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Septieway lit by the sa white lamps that Ephaniah Grebe favored in the cellars of the Manuscriptorium The temperature fell steadily as they walked, and Septi the air He concentrated on his MindScreen - his walk the previous year along the Outside Path with Lucy Gringe He wondered why that sprang to mind, and then realized that that walk into the unknown had led hi that this one lanced down at his Senior Apprentice stripes, their Magykal sheen still visible below the stains from Spit Fyre&039;s tail, and told hiht now, he could do it He was, he reminded himself, the only Apprentice ever to coe wound steadily to the left and, after a few ht of steps, at the foot of which was a massive wall of the sa chaular shape of a wide doorway set into it, and he guessed that they were near their journey&039;s end As they walked down the steps, Syrah&039;s deep Syren voice suddenly - shockingly - rang out "The boy comes no further"

Septimus froze

Syrah shook her head Frantically she beckoned him forward, while her Syren voice countermanded "Stand back! Do not touch the entrance!"

Septi the voice, but because there see on between Syrah and her Possessor, and he wanted to keep his distance He watched Syrahpanel beside the door with an odd, juddering action, and he could see the e effort, she forced her hand onto the panel Slowly the door hissed open, and Syrah walked forward in the ale With great trepidation, Septimus followed The door closed behind theht ca cavern hewn fro, glittering in the ethereal blue light - and at his feet was the biggest Ice Tunnel hatch he had ever seen Septimus was shocked It was not the massive size of the hatch that shocked Septi ater The slightly rounded bulge of the hatch eray swash that covered the cavern floor For the very first time Septi of ice, and it was iold, with a raised silver Sealing Plate in the center Into the gold was inscribed a long line of tightly packed lettering that began at the Sealing Plate and wound in a spiral to the edge

Syrah&039;s wavering finger pointed at the hatch Her other hand went to her neck, then sprang away, grabbed her pointing finger and forced it down Now Septimus understood what he was here for: Syrah wanted him to Seal the hatch with the Keye He didn&039;t knohy there was an Ice Tunnel here, and he didn&039;t knohy it was UnSealed, but what he did knoas that he had to act fast Syrah was losing control of her actions Quickly he took the Alcheot down on his hands and knees in the ice-cold water and held the Keye above the Sealing Plate He felt Syrah&039;s gaze on the back of his neck and glanced up Her white eyes atching him with the expression of a wolverine about to pounce

Suddenly Syrah lunged at the Keye and snatched it Septimus leaped to his feet and then, bizarrely, with herthe will of the Syren, Syrah very deliberately placed the Keye back in his hand and her mouth formed the words Run, Septimus, run With a sudden inner force, her body was thrown to the floor, and she lay sprawled in the pool of melted ice

Septi if he could soing from her prostrate forainst the worn panel in the black wall The door hissed open Behind hi fro its shell, and he ran

Praying that the door would close before the Syren could reach it, Septi on the stone As he reached the top, he turned just in tih the ever-diap Septi, brick-lined passage, which seeo on forever, but at last he saw the shiny black wall of the et into the chamber and close the door fast He skidded to a halt in front of the featureless wall Where was the door? He took a deep breath - concentrate, concentrate, he told himself Suddenly he saw the worn spot where Syrah had placed her hand He put his pallowed beneath, and the door opened briskly Septi worn spot on the other side As the door began to close, he saw the Syren appear around the last bend in the corridor, so close that Septi as if in a ghostly breeze, hertoward hi even worse Running in front of her were Jenna and Beetle - who screamed,

"Wait, Septimus! Wait!"

Before he had time to react, the door closed

Septi From the other side of the door he heard Jenna and Beetle shrieking, "Help! Let us in, let us in!"

It was - he kneas - a Projection Jenna and Beetle had looked exactly as they had in his MindScreen, with Beetle wearing his Manuscriptorium uniform - not his fancy new Admiral&039;s jacket, which he had so far refused to take off But the Projection spooked Septimus badly; the Syren was powerful - she could et the cha of the Projections, he went over to the orange arrow - but as he stooped to press it, the Syren&039;s song began

Septimus was utterly transfixed His hand fell limply to his side as he realized that all he wanted to do was listen to the most beautiful sound in the world How, he wondered, had he ever- nothing - hadlooped and soared through the cha of joy and hope, because in a moment, when he opened the door and let the Syren in, his life would be co he had ever wanted Dreamily he wandered back toward the door As Septies cascaded through his reen seas, laughter, joy, friendship He felt as though he were surrounded by all the people he loved - even Marcia was there Which was, he suddenly thought, a little odd Would he really want Marcia here on this island with hi filled his head, and for a brief second it displaced the Syren&039;s song That second was enough Keeping i moments firmly in his mind - which was easy, as there were so many to choose froe arrow and pressed hard With Marcia telling hi in the backyard of the Manuscriptoriu stuff with Beetle as it called - FizzBoot?

And did he really think he had the right to put the stairs on eoing about their business - he was sadly ave a lurch, Septimus&039;s sto up

Septimus spent the journey in the co into Marcellus Pye&039;s house de there until at last the cha panel, the door slid open and - to the accoiene or, to be precise, lack thereof - Septi up from the depths, "I shall come for you, Septimus, and I shall find you"

Septimus shot up the narrow escape stairs, which were hewn out of the rock of the cliff, and eh a Hidden exit into the Peepe He saw his X still ht at the apparently solid wall behind it Suddenly he was standing on the springy grass of the cliff top, breathing in the fresh, warm air

Syrah had told the truth