dragon and I Kneas you And I knew if it was you, you would - maybe - still have the Keye"
"But how did you knoas me?" asked Septimus Syrah looked surprised "All Apprentices Know one another," she said She looked at his Senior Apprentice stripes, which, after the ravages of the storer looked new and shiny "I aht you this yet, but he will He is such a good tutor, is he not?"
Septiht have slipped back into Syrah&039;s Tili hi would be fine But there was no sign of the alone on the island, ain in a different Ti out to sea contentedly, unaware of Septimus&039;s near panic "I am never tired of this," sheelse, but not this"
Septimus looked at the scene spread out below hiray rocks and edged with delicate white slivers of beaches, were strewn carelessly through the sparkling green-blue sea He knew froht over the islands that there were twoseven islands in all It was breathtakingly beautiful, but all he could think was, What Ti her eyes, she looked toward the CattRokk Light "This ht," she said "And so I ca"
Septi to pinpoint a moment when he could have possibly slipped back into Syrah&039;s Ti? Were they in this Tiht about it the more his head spun
"Syrah," he said
"Met here?"
"On a dolphin"
"On a dolphin?"
"It is a long story Let o on the Queste, escape while you can"
"Yes, I know And that is what I did," Septimus replied quietly
"You did?"
"It is also a long story," he replied in turn
Syrah regarded Septi Apprentice than she had thought She reached into a pocket in her tattered tunic and took out a small, water-stained book The cover was ns and syold letters across the front ritten:
"It was a ship&039;s logbook," said Syrah "I found it washed up on the shore It has been my only true companion on this island, and in it I wrote my story, so that I could re Take it, please, and give it to Julius when you return I wrote it for him, too
Septimus looked at the names on the cover "Soare you called Syrah or Syren?" he asked
"Out here I am Syrah"
"Out here?" asked Septimus
"Read it," said Syrah, "and you will understand Later," she added as Septio"
The path widened after the spring, and Septimus walked beside Syrah toward the wooded crest of the hill As they neared the top, Syrah turned to hi you to do is not for me, it is for the Castle And I think that if you knehat it is, you would insist on doing it anyway" She looked at Septi behind hiolden halo She smiled "Yes," she said "I am sure you would"
"Well, if you&039;re so sure, why don&039;t you tell me?" asked Septian to feel annoyed "Why not?" he said "If you want , I think the least you could do is tell ames with me"